Blazing Caravans

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, nor the gods, save for the one without a name.

Note: I got bored waiting for my sister to work on Bleached, so here's something to pass the time! I hope you like it! This isn't my first with Oregon Trail madness, I wrote one for Fruits Basket a few years ago. -Airi

The war between Soul Society and Aizen's force was well into its third day of turmoil. Ever since the turncoat shinigami had unleashed his forces on the town of Karakura combat and chaos had reigned both in the sky and on the ground. Neither side had given up and oddly, neither had taken too many casualties. If the human population was awake and capable of seeing the warriors on either side of the battle they would have been overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity each side fought with. Dawn was breaking, but no one noticed due to the shinigamis' spelled protection barrier that created an endless day.

"So, they're at it still?" asked a glowing muscular male form far above the battles in the upper levels of the atmosphere, "I thought maybe this time they'd have stopped."

"Humans, even in death… they still retain such violent ways…" remarked another glowing figure.

"Some of us here don't really see what's the problem with this. I personally have fought in a battle that raged much longer," a third form appeared in a flash of light.

The second figure, a female sighed, "Not all of us could find the same will to fight, Tyr. And this isn't anything like your Ragnarok."

Tyr scoffed, "Of course it's not! They don't stop to come back to life, not that they can, but you see my point."The second figure opened her mouth to say something again.

"Enough you two. Let the humans be." Commanded the first, his aura glowing stronger as the sun became more apparent in the horizon.

"But that's all we do!" moaned the female, "We watch them advance and destroy, besides these aren't exactly humans anymore… rejects from the afterlife is more like it…" her voice trailed off. "Don't you miss the old days when we could still contact them and make our presence known? Or do you need a few more millenniums before you'll realize that you miss it, Ra?"

The golden one was silent for a moment, "What do you want to do?" He asked, knowing his companion had something up her sleeve, except she wasn't wearing any sleeves.

She smirked, "Oh, nothing too extraordinary… just a game."

"What kind of game?" asked Tyr, suddenly more intrigued with this than the battle below.

"Remember, not too long ago, on the other side of the world, during 'westward expansion'?"

Both of her companions nodded and interested looks came across their faces as they exchanged ideas. Suddenly they vanished from their high observation point in the sky.

--

Hueco Mundo also rang out with the sounds of combat. Ichigo and Ulquiorra, unaware that much time had passed at all were still fighting each other in a mad frenzy. Orihime watched from a short distance, too scared to get closer, but afraid of not being there if Ichigo needed her. Her shield was up just in case; neither one of the fighters seemed too concerned about the status of the building in which they were fighting. Uluqiorra was about to slice at Ichigo when they both froze in mid-air. A yellow light engulfed the whole room. "H-hey, Innoue? Did you do that?" asked Ichigo, still able to speak although stuck in mid-fall.

Orihime tried to shake her head no, but found she too was paralyzed.

--

Back in Karakura town, both of the armies were also experiencing the same thing. Between the confused looks on the faces of some and the profanities swarming out of the mouths of others, it was clear that neither side had anticipated such an interruption. The yellow light had appeared suddenly and frozen the air in which both the black and the white armies were now stuck.

"Mortals!" Boomed a deep male voice, all eyes quickly found the bright burst of light that now addressed them.

"We tire of this meaningless, endless warfare." Another light appeared and spoke to them, this one was a dimmer green light with a female voice.

"W-who are you?" barked Soi-Fon, the second captain of the black shinigami army; she was stuck mid back flip over her opponent's head.

A third light, a warm golden one, appeared shining with much glamour, but less intensity than the first. "Tch. How dare you address us like that? Don't you know to whom you speak?"

"Uh, no. She asked because she didn't." A man dressed in white with long brown hair retorted with a roll of his eyes.

"We are, or were, gods of your world, although not this domain, at one point in time," the brightest one spoke. "However, that is not important right now."

"What is important," stated the green one, "is that we wish to change the circumstances. Observe." A sound came from the light like someone snapping their fingers. Karakura town as well as Hueco Mundo vanished from view as did the motion restraints. The shinigami and arrancar alike found themselves falling into a black abyss and passing out.

--

"Seems like we missed a few," was the first thing everyone heard as they awoke to find themselves and the three lights in a large, wooden building.

"Huh? Where am I?" asked Grimmjow sitting up. The blue haired espada's last memory was of passing out after Nnoitra had attacked him. Looking around he saw that he wasn't alone; everyone from Hueco Mundo and the Karakura battlefield surrounded him.

"Welcome, to a new dimension," spoke the triumphantly glowing light. "Instead of letting you fools run about and fight your war your way, we've decided on a different plan of battle. This," the light hovered over to a window out which a rural summer scene stood, "is the United States of America." He gave a few moments for the words to sink in.

"However, as you might have figured, it's not the real one, nor is it your own time period. The year here is 1847. Your tas-" the green light was interrupted.

"Why mess in our battle, what purpose does it serve you?" shouted a red haired shinigami.

The green light ignored the outburst and continued, "Your task is to make it from here, Independence, Missouri, all the way to Oregon by using the technology of the time period."

The bright light took over at this point, "All rules of the living world also apply including gravity, fatigue, illness, death, etcetera."

"You mean we can die here?" inquired the black haired fraccion, Apache.

"You can die in your own world, no?" asked the green, "We said we were changing the playing field and the circumstances of your battle, not the rules to life itself."

"At least give us more of an explanation as to what we should be expecting, beautiful green light," Shunsui, the eighth shinigami captain stated, earning him a glare from his lieutenant, Nanao.

The green light flared a brighter hue for a few moments before going on. "You will be divided into…" she took a moment to count and calculate "nine groups of five. Each group will receive a wagon, but it's up to you what to take with you."

"What's at the end? What incentive do we have to participate?" asked a white garbed teenage boy, who was not on anyone's side but his own.

"Must there be a purpose for everything, Quincy?" asked the lesser gold light sardonically, "If you don't participate you'll be stuck in the black abyss forever."

"And if we die during this 'game' of yours?"

"Death is a mystery, is it not?"

Ishida scowled. "So, you've ensured we won't decline your offer."

"Pretty much, unless you're more mental that we calculated," noted the green.

The Quincy was about to ask more questions, but was cut off abruptly, "Alright, let's skip these non-stop questions and get things started!" Another snap and another falling sensation overtook the group as they plunged once again into the black abyss.

Well, how was it? Good? Want more? Suggestions? Tell me!