Kaito leaned against the windowsill and stared out at the misty landscape, trying to find anything at all familiar about the land they’d arrived in and failing. He couldn’t see all that much, just the tops of trees and tattered, broken roofs nearly engulfed by greenery, but what there was reminded him of no place he’d ever seen before.
(Whatever spell had been laid across the castle, it hadn’t held the grounds in the same almost-stasis.)
(A failure of the casting, or was it evidence of the spell degrading…?)
Behind him, Ishida had rolled onto his left side and tucked his body into a loose ball, head nearly buried beneath the second blanket. He was out like a light and utterly still, his quiet breaths the only sign that he was just asleep.
(Had he slept like that when he first arrived at the shoten?)
(Had he made his father worry…?)
Wind stirred the leaves in the trees and made the mist swirl into ethereal patterns. Sunlight refracted through the droplets, painting tiny, moving rainbows across the the whole area, and Kaito soaked it all in. He’d have to contend with the spell at some point, but for now he could just enjoy it—
Brilliant rays of light lanced through the mist and up into the heavens, like a miniature sun called suddenly into being. Kaito hissed and flinched back, arm over his face and his eyes squeezed shut, afterimages dancing across his vision. He could feel something shattering all around him, feel the surge of suddenly-freed power, and the strength of it almost made him giddy.
When he’d finally blinked his vision clear and looked outside again—
The mist was gone.
The mist was gone and he could finally see where he was. Could finally take in the fortress walls and the tangled trees, the overgrown training grounds and the battered watchtowers, the lake so far below and the wide wooden bridge that stretched across it.
The bridge where a collection of small figures stood, discussing something amongst themselves.
That was the source of the light, Kaito decided after a moment’s consideration, and if this land did indeed operate under fairy-tale rules, then someone amongst that group had some sort of Destiny.
Ichigo snorted. (*If that’s the case, think we came here for them and not our past self?*)
Kaito shrugged and leaned out the window, squinting at the small figures in an attempt to get a better look. (*Both, probably. Or maybe… maybe Shiro ended up here because we led the way without knowing.*) He tapped a finger against the ledge and tasted the shape of that thought before nodding. (*Makes as much sense as any other answer.*)
(*I suppose it—wait, what the hell’s going on down there?*)
He pursed his lips and hopped up onto the windowsill, one hand gripping the frame and the other shading his eyes. (*That doesn’t look good,*) he murmured as a tall figure approached the group. He could feel the twisted power emanating from the figure, cloying-sweet and almond-bitter in the back of his throat, and it made him want to gag.
Whoever that was, they were bad news.
The small group attempted to attack but were driven back with strong, deadly strikes that sent them tumbling one after the other. They could not face this foe, could not survive this foe, and Kaito would not allow—
With a deafening roar, one of their number transformed before his eyes, becoming a huge white dragon that towered over everyone. The dragon reared up, wings fanning the air and massive tail slamming into the ground for balance, and breathed a great gout of silvery-white light.
The attack struck the corrupted figure and sent the person staggering back, but already Kaito could tell it wouldn’t be enough. The malevolent power wavered under the onslaught, but not enough, not fast enough, and—
The dragon roared once more. Faded away. Left the person sprawled on the ground in pain while the corrupted figure regained his feet.
(*Fuck this,*) Kaito snarled, lunging from the window. He ripped his blades from his back and held one out, not bothering to pause as he shouted, “Bankai! Kakure Ichigo! Shiro!”
(*On it,*) Shiro growled, settling into shared front. Power pooled in their hand, coating their fingers in crimson-black tendrils, and he dragged that power across their face before they’d taken more than three steps. The mask formed, solid and cool against their skin, and power surged through their body—
(*Shiro!*) Kaito twisted their head to eye the long, whip-like tail that materialized, and grimaced at the sight of their taloned, newly bare feet. Even their hands were different, with black claws instead of nails and a touch paler than ever before.
(*Uhhhh… by our powers combined?*)
He bit back a laugh. (*Dork!*)
(*Ain’t got a fuckin’ clue, but score, power boost!*)
(*You are ridiculous and I don’t know why I like you sometimes,*) Kaito shot back as he pushed them faster. The person who’d transformed was still on the ground, still struggling to stand, and the corrupted figure was looming in a way that Kaito hated.
(*Cause I let’cha do shit like this,*) Shiro declared as they landed with a thump, cratering the ground and sending dust swirling into the air. They didn’t bother to disperse the dust, just lunged through it, aiming straight for the heart of the corrupted power.
(*A compelling argument. Carry on.*) Kaito twisted away from the enemy’s sweeping attack. Ducked under the recovery strike. Lashed out with his hook-blade and yanked—
A plate of the enemy’s armor ripped free and clattered to the ground. Robbed of their stability, more pieces dropped away as the man growled in fury and tried to strike him down again.
“I do not know who you are, dragon, but you will not live to regret interfering!” the man declared. “All who stand before me will perish!”
“Big talk, but you’re not the first to threaten me like that and you certainly won’t be the last,” Kaito snapped back. Twisted his blade to direct the man’s strike to the side. Struck and yanked—
Cloth tore. Metal fell.
The man ripped his cape free and threw it at Kaito’s face. Followed it up with another blow—
“Missed me. Boy, you’re sure slow with that blade,” Kaito said from behind the man. Darted away as the man’s large blade sliced through the space he’d been. Barely kept his new tail from being caught. “I’ve met new recruits faster than you.”
“Stand still you blasted beast!”
Kaito redirected the man’s blow. Winced at the way it jarred his hands. Twisted around and back, away from the bridge, away from the wounded. Lashed their tail to the side, drawing the man’s focus. (*Eyes on me, bastard. C’mon, eyes on me.*)
The enemy followed him, teeth bared and gaze intent. “I’ll kill you in front of those brats you’re defending, then kill them while they despair. I will start my conquest here and now, with the utter destruction of the dragon bloodline and it’s staunch supporter.”
“Sounds like a riot. Let me know how that goes for you.” Kaito redirected another blow. Carved off another piece of the man’s armor. Sent a wordless query to Shiro and got back a sharp grin.
Their head tipped down. Power gathered between their horns.
Kaito didn’t redirect the next strike. Caught it instead with their hook blade. Dragged it into the dirt and stomped—
Shiro blasted their enemy in the chest with a cero. “Eat this, fucker!” he crowed as the man flew back and struck a tree. “Ain’t so fuckin’ powerful now, are ya?!”
The man groaned and slowly dragged himself back to his feet, leaning heavily against the tree trunk. “I will not accept defeat,” he said, expression twisting into a rictus grin. “I will—”
Another cero blast slammed into the man. Sent him /through/ the tree and the next four. Left him collapsed on the ground, wounded but still alive.
“Man, ya just won’t fuckin’ die, will ya?” Shiro said as they sauntered up, hook blade tapping against their leg and other blade resting on their shoulder. “Do I gotta finish ya off manually?”
Gleaming red eyes fixed him with a malevolent stare as the man pushed himself up. “No being alive can kill me,” he hissed, one hand going to his wounded chest while power gathered around the other. His outfit was in tatters and blood ran down his chest and sides; the cero strikes might not have killed him, but they had wounded him and his power was twisted inward, focused on repairing the damage. “I have survived a goddess. What hope does a feckless beast have?”
“This ‘feckless beast’ has won against things more dangerous than an upstart conquerer,” Kaito sniped back. A few more strikes and they could probably break the man’s power. He raised Ichigo’s blade and adjusted his stance, preparing to strike—
A branch snapped behind him. Drew his attention away from his downed enemy—
A portal opened, black and malevolent, and the man fled through it without another word.
“Damn,” Kaito muttered, lowering his blade and turning to face the group that had snuck up on him. “That,” he told them seriously, “could spell trouble for you in the future. You were better off staying where you were and letting me deal with it.”
A young man with sky blue eyes and bright golden hair shook his head. “We couldn’t do that! What if you needed help?”
(*Kami save me from fools and children,*) Kaito breathed, staring up at the sky overhead. “You could not stand before him once, and yet you wished to try again? You would only have gotten in the way or gotten yourself killed.”
“We had to try,” the young man said with a frown. “He was strong enough to withstand the attack I made, and you seemed to be on the defensive—”
“I was leading him away from you,” Kaito said sharply, the claws on his feet digging into the soil in frustration. “I was not about to fight someone like that next to potential hostages.” He took a calming breath and looked away, reaching out with his senses to scan the area. The man was nowhere within his range and even the traces of his corrupted power were fading away. They were, for the moment, safe. “He’s gone for now, and probably wounded enough he won’t be back in the next few days. You can all go do… whatever it is you wanted to do.”
“Excuse me,” the young woman said before Kaito could brush past them. “Are you injured?”
He paused. Stared down at her thoughtfully. “You’re a healer, then…?” He pursed his lips and cast a glance back at the castle where Uryuu slept, wounded beyond Kaito’s ability to heal. Uryuu’s Shiro would eventually manage to fix the damage, but if she could heal him…
“Hey! Stop being creepy at Zethia!” a tiny voice shouted at him as a little figure zoomed up to hover in front of his face. The little fairy planted her fists on her hips and scowled at him. “Zethia is the best!”
“Creepy…?”
(*Mask,*) Ichigo reminded him with a touch of amusement. (*And bankai, but mostly mask.*)
Kaito frowned and took a step back from the group, letting his bankai fade away and slinging his blades back in place. The other changes, though… (*Shiro?*) he asked, sliding fingers over the smooth, cool surface of Shiro’s mask.
(He hadn’t even realized it was still there.)
(No wonder the group had been tense.)
(*Uhhh… we… might have a problem,*) Shiro said with a sheepish smile. (*I uh… can’t get it t’go away?*)
(*Meditation should fix the problem,*) Zangetsu suggested before Kaito could react to Shiro’s words. (*Something about this world seems to cling to physical changes, so we will need to adapt to compensate.*)
(*Makes sense,*) Kaito agreed, gripping the edge of Shiro’s mask and lifting it away. The mask came free without problem, nearly weightless in his hand despite its size. It was certainly larger than he remembered it being, which probably went hand-in-hand with the physical changes.
“Woah, that’s a mask?” the little fairy exclaimed, darting closer to look at it. “It’s so creepy!”
Kaito grimaced at the fairy’s unthinking words, uncomfortable with the way Shiro’s presence twitched in response. “It’s a piece of my power, so I would thank you to not call it ‘creepy’,” he told her sternly, reaching up to hang the mask on the side of his head. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”
“Please, let me help you,” the young woman said, stepping closer to him. “You’re protecting someone else, aren’t you? I can heal them.”
She seemed sincere in her desire, Kaito decided after a moment’s thought. And he knew what good healers were like when they suspected there was someone injured nearby; Zethia would probably convince the others to follow him back to the castle even if he said no, just to repay the imaginary debt there was between them.
“Fine, but if he says no, you leave it be,” Kaito said, turning away and stalking back towards the castle. He had neither the strength nor the desire to argue, not when he knew exactly the sort of pain his past self was experiencing. If she could alleviate even a bit of that, he would be satisfied.
Hopefully Uryuu saw it in the same light.