New story! This one is gonna be a little bit more serious than the others I have written. A little humor here and there but hey, there has to be some humor…also I don't own this so don't sue. Lol. The things in italics aren't a song or anything, I wrote them because they sounded appropriate for the story. Anyway read on and then review.

Prologue: Across the Bridge

The war is over and the Fox flees due to the misunderstandings of his allegiance.

There's nothing to gain, nothing to lose; nowhere to go, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.

The world is an empty shell, nothingness consumes the place, devouring it ever so slowly; an empty existence.

There's nothing to die for and no reason to live either.

Angry clouds have clouded and covered the last ray of hope…

…to let despair rule unopposed—this is the Fox's thoughts

And yet, the Devil finds cheer in this emptiness: what seems to be the end is only the beginning.

He searches, scouring everywhere for a safe Haven, for the peace he now desires.

Yes, Peace…

And so the Devil Crosses Across the Bridge; it is his salvation, his redemption, his last hope.

And so he traverses from one Universe to another.

…

Running faster and faster, Foxface's figure flashed through the tear in the sky of the Heavens; the tear closing behind him—like a sign that there was no turning back. The Devil has turned his back on the past and his former comrades. The Smiling Devil runs for his life, no longer smiling his scary smile.

…

As Gin Ichimaru runs through the chaos of reishi, he recalls the recent events and he contemplates…

Gin had seen Ichigo's resolve waver and begin to break when the Rebelling Fifth Captain fought Yoruichi, Urahara, and his father; he had decided to snap the boy out of it by fighting it out of him. In the end, the former Third Captain almost gave up hope and told the boy to run; Urahara, Yoruichi, and the boy's dad were incapacitated and it seemed that the boy had no will to fight on.

He followed Aizen to Soul Society and the real Karakura town to create the Oken. When Aizen was about to destroy Karakura Town, Ichigo and Isshin Kurosaki arrived. The boy and his father had followed them and this time the Substitute Shinigami's resolve held firm and steady. It turned out that the Smiling Devil needn't pump him with bloodlust and adrenaline, or feed him hatred and wrath. The sight of his fallen friends was enough.

Gin himself was surprised that the boy could outmatch Aizen, he had had some doubts. He stood in the sidelines and watched as a Hollowfied Ichigo beat the living daylights out of the traitor. The boy had succumbed to his Hollow willingly and gave it the reins.

…

The King let the Horse throw him off, trampling the King underfoot with its hooves. The Horse becomes the King and Crowns himself Ruler of this Realm. In a contest of Killer instinct and Bloodlust, the Hollow wins.

…

Through Gin's observations, the boy didn't even resist or hesitate at the action; he let his Hollow loose to destroy the threat without any second thoughts.

But even a Shinigami who had acquired Hollow powers should not have been able to stand a chance against one who bore the Hougyoku. The wielder of the object was supposed to be invincible, right? And yet that scary kid, with his Hollow powers, outmatched Aizen. No, that wasn't it. Most likely the teen's willpower must have been stronger than Aizen's, which caused the Hougyoku to work for both, giving the boy the chance to win.

In the end though, Ichigo refused to kill Aizen so Gin had to finish it for him.

…

The one who outshines all is the one to be most wary of. The Devil once tried to surpass God and was cast down. With his Divine Spear (Shinso), Michael the Archangel smites the Devil, Lucifer, down to Hell.

…

The outcome of the war was irrelevant to the Fox. His allegiance could be for either side, no one really knew where he stood. The Devil was not at all concerned about the end because the end is his victory; either way he wins.

…

Unbeknownst to Aizen himself, Gin had relayed information concerning Aizen, his plans, and the Arrancars to Soul Society. If Aizen were to prevail, he would stay by his old companion's side. If Soul Society won he would go traipsing back to Soul Society as a hero who spied behind enemy lines.

Unfortunately none of this happened the way he thought.

The person who assigned him the role as spy, the only person who knew of Gin's true allegiance, Captain Yamamoto, was now dead. There was no longer any evidence that he was on the good side from the beginning. His ticket home had died with the First Division Captain Fall.

Ah, well." Gin sighed, smiling slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "It was gettin' kinda borin' hangin' 'round here anyway. And at least I'm not dead."

Suddenly the chaos of reishi parted and the former Captain could see Hueco Mundo: it was a wreck, a ruin, a shadow of its former glory. A junkyard of rubble and sand and waste was all that was left of the once-magnificent Hollow/Arrancar Capital, Las Noches.

Gin stopped I his tracks and stood in the middle of the chaos of reishi, thinking over what to do. He took out the Hougyoku he had stolen from Aizen's corpse, staring at it intently. "Man, shoot. The thing's returned to its dormant state. Ain't no way it can repair all dis. Even if it were awakened, all of this would take forever to clear up." He pocketed Urahara's invention. "No point goin' there." Gin frowned.

Where was he to go? He had nowhere else to go now that Soul Society thinks him a traitor.

…

A tinge of red amidst the ever-present, consuming darkness catches the Devil's eye.

…

Gin shook his head a bit as he glanced sideways to see what was there and saw an area where the chaos of spirit particles seemed to fade; it faded into black grass, walk another ten paces through that and there was an old bridge with ancient Glyphs written all over the side. Gin felt unbidden certainty that they were spells and scriptures from infernal or divine text.

The water under the ancient bridge bubbled and spluttered, roiling restlessly; The River ran red as blood, shimmering and glowing even though there was no sun to shine down upon it and cast its brilliant light. Just a red sky with black clouds billowing overhead; just three balls of scarlet light, three red stars that seemed to stare down at the old bridge and the black grass and the river that ran red. Like a watchdog, it stared; three glowering and glowing eyes in the red sky, staring and staring.

Casting a faint light, if any light at all, that did not generate heat or provide growth. No, the black grass grew independently, on its own accord; the casted light of the three red stars that had no brilliant rays, no blinding light; it was just there, like eyes staring from the crimson heavens, shining dully. They are dead eyes…evil.

…

Gin's frown deepened as he studied the area, then a grin stretched his features. "Oooo…scary, scary~" he stared at the stars for a second then flashed to the place and looked more closely. "Well, looky what I found."

…

It was weird: the place was like a small island in the middle of the ocean, the place was surrounded by the chaos of reishi that the Arrancars traveled through. What was beyond the bridge was unfathomable and unseen, hidden by a veil of mist.

…

A while back, Gin Ichimaru probably wouldn't have given a thought on crossing that bridge, but now was different.

He shifted uncomfortably, and then shrugged. What I got to lose? He thought. Matsumoto was most likely dead by now judging by the severe wounds she had suffered. Even if she was fine, Gin couldn't very well go back to Soul Society. Not after he stole the Hougyoku; he would be charged with treason and other crimes for following Aizen…now that Captain Yamamoto was dead.

There was nowhere left for him to go.

Soul Society was out to get him. The evidence of his true allegiance was gone.

Las Noches was a heap of rubble and waste. It would take an eternity to clear the mess up.

Shaking his head, Gin crossed the black grass and stepped onto the bridge. The Glyphs on the bridge began to glow red then purple as it reacted to the color of his reiatsu. Suddenly they ripped themselves from the old bridge and swirled in the air around him and the ancient structure. Like a whirlwind, the Glyphs swirled around them. Then the mist in the middle of the bridge cleared as if to admit entrance to the Third Captain.

Nice~ Gin thought, impressed then he continued forward to the other side…

…

And so he walks the ten paces across, across the black blades of grass to the old bridge.

And so the Fox crossed the Bridge of Universes, his figure vanishing as he walked through the mist.

The Smiling Devil flees for his life, there is nowhere else to go but past the bridge and God knows where.

The Smiling Devil turns his back on his world; there is nothing left for him here.

Heaven is out to get him.

Hell is a pile of rubble, no such place for the Renegade Devil.

Now through the mist, hoping for a better future for in this world the clouds has covered the last of the Devil's hopes.

He's hoping against hope for a peaceful place.

And so Across the Bridge of Universes, the Smiling Devil Crosses.

…

And now the pieces are all set in place. Except…one piece has come into play, into the game from a different board. There are different Allies, different Enemies, and different Rules.

Yes…the pieces are set. Now let's begin Act I: Arrival.

So…was it good? Hope so. Oh! And the thing about Michael and the Devil has some significance! But you'll find that out in future chapters. The mystery of its significance won't be solved any time soon. Please review. I need some feedback so please. Lol. Damn I'm begging aren't I? Oh well, 'Till next time~