Chapter 2
"Looks like you've fully healed Zangetsu" he said, picking up the massive sword with one hand as if ir were as light as a feather. "I feel like I have." an man's voice rang in Ichigo's head, which sounded like he was in his mid 50's. Ichigo rubbed his hand over the blade's polish, i's texture was smooth but cold. He looked around the room a bit more, finding a bathroom that had old style plumbing, but it looked more for show since the bathroom was damn near spotless. "Wonder what Chad's room is like" he thought to himself.
Chad's room was more or less the same, though he could feel as if someone died a sad death here, but a willing death. "...what happened here?" he muttered, looking around the room. With the exception of that solemn feeling, the rest of the room was filled with nothing but happiness. He walked around slowly, looking at all the decorations that seemed to go along with the entire theme of the mansion. He proceeded to the bed and fell back against it, letting out a soft groan as his pure muscled body welcomed the heavenly bed, though he could tell he sunk in quite a bit into the soft mattress.
Ashton was very intrigued by the new guests, he recognized that style of clothing Ichigo wore, it was from the far east. He had seen it when he went to train with Koga sensei, but that was the odd thing, he hadn't seen that style of clothing worn so casually for 500 years! Chad was a different story, while his sheer size and mass were intimidating to anyone normal, he had fairly modern clothes on (the same kind he wore when he went to Hueco Mundo). They were an odd pair, that was the start of it. He sighed, he would ask more questions at dinner. That reminded him he had to tell Zandria they had more guests.
He walked into the kitchen, feeling his heart melt at the sight he was greeted with. "ok now these ingredients go well together, just be sure not to get them out of proportion." Zandria (in anthro form) said warmly, looking down at Anabel who was cutting up some meats and vegetables "yes!" Anabel said proudly and confidently. Ashton chuckled "I swear at this rate she's going to be better than you Zandria"
Zandria turned around with a great grin "Of course! I intend to teach her all I know and more!" Anabel giggled "hehe, I'll make better dishes than mommy!" "Buuut I'm not going to go easy on her!" she grinned widely, ruffling her daughter's head fur "Nyyaa" Anabel purred and giggled, her hands working on the ingredients as if they had a mind of their own.
Ashton felt he could safely bet on that claim. In amidst of all the laughter, he almost forgot what he came down here to do "oh I almost forgot! We have two guests". Zandria raised a brow "Is one of them Ash?" "No?" Zandria laughed a bit "If he was one of them, I'd have to make food for five guests!" Ashton couldn't help but laugh out at the truth in that statement "So who are they anyway?" Zandria asked out of curiousity "The one with orange hair is Ichigo Kurosaki, the rather tall Spaniard is Sado Yasutora, though he says he would rather be called Chad."
Zandria looked at him strangely "Odd, their last names sound as though they're from the Far East" she said. Ashton nodded "Yes they do, Ichigo though definitely looks like he is from the east considering his attire" Zandria tilted his head "What do you mean?" she asked, curious.
"Ichigo has a black and white shukshio on and has straw sandals, I've only seen that back east in my first lifetime." Zandria nodded "Same here, well I'll be sure to make more for them" she said, then her daughter squeeked in "No I will!" she said, giving her mother a determined pouty glare "Oh you're on!" Zandria grinned and they went into iron chef mode. Ashton sweat dropped and backed away slowly, knowing that when they were like this, it's best not to disturb them.
Ichigo had Zangetsu resting on his back, his usual spot. The black blanket he had Zangetsu wrapped in was folded on the bed. He looked over the forest, the sun was setting and the greenery was abuzz with wildlife, something Ichigo had not heard in a long time, much less seen. He was sitting on the railing of the balcony of his room. He smiled softly, seeing birds flying in the distance "I have to admit...it's beautiful" he muttered. "Zangetsu, do you have any idea what this place is?" he mentally asked "I'm afraid not Ichigo, your guess is as good as mine... but I'm glad the rain has lessened in here" he muttered the last part.
Ichigo smiled sadly "I'm sorry...I wish I could have stopped it sooner.." he looked down at the ground. "It's alright Ichigo...you couldn't help it." Ichigo sighed, scratching the back of his head until he heard a knock. He got off the railing and walked into the bedroom "Come in" he said loud enough so who ever was on the other side could hear.
The door knob turned with a click before Ashton came in, he was about to say something until he noticed Ichigo's sword, he smirked a bit "So, you wield a massive sword as well" he said, Ichigo blinked before realizing what he was talking about "uh yeah...why do you bring that up?" he questioned, raising a brow. Ashton chuckled "Sorry, I have to ask, would you have a duel with me?" he asked, his Flameberge still on his back. Ichigo blinked a bit before thinking about it "Well, it could help me break in Zangetsu.." he thought. He looked at Ashton and nodded "Sure, outside then?"
Everyone in the manner, Chiara, Aurora, James, Jessie, Meowth, Chad, even Zandria and Anabel paused their cooking in order to see the duel. Zandria, Aurora and Chiara would never pass this chance up to see Ashton deul once again in the manor after so long. Anabel was eager to see her father fight for the first time.
"Go Daddy! Kick his butt!" She cheered, Ashton blushed heavily at the sight "A-Anabel show some respect to my opponent..." Ichigo and Chad blinked, did she just call him Dad? But they shrugged it off after a bit of thought, remembering Captain Komamura (for those of you not acquainted with Bleach, he's pretty much a very big wolf anthro). Chad looked between the two slowly, he could tell already Ashton had a lot of fights behind him, but he knew better than anyone else alive what he was capable of just in his normal form.
Zandria looked at Chad "Why don't you cheer for him?" she asked, tilting her head. From what she could tell they were close friends, but didn't take into account that Chad was a VERY quiet type. "....Not my thing" he said in his gentle calm tone "Besides... he won't need any cheering... he's used to fighting alone" Zandria blinked, she sensed sadness in his voice, as if he was recalling painful memories. She simply nodded, seeing that it wasn't a topic that should be pursued at the moment.
Chiara stepped forward, looking between the two combatants "Are you two ready?" Ichigo drew Zangetsu, resting it on his shoulder with a calm yet face full of determination and resolve. Chiara and Ashton blinked, only seeing a face like that in very few fighters, the most recent Ash.
"Ready when you are." He said, eyes focused ahead on Ashton. Ashton drew his massive sword and got in his fight pose, holding his right hand on the top of the hilt and the left hand on the bottom, seeing that he shouldn't underestimate Ichigo. "Ready Chiara." He said, his eyes not leaving Ichigo for a second.
Chiara nodded and back away from the space in between them, the raised her wing up "And...Start!" Ichigo then vanished from sight, leaving everyone but Chad mouths dropped, Ashton's eyes only widened, seeing Ichigo moving very fast towards him as he blocked a downward struck, grunting at the massive force pushing down on his Flameberge. "s-strong!" he mentally grunted, he looked at Ichigo's face, showing that he was also struggling at Ashton's degree. "Heh, this guy's good" Ichigo thought with a smirk. They both jumped back from each other and went in for another strike, sparks flew as their swords collided again, both warriors' swords shaking a bit.
From the side lines, everyone was in awe, Ashton was getting matched in speed and also power! "H-how is this possible?..." Zandria muttered, seeing her lover being overwhelmed right off the bat. "How did he get to him so fast!? Teleportation!?" Chiara gaped. "No..." Chad said, everyone looked at him "He moved" their eyes widened, they hardly believed there was anyone who could keep up with Ashton."It's called a flash step" he said simply. Everyone gulped and watched the fight continue, shaking a bit as they saw Ashton on the defensive and struggling to hang on.
Ashton was getting angry now and more determined, he grunted as he jumped back from Ichigo to gain some distance "You're very good Ichigo! I haven't fought against anyone with such skill with a sword in a long time!" he said, smiling a bit as sweat beaded down his face. Ichigo sported a friendly smile at him "You aren't to bad yourself Ashton, to say the least" he said, resting Zangetsu on his shoulder, also sweating a bit himself.
Ashton smirked and raised his sword "You wouldn't mind if I used some other things other than swordsmanship would you?" he asked, looking at Ichigo with a smirk. "Go right ahead, no bars held" Ichigo grinned, still holding Zangetsu on his shoulder "Good! In that case!" Ashton stabbed his massive sword into the ground, doing some hand signs "Earth style: sinking mud jutsu" (I know that's wrong, but I'm to lazy to look up what it would really be, so please go along with it) Ichigo found that his feet were stuck in mud now, he grumbled as his socks and lower part of his shukshio became soaked and dirtied in mud.
Zandria, who was already wide eyed but she smirked "He's got him, it's pretty damn hard to escape from the crap" she said confidently. Chad on the other hand knew much better, he didn't grin or anything, he just kept watching the match unfold "He'll get out" he said simply. Zandria snickered a bit, before looking and her jaw dropped at what she saw, the reactions of the other maidens and daughter were more or less the same.
His attention was returned to Ashton who had darted around behind Ichigo and intended to do a stab, Ichigo swung Zangetsu and parried it, but Ashton followed up with a downward strike, forcing Ichigo deeper into the mud "gah screw this mud!" he growled, he kicked his legs out and jumped out, the bottom of his clothes all muddied up now. Ashton showed no outward sign of his amazement, that was the same mud he used on Ash when they were with the Iron spike clan, and he couldn't get it off unless with some help! He didn't make any hand signs but said "Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!" he blew a massive fireball at Ichigo, he simply grunted and darted out of the way, Ashton followed him, and managed to catch him just outside the fireball "Fire style: Fire dragon Jutsu!" he swung his massive sword, summoning forth a massive fire dragon that opened its jaws and charged Ichigo.
Ichigo dodged out of the way once again, letting the dragon follow him. Ashton used this distraction and got on Ichigo's right side, slicing at Ichigo's back. Ichigo ducked and darted to the side, the dragon roaring past him and soon dissipating. Ashton realized he had to go all out, so he focused a bit and sprouted flame of fire from his back and took to the air "At least I'll have an aerial advantage" he thought, keeping his eyes on Ichigo.
Everyone who was on Ashton's side smirked, Anibel was cheering happily "Yay! Daddy's gonna win now!" she cheered gleefully. Chad couldn't help but blush under his dark skin, finding Anibel's little charade very adorable. (and no he is not a pedophile) "That's right sweety! Dad's got the upper hand now!" she smiled, picking up Anibel on her shoulders to make her feel as if she got a front row seat to the fight, they all looked at Ichigo who they expected to have a surprised look on his face.
Said fighter smirked, he jumped up fast, Ashton was expecting his ascent to be slow, but it didn't! He came at him full speed but Ashton blocked. Ichigo began to press in on Ashton, forcing Ashton to be sent flying back, He immediately regained control of his flight and panted as he looked at Ichigo "How is he doing that!?" he thought, looking at Ichigo who was standing in the air as if it was solid ground (Yes he can do that, just look in up in the manga or anime).
"Ch-Chad... what exactly is Ichigo?!" Zandria gasped, looking at her lover sent flying through the sky. Chad remained silent before shaking his head, showing he would not answer their question for now. They gulped, accepting his answer before looking back up at the sky, their legs shaking from the adrenaline rush that came with the fight as soon as it started.
Ichigo swung his sword onto his shoulder, looking at the flying phoenix before him. "This place is full of surprises" he thought, Zangetsu nodded in his head. "I've got to catch him off guard" Ashton panted a bit, he raised his sword up, this was all or nothing, Flamberge became engulfed in flames, it becoming so hot it was bright red, but it was not warping or damaging the metal in anyway, he put all of his energy he could spare into it and unleashed a stream of hot fire at Ichigo, the flames clearly very concentrated.
Ichigo raised his sword up, a bluish whit glow surrounding it "Getsuga Tenshou" (Heaven piercing Lunar Fang. And Zangetsu meaning Slaying Moon, just thought I should add that) a beam of white light shot out from the tip of Zangetsu, the energy forming into what looked like a giant slash. Ashton's eyes widened as he saw his attack collide with the intense light, they collided, forming a huge flash. Both Ashton and Ichigo rashed in, colliding swords in mid air, the viscount's grin confident as well as Ichigo's.
"Ashton" Ichigo said his name, making Ashton raise a brow "What is it?" he asked. "I know you're holding back, and I can see the love you clearly hold for those down below, which is why you're holding back" He stated with a friendly smile "But I am also holding back, shall we kick it up a notch?" Ichigo grinned.
Ashton thought about this for a moment, Ichigo not taking advantage of his mental distraction. Ashton soon grinned ear to ear and looked at Ichigo "Sure Ichigo, but let us go higher first until they are out of range" Ichigo nodded with a smile "Fair enough, Asthon"
Down below, they all looked on, watching as the two figures started to ascend even higher "Where's Daddy going?" Anibel looked up at her mother, to find her mother smirking "Ichigo must be very strong, Ashton is going to take him seriously now" She said looking up. "just please, come back safe hun" she said, looking.
"Ashton" Ichigo repeated, pointing Zangetsu's blade perpendicular to the ground. "You better be ready, and be on your guard" He swung his sword, keeping it in the same postion "BAN.KAI" (Final Release) then a massive torrent of air exploded from Ichigo, even Asthon was forced to cover his eyes as clouds swirled around Ichigo. When it was all over, everything calmed, but Ashton was having a hard time believing what he was feeling, sweat trickled down his face as he looked at Ichigo, he was adorned ina slimmer looking Shukshio, his sword now black, long and thin with an odd spiral flange. (It's his normal Bankai, not the one he kicked Aizen's ass with. The link will show you, but it's minus the blood. http://trinity-morgan.deviantart.com/art/Ichigo-s-Bankai-27876047 )
A bit of a distance away from the mansion, Ash, Rukaria, Ruby, Sapphire, Lucy and Pearl were walking towards the estate, planning a surprise visit. "Oh man I can't wait to taste Mom's cooking!" Ash smiled as he licked his lips, grinning. Pearl giggled and looked at her mate "Dear, is food the only thing you think about since you paused your Pokémon journey?"
"Course not!" He smiled "You girls are number one to me!" he smiled, all of them gained wide smiles and surprised glomped him "GWAH!" he yelped a bit in surprise "Hehe, this is why we love you honey." Ruby smiled as she pecked him a quick kiss, Sapphire was on the outside but managed to peck a kiss on her head. "Come on girls! We don't wanna be late!"Ash cried out playfully as they all got up. They all laughed and got off him and resumed their walked, but stopped dead when they saw what seemed to be a massive explosion in the distance, up in the sky above Ashton's manner.
Their gazes shot right above the manor, eyes widening as they saw what appeared to be a rainbow of flames. "Wh-what's Ashton doing bring out the eternal flames!? Ash gasped, wide eyed seeing his ancestor fight seriously. His mates didn't have an answer, but then they saw a small black figure a distance away from the center of the flames, but they could all feel a powerful presence, Lucy shuddered, feeling an odd sense of déj� vu overcome her, then it hit her. Whatever was it was, it was on same level as the Angel of Doom, and she didn't know what it was, which only scared her even more. Was it as malicious as the Angel of Doom? So many questions raced through her head.
"Wh-what is this!?" Ashton, panted, feeling an overwhelming presence on him. "I-it's not evil but... it's equal to the Angel of Doom's presence!" Ichigo then raised his sword parallel to the ground "Tensa Zangetsu... Heavenly Slaying Chains of the Moon" He said, his face calm and complexed.
Everyone down below couldn't feel it to Ashton's extent, but they could definitely feel it. "Wh-what is this!?" Aurora gasped, looking up. "I-it's impossible! H-how!?" Chiara gulped as she looked up, Chad sighed, unaffected "Ichigo is what you would call.... A Shinigami" Chiara's eyes widened to the fullest as well as Zandria's, their heads whipped in Asthon's direction. "S-shinigami!?" Chiara gasped, looking at Chad. "What does it mean Chiara!?" Aurora asked looking at Chiara's expression. "I-It's the same language as Ruby knew from Asthon's first life... it means..." She looked down "G-God of Death..."
Meanwhile in the house, Soul Calibur was wide awake, in a panic, feeling Ichigo's presence but knew there was little else she could do since she could not move on her own.
Ichigo vanished from sight, reappearing in front of Ashton "f-fast!" He thought as he barely managed to block, but he was sent flying back 50 feet. "D-damn it!" he grunted, summoning a very large Fire Dragon and sent it charging towards Ichigo. "Getsuga" Ichigo charged forward, his sword becoming engulfed in black energy "Tenshou!" a large slash of black energy erupted from his sword, splitting the dragon right in two. Ashton didn't have any time to dodge, so he had to block, summoning all of his strength he swung forward, his Flamberge enshrouded in eternal flames, but they were having trouble keeping the energy at bay.
Everyone down below couldn't help but gape at the massive attack, it seeming to split the very sky. Anibel clutched her mother's apron, shaking a bit "M-mommy... D-dad's gonna be fine right?" She asked looking up at her mother.
Ichigo rushed forward, Ashton finally breaking through the attack, summoning more flames as he let out a battle cry, both of collided swords, the sound of metal hitting metal rung out, in that moment, Asthon felt everything from Ichigo's past, the pain, sorrow, pride, happiness.... And death. "Ichigo....what have you gone through?" he gasped silently, keeping his sword against the black blade.
Ichigo didn't notice it, his face focused as he muttered again "Getsuga" Ashton's eyes widened, he can do it again!? "Tenshou" the pure black energy erupted from the sword again, but it wasn't a slash this time, it was a huge burst, they both were sent flying back, Ashton's flames began to die down. They both panted heavily now, a few bruises on their faces, some of Ichigo's clothes were singed from the flames. Ashton's clothes were in to good shape either, some tears and rips from the energy.
"Ichigo..." Ashton said, looking at the warrior with a happy face "I'm glad we were able to fight like this, but we can't go any further without hurting each other greatly." Ichigo thought about this for a second, Ashton was right, though Ichigo could get much stronger if her wanted, but now wasn't the time to show off, and he didn't want to kill Ashton, so he nodded ""Yeah, sounds good" The both began to descend, Ichigo releasing his bankai, his clothes returning to normal with a few tears and the mud stains.
Everyone looked in awe, with the exception of Chad. They just witnessed a great fight, Ashton had been pressed to the edge by Ichigo! "Glad you held back Ichigo.... You still don't like the looks of pained faces, no matter how long it's been." He thought calmly, looking at the two warriors descend.
"Daddy! Are you ok!?" Anibel ran t her father and jumped into his arms, crying and sniffling "Yes I'm fine Anibel" he smiled tiredly, exhausted from the quick but intense fight. Ichigo scratched the back of his head before Anibel ran up to Ichigo "You big meanie!" then delivered a kick right to the balls, (amd damn hard on I might add. And I don't care how powerful one guy becomes, getting kicked in the ball hurts!) Ichigo's eyes widened, a single tear escaped his right eye. "Oh shit..." Chad thought, sweat dropping with a bit of a wide eyed look.
"Anibel!" Zandria growled as she stormed over and picked up the small Zangoose anthro "No cooking for 3 days!" Anabel's eyes widened "Wh-whyyyy!?" she whined, her eyes turning into a zangoose's version of puppy eyes "I was only defending Daddy!" Zandria shook her head "Ichigo was not going to do such a thing!" She sighed "It was a duel Anabel, one your father agreed to, now go inside and get washed up! Dinner's almost done cooking!" she said, delivering a small painful spank to the little girl's behind, earning a small meow of pain as she darted inside.
Ichigo in the mean time was struggling to stay up, his eyes twitching madly in pain "Th-that little shrimp..." he groaned out, his voice a bit high from the surging pain through his body. "Heh heh...sorry about that.." Ashton tried to apologize "she's protective like her mother..." he said, sparing Zandria a small glance that said "Yeah you remember those times"
Chad helped Ichigo stand up right, a vein on his forehead popped a bit "I-if she wasn't a kid I'd kill her" he stated, his voice strained. Ashton knew he wouldn't truly kill Anabel, just teach her a lesson. "Truly I'm sorry..." he bowed. Ichigo grunted and got his weight off Chad, standing on his own two feet "J-just make sure she doesn't do that again.." he said, his eye twitching.
"I-I'll get dinner ready" Zandria said a bit nervously as she swiftly got into the house. "I'll get the table set" Chiara said as she walked into the house, Aurora following right after her. Ashton looked at Ichigo "How did you get so strong... I mean... just.... I don't know what to say..." Ichigo's face lost all sign of pain as he looked down "I-I'd rather not say..." he looked away.
Ashton noticed the trend, whenever something was brought up about Chad and Ichigo's past, they gain the look as if their past was something unspeakable, and what he felt when he clashed swords with Ichigo seemed to only prove that thought. Ashton shook his head a bit before looking at Ichigo "If you don't mind me asking Ichigo...would you train me?" he asked politely, though his insides were praying to Arceus that he would say yes. Ichigo looked at Ashton, that sadness gone for the most part "Maybe later Ashton...I'd rather just settle in now..." Ashton was a bit downtrodden at this, but nodded ,respectfully accepting Ichigo's decision.
They soon were in the mansion, Ichigo had given his clothes to Aurora (chose for her to be in anthro form) to be cleaned due to the mud that seemed to be fused with them. He was soon clad in a simple black jeans and pure white t-shirt, he now guessed that his manor was just themed to look old, since they didn't have these kind of clothes way back when.
Chad and Ichigo were led to the very large dining room of the mansion, the smell of simply delectable food filled the air. Chad and Ichigo had to keep their mouths from watering at the savory smell as they sat down in the chairs Chiara had told them to sit. Ashton came in with seemingly more casual clothes on and did not have the massive sword on his back. Ashton sat down and looked across the table and Chad and Ichigo "I see you're having trouble holding back drooling" He chuckled, Chad and Ichigo blushed a bit and wiped the small bits of drool that were escaping their mouths.
"Don't worry about it, everyone does that the first time they smell Zandria's cooking" he smiled warmly, nodding. "I-I never knew something could smell so good" Ichigo said, his speech a little impaired from the trouble with his mouth. Chiara walked into the room "Lord Ashton, we have surprise visitors" she smiled.
"Oh? And who would they be?" he smirked "Your dear family of course." Ichigo and Chad both looked at each other, more of them!? Things were going to get a lot more chaotic...but then again, chaos was nothing new to them.Chapter End Notes:Again, honest criticism is accepted and very much appreciated
Chad's room was more or less the same, though he could feel as if someone died a sad death here, but a willing death. "...what happened here?" he muttered, looking around the room. With the exception of that solemn feeling, the rest of the room was filled with nothing but happiness. He walked around slowly, looking at all the decorations that seemed to go along with the entire theme of the mansion. He proceeded to the bed and fell back against it, letting out a soft groan as his pure muscled body welcomed the heavenly bed, though he could tell he sunk in quite a bit into the soft mattress.
Ashton was very intrigued by the new guests, he recognized that style of clothing Ichigo wore, it was from the far east. He had seen it when he went to train with Koga sensei, but that was the odd thing, he hadn't seen that style of clothing worn so casually for 500 years! Chad was a different story, while his sheer size and mass were intimidating to anyone normal, he had fairly modern clothes on (the same kind he wore when he went to Hueco Mundo). They were an odd pair, that was the start of it. He sighed, he would ask more questions at dinner. That reminded him he had to tell Zandria they had more guests.
He walked into the kitchen, feeling his heart melt at the sight he was greeted with. "ok now these ingredients go well together, just be sure not to get them out of proportion." Zandria (in anthro form) said warmly, looking down at Anabel who was cutting up some meats and vegetables "yes!" Anabel said proudly and confidently. Ashton chuckled "I swear at this rate she's going to be better than you Zandria"
Zandria turned around with a great grin "Of course! I intend to teach her all I know and more!" Anabel giggled "hehe, I'll make better dishes than mommy!" "Buuut I'm not going to go easy on her!" she grinned widely, ruffling her daughter's head fur "Nyyaa" Anabel purred and giggled, her hands working on the ingredients as if they had a mind of their own.
Ashton felt he could safely bet on that claim. In amidst of all the laughter, he almost forgot what he came down here to do "oh I almost forgot! We have two guests". Zandria raised a brow "Is one of them Ash?" "No?" Zandria laughed a bit "If he was one of them, I'd have to make food for five guests!" Ashton couldn't help but laugh out at the truth in that statement "So who are they anyway?" Zandria asked out of curiousity "The one with orange hair is Ichigo Kurosaki, the rather tall Spaniard is Sado Yasutora, though he says he would rather be called Chad."
Zandria looked at him strangely "Odd, their last names sound as though they're from the Far East" she said. Ashton nodded "Yes they do, Ichigo though definitely looks like he is from the east considering his attire" Zandria tilted his head "What do you mean?" she asked, curious.
"Ichigo has a black and white shukshio on and has straw sandals, I've only seen that back east in my first lifetime." Zandria nodded "Same here, well I'll be sure to make more for them" she said, then her daughter squeeked in "No I will!" she said, giving her mother a determined pouty glare "Oh you're on!" Zandria grinned and they went into iron chef mode. Ashton sweat dropped and backed away slowly, knowing that when they were like this, it's best not to disturb them.
Ichigo had Zangetsu resting on his back, his usual spot. The black blanket he had Zangetsu wrapped in was folded on the bed. He looked over the forest, the sun was setting and the greenery was abuzz with wildlife, something Ichigo had not heard in a long time, much less seen. He was sitting on the railing of the balcony of his room. He smiled softly, seeing birds flying in the distance "I have to admit...it's beautiful" he muttered. "Zangetsu, do you have any idea what this place is?" he mentally asked "I'm afraid not Ichigo, your guess is as good as mine... but I'm glad the rain has lessened in here" he muttered the last part.
Ichigo smiled sadly "I'm sorry...I wish I could have stopped it sooner.." he looked down at the ground. "It's alright Ichigo...you couldn't help it." Ichigo sighed, scratching the back of his head until he heard a knock. He got off the railing and walked into the bedroom "Come in" he said loud enough so who ever was on the other side could hear.
The door knob turned with a click before Ashton came in, he was about to say something until he noticed Ichigo's sword, he smirked a bit "So, you wield a massive sword as well" he said, Ichigo blinked before realizing what he was talking about "uh yeah...why do you bring that up?" he questioned, raising a brow. Ashton chuckled "Sorry, I have to ask, would you have a duel with me?" he asked, his Flameberge still on his back. Ichigo blinked a bit before thinking about it "Well, it could help me break in Zangetsu.." he thought. He looked at Ashton and nodded "Sure, outside then?"
Everyone in the manner, Chiara, Aurora, James, Jessie, Meowth, Chad, even Zandria and Anabel paused their cooking in order to see the duel. Zandria, Aurora and Chiara would never pass this chance up to see Ashton deul once again in the manor after so long. Anabel was eager to see her father fight for the first time.
"Go Daddy! Kick his butt!" She cheered, Ashton blushed heavily at the sight "A-Anabel show some respect to my opponent..." Ichigo and Chad blinked, did she just call him Dad? But they shrugged it off after a bit of thought, remembering Captain Komamura (for those of you not acquainted with Bleach, he's pretty much a very big wolf anthro). Chad looked between the two slowly, he could tell already Ashton had a lot of fights behind him, but he knew better than anyone else alive what he was capable of just in his normal form.
Zandria looked at Chad "Why don't you cheer for him?" she asked, tilting her head. From what she could tell they were close friends, but didn't take into account that Chad was a VERY quiet type. "....Not my thing" he said in his gentle calm tone "Besides... he won't need any cheering... he's used to fighting alone" Zandria blinked, she sensed sadness in his voice, as if he was recalling painful memories. She simply nodded, seeing that it wasn't a topic that should be pursued at the moment.
Chiara stepped forward, looking between the two combatants "Are you two ready?" Ichigo drew Zangetsu, resting it on his shoulder with a calm yet face full of determination and resolve. Chiara and Ashton blinked, only seeing a face like that in very few fighters, the most recent Ash.
"Ready when you are." He said, eyes focused ahead on Ashton. Ashton drew his massive sword and got in his fight pose, holding his right hand on the top of the hilt and the left hand on the bottom, seeing that he shouldn't underestimate Ichigo. "Ready Chiara." He said, his eyes not leaving Ichigo for a second.
Chiara nodded and back away from the space in between them, the raised her wing up "And...Start!" Ichigo then vanished from sight, leaving everyone but Chad mouths dropped, Ashton's eyes only widened, seeing Ichigo moving very fast towards him as he blocked a downward struck, grunting at the massive force pushing down on his Flameberge. "s-strong!" he mentally grunted, he looked at Ichigo's face, showing that he was also struggling at Ashton's degree. "Heh, this guy's good" Ichigo thought with a smirk. They both jumped back from each other and went in for another strike, sparks flew as their swords collided again, both warriors' swords shaking a bit.
From the side lines, everyone was in awe, Ashton was getting matched in speed and also power! "H-how is this possible?..." Zandria muttered, seeing her lover being overwhelmed right off the bat. "How did he get to him so fast!? Teleportation!?" Chiara gaped. "No..." Chad said, everyone looked at him "He moved" their eyes widened, they hardly believed there was anyone who could keep up with Ashton."It's called a flash step" he said simply. Everyone gulped and watched the fight continue, shaking a bit as they saw Ashton on the defensive and struggling to hang on.
Ashton was getting angry now and more determined, he grunted as he jumped back from Ichigo to gain some distance "You're very good Ichigo! I haven't fought against anyone with such skill with a sword in a long time!" he said, smiling a bit as sweat beaded down his face. Ichigo sported a friendly smile at him "You aren't to bad yourself Ashton, to say the least" he said, resting Zangetsu on his shoulder, also sweating a bit himself.
Ashton smirked and raised his sword "You wouldn't mind if I used some other things other than swordsmanship would you?" he asked, looking at Ichigo with a smirk. "Go right ahead, no bars held" Ichigo grinned, still holding Zangetsu on his shoulder "Good! In that case!" Ashton stabbed his massive sword into the ground, doing some hand signs "Earth style: sinking mud jutsu" (I know that's wrong, but I'm to lazy to look up what it would really be, so please go along with it) Ichigo found that his feet were stuck in mud now, he grumbled as his socks and lower part of his shukshio became soaked and dirtied in mud.
Zandria, who was already wide eyed but she smirked "He's got him, it's pretty damn hard to escape from the crap" she said confidently. Chad on the other hand knew much better, he didn't grin or anything, he just kept watching the match unfold "He'll get out" he said simply. Zandria snickered a bit, before looking and her jaw dropped at what she saw, the reactions of the other maidens and daughter were more or less the same.
His attention was returned to Ashton who had darted around behind Ichigo and intended to do a stab, Ichigo swung Zangetsu and parried it, but Ashton followed up with a downward strike, forcing Ichigo deeper into the mud "gah screw this mud!" he growled, he kicked his legs out and jumped out, the bottom of his clothes all muddied up now. Ashton showed no outward sign of his amazement, that was the same mud he used on Ash when they were with the Iron spike clan, and he couldn't get it off unless with some help! He didn't make any hand signs but said "Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!" he blew a massive fireball at Ichigo, he simply grunted and darted out of the way, Ashton followed him, and managed to catch him just outside the fireball "Fire style: Fire dragon Jutsu!" he swung his massive sword, summoning forth a massive fire dragon that opened its jaws and charged Ichigo.
Ichigo dodged out of the way once again, letting the dragon follow him. Ashton used this distraction and got on Ichigo's right side, slicing at Ichigo's back. Ichigo ducked and darted to the side, the dragon roaring past him and soon dissipating. Ashton realized he had to go all out, so he focused a bit and sprouted flame of fire from his back and took to the air "At least I'll have an aerial advantage" he thought, keeping his eyes on Ichigo.
Everyone who was on Ashton's side smirked, Anibel was cheering happily "Yay! Daddy's gonna win now!" she cheered gleefully. Chad couldn't help but blush under his dark skin, finding Anibel's little charade very adorable. (and no he is not a pedophile) "That's right sweety! Dad's got the upper hand now!" she smiled, picking up Anibel on her shoulders to make her feel as if she got a front row seat to the fight, they all looked at Ichigo who they expected to have a surprised look on his face.
Said fighter smirked, he jumped up fast, Ashton was expecting his ascent to be slow, but it didn't! He came at him full speed but Ashton blocked. Ichigo began to press in on Ashton, forcing Ashton to be sent flying back, He immediately regained control of his flight and panted as he looked at Ichigo "How is he doing that!?" he thought, looking at Ichigo who was standing in the air as if it was solid ground (Yes he can do that, just look in up in the manga or anime).
"Ch-Chad... what exactly is Ichigo?!" Zandria gasped, looking at her lover sent flying through the sky. Chad remained silent before shaking his head, showing he would not answer their question for now. They gulped, accepting his answer before looking back up at the sky, their legs shaking from the adrenaline rush that came with the fight as soon as it started.
Ichigo swung his sword onto his shoulder, looking at the flying phoenix before him. "This place is full of surprises" he thought, Zangetsu nodded in his head. "I've got to catch him off guard" Ashton panted a bit, he raised his sword up, this was all or nothing, Flamberge became engulfed in flames, it becoming so hot it was bright red, but it was not warping or damaging the metal in anyway, he put all of his energy he could spare into it and unleashed a stream of hot fire at Ichigo, the flames clearly very concentrated.
Ichigo raised his sword up, a bluish whit glow surrounding it "Getsuga Tenshou" (Heaven piercing Lunar Fang. And Zangetsu meaning Slaying Moon, just thought I should add that) a beam of white light shot out from the tip of Zangetsu, the energy forming into what looked like a giant slash. Ashton's eyes widened as he saw his attack collide with the intense light, they collided, forming a huge flash. Both Ashton and Ichigo rashed in, colliding swords in mid air, the viscount's grin confident as well as Ichigo's.
"Ashton" Ichigo said his name, making Ashton raise a brow "What is it?" he asked. "I know you're holding back, and I can see the love you clearly hold for those down below, which is why you're holding back" He stated with a friendly smile "But I am also holding back, shall we kick it up a notch?" Ichigo grinned.
Ashton thought about this for a moment, Ichigo not taking advantage of his mental distraction. Ashton soon grinned ear to ear and looked at Ichigo "Sure Ichigo, but let us go higher first until they are out of range" Ichigo nodded with a smile "Fair enough, Asthon"
Down below, they all looked on, watching as the two figures started to ascend even higher "Where's Daddy going?" Anibel looked up at her mother, to find her mother smirking "Ichigo must be very strong, Ashton is going to take him seriously now" She said looking up. "just please, come back safe hun" she said, looking.
"Ashton" Ichigo repeated, pointing Zangetsu's blade perpendicular to the ground. "You better be ready, and be on your guard" He swung his sword, keeping it in the same postion "BAN.KAI" (Final Release) then a massive torrent of air exploded from Ichigo, even Asthon was forced to cover his eyes as clouds swirled around Ichigo. When it was all over, everything calmed, but Ashton was having a hard time believing what he was feeling, sweat trickled down his face as he looked at Ichigo, he was adorned ina slimmer looking Shukshio, his sword now black, long and thin with an odd spiral flange. (It's his normal Bankai, not the one he kicked Aizen's ass with. The link will show you, but it's minus the blood. http://trinity-morgan.deviantart.com/art/Ichigo-s-Bankai-27876047 )
A bit of a distance away from the mansion, Ash, Rukaria, Ruby, Sapphire, Lucy and Pearl were walking towards the estate, planning a surprise visit. "Oh man I can't wait to taste Mom's cooking!" Ash smiled as he licked his lips, grinning. Pearl giggled and looked at her mate "Dear, is food the only thing you think about since you paused your Pokémon journey?"
"Course not!" He smiled "You girls are number one to me!" he smiled, all of them gained wide smiles and surprised glomped him "GWAH!" he yelped a bit in surprise "Hehe, this is why we love you honey." Ruby smiled as she pecked him a quick kiss, Sapphire was on the outside but managed to peck a kiss on her head. "Come on girls! We don't wanna be late!"Ash cried out playfully as they all got up. They all laughed and got off him and resumed their walked, but stopped dead when they saw what seemed to be a massive explosion in the distance, up in the sky above Ashton's manner.
Their gazes shot right above the manor, eyes widening as they saw what appeared to be a rainbow of flames. "Wh-what's Ashton doing bring out the eternal flames!? Ash gasped, wide eyed seeing his ancestor fight seriously. His mates didn't have an answer, but then they saw a small black figure a distance away from the center of the flames, but they could all feel a powerful presence, Lucy shuddered, feeling an odd sense of déj� vu overcome her, then it hit her. Whatever was it was, it was on same level as the Angel of Doom, and she didn't know what it was, which only scared her even more. Was it as malicious as the Angel of Doom? So many questions raced through her head.
"Wh-what is this!?" Ashton, panted, feeling an overwhelming presence on him. "I-it's not evil but... it's equal to the Angel of Doom's presence!" Ichigo then raised his sword parallel to the ground "Tensa Zangetsu... Heavenly Slaying Chains of the Moon" He said, his face calm and complexed.
Everyone down below couldn't feel it to Ashton's extent, but they could definitely feel it. "Wh-what is this!?" Aurora gasped, looking up. "I-it's impossible! H-how!?" Chiara gulped as she looked up, Chad sighed, unaffected "Ichigo is what you would call.... A Shinigami" Chiara's eyes widened to the fullest as well as Zandria's, their heads whipped in Asthon's direction. "S-shinigami!?" Chiara gasped, looking at Chad. "What does it mean Chiara!?" Aurora asked looking at Chiara's expression. "I-It's the same language as Ruby knew from Asthon's first life... it means..." She looked down "G-God of Death..."
Meanwhile in the house, Soul Calibur was wide awake, in a panic, feeling Ichigo's presence but knew there was little else she could do since she could not move on her own.
Ichigo vanished from sight, reappearing in front of Ashton "f-fast!" He thought as he barely managed to block, but he was sent flying back 50 feet. "D-damn it!" he grunted, summoning a very large Fire Dragon and sent it charging towards Ichigo. "Getsuga" Ichigo charged forward, his sword becoming engulfed in black energy "Tenshou!" a large slash of black energy erupted from his sword, splitting the dragon right in two. Ashton didn't have any time to dodge, so he had to block, summoning all of his strength he swung forward, his Flamberge enshrouded in eternal flames, but they were having trouble keeping the energy at bay.
Everyone down below couldn't help but gape at the massive attack, it seeming to split the very sky. Anibel clutched her mother's apron, shaking a bit "M-mommy... D-dad's gonna be fine right?" She asked looking up at her mother.
Ichigo rushed forward, Ashton finally breaking through the attack, summoning more flames as he let out a battle cry, both of collided swords, the sound of metal hitting metal rung out, in that moment, Asthon felt everything from Ichigo's past, the pain, sorrow, pride, happiness.... And death. "Ichigo....what have you gone through?" he gasped silently, keeping his sword against the black blade.
Ichigo didn't notice it, his face focused as he muttered again "Getsuga" Ashton's eyes widened, he can do it again!? "Tenshou" the pure black energy erupted from the sword again, but it wasn't a slash this time, it was a huge burst, they both were sent flying back, Ashton's flames began to die down. They both panted heavily now, a few bruises on their faces, some of Ichigo's clothes were singed from the flames. Ashton's clothes were in to good shape either, some tears and rips from the energy.
"Ichigo..." Ashton said, looking at the warrior with a happy face "I'm glad we were able to fight like this, but we can't go any further without hurting each other greatly." Ichigo thought about this for a second, Ashton was right, though Ichigo could get much stronger if her wanted, but now wasn't the time to show off, and he didn't want to kill Ashton, so he nodded ""Yeah, sounds good" The both began to descend, Ichigo releasing his bankai, his clothes returning to normal with a few tears and the mud stains.
Everyone looked in awe, with the exception of Chad. They just witnessed a great fight, Ashton had been pressed to the edge by Ichigo! "Glad you held back Ichigo.... You still don't like the looks of pained faces, no matter how long it's been." He thought calmly, looking at the two warriors descend.
"Daddy! Are you ok!?" Anibel ran t her father and jumped into his arms, crying and sniffling "Yes I'm fine Anibel" he smiled tiredly, exhausted from the quick but intense fight. Ichigo scratched the back of his head before Anibel ran up to Ichigo "You big meanie!" then delivered a kick right to the balls, (amd damn hard on I might add. And I don't care how powerful one guy becomes, getting kicked in the ball hurts!) Ichigo's eyes widened, a single tear escaped his right eye. "Oh shit..." Chad thought, sweat dropping with a bit of a wide eyed look.
"Anibel!" Zandria growled as she stormed over and picked up the small Zangoose anthro "No cooking for 3 days!" Anabel's eyes widened "Wh-whyyyy!?" she whined, her eyes turning into a zangoose's version of puppy eyes "I was only defending Daddy!" Zandria shook her head "Ichigo was not going to do such a thing!" She sighed "It was a duel Anabel, one your father agreed to, now go inside and get washed up! Dinner's almost done cooking!" she said, delivering a small painful spank to the little girl's behind, earning a small meow of pain as she darted inside.
Ichigo in the mean time was struggling to stay up, his eyes twitching madly in pain "Th-that little shrimp..." he groaned out, his voice a bit high from the surging pain through his body. "Heh heh...sorry about that.." Ashton tried to apologize "she's protective like her mother..." he said, sparing Zandria a small glance that said "Yeah you remember those times"
Chad helped Ichigo stand up right, a vein on his forehead popped a bit "I-if she wasn't a kid I'd kill her" he stated, his voice strained. Ashton knew he wouldn't truly kill Anabel, just teach her a lesson. "Truly I'm sorry..." he bowed. Ichigo grunted and got his weight off Chad, standing on his own two feet "J-just make sure she doesn't do that again.." he said, his eye twitching.
"I-I'll get dinner ready" Zandria said a bit nervously as she swiftly got into the house. "I'll get the table set" Chiara said as she walked into the house, Aurora following right after her. Ashton looked at Ichigo "How did you get so strong... I mean... just.... I don't know what to say..." Ichigo's face lost all sign of pain as he looked down "I-I'd rather not say..." he looked away.
Ashton noticed the trend, whenever something was brought up about Chad and Ichigo's past, they gain the look as if their past was something unspeakable, and what he felt when he clashed swords with Ichigo seemed to only prove that thought. Ashton shook his head a bit before looking at Ichigo "If you don't mind me asking Ichigo...would you train me?" he asked politely, though his insides were praying to Arceus that he would say yes. Ichigo looked at Ashton, that sadness gone for the most part "Maybe later Ashton...I'd rather just settle in now..." Ashton was a bit downtrodden at this, but nodded ,respectfully accepting Ichigo's decision.
They soon were in the mansion, Ichigo had given his clothes to Aurora (chose for her to be in anthro form) to be cleaned due to the mud that seemed to be fused with them. He was soon clad in a simple black jeans and pure white t-shirt, he now guessed that his manor was just themed to look old, since they didn't have these kind of clothes way back when.
Chad and Ichigo were led to the very large dining room of the mansion, the smell of simply delectable food filled the air. Chad and Ichigo had to keep their mouths from watering at the savory smell as they sat down in the chairs Chiara had told them to sit. Ashton came in with seemingly more casual clothes on and did not have the massive sword on his back. Ashton sat down and looked across the table and Chad and Ichigo "I see you're having trouble holding back drooling" He chuckled, Chad and Ichigo blushed a bit and wiped the small bits of drool that were escaping their mouths.
"Don't worry about it, everyone does that the first time they smell Zandria's cooking" he smiled warmly, nodding. "I-I never knew something could smell so good" Ichigo said, his speech a little impaired from the trouble with his mouth. Chiara walked into the room "Lord Ashton, we have surprise visitors" she smiled.
"Oh? And who would they be?" he smirked "Your dear family of course." Ichigo and Chad both looked at each other, more of them!? Things were going to get a lot more chaotic...but then again, chaos was nothing new to them.Chapter End Notes:Again, honest criticism is accepted and very much appreciated