Well, here it is. Ther were supposed to be two, but I had been far more busy than I thought I'd be. I'm going to have several free days in about a week or so, and then I'll have time to write more. For now, read, enjoy and tell me what you think.
*
Isane opened her eyes sleepily, turning to the left side.
She shivered, drawing blankets over herself, but as always, it didn't help.
She smiled sleepily and exteneded her arm, only to frown as she found nothing.
Shaking off the last vestiges of sleep she finally allowed herself to open her eyes fully.
True to form, the left side of the bed was empty, though still faintly warm.
'Where could he...?'
She looked around, only to relax as she noticed dusky skinned man standing by the window.
He was clad only in a loose shinigami pants, his wide, muscular back bare, the large blue cross tattoo clearly visible. On one of his large, muscled hands fluttered a Jigoku Cho, obviously just finishing the message it had been given.
Isane looked on curiously, and her eyes widened as she caught the last few bits of the message.
"Understood." Chad nodded simply.
Isane smiled fondly.
'Of course. How else.' She thought with amused expasperation. 'If he asked Chad to storm the Los Noches with his arms tied up, the reaction propably would be the same. Honestly, those two...' She sighed fondly. 'Well, it was just a matter of time.'
Chad turned.
"I woke you. Sorry." He said, and Isane felt a pleasant shiver at the base of her spine as his low, calm voice washed over her. She liked hearing him speak. Especially like that. Warm. She felt warm whenever he spoke to her in that smooth voice of his.
To her it didn't matter that he spoke so rarely. When he did, it was worth it.
"Don't worry. I was about to get up anyway." She smiled, getting out of bed lazily.
She felt like smirking as Chad's eyes roved her form, something akin to barely restrained greed flashing in them. She might have lacked Rangiku's outrageous curves or her Taicho's classical beauty but her body was lithe and taut and more than enough to show that she was a beauty in her own right.
Besides, Soi Fong's figure was nearly boyish and nobody ever seen Ichigo looking at other women like he did at her ever since Rukia died.
'And Chad certainly doesn't complain.' She giggled at her fiance's eyes, tracing each and every move she made as she walked to him with deliberate slowness, allowing him to look at every inch of her.
She wrapped her arms around him
"Good Morning, Chad." She smiled. "Or should it be Sado-fukutaicho now?"
Chad just smiled.
*
T-MINUS 60 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
"The reiryoku flow is within 78%. All systems nominal."
"Increase to 80 percent and initiate the drain as soon as the gauge reaches the end."
"80 percent? Yuzu-sama that's...!"
"Don't worry. Just do it slowly."
"...Understood. Recalibration in progress."
"Yuzu-sama... Isn't it too early? I mean..."
"No. His reserves can take it."
"But his body...!"
"Is perfectly all right. And I dobt he'd like to spend another week here."
"...As you wish."
T-MINUS 45 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
WARNING. REIRYOKU RECALIBRATION PROCESS HAD BEEN INITIATED. ENTRY VALUES HAD BEEN CHANGED BEYOND CALCULATED PARAMETERS. AUTOMATIC SAFETIES NOT ENGAGED.
"What are our readouts, Ryoko?"
"The pulse convereter holds steady, the Mass within calculated margin. The inversion matrix runs a little hot, but within acceptable parameters. All systems green, Kurosaki-fukutaicho. We are go."
"Good. Recalibration?"
"We should be getting report any..."
SYSTEMS HAD BEEN RECALIBRATED SUCCESFULLY. ENTRY VALUES CHANGED. EXIT VALUES CHANGED.
REIRYOKU PULSE CONVERTER: 90%
INVERSION MATRIX: 93%
FLUX: 92%
REIATSU DENSITY: 78%
REIATSU IMAGINE MASS: 90%
REIRYOKU FLOW: 83%
WARNING! WARNING!
INSTABILITY HAD BEEN REGISTERED WITHIN THE CORE COMPONENT!
REIRYOKU FLOW: 85% AND RISING!
"85! Good god! Yuzu-sama! It is rising too...!"
"It is rising exactly as it should be."
"Yuzu-sama is right, Junko. Or are you forgetting just who we are dealing with?"
"But still... Five percent in less than thirty seconds... Unbelieveable."
"Of course."
T-MINUS 30 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
WARNING!
TRESHOLD PARAMETERS REACHED. RECOVERY OF THE CORE ADVISED.
"All right. Initiate the drain."
"Yes, Kurosaki-fukutaicho."
"Core acessed. Connections online. Systems green."
"Flow?"
"..."
"Ryoko? The flow, please?
"It... It is... 93% and... and rising, Yuzu-sama."
"...unbeliveable..."
"And the connection?"
"Normal and withing the parameters, Yuzu-sama. How did you know...?"
"It's all about will and control, Ryoko. He has both. Disengage the stais. Initiate the recovery."
"Stasis locks disengaged. Recovery system online. Values are... nominal."
"And our patient?"
"Responding well within... Oh. Sorry. Above parameters."
T-MINUS 10 SECONDS. RECOVERY INITIATED. CORE ACESSED.
WARNING!
REIRYOKU FLOW: 100%
"Yuzu-sama! The matrix...!"
"Let it be."
"But at this rate...!"
"Let it be. We can afford to lose it now and it will do what it is supposed to."
"...Kurotsuchi-taicho won't be happy, Yuzu-sama."
"I will deal with Nemu, you worry about the recovery. And losing one matrix, or even the whole device is worth it."
"As you wish. Safeties off."
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
REIRYOKU PULSE CONVERTER STATUS: CRITICAL!
INVERSION MATRIX STATUS: CRITICAL!
"Well..."
"Ouh."
"Smells kind of like my kitchen after I make steaks."
"Ryoko... You burn steaks."
"That's what I said."
"Ah... Damn!"
"Whooo... Well, there goes our matrix."
"And the pulse converter."
"Damn. Kurotsuchi-taicho is going to be SO pissed!"
"Yep."
"Don't worry, don't worry. Everything will be all right."
"Easy for you to say, Yuzu-sama. She adores you."
"People, can we concentrate on what we are doing here?"
"...Sorry, Kurosaki-fukutaicho."
"Sorry, Yuzu-sama."
T-MINUS ZERO. RECOVERY PROCESS FINISHED. LOCKS DISENGAGED. DRAIN COMPLETE.
"Status?"
"Just a second. We should be... Ah, here it is!"
"..."
"..."
"Well?"
"Yuzu-sama... That is..."
"My... god..."
"Oh just give it to me."
"...Here."
"Oh."
"Well... that's one way to say it. Shit!"
"Don't speak to Yuzu-sama so disrespectfuly, idiot!"
"Ow! I'm not! It' just...!"
WARNING!
REIRYOKU ACTIVE.
REIATSU SPIKE DETECTED.
ZANPAKUTO ACESSED.
MATERIALISATION COMPLETE.
STATUS: ACTIVE.
SEAL: FIRST LEVEL, ACTIVE.
SUMMARY:
SUBJECT: UKITAKE JYUUSHIRO
ZANPAKUTO: SOGYO NO KOTOWARI... MATERALISIED.
LEVEL: SHINIGAMI
RANK: 13TH DIVISION CAPTAIN
STATUS QUERY?
REIATSU SPIKE DETECTED.
REIRYOKU: REGULAR
ZANPAKUTO: ACESSED, MATERIALISATION COMPLETE.
SUBJECT UKITAKE JYUUSHIRO... ACTIVE.
*
Ukitake opened his eyes slowly, wincing slighlty as the light of the laboratory, even muted, hit them.
He winced, but allowed them to get used to illumination again.
'Ouh.'
He shook his head, shaking off the greenish liquid that he had been resting in for the past several months.
'Well... it doens't seem to smell any better than before. At last it's not worse.'
He sneezed.
Damn but he was cold!
He instinctively drew on his reiatsu to warm his body.
He shivered for a second before some helpful sould covered him with a long blanket.
"How are you feeling, Ukitake-taicho?"
Jyuushiro blinked and tuerned to the source of the gentle voice.
"Oh! Yuzu-chan!" He smiled, looking at the young 12th division vice captain. "Nice to see you!"
"I would say the same, but I've been seeing you for the past seven months every day." She grinned. "How are you feeling?"
"Not bad." He said, tightening the blanket around himself. "I can..."
He trailed off, his eyes widening.
'Wait.'
He was cold.
He sneezed.
He drew on reiatsu at a rapid rate.
And he hadn't coughed.
For that matter...
He frowned.
There was something... strange.
Not bad but... It made him feel of balance.
There was something missing.
Something...
"Oh." His eyes became very wide.
Even when he was up and not bothered by the attacks of his disease, he always felt it. That strange not-pain in his chest, the feeling of some weight on his lungs.
But now...
'It is... gone? Gone?"
He froze.
He had been living with his sickness for as long as he could rememeber. But now...
He dug into his reiatsu reserves like never before. He called his reiatsu and it answered the call, swiftly and without the reistance that his body usually presented.
For once he didn't care that the power was nearly suffocating most of the shinigami in the room.
He reveled in it, feeling his body, his healthy, strong body, working like a perfect machine. Like it should. Like it was doing now.
Hundreds of years of research, the best minds of Seireitei, the best medics the 4th division had in their ranks... And all they could do was slow it down a little and ease his pain.
But now... Now. This slip of a young woman. A rookie shinigami. She had done the impossible. She had, basically, reutrned his life to him.
"You've done it... I can't believe it... YOU'VE DONE IT!" Ukitake grinned and laughed, grabbing Yuzu into an exuberant hug, uncaring of her embarassed squeak "HAHAHA! Yuzu-chan! You're a genius! GENIUS I tell you! Wahooo!"
The 12th division scientists were given a rare treat as, right before their dumbfounded eyes, Ukitake Jyuushiro, one of the most repsected captains and one of the strongest shinigami to ever enter Gotei 13, danced around the laboratory with their cute fukutaicho in his embrace.
Danced, let it be added, practically butt naked, sans the blanket that all but slipped of his arms and unmiding of the greenish liquid he was covered with.
The scientists just stared, as Yuzu squeaked with indignation, blushing atomic rouge.
'Why is she...?' Isuzu Ryoko, the 3rd Seat officer tohught puzzled. 'Oh. OH.' She blushed looking at the 13th division captain.
"...Damn but he's built... Kurosaki-fukutaicho is so lucky, isn't she?" Asami Junko said, drooling. "Kinda makes me wish I was in her place."
"Yeah..." Ryoko said absently
Ukitake danced around the lab, not caring in the slightest as he swung Yuzu around and laughed like a madman.
It was to that scene that the doors to the laboratory opened, letting in Kurotsuchi Nemu and her fellow captain, Kyoraku Shunsui in.
"...the process is running smoothly, Kyoraku-taicho, but we are stll not sure if..."
Nemu froze.
Kyoraku looked at his friend and the young woman and grinned.
"Oh I don't know about that. Looks like a complete success to me. Jyu-chan is certainly... lively enough. And he's in very good company." His grin widened into lecherous as Yuzu's outer kimono loosened and slid of partially from the mad swinging. "Oh yeah. Very good company."
Nemu's eyebrow twitched.
*
"Please this way, Chad."
Chad nodded follwing the scientist.
Ran'Tao unlocked the small chamber, revealing the small space filed with numerous Seal lines all over it.
"I must warn you." She fixed her glasess. "Due to the nature of your power, we don't know how... stable it will be. We ran countless simulations, but there is no guarantee. And even then, it is only 47%, according to my own calculations."
Chad nodded again.
"There is a possibility of failure here, Sado-kun. You have much power, but power alone might not be enough." Ran'Tao warned him seriously. "And if something goes wrong... Death isn't too much of a stretch."
Chad just looked at her.
"I thought so." She sighed with exasperation. "I swear, you and Ichigo... Well, no reason to wait, then. In you go."
"Ran'Tao-san. Thank you." Chad said to her earnestly, before going in.
She sighed, sealing the chamber.
"Good luck... Chad." She whispered.
*
It was cold.
That was the first thing he noticed as he sat down.
And it was gettig colder.
He sat down in the central seal, as instructed by Ran'Tao.
Nothing happeneded.
Still, Sado Yasutora was nothing if not patient.
So he sat.
He waited.
He looked at the seals.
He didn't notice when his eyes closed and his body slumbed, like a puppet with cut strings.
*
Ran'Tao bit her lip as she watched the readouts.
'I have done all I can. Now, it's up to you.'
*
The mist was milky white, dense and thick. Almost a living thing as it twisted around him.
It was hot and humid as well, he noticed as he wiped off the sweat off his brow.
'Hot. Even Mexico wasn't this hot.'
He looked around.
There was... something here. Something.
But what?
Well, he KNEW what it was supposed to be but...
"Well, well, well... Look what the cat dragged in."
The voice was a low growl, but it didn't sound threatening. More amused. And annoyed.
He turned around quickly and the mist vanished, leaving a jungle.
His eyes widened as he spotted a tiger on the nearby rock, resting in the sun.
A very large, massive tiger.
"Finally feeling like vistin', boy?" The beast bared his teeth. "Well it was about damn time, too."
Chad blinked.
"You were... waiting?" He asked carefuly.
"Well shit, boy." The beast jumped of the rock lazily. "What does it look like, eh?You think I've been lying on this here rock all that time for my health?"
"Cats do." Chad pointed out.
"I am not a cat, boy." The beast snorted. "I am a tiger."
"Tigers do, too." The young man supplied helpfully.
The tiger just gave him a flat look.
"I should bite you, you know." He muttered, shaking his head. "I had all of this scene SO nicely thought out. Riddles, baiting... Fun, I tell you. But no!" The tiger snarled. "You had to go and get that armor of yours. Arm of the giant... my furry ass!"
Chad blinked again.
"What do you mean?"
The tiger looked at him incredosuly for a moment.
"You mean... you didn't know?" He asked with disbelief. "All that time..." He snickered before laughing out loud. "Damn! That's funny! All that time... all that time around that Ichigo kid, soaking up the Pure Blood shinigami power mixed with the Vaizard vibes... And you didn't KNOW! Oh damn...! That's just...!" The animal chuckled. "Man oh man... What a mess!"
Chad frowned
The tiger shook it's head.
"Okay. Since I can see you've got no freakin' idea what's what, I have a question for you." He looked at Chad, his golden eyes glinting. "Your powers were awakened because you were in contact wth the bleach hair kid, right?"
Cad nodded.
"Now, you've been in contact with the kid the longest. Save that Tatsuki girl. Right?
Chad nodded again.
"Have you ever thought why that Tatsuki girl got her Zanpakuto right off the bat? No problem, no fuss?" The beast grinned.
"Ichigo..." Chad started.
"Ah! But YOU were in contact with Ichigo as well!" The tiger cut before he could complete the sentence.
"Urahara-san said, that those were our natural..."
The beast snorted, cutting him off again.
"Narutal... Yeah! As if!" THe tiger sat in front of him. "Listen. There is nothing 'natural' about your powers. The girl... maybe. I ain't sure, but it's possible. You? No chance. If they were so fuckin' natural, why the hell were they awakened fully in Hueco Mundo, eh? Why did Hollow's powers felt so much like ours? Ever thought about that? Why did your Right Arm had teeth? Ever wondered how the hell could you block cero with that shield but physical attacks were harder, eh?" The large animal leaned forward. "I can tell you why, boy. Because your 'Right Arm' doesn't block reiatsu. It devours it."
Chad foze, his mind working furiously.
"Am I like a hollow?" He asked cautiously.
"Hollow? No." The tiger sighed. "You kid, are nearly unique. If there is anything similar to you, it'd be that Ichigo kid. You are both alike. Two powers, one soul."
"Two but..." Cha'd eyes widened. "That means... you must have been here before."
"Of course. What are you, deaf?" The tiger growled. "I've been here since the beggining. I've been wating. Waiting all that damn time for you to come here. To draw me. To accept your own power. But no. You just had to be damn stubborn. Had to 'rely on your fist'. Stupid brat. And now... Now you need me? Now you come here, all cocksure and shit... And not even because you want help. Just because of some... formalities." The tiger's face scrunched up in distsate. "You are a piece of work, kid."
"Sorry."
The tiger growled mencalingly, before sighing.
"You know, I can say no. I can just leave you to fuckin' fend for yourself. But I ain't spiteful. Much." He looked at Chad. "I'm pissed I didnt' get to fight earlier, sure. But there will be plenty of fights soon. We both know it. So I'll go with you. Under one condition." The tiger got up and started cirling him.
"You have a shield, which is your armor." The tiger said. "You have a fist, which is your weapon. Offense. Defense. You can protect those you love. So... What am I needed for? What is my role? Tell me, and I will tell you my name. Tell me, and I will walk by your side and rend your enemies apart. Tell. Me."
'He is right.' Chad frowned thoughtfully. 'My right arm defends, my left attacks... I have plenty of power. I need zanpakuto, yes. But it is, as he said, formality. So what can possibbly...' His eyes widened. 'Defend. Defense. I am... defensive. Protect. He said protect those you love but...' An understanding dawned. 'I don't just fight to protect anymore. This is war. And I need to... I need to attack!'
"Heh. I knew I made it too easy." The tiger smirked. "But promise is a promise. Kid, listen well and remember. I am the claw to your fist. I'm the blade that warrior needs to kill his enemies. I don't defend, I don't protect. I cut. I rend apart with my claws until nothing is left. I'm the vanguard, the spearhead of the attack. I'm the warrior's edge. Your edge, now. I am..."
"Sentan."
*
Chad opened his eyes.
He clenched his fist, now covered with black an prple, like his other one. Shield on one arm. Spikes on another.
And a long sword, nearly a nodachi, in his hand.
He looked at the weapon for a long while, before grasping it.
"Tear apart, Sentan."
The steel shrieked, almost roared, and he could swear he heard a growling laugh in his head.
He looked at his left hand, a metal contraption, part gove part bracer with the four long metallic claws extending from it's knuckles.
'I guess I really am the tiger now.' He thought with a small smile.
*
"Attention all of the active Gotei 13 personell. Attention all of the active Gotei 13 personell. 5th Division is, as of now, entering a reactivation period. After the reactivation is finished, the 5th Division will be entering the active combat duty. All active 5th Division shinigami are to leave their temporary positions they had been rotated to during the suspension and return to the 5th Division immideatly. You are expected on the 5th Division troop assembly in three days.The presence is mandatory for all of 5th Division staff. No excuses save for those cleared with the 4th Division.
So ordered by Shihouin Kurosaki Ichigo, 5th Division Captain and Sado Yasutora, 5th Division Vice-captain."
*
Now some might ask, why Isane? Why not? She's a fun character in my opinion, and a little bit underused. And she has frequent nighmares. I imagine wuth Chad there, she can sleep easier. And I kind of like them together, really. They fit. Isane is a litle bit like Unohana, her captain, but she's not as creepy. She's no helpless waif either, being a Vice-captain. She is, I think, the kind of person Chad can relate to, as I see it. So... yeah. Hey, why am I even justyfing myself here anyway.
Yuzu the Genius. She's genius in kitchen, chemistry is kinda like kitchen, chemistry is science... Uh, yeah? Something like that. I just like the image of nice, happy Yuzu as the mad scientist and the Vice-captain to Nemu. Kind of dynamic duo thing. As you can see she has plenty of admirers and her earning the position was no favoritism, even if Nemu is one of her brother's closest friends. She is just that good. Not combat wise, though with Kahei Tensa she's no slouch, but as a scientist. As evidenced by her curing Ukitake. Sure, he had to remain in stasis in green gunk of seven months, but he can kick ass and take names without any fear of his disease messing things up. And he's happy as hell, too. As evidenced by his 'wild Ukitake show'.
Chad and zanpakuto. You can say what you want, I don't care. It stays. Why? Because Chad would never be allowed to be th 5th's fukutaicho without one. And no, he's NOT getting Bankai in this story. He's a fucking scary powerhouse as he is now. He just has four, large, fucking sharp quasi Wolverine-like claws on his Diablo arm now. As Santen said: it is not about protection, it's about cutting things up. Prefferably cutting them dead. This is war.
Santen means pointed tip, but also vanguard, spearhead and leading edge. I found it apropriate for what I had in mind.
Comments?
*
Isane opened her eyes sleepily, turning to the left side.
She shivered, drawing blankets over herself, but as always, it didn't help.
She smiled sleepily and exteneded her arm, only to frown as she found nothing.
Shaking off the last vestiges of sleep she finally allowed herself to open her eyes fully.
True to form, the left side of the bed was empty, though still faintly warm.
'Where could he...?'
She looked around, only to relax as she noticed dusky skinned man standing by the window.
He was clad only in a loose shinigami pants, his wide, muscular back bare, the large blue cross tattoo clearly visible. On one of his large, muscled hands fluttered a Jigoku Cho, obviously just finishing the message it had been given.
Isane looked on curiously, and her eyes widened as she caught the last few bits of the message.
"Understood." Chad nodded simply.
Isane smiled fondly.
'Of course. How else.' She thought with amused expasperation. 'If he asked Chad to storm the Los Noches with his arms tied up, the reaction propably would be the same. Honestly, those two...' She sighed fondly. 'Well, it was just a matter of time.'
Chad turned.
"I woke you. Sorry." He said, and Isane felt a pleasant shiver at the base of her spine as his low, calm voice washed over her. She liked hearing him speak. Especially like that. Warm. She felt warm whenever he spoke to her in that smooth voice of his.
To her it didn't matter that he spoke so rarely. When he did, it was worth it.
"Don't worry. I was about to get up anyway." She smiled, getting out of bed lazily.
She felt like smirking as Chad's eyes roved her form, something akin to barely restrained greed flashing in them. She might have lacked Rangiku's outrageous curves or her Taicho's classical beauty but her body was lithe and taut and more than enough to show that she was a beauty in her own right.
Besides, Soi Fong's figure was nearly boyish and nobody ever seen Ichigo looking at other women like he did at her ever since Rukia died.
'And Chad certainly doesn't complain.' She giggled at her fiance's eyes, tracing each and every move she made as she walked to him with deliberate slowness, allowing him to look at every inch of her.
She wrapped her arms around him
"Good Morning, Chad." She smiled. "Or should it be Sado-fukutaicho now?"
Chad just smiled.
*
T-MINUS 60 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
"The reiryoku flow is within 78%. All systems nominal."
"Increase to 80 percent and initiate the drain as soon as the gauge reaches the end."
"80 percent? Yuzu-sama that's...!"
"Don't worry. Just do it slowly."
"...Understood. Recalibration in progress."
"Yuzu-sama... Isn't it too early? I mean..."
"No. His reserves can take it."
"But his body...!"
"Is perfectly all right. And I dobt he'd like to spend another week here."
"...As you wish."
T-MINUS 45 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
WARNING. REIRYOKU RECALIBRATION PROCESS HAD BEEN INITIATED. ENTRY VALUES HAD BEEN CHANGED BEYOND CALCULATED PARAMETERS. AUTOMATIC SAFETIES NOT ENGAGED.
"What are our readouts, Ryoko?"
"The pulse convereter holds steady, the Mass within calculated margin. The inversion matrix runs a little hot, but within acceptable parameters. All systems green, Kurosaki-fukutaicho. We are go."
"Good. Recalibration?"
"We should be getting report any..."
SYSTEMS HAD BEEN RECALIBRATED SUCCESFULLY. ENTRY VALUES CHANGED. EXIT VALUES CHANGED.
REIRYOKU PULSE CONVERTER: 90%
INVERSION MATRIX: 93%
FLUX: 92%
REIATSU DENSITY: 78%
REIATSU IMAGINE MASS: 90%
REIRYOKU FLOW: 83%
WARNING! WARNING!
INSTABILITY HAD BEEN REGISTERED WITHIN THE CORE COMPONENT!
REIRYOKU FLOW: 85% AND RISING!
"85! Good god! Yuzu-sama! It is rising too...!"
"It is rising exactly as it should be."
"Yuzu-sama is right, Junko. Or are you forgetting just who we are dealing with?"
"But still... Five percent in less than thirty seconds... Unbelieveable."
"Of course."
T-MINUS 30 SECONDS AND COUNTING.
WARNING!
TRESHOLD PARAMETERS REACHED. RECOVERY OF THE CORE ADVISED.
"All right. Initiate the drain."
"Yes, Kurosaki-fukutaicho."
"Core acessed. Connections online. Systems green."
"Flow?"
"..."
"Ryoko? The flow, please?
"It... It is... 93% and... and rising, Yuzu-sama."
"...unbeliveable..."
"And the connection?"
"Normal and withing the parameters, Yuzu-sama. How did you know...?"
"It's all about will and control, Ryoko. He has both. Disengage the stais. Initiate the recovery."
"Stasis locks disengaged. Recovery system online. Values are... nominal."
"And our patient?"
"Responding well within... Oh. Sorry. Above parameters."
T-MINUS 10 SECONDS. RECOVERY INITIATED. CORE ACESSED.
WARNING!
REIRYOKU FLOW: 100%
"Yuzu-sama! The matrix...!"
"Let it be."
"But at this rate...!"
"Let it be. We can afford to lose it now and it will do what it is supposed to."
"...Kurotsuchi-taicho won't be happy, Yuzu-sama."
"I will deal with Nemu, you worry about the recovery. And losing one matrix, or even the whole device is worth it."
"As you wish. Safeties off."
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
REIRYOKU PULSE CONVERTER STATUS: CRITICAL!
INVERSION MATRIX STATUS: CRITICAL!
"Well..."
"Ouh."
"Smells kind of like my kitchen after I make steaks."
"Ryoko... You burn steaks."
"That's what I said."
"Ah... Damn!"
"Whooo... Well, there goes our matrix."
"And the pulse converter."
"Damn. Kurotsuchi-taicho is going to be SO pissed!"
"Yep."
"Don't worry, don't worry. Everything will be all right."
"Easy for you to say, Yuzu-sama. She adores you."
"People, can we concentrate on what we are doing here?"
"...Sorry, Kurosaki-fukutaicho."
"Sorry, Yuzu-sama."
T-MINUS ZERO. RECOVERY PROCESS FINISHED. LOCKS DISENGAGED. DRAIN COMPLETE.
"Status?"
"Just a second. We should be... Ah, here it is!"
"..."
"..."
"Well?"
"Yuzu-sama... That is..."
"My... god..."
"Oh just give it to me."
"...Here."
"Oh."
"Well... that's one way to say it. Shit!"
"Don't speak to Yuzu-sama so disrespectfuly, idiot!"
"Ow! I'm not! It' just...!"
WARNING!
REIRYOKU ACTIVE.
REIATSU SPIKE DETECTED.
ZANPAKUTO ACESSED.
MATERIALISATION COMPLETE.
STATUS: ACTIVE.
SEAL: FIRST LEVEL, ACTIVE.
SUMMARY:
SUBJECT: UKITAKE JYUUSHIRO
ZANPAKUTO: SOGYO NO KOTOWARI... MATERALISIED.
LEVEL: SHINIGAMI
RANK: 13TH DIVISION CAPTAIN
STATUS QUERY?
REIATSU SPIKE DETECTED.
REIRYOKU: REGULAR
ZANPAKUTO: ACESSED, MATERIALISATION COMPLETE.
SUBJECT UKITAKE JYUUSHIRO... ACTIVE.
*
Ukitake opened his eyes slowly, wincing slighlty as the light of the laboratory, even muted, hit them.
He winced, but allowed them to get used to illumination again.
'Ouh.'
He shook his head, shaking off the greenish liquid that he had been resting in for the past several months.
'Well... it doens't seem to smell any better than before. At last it's not worse.'
He sneezed.
Damn but he was cold!
He instinctively drew on his reiatsu to warm his body.
He shivered for a second before some helpful sould covered him with a long blanket.
"How are you feeling, Ukitake-taicho?"
Jyuushiro blinked and tuerned to the source of the gentle voice.
"Oh! Yuzu-chan!" He smiled, looking at the young 12th division vice captain. "Nice to see you!"
"I would say the same, but I've been seeing you for the past seven months every day." She grinned. "How are you feeling?"
"Not bad." He said, tightening the blanket around himself. "I can..."
He trailed off, his eyes widening.
'Wait.'
He was cold.
He sneezed.
He drew on reiatsu at a rapid rate.
And he hadn't coughed.
For that matter...
He frowned.
There was something... strange.
Not bad but... It made him feel of balance.
There was something missing.
Something...
"Oh." His eyes became very wide.
Even when he was up and not bothered by the attacks of his disease, he always felt it. That strange not-pain in his chest, the feeling of some weight on his lungs.
But now...
'It is... gone? Gone?"
He froze.
He had been living with his sickness for as long as he could rememeber. But now...
He dug into his reiatsu reserves like never before. He called his reiatsu and it answered the call, swiftly and without the reistance that his body usually presented.
For once he didn't care that the power was nearly suffocating most of the shinigami in the room.
He reveled in it, feeling his body, his healthy, strong body, working like a perfect machine. Like it should. Like it was doing now.
Hundreds of years of research, the best minds of Seireitei, the best medics the 4th division had in their ranks... And all they could do was slow it down a little and ease his pain.
But now... Now. This slip of a young woman. A rookie shinigami. She had done the impossible. She had, basically, reutrned his life to him.
"You've done it... I can't believe it... YOU'VE DONE IT!" Ukitake grinned and laughed, grabbing Yuzu into an exuberant hug, uncaring of her embarassed squeak "HAHAHA! Yuzu-chan! You're a genius! GENIUS I tell you! Wahooo!"
The 12th division scientists were given a rare treat as, right before their dumbfounded eyes, Ukitake Jyuushiro, one of the most repsected captains and one of the strongest shinigami to ever enter Gotei 13, danced around the laboratory with their cute fukutaicho in his embrace.
Danced, let it be added, practically butt naked, sans the blanket that all but slipped of his arms and unmiding of the greenish liquid he was covered with.
The scientists just stared, as Yuzu squeaked with indignation, blushing atomic rouge.
'Why is she...?' Isuzu Ryoko, the 3rd Seat officer tohught puzzled. 'Oh. OH.' She blushed looking at the 13th division captain.
"...Damn but he's built... Kurosaki-fukutaicho is so lucky, isn't she?" Asami Junko said, drooling. "Kinda makes me wish I was in her place."
"Yeah..." Ryoko said absently
Ukitake danced around the lab, not caring in the slightest as he swung Yuzu around and laughed like a madman.
It was to that scene that the doors to the laboratory opened, letting in Kurotsuchi Nemu and her fellow captain, Kyoraku Shunsui in.
"...the process is running smoothly, Kyoraku-taicho, but we are stll not sure if..."
Nemu froze.
Kyoraku looked at his friend and the young woman and grinned.
"Oh I don't know about that. Looks like a complete success to me. Jyu-chan is certainly... lively enough. And he's in very good company." His grin widened into lecherous as Yuzu's outer kimono loosened and slid of partially from the mad swinging. "Oh yeah. Very good company."
Nemu's eyebrow twitched.
*
"Please this way, Chad."
Chad nodded follwing the scientist.
Ran'Tao unlocked the small chamber, revealing the small space filed with numerous Seal lines all over it.
"I must warn you." She fixed her glasess. "Due to the nature of your power, we don't know how... stable it will be. We ran countless simulations, but there is no guarantee. And even then, it is only 47%, according to my own calculations."
Chad nodded again.
"There is a possibility of failure here, Sado-kun. You have much power, but power alone might not be enough." Ran'Tao warned him seriously. "And if something goes wrong... Death isn't too much of a stretch."
Chad just looked at her.
"I thought so." She sighed with exasperation. "I swear, you and Ichigo... Well, no reason to wait, then. In you go."
"Ran'Tao-san. Thank you." Chad said to her earnestly, before going in.
She sighed, sealing the chamber.
"Good luck... Chad." She whispered.
*
It was cold.
That was the first thing he noticed as he sat down.
And it was gettig colder.
He sat down in the central seal, as instructed by Ran'Tao.
Nothing happeneded.
Still, Sado Yasutora was nothing if not patient.
So he sat.
He waited.
He looked at the seals.
He didn't notice when his eyes closed and his body slumbed, like a puppet with cut strings.
*
Ran'Tao bit her lip as she watched the readouts.
'I have done all I can. Now, it's up to you.'
*
The mist was milky white, dense and thick. Almost a living thing as it twisted around him.
It was hot and humid as well, he noticed as he wiped off the sweat off his brow.
'Hot. Even Mexico wasn't this hot.'
He looked around.
There was... something here. Something.
But what?
Well, he KNEW what it was supposed to be but...
"Well, well, well... Look what the cat dragged in."
The voice was a low growl, but it didn't sound threatening. More amused. And annoyed.
He turned around quickly and the mist vanished, leaving a jungle.
His eyes widened as he spotted a tiger on the nearby rock, resting in the sun.
A very large, massive tiger.
"Finally feeling like vistin', boy?" The beast bared his teeth. "Well it was about damn time, too."
Chad blinked.
"You were... waiting?" He asked carefuly.
"Well shit, boy." The beast jumped of the rock lazily. "What does it look like, eh?You think I've been lying on this here rock all that time for my health?"
"Cats do." Chad pointed out.
"I am not a cat, boy." The beast snorted. "I am a tiger."
"Tigers do, too." The young man supplied helpfully.
The tiger just gave him a flat look.
"I should bite you, you know." He muttered, shaking his head. "I had all of this scene SO nicely thought out. Riddles, baiting... Fun, I tell you. But no!" The tiger snarled. "You had to go and get that armor of yours. Arm of the giant... my furry ass!"
Chad blinked again.
"What do you mean?"
The tiger looked at him incredosuly for a moment.
"You mean... you didn't know?" He asked with disbelief. "All that time..." He snickered before laughing out loud. "Damn! That's funny! All that time... all that time around that Ichigo kid, soaking up the Pure Blood shinigami power mixed with the Vaizard vibes... And you didn't KNOW! Oh damn...! That's just...!" The animal chuckled. "Man oh man... What a mess!"
Chad frowned
The tiger shook it's head.
"Okay. Since I can see you've got no freakin' idea what's what, I have a question for you." He looked at Chad, his golden eyes glinting. "Your powers were awakened because you were in contact wth the bleach hair kid, right?"
Cad nodded.
"Now, you've been in contact with the kid the longest. Save that Tatsuki girl. Right?
Chad nodded again.
"Have you ever thought why that Tatsuki girl got her Zanpakuto right off the bat? No problem, no fuss?" The beast grinned.
"Ichigo..." Chad started.
"Ah! But YOU were in contact with Ichigo as well!" The tiger cut before he could complete the sentence.
"Urahara-san said, that those were our natural..."
The beast snorted, cutting him off again.
"Narutal... Yeah! As if!" THe tiger sat in front of him. "Listen. There is nothing 'natural' about your powers. The girl... maybe. I ain't sure, but it's possible. You? No chance. If they were so fuckin' natural, why the hell were they awakened fully in Hueco Mundo, eh? Why did Hollow's powers felt so much like ours? Ever thought about that? Why did your Right Arm had teeth? Ever wondered how the hell could you block cero with that shield but physical attacks were harder, eh?" The large animal leaned forward. "I can tell you why, boy. Because your 'Right Arm' doesn't block reiatsu. It devours it."
Chad foze, his mind working furiously.
"Am I like a hollow?" He asked cautiously.
"Hollow? No." The tiger sighed. "You kid, are nearly unique. If there is anything similar to you, it'd be that Ichigo kid. You are both alike. Two powers, one soul."
"Two but..." Cha'd eyes widened. "That means... you must have been here before."
"Of course. What are you, deaf?" The tiger growled. "I've been here since the beggining. I've been wating. Waiting all that damn time for you to come here. To draw me. To accept your own power. But no. You just had to be damn stubborn. Had to 'rely on your fist'. Stupid brat. And now... Now you need me? Now you come here, all cocksure and shit... And not even because you want help. Just because of some... formalities." The tiger's face scrunched up in distsate. "You are a piece of work, kid."
"Sorry."
The tiger growled mencalingly, before sighing.
"You know, I can say no. I can just leave you to fuckin' fend for yourself. But I ain't spiteful. Much." He looked at Chad. "I'm pissed I didnt' get to fight earlier, sure. But there will be plenty of fights soon. We both know it. So I'll go with you. Under one condition." The tiger got up and started cirling him.
"You have a shield, which is your armor." The tiger said. "You have a fist, which is your weapon. Offense. Defense. You can protect those you love. So... What am I needed for? What is my role? Tell me, and I will tell you my name. Tell me, and I will walk by your side and rend your enemies apart. Tell. Me."
'He is right.' Chad frowned thoughtfully. 'My right arm defends, my left attacks... I have plenty of power. I need zanpakuto, yes. But it is, as he said, formality. So what can possibbly...' His eyes widened. 'Defend. Defense. I am... defensive. Protect. He said protect those you love but...' An understanding dawned. 'I don't just fight to protect anymore. This is war. And I need to... I need to attack!'
"Heh. I knew I made it too easy." The tiger smirked. "But promise is a promise. Kid, listen well and remember. I am the claw to your fist. I'm the blade that warrior needs to kill his enemies. I don't defend, I don't protect. I cut. I rend apart with my claws until nothing is left. I'm the vanguard, the spearhead of the attack. I'm the warrior's edge. Your edge, now. I am..."
"Sentan."
*
Chad opened his eyes.
He clenched his fist, now covered with black an prple, like his other one. Shield on one arm. Spikes on another.
And a long sword, nearly a nodachi, in his hand.
He looked at the weapon for a long while, before grasping it.
"Tear apart, Sentan."
The steel shrieked, almost roared, and he could swear he heard a growling laugh in his head.
He looked at his left hand, a metal contraption, part gove part bracer with the four long metallic claws extending from it's knuckles.
'I guess I really am the tiger now.' He thought with a small smile.
*
"Attention all of the active Gotei 13 personell. Attention all of the active Gotei 13 personell. 5th Division is, as of now, entering a reactivation period. After the reactivation is finished, the 5th Division will be entering the active combat duty. All active 5th Division shinigami are to leave their temporary positions they had been rotated to during the suspension and return to the 5th Division immideatly. You are expected on the 5th Division troop assembly in three days.The presence is mandatory for all of 5th Division staff. No excuses save for those cleared with the 4th Division.
So ordered by Shihouin Kurosaki Ichigo, 5th Division Captain and Sado Yasutora, 5th Division Vice-captain."
*
Now some might ask, why Isane? Why not? She's a fun character in my opinion, and a little bit underused. And she has frequent nighmares. I imagine wuth Chad there, she can sleep easier. And I kind of like them together, really. They fit. Isane is a litle bit like Unohana, her captain, but she's not as creepy. She's no helpless waif either, being a Vice-captain. She is, I think, the kind of person Chad can relate to, as I see it. So... yeah. Hey, why am I even justyfing myself here anyway.
Yuzu the Genius. She's genius in kitchen, chemistry is kinda like kitchen, chemistry is science... Uh, yeah? Something like that. I just like the image of nice, happy Yuzu as the mad scientist and the Vice-captain to Nemu. Kind of dynamic duo thing. As you can see she has plenty of admirers and her earning the position was no favoritism, even if Nemu is one of her brother's closest friends. She is just that good. Not combat wise, though with Kahei Tensa she's no slouch, but as a scientist. As evidenced by her curing Ukitake. Sure, he had to remain in stasis in green gunk of seven months, but he can kick ass and take names without any fear of his disease messing things up. And he's happy as hell, too. As evidenced by his 'wild Ukitake show'.
Chad and zanpakuto. You can say what you want, I don't care. It stays. Why? Because Chad would never be allowed to be th 5th's fukutaicho without one. And no, he's NOT getting Bankai in this story. He's a fucking scary powerhouse as he is now. He just has four, large, fucking sharp quasi Wolverine-like claws on his Diablo arm now. As Santen said: it is not about protection, it's about cutting things up. Prefferably cutting them dead. This is war.
Santen means pointed tip, but also vanguard, spearhead and leading edge. I found it apropriate for what I had in mind.
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