V The Jungle Jam (Complete)

[Jade Callisto]

Jade was always one to travel to new places but she did not expect her first real adventure into the world to not be in her actual homeworld. Thing was she planned to visit her family again but got tied up by the sudden realization that when she woke up after camping for the night in her travels, that she had not been where she originally was. It was a wild jungle of sorts, at first thinking this was part of the Hinterlands she was quickly corrected by the fact something just tried to eat her. A huge T-rex tried to chomp down on the sleeping half-dragon, good thing she heard it coming due to her naturally acute senses. Jade leapt out of the way just in time before the T-rex ate her, it instead eating the ground she was sleeping on. "Good thing for all that training in the circus, I was almost dino food!" Jade said before glaring at the creature.

"You know I would have been fine if you didn't try to eat me so I could spare you, however I'm afraid I can't do that now." Jade had declared before jumping into the air, somersaulting forward then landing an axe kick onto the T-Rex's head. Now anyone else might not have done much, however Jade knew she was very strong as she witnessed that this kick of hers knocked the dino to the ground with a very audible crash. Trees around the area falling to the ground nearby from the large dino crashing to the ground. Jade would land next to it, noticing it was only knocked out but not dead. "Wow you can really take a hit huh? Most monsters would have died being hit withy something like that, well at least you aren't dead. Consider that a lesson for trying to eat me." Jade said before dusting herself off.

Glancing around the place she took in her surroundings more, yeah this was definitely not the Hinterlands. That meant she must have been transported somewhere else entirely. She then heard what sounded like a person nearby, she would then pace over there slowly as to not try to scare them. This place was definitely full of monster like beasts after all. "Hello?" She called out to the person.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

A Blinding blue light, that was the last thing that Ichigo was able to remember after plunging that mysterious Woman's blade into his chest. He took the gamble of risking his own life in order to protect those he cared about and now he'd found himself in a mysterious place. Ichigo blinked a few times before frantically scanning the area. A Swamp?... Where on Earth was he?!

"Karin! Yuzu! Dad! Rukia?!"

The teen desperately shouted out the names of those who were up until a moment ago about to be consumed by a Monster! The Carrot-Top frantically traversed the swamps of Kraw in search of his loved ones, under every rock, behind every tree and even went diving into the swamp itself but to no avail...

"Damn it!"

Ichigo exclaims as he slams his fist against the trunk of a nearby mahogany.

"...Where the hell am I?"

He questions himself before taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down and try and figure out just where he was and what had just happened. But then, he hears a loud crashing sound as a Tyrannosaurus Rex ploughs through the bog and seems to be darting towards a Woman?! The delinquent's eyes widen, and a bead of sweat drips down his forehead at the sight of the enormous beast. Wherever he was this wasn't Earth. Was it maybe some kind of Hollow? There were other people out here besides himself? No... That didn't matter right now this girl was in danger! But what the hell could he do, he was just a Hu-

Glancing down at his Shihakushō and feeling the weight of his massive Zanpakutō on his back he remembered. He was a Soul Reaper now, and because of that, he had the power to save this Girl's life, or at the very least, die trying! He wasn't going to let another person die right in front of him!!

"Watch out!!"

Ichigo cries out as he draws his oversized blade, darting forward in a singular burst of speed in an attempt to fell this beast!- Or so he thought. But he manages to stop himself as he watches the sight of this seemingly non-combatant Woman dispatching a friggin DINOSAUR with such ease.

"Seriously... Where the hell am I?"

The Reaper smirks in utter disbelief, still cautiously gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands.

 

[Jade Callisto]

As the teenage boy with a large sword tried to 'save' her, Jade took notice only after she dealt the knock out blow to the dino. "Oh. You lost out here too? I appreciate the effort in trying to save me though, you're sweet.~" Jade said after landing smoothly on her feet after the axe kick. Taking a look at the boy, he was rather tall and handsome for someone so young looking. But he was wearing some strange clothing, then again she was one to talk what with her dancer clothes she wore.

"So I have a faint idea where we are by the way. From the looks of your outfit I'd say you aren't from here, are you from Erde Nona like I am? Oh but where are my manners, my name is Jade Callisto, pleased to meet you." she said with a light hearted smile.

She looked at him a bit more, was he an adventurer like she was? His sword was definitely big enough to cleave that dino she fought earlier. "You know, I read about other worlds before. This might be one of them." Jade guessed out loud.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo's face shifts to a bright red as the stranger's words reach his ears.

"W-well I- Y-you're welcome..."

While normally hotheaded the delinquent wasn't great when receiving compliments and often didn't know how to react, which leads to him getting all flustered... Wait. Why is getting like that in a situation like this?! Finding out where the hell he is, and how he got here is far more important right now. And so, shaking off his embarrassment the Soul Reaper turns towards the Woman...? Wait, was she really a 'Woman'? Judging by her draconic-like features she was either a really good cosplayer or... There was no way, right?

"...Ichigo Kurosaki."

The boy introduces himself carefully before slowly sheathing his sword, no longer on guard around the girl.

"Er-er-erda what now? On any other day I'd say that I don't know what kind of crap you're on, called you crazy and walked away but... Well, this whole damn day has been nothing but crazy..."

The reaper sighs. First, he was attacked by a gigantic monster, then transported to some strange world and -NOW- he is face to face with a strange Woman that was capable of going toe to toe with a FRIGGIN T-REX. From that alone Ichigo was able to determine that Jade was definitely able to handle herself, and she seemed like she meant well so he had no qualms with sharing the information he was about to give.

"If you've got any idea where we are then I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. You're right though, I'm not from around here, you probably haven't heard of it but I'm from a place called 'Earth'. And considering you can see me I guess there's no use hiding it; I'm a Substitute Soul Reaper." Ichigo states in a serious tone.

The teen was smart enough to at least infer from what little Jade had said and from his current circumstances that as much as he himself couldn't believe it; he is probably not on Earth anymore. Or at the very least, maybe some kind of government testing facility considering the Dinosaurs. He had no idea if the same kind of life could form on other planets after all.

 

[Jade Callisto]

Wow his reaction was adorable! Jade enjoyed seeing people get flustered around her but that was not really the issue here at present. Ichigo Kurosaki as he called himself is a substitute soul reaper. Which from the sounds of it meant he was some kind of spirit or afterlife guide but what did he mean by substitute? Okay so she had to guess that soul reapers were spirits according to what he said about 'seeing him' and the name itself.

Substitute though? Maybe he was taking over for someone who couldn't do the job for some reason? It was a good guess at least. Though the planet he mentioned named Earth intrigued her, what was it like she wondered. "Okay from what you are saying is that you are a spirit guide of some sort but I'll ask more on that later, the more pressing issue is to find a safe place for us both to rest and talk so we can figure out where to go from there. That sound okay to you Ichigo?"

As she was talking it became apparent that the T-Rex had woken up after being knocked out by Jade earlier as it glared at her with a big bump on its head. T-Rex's were no joke but even though it wasn't really that smart, it could tell when it was outmatched so it looked to the newcomer Ichigo and went to try its luck against him as it went for a huge bite toward the seemingly unsuspecting Ichigo at a fast pace. Jade of course heard it coming and was prepared to fight but as she noticed it was ignoring her and went for Ichigo instead she couldn't help but wonder if he'd be okay. Sure she was athletic but she was not fast enough to get all the way over there in time, she could only hope Ichigo the 'Soul Reaper' as he called himself could also fight it off. "Hey watch out!" Jade called out to Ichigo.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Hesitantly nods in agreement with Jade's suggestion. This was all batshit crazy to him, but what other choice did he have in this kind of situation?

"I don't really know much about it myself, but that's the jist of it. But for now-"

Ichigo's senses were going off, he could tell that something was trying to come at him from behind. Albeit, not entirely so the Woman's warning was more than appreciated! Keeping this in mind and without so much as glancing at his aggressor Ichigo uses his newfound superhuman capabilities to Ichigo draw his oversized blade and thrust it behind him in a singular swift motion, plunging its tip into the Dino's right eye and then withdrawing it with all his might, causing blood to erupt from it's wound, soaking the delinquent's arm in the crimson red fluid. The fossil lets out an ear-deafening shriek as it wails around frantically.

"We should get the hell out of here while we still can!!"

The soul reaper exclaims, before making a run for it and gesturing for the Draconoid to do the same. Sure, the Soul Reaper was brave but that didn't mean he was stupid, there was no need to put anyone's life at risk if there was nobody else in danger. And besides, it was in the best interest of both of them to flee whilst the beast was still reeling in pain.

 

[Jade Callisto]

Jade was definitely right about the guy, he was indeed strong enough to handle himself as evident by the fact he stabbed the dino in the eye which sent it reeling in pain. "Good idea, I think I saw some ruins we can hide in when I was in the air earlier. Ichigo follow me, it shouldn't be too far." Jade wasn't the fastest runner but she was able to leap from tree branches to others with relative ease.
As the T-Rex reeled in pain it became very much harder to see as it was already trying to recover from both of their blows to its head. The ruins ahead were like nothing she had ever seen, they were huge in scale and very much city like in structure.

As she leapt from branch to branch she noticed very quickly that they were more than just normal ruins, people were inhabiting these ruins as well. From the looks of them they all appeared to be hunters and traders just from an immediate glance, all equipped to survive out here it seemed. "Okay so I see some people down there, they might be locals who know the place. Let's rest over there and we can figure this out." Jade said before leaping down onto the ground with a perfect landing on her feet.

The hunters were startled and had drawn their weapons at first, only to see Jade who was humanoid in appearance with a more normalish teenage boy behind her. Lowering their guard a bit once seeing them up close. One of the men stepped toward the two who was a fair skinned burly man with brown hair and blue eyes. He had a very bushy beard and a diangonal scar across his right cheek. "Name's Harvey Graham, leader of this expedition team as it were." the man said before taking a look around the surroundings as if making sure nothing was coming their way. "And from the looks on your faces I'd say you ran into some of the local wildlife." he said with a bit of a smirk. "You can be at ease folks, just rest here in our camp as long as you like. Food is scarce though so unless you brought any with you I'm afraid we can't share much if any at all."

Jade took notice of this then looked back to Ichigo with a smile. "I just so happened to actually bring some food along myself, you are free to have some too if you want Ichigo." Jade said before sitting down and getting so snacks from her bag. The snacks consisted of dried meat jerky, different vegetables with cheese and fruit slices with honey. "Help yourself, I made them not too long before I ended up here actually." Jade made it very clear that she was the one that prepared this food herself and was open to share it with a perfect stranger like Ichigo. If Ichigo does take one of the snacks he will feel any minor injuries will vanish pretty fast, that and he'd have a boost of energy if he was running low after their escape from the dino. This was Jade's 'Medicinal Cooking' ability at play which resulted in some healing and stamina recovery. Jade took one of them herself, feeling any stress or pain just lift away after eating it along with restoring some of her stamina.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo didn't have the agility, or skill necessary to leap from tree branch to tree branch like his companion, however, he was more than capable of moving in short bursts of speed through the bog in order to keep up with her.

"...Shouldn't be too far? What do you-"

Ichigo asks in a confused tone of voice before being cut off mid-sentence and coming to a complete halt. His eyes widened in amazement... Large, sprawling ruins of a once thriving civilization, it was truly a sight to behold for this high school student who had not so much as ventured outside of his hometown in the countryside of Japan... In fact, it took Jade leaping into the fray to interact with what seemed to be archaeologists in order for him to snap out of it.

Wait... Archaeologists? Why were they dressed like they were explorers from the 1800's? And what's more, they were also able to see him?! Was everyone in these marshlands spiritually aware?!

The Reaper couldn't even begin to comprehend the language that Jade was conversing with this expedition team. Maybe the language of the Draconoid's home planet was similar to that of Japanese? Either way, it had him looking completely and utterly bewildered at the alien language being spoken.

"...This might be a bad time to mention this but, what the hell were those guys saying? I couldn't understand a lick of it!"

Ichigo says, approaching the purple-haired Woman as soon as she was finished speaking with a perplexed expression. He could take a guess that they were friendly considering their mannerisms and how the exchange seemed to go over rather smoothly but still...

"...W-wait W-what are you?!..."

The boys face turns beat red and he can't help but take a few steps back in disbelief as the circus member hands him what seems to be some kind of lunchbox?! Normally he wouldn't care about this sort of stuff, but this was probably the first time well... -EVER- that he'd received a Meal from the opposite gender, intentional or not.

 

[Jade Callisto]

Jade realized what she did a little bit too late, but when he said he didn't understand them that made it make more sense. "Oh you didn't understand them? They are low on food stocks so they can't share any with newcomers. Which is why I offered you some of the food I made. Oh and before you get any ideas, I'm an adult woman so I'm probably too old for you." Jade teased him a bit with a smile. "Also since you are a soul reaper according to what you say, that means you are a spirit being correct? That would mean they can probably only see you because of how you got here, I assume through a portal?" Jade guessed out loud to him.

"That's how I got here anyway, so from the little I know about The Crossroads those portals let us travel to other planets within them, well some people have ships that can travel between them too. But that does concern me. If you are a spirit being that means no one should be able to see you, except my friend Rahmiel. He's an angel so he'd probably be the best one to ask about the soul reaper stuff." Jade then insisted that he have some of her food by moving it toward him a bit more. "But if people can see you that means you have an actual body now, so yeah eat up."

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo thought to himself for a few moments. Maybe he truly was overreacting, it was just a meal, right? And Jade was correct... She was -FAR- too old for him so why was he stressing out so much? Puberty? Ughhh, what a pain in the ass... Well, no use worrying about it right now.

"R-right..."

The reaper takes a deep breath, allowing a wave of calm to wash over him, the embarrassment fading from his face and his usual scowl returning as he does so.

"Sorry, I lost my cool for a second there. Where I'm from if a girl offers you a packed lunch like that it usually means they are gonna' confess their feelings or something."

The boy explains before speaking up about the circumstances surrounding him being a 'Soul-Reaper'

"Honestly? I've got no goddamn clue. My family was being attacked by I guess what you could call an 'Evil Spirit' and some girl, a REAL Soul Reaper was on the hunt for it, she explained to me what her Job was and then the Spirit ambushed us, they hurt my Little Sisters, took them hostage and I leapt in like an idiot which only ended up in that Reaper getting hurt trying to defend me. After that, I had no choice but to risk plunging her blade into my chest for her to transfer her powers to me, then; well. I ended up here, but..."

Ichigo gazes up at the sky, flashes of the incident racing through his mind.

"Turns out it was attracted to me because of my high amounts of Spirit Energy. And because of that, because of that...!"

The Delinquent exclaims frustratingly, clenching his fists with all the strength he could muster, causing his knuckles to go white.

"My family is still in danger! and for some godforsaken reason, I ended up in this friggin' swamp! I don't know what happened to everyone after that; Karin, Yuzu, Rukia. All I know is that I've gotta find a way back to my planet and make sure that everyone's alright."

But then, his companion offers him a tomato, telling him to 'Eat Up', his stomach growls in response which causes Ichigo to blush slightly in embarrassment and slowly take a seat next to Jade.

"...Thanks. You're right, If I can feel hungry I guess that means that I've got the powers of a Spirit with a Physical Body now, as crazy as that is..."

Ichigo replies, now staring at the surface of the tomato, clearly deep in thought.

 

[Jade Callisto]

"I kind of figured that was the case from your embarassed reaction. But wow that is quite the story, but if you took this Rukia's powers for yourself it is definitely concerning. However from the way you describe the 'job' of a soul reaper must mean she isn't the only one of her kind, as an example of yourself being a substitute of one. If anything their might be many of them out there along with a few to aid Rukia and save your family as we speak, so I wouldn't worry about it since it won't change your predicament right?"

She said trying to cheer him up. In reality she did hope she was right about their being more soul reapers on the way to save them, she would hate to see the despair on this child's face, especially after all he's been through already. Still that did beg the question, what would they do now? Jade took her time eating her own serving of food before standing up then looking over toward the expedition team then paced toward them. "Hey Harvey, how'd you get out here in this swamp anyway?" Jade asked the man. Harvey then looked back over toward the draconoid woman known as Jade. "Well Miss, we actually just got back from Erde Nona for a re-supply trip. Still with all these dangerous beasts about it isn't easy to keep a hold on our food stores. Why do you ask?" Harvey inquired of Jade. Jade then heard the name of her home world then had to answer Harvey almost immediately with an curious look on her face. "I asked because a friend of mine is stuck here in this swamp and I'd like to get him to a safer spot than this. How did you get from Erde Nona to here though?"

Harvey looked at her in a confused manner as if she was supposed to know the answer to this then sighed. "We originally came here by starship however years later after exploring Kraw, this swamp as you call it, we found that some of these ruins have warp gates in them though to where we are not certain. You should know this but the Warp Gate to Erde Nona is actually not too far from here in a ruin with a green flag on top of it, we put that there as a marker to help us remember which one. So if you make the trip out there I advise you be quick, it is more dangerous out here when night falls and it is looking like dusk is coming in close. So if I were you two, I'd wait till morning while camping here for the night." Harvey suggested to her.

Jade smiled brightly then looked over toward Ichigo who was still eating his food, she knew this was all gibberish to him so she paced back over to the substitute soul reaper and sat back down next to him. "So I have some good news at least, there is a ruin that has a warp gate toward Erde Nona, my homeworld, but Harvey says that it gets dangerous at night so we are welcome to camp here until we make the trip toward the ruin. He does say there are other gates around Kraw, the world we are in, that lead to other worlds but we have no idea if one of them could be yours, so I'd say our best bet is to head toward this one and see if we can find my family back there. What do you think Ichigo?" Jade would inquire of Ichigo.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo hadn't thought about it that way before, but he knew that Jade words were right. Or, at the very least he hoped that they were right. Ichigo would stay silent as Harvey approached the pair, only eating the food that the Draconoid had provided him. He couldn't understand a lick of what they were saying so he thought it was best to just let his companion handle the talking. And he's pleasantly surprised by the flavour of the meal.

"This is pretty good."

The carrot-top says with a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. But then, he felt a surge of energy and motivation wash over him, he felt better than ever.

"...The hell?! Jade what are-"

The Reaper was amazed at the magical properties of these fruit slices, they were beyond his comprehension. How the hell could -FOOD- of all things be capable of a miracle like this? But then, he realized that this was all crazy anyways and he probably shouldn't be surprised over something like this. That, and Jade had already begun relaying what the expedition leader had conveyed to them.

"...Warp gate huh?"

Ichigo sighs, his expression conveying a smile of disbelief. There really was no use trying to think about how crazy crap like this really existed. All that mattered was that he had a goal that would fulfill no matter what, a place to get back to; It didn't matter how he got there or he'd have to face to do so but in the end, he would get back to his family.

"Honestly? This is all friggin' nuts But, I swear that I'm gonna find my way back home no matter what. And, if you can help me with that Jade? Then I'll travel alongside you for as long as it takes to get there."

Ichigo states determinedly. Outstretching his surprisingly callused and seemingly hardy hand towards his ally with a grin.

 

[Jade Callisto]

Oh looks like he noticed her medicinal cooking ability, his reactions really were adorable. She noticed that he was proclaiming his vow to find his way back to his home no matter how long it took. "Sounds good Ichigo." she took her soft feminine hand and shook his hand with hers. Smiling at his proclaimation before letting go of his hand. "Well I'll do my best to help you out Ichigo. Though I think it is best we get some rest once night time hits." Jade said before getting to work on what she knew about camping. She didn't have much but the supplies she had brought with her. Still she was able to make a campfire and setup a spot near the walls of the ruins to rest nearby. Jade would then hand Ichigo her bedroll, which was almost eaten by the T-Rex when she was sleeping.

"You can sleep on this if you want, after everything you have been through I'll let you borrow it." Jade meanwhile would sleep on the grass using her winter blanket as a way to sleep on it. She had it setup for everything they needed, still she would wait a bit longer before going to sleep. "So Ichigo, what is your family like? I admittedly never had parents or siblings so I am honestly curious." She asked as she warmed herself next to the campfire she made while sitting on some of the rubble of the ruins as a make shift seat.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

"Looking forward to it. If you need any help with anything, let me know. It's the least I can do considering everything you've done for me so far."

Ichigo replies in a neutral tone. He was one to pay his debts after all. Afterwards, he would try his best to help out with setting up the camp, whether that being carrying anything heavy or attempting the impossible task of finding dry firewood on a swamp planet, but eventually he does manage to do so. Later, the reaper would eventually settle down alongside Jade, but when he's offered the bedroll he immediately shakes his head.

"Thanks, but I'm not the kinda guy to make a girl sleep on the ground. You take the sleeping bag, I'll probably be up all night anyways."

The delinquent voices firmly. Seems like he wasn't going to budge on the matter. And so, much of the teen's night was spent staring into the fire, as if deep in thought. But then his companion asks about his family which causes a bittersweet smile to form on his usually scowling expression.

"Family huh?... I guess I don't mind telling you a bit about them."

The boy replies unobjectively, shifting his position so that he is now facing the purple-haired Woman.

"I have two younger twin Sisters; Karin and Yuzu. Karin's a bit of a knucklehead like me, she's a pretty outspoken girl and won't take crap from anyone no matter who it is. She's always been able to see ghosts like me as well, though she abuses the hell out of that ability to earn a little bit of cash even though I tell her not to. She's a tough kid, unlike Yuzu... She's a good kid, but I think she's been trying to take after my Mom since she passed away, she cooks, cleans, and helps Dad out whenever she can but she's a crybaby and worries about stuff a bit too much sometimes. I could probably talk about those two for hours but I don't wanna really get into that."

Ichigo actually smiles again. Hell, this might be a record for how many times he's smiled in a day, even if most of them were either out of disbelief or bittersweet. He seems to treasure his younger siblings, kind of like

"Then we've got my Old Man. He's a pretty goofy, and loud guy. He's the kinda person to tell dad jokes, pull pranks or even dress up as a goddamn clown to cheer up his kids. That said..."

The carrot-top's eyebrow twitches in annoyance before suddenly bursting out into a long-winded rant.

"I still don't know why the hell he attacks me out of nowhere! Whenever I sleep he'll try and land a punch on me to wake up, or whenever I'm doing homework he'll try and sneak up on me and put me in a chokehold, hell sometimes when I get back from school he's waiting around the corner to try and dropkick me! Seriously, what kind of person does that to their kid?!"

Ichigo goes on and on and on for around ten minutes just venting his frustration to Jade about all the crazy crap his Dad has done over the years. But in due course, he finally stops, taking a deep breath as he does so.

"But, despite all that. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world. And anyone who tries to harm them is my enemy. This whole parallel world crap might be fun to some people but I don't care about any of that, I don't care about being a Soul Reaper, I don't care about fighting, I just want to get back to my family and continue protecting-"

The Fifteen-year-old begins to declare resolutely, however, he cuts himself off mid-sentence, his face awestruck as he goes completely silent. Memories begin instantaneously flash through the boy's mind one after another. Memories of that day from six years ago by the riverbank, his mother's sprayed-out and mangled corpse. The pool of blood surrounding it, how he begged for the Woman to wake up.

 

[Jade Callisto]

"They sound amazing Ichigo, if we ever find a way to your world I would love to meet them. That said, I think your dad was trying to prepare your fighting instincts should you ever have to use them. Since The Crossroads are usually filled with dangerous places I am actually quite thankful he did that for you." She then noticed his blank stare as he nearly finished talking, Jade knew that look all too well. Jade figured that this might be him having a sudden flash of a bad memory coming back. From what she could guess given his story it might have something to do with his mother that passed away. She tried to get him back to reality by telling him about her family, that might help.

"Well as for me my family is a little odd, I guess most families are to be fair, but I care for them deeply all the same. See I was adopted by a traveling circus of sorts. They took me in after I ran away from an abusive orphanage and raised me as who I am today." Jade smiled before taking her bedroll back from Ichigo then prepped it for herself. "That said, they were all former adventurers of some kind so I learned how to properly defend myself as well as perform for others. That's the main reason I want to go back to Erde Nona, they could provide you with unique experiences given what they all have to offer." Jade said as she tucked herself into her bedroll then got ready to sleep. "But I think that should be enough talk for now. It is getting late, goodnight Ichigo."

Whether or not Ichigo decided to sleep, he would likely hear the sounds of this wild jungle such as all the bugs, bird and wild beasts that roam the area. As the night passed and eventually led to dawn, the sun rose and it was looking like a bright new day. Jade got up soon then prepped her supplies for the trip to the ruins, which included putting out the campfire they used as warmth. "Good morning, did you manage to sleep at all Ichigo?" Jade inquired as she was packing up more supplies. "While these ruins are supposedly close by, don't let your guard down okay? Kraw still is a very dangerous area, anything could jump out at us." Jade remembered that Ichigo's dad basically trained him for that. "But you should be fine given your dad's 'training' as it were." she said jokingly with a small chuckle before heading out towards the ruins.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Those memories, they wouldn't stop racing through his mind. However, then he heard the sound of Jade's voice which fortunately was able to snap him back into reality.

"What?- Oh... Right. I'm sure that my Sisters would probably become attached to you pretty quickly. Especially after hearing about how much you've helped me out."

Ichigo replies as he holds his head for a few moments, looking down at the Geta sandals on his feet.

"Preparing my fighting instincts? That goofball? Pfft-"

The delinquent couldn't help but let out a little chuckle out of such a remark. There was no way that could be true right? After all, his Dad was just an ordinary guy what kind of reason would he have to prepare him for a fight? As far as Ichigo knew his 'Instincts' came from the countless fights that he had gotten into over the colour of his hair. Granted, there may be a small part of him that believes what the Draconoid said was true.

"I'm sorry... I can't even begin to imagine what that might have been like."

The carrot-top responds, getting to his feet as he does so.

"But you know, I'm glad we both have people we can rely on and care for. And I'll be more than happy to learn whatever they can teach me. God knows I'll need it in a world where I might have to fight some kinda 'Demon Lord' straight out of one of those crappy video games that Keigo plays at any moment."

The boy says as he places a firm, reassuring hand on his companion's shoulder.

"Right..."

Ichigo says as he makes his way over to a nearby mahogany and takes a seat underneath it.

"Get some rest, Jade. You'll need it."

And so, as the Sun slowly began to rise the reaper understandably, found himself unable to sleep, seemingly caught deep in thought about all the unbelievable events of today. And decided to just keep watch of the camp instead, luckily for him, it was completely uneventful and by the time a rooster like 'Cocka-Doodle-doo!!!' could be heard from some kind of strange animal somewhere to the north he was already getting everything ready in order to head out.

"Morning."

The teen says bluntly as he notices that Jade is finally awake, while at the same time spitting out a blade of unfortunately soggy grass he was chewing on out of boredom.

"Not a wink..."

Ichigo grins.

"My Guards never down for that reason. Besides, even if these ruins have friggin Mummy's crawling out the walls I doubt they'd ever be able to keep up with me If I got serious. You can count on me Jade, don't you worry."

He replies sarcastically while making dramatic gestures and following along closely behind the Woman as they made their way towards the archaeological site.

 

[Jade Callisto]

Jade could tell he was being sarcastic in reply to her joke, honestly that was quite adorable. Still she had to give it to him, he definitely looked full of energy for someone who didn't even get a single wink of sleep. "Well if they marked the ruins with a flag I highly doubt there is anything like that left. Mummies, Undead and the like would be kind of scary but it is nothing we can't handle. Besides the oh so brave soul reaper would cut them down anyway right? Kind of in the job description, if anything they should fear you." Jade jested once again. However Jade and Ichigo would soon regret their choice of words, as Kraw was very much a dangerous place, almost alive in that sense. As they got closer to the ruin they would see a pile of bones, larger than that of an elephant yet humanoid in shape. And at this moment it was right in front of the ruins they needed to go to, the green flag atop of the cave entrance as an indictor.

The bones suddenly came alive as they pieced themselves together to form a golaith of a giant skeletal warrior with four arms, each wielding a different type of sword in hand. It towered over the ruin entrance, practically as tall as some of the jungle trees. It looked down at the two travelers, it had outstretched bone wings and a tail as well. Suddenly as if a giant skeletal monster with four arms and swords in each wasn't enough to surprise them, the both of them heard a voice within their minds. "So I finally found you.... Soul Reaper.... Yes I know what you are.... I have been searching..... Searching for a way to die..... To pass on to the afterlife....." It spoke in both of their heads then looked directly to Ichigo. "My soul is bound to this world.... Each death only makes me stronger...... By normal means.... Death by a Zanpakuto....... The power to free me..... Is within your grasp...." It then looked behind itself to show the warp gate then pointed at a spot before the portal. A magic circle appeared there with a strange light. "Strike me down in honorable battle..... However I cannot hold back..... Upon freeing me I will bestow my knowledge.... That light shall answer once you do....."

The skeletal warrior looked on toward them then to Jade. "Soul Reaper or not.... You shall fight as well..... However.... I need the Soul Reaper to deliver..... The Final Blow..... Or I will.... Simply return stronger than before....." Jade stood there silent, it could enter their minds and speak to them. Yet it towered over the both of them and has not attacked at all. In fact it practically was pleading to them to destroy it. Jade would then speak to the skeletal warrior in response. "So you came here seeking death, a battle to pass on? How do you know he's a Soul Reaper anyway?" Jade inquired of the warrior. For but a few moments it did not speak. Once again it entered their minds then spoke. "For every warrior I strike down..... Before I come back to life.... My body absorbs their souls.... Thus many souls along with their power and knowledge are trapped within me..... Soul Reapers included..... By striking me down..... You not only free my soul..... but the other souls as well...." the warrior spoke in a saddened tone.

Jade had one more question for the warrior before she made a decison. "What is your name brave warrior?" she would ask in a very serious tone of voice. She usually liked to jest and be a beacon of happiness, but this warrior wasn't just asking for its own help, but for every soul that was trapped within it as well as its own. It looked back at the two and spoke once more. "My name has been lost to the ages.... However.... My sword....which has cursed me in this form.... its name shall be mine.... I am the warrior known as Muramasa...." it answered before waiting for Ichigo to reply before it prepared for any sort of attack. It was a warrior, not a monster. "Warriors, please let me know yours as well...." It looked to Jade first then to Ichigo. "I'm Jade Callisto, wish I could say nice to meet you, but we both know that the circumstances of this meeting are not fortunate." Jade would say before taking a fighting stance, she really pitied this thing, however she did want to help it like she did with Ichigo.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Well, Jade did have a point... If this place was safe enough to be marked as if it were conquered then surely nothing dangerous would be left inside these ruins, they had likely been plundered for every last speck of dust and the excavation that was currently exploring it was likely only rummaging around for any scraps of information that they could find.

"Heh."

Ichigo smirks at his companion's remark. Although, the closer they got to the ruins of the entrance the more of a sinking feeling the Reaper would feel. Something was wrong, it was far too quiet, he couldn't hear the chirping of the insects, and the air was eerily still. Scanning the area his eyes widened upon spotting the huge, undisturbed remnants of some kind of creature which caused the teen to stop in his tracks. Why were they so pristine? There's no way that skeleton couldn't have been at the very least in the early stages of decay.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw it; the slight rattling of the cadaver prompting the warrior to hold his hand out in front of Jade to prevent her from going any farther.

"Jade, Get back!"

The delinquent exclaims, leaping back a few feet as the monstrosity begins to form itself into a four-armed skeletal monstrosity! Ichigo is taken aback as the creature somehow projects its thoughts into his very mind! He was about to say something along the lines of 'What the hell?' or 'Crap!' but he prevented himself from doing so in light of the mention of 'Soul Reapers'. Ichigo would listen to the Warrior's story, about how it came to know of the spirit guides and about the many souls it had consumed... At this point, it sounded kind of like a Hollow to him, and he knew that it was in their duty to eliminate them, though nothing about 'purification'. But none of that mattered to the teen as a serious expression came across his face.

"Maramasa was it? I'm sorry to hear about your tragic past and all but..."

Ichigo reached for the hilt of his blade, drawing the behemoth of a Zanpakutō that was almost on par the size of the monster itself and casually slinging it over his shoulder.

"I don't see what that has to do with me. And besides, anyone who threatens my friends is going to get one hell of a beating!!"

He'd resolved to fight Maramasa! Purifying it or not he'll burst through this obstacle while keeping Jade safe and get to the Stargate no matter what!!


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[Jade Callisto]

"I see.... I sense your resolve... Very well Soul Reaper..... If that is what it takes....." Muramasa said before readying its blades to attack. "Then I shall make you regret not sharing your name with me." Its speech suddenly got a lot better but at the same time it had a different sounding voice, completely different than the previous one. It sounded like a female voice, teenage in tone, as Muramasa pointed a single finger at Jade. "Hadō # 4. Byakurai." As Muramasa said that, a bolt of lightning shot out at Jade. It was definitely fast but luckily Jade managed to leap out of the way in time. "What kind of spell is that? I've never seen its kind before." Jade said before landing back on her feet before readying a flurry of punches into Muramasa's torso. It made no effort to dodge her attack though as Jade's attacks practically bounced off of it. She was repelled by what seemed like a barrier of sorts.

Muramasa's eye sockets would then emit glow a bright red from within. "I simply cast a low level kido, the soul reaper known as Kaeri Sekaga was an adept at Hado in particular. I simply took her own experiences and added it to my arsenal." The voice was still female in tone, it was not Muramasa's so the best guess they could all make was that it belonged to this Kaeri Sekaga he mentioned. Suddenly it vanished from sight, and appeared behind Ichigo in a flash before making a swipe of one of its blades toward Ichigo's shoulder. It wasn't holding back but it was also testing to see what this soul reaper could do so it did not aim for any vital points on his body yet. Whether or not the attack connected, it would follow up by trying to attack non vital points on Ichigo's body with the other 3 blades in its hands.

Jade would not just stand by though, she would attempt to punch through the barrier that Muramasa made. This time with all her might by Focusing on it. The well aimed punch was directed at the head of Muramasa, although it did not connect with the head itself the barrier around it shattered instantly. Glass like shards fell to the ground before vanishing into energy particles. "Well done, but it is not over yet." It said as Jade landed the blow but soon realized while its hands were busy attacking Ichigo, its tail attempted to hit Jade in their stead. Jade was midair and just landed the blow to shatter the barrier so her momentum was halted by it. She would not be able to dodge out of the way of its tail as it landed a solid hit on her, knocking her to the ground with a loud impact. Surprisingly, Jade did not take very much damage as her scales activated as soon as she hit the ground, unfolding from the green parts of her body to protect her, thankfully she landed on her side and not her front. "Ah! Okay that hurt, you'll pay for that!" Jade said before standing back up but suddenly felt a little wobbly from the impact of hitting the ground so hard. "Bring it on....." Muramasa said in his normal voice before readying for another attack. This fight may be harder than Jade thought after all.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo was prepared to fight this monster for as long as it took to 'Purify' it. But what he was not prepared for was the unusual voice coming from Maramasa. It sounded like it came from someone who couldn't have been much older than the teen himself was... Wait, Kaeri? Did that mean?-

"..."

The reaper just narrowly leaps out of the way of the bolt of lightning before his scowl shifts to a very solemn expression he comes to the realization; that this Monster, it had been consuming the souls of anyone that it had come across, anyone unlucky enough to be felled by one of it's many blades. And not only that, but it forced them to keep living on inside of them agonizingly, using them as puppets, as nothing more than tools whenever it felt like it. And that, that did not sit well with Ichigo...

Utilizing his keen instincts Ichigo was just barely able to react to his opponent's blinding speed, blocking the blow to his shoulder with the edge of his Zanpakutō, he was now struggling against Maramasa's sword, simply allowing the other two strikes to pierce his upper leg and abdomen. Blood began to leak from his wounds, seeping into his
Shihakushō and staining it in a deep red, but oddly the teen seemed completely unfazed, in fact, it only resulted in darkening his expression.

"...A Monster like you, who does nothing but toy with peoples lives doesn't deserve to know my name."

Thoughts race through Ichigo's mind; his siblings trapped within that fishlike Hollow's grasp, that soul he had tried to save being chased by that very same monster and Rukia's face as she pleaded with him to take hold of her powers to slay it. Illusions of Yuzu's sprayed-out corpse, the bloody mess that was once Karin splattered on the sidewalk. Because of Monsters like these, that could have very well happened after he'd ended up in this godforsaken place. The anger, the frustration, the sadness it made him bear stirred something something from deep within the boy to awaken, a power that had stayed completely dormant, until now.

Ichigo's Reiatsu surges to terrifying heights, giving rise to an enormous amount of force from his being that gave Ichigo enough strength to turn the tides of his skirmish against the accursed warrior.

"But for the sake of all those lives that you've taken, I'll put you down here and now!!"

Ichigo roars out in sheer determination! Utilizing all the might he could currently muster in this very moment to generate an enormous shockwave with his blade in order to send the Skeleton crashing into a nearby stone wall! Then, charging forth with a burst of speed he swings his steel downwards in a horizontal slash before the Monster is able to recover, aiming to sever one of its limbs from its body!

"Haaaaa!!!"


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