Bleach Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Life ❯ Bankai ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language and Mild Violence

Bankai

 

Kagome awoke the next morning, drenched in a cold sweat and her heart hammering away. The last moments of her nightmare came to her, and she quickly left her room, moving rapidly.

She vaguely remembered saying good morning and goodbye to her mother and Souta, but her mind didn't really catch up to what she was doing until she was in front of Urahara's shop.

She was met by the kids, who eyed her warily the entire time they led her down to the basement. She found Urahara standing there, a large, wooden doll similar to what you would see on a police gun range in his hands.

“Well, good morning, Kagome. Today, we'll be learning the second step in your Zanpakuto's power.”

“I remember. Bankai, right?” she asked, staring at the doll speculatively.

“You pay attention. Good. I'll only have to say this once. Normally, it takes years, maybe even decades for a person to learn bankai. I came up with a much faster way. It's how Ichigo learned his bankai, with Yoruichi in Soul Society. The process will take at most three days, and by the end, you should have a bankai and power from 5- to 10-fold its already not inconsiderable levels. I'll warn you now, you might die from it.”

“Well, I don't want to die again, but I wouldn't be here if I was afraid of it,” Kagome said, drawing her Zanpakuto.

“I'll tell you now that no Shinigami has ever gotten so much power so quickly, and it may kill you from overloading your every nerve and synapse. So, if you're still not afraid, then stab the doll with your Zanpakuto, and you'll have three days to make your sword submit.”

And then, Kagome dug the dagger into the doll's center, and suddenly, Kumori Suishou was standing in front of her, a smirk on her face.

“Never do things in stride, do you? We just became acquainted, and already you want to beat me? How does Inuyasha live with you?” she asked, smirking.

“I don't want to beat you. But-”

“I know,” she said, bringing a hand up to cut Kagome off. “I'm part of you. And I must say, regardless of the reason, it's good to have a physical body,” she said, going into a cat's stretch.

“So this is your Zanpakuto?” Urahara asked, staring in wonder at the woman's bright pink hair, transparent silver goggles, and pearl-white eyes.

“Yep! You can call me Kumori,” she said, smiling brightly.

“Alright, then, Kumori. How this works is simple. You decide how you'll test Kagome, and then she just has to beat you.”

“Alright, then,” Kumori said, smirking. “I'll tell you right now, Kagome. I'm not going to give up easily, even if I do like you as a partner. If you want me to submit, you're gonna have to beat me fair and square.”

“Fair enough,” Kagome said, staring evenly at the woman. “What's the game?”

Kumori's hands stretched outward, and two black longbows materialized in her palms. Behind her, for a very far way into the distance, targets of varying size and shapes suddenly sprang up out of nowhere.

She handed a very confused-looking Kagome one of the bows and smiled.

“I really don't want to take three days on this. I'm the part of you that quickly learns things and adapts. And what's the first thing you learned in the Feudal Era?”

“Archery,” Kagome said, gripping the bow tighter as a quiver of arrows appeared on her back.

“That's ri-ight,” Kumori said, smiling as she spoke in a sing-song voice. “I'm also the part of you that you like to hide from people. Your pride and true, unrealized skills like combat. That's really not important right now, though,” she said, scratching her head and smiling apologetically. “I'm a master at archery. And therefore, if you can beat me in an archery contest, I'll submit.”

“Alright, simple enough. How's the scoring work?” Kagome asked, staring at all of the targets.

“There are ten arrows in both of our quivers, and ten targets. Whoever gets the more bull's-eyes wins. If it's not a bull's-eye, then the hit doesn't count. Sound good?”

“Yep. You can go first,” Kagome said, gesturing with her free hand as she tested the bow string's tension experimentally.

Not a minute later, all ten of Kumori's arrows had been fired. Nine of the hits had been dead-on, and the other had missed the very last target, which was almost a quarter of a mile away.

“Hmm… Not bad, not bad,” Kumori said, nodding her head in self-congratulations after her arrows had turned to dust, clearing the way for Kagome. “Your turn, Miss Miko,” she said, smiling coolly.

Kagome quickly drew her arrows. Of course, she too hit the first nine targets dead-center with ease. On the last one, she drew back with as much strength as possible, and focused everything in her on that circle in the middle.

Finally, with a gulp, she let the arrow fly. Both she and Kumori watched anxiously as the arrow flew through the air, its movements perfectly straight. And then, it struck, on the very edge of the center.

Kagome let the bow go, sighing in relief. She turned to find Kumori clapping, a broad smile on her face.

“Good job! Of course, that was really close, but you did it! I'll concede. You win.”

And then, Kumori's body ignited in light and she was suddenly gone, along with the targets.

She found the two blades in her hand, and moved completely on instinct. she pressed the hilts of both blades together, her hands gripping them tightly as words came from inside her mind to her lips.

“Bankai!”

Power and a brilliant, red and blue mixture of lights exploded outward from her hands, enveloping her entire body. Suddenly, the weight in her hand shifted, and she watched in fascination as her weapon changed.

The hilts of the sword and dagger fused, and the sword's blade straightened and thinned out. And then, she watched as suddenly, the entire thing flashed with light, and she was suddenly looking at a silver crossbow, which was connected to her arm by a long, black and silver gauntlet.

Moving once again on autopilot, she touched a finger to the bow's string and pulled backward. There was no resistance, and she watched as sparking energy quickly built, condensing more and building faster the further back she pulled the string.

Finally, she reached the string's limit, and a glowing, black mass of crackling energy took the form of an arrow. And then, she released her hold on the string, and the arrow flew.

It went fast, actually managing to crack the ground beneath it as it drew more and more power as it went. And then, it made contact with a boulder, which instantly exploded into billions of tiny specks.

“Well, well, that's some power. Again, it's not like anything I've ever seen, but I think that's becoming your norm. Never known a Shinigami to use a bow,” Urahara said, staring at the weapon.

“I don't think it's just a bow,” she responded, feeling there was more she could do.

“Oh?”

“Yeah… Tsukikiba,” she said, the words suddenly springing to her mind.

And she gasped when suddenly, the bow turned midnight black, and grew edged. And then, it fell free from the gauntlet, and began floating above Kagome's open hand, taking the form of an obsidian chakram, which spun freely despite the law of gravity.

“Huh… I have seen something like that before. So, your Zanpakuto's pretty much like a supernatural Swiss Army Knife, huh? It's a sword, a dagger, a bow, and a chakram. That's pretty much all ranges of attack.”

“I guess so,” Kagome said, staring at the weapon.

The second she thought of it returning to its previous form, the spinning blade stopped moving and reconnected with the gauntlet before straightening. And then, a small array of light came from the entire length of her arm, and she was once again holding the small, silver dagger that was her sealed Zanpakuto.

“Amazing. So much control already,” Urahara said, staring at her in wonder. “You sure you're not part Shinigami?”

“I am, actually. Just found out last night,” Kagome said, staring at him.

“Oh? Well, then, now I don't feel so bad about never seeing anything like it. Shall we go upstairs?”

With a nod, they quickly ascended above ground. And waiting there for them, looking mildly bored, was Shinji.

“Morning, Kagome,” he yawned.

“Good morning.”

“So, you're all finished up here?”

“I guess,” she said, looking at Urahara, who nodded.

“Alright, then. Before we go, could you show me your Hollow?”

“Umm… I don't think so. I have no idea how.”

“Well, that makes sense. You've, after all, only been involved in this world consciously for three days. Ichigo didn't know how to pull it out when he started, and he'd had several months to get used to the world before he even knew he had a Hollow in him.”

“You should really think about this before you do it, Kagome. You've already released an unbelievable amount of power. It's been three days. If you push yourself even more, the possibility that your body will shut down because it can't cope will become a high likelihood,” Urahara warned.

“He's right about that,” Shinji said.

Kagome seriously considered what she was hearing, and thought about it for several tense, silent moments.

“Alright. Hypothetical question. If I were to just let it go, and return to my friends, right now, would the chance of this thing inside of me taking over in a bad situation exist?”

“Ichigo almost died against a powerful enemy at one point, because his Inner Hollow took away his motor functions. So, it can happen,” Shinji said, nodding.

“I don't want to die again, until I'm good and damn ready to go. I can't take the risk that I'll suddenly lose myself in a pinch and die.”

“Well alright. Follow me,” Shinji said, a satisfactory smile on his face.

“Alright… Thank you for everything you've done for me, Mister Urahara. It means a lot to me,” Kagome said, bowing low to the shop owner. “And please tell your friends I'm sorry I hurt them. Well… Bye!”

And then, she was gone, close behind the Vizard. Within the span of a minute, they'd crossed half of Karakura Town, and came to a stop at a seemingly abandoned warehouse.

Together, they walked inside, and seven people were suddenly around Kagome, like sharks circling prey.

“Oi, Shinji, why the hell's she here!?” Hiyori growled.

“That's a good question,” a tall man with snow-white hair growled, eyeing Kagome.

“I take it I don't impress you people,” Kagome mused, seeing how all but the man and Hiyori were looking at her.

“Ya should just head on home,” Hiyori growled. “We already had enough shit to deal with with that moron Ichigo hangin' around.”

“Unfortunately, I can't go home. Not yet,” Kagome said, meeting her gaze.

“The hell you can't! And stop lookin' at me like that, yer pissin' me off, bitch!” the small girl snarled.

“I can't go away. It'll be really bad if I suddenly lose control of my body to some demon.”

Suddenly, Hiyori's lips bulled back in a feral snarl, and a sword suddenly materialized in her white-knuckled grip.

“Quit talkin'! Yer pissin' me off!”

The girl launched, power flaring around her entire being.

Before Kagome's mind caught up with her, she evaded Hiyori's sword, going under the swing. As she came back up, her momentum carried her forward, and her open palm went straight into the girl's chest, sending her back several feet with the force of the blow.

Kagome pulled her hand back to find that everybody else that had been staring at her were now gaping in shock, except Shinji, who seemed amused for some reason.

Suddenly, a low growl that Kagome knew well as anger came from Hiyori, and Kagome took a step back.

“Hang on a second,” she protested, watching as Hiyori's entire body tightened in preparation of attack. “I didn't come to fight. I don't know you well enough to dislike you. I came to learn how to control myself, in case this demon in me suddenly decides it wants to be a puppeteer for me.”

“I don't give a fuck what you came for, bitch! Now you die.”

Suddenly, power surged through the air, and a Hollow mask formed over Hiyori's face. This time, when she attacked, Kagome had no chance. Hiyori's sword came unbelievably close to Kagome's throat, and it was only by dumb luck that she managed to slip under the blade. But she still felt the pain surge through her body when Hiyori swung the hilt back, smashing it into her stomach and launching her into the steel warehouse wall behind her.

Dust and debris fell around the miko as she groggily pushed herself upright, hand on her head and vision doubled.

“You're too fuckin' arrogant. And yer gonna' die for it,” Hiyori growled.

And then, she took off, blade angled to go right into Kagome's throat.

Except it never did. When Hiyori was within inches of striking, Kagome drew her dagger and suddenly, her curved blade was holding the attack off.

But, due to her lack of personal fighting experience, she still found herself being flung at incredible speeds backward. She hit another wall and the air was forced from her lungs. She quickly fell to her knees, gasping in an attempt to refill her lungs.

“Tch. Ya can't even fight back. Get the fuck out, bitch,” Hiyori snarled.

Everybody was expecting the fragile-looking miko to just get up and leave. So they were very surprised when she didn't.

Pushing herself up, she stared at Hiyori, a dangerous light in her eyes.

“And if I don't?”

Hiyori lunged, sword coming down at her throat. This time, there simply wasn't anything for her to strike by the time it completed its arc.

The Vizards looked around, confused. She'd literally just disappeared, as though she'd never been there in the first place. There was no energy trail to follow. Suddenly, their attention came back to Hiyori when she let out a loud yelp.

They turned back to find Kagome standing above Hiyori, who seemed to be unconscious. But what caught their attention was the bright, pearl-white mask that was now covering her face.

It was a completely round mask, with a fanged half-mouth etched into the lower section. Four slitted, oval holes made up the mask's eyes. But what caught their attention were the three straight, jagged horns of obsidian in the center of her forehead.

The Vizards quickly headed for Kagome, who was holding a sword to Hiyori's throat and had a dagger pressed flat to her back.

“I told you. I didn't come here to fight,” she hissed, bringing them up short.

“Oi, Kagome!” Shinji yelled.

Her head came up instantly, turning to the Vizards.

“Hey, she attacked me,” she said, not understanding the shock on their faces.

She vaguely realized her voice was lower in pitch than normal, and it had a slight, metallic echo quality to it.

“How the hell're you talking?” the man with white hair exclaimed, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Why wouldn't I be able to talk?” Kagome asked, straightening and sealing her Zanpakuto again.

“Your mask's on,” Shinji said. “And you're talking, instead of killing Hiyori. It's supposed to be impossible… How're you feeling, right now?”

“How am I feeling?” Kagome asked, blinking in confusion.

At that moment, her mask shattered into dozens of small white shards, and she was hit with a sudden fatigue.

“Ugh… I feel sick,” Kagome groaned, swaying slightly.

“How'd you feel before the mask broke? Were you suddenly full of anger or hatred?”

“No,” Kagome sighed. “I just felt… strange. Like I suddenly had a lot of power, and like I'd downed an entire pot of espresso. And now, I feel really sick…”

The Vizards looked at each other, none knowing what to make of the development.

“She's already got control,” Shinji said, disbelief in his voice.

A woman with long, braided black hair and thin glasses stared at the miko, who fell to her knees and began to shake.

“I suppose it's possible,” she said, her tone speculative. “The only other Vizard that wasn't created that night with Aizen was Kurosaki. And he was full of surprises.”

“Hmm… Could it have something to do with her blood?” a tall, round man asked, eyes on the heaving Kagome.

“She's part miko. The other half's Shinigami, I think, but I'd have to ask,” Shinji said, frowning thoughtfully.

“We've never really contemplated on just what the Inner Hollows are. How long has she been around?”

“She turned into a Shinigami three days ago,” Shinji said, making the girl nod.

“Maybe her being part miko means she doesn't have enough darkness in her soul to feed and culminate a powerful Inner Hollow. Maybe she beat it subconsciously. We can't really know,” the woman said, joining the others in staring at Kagome.

“Oi, Kagome! You dying?” Shinji asked, bringing Kagome's attention from her pained stomach.

“I'll be fine,” she said, though she didn't bring her head up.

“You sure?”

“Yeah… I didn't hurt Hiyori too much, did I?”

At that, the Vizards gaped at her. Except for Shinji, who broke out into body-shaking laughter.

“That hot-head'll be fine! The only thing you hurt was probably her pride,” he said between gasps and bouts of laughter.

Kagome suddenly pushed herself up, her skin slightly pale but not looking like she was too sick.

“So, I have control of this?”

“Depends. Can you pull out that mask again?”

Kagome paled slightly, but she nodded reluctantly. And then, she snapped her fingers and the mask formed again, though it again broke three seconds later. This time, thankfully, Kagome didn't feel nearly as sick.

“Yup, you can control it. But yer gonna need to train to sustain that, or it'll only last a few seconds.”

“Alright,” Kagome said, forcing herself to her feet. “But I need to get back to my friends right now.”

“So, you've got enough power now, then?” Shinji asked.

“I hope so. I don't think my body can take much more… I've gotten more power than I thought I ever could. But I need to get going. Can I come back next week and train?”

“Yeah, sure,” Shinji said.

“Thank you,” she said, bowing. “Oh, and tell Hiyori I'm sorry.”

At that exact moment, she felt Hiyori stir, and the anger coming from her seemed to make the air heavy.

“Well, then, I'll be going now,” Kagome said, before she made a hasty tactical retreat.

On her way out of town, she stopped at Urahara's, and found him lounging outside.

“Back so soon?”

“Just heading home,” Kagome said, smiling. “Won't be back for a while, so I wanted to really thank you for all the help you've given me.”

“Yeah, yeah, don't thank me, thank Ichigo. He's the one that brought you here.”

Kagome nodded and took off. Just as she neared the town's border, she found Ichigo standing on a bridge, staring pensively into the river below. As soon as she noticed him, he looked up at her, his gaze blank.

“Umm… Thank you for bringing me to Mister Urahara's,” Kagome said, bowing.

“Yeah… You know, I don't envy you. And I can't believe you willingly became a monster.”

“I've seen much worse than your `monsters' before, Ichigo.”

“So, you're leaving?” he asked, changing the topic with seemingly no effort.

“Yeah. I need to get back to my friends.”

“You coming back anytime soon?” he asked, still not looking at her.

“Yeah. I'll be gone for a week, but then I'll be back to learn how to last with that mask… Hey, would you be willing to teach me how to fight with a sword?”

“What?” he asked, surprised at the sudden and random question.

“I need to learn how to use a sword. I'm sure my friends will help me, but you've got a Zanpakuto, so you'd probably be more helpful.”

“Huh… I'd really rather not. But if you want, I can probably work something out with somebody else.”

“Thank you. Then I'll be going,” Kagome said, turning to leave. And running right into Uryuu, who looked surprised.

“Hello, again, Uryuu.”

“You know Ichigo?” he asked, looking suspicious.

“Yeah.”

“Hmm… Your energy feels like a Shinigami's,” he said, his tone accusatory.

“Uh… Yeah.”

“Then tell me something. Why the hell did I have to save a Shinigami from a Hollow?” he asked, eyes narrowed.

“Whoa, you met another Hollow?” Ichigo asked, staring at Kagome.

“Umm… Yeah. It followed me while I was leaving town. And I haven't been a Shinigami long, and I'd only had my power a few minutes then. I could've handled it by myself,” she added, turning to Uryuu with a frown.

“What? With the power you're giving off, I'd have to say you're lying,” he said, lips pulled down in a hard frown.

“How do you just become a Shinigami with that kind of power?”

“Because I was just a not-so-normal human the other day. Then, I died, and Mister Urahara helped me come back.”

“So that's how you know Ichigo, huh?”

“Yep… And even if I hadn't needed to be saved, I was still really impressed with your archery skills. But I've got to go now.”

And then, Kagome took off before either of them could say anything else…

 

A/N:

Chakram- an ancient, disc-shaped, bladed weapon that used to be used like modern-day Frisbees, except they were often used for dismemberment, lacerating, and beheading enemies instead of fun on the beach.

Well, here's the newest chapter. I don't know if I'm getting Hiyori's speech right, but I hope I am. As always, be sure to tell me what you think! I'm always open to critiques and compliments!