milliways_bar | (no subject)

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The boy is outside again, out back beyond the lake. He likes to be well away from the main bar when he trains, so that none will notice him swinging his sword, positively glowing with energy. A light blue aura surround him as he leaps and swings, his body covered in sweat as he goes over exercises and desperately wills himself to achieve that which he desires.

Day after day he's been out here, training as best he can by himself, all for Bankai. All so he can be strong again, strong enough to protect those he cares for. It sounds corny, he knows, but it's true. That's the only reason he fights. Not for more power and not for a love of fighting, but so that he can be strong enough to do as he has always wanted. Protect people.

So again today he came out, made his way out across the grass until he was almost out of sight, rocks and trees and the like hiding him well enough. He's not totally hidden, and his entire body is glowing brightly, but he doubts anybody will bother him anyways.

...or not.

[ooc: Plot-locked, so sorry.]

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"You're glowing," Steph points out, from where she's sitting against a tree. There's a big squishy hunk of meat a little way into the forest; yep, she's on Feeding Zuko Duty. Also, she's been practicing Sitting Very Still.

But he's glowing.

He glances over, eyes the meat, and then replies, "Yeah, I do that sometimes."

He doesn't stop, mainly because once he gets into the feel for training he doesn't like to stop until he has to. And he's not totally exhausted yet.

"Huh."

She'd be Sitting Very Still again, but there's this bright shiny thing prancing about in front of her. It's kind of distracting.

"Some kind of STD you caught and couldn't get rid of? You walked into a bucket of glow-in-the-dark paint? No, wait, you ate radioactive cheese?"

"No, no, and no. I'm training. This is my reiatsu, spirit energy. I glow like this when I'm using it for stuff like this."

To demonstrate, he slices up at the sky, a crescent-moon shaped beam of energy flying out from the blade and hurtling skywards until it becomes a distant speck.

He's still glowing, and still training/prancing. And becoming more and more frustrated with himself.

"Cool."

She folds her arms over her knees to watch.

"...Boring after a little while, though. Can you make pretty shapes with it?"

"No."

After a few more minutes, the boy finally loses it and slams his sword into the ground, leaving it there with a frustrated cry. "Fucking HELL! Why can't I get this!?" He rubs his forehead, breathings heavy, and turns suddenly at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Tell me Ichigo, what is it you fight for? Why do you want power?"

The boy finds himself staring at the spirit of Zangetsu, the world around them both having stopped completely and gone slightly grey. It's probably in his head, he knows, but for him at least, time has stopped. "I...I need to get stronger. I'm doing this to get strong."

"That is a lie," the middle-aged man replies harshly, "And we are both know it. I will ask again, why is it you fight?"

This time Ichigo pauses, biting his tongue to keep from making a snappy remark, and replies, "To protect people."

"If you wish to protect people, think of it as you reach for that which you yearn for. Think not of the power itself, but what it means. Think of what you're really training for, and perhaps you will find it."

Then he's gone, and everything speeds up again, leaving the boy staring at the spot where the spirit stood moments ago. As he turns to his sword again, he grips the hilt with newfound confidence, the blue aura whipping around him again. This time, it builds and builds as he holds the sword out in front of him. Faster and bigger than before, until the strength of it is sending cracks through the earth and lightning crackles around him. His eyes are hard and determined, his frustration forgotten. He feels it now, the familiar sense of what he was trying to grasp. He knows it's within reach, and as the energy builds and builds, he knows he can obtain it now.

All of a sudden, the energy disappears, the wind it was creating gone. The air is perfectly still for a moment, and he takes the opportunity to glance at her and warn her. "Cover your eyes and turn away." And with that simple warning he points his sword skyward, the weapon losing shape and form and becoming a mass of energy, and cries out "BANKAI!"

And then there is something of an explosion, a blinding light filling the area as the energy roars upwards towards the heavens.

Steph ducks and hides her eyes in just enough time - and then peeks up again, rather bemused.

"...does this normally happen?"

When the light fades and the dust settles, Ichigo is still standing, but looks a bit different. His clothing has changed a bit, and his sword has become a small, thin black katana. But most of all is his demeanor. He's just...arrogant. There's no other word for it. He oozes power and confidence, his sword in one hand as he turns to smirk at her.

"Just when I'm on top of the god damn world."

"Oh, really."

She doesn't sound terribly impressed. Or look it.

What, his arrogance bugs her, is all.

He feels it's well deserved.

"Yeah. 'Bout time too. Been training for this for forever. It's been pissing me off. How come you aren't happy for me, huh?"

"I'm happy, I'm happy." She eyes him. "... been training for what, exactly, a shinier sword? I never know what's going on with you and your weird-ass world and training."

She's friendly, though, just ... amused.

"Training for Bankai. Full release. The guys I'm going to be up against back home are way too strong for me to fight as I normally am. But with Bankai, I can level the playing field."

Well, in his opinion anyways.

"Makes me crazy strong. It's a real rush."

"Huh. Well, cool."

She tucks her legs up under her and leans back against the tree-trunk, peacefully lazy.

"It's all glowy and shiny, too. That's pretty cool."

His body is tingling with energy, his mind crystal clear despite the incredible rush he feels. It's like his every sense has been sharpened to an extreme, and it's a feeling he enjoys. And now that he's able to feel it without being in the middle of a fight for his life, it's made all the better.

But of course, such a thing cannot last without trouble brewing. It's the story of his life. Good things don't last.

He senses it all at once, the air becoming electric and heavy with an alien presence. Many of them. None in sight, but he can tell they're close. Just beyond the veil, so to say. Preparing to tear through. Countless Hollows. And Bankai or not, power surge or not, he does not want a friend nearby when an army of Hollows come bursting in looking for a yummy Death God that is simply oozing reiatsu.

"Steph. Run. Run away very fast." His eyes aren't on her as he speaks, but instead flicker about, wondering where the first will emerge. The urgency in his voice is evident.

The thing with being trained by Batman is, of course, than you can tell the difference between deadly urgency and kidding around, even if it's in the middle of a lazy afternoon and you've been dozing against a tree for hours.

Of course, the other thing about being trained by Batman is that disobeying orders is practically required of Robins.

She's on her feet in a quick movement, a rock scooped up in one hand (she's really gotta start wearing her belt again - too much getting caught weaponless lately!) - but she's not running.

"I'll fight. Vector?"

"Don't be stupid. And as for where they're comin' from..."

There is a pause, a brief one as things begin to take motion and he can pinpoint their locations.

"...everywhere."

Before the word is out of his mouth holes are opening up in the air. Dark tears that lead only to a world of darkness, and out of these black portals, Hollows emerge. Generally only one comes from each hole, but there are dozens of holes. All around them, on the ground, in the air, Hollows of every shape and size. They crawl and walk and fly, they ooze and screech and hiss. Some have scales, others have skin like leather, others seem to be made of goo. Some have four limbs, eight limbs, too many limbs or no limbs. The only things in common is the hole where their hearts used to be, and the masks. They range in size, some as big as cars and others bigger than houses.

And more and more portals continue to open and close, the creatures around them, a few above them, all watching and waiting for a signal only they can hear. Ichigo can only grip his sword tighter and move closer to Steph, set on protecting her even if she doesn't need it or want it, his back to her but all his senses strained in case anybody makes any sudden moves. Or in Steph's case, stupid moves.

Because you never know with girls.

"...the fuck," Steph mutters, raising her ... rock, moving back into a fighting stance. She's not - well, okay, she is stupid, but she's not that stupid; she'll stick with the guy with the sword, thanks.

Back to back is good; she shakes out her arms and bounces lightly on the balls of her feet, trying to keep count of which ugly thing is where.

"Go for the masks, yeah?"

He shakes his head, even though she can't see it. "Not good enough on these guys. You break their masks, you just see their faces. They're beyond saving. Break the mask, but break the head too. It's the easiest way, apart from cutting them in half. But it doesn't matter. You are not staying. I am getting you the fuck out of here before I deal with these things."

He glances over his shoulder at her, noting the rock with an almost confused look before he realizes she intends to use it as a weapon.

"...yeah, you are not fighting with a rock. Let's get you to safety."

Of course, he doesn't really have time to explain how because, though Hollows continue to appear, one moves suddenly to his left and her right, a small(ish) one that lunges forwards, jaws wide open, arms outstretched.

"Through that?" she demands incredulously, taking aim with her rock, eyes narrowed.

(...yeah, the best way to get Steph to do anything really isn't to tell her it's for her own safety.)

The lunging one is almost within reach of her boots. - Lucky she's wearing shoes; luckier, although not unusual, is that it's her Robin boots, which are all sorts of awesome for kicking monster ass in. "Three o'clock!" she snaps, and lets fly with rock and fist.

Rock and fist both meet air, although the rock does continue on to whap another Hollow in the shoulder. The reason for this would be because Bankai has a funny way of making Ichigo too fast to track with the human (or generally inhuman) eye. So when he heard movement and the words "Three O'Clock", he took the liberty of slicing the monster in two, causing it to dissolve into nothing before it could reach them.

Though his glare is probably not on par with the likes of Batman, Ichigo does a good job of trying to intimidate her. "You are leaving." He's gone then, doing that whole Speed Demon thing again and moving as a blur of black. He knows what direction the bar is in, and so cuts a nice wide path through the mob for her with his sword. This involves about eight or nine Hollows dying, but they were sacrificed for a good cause. Namely, Steph not being eaten.

He's at her side again in an instant, grabbing her arm as the Hollows pause and try to figure out what just happened. They're normal Hollows, after all. Not Captains, and as such, are not nearly on the same level he's on at the moment.

"Now get out of here!"

"Don't be - eight o'clock! - don't be stupid!"

She kicks another rock up into her hand and hurls it at a different monster, and takes a couple of steps back towards the forest - away from the Bar. Because - yeah. It's a Hero Thing. Actually, mostly it's a Steph Thing, not to know when you're outclassed, but it's also a Thing not to leave a friend alone in a fight.

...Yeah, she's not leaving.

Rocks are not very effective against Hollows, though it does crack the mask. This one also meets a swift end, and he turns to her before any more dive for them. "I am getting you out of this fight whether you like it or not, you idiot, so if you won't leave, I'm gonna have to do something you're not gonna like."

Two more Hollows are destroyed, and then he whirls on her, delivering a swift blow with his unoccupied hand. It's a strike he's used a few times before, a martial arts move that strikes a nerve and leaves one more or less paralyzed for a good time. He doesn't hit her hard, but it should keep her out of the battle for a short while.

Before she can hit the ground he scoops her up, escaping through the opening he made earlier. He can't escape, can't leave them alive, but at least now all the Hollows are in front of them.

MAYBE THE REASON YOU DON'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS IS BECAUSE YOU'RE A COMPLETE AND UTTER DICKHEAD! Steph doesn't scream, due to not having control over her vocal chords. Or limbs. Or anything. FUCK!!!

Who does he think he is - Cass? Steph can't quite believe he just did that.

Her eyes, mute and furious, promise him DEATH.

A quick glance at her reveals she is unhurt, but apparently not happy.

"Sorry."

He frowns and surveys the sight ahead of them. There's a lot of them. Easily forty or fifty now, but less and less are coming through at least. Still, he can't put her down, and he can't be racing around with her. Which leaves him with one option that he really doesn't like.

Ichigo sighs and readies himself, black energy wrapping around him now instead of the blue sort. It's not like last time, but he doesn't power up long (they are running towards them, some spitting acid and whathaveyou) before he swings the blade horizontally and cries out, "Getsuga tenshō!"

Like the last time he used such a move, a crescent move shaped blast erupts from the blade, but it's different this time. Black as ink and far larger, this blast roars towards the horde of Hollows, ripping all that it comes in contact with to shreds. Two thirds of the enemy have been destroyed, but at a price. Ichigo keeps his eyes closed, but he knows what would happen if he opened them. Already the inky darkness swims in his eyes, revealing that he has been corrupted. The move was not his own, but rather one belonging to his inner Hollow. Using it hurts him, and using it too many times can and will lead to him losing control.

For the first time in weeks, he feels something deep within him stir.

'Not happy' is a mild way to put it. She's white-hot furious. But there's really not much she can do about it.

She's currently visualising smashing his teeth in.

Possibly with an aeroplane.

From a height.

Put me DOWN, you big IDIOT, and for fuck's sake go FIGHT PROPERLY! she's mentally shrieking when he finally lets loose. She's too blindly angry to notice anything wrong about him just yet.