Author's Note: So, this starts during the battle against Aizen that was shown during the manga and anime. This story should be 4/5 chapters long. I'll most likely write three other stories that are supposed to happen at the same time. This is all meant to set up my post timeskip story. Pretty big plans, right? Hopefully, it will all go well!
I don't own Bleach. The original story and characters are all part of the great work done by Tite Kubo.
Chapter 01 - Sweet Dreams
"You guys..." The shocked Ichigo mumbled as he couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. Why were they attacking her like that? "What the hell are you doing?"
"Huh?" The illusion fell as soon as the four captain-level Shinigami heard Ichigo's words. All their eyes widened as they saw that Momo Hinamori was the one impaled by Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru. "Hi-Hinamori?"
"Damn it!" Shinji shouted as he turned towards the place where Hinamori should have been. Izuru Kira and Tetsuzaemon Iba suddenly felt a new and powerful spiritual pressure behind them which caused them to turn instinctively. They had no time to defend themselves, as Aizen slashed through both. Shinji Hirako stared in disgust to his former vice-captain who smirked in defiance. "When?"
"When? What an interesting question." Aizen stated with that usual calm and omniscient look on his face. "You know that my Kyōka Suigetsu's power is Complete Hypnosis, right? It can control all five senses and lead people to hallucinate all sorts of things."
"Since when?" The furious Shinji insisted as he charged towards his enemy. "I'm asking you when you used your Kyōka Suigetsu!"
"Then let me ask you this. When did you think that I wasn't using my Kyōka Suigetsu?" Aizen asked, infuriating Shinji even more. At the same time, Tōshiro Hitsugaya carefully laid the injured Hinamori on the top of a building.
"Shiro...chan..." Hinamori, who was in a near-death state, called the young captain. "Why..."
"Hi..." Hitsugaya was shaking in both fear and anger when Hinamori closed her eyes. Then, he exploded. A loud scream of rage echoed throughout the fake Karakura Town.
"Wait! Hitsugaya-taichō!" Shunsui Kyōraku, who had been struggling to remain himself under control, shouted as Hitsugaya charged in a blind rage.
"You're full of openings." Aizen remarked, seeming quite disappointed as he did. A simple slash, so fast that couldn't even be seen, divided Hitsugaya's body nearly in half. Suì-Fēng, the closest ally, attempted to stab Aizen with her Suzumebachi, but her too was brought down by Kyōka Suigetsu. Shinji brought down his Sakanade, only to be blocked and repelled by the barrier that protected Aizen's blind spot. As the barrier disappeared, Shunsui slashed with Katen Kyōkotsu but Aizen disappeared. The laid-back captain couldn't believe he had failed at such a short distance. It hadn't been Shunpo. It hadn't been Sonido. It had been an illusion. Before Aizen reappeared, Shunsui already had two deep gashes in his chest.
"I...How..." Shunsui still hadn't realized what happened to him by the time he saw Shinji being cut down as well. How much time had passed since Hitsugaya had been cut in half? Not much...None of the four had fallen yet.
Flashback
"Swinging a sword out of hatred is just filthy violence. We don't call that a battle. Aizen..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya lectured the much more experienced Sōsuke Aizen. "You truly are unworthy of being a captain."
End of Flashback
"I guess...I'm not worthy of it then..." Shunsui thought as they started to fall. "After all these years...too feel useless like this again...what an idiot indeed..."
"Nanao-chaaaan! Nanao-chaaaaan!...Sweet, sweet Nanao-chaaaaan!...Lovely, lovely Nanao-chaaaan!" Shunsui kept calling for his vice-captain. He was layed down under the shade of his favorite tree on the courtyard of the 8th Squad's barracks, his straw hat covering his face to protect it from the sun.
"Yes, Kyōraku-taichō?" Nanao finally answered.
"Could you bring me the bottle I left on top of my desk, please?" Shunsui asked without lifting his head.
"It's already here, Kyōraku-taichō." Nanao said immediately afterwards, surprising her captain.
"What do you mean by...oh my, Nanao-chan!" His eyes went blank and his hat fell backwards as he saw that Nanao was coming near him only in her bra & panties, while holding the bottle of sake like a trophy to be delivered. As she knelt by his side, Shunsui shook his head in disbelief. "Na-na...Are you really my Nanao-chan?"
"Of course, Kyōraku...sama..." Nanao suggestively whispered in his left ear, before kissing his cheek. She then lifted the bottle and carefully poured the sake into Shunsui's mouth. The captain of the 8th Division swallowed the liquid and tried to wipe a bit that remained at the corner of his mouth, only for Nanao to stop him by holding his hand. "Allow me, Kyōraku-sama."
"O-of course..." Shunsui couldn't refuse Nanao's advances and she came closer to him, her face coming "dangerously" close to her captain's. Then, she placed her left hand on his cheek but stopped to take off her glasses. Shunsui's eyes got even larger as she continued to get closer. Truth was, he would never expect Nanao to be so seductive. At the last second however, she simply moved her fingers and wiped the sake from Shunsui's lips.
"Please, enjoy your drink, Kyōraku-sama." Nanao asked as she suddenly stood and put her glasses back in place. "I'll pick the other bottles you've hidden all around your office. I won't take long."
"S-sure!" Kyōraku clumsily answered, before she turned. As embarrassed as Kyōraku was, he was still a man. He couldn't move his eyes away as he saw her go. Even though her upper parts weren't too developed, the lower ones were quite well shaped. Only when she entered the barracks, did the much older captain regain his composure. He crossed his legs and sighed. "I never intended to have her answering to my advances. It was just a way of playing with her...Oh man, what am I gonna do?"
"Can we join you, Shunsui?" A familiar voice asked. A woman's voice. Shunsui turned and, to his great shock, two were standing in front of him only in lingerie, very revealing lingerie. The two were Isane Kotetsu and Rangiku Matsumoto, from the 4th and 10th Squads respectively. Even more, their pieces of lingerie were of the same color that represented their Division, the 4th's dusky pink and the 10th's olive green.
"Why am I caring about the colors?" Shunsui found himself shaking his head once more, but the color issue was put aside as soon as Rangiku jumped and landed on his lap. "Whaaa?"
"Ohh, Shunsui, you're so tense today. Why aren't you looking to me? Or is it...Well, I guess I can't blame you." Rangiku giggled as she realized that by having her arms wrapped around Shunsui's neck, he could only stare into her huge breasts. Even the gallant Shunsui was having a hard time dealing with such a situation, blood rushing to his nose. "Join us, Isane. This will be...so...much...fun!"
"I...I don't know if...Maybe..." The taller woman was visibly embarrassed. Her face a crimson red. Her arms and hands hanging in the best way she found in an attempt to cover her body. Rangiku sighed and rolled her eyes, before leaving Shunsui's lap. He took the opportunity to pick and rip a piece of paper that he had inside his captain's haori. As he finished to cover his nostrils with the smaller pieces, he stared forward, causing his eyes to widen once again. Rangiku had her arms wrapped around Isane's neck, making the latter even more nervous.
"Ran-Rangiku-san..."
"C'mon, I'll put you more comfortable, Isane. I know that deep down you want this to happen." Rangiku insisted.
"Well...Not that deeply..." Isane admitted, causing Rangiku to smirk. Then, their faces started to come closer. Shunsui couldn't hold it any longer. The blood jets that came from his nose were so powerful that he was projected against the tree behind him. The impact was strong and made him lose the notion of what was happening for a moment. When he raised his head, he noticed a black cat in front of him. Considering the cherry blossoms surrounding it, there was the chance that the cat came down of the tree's branch because of the impact of Shunsui's back when hitting the tree.
"Geez, come here kitty." Shunsui called and picked the animal, before laying back against the tree and looking up to the sky. "What's happening with me? Why can't I get into this?"
"You're just not in the mood."
"Huh?" Shunsui stared back to the black cat in his hands. It seemed like the cat was smiling. Its paw seemed like it was pointing to its own face. Shunsui stared curiously to the cat for awhile and then he realized. "Black cat...Oh! Yoruichi-chan!"
"It's been awhile, Kyōraku-taichō." The cat's eyes started to glow and its body to grow. Before Kyōraku could even react, he had a nude and gorgeous dark-skinned woman seated on his lap in Indian style. Shunsui tried to back away from her but she wrapped her legs around his waist, restricting his movements. "Oh? You're really failing to meet my expectations. You're supposed to be a legend in seduction, Kyōraku-taichō, but you're acting like an inexperienced child...Even though I like them like that, you're a bit too old to play that role."
"Yoruichi-chan, what's happening here? Something's not right..." Kyōraku asked as he returned to a seated position. He seemed confused as he covered his face with a hand.
"It seems like something in your heart isn't letting you enjoy your time with us. That's why I said that you're not in the mood." Yoruichi explained. "It's a damn shame. This sure is a pretty darn good dream."
"A dream? This is only a dream?"
"Only? Not everything is lost then, you're still a pervert..." Yoruichi turned her face to watch the vice-captains for a moment, before looking back to Kyōraku with a smirk. "Well, some sure are enjoying this. At least, this show's integrity remained. What they're doing isn't something to be aired...at this time slot, that is."
"So I'm dreaming about breaking the 4th Wall?" Kyōraku thought, before slapping his own forehead.
"Good morning, Kyōraku-taichō, Yoruichi-san." A new woman arrived in the courtyard and greeted them. Unlike the other women, she still had her clothes on, specially a haori that distinguished her as captain of the 4th Division.
"Unohana-san? Not you too!" Kyōraku shouted in disbelief.
"Oh, so you like older women too? Kinky..." Yoruichi stated, before re-applying the hold she had released just before. Her leg strength was so much that Kyōraku's eyeballs almost came off.
"Yoruichi-san, could you please help me with my braid?" Unohana asked with her kind voice.
"Of course! Let me just finish my conversation with Kyōraku." Yoruichi answered as she came closer to her "victim".
"Yoruichi-san...could you help me...with my braid?" Unohana repeated, this time using that intimidating look that everyone feared.
"Eh, how could I refuse you, Unohana?" Yoruichi's surprised look was quickly replaced by a devious smirk. She released Kyōraku, who was gasping for air, and embraced the leader of the 4th Division.
"HEEY!" A woman shouted immediately afterwards, not allowing any action to the two captain-level shinigami. "Yoruichi, you bitch! You're hosting such a party without inviting me?"
"Not me, Kūkaku. This is his dream, not mine." Yoruichi quickly clarified, pointing an accusatory finger towards Shunsui.
"Kūkaku Shiba? I'm so screwed..." Kyōraku thought as the sister of the former vice-captain of the 13th Squad advanced towards him, with an angry look on her face.
"Kyōraku, you pervert! Dreaming with me, bastard?" She asked with a swell vein on her forehead.
"No, I..." He didn't have a chance to explain himself since she punched him right in the nose, breaking it immediately.
"Don't talk back! Understood?" Kūkaku asked, with her right foot coming dangerously close to Shunsui's groin, causing the latter to nod frenetically but in silence.
"Oh, so you like to play the hard way, too? Kinky..." Yoruichi couldn't avoid to comment.
"Yoruichi! What the hell are you doin..." Kūkaku didn't finish her accusatory question, as she saw the answer right before her in the shape of Unohana's body. "Can't blame you on this one...You did a hell of a job in getting rid of that, Yoruichi!"
"I need a drink..." Shunsui found himself thinking as he finished all the sake in one shot. Considering he was in the middle of his own dream, it wasn't that weird when Nanao came back of his office, holding another bottle.
"I'm back, Kyōraku-sama." Nanao announced as she carefully layed the new bottle by his side. She crawled her away towards Shunsui and held his face, before her face started to come closer to his. As she was about to kiss him, she stopped again. "Why?"
"Huh?" Shunsui opened his eyes but a bright light didn't allow him to see her. He was sure her voice sounded differently and at the same time familiar.
"Why?" He heard again, as the light started to fade. He could see her shape, but now she seemed to be wearing a shirt and a short skirt. He couldn't see her clearly, because of the stupid light. "Why haven't you helped me, idiot?"
"This ain't Nanao-chan..." Shunsui's eyes widened as he started to hurt. He looked down and saw the wounds in his chest. It seemed like the slashes made by Aizen earlier. At least, he knew he was alive. He was hurting and not because of the wounds, but because of the words said by the woman in front of him. The light faded a bit more and he could see her now, her face covered in tears. She put her hand in front of her face, creating her characteristic hollow mask in the process. Then, just a second afterwards, her entire body dissolved like when a hollow was killed. "Lisa-chan..."
"What are those two doing with Yoruichi-sama?" A woman suddenly shouted as she saw what the woman she most admired was doing along with other women. "That can't even be aired...Yoruichi-sama...Bankai!"
"Oh boy..." Shunsui sweatdropped as he saw the huge missile held by the captain of the 2nd Squad.
"Jakuhō Raikōben!" Suì-Fēng shouted as she unleashed the huge golden missile. An explosion of nuclear proportions followed.
"Aaah!" Shunsui suddenly sat up, his face covered in sweat. It had been a nightmare. It had been something he hadn't experienced in a long, long time. The pain that had awaken him was still there. This time however, it was really from his wounds. As he looked down to his chest, he saw that his upper body had been bandaged up under the black kosode of his Shihakushō.
"So you woke up. It's about time." A women spoke. As soon as Kyōraku saw the captain of the 2nd Division seated on part of a building's wall, he jumped back with a most frightened look on his face. "Is something wrong, Kyōraku-taichō?"
Flashback
"That can't even be aired...Yoruichi-sama...Bankai!"
End of Flashback
"No, no! Not at all!" Kyōraku clumsily answered, not convincing Suì-Fēng, who grimaced in pain a second later. "Are you alright, Suì-Fēng-taichō?"
"I've been worse..." She answered, while the captain of the 8th Division walked towards her. "Unohana-taichō is only assuring our survival, since she's the only one on the field. She'll come back later."
"Unohana-san, eh? I see...What about the others? How are they?"
"None died, but most are in pretty bad shape." Suì-Fēng guaranteed, causing the older captain to sigh in relief. "She went to heal Hitsugaya-taichō first."
"To have been able to assure his survival, it's too good already." Kyōraku stated as he remembered the youngest of the 13 captains being severed in half. Suddenly, they both felt a lot heavier. It wasn't spiritual pressure, at least they couldn't feel it. Whatever it was, it gave them the feeling of being crushed. Then, as fast as it started, the feeling disappeared.
"What...was that?" Suì-Fēng mumbled, sweat covering her face. She was now feeling lighter than she was before that strange feeling.
"I'm not sure but if I had to take a guess..." A smile appeared on Kyōraku's face. He stared up to the sky and saw the clouds slowly moving away. "I would say it's over."
"I don't know why...but I agree with you." Suì-Fēng's head hanged down and Kyōraku could hear her exhaling a long sigh.
"Taichōōōō!" Marechiyo Ōmaeda appeared out of nowhere, calling for his superior. As soon as he reached them, he hugged Suì-Fēng, while tears filled his eyes. "Taichō! I'm so happy that you're alright!"
"Ōmaeda..." Suì-Fēng slowly called her vice-captain, who slightly released her, allowing her to hit him with a typical rising backfist. "You idiot! You're making pressure on the cut in my back! Release me now, you fat pig!"
"Oh, you're so mean, taichō..." Ōmaeda mumbled, as he held his sore nose with both hands.
"I need to search for someone. Will you be alright?" Kyōraku questioned and Suì-Fēng promptly nodded, while behind her back Ōmaeda shook his head. "Thanks. I'll be going then..."
"That should do it for the time being." Unohana announced as she finished treating Hiyori. Lisa, Love, Rose, Hachi and Shinji were all surrounding them.
"For the time being?" Lisa, who was kneeled by the side of the unconscious Hiyori, asked as she saw the captain of the 4th Division turn her back on them. "You mean she might not make it?"
"Kido's limitations are no different from normal medical treatment." Unohana started to explain. "We've completely healed the body. From here on, as long as she doesn't give up her will to live, she'll eventually regain consciousness. Whether she will give up or not is something you'd know better than I do."
"Thank you, Unohana-san." Shinji thanked the healing expert with his head hanged down.
"Why are you thanking me?" Unohana turned to them once again as she made the question. "A thank you isn't necessary for saving a friend."
"We're not friends, you idiot." Shinji answered after awhile. Then, he grinned. "Well, that's probably what Hiyori would say."
"I see..." Unohana smiled before turning once again. She was feeling four people approaching.
"Thank you, Unohana-san..." Shinji silently repeated, before staring to his injured friends.
"Oohoh! I guess we're just in time, huh?" A familiar voice made itself heard. The Visored and Unohana looked to their left, seeing the arrival of Shunsui Kyōraku, who carried a nearly unconscious Jushirō Ukitake on his shoulder. Behind them, was Kensei Muguruma, who carried the injured Mashiro Kuna on his arms.
"Oh no! Look at you!" Lisa immediately stood and rushed towards them.
"Lisa-chan..." Kyōraku's head slightly raised, but Lisa didn't stop when she reached him. Instead, she continued to run until she reached Kensei and Mashiro.
"How is she?" Lisa asked, while Kensei laid his former vice-captain on the ground.
"As always, she was too overconfident in her abilities. She ended up taking a heavy blow..." Kensei shook his head while he explained. "Unohana-san says she'll be alright."
"I guess I can't blame her..." Kyōraku thought with a sad smile. "Could you help us here, Unohana-san?"
"It would be more adequate if you called me Unohana-taichō, right Kyōraku-taichō?" Unohana asked with that scary smile of hers.
"After everything that happened today, who cares about honorifics, right?" Kyōraku abused of his luck, but Unohana ended up nodding. Then, the captain of the 8th Division's expression turned a lot darker. "Check on him. He's in pretty bad shape."
"I only had time to close his wound. I'll try to reconstruct his insides now." Unohana she started to use Kido to heal Ukitake. "It's likely that he'll be like Hiyori-san. It will depend mainly on his will."
"Ukitake doesn't lack the will. He lacks the body..." Kyōraku explained the motive of his worry.
"Don't worry. I'll do my best." Unohana assured.
"Thank you, Unohana-san." Kyōraku gratefully nodded and then he stood. "What about Hitsugaya-taichō and Yama-jii?"
"Between my ability and his bankai, we were able to join Hitsugaya-taicho's body parts together. He'll be fine." Unohana informed. "As for Yamamoto-sotaichō, I'll be able to heal all his injuries, except for his left arm. He used Sacrificial Hadō # 96: Ittō Kasō after all..."
"I only remember seeing a glimpse of Ennetsu Jigoku. I would never think he would end up using Ittō Kasō..." Kyōraku admitted. He stared to the gathering of the Visored for awhile, pondering on what to do. "I'll leave him on your hands, Unohana-san."
"Hai." Unohana nodded without taking her eyes from her patient.
"You took quite a beating too, Kensei." Rose stated.
"Tsk, never thought I would lose to a little brat..." Kensei seemed annoyed by Rose remembering him of that. His entire body was covered in sickening bruises.
"Well, they were a strong bunch. That's what's true." Love remembered and Kensei relutanctly nodded.
"It must be some sensation, huh? Everything over, after more than a century..." Shunsui asked with a smirk. Some raised their eyebrows as the 8th Division's Captain approached them.
"Shunsui Kyōraku..." Hachigen mumbled.
"So, what are you going to do now? Going back home?" Shunsui asked to their leader who was first surprised and then upset.
"Back? I don't think that's possible, Kyō..."
"Are you really an idiot?" Lisa furiously interrupted Rose, while her eyes were fixed on her former captain. "How can we go back? We're not Shinigami anymore. We're Visored! Half Shinigami and half Hollow!"
"In my mind, you're simply Shinigami who have access to Hollow powers. That doesn't make you less Shinigami that you were back in the day." Shunsui explained his point of view and then lazily rubbed the back of his head. "The 3rd Division, the 5th Division and the 9th Division are currently without captains. Who better than..."
"Idiot! Who cares about what you think?" Lisa shouted, causing Shunsui to look at her surprised. "Central 46, remember them? They ordered our deaths, because of what we are! That won't ever change...Shinigami are supposed to do what Central 46 tells them to do, so how in the hell can we come back?"
"In his report to them, Yamamoto-sōtaichō can only mention the participation of the Gotei 13 and Ichigo. Us, Urahara-san, Yoruichi-san and Isshin-san can't be mentioned. In fact..." Shinji opened his arms as he explained. "...it wasn't only this fake town that was created by Kurotsuchi. To them, the Tenkai Kecchu will also be a creation of him."
"But we have more than enough proof that everything was orchestrated by Aizen." Shunsui remembered. "They won't be able to close their eyes on that."
"Perhaps on Yoruichi and Kisuke's case...but that doesn't change the fact part of us is Hollow." Kensei insisted on Lisa's earlier point. "If one of us went berserk..."
"It's obvious that you can control your powers! We've seen that!" Shunsui's voice sounded louder than he expected. He was getting nervous since all his arguments were being countered.
"But there's no proof it won't happen someday. That is Central 46's position and is the correct one." Love stated.
"It's sad, but we'll have to remain in the Real World, Kyōraku-taichō." Shinji laid a hand on his former comrade's shoulder.
"To remain in the shadows like this, it's unfair..." Shunsui frowned and stared down. "What they said is all so obvious. Where do I have my mind? Yama-jii discussed all this with us beforehand..."
"Remain in the shadows? You know that so well, don't you?" Lisa aggressively asked.
"Well, if you're referring to my Zanpakutō's abilities..."
"No...I'm referring to you not doing a shit to help us during this last century." Lisa clarified with a sad and disappointed look on her face, that made Shunsui speechless.
"Lisa, you're being too hard on him." Rose scolded the former vice-captain but she shook her head.
"Help isn't only bringing someone back home. It's also coming to see someone just to know if they're okay or talking with them to give them support. It's giving them a hand when they fall. It's to protect someone from getting hurt. That's help. Did you help us, Kyōraku-taichō?" Lisa questioned the captain who opened his mouth to answer, only to find out that he couldn't. "I thought so. You're...you're really an idiot..."
"Lisa..." Rose called her, but she was already moving towards Hiyori to check on her. An uncomfortable moment of silence soon followed.
"Everyone!" Someone shouted. Everyone looked back to see the arrival of Chōjiro Sasakibe, vice-captain of the 1st Division. "Y-you must get away from here quickly! Kurotsuchi-taichō is going to activate the Tenkai Kecchu anytime now! It's dangerous here!"
"An idiot...indeed..."
"Let go of me! If you don't let me go right now, I'll use you as guinea pigs and put you through the worst kind of horrors!" Mayuri Kurotsuchi shouted furiously. Almost every member of his squad was grabbing him, so he wouldn't press the activation switch. He finally got free from them and pressed the button, only to find out that someone had exchanged the switches. "Are you trying to make a fool out of me? Hurry up and hand over the real one!"
"Please wait a little longer! Just a little longer!" Everyone begged in unison.
-Nawirama13