"Ah...!" Hanatarou gasps, nearly losing his footing. "What the hell!" Ganju growls, lookin around frantically, "Who is emitting this ridiculously high spiritual pressure?" "Guh... Damn it..." Ichigo grunts. "Run!" he finally yells, "I can't figure out what exactly is going on, but I'm sure that someone very strong is nearby! Before they find us, let's run as far as we can!" "Okay!" the others agree. You nod, and sprint after Ichigo, Ganju and Hanatarou close on your heels.
"They're finally here," the man on the rooftop breathes. "So, which was the one...?"
"This is too weird," Ichigo thinks, "We've been running for a while now, yet I still feel so close to the source of the pressure... It feels as if... he is constantly holding a sword against my neck...!" In his mind's eye, a midnight-black skeleton bears down on him from behind, the blade of a sinister katana just millimeters from his throat. "I can't believe this!" you think, sweat dripping off your brow. "Not him... Not him!!" A part of you wants to tell Ichigo who is the source of this spiritual pressure. You recognize its aura of "instant death." You'd know it from anywhere. To be sure, you've never felt the full brunt of it before, but whenever you passed your former Division captain, a cold chill would steal over you, making your breath catch in your throat, leaving you wondering if your breath and life had really been stolen away, and you were only a mere shadow passing through this land of shades.
But if you do tell him, will that take away his fear, or compound it...?
Wheezing, Hanatarou suddenly drops to the ground, unable to run any further. "Hanatarou!" Ganju cries, doing an about-face to get him. "What are you doing?" he roars at the poor boy. "Sorry," Hanatarou returns, "I'm out of energy..." "You're really..." Ganju growls, grabbing Hanatarou's skinny arm, "a troublesome guy!" With that, he lifts Hanatarou over his shoulders and follows you and Ichigo, all of you running as fast as you can.
A tinkle of bells on the wind...
"Not him," Kenpachi mutters, taking in Hanatarou's nearly non-existent spiritual pressure. "Not him either." And he moves on from Ganju to you. "She's grown, but I know it's not her." Finally, he decides on Ichigo. His eyes widen monstrously.
"Is it you?" he whispers.
Chilled to the core, Ichigo stops abruptly. It was as if a voice had been whispering in his ear just now. He looks up. There, several stories above him, is the man behind the massive spiritual pressure dripping with murderous intent. He sits on the tiled roof, his tattered robes flapping in the wake of his own rising energy. His black eye-patch and heavy scar over his left eye, gleaming in the shadows of his face are nothing next to the insane leer he bears. The bells attached to the ends of his pointed hair ring ominously. The light tinkling sounds might as well have been tolling for a funeral. All at once, a wave of energy hits your small group.
"What's wrong with you?" Kenpachi asks Ichigo. "Don't just stand there and stare." The teenager gasps. Suddenly, a sword tucks deep into his chest, spraying blood everywhere... But just as soon as the image comes, it disappears. Shaking from the onset of the illusion, he clutches at the front of his robes, gasping. What... What the heck was that?! Illusions from his killing intent...? But... it felt so real...! Cautiously, he glances behind...
"Are you Kurosaki Ichigo?" Kenpachi asks. "H...how do you know my name?!" Ichigo demands, fighting to regain courage and composure in the face of such power. "Who are you!?" "Oh?" Kenpachi responds, calmly, a touch of surprise coloring his voice. "Didn't Ikkaku tell you about me? Didn't... Watanabe?" That's right! Ichigo's head snaps in your direction. He had completely forgotten to ask... But wait... shouldn't *you* have said something to him? Your eyes meet his and you shake your head. In an instant he understands. Telling him could never have prepared him for this. From far away, Ichigo's own conversation with Ikkaku comes back to him. "Is he strong?" he had asked. "You'll know him when you see him," the bald shinigami had responded, from his prostrate position on the ground. "Assuming that you are... still alive when you do." "What's his name?" Ichigo had continued...
"I am the Captain of the Eleventh Division," the man standing before him now declares, "Zaraki Kenpachi."
"I have come here..." he tells a shocked Ichigo, "to kill you."
Ichigo swallows hard and takes it all in. Zaraki Kenpachi, the Captain of Eleventh Division, Aki's former squad. No wonder he emits such a great spiritual pressure. This guy feels completely different from anyone he's ever met. "So?" Kenpachi challenges, "I've told you that I'm here to kill you. You haven't said anything in response... Does that mean you are ready to start now?" His grin grows wider as Ichigo's hand reaches Zangetsu's sword hilt. From far behind him, he hears a soft thump of a falling body. He turns around.
"Hanatarou! Ganju!" The first has completely fainted, collapsed in a heap of black robes on the ground. The latter is kneeling, breathing hard, unable to stand. Out of the three behind him, you are the only one standing. "Don't be... stupid, Ichigo... Hanatarou and I are just a little stunned by the pressure... We'll be fine..." Ganju reassures him. "Stop worrying about us and look in front of you. If you don't, we'll get beaten in an instant!" "Ganju..." Ichigo says quietly, realizing the truth of his words. He looks at you. You're in a fighting stance and although he can see fear in your eyes, he can see your determination to not give up.
"Oh! He's drooling!"
Everyone looks up as a little girl with short pink hair and chubby cheeks nearly snaps Kenpachi's neck as she pushes it aside to look at Hanatarou. "Huh?!" Ichigo squawks, shocked. What's a little girl doing here?! A soft tap later and she's on Ichigo's shoulder. "Waa... Ken-chan really scared him!" she declares, hand over her eyes, shading them from sun. "Poor thing!" Freaked out, Ichigo makes a violent motion with his arm, trying to fling her off. Instead, she jumps back to where Kenpachi is, landing gracefully in front of him. "He got angry..." she pouts, putting her finger to her lips. "Idiot," Kenpachi mutters, "It's your fault." Ichigo gets out his sword, now completely in stance. He won't be taken by surprise again!
Meanwhile, you're so shocked you actually loosened your grip on your weapon. By now, Ichigo should have seen from her get up that that little girl was no ordinary child. You didn't think you'd run into Vice Captain Kusajishi Yachiru so soon! You never noticed her because Kenpachi's spiritual pressure had been so overwhelming, it was really easy for her to just tuck her own in and hide. She must have been riding on his back the whole time, like she used to in order to scare the new recruits.
"Eh? Sparky's here too!"
You do a face plant as Ichigo and Ganju just balk and stare at Yachiru. "Sparky?" you can hear them mutter. "Who the hell is she talking about?" But then, they notice you pick yourself up and make the connection. "Sparky!? Pwahahahaha! *cough*" Ganju would've laughed longer and harder if Kenpachi's spiritual pressure hadn't been threatening to suffocate him, so he stops. He'll save this for later. He gulps. He HOPES there will be a "later." In the meantime, Ichigo looks from you (you're back in your stance now, although you look shaky) to Yachiru. Yachiru's waving and grinning. "It's been so long Sparky! I'm glad to see you again! Have you come to fight us too?" Ichigo spins to examine the rest of you. "Aki, Ganju!" he orders, "Take Hanatarou out of here! I'll try to stop this guy. Go rescue Rukia!" "But... by yourself?!" Ganju cries, astounded. "Shut up! Just go!" Ichigo hollers. Ganju grits his teeth and takes a quick second to think. Ichigo's right. There's nothing he can do. "Alright then!" he booms, picking the poor guy up and racing off. "Come on, Aki!"
"No."
"What?" Ichigo mutters, staring incredulously at you. You walk forward until you're right next to him. "Didn't you hear me say--" "I heard you," you said, "But what you said makes no sense. Take a good look in front of you, Ichigo. There's two of them. So there should be two of us." You give him a hard look. "I'm not going anywhere."
"What about Rukia?!" Ichigo demands. "What if Ganju runs into more trouble further on? Hanatarou's incapacitated right now!" "Exactly!" you counter, "If both of us cause a ruckus here, no one will ever notice them with all the spiritual pressure rushing around. I'm staying right here! You need me for this!" "What!?" Ichigo cries, exasperated.
"Haven't you noticed that... neither of us has gone after those two?" Kenpachi asks Ichigo. "Wait, isn't your objective to stop us?" Ichigo asks. "For the last time, I am here to fight you," Kenpachi answers truthfully. "I don't give a damn about your friends or Kuchiki. They can die anywhere they want for all I care." "That's very good, you punk!" Ichigo snarls, spirit pressure rising.
"Your stance looks good," Kenpachi tells Ichigo, calmly examining the boy from where he stands. "There are a lot of openings but it is high in spiritual pressure. Our vice captains could be no match for you. No wonder Ikkaku lost." "Thanks," Ichigo returns, cautious of the praise. "Though you're still far weaker than me," Kenpachi says, "How about this? I'll give you a chance." He slowly opens his robes, exposing his tanned chest. "Cut me anywhere you want... and don't hold back," he says.
"Wa?" Ichigo gasps. "What... what the hell are you talking about? I'm not going to attack someone unarmed! Do you think I'm stupid?!" "No, I don't think you're stupid," Kenpachi says, "This is just a handicap, a charity. It's nice of you, not wanting to attack an unarmed person, but you should save your sympathy for someone else. Don't be so stuck up." He fixes Ichigo with a bemused stare. "Just enjoy this." His eyes widen with blood lust. "Killing and being killed... They are just a way to pass time!"
You swallow hard. This is bad. The match hasn't even started yet and he's already freaked Ichigo out considerably. But that's to be expected, isn't it? You tighten your grip on your sword, slowly pulling it out of its sheath. Kenpachi's madness... His unquenchable thirst for battle... is unlike that of any other being's. That's why he is Kenpachi, the title given only to the strongest sword in all of Soul Society. "Come! Neck, stomach, eye, anywhere!" Kenpachi booms. "It'll be even better if you kill me with one blow! What are you afraid of?! Come on!!" Ichigo grits his teeth. Nothing for it then! "Shit, you asked for it! Don't regret it later!" he yells, charging forward. You bite back a yell at what happens next, because you were afraid this would happen. With Kenpachi... there is no way to forewarn anybody. It's better to see it with your own eyes... because it is just that unbelievable.
Ichigo lands the hit on Kenpachi's sternum... but the sound of ripping flesh does not come from Kenpachi's wound.
Frozen, Ichigo can only stand in front of the Captain, blood dripping from his own hands. His sword... can go no further. It stops there, against Kenpachi's chest. He might as well have been trying to cut a steel wall. "It's impossible... He's not wounded at all!" He used all of his strength on that attack... but why... isn't there even a scratch?! Instead, his own hands are bleeding."
"That's it?" Kenpachi asks, eyes narrowing, "How disappointing." He pulls out his own blade, simply pushing aside Ichigo's with his arm as he does so. "Now it's my turn. Please, don't die too quickly." As he pushes his arm forward, Ichigo is thrown back, his feet scuffing on the ground as he goes. The captain explains, "You seem surprised. Is it so hard to believe? The fact that... your sword can't even scratch me?" Ichigo's mind is racing, his heart pounding. "He pushed Zangetsu back with his bare arm! He's a monster!"
"It's useless, Ichi," Yachiru tells him, pointing up at his blade. Surprised, Ichigo looks down at her. "Ichi's sword won't do anything to Ken-chan. Because... a sword like that is the same as a bladeless sword to Ken-chan." "What?" Ichigo whispers, shocked. "Let me tell you... why your sword can't scratch me," Kenpachi says. "It's pretty simple, actually. When two spiritual beings collide, the side with weaker spiritual pressure will get hurt. That's all there is to it. In other words, compared to your sword that is highly concentrated for the purpose of killing... the spiritual pressure that I release subconsciously is much, much stronger. Simple, isn't it?" He sighs. "Hmph. I can't believe I camped out all night for this. It's so sad, it's not even funny. At the very least..." He pulls out his Soul Slayer, its jagged and chipped blade gleaming menacingly. "Dent this sword just a little, tiny bit. Please, trespasser."
You grit your teeth. Shit! Ichigo can't win like this! You hate two-on-one battles, especially considering Kenpachi was your old captain (he did let you go to the human world, and if it weren't for that, you'd never have met Ichigo) but Ichigo... can't take this guy alone. Quickly, you pull out your sword and take a step forward, only to be stopped by the clang of metal against Rai-kumo's edge. "Where are you going, Sparky?" Yachiru asks. "I'm right here."
