(Chad and Tatsuki vs Nnoritra and Tesra)
The Espada blocked with his ax as Chad threw an El Directo punch, letting the energy of the attack blast the Septima away. As the energy dissipated, Sado appeared in front of Nnoritra and used Bringer Light on his hands to enhance his strike by bringing both fists down on his head. Tatsuki, in the meantime, was keeping the fraccion busy. The Arrancar, Tesra, was growing more and more aggravated. His master was having more trouble than he should. They came in when the intruder was weakened by his fight with the Privaron, but apparently the Fullbringer was in better condition than they thought. The fraccion got into a blade lock with Tatsuki and looked over to Chad, charging a Cero in his eye. The martial artist recognized the energy build up and who was the proper target.
"Sado, Cero!" She yelled out just as Tesra fired his attack. Chad was wrestling Nnoritra, trying to get the massive ax away from the Espada, when Tatsuki called out the warning. He shifted his body weight to turn them around and let Nnoritra take the brunt of the blast. When the Arrancar's grip slackened for that instant, Chad ripped the weapon out of the Espada's hand and slammed the ax down on him. With that chance, Chad used the blade to pin the Espada down with his own crescent ax.
"Master Nnoritra!" Tesra called out in horror. Tatsuki took advantage of the matter by kneeing him in the fork of his legs, making him drop as pain coursed through him, then tore his blade out of his hand and tossed it aside before pinning him on the ground. Gantenbainne took the blade and kept a distance away from the group, looking to give his allies an advantage.
"You bastards!" Nnoritra growled before Chad stomped on his head.
"Be quiet and listen." The Fullbringer said, ensuring he had the Espada's attention.
"Screw you!" Nnoritora growled out, starting to glow as his power gathered around him. "Pray! Santa Teresa!" The part of his ax that had pinned him down charged with power, pushing Chad away from him. Tatsuki's gripped slackened as she tried to shield her eyes, giving Tesra the chance to free himself as he managed to roll out from under her and charge at Gantenbainne. The Privaron was too stunned to stop the Fraccion from turning his blade around and stabbing him in the stomach.
"Crush! Verruga!" He yelled, becoming cloaked in smoke as he grew in size and transformed. When the dust settled, Chad and Tatsuki saw what their enemies became. Tesra grew into a giant warthog-esque minotaur creature, towering over both of them, while Nnoritra gained lopsided crescent moon horns and another pair of arms, all of which held scythes.
"If you were going to say that whole, 'stay down and I might get to live in the "new" Las Noches after your buddy kills Aizen' crap then you can forget it!" The Espada roared out. "I'm not just here to kill you for intruding, I wanted to draw out that bastard Kurosaki!" Chad narrowed his eyes in a glare at the Arrancar as he continued. "I know you are one of the weaker members of your team, so I really shouldn't bother, but killing you would definitely net me a fight with that hybrid Aizen is so worried about. I don't care about peace or fighting weaklings, especially ones that have to rely on some bitch's help!" Now Tatsuki got pissed. "But, if I kill the two of you, then I'll get him to come to me. Then I'll let him in on a little secret, I'm the one responsible for the attack on his house. Would've killed mommy dearest if Ulquiorra didn't stop me." Tatsuki was shaking with rage while Chad seemed to relax.
"I see, then I guess the only thing left to do here is to show you mercy." The Fullbringer said as he looked at Tatsuki and nodded, signaling her that they had to go all out.
"Ignite, Hidori." Tatsuki calmly said, gaining her gauntlets and greaves while Chad began to charge himself up. The Fullbringer's arms slowly growing in size.
"Mercy?" Nnoritra asked as Tesra stood on the opposite side of the pair. "Are you looking down on me you bastards?"
"The mercy we'll show you is the fight you want." Chad answered as his armor extended further over his body. "If you followed through with your course of action, Ichigo would destroy you. That wouldn't be a fight, it'd be a slaughter." Nnoritra continued to glare at the two as they got into their fighting stances. "It's for your sake that we kill you here and now."
(With Bazz-B)
'Right, Uryu is in really bad shape.' The Heat thought as he carried the unconscious and bleeding Quincy across the desert sands, being careful not to aggravate his already serious wounds. 'Orihime said that if anyone gets this badly injured to take them to her immediately. She's not too far away from here, Ichigo, Tatsuki, and that Sado guy seem to be busy, not as a decisive win as I would've liked but this is going fine so far.' He had to slow down as he noticed Uryu starting to cough up little mouthfuls of blood. 'His control is slipping, I'm running out of time!' He stopped to safely readjust Uryu to a more stable position on his back when he noticed their guest, a black Arrancar that seemed to be glaring at his companion. "And you are?"
"My name is Zommari Rureaux, I am Espada number 8." The Arrancar said, still glaring at Uryu. "I have unfinished business with that Quincy you are carrying."
"Does this mean you're still sore about being called out on your bullshit?" Bazz-B asked, causing Zommari to glare at him now. "Yeah, he told me about you and the other Arrancar he had any knowledge on. And let me tell you this, you Hollows deserve it. Quincy have the same problem of just taking but at least we can learn and admit it. My people were born that way and we had to adapt and adjust. Hollows are born from the loss of a heart and become animals. The few Hollows I've seen that retained enough sentience to talk are usually cruel and vicious. So, where was Uryu wrong in his statements?" Zommari disappeared with Sonido.
"Shut up bastard!" The Arrancar roared as he was immediately in Bazz-B's guard, plunging his Zanpakuto into the Sternritter's stomach. The blade connected and snapped against the Quincy's Blut reinforced skin. "What?" The Espada gasped, staring at his broken blade before looking up to Bazzard's fingers.
"I know I should make the offer for you to surrender, but I think Ichigo will understand." Bazz-B said, looking down at the Arrancar with contempt. "Burner Finger 4." He said before creating a sword of flames and slicing through the Espada's limbs. "Okay, double time. I took to much time with this." Bazz-B continued, readjusting Uryu on his back and leaving the crippled and screaming Arrancar behind.
(With Orihime)
"Okay, they're heading in out direction again." Bambietta reported as Candice managed their transport platform this time. "Should be another minute or so. You sure you can heal him?" The Explode asked the Exorcist as she finished healing Rukia, who managed to catch up to the group.
"There's very little I can't heal Bambi, so long as I can focus." Orihime replied, turning her gaze over to where Tatsuki and Chad were currently fighting. "Which might actually be a challenge." The Sternritter and Soul Reaper cast their sight in the same direction as Orihime, feeling the fluctuations of battle.
"We have to have confidence in them." Rukia said, trying to cheer up their healer. "They've both made tremendous progress since I first met them and your squad doesn't have weak any members." Orihime smiled as Rukia tried to boost her confidence and once again the Quincy thought about their own 'allies' and how many would have the same confidence or even try to help. Both shuddered when they thought of a certain ally and her particular style of 'help'.
"Sorry I'm late, ran into a roadblock." Bazz-B said, appearing on the platform and gently setting Uryu down. "Most of his organs and muscles were crushed. He's barely keeping himself together as it is."
"Shun'o, Ayame, Souten Kisshun." She ordered, making the two spirits come out and double the efficiency of the healing. The outside evidence of the damage began to reverse at a rapid pace and the Sternritters release a sigh of relief when they felt the spirit threads holding Uryu together release with no consequence. "He'll be fine. Thank you for looking after him Bazz-B." Orihime said with a smile, making the Quincy blush.
'Is this what happens when allies actually care about one another?' He wondered to himself, thinking about his old friend, or rather his former friend. "No problem. This just leaves Sado and Arisawa, fighting another Espada, and Kurosaki who seems to be fighting his own battle." He said as a large cloud of dust erupted in the distance. "Though if I had to guess, they're just warming up."
"Ichigo can handle himself." Rukia said, taking charge of the matter as the highest ranked officer in the group with Uryu still unconscious. "For now, let's find Chad and Tatsuki. They'll need healing when they finish their fight." Everyone still awake agreed and Candice turned them towards the two humans.
(Chad and Tatsuki vs Nnoritra and Tesra)
Tesra tried again to crush Chad beneath his fist, letting his transformed state's size and power give him the edge against the Fullbringer. Chad caught the fist and dropped slightly, cushioning the force of the blow and using Bringer Light to solidify the sand beneath him to gain a proper foothold. With that, he threw Tesra's fist to the side and threw him down onto the ground. Tesra took the chance to grab onto Chad and slam him against his fist. Coughing in pain as the air was forced from his lungs, Chad could only weather the attacks as Tesra slammed him into the ground and began to crush the Fullbringer in his grip. Chad struggled against Tesra's strength until he freed one of his arms.
"El Directo!" He yelled, blasting the Arrancar in the face and forcing the giant minoboar to drop him. As soon as he landed, he charged right back at Tesra and shot toward the Fraccion's stomach with another El Directo upon contact and sending Tesra back quite a ways. Taking the chance he had now, he turned to see how Tatsuki was doing against Nnoritra.
"You bitch!" The Espada yelled, swinging his scythes to blow away the flames the martial artist kept using. After the Arrancar released their Zanpakuto, Chad and Tatsuki switched opponents. Chad went to Tesra to match power for power, and Tatsuki to Nnoritra because the heat of her flames would exhaust him faster.
"Eat this!" Tatsuki yelled, throwing a punch at the Espada. He raised a scythe to block it, while using another of his scythes to shield his face. As he did that he swung his other two scythes at her, which she used to flip over him and strike him in the back. The talons of her greaves left a trail of sparks against his skin, but he was hurting in a different way.
"Damn it, that burns!" He growled as he revealed another pair of arms. One grabbed onto Tatsuki and slammed her into the sands in front of him. "There's nothing that disgusts me more than some bitch trying to be on the battlefield!" Nnoritra roared as he got ready to slash Tatsuki to bits, only to be stopped he was struck with a vicious uppercut from Chad. The Espada was thrown back as the Fullbringer aided his ally.
"Everything alright?" He asked as he helped Tatsuki back to her feet. As she did, they saw Tesra charging at them. "Stubborn."
"Very." Tatsuki agreed as they looked to each other and nodded. The pair ran toward Tesra, with Chad just a little ahead. As the two sides neared each other, Tesra bending over to swipe at them, Tatsuki jumped onto Chad's back and shot toward Tesra's head. She was creating a concentrated fireball on her foot and snapped it at the warthog mask. "Meteor Strike!" It exploded violently on contact and threw the large Arrancar off balance. That gave Chad his window and he punched the ankle of the Arrancar so hard they heard bone snapping before Tesra collapsed. "Funka." Tatsuki said, shooting down onto Tesra, creating a pillar of flames as her fist connected. The air was filled with the roar of flames and screams of agony as Tesra yelled one last thing out.
"Master Nnoritra! Forgive me!" The Arrancar yelled out as his Resurreccion form faded away and the real body was consumed in the fire. Tatsuki rose to her feet and glared at the Espada, who managed to return it. Chad noticed this and turned to face his opponent, who promptly fired a Cero from his tongue. Chad just barely managed to transform both of his arms to block the attack, pieces of his shield breaking off against the onslaught. When it ended, Chad went back to his devil's left and giant's right and readied himself for the next bout.
"What's with that look?" Nnoritra asked the pair, noticing Tatsuki backing off. "You think you can beat me just because there's two of you against me now? Seems a little cheap if you ask me, but it doesn't matter. I am the strongest!" He yelled out in defiance, pointing a scythe at the Fullbringer. Chad, however, was unimpressed.
"The strongest?" Sado asked sarcastically. "I heard that the Espada were ranked by power and you are the 7th Espada. Doesn't that mean that there are six that are stronger than you?" Nnoritra glared at the Fullbringer as he continued. "I also get the feeling that if I was worse off from my fight with Gantenbainne, you wouldn't hesitate to try and strike me down. A sound strategy, but hardly one that would cement your strength in this world." Chad could sense the growing anger in the Arrancar as he continued. "Landing the killing blow or fighting an already weakened opponent doesn't prove that you're stronger, only that you cheat yourself on your quest for the title of 'strongest'." Nnoritra had enough and lashed out at Chad who circled behind the Arrancar with Bringer Light.
"Who the hell are you to lecture me!?" The Espada roared, swinging three of his scythes at Chad and trapping him between his blades. "You need some bitch's help just to fight me!" Chad slammed his head against Nnoritra's and the two were locked in. "I don't care what it takes, I'll kill everyone till I'm the strongest!" He continued, two hands dropping their scythes to impale Chad's body. "Starting with you and that friend of yours." The Espada pulled back as Chad dropped to his knees, bleeding quite a lot from the holes in his sides. The Arrancar regained his bloodthirsty smirk as he raised a scythe, ready to decapitate the Fullbringer. In Chad's mind, he heard his grandfather's voice.
"You weren't given this strength to hurt others." The old adage that Chad learn to live his life by, once again motivating him to pull out whatever laid within him to fight and protect. He clenched his right fist as threw his strongest punch to date. As it connected with Nnoritra's stomach, Sado's coin glowed and there was a bright flash just before the Arrancar was sent flying into one of the stone pillars and causing it to collapse. Chad was panting for breath while his arms glowed, feeling a drain on his soul. Nnoritra soon rose from the rubble, glaring at Sado.
"You bastard." He growled, wincing as he felt pain throughout his body. 'He managed to fracture a couple of my ribs there.' He thought, assessing his internal damage. "I'll kill yo-!" He growled before a wave of heat washed over him. He turned to see Tatsuki standing in the center of an inferno.
"Shunko." He heard the martial artist say before she flashed in front of him and slammed her armored fist into his face. What followed was a massive blast of fire that started from her fist and continued burning until he was shot away from her because of the pressure. As the fire died, Tatsuki collapsed from exhaustion and Nnoritra felt his life leave him.
'All my power, and I die because of some bitch!?' He mentally roared in rage. His hierro did well to protect him from physical attacks, but the heat from Tatsuki's attacks bypassed that defense and roasted him. He was trying to get to his feet before he was pulled up by one of his arms and came face to face with Chad once again.
"My mercy for you is now complete." Chad said as he changed his arms. "Brazos Dobles, Diablo." He slammed his fists into Nnoritra's sides, causing a colliding shockwave that destroyed the Espada's insides. The last thing Nnoritra could consciously feel as he began choking on his own blood, was regret.
(Ichigo vs Grimmjow)
The clashes were explosive as each side struck at the other. Grimmjow in his Resurreccion and Ichigo with his two Zangetsu. The two danced a lethal routine, strikes aimed to kill, blasts aimed at vitals, but neither had an edge over the other. They kept that up all around them was a wasteland, scarred by the clash of the warriors. They took the chance to pause and breath.
"You've certainly gotten better Grimmjow." Ichigo said, honestly meaning that after considering their first encounter. "What about the offer I've been making to each Arrancar I've come across?" The panther scratched his head in thought.
"When we first met, you really pissed me off Kurosaki." The Espada said, looking the hybrid in the eye. "There was a confidence and cockiness that just set me off because I saw you as a kid that was overconfident. Then you proved me wrong and kicked my ass. Afterward I was punished and humiliated for my failures and I wanted nothing more than to kill you. Then I was offered a way, to gain the power I needed to fight you again, but it came at a cost. Every Espada represents an aspect of death. Mine is destruction. And I was told that if I wanted the power I so desired, I had to throw away everything and embrace my aspect. So here's my deal; tame me, quell my thirst for destruction, then I will join you." As he was talking, his hair was slowly turning black and his armor fell off to reveal more black covering his entire body, shining like obsidian, and a truly feral snarl on his face. "Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa."
(Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers)
Why Yuzu and Karin didn't get boyfriends (While Ichigo was still squad 15's lieutenant)
The twins were sitting together in the lunchroom at Shin'o academy, trying to enjoy some time together in between classes. Trying being the operative word in this case.
"My family's hosting a party for the other nobility in Seireitei. I could show you how to mingle with them, ladies of Kurosaki." One handsome young noble, among a crowd of boys, suggested.
"I've always had an interest in archery. I heard that almost all Quincy were master archers. Would you mind helping me out?" Another asked. This went on with Yuzu kindly turning down some offers while Karin shared her brother's blunt disregard for formality. Unfortunately, the crowd did not shrink even a single person.
"How about you guys leave." The crowd heard a voice from behind. The twins smiled while the boys scoffed in an irritated manner. "They already have plans with me."
"And who the hell... are... you." The turned to see a scowling Ichigo, cracking his knuckles as he glared at the group.
Progress on Project 16
Dordoni soon stepped through the Garganta and into a large laboratory, where he was greeted by a woman with a braided ponytail in a kimono that reached her mid thigh and had an obi that seemed unsurprised by his appearance.
"Welcome. I am Nemu Kurotsuchi." She greeted politely. "Am I correct in assuming you were sent here by Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"Uh, yes niña." The Privaron responded.
"Follow me." Nemu said as she guided Dordoni down the halls of the lab. One in particular causing him to flinch.
"Just kill me already!" He heard someone yell out in pain.
"In a moment, almost done researching you." Dordoni heard another, more gleefully sadistic voice say. "But, it seems like no two Arrancar are exactly alike. Maybe I'll need another test subject soon." Dordoni began to sweat.
"No worries. You're not going to master Mayuri. You're going to captain Urahara. His vivisections are painless." Nemu said, making the Privaron breath a sigh of relief... until he remembered what a vivisection was.
Tsukishima's Loyalty
Progress was coming along back to its normal pace before Ichigo ended up wrecking most of the Seireitei. Urahara and Mayuri had the replica of Karakura finished and in place, the souls of the city hidden in stasis, and countermeasures ready in case something happened to switch the replica for the original. But there was one loose end that needed to be dealt with, one that could crush the entirety of Soul Society.
"You understand why you're here then." Soi-Fon asked the Fullbringer, who was currently one of the most dangerous figures in Soul Society since he could now manipulate Ichigo's memories.
"I'm perfectly aware captain." Tsukishima responded. "I'm in the unique position on having power over Ichigo Kurosaki, who is the key in the battle against Yhwach. I'm no fool, I'm not about to jeopardize the world for any stupid reason. I've had purpose, respect, and the chance to help. Not an ideal first meeting, but I've time to adjust. I'm ready to help in any way."