I find myself impressed by the amount of interest this story has generated from only a single chapter. As I post this continuation, the first chapter of Key through the Soul has 12 reviews. I even had several people PM me with compliments and ideas about my story. Thank you for the continued interest. While I started this story as an experiment I will continue it due to the expressed interest as promised and I will continue to do so as long as people want to read it. Here are responses to several of the reviews I received.
Jack Tennant: I am afraid things will not go as you think or hope.
GirlAnimePrincess: No problems so far. After this chapter I'm going to start to plan out Ichigo's journey/quest/adventure.
Fadedlies: Yes he could, if he already had bankai and his hollow powers but this Ichigo is basically "base-Ichigo." Byakuya Kuchiki has stripped him of all his shinigami powers given to him by Rukia and he did not receive any from the shattered shaft. For all intensive purposes he is a normal human that can interact with the dead…for the moment.
Uber Prinny Lord: Thanks!
Alliance Empire: A little bit of both. Some of the canon worlds from Kingdom Hearts will most definitely make an appearance but I'm going to also include worlds from non-Disney or Square games, manga/anime, and movies.
Dragonlord001: Don't worry about that. The interest in this story is great enough to inspire me to keep writing it!
The worlds that Ichigo will eventually visit are not going to be stuck just in the worlds introduced in the Kingdom Hearts series. While some of them will make appearances several worlds will be replaced with…Darker versions. A good comparison is looking at Disney's Alice in Wonderland versus American McGee's Alice. Both have the same protagonist and setting but everything else is entirely different. I just can't see Ichigo going to such a…cheery world as Disney's Alice. You can also compare Silent Hill with Peter Pan. Peter Pan takes place in a world where children/adults never grow up and face the problems that life gives them while Silent Hill is a town that does not let you leave until you face your inner evils or die. Silent Hill forces you to meet your problems head on whether you want to or not. There are other comparisons I could make but I'm sure some of you want to be surprised by where I go with the story. I am willing to accept ideas for worlds that Ichigo can visit but if you do so please make a reasonable comparison to a canon Kingdom Hearts world.
Some of what I say about the Bleach universe in this chapter will make a lot of sense once you think about it. Also a lot of the bleach cast will not make it out of the upcoming chapters. Ichigo will have to leave his world eventually and the method in which he does may not be so…nice. It is said that the end of the world is a messy affair after all. Light and Darkness. Balance is the key. Now…on with the story.
Updated: October 8, 2013
...
"And that's it then? There's nothing else you remember?"
"I already told you all I remember. The rest of it is just a big blur."
That wasn't the truth but Ichigo felt that there were some things he needed to keep secret from everyone, including Kisuke, for the moment. He couldn't explain it but he felt that telling anyone what he saw would be very, very bad not just for him but for everyone he knew. It may have been safe enough to mention the heartless he encountered but everything else he either lied about or claimed he didn't remember.
Ichigo stared across the table at Kisuke Urahara, who hadn't stopped writing down notes since sitting down, "Hey Kisuke, why are you so interested in these heartless things anyway? Wasn't it all just something I thought up in my head or something?"
Kisuke grinned and snapped the notepad closed, "Just because I'm a humble candy shop owner doesn't mean I don't have other interests. I do have a life you know. I suppose I should start at the beginning. Before I joined the Gotei 13, which is a story for another time, I-"
"Wait a second. You were a shinigami?"
Ichigo received a kick in the shin for an answer, "Like I said, that's a story for another time. Please do not interrupt me when I'm talking. Now, where was I? Oh yes! In the years before becoming a shinigami I was fascinated by the ancient legends of the Soul Society. You would think that a dimension filled with the souls of the dead wouldn't have mythological themes but I digress. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I wanted to see where it all began. Humans, as you know, evolved over the course of millions of years. How could the Soul Society exist before humans do? As I dug deeper and deeper I discovered something that has troubled me for nearly three centuries – the existence of hollows."
"Haven't hollows always existed?" Ichigo asked perplexed.
"Ah…" Urahara raised a finger knowingly, "That is just what everyone believes. The true origins of hollow may be far, far more sinister and bleak."
"What?"
Urahara's eyes disappeared beneath the lip of his hat, "It wasn't until you described your experience in the shattered shaft that I figured it all out. As you already know, hollows are born from souls unable or unwilling to pass on to the Soul Society. That in itself is true but for the most part only human souls turn into hollows. There are a couple of species of animal hollows, mostly dogs and higher intelligent creatures, but they are almost never aggressive. A long forgotten legend of the Soul Society claims that when the first shinigami came into existence the Soul King, God if you will, created hollows to challenge and prevent him from becoming arrogant with power."
"One of the more commonly known myths is that the first shinigami appeared nearly four thousand years ago amidst attacks by hollows," Kisuke stood up and walked over to a shelf and began searching through a stack of papers, "It took my several decades of accumulating data whenever I could but your experience in the shattered shaft was the final piece of the puzzle. I think after seeing all the evidence it is safe to say that hollows did not, in fact, exist before shinigami."
Ichigo broke out into a cold sweat, "What are you implying Kisuke? That shinigami created hollows?"
"You're a smart kid Ichigo, think about it. Hollows crave souls, both living and dead, to devour. If they had existed before shinigami could slay and purify them then there wouldn't be anything left. The Human World and the Soul Society would be empty of everything except ravenous hollows."
"I get that! But what you suggest makes no sense! How could hollow have sprung into existence just like that?"
"It actually should make perfect sense to you," Urahara said seriously and turned his head partly around, "You should have noticed the similarities between hollows and the creatures you described to me…"
Something clicked in his mind and Ichigo couldn't believe that he hadn't seen the similarities sooner, "Are you saying that hollows and those heartless things are the same creatures?"
"Not quite," Urahara drawled, "What I think-"
"Boss! I have returned with what you needed."
Both of them turned as Tessai slid open the door and stumbled into the room looking as if he just came from a war. His once clean clothes were covered in scratches and burns and his skin looked like one big bruise, "I apologize for my tardiness but breaking through the seals surrounding the Soul Society was much more difficult then I anticipated. I barely made it through the barrier encompassing the Daireishokairo without losing my life. It is safe to say the Seireitei has not forgotten after all this time."
"I knew I could count on you Tessai. Did you manage to find what I asked for?"
"Yes," Tessai reached into the bag on his back and pulled out a thick scroll, "I found it in the very depths of the archives. The security around this was surprisingly powerful. I do not believe anyone could have bypassed the protective and barrier kidos protecting it without your insight."
Ichigo was growing more interested by the second, "Hey Kisuke, what's in that scroll?"
"Just something I hope will explain everything." Urahara gathered spiritual energy into his hands and began weaving them through the air in a complicated fashion. After nearly a minute Ichigo heard something similar to a lock opening. Urahara cautiously reached with his hand and carefully unraveled the scroll. He may have deactivated the outer protective kido but that did not mean there weren't surprises waiting for him inside, "It appears to be safe now. Let's see what this thing can tell us…"
"What does it say?" Ichigo asked.
Urahara raised a hand to silence him as he poured over the text, "I'm having trouble reading it myself Ichigo. It appears to be written in an ancient dialect of the Soul Society, one that I am not aware existed but I think I got the gist of it. I'm afraid I'm going to need your input here Ichigo. Does this thing look familiar to you?"
Ichigo peered over the table at the scroll and was nearly floored by the perfect drawing of the imp-like heartless he fought. While some aspects of it were demonized and not true, like the mouth full of razor sharp and bloody teeth, it was close enough to not be a coincidence, "Yeah, that's one of the heartless I saw."
"The scroll refers to the heartless as the 'living darkness.' Perhaps it is simply a different name for the same creature but I don't like to make assumptions like that. I think that…oh my…"
"What?" Ichigo was nervous.
"Sometimes I curse my intelligence. I think I know exactly how hollows came into existence," Urahara pulled out a piece of paper, "Imagine this paper represents the world and everyone on it. As you can see it is whole and complete. Now let us suppose that some catastrophic event happens and all the darkness on the world suddenly vanish. If the darkness had been a vital and integral part of the world up to that point what do you suppose would happen to the world if it suddenly disappeared?"
Kisuke emphasized his point by ripping the piece of paper in half, "Without the darkness, as well as the heartless, the world was thrown out of balance. Whether we like the idea or not the heartless represented an important piece of the world. Destroying them caused the world to literally become unstable and tear at the seams. This instability let to whatever original world existed to split into three new realms: the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. I conjecture that out of those three only the World of the Living resembles the primordial realm."
Ichigo's throat was dry as he tried to gather his thoughts. While what Kisuke had said had really thrown him threw a loop he couldn't help but think it made a lot of sense to him, "There's just one thing I don't get Kisuke. How did this lead to the creation of hollows? They don't feel anything like heartless."
"You bring up an excellent question Ichigo," Kisuke adjusted his hat, allowing it to cast his eyes in shadows, "I think that even after the world split apart it was still unstable. Hollows may simply be an attempt to recreate the heartless but it looks like they didn't quite work out. Thus shinigami were made to counterbalance the influence of hollows. That is why I think the shinigami's crusade to eradicate every single hollow is fundamentally flawed. Our very existence is tied to that of hollows. Destroy one and the other will soon follow."
"What about the quincy?" Ichigo felt as if he was missing something important, "Where do they fit into all of this?"
Urahara didn't answer his question, "Ichigo go home and get some rest. I'm going to need some time to decipher everything this scroll has to say. Stop by tomorrow after school and if I have any luck I'll have more to tell you."
Ichigo was about to argue when a buzzing in his pocket distracted him. Pulling out his cell phone and reading the text he frowned and stood up, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then Kisuke."
"Be careful Ichigo," Urahara cautioned, "This is potentially the biggest upset in the balance between the worlds since the beginning of recorded history. I have no doubts that we will be receiving uninvited guests soon. Stay low and out of trouble unless your life depends on it."
Key through the Soul
CHAPTER 2: Key to the World
Instead of heading straight home like Urahara suggested Ichigo decided to take the long way home. He had much to think about and walking always seemed to help him gather his thoughts. While passing through the deserted night streets of Karakura Town Ichigo couldn't believe how much his life had changed in the last month. Before becoming a substitute shinigami, before meeting Rukia, he had been just a simply high school student with simply problems and nothing more complicated in his life then trying to figure out what college to go to. Of course there had been the occasional pesky spirit but even that became normal after a while. Now he was dealing with monsters that ate souls, other monsters that stole hearts and souls with the power of gods. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his luck. He was fifteen years old. He shouldn't have to deal with this saving the world crap.
"As if I didn't have enough on my mind with shinigami and hollows. Now there are heartless as well? At least they don't seem to be as strong as hollows. Perhaps if I just forget about them the problem will go away."
He must have been lost in his thoughts for a while because when Ichigo looked around he was standing in the middle of the bridge spanning the Karasu River. Putting his hands in his pockets Ichigo stared out over the darkened waters and breathed in the cool night air.
"Perhaps all that was just my zanpakuto test and I failed? But why would Kisuke be so worried afterwards? Damn…this is making no sense."
There was one thing that bugged Ichigo above all else. As long as he could remember he had a feeling that there was more out and he needed to explore it. His father, in one of his rare moments of actual parenthood, had explained that Ichigo was simply tired of being in Karakura Town and needed to see the world. That summer his entire family had gone on a road trip around Japan and the urge to explore dimmed within his soul. That feeling that there was more out there had returned and he couldn't shake it. His experiences in his mind and fighting the heartless had convinced him that this world was simply the tip of the iceberg.
"Man I'm over thinking things. I'm probably just worried about Rukia and how I'm going to rescue her."
"Just give us your money old man!"
"That sounds like trouble." Ichigo turned around and raced back down the way he came. Sliding around a corner he saw five punks kicking someone huddled feebly on the ground. Without a second thought he ran over and clotheslined two of them before t hey knew he was even there.
"Toshi! Yama!"
"Eh?" Ichigo scratched his head. He could have sword those names sounded familiar, "You look familiar. Haven't I kicked your asses before?"
"Oh crap it's you!" a third member of the gang backed up fearfully once he recognized Ichigo, "We haven't knocked over that dead girl's shrine since you warned us so there's no need to kick our asses!"
Ichigo's fist slammed into the punk's face, sending him flying through the air, "Oh yeah…I remember now."
The remaining members stared in shock, "Mit! Just who the hell are you, you bastard?"
"Look here," Ichigo cracked his knuckles for emphasis, "I'm not in a good mood right now. And as for your friends there, I once kicked their asses for knocking over a shrine by accident. What do you think I'll do to you for beating up someone on purpose?"
"L-Let's get out of here guys!"
Ichigo didn't bother watching the five punks flee. He had more pressing matters. If he wanted to finish his business with them he could easily find them another day. Rushing over to the injured man he helped him sit up and asked, "Are you ok? Do you need me to call for help?"
"No, that won't be necessary," the elderly man said, "I'll be fine. I just didn't expect the children in this place to be so…so…"
"Disrespectful?" Ichigo offered.
The old man laughed, "I was going to say thuggish or psychotic but that can work too."
When the old man winced and grabbed his side Ichigo grew worried, "Are you sure you're ok? My father's a doctor and my home's not too far away."
"I'm not as frail as I look boy," he admonished Ichigo, "Just help me over to that bench and I'll be fine."
Ichigo did as he was told and helped the old man to the bench. As he caught his breath Ichigo noticed that his overall appearance was quite strange. Just by his darker skin tone he realized the man wasn't from Japan or anywhere nearby. Perhaps he was a tourist that found out the hard way how dangerous Karakura Town could be at night? When that incessant buzzing in his pocket acted up again he reluctantly turned to head back home, "Listen…you're welcome for the help. I'm glad your alright and all but I have to head home. It's getting kind of late."
The old man's fingers twitched as he scoffed, "You helped an old man avoid an early grave. I think that balances out being late. I appreciate your help from the deepest reaches of my heart and wish to reward you for your services."
"Reward?"
The man coughed before reaching into his pocket, "I have this trinket that I want you to have. It belonged to an acquaintance of mine that no longer needs it I'm afraid. I had originally planned to give it to an apprentice but alas, time is a fickle mistress and I have grown too old."
Ichigo suddenly felt both nervous and embarrassed, "What about your family?"
"The pursuit of knowledge leaves little room for personal attachments," the old man explained with a shake of his head, "Something that I have only learned about in this final years. I would be grateful if someone like you would take this as a token of my appreciation."
Ichigo hesitatingly took the small trinket and examined it. Upon first glance it looked like some gaudy piece of jewelry he sometimes sees on late night commercials but when he looked closer it did, in fact, seem like some priceless heirloom. It was composed of a stylized red heart embroidered within a set of silver wings that wrapped and flanked around it. Putting the trinket in his pocket Ichigo felt as if he were stealing it from the old man, "This thing has to be priceless. I don't feel right taking it from you for just stopping a group of punks. It wasn't anything special."
"Nothing special?" the old man looked directly at him and Ichigo noticed his eyes were amber in color, "Let me tell you something I have learned from my travels. I have met people who would do anything to grab power even if it meant staining their own hearts black as well as people who were so afraid of responsibility that they shied away from anything remotely important in fear of failing. You selflessly rushed to my aid against five potentially armed punks without so much as thought to your own wellbeing. Your heart truly was in the right place."
"Thanks…I guess. You new to Karakura Town?"
The man nodded, "I flew in earlier today. This is such a marvelous town if one ignores the random muggings."
"I wouldn't worry about those idiots. They know me well enough to never come near you again."
"Indeed," the old man chuckled.
Something seemed off about the man but Ichigo couldn't place it. When his pocket buzzed once again he pulled out his phone and frowned, "It seems that my dad is starting to get upset."
"Ah…" the old man raised a hand in understanding, "No need to say anything further. But if it will not trouble you, may I please know the name of my rescuer?"
"It's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."
The old man seemed pensive and stroked his chin, "That's such a strange name for a boy. A strong name that you lived up to but still strange. As a courtesy I shall share with you my name but I should warn you. It is a bit strange as well."
"It can't be any stranger than mine," Ichigo deadpanned, "When I first went to middle school people thought I was a girl for two weeks."
"I don't think I can beat that," the old man admitted, "For as long as I have pursued knowledge people have called me Xehanort."
...
In a dimension hidden deep within the Soul Society, beneath layers upon layers of kido barriers and seals both common and forbidden, underneath the very antechamber of the Soul King himself existed a small and bare room no larger than a closet. Some may wonder why a room that small, devoid of anything and everything, was perhaps the most well-guarded location in all three realms. If one were somehow able to break into the Soul King Palace, shatter the protective kido, defeat the royal guards and the Soul King himself and enter the room all they would find in the room is a peculiar shaped hole in the far wall.
A carving in the shape of a keyhole.
This peculiar decoration that seemed to hold no power was the very reason the Soul King sequestered himself and those close to him in a separate dimension, a dimension one could only travel into with his express permission or by committing one of the most despicable acts imaginable. For the past five thousand years he had spent all his time guarding this keyhole from everything and everyone. No one knew that it existed except for him and an old scripture he had written thousands of years ago before he obtained his vast power.
He did not know what the keyhole contained or what it unlocked but he knew that it should never be touched. It was his own kido that powered the wards guarding it, barriers and shields strong enough to keep even himself from entering it. He did not want someone to gain his power and break through his kidos despite how incredibly small that chance was. He had to, no needed to think of every possibility. He had to plan for every situation that can or will occur. For if he failed and the room with the keyhole was compromised by the darkness the world would end.
Or so he was told by those that came before.
He did not remember who they were for it was such a long time since that they had stepped foot on his world. Back then he had been but a mere human with nothing special about him but the ability to fight the living darkness as he called it. He remembered strange warriors arriving in ships from the stars that could vanquish the living darkness and prevent them from returning. It had been a long and bloody war between the darkness and those warriors but they had prevailed and won. The darkness had been completely destroyed and the warriors departed, but not before bestowing upon him his incredible power and the purpose of guarding the keyhole from all threats. He had asked why they hadn't closed the keyhole but the warriors wouldn't give him an answer. They had silently departed and the world was fine. At least for a while.
The first sign of trouble occurred five hundred years later when the dimension split into three. Before that moment the living and dead roamed the world side-by-side in peace. Those that sinned in life were chained to the hellish desert of Hueco Mundo until their sins were cleansed while souls spent their time in the Soul Society, a paradise that once existed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When the split occurred the Soul King was completely stunned at this and found his powers ineffective and fixing the world.
Five hundred years after that the first hollow appeared.
At first the Soul King thought it was one of the living darkness but when he witnessed firsthand a soul transform into a hollow he knew it was something else. He tried to destroy it but whenever he did ten more would appear to take its place. It was to his luck that the shinigami appeared before the hollows could run rampant. For hundreds of years the shinigami and hollow clashed throughout all three realms, leading to an untold number of deaths. Eventually he had intervened. While unable to actually stop hollows being created he was able to use his powers to make them always head to Hueco Mundo upon creation. With that problem solved he turned his attention back to the keyhole. Everything seemed to be getting worse and his job protecting it would be that much harder with the hollow problem.
Thus were the Seireitei and the Royal Palace dimension born. He had taken those primordial shinigami, who could tear apart and purify hollows with their bare hands, and commanded them to create a base of power in the Soul Society. He ordered them to police the world of the living for any hollows that go there and stop them from eating souls while also sending souls to the afterlife. He expressively forbade them from invading Hueco Mundo for he did not have any foresight into what happened in that realm since the dimensional split. Before disappearing into his special protected dimension he gave them one final order. He told them that his existence was the lynchpin of the world and his death would mean the end of everything in existence. That was not necessary the truth but if he were to die, there would be nothing left to safeguard the keyhole and the world would truly end. His existence was required to keep the world from plunging into the darkness.
The Soul King may have slumbered but he was constantly aware of the state of the Soul Society as well as the Human World. Despite his best efforts over the millennia his sight was still blocked from Hueco Mundo but that was not what caused him to wake up. No, what awakened him, which sent his attendants into a tizzy, was a vaguely familiar burst of energy. It had been such a long time since he had felt that energy that his mind could not recall just what its name was.
"Magic…" he thought and turned his eyes to one of his prostrate retainers.
It hadn't been long after ordering the creation of the Seireitei that he realized something vital. With his attention constantly on the lookout for the living darkness as well as guarding the keyhole he himself was vulnerable to attack. It was at that instant that he ordered the creation of the Zero Division or the Royal Guard. A group of elite shinigami whose sole purpose would be to guard him from attack. Of course he needed them to be special in their own ways and thus only picked the members from those who have contributed vastly to the Soul Society. The creation of the zanpakuto, artificial souls, water with extensive healing properties…all those were contributions that led their creators to join the Royal Guard.
"You're awake my king?" the retainer asked in surprise.
The Soul King looked at the man and whispered, "Bring me my guards…"
As the man disappeared in a burst of shunpo to relay his orders to the Royal Guard the Soul King wondered why such familiar energy would appear now. What was so special that something like that, something that hadn't existed for over five thousand years on this world, come back into being now? Was there something he could not see? He was not a god, despite what the shinigami thought, and so was fallible to an extent. This was a problem that he needed to fix or at the very least investigate before it got out of hand. The keyhole must be protected at all costs. He could not afford to be distracted by anything. Some might call him cruel or vindictive for such a view of the world but the Soul King knew just how terrifying the living darkness was and what it brought. If sacrifices needed to be made, and he wished it would not come to that, then they would be made.
The status quo must be maintained for the world to survive.
...
Ichigo had to give his father credit where it was due. He was definitely becoming more imaginative in his surprise attacks. Before he was even halfway up the walkway to his home the front door burst open and he found his arms bound to his body by a lasso.
"What the-?"
Inside the front door and slowly reeling in the rope was Isshin Kurosaki, his father and all-around pain in the ass, "And just where have you been slacking off to all night young man?"
Instead of answering Ichigo raised a leg and brought his foot down on the rope. Isshin, not expecting something like that, stumbled forward and received a foot in his face. Without his father to hold it taunt, the ropes easily slid off his body and onto the ground "What sane person ties up their son with rope? Are you out of your mind?"
"You…" Isshin shouted, somersaulted to his feet, and tried to kick Ichigo in retaliation, "…Did not answer my question young man!"
Ducking beneath the foot Ichigo grabbed his father's leg and slammed his body into the ground, "All night? It's only ten o'clock!"
"Time has no meaning!" Isshin quickly recovered and smashed his forehead into Ichigo's face, "When a father orders you to come home you do so right away! I texted you three hours ago! What crimes have you been committing in that time? Who have you hurt or robbed young man?"
"That was you?" Ichigo countered. Grabbing his father in a headlock he smashed Isshin's face into the carpet, "Then why did you write 'stay far away from home all night' and on Karin's phone no less?"
Isshin surprisingly broke out of Ichigo's hold and began sobbing into his hands, "Oh Masaki! Our son has corrupted one of your daughters with his thuggish behavior!"
"Oh shut up!" Ichigo shouted and planted his foot into his father's back, "If it was that important why didn't you just call me like you always do?"
"That is because…" Isshin spun around and tackled Ichigo, "…you should have known it was your father all along! I made sure that Karin sent that text with all the love and affection I could fit into it. Oh my son, how did you grow up to become such a delinquent?"
"Delinquent?" Ichigo growled and struggled to free himself, "Who the hell are you to call me that?"
"Huh?" Isshin looked confused before chuckling, "Aha! Trying to trick your old man with reverse psychology eh? Well that's not going to work this time. Oh Masaki…I have lost control of our son that you so lovingly raised. What am I to do with him?"
Ichigo took the opportunity to pick up a chair and slam it over him father's head as he prayed in front of the large poster of his mother, "If you really want to know, get rid of that stupid poster first! If you need me, and I seriously hope you don't, I'm going to bed."
"Hey Ichigo," his father somberly said before he could leave the room, "Is everything alright?"
Ichigo subconsciously moved his hand towards the trinket in his pocket, "Eh? What you are talking about?"
Isshin sat up and rubbed the back of his neck where Ichigo had hit him with the chair, "It's just…you seem kind of down tonight. Is there anything you would like to talk about?"
Rather then respond with an answer Ichigo scoffed and dismissively waved his hand, "That hit to your head must have given you a concussion if you're acting normal. Perhaps you should go to the hospital."
"Hmm…perhaps."
Ichigo quickly headed towards his room before anything more could be said. While his father was a goofball and an idiot most of the time he was someone that he could confide in. The problem was that he didn't know what was bothering him. Sure the whole saving Rukia from being executed in the Soul Society weighed heavily on his chest but he had Kisuke and his little helpers to talk to about that. He wouldn't even know where to begin with his father.
After brushing his teeth and quickly changing Ichigo laid on his bed, hands folded behind his head, and stared at his ceiling. There was too much on his mind to fall asleep. Every time he tried to he found himself assaulted with images from his experience in the shattered shaft. Kisuke had said that the inner world was a manifestation of a shinigami's soul so what did everything he witnessed and experienced mean? First he was falling through the sky towards an endless ocean, then he found himself in the middle of who knows where fighting a magical monster that could shoot lasers and destroy ships that came out of the future and what was the deal with that mysterious voice that kept giving him cryptic advice?
"Ugh, why did this have to happen to me? I'm barely a teenager, I'm not cut out for this hero crap. That settles it. Once I save Rukia I'm going to retire and go back to being a normal high school student."
While all that was confusing to Ichigo there was something else that weighed heavily on his mind. Looking at his nightstand, he reached over and grabbed the trinket the old man had given him. Turning it over several times he couldn't figure out what it was about the old man…Xehanort…that bothered him. Sure that name was unique and utterly ridiculous but that wasn't what troubled him. Ichigo had saved other people from muggers and gangs in the past, sometimes with Chad's help, but this time it felt different but he couldn't place why.
"Wait a second…" Ichigo tossed the trinket into the air and harshly caught it, "When I came over to help Xehanort those punks had been kicking him for at least a minute but he didn't have a scratch or bruise on him. It was almost as if he wasn't hurt at all."
A strange feeling of vertigo suddenly washed over Ichigo and his mind spun as the colors of his darkened room bled away. After a moment everything came back to him in a burst of light and he found himself back in that strange shadowy realm and in his normal clothes once again. Picking himself up off the ground he noticed that this latest station had a picture of a white phantom-like being covered head to toe with eerie purple eyes and a gem embedded in his chest, "Great. Now why am I back in this place?"
"There is little time and much for you to learn."
"What are you talking about?"
"Draw your weapon. You will need it for the trial ahead."
Ichigo frowned, "I'll say it again. What the hell are you talking about this time?"
His question was answered when he picked up the sound of something landing lightly on the station behind him. Ichigo turned around and found himself standing across from a woman wearing some sort of form-fitting white uniform similar to a shinigami's shihakushō but at the same time appeared to be more modern and sleek. She had long blue-green hair, light brown eyes, and appeared to be wearing a ram's skull on her head. What drew Ichigo's attention was the deadly katana strapped her to waist. The woman stared at Ichigo for a few seconds before slowly and deliberately drawing her katana from its sheath.
"Hold on just a moment!" Ichigo shouted and backpedalled away from the woman.
"You will encounter those that have surrendered themselves to the darkness for power, their hearts forever stained black with corruption," the black daito that he had wielded in his previous dream reappeared in his right hand in a burst of light, "You will meet those that have embraced the purest of light but fail to see the flaws it creates within their soul. You mustn't fear either of them. Balance is the key."
"Balance is the key? What the hell does that-"
Ichigo threw himself to the side as the woman rushed across the illuminated stained glass. As her katana arced through the empty air just millimeters from his body he was blown back by the sheer force of the attack. Rolling to a stop he picked himself off the ground and grimaced.
"Where the hell is all her strength coming from? Who is she?"
"She is but a reflection of another time," the mysterious voice answered, "A silhouette of a person that will not come to pass. You need not concern yourself with what is not to be."
Ichigo dodged around the woman's blade as it came swinging down, cutting through the air as well as a few locks of his orange hair. As soon as he noticed the woman's katana embedded in the platform Ichigo took the opportunity to jump away and put some distance between them. Instead of attacking him as he expected the woman calmly tore her blade out of the ground in a cascade of glass shards and stared at him. Momentarily confused by her reaction Ichigo raised his daito defensively to ward off any incoming attack but he could not have foreseen her simply vanishing from sight.
"The hell?"
Ichigo had to thank his experience with that Byakuya guy just the other day. It was the only reason he avoided being beheaded by the woman's attack. After finding himself at the mercy of an opponent with superior speed Ichigo came to the realization that sometimes you just have to move before being attacked. Trying to defend against someone you can't see is pointless. As soon as she disappeared from his sight Ichigo ducked and immediately felt the telltale sound of a blade passing just over his head. Rolling forward and twisting around he managed to parry the following attack in a shower of sparks. Gritting his teeth and pushing with all his strength Ichigo tried to repulse the woman's katana but found himself slowly being forced back.
Before he could react, the woman reversed the direction of her katana and forced Ichigo off balance. He stumbled backwards a couple of steps but recovered quickly enough to parry and block her next salvo. As he avoided being skewered and stabbed Ichigo felt his arms quickly grow tired and was certain his daito would break from the force of her attacks.
"How can she keep going at this strength? She's hitting me with more power than that Renji guy but she doesn't seem like she's putting that much effort into the fight. Is just toying with me?"
One slip. All it took for everything to fall apart was for his right foot to misstep. Ichigo's eyes widened in fear as he felt his defenses crumble from his lack of footing. Gasping he threw his body to the side but felt a stab of pain as the woman's sword nicked his ear. Thinking she temporarily hyper extended her arm he tried to counterattack. Just as he readjusted his grip on his daito to attack he noticed the woman's katana, which had been pointing to his left just a second ago, sparking along the ground.
"Damn it!"
Ichigo doubled his grip on his daito and used his other hand as a brace as their weapons collided. While his improvised block managed to save him from being bisected, the force behind the strike was enough to nearly shattered the bones in his arms and propelled him into the air. Gasping for breathe Ichigo looked down and noticed the woman was gone. Realizing what she was going to do he spun around just as the woman reappeared behind him and smirked when he made contact with her skin. Satisfaction quickly turned to shock as he saw sparks being emitted along the point of contact, leaving her perfect skin unblemished.
"What the f-"
His curse was cut off when her left hand grabbed him by the throat. Unable to speak or even breathe Ichigo was helpless as she spun around in the air and slammed his body back down onto the platform, cracking it. With his throat free of the woman's vice-like grip and his vision filled with blackness Ichigo was free to cough up blood. As he desperately cleared his throat of all offending fluids he grimaced when he sensed the woman land nearby. He glared at her as she raised her katana to end the battle, her dull and lifeless eyes betraying none of her thoughts.
"Damn it! I won't let it end like this!"
Mustering all of his remaining strength, Ichigo managed to raise the daito just as the woman swung her katana down. The two weapons met in a shower of sparks and when her blade's momentum was stalled Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. Relief turned into terror as the katana became coated in purple energy and exploded outwards through the station. As the dust settled Ichigo opened his eyes and at first thought he was fine. Attempting to look around his neck hit the woman's katana, embedded several inches into the stained glass and only a centimeter from his artery.
"I need to think of something quickly. I don't think I'll be able to stop her next attack," Ichigo desperately thought as he tried in vain to push the woman off his body before she could try to stab him again. The woman brushed him off with little effort and once again gripped his throat with a hand. Staring him directly in the eyes she raised her katana to the side and prepared to stab it right through his head.
Taking a lesson from many years of living with his insane father Ichigo reared his head back and slammed it into the woman's forehead. If there was one thing his father taught him from his many attacks is was that the forehead is extremely sensitive to pain. Even if he couldn't pierce her skin she should have still felt that. As expected the woman's grip around his neck loosened and he immediately backpedaled away from her and held his own, now bleeding, forehead. Despite the massive headache Ichigo now had one thing he did not have the entire fight: time to think.
Wiping a trail of blood from his own forehead Ichigo glared at the woman. Tightening his grip on his daito he watched her stumbled in pain and tried to think of a plan to beat her, "She outclasses me in both strength and speed and her skin is like steel. If I don't think of something before she recovers I'm going to die."
Coming up with nothing but unwilling to allow her the time necessary to recover Ichigo rushed forward to attack. Swinging his daito downward he grit his teeth in anger when her tough skin once again forced the blade to rebound off her skin. Undeterred he struck her several more times only for the same result to happened. Anger rising Ichigo tightly gripped the hilt of his daito with both hands and raised it over his head. Swinging down with all his might he was shocked when the woman's hand shot up and grabbed the blade with her gloved hand as if it wasn't even a threat. As sparks shot off into the air from the two opposing forces meeting Ichigo missed her other palm shooting forward into his stomach.
"Ugh!"
Ichigo's body contorted on itself before he was blown away. His body skipped along the station as blood and spittle flew out of his mouth. Dragging his daito along the stained glass floor he managed to arrest his motion just before falling off into the black abyss. Coughing up some blood he tiredly pulled his body back onto the platform. As he shakily got to his feet, his clothing damaged and torn in several places, he saw the woman slowly walking towards him. Spitting out some bloody saliva he gave her a harsh glare and steadied his hands as best he could.
"If you're looking for me to beg for my life," he defiantly stated, "You're going to be disappointed."
The woman stared at him as blankly as ever before racing along the station towards him, her katana arcing through the air towards his neck once more.
...
As captain-commander of the Gotei 13, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto was a man who had seen most of what life had to offer. Centuries of conflict and protecting the Soul Society from threats ranging from hollow incursions into the Human World to quincy rebellions has ingrained into his mind that whenever a group obtains power they will eventually use it to try and usurp the Seireitei and impose whatever order they want. Despite the lack of such fighting in the recent centuries, a record that he hoped would continue, Yamamoto was not a fool. He knew it was only a matter of time until some upstart hotshot felt like they knew more about how to run the afterlife and needed to take down the current regime to do so.
How naïve.
Huffing in indignation at the interruption to his daily schedule he stared at the man lounging in a chair across his desk, "I mean no disrespect but what is the meaning of your visit? You usually send an advance notice before you arrive."
A very tall man with an overly-exaggerated pompadour spat out the stick he was chewing on, "Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm not here for your convenience. The rest of us have already been deployed. I only received my orders from the big man himself not even an hour ago."
"It must be rather serious if all five of you are being mobilized," Yamamoto pointed out calmly but inside he was nervous. There was no feasible reason that the Soul King would have all five members of the Zero Division leave his realm. The fact that it indeed happened was a great cause for alarm, "Would you like some tea while we talk?"
"I don't have time for such trivialities," Tenjirō Kirinji scoffed, "I'm wasting enough time here talking to you as it is."
"Then perhaps you should just say what you need to say and leave."
Tenjirō let out a breath, "Finally you get it. What I'm about to tell you comes directly from the Soul King himself so pay attention because I'm not going to repeat myself."
"What?" As captain-commander of the Gotei 13 Yamamoto had only received orders from the Soul King twice. Both of which had been given when the fate of the world was in jeopardy. The first was during the original quincy uprising nearly one thousand years ago. The quincy, which had initially been a small problem had blown up into a threatening force when their leader declared himself emperor of the Soul Society and the Human World. In the ensuing war he personally fought their leader, Yhwach, but was unable to kill him before collapsing from exhaustion. Yamamoto would have considered the man his equal if not for the fact he was a genocidal maniac bent on destroying everything. The second time was during an invasion of the Human World by five vasto lorde in an attempt to conquer it. Both times the Soul King had ordered him to mobilize the Seireitei in a specific way and both times he had helped to keep the balance between the worlds.
"Huh, finally managed to shock you old man," Tenjirō chuckled momentarily before composing himself, "But this is serious business. Something has the Soul King upset and that itself is troublesome. Usually whenever he gives us our orders he fills us in on everything but he's being strangely quiet about the whole matter. I don't like it."
"That is unsettling. Tell me what you require of the Gotei 13 and we will do everything in our power to help end this crisis."
"First things first, any and all orders from the Central 46 are to be disregarded until further notice. The Soul King has a vested interest in something and will take command of the Seireitei until he deems otherwise. As for you, and those kids you call captains, we need you to do absolutely nothing."
"I don't understand," Yamamoto frowned.
"Here's the thing," Tenjirō condescendingly said, "The Soul King, he wants to have as little interference in our investigation as possible. Having your kids interfering or trying to help will only add trouble to everything. Until I come back and tell you otherwise you are to withdraw all but essential shinigami from the Human World. That means no lieutenants or captains are allowed through the senkaimon."
"…as you wish. Are you sure you don't require assistance in your investigation? The Twelfth Division may be able to help."
"Nope," Tenjirō said, "Don't flatter yourself. This is important business. Your kids don't have any reason to be involved. Keep them out of our way and everything will be fine."
As a white gate opened behind him Tenjirō sighed and stood up, "It appears that Nimaiya is right on schedule. Just remember what I said Yamamoto."
Yamamoto stood in silence as Tenjirō returned to the Soul King Palace. The moment the gate closed he slammed his fist down on his desk and shattered it in a burst of rage. How dare they treat him as if he were nothing more then a normal shinigami! Hasn't his contributions to the peace of the Soul Society been enough to garner at least respect from them? Breathing deeply to calm himself, Yamamoto walked out of his office and towards the entrance to the First Division. He needed to inform his fellow captains of what just transpired. Or at least the abridged version. They might question his orders but in all likelihood they will follow them without complaint. It would be rather difficult to come up with a plausible excuse for something of this magnitude.
As he left his office Yamamoto failed to notice the shadows in a corner shimmer off a pair of glasses.
"This is…unexpected."
...
As the woman weaved through his guard and grabbed his wrist Ichigo saw the reflection of her katana arcing through the air. Desperately attempting to avoid the strike he leaned his neck to the side but
The woman weaved through Ichigo's defenses with supernatural ease and grabbed his wrist in a vice-like grip. Ichigo briefly struggled with the woman before a glint of steel arcing through the air caught his eyes.
"Damn!"
Unable to release his wrist from the woman's grip Ichigo desperately tried to lean out of the way of the fatal strike only for to feel a katana pierce through his neck and out his back. Gurgling and collapsing to his knees, he looked on with wide eyes as the darkness closed in around him. Just before he lost consciousness and his final thoughts left him he heard the mysterious voice speak to him.
"It appears your heart is nearly strong enough to survive what's coming."
As his vision was enveloped by the darkness Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he nearly fell out of bed. Taking a moment to catch his breath Ichigo looked around and realized he was no longer in that strange place but instead back in his room. When the memories of how he died assaulted his mind his hands shot up to his neck but found, to his relief, no wounds or blood. Running a hand down his face he looked out his window into early morning Karakura Town. With everything going on he could barely remember a time when he wasn't fighting monsters or rescuing people.
"Gah!" he hung his head dejectedly, "Why does my life suck so much?"
"Probably because you're a loser when it comes to girls but you already knew that Ichigo. I could help you with that if only you asked," a high-pitched and extremely unwanted muffled voice said. Scowling Ichigo reached under the bed and grabbed a stuffed lion plushie that was desperately trying to claw its way to freedom.
"Shut it Kon!" he threatened and squeezed the toy as much as he could, "I'm in no mood for your sick thoughts this morning."
Somehow Kon was able to look confused even with buttons for eyes, "What has you so sour this fine morning? Still upset from your bad dream?"
"Bad dream?"
Kon continued speaking as if he didn't see Ichigo freeze up, "But then again men like myself don't let our dreams bother us. In fact I-"
"Shut up Kon!" Ichigo growled, "Did I say anything in my sleep?"
"Say anything?" Kon scoffed, "You wouldn't shut up! It was so annoying!"
He shook the toy again, "What did I say?"
"Stop shaking me! You'll knock out my stuffing!" Ichigo reluctantly released Kon but carefully watched the mod soul's movements in case he tried to make a break for it. Picking himself up, Kon brushed some lint off his body and pointed an arm accusingly at Ichigo, "It was so annoying. You wouldn't stop talking about the strangest of things."
"Like what?"
Kon shrugged, "Something about a keyblade, heartless and some other stupid things. I left after about an hour because it was so irritating. I willingly went to Yuzu's room for the night. That's how terrible it was!"
Ichigo narrowed his eyes not out of annoyance but contemplation. He was intimately familiar with the heartless but he didn't have a clue what a keyblade was. It sounded like the stupidest weapon, "Keyblade? Probably something Kon heard wrong. The heartless though…I'm sure I didn't see any in that place last night so why did I mention them? This is getting confusing."
Kon jumped up and grabbed his cheek, "Hey Ichigo, aren't you going to apologize for inconveniencing me?"
"Apologize?" The mod soul realized the malicious tone in Ichigo's voice just a moment too late. Before he could jump away and flee to safety Ichigo's hand closed around his head and squeezed, "You know you aren't supposed to leave my room without permission. What if Yuzu, Karin or, heaven forbid, my dad saw you moving?"
Stomping over to the closet, Ichigo slid the door open and threw Kon inside. Ignoring the mod souls shouts and threats Ichigo got dressed and left his room feeling great. With any luck he should be able to go through the rest of the day without anything strange or lethal happening to him.
"Good morning brother!"
"Oh, hey Yuzu."
Yuzu Kurosaki, his younger sister, waved to him before going back to cooking breakfast. As the resident cook of the family she was the one that made all their meals whether they wanted her to or not. Ichigo had tried to persuade her to allow the rest of them to help her with the cooking but after one eventful evening that involved Karin and their father going to the hospital with food poisoning Yuzu had declared the kitchen off-limits to them forever. Ichigo had quickly backed off from offering to cook ever again. He never wanted to see his normally sweet and caring sister swing a butcher's knife with a smile on her face.
"Great to see you too Ichigo," a tired voice drawled out. Sitting at the table with her head resting against the cool wood surface was Yuzu's fraternal twin Karin, "I really, really hate mornings."
Karin and Yuzu have always been polar opposites, it must have been a twin thing. While Yuzu was constantly upbeat and strived to make everyone in the family happy Karin was content with being melancholy and stoic with a knack for pointing out the flaws of anyone that annoyed. Yuzu loved to get up early in the morning with a spring in her step while Karin barely drags herself downstairs without falling back asleep.
"Don't be so gloom Karin," Yuzu pleaded and set a plate full of hot food in front of her twin, "I made your favorite foods!"
"How can I not be gloomy when I feel like the walking dead. No wait, scratch that. The dead have more energy that I do."
Yuzu pouted and turned away in a huff. Watching all that with a straight face Ichigo sighed and sat down to eat. As he dug into his food he noticed something, or rather someone, missing, "Where's dad? Usually he tries to pull his crap at the break of dawn. I would be relieved if I was worried about what he might pull."
"The old goat?" Without picking her head up Karin continued, "He rushed out about an hour ago. Apparently there was a big accident downtown and every doctor was being called in."
"I hope no one's hurt!" the ever sensitive Yuzu added.
"Hey Ichigo aren't you going to be late for school?"
"What?" he turned to the clock and scowled, "Damn. I'll just take something for the road. Tell dad I'll be back later tonight if you see him."
Grabbing his backpack Ichigo walked down the street towards Karakura High School. Chewing on his toast his mind replayed the fight has the woman again and again. There was something about her that seem familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He knew for a fact he had never seen her before last night but she just seemed like someone he should know. His mind told him she was a complete stranger with no name but he felt as if her name was on the tip of his tongue. It was just so frustrating to be this confused.
"Ugh. Who was that woman and why did she seem so familiar? I'm sure I would remember someone with green hair."
"Excuse me but are you Ichigo Kurosaki?"
Ichigo stopped walking as a sense of foreboding permeated his body. Unwilling to turn around and face whoever was there he frowned and looked around. He couldn't believe he had fallen for such an obvious trap. His mind must be really screwed up by all the recent events to have missed something so obvious. Noticing the usually busseling streets were bare of a single soul he slightly turned his head.
"What did you do with the people who lived here?"
"I am appalled that you would suggest I was capable of such a despicable act," the voice replied in a slightly offended tone but Ichigo did not turn around, "All I did was cast a kido that created an exact duplicate of the surrounded area down to the finest of details. The moment you entered the perimeter I transported you here and out of the way. I do not like to cause collateral damage or take innocent lives. I will ask you a second time. Are you Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"Who's asking?"
Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo recognized the woman as a shinigami from the way she was dressed. Despite his lack of powers he could tell she was strong. The spiritual pressure he could sense was palpable. Not even the shinigami that was with Renji felt this strong. Whoever the woman was, she did not look that much older then himself and had her long black hair done up with a golden ornament in the shape of a crescent moon. When nearly a dozen puppet-like arms emerged from beneath the large white robe she was wearing Ichigo involuntary took a step back. The woman almost seemed saddened by his reaction and covered her mouth with a sleeve.
"I see that you are able to sense my spiritual pressure despite having no shinigami abilities of your own. On any other day I would be impressed and allow you to live but alas, I have my orders so do forgive me for what I am about to do." The woman slowly walked towards him and Ichigo knew there was no way he could fight her, "Since I have to kill you to maintain the balance of the world I deem you worthy to know my name. I am Senjumaru Shutara and please try to hold still. I want your death to be as quick and painless as possible."
As several swords materialized into her extra appendages Ichigo took a step back. Only one thought passed through his mind, "Crap."
...
Kisuke's green haori fluttered violently as a wave of spiritual pressure blew past him. Holding on to his bucket hat unless he wanted to have to chase it down he looked across the landscape as a translucent green barrier flashed into existence, "Well Tessai, it seems like the Soul King moved faster than even I anticipated. I didn't even have enough time to prepare the appropriate countermeasures."
Tessai stood besides Kisuke, "To be able to enact a forbidden space-time kido with such magnitude without the incantation…they are truly monsters. What shall be our next course of action?"
"As of this moment nothing," Urahara sighed and adjusted his hat. He hated the rare moments where his vast intellect was all but useless, "Without knowing the whereabouts of the kido stabilizing units as well as the exact incantations used I'm afraid it will be impossible to break into a kido of such magnitude without killing ourselves in the process. It pains me to admit this but Ichigo is on his own."
"Hmm," Tessai stared at where he knew the barrier to be. After years of studying the most forbidden and powerful of kido his eyes have grown sharp enough to notice the normally invisible kido, "But what would they want with Ichigo? He has done nothing to warrant such a severe response. If anything they should be coming after you or myself."
"I'm afraid it's actually not that simple," Kisuke said with absolute seriousness in his voice, "I spent all night studying and translating the scroll you brought me. It was only as dawn came that I realized I made a terrible mistake it allowing Ichigo to leave my shop last night. You remember what I told Ichigo last night, don't you?"
Tessai nodded and Kisuke took that as his queue to continue, "It turns out that the shattered shaft worked entirely as intended. Ichigo did receive his latent powers from the shaft. The only problem is that it wasn't shinigami powers that he obtained."
"What are you implying Kisuke?"
"The scroll was kind of vague on specifics but I was able to accurately translate a section describing a weapon that can open and close something referred to as the 'door to a world.'"
Tessai looked at his friend in confusion "What exactly is a 'door to a world'?"
Kisuke frowned, "I'm not sure but it's safe to suggest it might be the most important thing in the world, no pun intended. Whatever this door turns out to be, the simple fact is something has upset the delicate balance between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. It's not too far out there to infer Ichigo's new powers relate to this door."
"How could Ichigo have upset the balance between the two worlds?" Tessai was mortified of such a suggestion. The last time the balance had come close to being disrupted the Soul Society nearly fell into anarchy, "Are his new powers similar to that of a quincy?"
"That's a very good question Tessai," Kisuke scratched his chin in thought. He knew Ichigo's ancestry quite well but with everything going on it would be unwise to make such rash assumptions, "But I don't think Ichigo's powers are based upon spiritual energy. When he emerged from the shattered shaft I couldn't feel anything from him. Even ordinary humans have a spiritual signature, a very weak one, but one nevertheless. Ichigo was invisible to my senses."
Kisuke frowned as he felt something off in the air, "I think what's happening here is a reaction from the Soul King to Ichigo's newfound powers. That thing will most likely do anything and everything to keep the world 'safe' and the balance maintained. If that means killing an innocent fifteen year old then that is what it will do."
Tessai narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, "Do you have any suggestion on how to proceed? It is unlike you to simply give up."
"Well…" Kisuke looked at the ground in front of him before continuing, "In any other circumstance I would use one of my several counter kidos to breach the space-time barrier kido around Ichigo and extract him. The only problem is the Royal Guard knows I'm here. The moment I step even an inch inside the barrier they'll cut me down. Perhaps if Yoruichi was here we could outrun them with shunpo."
"If that is the case then perhaps my assistance could be of help."
Kisuke and Tessai stared in shock as the familiar voice spoke from in the shadows near the shop. As the sound of footsteps crunching along gravel drew closer and closer the two ex-captains prepared for a fight they were not certain they could win. Drawing Benihime with one hand and adjusting his hat with the other Kisuke said, "It is quite the surprise to see you here of all people. I thought for sure someone like you would stay as far away from the limelight as possible."
The man smiled, causing the sunlight to reflect ominously off his glasses, "As the old say goes, desperate times call for desperate measures. Both our goals require Ichigo Kurosaki to live and it is for that reason I recommend putting our hostilities away, at least for the moment."
"Like I'll believe a word you say!" Tessai shouted and began silently casting a high level kido. As spiritual energy began to envelop his hands Kisuke stepped in front of him.
"Kisuke?"
"Let the kido go Tessai," Kisuke said seriously, "Despite what you and I may think, he has a point. So since you know so much about what is going on why don't you clue us in…Aizen Sosuke?"