It was just another peaceful morning in Karakura Town. Ichigo was sitting on his bed, putting his shoes on, getting ready for school. When he was finished, he got up and walked over to the wardrobe and knocked on the door. "Hey, Rukia. Hurry up in there, we gotta go."
The door opened almost immediately, and Rukia hopped out, her eyes closed, not even looking at Ichigo, with an indifferent look on her face. "Yeah, yeah. I heard you." She then turned away from Ichigo, picked up her bag, and made her way out of the room. Ichigo followed after her, with a straight look on his face.
The two them made their way downstairs, where Yuzu was preparing breakfast, and Karin was sitting at the table eating cereal. Yuzu looked up from what she was doing as the two of them entered the kitchen, and she smiled warmly at each of them. "Good morning you two."
Rukia took the time to stop ay Yuzu's greeting, and respond with one of her own. "Good morning to you too." She then bowed to her, and gave a big, obviously exaggerated smile, but Yuzu didn't seem to notice.
Ichigo, however, just walked past them, all casual like. "Yeah, yeah." When he reached the table, he picked up a piece of toast and continued walking along. He then looked back at Yuzu and Rukia. "We're gonna head to school now. Sorry we can't stay for breakfast." He then faced forward again. "Come on, Rukia."
"Coming," Rukia replied, following after him.
Yuzu watched as the two of them left, looking a bit disappointed to see them leave so soon. "Oh, okay." She then clutched at her apron and looked down at the floor.
Karin watched the two of them pass her, as she sat at the table, eating her cereal. She simply rolled her eyes lazily at them as they passed the table. When they were gone, she just went back to focusing on her breakfast.
When Rukia made her way outside, Ichigo was standing just outside the house waiting for her, with his school bad slung over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get going."
Rukia briefly closed her eyes, and sighed in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time."
She then walked up beside him, and with that, the two of them started walking to school.
As Ichigo and Rukia approached the school, there were several small groups of students gathering together outside, talking to each other before another school day. As Rukia looked ahead, she smiled when she saw Orihime and Chad talking up ahead. She waved and called out to them, and they both turned around to wave back at her. She then made her way over to them, with Ichigo following slowly behind her. He was now beginning to smile and loosen up a bit for the first time since waking up.
When they had all caught up, they started talking and laughing with each other about everything. As they were enjoying themselves, they were completely oblivious to the mysterious person observing them from afar.
Just to the side of the school grounds, there was a man up in a tree, who was watching the small group of four carefully. He wore a black, sleeveless gi, with a small, white belt, and a black scarf. He also wore two wristbands on either wrist, a black cowl that wrapped around his head, and a visor that covered his eyes. He observed the group through a pair of binoculars; one in particular. He then lowered the binoculars and spoke to himself. "Rukia Kuchiki; your time has come." He then raised the binoculars again and continued watching the group.
As the bell rang, the several small groups of students began to disperse and made their way inside the building. When most of the students had already entered the school, Orihime, Chad, Rukia and Ichigo turned towards the building and made their way inside.
When the strange man saw the students start to leave the area, he lowered the binoculars again, and made his way out of the tree. Seeing that they were about to enter the building, the mysterious man quickly moved from the tree to the area on the other side of the path, at a speed that was too quick to follow, and ducked behind a bush.
Ichigo thought he heard something, so he stopped and turned around to see what it was. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but when he didn't see anything, he just shrugged his shoulders and turned back around towards the school.
After Ichigo had turned back around, the mysterious man poked his head out of the bush to look at them again. Seeing that they were about to enter the building, he placed his hand on a sword at his side and stepped out of the bush. He then very quickly drew his sword, and put on a sudden burst of speed, dashing towards Rukia. As he was almost upon hear, he held out his sword in front of him to strike her.
Ichigo and Rukia both suddenly sensed him at the last moment, and turned around just in time to see him, inches away from her.
BOOM!
There was suddenly a big blast and the mysterious man was sent flying back. Ichigo was still in a state of shock. He looked back at the others, and he saw Chad, with his armed stretched out in a punch. He then lowered his arm again and looked over at where the mysterious man had fallen.
Ichigo quickly got over his shock and turned to face the mysterious man. "Hey, what the hell was that for!" He yelled out in an angry tone of voice.
The mysterious man picked himself up so that he was kneeling down, with his hands pressed against the ground for balance. He then raised his head up to the side, but didn't face them directly. "Rukia Kuchiki?" He said in straight voice.
Rukia suddenly became confused, and simply responded, "Y-yes?"
The mysterious man then stood up completely and turned to face her. "I am here to send a declaration of war." He then looked down at each of them as they all looked even more surprised. "Now you will die!" He then grabbed his sword and charged towards them again.
Ichigo snarled at him. "I don't think so." He then quickly reached into his pocket and took out his combat pass. He pressed it against himself, and he turned a Soul Reaper. He then quickly grabbed his sword off his back and met the mysterious man's sword. He then swung with all of his might and pushed him back. "Why the Hell are you doing this?"
The mysterious man responded calmly. "I already told you. Rukia Kuchiki will die as a declaration of war to the Soul Society."
Ichigo gritted his teeth and snarled at him. "You're declaring war on the Soul Society? But you're a Soul Reaper too, aren't you?"
The mysterious man suddenly lost his level headedness and charged at Ichigo again. "How dare you associate me with those monsters!" He charged ahead as he spoke, and swung his sword at the Substitute Soul Reaper.
Ichigo met the man's sword with his own, and swung back at him. The two of them then continued their fight, matching each other's strikes blow for blow.
After a minute or two of fighting, the mysterious man jumped back, away from Ichigo. "I have no quarrel with you, Substitute Soul Reaper. Now stand aside."
"No way!" Ichigo responded. "Nobody hurts my friends while I'm around."
The mysterious man grounded his teeth and gripped his sword tightly. He then released his grip again. "Fine. Then you shall die with them." He then raised his sword up in front of him, and charged at Ichigo again.
The two of them continued fighting each other. It was just a simple fight, with their swords colliding, each trying to strike the other. After another minute, Rukia suddenly stepped forward. "Alright, that's it. I've had enough of this." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a Ginkongan and popped one into her mouth. After she swallowed it, she exited her Gigai. She then immediately gripped her Zanpakutō and charged forward. "Let's go."
Chad then summoned power into his right arm, and charged into battle alongside her.
As Ichigo crossed swords with the mysterious man again, Rukia and Chad suddenly charged into the fray. The man immediately swung to knock Ichigo away, and attack Rukia. His sword collided with hers, but then Chad came in and swung his fist at him, forcing him to jump back.
He landed several feet away, and stood back up immediately. He looked back over at the three of them as they all took their battle positions. "I didn't plan on fighting this many, and at my level, I might not be able to beat you." He then dropped his sword and it fell to the ground.
Ichigo was glad that he had apparently given up, but as soon he took one step forward, the mysterious man continued talking, louder this time. "But you'll never make a prisoner out of me!" He screamed out. He then grabbed a small knife from under his belt, and held it up to his throat. Ichigo, Rukia and Chad all reacted in shock to this.
"I've already accomplished my mission and delivered the message, regardless of whether or not I killed the Soul Reaper girl. You won't get any more out of me." He then brought the knife closer to his neck.
Ichigo suddenly shouted out, "Don't do it!"
"It's already over. You are all going to die." He then concluded, "For the Warlords." He then slashed the knife across his throat, sending blood everywhere.
Everyone gasped in shock as the mysterious man killed himself. Less than five seconds later, his body turned into light and dissipated before it even touched the ground.
The four of them all looked on in confusion, particularly Ichigo. "What the Hell just happened?"
After that situation had resolved itself, they all proceeded into school; but all day, they couldn't forget about what had just happened.
Once school was out, they all made the way over to Urahara's shop, to see what Kisuke could make of all of this.
The five of them all sat around a small table in the middle of the room. Each of them had a cup of tea, but none of them had touched theirs, except for Kisuke.
After Kisuke had heard their explanation of what had happened, he took another drink of tea and then he spoke. "Warlords, huh?" He spoke calmly, as he looked up from his tea. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I'm positive," Rukia replied. "The mysterious man said he was sending a declaration of war against the Soul society, courtesy of a group, called themselves 'The Warlords'."
"I see," Kisuke said, before taking another sip of his tea. "This may present a problem."
Ichigo looked over at Kisuke as he spoke. "Kisuke, what do you know about them?" He spoke calmly, but inquisitively.
Kisuke put his cup of tea down on the table, and turned to face Ichigo. "Not much, I'm afraid. Even my knowledge of the Warlords is limited." He then turned back around so that he was facing everyone. "What I do know is that five hundred years ago, they were a special group of Soul Reapers, born with an extraordinary amount of Spirit Energy. Their Shikai alone could rival a Captain's Bankai."
Everyone let out a surprised gasp at this. After waiting a moment, Kisuke continued with his explanation. "Eventually, the Soul Society decided that they were too dangerous, and ordered a purge."
Everyone let out another surprised gasp, but Ichigo's was the loudest. "Wait a minute. You mean they decided to kill them just for being who they are?"
Kisuke looked back at Ichigo, his face still as blank as ever. "From what I've heard, it would appear so. However, the whole thing was quickly swept under the rug and covered up, so I could be wrong. They haven't been seen since then, so it seemed like they were gone for good. However, it looks like they're still around; and apparently ready for war."
Ichigo let go of his angry breath, and looked down.
Rukia looked over at Ichigo in worry. She then looked back and down at the floor. "With how badly they've been treated by the Soul Society, I guess their revenge is justified…"
"Not a chance!" Ichigo suddenly shouted out. Everyone quickly looked over at him. "That happened over five hundred years ago. There's nothing justified about taking revenge against people who had nothing to do with it."
Everyone looked at Ichigo closely, as they took in what he just said. Rukia then smiled and looked up.
"Unless of course," Ichigo suddenly spoke up, but in a less serious tone of voice, and with a less serious look on his face. "… Rukia was there five hundred years ago. Then it would be at least part way justified."
Rukia suddenly jumped up and smacked Ichigo in the head. "You think I'm over five hundred years old? How dare you?"
"Relax, I was just kidding," Ichigo said, with a look of indifference on his face, as he scratched at the back of his head.
While they continued to ramble, Kisuke calmly took another sip of his tea, and then stood up to address them all. "Serious or not, while the possibility exists, it's best to air on the side of caution. I'll pass the message along to the Soul Society."
He was about to leave, when suddenly, he felt a powerful burst of Spirit Energy just outside. The others felt it as well, and they all snapped to attention.
Ichigo and Rukia ran out of the shop, now in their Soul Reaper forms. They stopped just as they left when they saw a Senkaimon open up in the sky, just above them.
As the Senkaimon started to open up more, they could make out three figures stepping out of it. On one side was a man wearing a light blue haori, with a green coat over it. He also wore an orange scarf around his neck and a big purple hat on his head. He had a very relaxed expression on his face.
On the other side was a young girl. She wore a white and light blue haori, with purple strappings around her waist and shoulders, with strange patterns on them. She wore her hair in a ponytail, tied back with a large purple ribbon. She had a very calm look on her face.
The one in the middle was a young man. He wore a simple white haori, with bits of armor around his waist, shoulders and stomach. He also wore a strange headpiece, and a red scarf with the same pattern that the girl had on her strappings. He had a strong look of determination on his face. All three of them carried a sword at their side.
Ichigo stared intently at them as they exited out of the Senkaimon and it closed behind them. The young man in the middle then looked down at Ichigo and stared at him intently.
He then spoke, while still keeping his gaze on Ichigo, but not speaking to him. "So that's the Substitute Soul Reaper?"
He then moved to address the man on his right, without moving his gaze from Ichigo. "Ujisato, you deal with him," He ordered.
The man turned to face him, bowed and placed his clutched fist over his chest as he spoke. "Yes, Captain." He then turned back to face Ichigo and looked down at him. He then grabbed his sword, pulled it out of his sheathe and charged towards Ichigo.
Ichigo quickly grabbed Zangetsu off his back and blocked the incoming attack.
In the Soul Society, the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads had all assembled at the Squad One barracks for a Captain's meeting. They were all lined up in order, with Soifon, Unohana, Byakuya, Shunsui, Toshiro, and Mayuri on one side, and Komamura, Kenpachi, and Jūshirō on the other side, with the Head Captain at the top.
"Alright," Yamamoto called out. "This Captain's meeting is hereby called to order." He then turned his head to the side. "Captain Hitsugaya, please start us off."
"Yes, Head Captain," Toshiro spoke up. He then turned to address all of the Captains. "We just received word from Kisuke Urahara in the World of the Living about a possible emergency."
"WHAT!" Captain Kurotsuchi suddenly screamed out. "Why are we sitting here, wasting our time on something that fool is going on about?"
"It's word of a possible invasion!" Toshiro retorted. The other Captains were now on edge, listening intently, except for Captain Kurotsuchi.
"A possible invasion? And just who might be invading us?" Captain Kurotsuchi asked sarcastically.
"If what Kisuke told us is correct, it's a group calling themselves 'The Warlords'." Yamamoto's eyes opened wide immediately.
The other Captains now looked around, confused. "The Warlords?" Jūshirō inquired, as he placed his hand to his chin in thought. He then looked over at Shunsui on the other side of the room. "Have you ever heard of them, Shunsui?"
Captain Kyōraku looked up, while adjusting his straw hat. "Can't say that I have."
"Of course, you haven't," Mayuri cut in. "That's because the Warlords are nothing more than a fairy tale that mothers tell their children at night." He then sounded more annoyed. "Trust me, if the Warlords were real, then I would have found proof of it long ago."
"Enough!" the Head Captain cut in. Mayuri looked over at him in annoyance, but didn't voice his concerns. "I can assure you that the Warlords are very real, and they once almost led to the destruction of the Soul Society." He then stood up. "Whether or not these rumours are true, if there is a possibility of them being true, then we cannot afford to be lenient."
Just then, the door to the barracks opened up, and Chōjirō Sasakibe burst in. He knelt down immediately. "A thousand apologies for interrupting the Captains meeting, Head Captain, but this is an emergency." He then looked directly up at Yamamoto, a worried look engraved on his face. "All four of the Gatekeepers have been defeated."
Yamamoto's eyes widened again. He then clanked his staff against the floor. "Listen up. As of right now, the Seireitei is in a state of emergency. If it is indeed the Warlords that we are up against…" he took a pause before continuing. "Then all Soul Reapers ranked below Lieutenant are to stay out of the field. If they engage the enemy, then the casualties would be astronomical."
The other Captains all looked at the Head Captain intently, some worrying if the Warlords were really strong enough to worry even the Head Captain. Kenpachi, however, was grinning excitedly at the prospect of a good fight.
"Now then," Yamamoto continued. "All Captains and Lieutenants are to split up and investigate all four gates. If you encounter the Ryoka, then you are to eliminate them. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Sir," all the other Captains responded.
"Dismissed."
Outside the walls of the Seireitei, a man stood beside the bloody body of a huge gatekeeper. The man wore a long, purple coat, with gold trims along the edges. Beneath the coat, he wore a black armor, which ran all along his body underneath. He had a beard and goatee combo, and wore his hair in a ponytail. He held a long, ebony blade at his side, stained with blood. His face was completely blank.
He walked right up to the sekkiseki rock, placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. He was then able to sense the energy of whoever else was touching it. "Can everybody hear me?"
He received a total of fifteen affirmatives. As soon as he had heard everyone, he smiled devilishly.
After staying pressed up against the rock for one minute, he then took a step back as the gate began lifting itself up. As the Seireitei on the other side came into view, he smiled devilishly again. Without waiting for the gate to open up all the way, he stepped inside. He was followed closely by a young man, who looked rather effeminate. He wore a purple haori, with gold patterns on the sleeves, and a white blazer over it. He had long, black hair, tied back in a ponytail.
As soon as he was inside the Seireitei, the huge gate behind him suddenly crashed down and shut behind him. Amidst the deafening crash, the man just smirked devilishly again.
