Author's Note:
Well this is one of the stories I had crashing around in my head. I wrote a few chapters so I'll release them more regularly at first. Something I have noticed is that I do tend to make my first chapters a little shorter. They give it just enough of an entrance to get the reader interested and the characters to where they need to be. That said I seem to be falling into a habit of using the Senkaimon to send them places. That said it is also the easiest and most reliable method of doing so. It can be used on multiple characters at once. It is hard to write something that they would believably all be in a new world and not be more focused on getting back than going through the story. About this story. It will be a multi harem story. Issei having a harem and Ichigo having a small four person harem. I could have extended it but writing large harems gets to be hard and implausible after a time. Ichigo's is set. No changes or altering to be done. Issei's is half-way set. I know four for sure but I'm not sure if I'll add one or two more or not. In an unrelated note I'm writing this while sick. Not fun.
IMPORTANT!- I am currently looking for a beta to help me proof my stories. I would like the beta to have a knowledge on many anime (including but not limited to harems)so I can use him/her for this story and other stories that may crop up in the mean time. I need all the help I can get keeping these guys acting believable and in character. I would also need help with some grammar as looking back some of my latest chapters have been slipping. I could also help with more believable female reactions to things as I really suck at understanding women(as does every man I've ever met).I do not have a set schedule as to writing so any potential betas should be aware of that. That said I will give credit to the beta for any ideas that he/she gives and also give them credit in each chapter they help proof. Please PM me if you are interested.
Now: I own nothing other than original ideas.
Rukia Kuchiki was having a nice afternoon. Her brother, Byakuya, had asked her if she would like to attend a small gathering of the Nobility. It was the first time that the elder Kuchiki had invited his little sister.
Rukia had spent the entire day getting ready. Her brother had stressed the importance of this first introduction to the Nobility outside their own family in which till now Rukia had limited her contact to Yoruichi and her younger sister. The Nobilitywere the ones in charge of Central 46. The Judiciary and Legislative branches of the Soul Society. They made the laws and passed down judgment on those that broke them.
The only Shinigami allowed to contact the Central 46 were members of the Nobility and the Captain Commander. Not even Captains other than those with Noble blood could meet with them. That was why the Nobility possessed such sway over events in the Soul Society.
Dances and parties were regularly held to keep the Nobility entertained. Until recently Soul Society had been in a rut. These parties were the only means of high class entertainment. The R&D department of the Twelfth Division were still working on a way to have electronics from the human world work in an area rich with Spiritual Energy and wouldn't be crushed by an upset Captain's Spiritual Pressure if they lost a match of Mortal Kombat.
The partiesalso served the purpose of having high ranking individuals such as Captains come to them to ask them to push for or against a law. It was a well-received practice. Today the Kuchiki House was holding the party.
It was the first one since Ichigo had invaded the Soul Society to save her. Thetime betweenhad instead been used to rebuild the buildings destroyed on a weekly basis by those that held grudges against Soul Society or Kenpachi suddenly deciding to attack half the Captains on a whim, re-form Central 46, and help Ichigo regain his Shinigami powers.
With all the Nobility being caught up in electing new members to the Central 46 and repairing the damage caused to their buildings they had just gotten everything in order. Byakuya had explained that it was about time that Rukia be introduced to the Nobility since she was part of a major house and had risen to the rank of Lieutenant.
"You look lovely Rukia," Byakuya complimented his sister as he walked into her room.
"Thanks," Rukia said slightly embarrassed. She wasn't used to such praise from her brother. She had chosen a sleek gown for the occasion. It hugged her thin frame a bit too much for her taste but she thought it looked nice. Sode no Shirayuki had approved of the frosty blue coloring. Something about it bringing out her violet eyes.
"Now remember," Byakuya said taking his little sister's arm as he began to escort her to the hall that would house the dance and supper. "Be respectful but at the same time remember you are the member of the Kuchiki House. You deserve respect paid onto you as well. If someone is being particularly insolent like your friend Ichigo, you may want to use your sharp tongue to put them in their place, not your fists."
"Right," Rukia said nodding to herself. She had been going over what her brother had said over and over again in her mind before he even appeared at her door to escort her to the hall.
"But most important," Byakuya intoned. His voice was serious and left no room for argument. "Have fun. This is a party. Relax. Enjoy yourself. Find a few of your friends and be with them. Just because you are a member of the Kuchiki house doesn't mean that you have to force yourself to be with people you don't know. When I first started attending these things I actually sat in a corner reading a book."
"Really?" Rukia questioned. It wasn't that she had trouble imagining her brother preferring a book over socializing it was more that she had trouble seeing him do something that could embarrass the family as being seen as antisocial.
"Yeah," Byakuya confirmed a small rare smile on his lips. "My father had wanted me to socialize with the other Nobles at the time. However I found it so tedious that I was bored instantly. They only enjoyed talking about things that they themselves believed wereideal for a Noble. Horse riding, buying small businesses in Soul Society, which family was the weakest and how to take advantage of that weakness. It annoyed me to no end. They had tried to include me but I shared none of the same interests they did, so I usually ended up sitting at a table reading.
"Over time though I got to know several Captains that came and became friends with them. After a while those that I had once found tedious stopped coming to the dances altogether as myself and my fellow Captains became more prevalent. Eventually I had stopped bringing books and was instead enjoying myself with my fellow Captains."
Rukia mulled over her brother's words. It seemed like him in retrospect. He hadn't always been like he was now. At one time he had been about as disruptive as Ichigo was. That was what had drawn her sister to him. At least that's what she thought.
She was brought back to reality as the pair stopped in front of a pair of large oaken doors. A pair of armed Lieutenants stood outside.
"Hey Rangiku, Renji," Rukia said smiling at the pair. "How are you two?"
"Halt and state your purpose," Renji said seriously. His red hair was held back in the usual manner giving him a spiky look. The tattoos on his face made him stand out even more.
"Oh be quiet Renji," Rangiku said smiling wide. Her bosom seemed to stick out much too far for Rukia's comfort. Her strawberry blond hair cascaded down her back. "He's just giving you a hard time."
"Yeah," Renji said dropping his serious act. A smile replaced it. "It's good to see you Rukia. I haven't seen you in a while. Rangiku and I will be in once everybody arrives. We'll alleviate your boredom when we get inside."
"Just don't start the sake without me." Rangiku said grinning widely and giving a little wink.
"Let's go Rukia," Byakuya said pulling at her arm. "Everyone will be waiting for us inside."
Rukia nodded and followed her brother through the large double doors. A huge pearly stair case lead to a huge hall. Tables lined the walls. Lights shone brightly above. Soft classical music was being played by a band in a corner of the hall. Men and women in bright white scurried about as they put the finishing touches on the hall. The men and women that worked in the House were seperated into to sections. The first would enjoy the first half of the party while the second half worked. About half way through they would switch. It helped make the first arrivals of importance feel like the party was alive right from the start.
"Announcing the arrival of hosts Lady Rukia and Lord Byakuya Kuchiki." A man in white said to their right.
"Are they going to do that for everyone?" Rukia asked as Byakuya lead her down the stairs. Many of the men and women clapped. Rukia recognized a handful of them and nodded respectfully to them.
"Of course," Byakuya said as they reached the bottom. "They do it so that those in the room will know when a new member arrives and also who has arrived. If you feel hungry be sure to wave down any in white. They will be more than happy to bring you a small snack. If you want to begin the main course sit at a table and wave one down. They'll bring you your food as soon as they can."
"You really have this well planned." Rukia said releasing her brother's arm.
"Of course," Byakuya said smiling at her. "I have been doing this for quite some time. Now this being your first time if you have any questions feel free to come and find me. I'll be happy to answer your questions."
"Thanks," Rukia said smiling.
"Oh and word to the warning," Byakuya said as he started to walk away. "If you decide to drink don't try and keep up with Rangiku. Also drink sparingly. You don't want to be drunk half way through then puke on some poor man that asks you to dance."
"Dance," Rukia said nervously. She hadn't even thought about someone asking her to dance. "You never said anything about dancing."
"Since this is your first time here feel free to refuse," Byakuya said simply. "For that matter if you never decide to dance that is fine too. Just refuse politely. Say you are overwhelmed or that you aren't feeling well. That should be enough to get most people to back off."
"Thanks," Rukia said thankfully as she felt an invisible weight lift from her shoulders.
"Now I have business to attend to," Byakuya said as he left. "Relax. The guests should be arriving soon."
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It had been going so nicely. One by one the Nobles and Captains had been shown inside. Rukia had gone over to where her own Captain was and struck up a conversation with him. Several hours passed as Rukia switched between groups of people that began to fill the hall. Every Captain and Lieutenant had come. The only ones missing were Kenpachi, his Lieutenant, Yachiru, Yoruichi as her clan's head, and the Captain Commander.
She had been having quite a nice time. Her friends swirled around her. Never acting to polite but never quite as familiar as they normally were either. It was weird for Rukia and she wasn't sure how she had felt about that.
About half way into the dance a name was called out that made her pause. In fact it made everyone pause. It wasn't because it was a well-known name, in fact Rukia had never heard it before. What caught her attention was the frank rudeness of the name.
"Announcing the arrival of Lord Seymour Tush," The greeter announced. The hall had frozen in silence. The greeter had flushed a deep crimson as he realized what he had said. Several in the group sported sweat drops or had face palmed. The majority looked furious however. Deep shades of scarlet and maroon filled the hall. Rukia herself was one of the latter.
Standing next to the greeter, looking completely oblivious to the killing intent many in the room were leveling at him, stood a pale looking boy. No more than ten. His hair was an extremely light shade of blond. His clothing was a pure white disheveled suit. He stood stooped over like it hurt to be on his feet. His appearance looked sickly and weak. A diadem sat atop his head catching the light from above and reflected it. A bow was strapped to his back.
"What is the meaning of this?" Byakuya asked stepping forward. "I do not believe I sent you an invitation. Renji and Rangiku were supposed to keep people like you out."
"Oh were those their names?" The boy asked tilting his head to the side in thought. "They were remarkably weak. I thought that the Nobility of Soul Society could afford better protection than them."
"Who are you?" Byakuya asked his voice dangerously thin.
"I am known by many names." The child said smiling thinly. Rukia suddenly became aware of a weakness slowly growing in her gut. She wanted to vomit. Her brow sweated profusely. Her legs felt like they were going to buckle any moment. "Conqueror, Victor, but right now I'm Pestilence. It's a pleasure to meet you. Too bad our meeting won't last long."
Rukia looked around her. The only ones still standing were the Captains and the Lieutenants, but even they looked weakened. The rest of the Nobles and workers were lying in heaps on the ground. Her eyes searched and finally found who she had been looking for.
"Captain Ukitake," Rukia tried to shout but it came out more as a groan. She fell to her knees along with several Captains and Lieutenants. Her Captain lay writhing on the ground. Obvious pain wracked through his body.
"Oh don't worry about him," Pestilence said a soft smile on his face. "Even now the diseases are slowly making their way through your blood stream."
"Which diseases?" Captain Unohana asked. She out of all of them appeared to be doing the best but even she was slowly weakening. She was the last Captain standing. The rest were struggling to stay on their knees. Rukia was fighting to maintain consciousness as she fell on her side. She was the last of the Lieutenants awake.
"Why, all of them," Pestilence answered smiling. "Cancer, AIDS, Heart Disease, the flu, the common cold, ebola, and so many others. They are continuing to grow in intensity too. Within five minutes you'll be dead if I keep this up. Unfortunately I was told that I can't. I need to turn into Conqueror now. See you all again soon."
A bright glow seemed to emanate from the child. Rukia couldn't help herself from averting her eyes from the source. When the light fadedRukia looked back. Standing in the same place was the same kid, yet it wasn't. Instead of looking sickly, this version while still obviously him was vastly different. The previous version had looked unassuming. A child that had rolled out of a deathbed.
This version demanded obedience. Demanded that you either bow to him or get crushed under foot. His Spiritual Pressure suddenly filled the room flattening the remaining Captains to the ground. Rukia could only compare it to two people. The Captain Commander and Ichigo Kurosaki.His back was straight and his pale eyes cold. His suit which before had been disheveled now looked on the brink of ripping under the strain to contain him. Despite his appearance Rukia knew that she wasn't looking into the eyes of a child.
"Why are you here?" Byakuya wheezed out. Rukia's heart cried out for her brother and those around her that had collapsed.
"I suppose I could tell you that much," Pestil-Conqueror said his voice much more mature and stronger than that of his other self, Pestilence. "I'm here to collect another Seal. Only a few of us are out, but we all need to be out for it to work."
Rukia began to feel a rumbling underneath her body. Rukia could only watch as the room began to shake violently. The walls crumbled around them. Destruction rained down on them from all sides. Bits of the roof collapsed. Rukia could only bark a sharp exclamation of pain as a section of roof fell pinning her leg to the ground, crushing it.
"I suppose that is enough for now," Conqueror said his tone disappointed. "I doubt that we will meet again."
A circle filled with strange ruins Rukia had never before seen suddenly appeared above the man child. A pure almost blinding white it slowly descended. As it passed over him Conqueror disappeared leaving behind a hall full of the sick and injured.
Rukia coughed up a mouth full of blood and debris.
"Damn it," Rukia cursed as she tried to move.
"Don't move," Unohana said loudly. "We are all very sick and some of us are heavily injured. We can't afford to take risks. I've got just enough energy for this."
Unohana pointed at the sky. A look of concentration on her face.
"Hadō #4. Byakurai." A stream of blue lightning shot from her fingertips.
Rukia's vision faded to black at the same time the after image of the lightning faded.
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"That's why you are here, Ichigo," Urahara said seriously. When Ichigo had been asked/kidnapped by Urahara he hadn't been expecting him to be so serious. It had been just a normal day after school. He had been walking home with his friends when suddenly Urahara had appeared in front of the group.
Before Ichigo even had a chance to reach for his badge he had been knocked out.
He had woken up in the basement of Urahara's shop. A suitcase packed in front of him. Urahara had been doing something on a computer. A stone Senkaimon stood nearby. A swirling vortex of black and white composed the middle.
Before Ichigo could attack the shop keeper from hell for kidnapping him, again, Urahara had jumped into what had happened in Soul Society and Rukia.
"YOU CAN'T JUST SAY EVERYONE COLLAPSED AND NOT TELL ME IF THEY ARE ALL RIGHT!" Ichigo shouted at the man in the green and white bucket hat.
"Time is of the essence," Urahara said seriously. "Squad Four managed to get to those in the room in time to stabilize most of the Shinigami and Nobles. A few Nobles did die however and Captain Ukitake is not doing well I am told it is unlikely he will recover. I received word from Soul Society desperately asking me to do three things. First they wanted to prevent another attack like the previous one or at least have some more guards to help prevent it. So I asked Chad to go to Soul Society and help defend it should anyone attack again. The second was that they needed Orihime to help heal those that had collapsed. So I asked her to help them. Third and finally they asked if you would be willing to follow after him into a new world. We need eyes and ears to where he went and you are the only one that is left."
"What about Uryū?" Ichigo asked. "Or Yoruichi?"
"Uryū volunteered to look after Karakura Town while you are gone." Urahara supplied. "And Yoruichi will be joining you."
"Hat'n Clogs you seem a bit stressed," Ichigo said a bit worried. Through the entire time Ichigo had known the shop keeper he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen him serious for more than five minutes.
"Sorry Ichigo," Urahara sighed out. "I can't quite bring myself to be my normal self today. A single being not only managed to invade Soul Society without any alarm being tripped, but managed to take out pretty much every Captain and Lieutenant there with so little trouble they may as well be children. So yes I am stressed. A single wrong movement could spell disaster. For that matter even if we only make correct moves we may still lose in the end."
Urahara shook his head as he visibly tried to throw himself out of the sour mood that had descended on the two.
"So what exactly do you want me to do?" Ichigo asked.
"Well as far as we are able to figure out," A voice started from behind Ichigo. Ichigo turned to see Yoruichi in her cat form. He was always thrown for a loop at her voice. The deep masculine tone contrasted violently with the woman inside the cat. "This Pestilence or Conqueror person has a severe case of multiple personality disorder. He mentioned a personality named Victory too. Thankfully Division Twelve's equipment was working and managed to get a trace on where he went after he left. It's a dimension with little to no Hollow traffic so the Soul Society stays out of it. Consequently we know absolutely nothing about it."
"Why don't more Hollows travel to it?" Ichigo asked curious.
"Let me rephrase." Yoruichi explained. "Thousands or even millions attempt the crossing each year. When they try to get back to our world those that did survive perish. It appears that a special key was needed in order to bypass an area similar to the Precipice World, but much more dangerous. Several Shinigami attempted to go into it several years ago, before your time, but as far as we can tell not one of them made it through."
"So why am I going?" Ichigo asked fighting a growing sense that he should make a break for it.
"Besides the fact I would chase you down and make your life a living hell?" Yoruichi asked a sudden sultry tone in her voice. "How about I point out that in order to catch you I would need to be in my Shinigami form and in case you forgot I don't come with clothes."
"I suppose that I don't have much of a choice." Ichigo said under his breath. "But what do you want me to do in this world?"
"Right now absolutely nothing," Urahara said simply. "I already personally tested the portal. It should bring you to a town of comparable size to Karakura Town. I already forged the necessary documents. I also built a house at the sight of the portal. We need you to establish something of a semi-permanent base there. Above all you need to stay under the radar. Eventually those in Soul Society will be sending a few Captains to help retaliate."
"Okay anything else I need to know?" Ichigo asked. He may as well go in forewarned.
"We will be keeping as low a profile as possible," Yoruichi explained. "Meaning as few powers as possible. If we get found out that will make it that much harder to continue. If we do get discovered we need to stay out of the entanglements of those we run into as much as possible. As well as keeping all information about Soul Society to ourselves. No need to go confusing people about the dead."
"Fine is there anything else I need to know?" Ichigo asked sighing.
"Yeah," Yoruichi said. "We are taking Kon along too."
"Why are we taking that perverted bastard along?" Ichigo demanded.
"Because we can't afford for you to leave your body unattended." Yoruichi explained.
"I'm not going to use him." Ichigo said adamantly. That plushy bastard had ruined his reputation several times over already when a Hollow had decided to run wild during class.
"Think of it like this," Yoruichi said slowly. "If you are attacked by Pestilence then he may very well infect your human body despite fighting you. Even if you win your body would still be infected and we would have to send for Orihime to fix both your Soul and your body. Unless you want to get into a body riddled with Cancer, AIDS, and God knows what else."
"Alright," Ichigo huffed angrily. "But I'm not responsible if that guy gets in trouble."
"Noted," Yoruichi said nodding. "Now let's go."
Ichigo nodded. As he went he grabbed his suitcase and walked toward the gate. He reached out a hand but hesitated before putting it in.
"Is there a time limit like going too Soul Society?" Ichigo asked over his shoulder.
"Not this time." Urahara responded. "You are passing through an area that doesn't go through the Dangai so you shouldn't have any reason at all to run into the Cleaner or have the door close before you get there."
"You sure there won't be a Cleaner?" Ichigo asked suspiciously. "It seems that every time you say those words the Cleaner some how manages to show up."
"There won't be a Cleaner." Urahara responded raising his right hand. "I swear I will let Yoruichi use me as a scratching post if there is a Cleaner."
"Alright," Ichigo said still trying to find the loophole Urahara undoubtedly left for himself.
Not finding one Ichigo took a deep breath and walked through the portal.
It was instantaneous. One moment he was standing in Urahara's training ground and the next he was standing in some weird black void. It surrounded him completely. The only exceptions came from directly in front of him and directly behind him. A pair of bright glowing rectangles floated in the air. Presumably the entrance and exit to the strange place.
"Ready Ichigo?" Yoruichi questioned as she stepped through the gate behind him.
"I suppose," Ichigo said shrugging.
A sudden flash of red caught his eye. Ichigo turned to his right to see what had made it. He felt the color drain from his face as the red beast that faced the pair.
"I'm going to murder Urahara." Ichigo said softly as a torrent of flame suddenly rushed toward the pair from the beast's mouth. Ichigo didn't get a chance to speak again as he ran for his life.
Author's Note:
John: Well end of chapter one. I hope you all enjoyed it. That said I really hadn't planned on putting out this story at all yet. I was actually going to wait till my other stories were done but I find myself needing a beta before I am willing to put out what little I have written in my other story. That said I hope to have the chapter for my other story out by the end of this month. Keep on reviewing and now a few words from our characters.
Ichigo: Where the hell am I?
John: Care to comment on what just happened?
Ichigo: The last thing I remember was running for my life from that damned thing and suddenly I find myself here. What gives?
John: I am writing a story and you are one of the main characters. I am pulling you out so you can interact with the audience a little.
Ichigo: Why would you do that?
John: ...Why not? Besides it gives you a chance to say how you feel the story is going.
Ichigo: But won't I just remember all this is a story when I assume I go back?
John: Using my mystic powers as an author I can assure you that you won't remember anything that happens here until you come back. Now anyway what do you think about this chapter?
Ichigo: Why did you kill all those people in Soul Society you bastard?
John: Because for now they aren't going to be joining you. Besides all I did was kill off a few nameless characters and put the major ones into the hospital. It's not anything you haven't done before.
Ichigo: …
John: Anyway please review. See you here or in a different story some time. John Hinde signing off!
Ichigo: You're still a bastard.
John: I never said I wasn't.