First off I want to give a small warning that there will be an OC in this story however I don't intend to have her hog the spotlight. She is there to get them where I want. She was/is/will in no romantical relationship with any character.
This story will also be a slight crossover fic however I am not bringing in everything from other places. It will become more clear once the later ch. come up.
Please do not expect updates to be frequent I will update after I believe I've written enough and I have done my best in terms of grammar and such. Any suggestions on how to make the story would be highly appreciated.
Finally I do not own Bleach or anything about it or any other animes I intend to include. I am just a fan and nothing but a fan. If I was the writer...well there would be more yaoi~
For perhaps the millionth time that afternoon, Ichigo questioned his sanity. He, along with Rukia, Renji, Toushiro, Matsumoto, Ukitake-taicho, Kyouraku-taicho, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Yachiru, and Yumichika were going to Hueco Mundo. Yes THE Hueco Mundo, land of the hollows and residence of their arch nemesis Aizen Sousuke.
The trip itself wasn't unusual, he had been there before, but the reason why they were going didn't make sense at all. They weren't going to fight and they weren't going to save someone. Instead they were going to simply spend a couple days there, like a sleepover...with their enemy...
"Arrrrrrrrrggggggh this just doesn't make sense!" Ichigo finally shouted. "How did we end up agreeing to this crazy scheme? Actually how in the world did we even get to this point?"
Rukia and Renji sweat-dropped at Ichigo's antics while Ukitake-taicho, who thought Ichigo had honestly forgotten, immediately began retelling the tale.
"Well you see Kurosaki-kun, it all started when Kurotsuchi-taicho built a new type of senkaimon..."
****flashback****
"The mission is simple: Enter the senkaimon and it will place you somewhere in the human world. Look around and then open your own senkaimon and return to soul society. It doesn't take a genius to understand this mission, although it does take a genius to make this" Kurotsuchi-taicho stated smugly, patting the frame of his newest creation.
The members of the small group stared at the entrance before glancing at each other.
"Why am I doing this, hell why am I even here, and even more importantly how did I somehow get roped into this!" Ichigo shouted looking like he really wanted to stamp his foot to make his point.
Ukitake-taicho patted Ichigo on the back reassuringly. "Maa maa don't worry about the details. Besides it will be nice to take a break and explore a new place in the human world right?"
Ichigo opened his mouth to protest again but Rukia, who was standing nearby to ensure he didn't flee, stomped on his foot resulting in him saying a very improper word very loudly.
Rukia quickly glanced at Renji who got the message and quickly ran forward.
"Sorry bout this Ichigo but it's for your own good!" Renji shouted as he barreled into Ichigo and the beautiful forces of inertia caused them both to fall into the open senkaimon.
Kyouraku-taicho cheerfully said goodbye to his sweet Nanao, who responded by smacking him, then followed after them while nursing his now slightly sore cheek but still as cheerful as ever.
"We'll be back soon" Ukitake-taicho called to his division who had all come along to say goodbye. He received many teary eyes, sniffles, and dramatic farewells as he entered with Rukia and Renji following.
Toushiro entered next muttering something about paperwork, experiments, lazy fukutaichos, and idiotic strawberries. Matsumoto hummed some cheerful tune as she skipped after her precious taicho.
Zaraki, Yachiru, Ikkaku, and Yumechika followed after acting...like 11th division members.
The entire way through the senkaimon Ichigo swore and cursed at his "dear" friends who "kindly assisted" him with entering the senkaimon. He exited first leaving silence in his wake relieving everyone else for a few seconds, until they exited as well and realized they were in darkness, nothing could be seen around them, and they spent a couple minutes twisting around before deciding to let their eyes adjust to the darkness. After 5 minutes nothing changed.
"Okay what the hell is going on? I still can't see anything" Ichigo whispered.
"I-I don't know" Ukitake-taicho weakly whispered.
"I don't think this darkness is normal, but I can tell we are indoors, and the floor is wooden" Kyouraku-taicho murmured, shifting so he was in a defensive position; feet spread across with his weight evenly distributed while his hand resting on his sword handle.
"Brilliant deduction. Since you seem to be the intelligent one, why don't you tell me who you are and what you are doing here" A voice swept down from above, cold and uncaring as candles began lighting themselves, creating enough light for them to see where they were.
The room was completely bare except for candles on the walls leading to a fancy shrine, on the other side there appeared to be no door but it was difficult to tell since the candle's light did not reach the far end. Sitting on top of the shrine was a small child who looked like she could be no older than 12 years old.
She had pale skin, black hair that brushed her shoulders, and pale blue eyes that glinted with the promise of death. They could faintly tell she was wearing a knee-length black dress, with black shoes.
Toushiro immediately drew his sword and pointed it at her. "Identify yourse-"
"You should get down from there, or you could fall and hurt yourself" Ukitake-taicho abruptly interrupted, concern emitting from him as he began looking for a ladder. "Wait actually don't move, you could hurt yourself on the way down. Stay right there, I'll be up in a minute."
The girl raised an eyebrow before looking at each of them, making sure to stop and watch Toushiro blink incredulously at the white haired man before trying control his annoyance at being interrupted, then focusing on Ukitake-taicho again.
"Typically the intruders identify themselves first but very well I will introduce myself. Anyone and everyone who knows me calls me Autumn, I don't have a last name so don't ask. As for you lot...now that I look at you I know who you are so introducitions on your part are unnecessary."
"What do you mean you know who we are?" Ichigo demanded gripping the handle of his zanpakuto tighter.
"Well...I suppose I mean I know your names and what you are...I don't really see what else I could have meant, although now I am curious. Kurosaki Ichigo do you possess a vital organ known as a brain? Never mind don't answer that. Instead tell me what brings four shinigami captains and other ranked shinigami all the way here?" Autumn idly asked as she leaned against the wall.
"Here? Where the hell is here?" Ikaku snapped as he gestured around "and how the hell do you know who Ichigo is, or what we are?"
"Here refers to my territory, which if you must know is a school. Do you know what a school is or shall I explain that as well?" Contempt was now laced in her voice, and there was a small pause until she spoke again. "Although if you truly must know I heard about you from Nell."
"You know Nell?" Ichigo demanded. He stepped back when Autumn slowly shifted until she was looking at him.
"Yes I do, and actually she talks about you quite a bit." Autumn murmured softly, staring at Ichigo whose face was now torn between looking wary and lowering his guard. After several minutes, she smirked before standing up. "I adopted Nell not too long ago."
"Wait, you're her mother?" Renji exclaimed incredulously. "Aren't you too young? Hell at most you could be an older sibling but definitely not her mom."
As Autumn narrowed her eyes in irritation the candles flickered and the darkness began eating away at the little light that was still available.
"I would advise you to avoid underestimating me, or is the shrimp in white with you just a fraud?"
Toushiro glared and everyone besides Autumn could have sworn the temperature dropped a few degrees.
"I am not quite sure how you can insult my height when you seem to be the same if not shorter" he retorted icily.
She smirked before standing up.
"Putting that aside, I'm surprised the lot of you haven't made the connection yet, or asked the question I am expecting you to."
"Connection?" Ichigo asked, furrowing his eyebrows attempting to think of what they could have missed.
A heavy disappointed sigh left Autumn before she jumped off the shrine lightly using Ukitake-taicho, who had attempted to catch her, as a foot board and landing in front of Ichigo who took a small step back in surprise.
"I've heard you were dense but never this stupid. Think: if I knew Nell, who else must I know in order to frequently visit her?"
As she asked this everyone else began to understand what she was implying. Swords were drawn in an instant and pointed at her.
"In what way are you related to Aizen Sousuke?" Toushiro demanded teal eyes glowing with hate and anger.
Autumn turned and their eyes met. They stared each other down before Autumn gave a small almost dreamy smile.
"The eyes that crave revenge are always an interesting spectacle" she murmured softly. "However I am drifting off topic... I will not answer your question not here and not yet, but I did just think of something amusing. Shall I offer you a chance to see something you will never see on a battlefield? A side to your enemies you never thought existed."
What the hell are you talking abou-." Ikaku started to demand before being interrupted.
"For a few weeks, spend some time in Hueco Mundo. Not as enemies, not as prisoners, but as guests. If you don't show any hostility...scratch that, be hostile but if you don't attack them, then you will see a side of your enemies you normally wouldn't."
The shinigami stared. At the moment that was all they were capable of doing. The very notion of what she was suggesting was so ludicrous they almost believed they had imagined the offer.
"Y-You want us to go to Hueco Mundo and not fight? Are you insane, besides the millions of hollows floating around, Grimmjow would never leave me alone for a minute! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because he might crawl through my window."
Ichigo continued his rant about what Grimmjow could, and most likely would, do if he actually went. Autumn sighed in disappointment while pulling out a folded piece of paper and slowly beginning to unfold it revealing a picture of Nell beaming in the direction of the camrea.
"Is that so? Oh dear, what am I going to tell Nell? I can already imagine her lips beginning to tremble, tears building behind her eyes due to the hurt of being rejected... all because her favorite shinigami is afraid of a pussycat."
"Alright, alright I'll go, and I am not afraid of Grimmjow!" Ichigo protested quite loudly, "I just don't want to have to keep fighting him that's all."
Autumn smirked before turning and facing the other shinigamis. "Now then, what to do with your friends..."
"We'll go with him," Rukia immediately stated before hesitantly looking at the captains in the group. "Well, at least Renji and I will if that's alright with you Ukitake-taicho."
Ukitake-taicho smiled kindly at Rukia before looking over at Autumn. "I don't mind, however I would like to request that I come along then." He turned to face the others. "What about everyone else?"
Kyouraku-taicho grinned and clapped his hand on Ukitake-taicho's shoulder, silently telling him he would come. Yachiru jumped up and down. "Ken-chan and I want to go too!" As she finished the sentence, she leaped off Zaraki's shoulder and landed on Ikkaku's head. "Baldy is gonna come along too right?"
"Hell yeah you ain't gonna keep us away from the fun!" Ikkaku crowed while grinning at the prospect of being able to fight the Espada or even one of the three shinigami traitors, while Yumichika merely smiled and made sure his nails were still as spotless as before.
Everyone looked over at the two who had remained silent during this topic. Toushiro's eyes narrowed slightly at the attention while Matsumoto shrugged her shoulders and gestured to her taicho, indicating she would follow him. Toushiro silently thought of the pros and cons of such a dangerous task but after glancing at Ukitake-taicho, he sighed and stared right at Autumn.
"Since I cannot trust Aizen to not take advantage of Ukitake-taicho's health, I will accompany them to ensure no one gets killed."
Matsumoto smiled gently down at Toushiro. Those that were very close to her knew she was feeling absolutely delighted at the thought of not having to do paperwork, but also worried about her taicho.
Autumn merely smirked before turning and walking to the shrine.
"Very well since you made your choices, allow me to list a few rules:
You will not initiate an attack on anyone at or above an Arrancar level unless you ask them if it is alright first. You are welcome to kill the minor hollows or menos since they are disposable but the ones that actually have a brain must be left alone...unless of course they attack first.
If Aizen, Gin, or Tousen tell you to do something, I won't tell you to just do it, but at least try to see why they are giving you that command. If you believe it is an unnecessary command then by all means ignore it. However I don't think they will ask you to do anything unless it was of extreme importance.
You will be staying at a small residence that has already been built, and if you do not wish to be attacked by hollows, menos and such I would recommend staying within 1 meter of that building or the main castle. There will be a barrier around your residence to keep stupid things out, and if you want to fight just go out to the desert and something should be willing to try and eat you. There will be a path made that connects to the main residence that is also protected.
If I happen to think of anymore I'll tell them to you in time. Other than that though, do you have any questions?"
Autumn waited a grand total of 2 seconds.
"None? Good, let's get you over there then. My other companions should have already talked to Aizen and made any other preparations so everything should already be settled."
That said Autumn turned, ignoring the fish-like expressions on various people's faces, and opened a trap door on the floor and indicated for them to jump in.
"Don't worry, this is the easiest way to go for beginners because as you free fall down eventually you will just fall into a portal that will take you immediately to your destination."
After everyone glanced at each other a couple times, Ichigo decided to go first and jumped in closely followed by Rukia and Renji. The members of 11th division followed after, with Zaraki laughing the entire way, and then Ukitake-taicho, Kyouraku-taicho, Toushiro, and Matsumoto followed after. Once they had all jumped in, Autumn slammed the trapdoor shut and contemplatively stared at it.
"At least...I think that one was the easiest one...or was that the bumpy one? Oh well they'll be a little bruised but they should be fine."
Smirking, she began slipping back into the shadows.
"I shall have to keep an eye on Hueco Mundo from now one. After all, a lot of bets are going to be riding on their...vacation and in general it should be amusing if not interesting to watch."
1st chapter done!
I am sorry about the slow start.
This is the story that I am writing that will eventually explain everything in the oneshot that accompanies this fic and is already available.