A soft wind tickled tree leaves, creating rustling noise. Sunlight entered through the small hole of the door, creating small rays on the ground of a cave located right under Sokyoku Hill in Seireitei.
Shirou was sitting with his back against the wall, focusing on recovering. His body was covered by a strange orange barrier. His wound was healed at a fast speed, reminding him of the time when Saber used her connection with Avalon to heal him.
"This is really useful. Thank you, Inoue." He looked at the girl who used her power. She sat cross legged, concentrating on the task, her hands on her knees, and her brown eyes closed.
The girl smiled brightly. "I am glad that I can be useful, Shirou-kun!"
What a surprise for him.
When he followed Yoruichi to the hiding place, he was greeted by the worried Orihime and Sado. Based on what they said, they were found by Yoruichi after defeating a few groups of Shinigami from 11th Division and were brought to this place.
Apparently, Yoruichi-san had planned this ahead. She rescued them first for emergency treatment like this.
'How far are you seeing into the future, really? Or is this Urahara-san's plan?'
He sighed, wondering about how much the woman in front of him knew. He knew that she was probably also a Shinigami and that she had her secrets, but he had never asked her about it.
And so he decided to focus on healing.
As for the fight, Orihime was a mess. She looked worried, and he could understand it. The feeling of powerlessness and being a burden was one he was familiar with.
He had seen that kind of expression before, on Saber and Rin. And now, seeing that kind of face on Orihime, he could relate to her.
"It's finished." She said, wiping sweat off her brows.
The wounds had been healed, leaving him without a scar on his body. Even his energy had been restored.
"This is amazing, thank you." Shirou stood up, feeling much better.
He nodded in thanks toward Orihime and looked around. The cave was small and had only a little light, which made the air somewhat stale. He felt a bit uncomfortable here, but he would bear it.
Nothing he couldn't endure, at least.
"So, what's next?" He asked Yoruichi.
The black cat simply sat on her butt, looking relaxed. Her golden eyes were closed, as if sleeping, yet she answered with a clear voice.
"Well, you should get some rest. Your power is back, and your injuries are gone. So now it's time to recuperate."
"Ichigo is still out there." He countered, narrowing his eyes, "And he's close."
"Yes, he's heading there, to Senzaikyu." She confirmed with a nod.
Shirou's eyes narrowed at that answer, "Senzaikyu... The white tower? Is that where Kuchiki Rukia is held?"
The cat's golden eyes stared at him for a moment, before looking away, seemingly lost in thought. "Yes."
Silence reigned inside the cave, and no one dared to break it, not wanting to disturb Yoruichi in whatever thoughts she was having.
Shirou felt a little awkward, he didn't really know how to continue the conversation. This was a delicate situation, after all. While he wanted to go out there, he also knew when to hold back.
First of all, he finally experienced a Captain's full strength. That man was strong enough to join the Holy Grail War as a servant.
The Captain he faced earlier wasn't as powerful as the strongest servants he had fought, like Gilgamesh or Berserker, but still he was above most. Shirou had a hard time defeating the man and was only lucky because he didn't release Bankai.
Otherwise...
He shivered at the thought, trying his hardest to forget it. If he didn't have Excalibur, then he would definitely suffer more damage than just a cut.
Then, he noticed Sado and Inoue staring at him. They both had worried looks on their faces. He wondered what they wanted from him, but then again...
"You know, you don't need to worry about me," He smiled, scratching his head, "I won't be going anywhere for the moment."
"You better." Yoruichi's eyes sharpened, "You are staying here while I drag that twin of yours. While he's strong, if the Captain Commander moved personally, he would have a problem escaping."
Captain Commander. From the title alone, Shirou understood the gravity of the man's strength.
'He must be stronger than Zaraki Kenpachi.'
He didn't like the idea, but if it was Yoruichi herself that told him to stay here, he couldn't complain. He could trust Yoruichi with this much, at least. And if the man in charge of all the Gotei 13 was after them...
He didn't have the confidence to fight him right now.
Not without spending everything in his arsenal and risking himself.
"Grouping is the most important thing we can do." Yoruichi said. Her tone was calm and confident. "We can't afford to waste our strength, or get caught in traps."
She looked at the entrance. Her expression turned serious and she stood up.
"You guys should stay put. Don't leave until we're back."
And with that, she disappeared, leaving a trail of dust behind. Meanwhile, Shirou was left to wait, feeling anxious. His mind wandered around, thinking about the fight against Zaraki. How much would he need to spend against the others if they were all this strong?
He shuddered, wondering what would happen next, hoping for a miracle to happen so that everyone could leave alive.
Sado approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. His large figure and strong presence was enough to make Shirou feel reassured.
"Don't worry. Ichigo is strong, he won't die easily. He's saved us so many times before and I'm sure this time won't be different. He'll be fine."
"Yes!" Orihime nodded, smiling. Her expression showed her concern, but she seemed to be genuinely optimistic. "I believe in Ichigo-kun! I'm sure he'll come back safe and sound."
Shirou smiled at their encouragement, nodding. "You're right. Ichigo is strong."
But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but worry. He knew that the world wasn't as kind as they thought. The world wasn't a happy fairy tale. But he kept his worries hidden and decided to focus first. Then, he could go out there.
Closing his eyes, Shirou replayed his battle against Byakuya and Zaraki earlier. He didn't trace both of their swords.
First, because he was too focused in the past, making him miss the opportunity. The second was because the man had a strange sword and that girl's existence.
No matter how he felt it, both tied to each other. And if he wanted to trace the strange serrated blade, he would have to go through the pink-haired Shinigami once more. A feat not too easy.
Not to mention, the battle required his full concentration earlier. He didn't have time to trace the sword at that time, but it had already entered his reality marble.
Once he saw it, that was it. He had to process it a bit longer in the fight because tracing Zanpakutou wasn't as easy as it sounded.
No, the amount of experience needed to trace it was immense. He would get a splitting headache if he traced it, and that would be fatal in an intense fight like earlier.
He still needed more experience to trace them, and he would be able to do it without pain in the future. He just knew about it.
'I can't rely on Excalibur too much. The power is too strong even though I can't fully realize its true strength. Even then, my reiryoku is almost depleted upon its activation.'
And that was after he used the surrounding Reishi and used it in the attack. Indeed, it was stronger than when he fought against Gilgamesh, but not strong enough compared to when Saber used the real one.
'But I won't give up.'
Shirou stood up, determination in his eyes and a fierce grin on his lips.
'The battle isn't over. I'll keep fighting until the very end. I will do anything to win. And I will become Heroes of Justice for those I care about.'
***
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