"This ain't no place for no hero. This ain't no place for no better man." - Short Change Hero by the Heavy

Disclaimer: Do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.

(10/22/2018)

Many Thanks to RassenReaper for betaing!

Chapter 1 - Rebirth

Inside the Urahara Shop

"Are you sure he's coming?"

Kisuke Urahara looked up from his cup of tea at his longtime friend, Yoruichi Shihōin. He let out a small chuckle before answering her. "I'm absolutely sure he's coming. I sent him a message saying to meet me at my shop around this time."

"And how long ago did you send this message?" she asked.

"About three days ago" he responded as he grabbed the kettle in front of him to serve himself and Yoruichi some tea. "It would've been sooner but he said he had some business to take care of in London before coming."

"Probably putting a bullet through someone's skull," Yoruichi uttered as she walked over to where Kisuke is and sat down across from him, to which Kisuke handed her a cup of tea.

"Not exactly" Kisuke replied before taking a sip of his tea and responding. "He mentioned something about meeting up with someone to talk in London."

"Can't imagine him having friends with the kind of work he does," Yoruichi muttered, which was heard by Kisuke. Kisuke figured he should probably break the tension somehow.

"We haven't spoken to him face to face in quite a while. I wonder what he's been up to since the last time we saw him?" Kisuke wondered out loud before focusing his attention on Yoruichi. "What do you think he's been up to Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi looked at Kisuke dangerously, who then proceeded to take out and open his fan to hide behind.

"Is there something you want to say Kisuke?" Yoruichi asked dangerously.

Kisuke proceeded to smile, still hiding behind his favorite fan. "Not at all Yoruichi! I have nothing to say!"

"Really now," Yoruichi insisted "Please! Speak your thoughts!"

Kisuke could already tell that the situation he put himself in could end dangerously. He thought talking about him a bit more would make it easier for her but he was wrong. The best he could hope for now was that this ends with Yoruichi not talking to him for about a month.

"Well if we're being honest here," Kisuke said, putting his words carefully "I'm just a bit curious of how we're all going to react to seeing each other again after so long."

"It's only been three years since we last him," Yoruichi stated.

"It's been three years since you last saw him," Kisuke corrected "And if I remember correctly, it didn't end very well."

Yoruichi let out a heavy sigh before taking a sip of her tea. "Can we not talk about it Kisuke? We're asking for his help in saving Rukia and the last thing we want is for him is to say no because of some petty argument we had years ago."

Kisuke closed his fan and gave his old friend a smile. "I know. I just want you to get any feelings you had for him out so that this rescue mission won't have any complications."

Yoruichi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, making sure to clear her thoughts of any anger that was surfacing.

Kisuke looked at Yoruichi and gave out a relieved sigh, glad that she was finally accepting the idea of him helping them in their mission. He still remembered trying to get Yoruichi to understand the reasoning of his decision. He explained that neither he nor Tessai could step into the Soul Society without setting off the alarms, and even if they managed to get pass their security, they would still have to deal with the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13.

And because of their wanted status, both he and Tessai would be killed on the spot, along with the kids. He thought about including the Visoreds but threw away the idea since it would also result in them being killed on the spot as well, and also because they didn't want to involve themselves with anything relating to the Soul Society or the Gotei 13. Knowing that the odds were not in their favor, Kisuke decided to call in a favor.

Or rather, asked Yoruichi to call in her favor.

When he asked Yoruichi to call in her favor, she went ballistic. He remembered Tessai trying to restrain her from beating him to a bloody pulp. After finally calming down, Yoruichi tried to convince him of not asking for his help. She told him that although they were heavily outmatched, they could still pull it off. However, Kisuke knew that Yoruichi was just coming up with any viable excuse possible to not include him.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't confident in including him in this mission. But he knew that he was the right choice. Without him, the odds of this rescue mission succeeding with only Yoruichi and the kids are less than what he would've hoped for. With him included, the odds are closer in his favor and he would be adding a surprise variable that neither the Gotei 13 or Sōsuke would be prepared for. He was their wild card. Their secret weapon.

"Boss!" called out Tessai as he entered the shop in a hurry.

"What is it Tessai?" Kisuke asked as both he and Yoruichi stood up.

"He's here," said Tessai with a grim expression on his face.

Both Kisuke and Yoruichi looked at each other with uneasey expressions. Hopefully, this rescue mission would get less complicated than it already is.

Later; Outside the Urahara Shop

Orihime Inoue felt ready! After ten days of hard training with Yoruichi, she and Sado felt prime and ready! She wasn't sure what Uryū did for training, but nonetheless, was sure that he was ready as well. She was, however, worried about Tatsuki. Ever since her loss against the Shinigami that took Rukia, she hadn't spoken much to her, or anyone else for that matter, only focusing on getting stronger.

She knew that everyone who was going to the Soul Society to rescue Rukia had to be strong and ready for this, but was worried that Tatsuki might be overdoing it. After finishing her ten days of training, she tried to go and see Tatsuki but found out that she was still training after gaining back her powers as a Shinigami.

"Everything alright?"

Startled, Orihime turned around to meet eyes with Chad, who she had just forgotten due to being so deep in her thoughts.

"Everything is alright Chad!" replied Orihime with a cheery attitude, causing Chad to sweatdrop.

"Please don't lie to us Inoue," called out Uryū Ishida, who was leaning against the side of the Urahara Shop.

"It's nothing Ishida!" Orihime responded back to Uryū, taken a bit aback from his bluntness, "I'm just worried about Tatsuki, is all."

Uryū noticed her expression turning from smiling to worried, feeling a bit guilty for calling her out on the spot. Based on the interactions that he had seen between them in school and outside, they were practically best friends, if not, sisters. And to know that your loved ones were risking their lives to save someone else, that must've been hard for her to deal with.

"I'm sure she's fine" he responded.

His response caused Orihime to smile again, albeit a small one, but a genuine smile nonetheless.

"What are you guys doing here!?"

Everyone who was present turned to their attention to the person who called them out.

"Tatsuki!" Orihime cried out as she bolted toward her best friend to engulf her in a big hug.

"Orihime! What are you doing here!?" she asked again as she attempted pry Orihime's arms off her.

After holding on to her for a few more seconds, Orihime finally let her go and answered her. "We're going with you to the Soul Society to save Rukia!"

"What?" said Tatsuki.

"Don't 'what' us Ms. Arisawa!" called out Uryū, "You heard what she said, we have unfinished business with those Shinigami that came and kidnapped Ms. Kuchiki! I'm certainly not letting them get away with this!"

Taken aback by his declaration, Tatsuki understood what Uryū was saying. She wasn't just going to save Rukia but she was also going to get payback from those Shinigami bastards.

She then glanced over at Chad, who was simply standing by the side and was just a couple of feet away from Uryū.

"What about you Chad?" she asked, "Why are you here?"

The giant teen looked straight at her and responded. "Rukia is my friend and she saved my life. I owe her."

Though it may have been a simple response, Tatsuki understood that Chad was here for the same reasons she was going. She was their friend and they had to go save her.

"I see everyone has arrived."

Everyone who was present turned towards the person who spoke, who was Yoruichi, in her cat form, who was in front of the entrance of the Urahara Shop.

"Yoruichi! You're here!" called out Orihime.

Yoruichi only gave Orihime a nod in acknowledging that she heard her as she focused on addressing the group of teenagers on the current situation.

"I hope that everyone who's here is aware of the situation that you're about to enter. I understand that you're nervous," stated Yoruichi "and if you want to back out, you can. There's no reason for any of you to risk your lives for a stranger you've only just met."

Although it was probably pointless for her to tell them this, Yoruichi needed to know whether or not these kids were ready to face the dangers that lie ahead. Because whether they know it or not, they might not come back from this.

"Really?"

Yoruichi glanced over to Tatsuki, who had an annoyed expression etched on her face.

"We came here because we want to save Rukia. We know the risks involved." Tatsuki stated, adopting a serious expression on her face, "She saved my life. Our lives. And no matter how many times she tells us no, we're dragging her back from the Soul Society and back to Karakura!"

Yoruichi's eyes locked with Tatsuki's. Her eyes were filled with conviction, a wildfire that was burning hot. That same conviction was in the eyes of everyone else around her. Part of her was happy that they were willing to go so far and beyond for someone they considered a friend even though they hadn't known Rukia long. She's glad to know there are still people like them out there in the world, willing to risk their lives for a dear friend. However, part of her was worried. This wasn't going to be a simple extraction. No, they were going up against the Gotei 13, not to mention the thirteen captains and lieutenants who lead them.

"Looks like everyone is here!" Kisuke said in a cheerful voice as he popped his head out from the side of the door.

"Mr. Urahara!" exclaimed Orihime.

"Glad that everyone is here," greeted Kisuke as he came out from the side of the door and stood tall at the entrance "If everyone is ready, let's go inside."

One by one, everyone except Yoruichi entered the shop as Kisuke gave them quick instructions to where the entrance to his secret training grounds was. Once he saw that everyone was gone from sight, he turned his attention back to Yoruichi with a serious expression.

"Where is he?" asked Yoruichi.

"He's down in the training grounds with Tessai," replied Kisuke "Tessai and I were just briefing him on the situation on what you and the kids are going up against."

"So he knows everything that's going on?" Yoruichi questioned.

"Not everything," Kisuke explained "I didn't tell him about the Hogyoku, though he does seem suspicious on why we're going through all this to save one person we barely know."

"You think that will be a problem?" Yoruichi asked, worry present in her voice.

"I don't think that will be an issue," he replied, "But I wouldn't put any hope for him to forget."

"All right then," Yoruichi said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Kisuke simply nodded in agreement as both of them walked together inside the shop and into the secret training ground beneath the shop.

Beneath the Urahara Shop

"Wow! It's so big!" exclaimed Orihime as she took her surrounding around her, admiring the huge room. "I never knew this place existed! It's amazing!"

"Thank you Ms. Inoue!" said Tessai, tears of joy streaming from his eyes "I'm touched that someone notices the hard work that's put into maintaining this training ground!"

Though not as vocal as their oranged-hair friend, both Chad and Uryū couldn't help but admire the detail that was put into making this vast room. Already having seen the place, Tatsuki wasn't too focused on admiring the training grounds but focused on the mission that was coming near.

She was ready for this. Ten days of life-or-death training to regain her Shinigami powers. After regaining her powers, she continued to train herself despite Kisuke's protests to rest. Not wanting her to be tired, Kisuke showed her the hot springs that would help rejuvenate her strength and stamina from all the training she has done up until yesterday. Today was the only time she got to rest, which she took advantage of. Now she was here, along with the rest of her friends, and they were going to rescue Rukia.

"If I can have everyone's attention!" exclaimed Kisuke as he and Yoruichi approached the small gathering. The young heroes turned their heads towards Kisuke, showing him that he had their undivided attention.

"As you already aware, this mission is to enter and rescue Ms. Kuchiki from the Soul Society," explained Kisuke, adopting a serious expression. "Everyone here has trained for the past ten days to not only awaken your power but to also become accustomed it as well. This will be important since you're most likely to run into Shinigami trying to stop you."

"You don't have to tell us what we already know!" said Tatsuki "We knew the risks in doing this mission and we're still going despite the odds!"

Kisuke looked at Tatsuki and the rest of the kids. Despite their differences, they were all ready to risk their lives and save Rukia. Not only that, but they would be making sure that what was inside Rukia stays far away from sinister hands. He knew it was a lot to entrust them with but he had Yoruichi with them in their mission. She would make sure they were focused on the mission and that not any lieutenants or captains get anywhere close to them, especially Aizen.

The first time that he and Aizen crossed paths was over 100 years ago when Aizen experimented on several high-ranking Shinigami officers, including his captain. Kisuke's intervention resulted in him, Tessai, and Yoruichi in being exiled from their home as criminals. That was the first time anyone has ever got the drop on him, not even his two close friends came close. Ever since then, he has made sure to stay ahead of everyone in every possible scenario, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. And this time would be no different.

"I'm glad that everyone is ready to go," said Kisuke "But despite your convictions, it won't be enough to stand against the might of the Soul Society, especially its fighters."

"But isn't that why we trained?" asked Orihime.

"That's true," replied Kisuke as he gestured Yoruichi to inform them. "Which is why Yoruichi will be going with you as well."

"I'll be making sure we stay on track in our mission to rescue Ms. Kuchiki," explained Yoruichi. "We don't want to run into any of the lieutenants or captains in the Soul Society. If we do, it will only draw more attention to us and we will be overwhelmed by their numbers and strength. However, I do know that there is a possibility of confronting either one, which is why you all trained."

"But didn't Kisuke say our training wouldn't be enough against the Shinigami?" questioned Chad.

"He meant against the captains" clarified Yoruichi "But against lieutenants and below, you'll be ready. If we happen to come across any captains, I'll deal with them. Any more questions?"

"I have one" spoke Uryū "How many of these lieutenants and captains are there?"

"Thirteen captains and thirteen lieutenants" answered Kisuke "Along with the high-ranking officers below the lieutenants."

"And you expect us to break in and out of the Soul Society with those kinds of odds?" questioned Tatsuki, not liking what she was hearing. Her response, however, was met with a small chuckle from Kisuke.

"You won't be alone." stated Kisuke "Not only will Yoruichi be making sure you stay on track with the mission, but you'll have someone else with you who'll keep the captains and lieutenants busy."

That last part seemed to get everyone's attention.

"Someone else is joining us?" asked Orihime. "Who?"

"That would be me!" answered someone behind her.

Orihime responded with a loud squeal as she immediately turned around to face whoever it was behind her. When she came to face to face with the individual, she didn't expect them to be...well…

"Wow" uttered Orihime.

The person standing in front of her was a guy with the same hair color as her, brown eyes, taller than her, pretty built from what she was able to guess since the guy was wearing black body armor. In fact, everything he wore was black. His pants, boots, the pouches around his waist, and his gloves. Other than his orange hair, what caught her attention were the weapons he was carrying. Two guns, one on each side of his waist, and what appeared to be small axes behind his back.

"Where did you even come from!?" exclaimed Uryū as he drew out his bow and aimed it at the stranger who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He wasn't the only who was ready to strike as he noticed Chad getting in a fighting stance and Tatsuki pointing her sword towards him as well.

"I was here the entire time" answered the stranger "I was just sitting at the side watching Kisuke give you guys the rundown of the mission."

That wasn't the answer that Uryū wanted. This man appeared seemingly out of nowhere like he just popped out of existence. He didn't sense anything coming out of him, not even his reiatsu.

"If everyone could just relax for a bit," said Kisuke "The man you see before you will be accompanying you on your mission to the Soul Society. He will provide you with muscle necessary to fight any of the lieutenants and captains."

"He's capable of taking on the captains and the lieutenants in the Soul Society?" questioned Uryū.

"He is" answered Yoruichi "which is why he's here."

Uryū didn't seem to believe what the cat was saying about the stranger. They had stressed about the captains and lieutenants being a problem but now have someone who could potentially take them on? And he wasn't the only one being skeptical. Tatsuki and Chad had their doubts as well. Orihime however…

"We have the same hair color!" said Orihime before extending her hand "My name's Orihime Inoue! It's nice to meet you!"

The stranger looked at her with an uncertain expression before smiling back and shaking her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Orihime." greeted the stranger. "I'll be your muscle for this little rescue mission of yours. Hopefully, I won't have to do much."

"And who are you exactly," asked Tatsuki as she approached the orange duo to make sure Orihime was fine, even if it was a simple handshake.

Before the stranger could reply, Yoruichi beat him to the punch and responded.

"He's an old acquaintance of ours," said Yoruichi "He's usually out traveling the world, making it hard to contact, but he happened to come by this week and we asked him if he could help us out."

This was met with an understanding look from both Chad and Orihime, though Tatsuki and Uryū seemed a bit skeptical, while the stranger had an amused expression on his face.

"We didn't get your name," said Uryū as he stared at the man carefully.

The man looked back at him and smiled as he then responded.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he said as extended his hand toward Uryū.

The man known as Ichigo Kurosaki shook his hand before directing his attention to both Chad and Tatsuki. Chad seemed to be just as welcoming as Orihime in his own way, just saying 'hello' and his name after. Tatsuki, however, was a bit suspicious of him at first but set that aside when Orihime insisted on her being nice to him and introduce herself, which she reluctantly did.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, I would like brief everyone on how you are all going to the Soul Society." Kisuke addressed as motioned everyone who's going to come close to hear what he has to say. As each one of them walked to Urahara, the only ones left were Ichigo, Yoruichi, and Tessai.

"I'm going to prepare the Senkaimon in the meantime Yoruichi," Tessai said as he made his way to make the preparation necessary for the trip, leaving only Yoruichi and Ichigo left, with the company of awkward silence

"So," Ichigo spoke, breaking the silence "How have you been?"

Yoruichi merely glanced upward at the orange-haired man who was looking down at her with an amused expression on his face.

"I'm fine," Yoruichi replied plainly, "just making preparation for this rescue mission."

"Hmm," Ichigo uttered, "I would never think that Hat N' Clogs would send teenagers to rescue a Shinigami from one of the most dangerous realms in existence."

"We did not have many options to work with" Yoruichi explained, "Kisuke and Tessai couldn't go since it could raise the security on high alert which could get them captured and killed, which is why I'm going."

"And the Visoreds?" Ichigo asked.

"Kisuke insisted that they didn't want to help but I had him contact them and asked for their aid." Yoruichi answered "And as Kisuke expected, they refused. They want nothing to do with the Gotei or anything connected to the Soul Society."

"And that left me as your last resort for this mission." Ichigo assumed.

"That left you as Kisuke's last resort." Yoruichi clarified before giving him a vicious glare "I didn't want to include you in this rescue operation but Kisuke believes that you are our best option to go up against the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13."

"Which means that it was Kisuke who asked to call in your favor and not you?" Ichigo asked.

"I think I made myself very clear when I said I didn't want you here in the first place," Yoruichi said before she began walking over to where Kisuke was finishing his explanation of how the Senkaimon worked.

"I'm sorry about what happened that day."

Yoruichi stopped and turned around to see the man she didn't want present standing there with a sad smile in her direction. That stupid man was trying to apologize! How infuriating!

"Can we not do this right now," Yoruichi asked tiredly, not wanting this development to turn into a drama, "we have important matters to attend to."

Thankfully, he seemed to have gotten the message and made his way to Kisuke and the group. He rushed a bit until he was walking side by side with Yoruichi and returned to walking normally.

Knowing that he was walking by her side, Yoruichi felt a bit uneasy, a feeling that she has only felt from two people in her life. Nevertheless, Yoruichi had to set aside those feelings for what lie up ahead. The mission.

Soul Society, Unknown Location

"It seems that everything is going according to your plan captain Aizen," Gin said as he proceeded to sit down next to the hidden master strategist of the Soul Society, who seemed to be watching the monitors in front of him. He appeared to be watching a replay of the spiky-haired girl confronting lieutenant Abarai and captain Kuchiki when they were sent to retrieve Rukia.

"I wouldn't say exactly as planned" the bespectacled captain answered as he proceeded to pause the video, right at the moment when captain Kuchiki proceeded to cut the girl down and turned his attention toward his fellow captain. "Despite her rapid progress in becoming accustomed to her newfound abilities, I find her very dull."

The sly captain seemed to be a bit surprised by captain Aizen's mood. He appeared to sound very disappointed, something he usually doesn't voice out.

"Something wrong Gin?" Aizen asked as proceeded to open another video showing him the sight of his main base of operations.

"Oh, nothing captain Aizen!" Gin responded, making sure his voice wasn't off, "I was just wondering why you find the girl to be boring?"

His response seemed to amuse him, judging by the expression on his face. He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or bad thing.

"If I'm being honest, it's just that I hoped her transition from human to Shinigami would've been more interesting, especially now that Kisuke is involved," explained Aizen, switching the video to check each of his officers. "But so far, nothing of interest has happened aside from the development of those around her."

"Are you referring to those two humans?" asked Gin.

Aizen smiled before answering him. "Though a bit slow on their transition, I find those two the most interesting of the bunch. The Quincy is also fascinating to watch but I doubt there's anything that might surprise me from him. The same goes for everyone."

"They are preparing to invade the Soul Society," Gin explained, "Maybe they'll show us some hidden power they have saved just for such an occasion."

"Perhaps," Aizen said, considering the possibility "I should keep an open mind and hope for growth for my little side project."

"Speaking of keeping an open mind" Aizen glanced over at Gin, who had a mischievous expression etched on his face, "Kaname says he has discovered something interesting in the Negal Ruins."

This seemed to get the good captain's attention as he proceeded to close the video feeds he was watching and direct his attention to Gin.

"What did he find?" Aizen asked.

"Apparently, he found a colony of Hollows who have been hiding from us," Gin explained "Deeming the colony as of no use to us, Kaname proceeded to exterminate them all. After exterminating them, he came across something interesting. He guessed that it was their most interesting object in their possession and their reason for hiding."

"I'm assuming it's an object they revered of great importance." Aizen guessed, most likely correct in his guess.

"See for yourself," Gin said as he handed him a small electronic tablet he took out from his haori which contained the report of Kaname's finding.

Aizen took the report from Gin as looked over the report. He scrolled down and down, reading Kaname's report quickly until he found the part which talked of Kaname's discovery. He read the section carefully and slowly as his expression went from curious to intrigued as he continued to read until he stopped at where it said what Kaname discovered. His eyes widened, ever so briefly, till he quickly realized that he wasn't alone and simply smiled, ever so pleased.

"I take it that you find Kaname's discovery to be above your expectations?" Gin asked, though he already knew the answer.

Aizen's smile grew only slightly bigger, trying to not allow this discovery to get to him. This was a game changer, even if it was only one from the set.

"I would like it if you would kindly leave the room please" ordered Aizen "I would like to have a few minutes alone with my thoughts."

"Understood captain Aizen" Gin replied as he made his out of the room.

Making sure that he was gone and that he couldn't sense his reiatsu, he quickly opened a tab in the tablet and typed in the following to send.

[Acquired one of the artifacts regarding Operation Lucky Seven in Hueco Mundo. Requesting a gathering of the seven to discuss future developments in our plans.]

Finishing his message, he pressed [Send], sending his message to his associates informing them of the new development. Not even a minute passed and his tablet already gets a notification from the others.

[Wonderful news Lord Sōsuke.]

[Happy fucking days!]

[How soon do you want the gathering?]

[So only three left.]

[One step closer to the heavens.]

[Excellent. How soon do you want this gathering?]

Aizen simply smiled. He would never admit it but a plan goes better when you have others, just as ambitious as him, working together to reach their own goals.

A/N: Anyone knows a good beta reader? Would really like someone to beta read this. Anyway, a different approach to the Bleach universe. Review on what you think!