Twenty men and women sat in the dimly lit chamber, silent, and obedient. One sat above the others, calm and in control. He fiddled with the hilt of his sword, sheathed firmly at his side. His other hand sat still on the armrest of his throne. Not a sound was made until the doors opened. No light entered, but instead a 21st figure walked in diligently. He approached the throne, his steps light and careful. He stopped short of the brown-haired leader and dropped to one knee, his face staring at the cold floor.
"You summoned me, sir." He barely whispered. The leader smirked slightly and cocked his head. Lifting his fingers as he spoke, he reassured his man.
"Stand, Seven. A man of your power shouldn't be on your knees." His way with words comforted the man, and his rose back to his feet, still staring at the ground. "I have a special assignment for you," He continued.
"I am yours to command." Seven replied, his eyes never blinking, his body never moving. The leader moved his hand from his sword to his chin and began tapping it with his thumb.
"I want you to go somewhere you've never been and kill people you've never met; more specifically, Death Gods – and powerful ones." He explained slowly. Seven continued staring at the ground.
"Where shall I go, Aizen?" He asked calmly. Aizen smiled heartily.
"There are whispers that the American Death Gods took notice of our struggle and are preparing to assist Soul Society. That cannot happen," He continued further. "You are to depart immediately. Your first stop will be the one area of the real world where Japanese and American souls cross, the islands of Hawaii." Seven needed no more words. He quickly bowed, turned, and departed the room in the same manner he entered. Once again, the room was plunged into silence.
The spirit energy on the streets of Karakura town was immense. The power these men radiated couldn't be measured. The boy gripped his Soul Slayer tightly and leaped into the air, holding it above him in preparation to deliver the final blow.
"You're just going to come into my neighborhood and attack me while I'm in class? What kind of bastard are you!" The angry boy shouted; sweat glistening off of his unusual hair. The sword came down swiftly, but his enemy was ready for him. A quick dodge left the boy standing on the concrete, his sword dug into the ground. His eyes shot wide open as he realized he'd left himself open for an attack. He looked over as the hollow moved in for the kill.
As quickly as the hollow moved, the man in sandals and a hat moved faster. His cane swung down and at the last second became a sword, handily removing the arm of the attacker.
"Ichigo, what have I told you about letting your guard down? You're going to get me killed one of these days if you don't pay attention!" He mockingly criticized as he tapped his cane on the ground calmly. The hollow behind them writhed in agony, clutching the stump where his arm should have been. The scream was deafening, but the townspeople were oblivious to the struggle on their streets.
"Do you follow me everywhere?!" Ichigo shouted, pulling his sword from the ground and approaching the hollow to finish him off. He stood on his chest and brought his sword up sharply, readying himself for the final blow.
"Bah!" The hollow spat. "Killing you would have been much better for Aizen, but my death means nothing in the end. As long as keeps you from getting to Hawaii, then I've done my job!" He boasted. Ichigo stood confused, not knowing whether to coax information out of him or just finish him off. He turned his gaze to the man with the cane.
"Urahara… do I? I mean, should I just….?" He asked clumsily. The man shrugged and finally shouted back at the hollow as he walked up slowly.
"What do you mean, Hawaii? What's that got to do with anything?" The hollow laughed.
"Just insuring your defeat, you worthless –!" He was suddenly interrupted by the business end of Ichigo's blade, sending him to beyond. Urahara stood calmly as Ichigo leapt from the decaying body and landed next to him.
"Insuring our defeat in Hawaii?" Urahara pondered aloud. Ichigo shrugged.
"I can't go to Hawaii; I'm supposed to be in class right now anyways." He added. Urahara nodded.
"Yes, go back to class, I'll look into this." Urahara mused as he turned and walked away. His footsteps gingerly moved through crowds of people who couldn't see him. His cane tapped the ground as he ventured to his store. Turning down the last alley, he felt a familiar spirit near him.
"The hollow is dead?" A gruff, male voice came from behind. A small black cat walked up behind him and took its place next to him as he walked.
"Yoruichi, how are you today? I've missed you; you've been avoiding me all week!" Urahara cooed at the cat. The cat seemed to snicker.
"I've just been busy, is all. Regardless, I was just interested in knowing whether or not that was just a routine hollow or something more." The cat replied casually. Urahara stopped and stared forward blankly. "Oh?" The cat questioned as it stopped and looked back at him. "Is something wrong?"
"Yoruichi, what do you know about Hawaii?" Urahara asked slowly. The cat turned and moved closer to him.
"We haven't had a Death God stationed there in almost 50 years since the Americans took control. There's rarely ever any activity there, either. Why? Are you planning a vacation, you lazy man?" Yoruichi taunted with a slight laugh. Urahara, however, remained silent. He continued staring into the alleyway. "Urahara?"
"The hollow was one of Aizen's. Before Ichigo finished it, he said something about stopping us from going to Hawaii." Urahara explained. Yoruichi pondered his words.
"I don't think they want to stop us from going to the beach and getting some sun." The cat suggested in a low voice. Urahara nodded slightly. "Hollows aren't known for their brilliance, do you think he slipped some information about Aizen's next move?"
"Possibly, or he could have just said it to throw us off. Either way, what could possibly be in Hawaii that they would want to keep us away?" Urahara questioned. The cat turned and continued walking.
"Let's go back to your store, I'll contact Soi Fong and see if she knows anything." The cat replied. Urahara continued walking behind the cat until finally they came to a clearing and to his store. His two companions, seemingly children, stood in front of the store sweeping. The boy picked on the girl in traditional fashion, and the girl cried until the owner walked up, black cat in tow. Few words were exchanged. The two entered, leaving the children outside, and closed the door behind them.
Sitting in the back room, a beautiful tanned girl sat at a table with Urahara. Urahara stared at her, not speaking, as she finally spoke.
"I couldn't contact Soi Fong; Soul Society apparently has her out searching for Aizen. They keep spotting more of his minions out and about in the real world; they think he plans on striking soon." She explained. He sighed lightly.
"Well, what do we know about Hawaii otherwise?" He asked. She shrugged and leaned back slightly, resting on her arm.
"We haven't had a Death God there in a while, and Soul Society isn't exactly fond of international cooperation. It was like a slap in the face to have an American Death God permanently stationed there with one of ours for as long as they did." She answered, unable to figure out their riddle. Urahara nodded.
"And their Death Gods?" He asked. "I've never met an American Death God." She shrugged slightly.
"What do you want to know? I've only spoken with one before ever, and Soul Society never saw the need to research them. I guess it's a matter of pride." She continued.
"We're friendly with the Americans though, right? We all work together to destroy hollows and guide souls. We'd have no reason to fight each other." Urahara reasoned.
"Yeah, that's true. We're all fighting the same fight. American Death Gods are strong, very strong. They have unbelievable combat skill, but their use of Demon Magic borderlines laughable. Exactly how powerful they are, I don't know. I've never seen one fight, but if they've aligned with Aizen, we're in trouble." She finished. Urahara stood and turned to his assistant, who bowed and moved about the store.
"I'm going to Hawaii myself then to see what the fuss is about. Stay here and keep an eye on Ichigo; make sure he doesn't get himself killed. I'll be back soon." With that, he turned and walked out.
"Urahara," She called out as he walked. He stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. "Be careful. Americans aren't exactly known for their international relations either, even if they are on our side." Urahara grinned, and with the tap of his cane on the floor, vanished as the door closed.
