Me: Hello, again. I have one of my OCs here to disclaim.
Sayo Shihōin: SayoShihoinXKohAyamerei does own Bleach or Inuyasha. Believe me, it's a good thing she doesn't. ...*glances at pen name*...WHY'D YOU PAIR ME UP WITH HIM?
Me: O.o Maybe I should've called Koh instead...He's a big KohXSayo fan. Now excuse me as I run for my life.
1. Strange Occurrences and a Rescue Effort
Kagome Higurashi was climbing out of a well. She had not fallen in it. In fact she'd jumped inside. The reason she'd done this was because it was the link between her time, the modern day, and the Feudal Era, the time period she was climbing into now.
On her first visit she'd accidently broken the Shikon no Tama(1), and now with the help of a dog half-demon named Inuyasha, a cursed, lecherous monk named Miroku, a female demon slayer named Sango, Sango's two-tailed pet demon cat, Kirara, and a young fox demon named Shippo, she was collecting shards of the legendary jewel.
Kagome had recently gone back to her own time to take an important test for school. Now she was back, one day earlier than what she'd told her friends. She knew Inuyasha and the others would be pleased that they could continue their quest for the jewel shards a day earlier.
As she made her way down the path from the Bone Eater's Well(2) she noticed the glow of…a jewel shard? The shard was a few miles from the well(3), and was giving off a red aura. On closer inspection she realized WASN'T a jewel shard. But what was it? Another fake Shikon Jewel? Instinct told her no, it wasn't.
Curiosity almost got the best of her, but Inuyasha and the others weren't expecting her and if she got into trouble she'd be on her own. Her spiritual powers as a miko(4) weren't strong enough for her to fight a really strong demon yet.
She decided to go to Kaede's village(5) and tell Inuyasha and the others about the strange red spiritual presence.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi was NOT happy. Things had been fine, until he'd heard sounds of Captain Hitsugaya yelling "GET DOWN!" then the bumping and scraping the sounded like Captain Hitsugaya, the person carrying the communication crystal, was rolling on the ground. Then the crystal had fallen out of a hole that had been ripped in the pouch during the roll.
He'd seen the demons through the crystal, and he'd seen Rukia Kuchiki kill them. But then Captain Hitsugaya and Rukia Kuchiki had left the crystal behind! Not only that but they'd been separated from Nanao and Nemu.
He'd sent a messenger to Head Captain Yamamoto(6) to request the Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki(7) (he was expendable) and several other Soul Reapers to participate in the rescue of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Nanao Ise, Lieutenant Nemu Kurotsuchi and Squad Member Rukia Kuchiki. Based on what I saw through that crystal, they're going to need rescuing. Mayuri thought tiredly.
A member of the Reversal Counter Force of Onmitsukidō(8) in front of him. "Captain Kurotsuchi, the Head Captain has agreed to your request and has sent a hell butterfly(9) through the Senkaimon(10) to summon Ichigo Kurosaki. Byakuya Kuchikiand his lieutenant, Renji Abari, have also agreed to attempt the rescue. We'll give you a final word on how many are going in a few hours. In the meantime, the Head Captain wants you to make your preparations."
"Captain Kuchiki AND his lieutenant are going? Then who is going to head the sixth division?"
"From what I understand another lieutenant is going to be given temporary control over the sixth division."
"Which one?" Mayuri asked, his natural curiosity as a scientist influencing him to ask the Onmitsukidō officer.
"Lieutenant Sasakibe of the first squad," the intelligence officer said, uncomfortably. Mayuri was of higher rank than him and so he didn't withhold information, but as a member of the Stealth Force, it felt WRONG to give away information.
"Fine. Go away now! I have work to do! Unless you'd like to HELP me? Hmmm?"
The Stealth Force officer left faster than he would have if Mayuri had threatened him with his zanpakutō. People who "helped" Mayuri in his experiments tended to go missing…or they were never the same again. Mayuri knew his reputation, and he often used it to his advantage like he had just now.
"Tch," Mayuri said disapprovingly, "what a pathetic excuse for a Stealth Force officer. Nemu!" Then he paused, realizing whom he had just called out for. "Wretched woman, not here when I need her." Conveniently forgetting that HE had sent Nemu through the wormhole in the first place. He summoned his zanpakutō's spirit(11). For now Ashisogi Jizo(12) would take Nemu's place.
{Time Skip Because I'm Lazy and Want to Get the Plot Moving BADLY :P}
Standing before the Wormhole was the orange-haired Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, who for a change was in a gigai not his own body; the stoic, raven-haired Byakuya Kuchiki; the red pineapple-haired, tattooed Renji Abari; the dark-skinned, well-endowed, purple-haired, golden-eyed Yoruichi Shihōin and Yoruichi's number one fan, Captain Soifon of the Second Division and the Stealth Force, who had to long black braids wrapped in cloth with golden rings attached to the bottom of the braids and serious gray eyes.
"Captain Soifon," Mayuri said, "who will take over your division while—"
"My lieutenant," Soifon said stiffly, cutting off the self-proclaimed "scientist". She did not like that man. If fact, if Lady Yoruichi hadn't been going she wouldn't have volunteered.
"You'll have to forgive Soifon, Captain Kurotsuchi, she has no sense of adventure," Yoruichi said in a teasing voice.
Byakuya gave the Goddess of Flash(13) a withering look. He had never really liked his former mentor, who had helped him master Flash Step (shunpo). Werecat(14), he insulted her in his thoughts.
"Come on, something might've happened to Rukia while we were just standing here," Renji said. This caught Byakuya's attention. As Rukia's older brother he was very protective of her.
"Agreed," Byakuya said.
"Oh, yes!" Yoruichi said, "Before I forget, Kisuke said to give these to everyone but Ichigo and me, since we already have one." She said, passing out more miniature Substitute Soul Reaper Passes.
"Hat 'n' Clogs(15) made those?" Ichigo asked.
"Yes! If the user flares their spiritual pressure while it's touching them they'll be forced out of their body."
"Don't we already have gikongan?" Renji asked.
"What if we lost our gikongan? Then we'd all have to share Kurosaki's Substitute Soul Reaper Pass." Soifon said, defending Yoruichi.
"I thought we were leaving," Byakuya said coldly, impatient to save his younger sister.
"Right," Ichigo said, moving forward towards the Wormhole. Then he paused, "Anything I should know?" He asked Mayuri suspiciously. Very few people trusted Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
"Oh, yes. In the event you are separated, I have prepared separate Time Crystals for you all."
"Time Crystals?"
"These little red crystals, they will allow you to communicate with me and you can open temporary rips in space and time to travel back to here. You can even use them to communicate with other Time Crystals. I made them by solidifying some of the Mod Soul Noba's spiritual pressure. But be forewarned: It will use your spiritual pressure to open a Time Gate back here."
"'Kay, now let's go," said Renji anxiously.
Mayuri stepped aside and Yoruichi led the way through the red wormhole, Soifon following at her heels. Ichigo jumped through and Byakuya led Renji through. Mayuri watched them go.
"Why do I have the feeling I've forgotten something?" He asked himself.
"Hey, Ichigo," Renji began.
"Yes?"
"Won't that huge zanpakutō on your back attract a lot of attention?"
Ichigo paused. Now that Renji mentioned it, Zangetsu(16), his body-long zanpakutō, DID seem out of place.
"Don't worry, Ichigo!" Yoruichi said, pulling out a tattered cape from the folds of her orange jacket. Throwing it to him, she said, "I brought this because Kisuke and I figured that we'd need to cover Zangetsu up somehow."
As Ichigo was slinging his new cape over Zangetsu, muttering something about whether or not they thought Zangetsu's size was a hindrance, Soifon felt a familiar spiritual pressure.
"Isn't that Rukia Kuchiki's spiritual pressure?" Yoruichi observed. Soifon looked over at her admiringly. Of course she wouldn't have sensed it before Lady Yoruichi!
All three men snapped to attention at the mention of Rukia's name. Byakuya cared for Rukia as a sister, Renji cared for Rukia as a childhood friend and Ichigo cared for her as one of his friends who he'd promised to protect. In many ways the rescue effort was directed more at Rukia than group of Soul Reapers as a whole.
"Where?" Ichigo asked. Out of all five of the rescue party, Ichigo was by far the worst at sensing spiritual pressure.
"Come on," Yoruichi said.
Following Yoruichi, the group soon came to a spot on the trail where it was fairly evident a battle of sorts had taken place. The stones littering the ground were accented with dried, reddish brown blood, and grass was torn up. But the most obvious sign were the bodies.
"What are they?" Renji asked, bending down to examine a purple-scaled humanoid figure with white feathers growing out from its temples.
"I'd have to say demons," Yoruichi said, completely serious for a change.
"Demons, Lady Yoruichi?" Soifon asked.
"Well, they're not human," Ichigo observed.
Renji glanced his way, "What was your first clue?"
"Shut up, Renji!" Ichigo snapped.
Shrugging, Renji returned to his examinations of the purple-scaled demon.
"If this is what attacked the previous group, why didn't Captain Kurotsuchi warn us?" Byakuya mused aloud.
"Because he trusts us about as much as we trust him?" Ichigo guessed.
"No, I don't think that's quite right," Yoruichi said, "he may have just forgotten."
"Forgotten? You've got to be kidding me, Yoruichi…" Renji trailed off when he saw the murderous glare he was being given by Soifon.
"Hey! Come see what I found!" Ichigo's excited voice called out to the others in his group.
Byakuya and Soifon stayed on the trail while Yoruichi and Renji followed Ichigo's voice.
What they saw was a welcome surprise.
"Ice!" Renji exclaimed.
"Ice from Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki, based on the traces of spiritual pressure left on the ice," Yoruichi added.
Ichigo, grinning from ear to ear, said, "Yoruichi can you pick up their spiritual pressure?"
"…Nope," Yoruichi replied.
Ichigo's grin faded, "What? But…"
"Ichigo, you probably haven't noticed, considering how horrible at sensing spiritual pressure you are, but there are more people or demons in this small area with strong spiritual then there probably are in our either world. It could take months to untangle all of the spirit ribbons(17) and by then the trail would've gone cold." Renji explained.
"Damn it! And here I thought we'd found a lead!"
"Before you jump to conclusions of what this means, let me ask you something. Can you point out exactly where the Wormhole is?" Yoruichi asked.
"Ummmmm….over there?" Ichigo said, pointing.
"And if Rukia was here…" She prodded.
"Then they're going that way!" Renji concluded pointing in the opposite direction that Ichigo was pointing.
"Exactly."
{A Few Minutes Later}
"We should split up," Yoruichi announced. The silence that greeted that statement stretched out longer than Yoruichi would've been comfortable with. However, she stuck by her statement.
"Captain Kurotsuchi said we could use the crystals to communicate. AND the people we're looking for have split up. We'll cover more ground that way." She explained.
"I think it's a good idea," Soifon said immediately.
"…It makes sense, why not?" Ichigo sighed.
"3 out of 5, what do think Renji?" Yoruichi asked.
"I'll do it if Captain Kuchiki agrees." Renji said.
"…Very well. But we should pair off," Byakuya said.
"There are 5 of us!" Ichigo interjected.
"No, it's reasonable. Soifon and me, Renji and you, Ichigo and that leaves Byakuya alone, or do you want me to travel alone, Byakuya?" Yoruichi asked.
"I'm fine by myself," Byakuya snapped.
Ichigo and Renji blinked. It was the most emotion they'd seen out of him since they'd known him—respectively. But that was hardly surprising. Yoruichi had always known how to get under Byakuya's skin.
As the three groups went their separate ways, a demon crow eyed the lone man, who seemed to be staying to further investigate the ambush sight. His masters would be pleased that he'd found a vulnerable target. He went off to report it.
Nemu was busy studying some of the plants, still intent on researching the alternate world like they were sent to in the first place. Meanwhile, Nanao was preparing some of the food from the provisions in her pack.
After the demons had attacked, they'd tried to make their way towards where they'd seen Toshiro and Rukia last. But the demons had pushed them back, until they were forced to retreat away from their comrades.
When they'd come back later, there'd been no sign of Toshiro or Rukia. So Nanao had picked a random direction and started walking in that direction, Nemu obediently following.
Reflecting on the ambush, she found it strange that the demons had been waiting for them on a seemingly deserted game trail. Almost like they'd been warned ahead of time...
When Kagome walked into Kaede's village, she saw Sango and Miroku sitting outside Kaede's house. Sango was absentmindedly petting Kirara. Miroku was sitting, rubbing a red slap mark on his cheek.
"Sango! Miroku!" She called out.
They looked up in surprise. "Kagome!"
"You're back early," Miroku observed.
"Yep. Hey where's Inuyasha?"
"Chasing Shippo around the forest. Shippo played a prank on him and Inuyasha didn't take it very well."
"Oh well. On my way here I saw something that looked like a jewel shard—but DIFFERENT. I was hoping we could go check it out."
"Do you think its another fake Shikon no Tama?" Miroku asked.
"It's more similar to that than the real one, but I don't think so."
"Well, we're not going to find out standing here," Sango said, shouldering her Hirakotsu(18).
"All right. Are we going to ride on Kirara?" Kagome asked fondling the small demon cat's ears.
"It'll be faster that way."
Kagome backed off as flames enveloped Kirara as she transformed into a gigantic, two-tailed, saber-toothed cat.
Kirara bent down and Kagome, Sango and Miroku were soon flying in the direction of the mysterious jewel shard.
1. Shikon no Tama: The Shikon Jewel. A powerful pink jewel said to grant any wish. It was created when the soul of a powerful miko4 and the soul of a powerful demon became one during a vicious battle.
2. Bone Eater's Well: A well in which the nearby villagers dispose of the bones of slain demons.
3. …a few miles from the well…: Kagome is one of the few people who can see shards of the Shikon jewel. Her powers allow her to see jewels even if they are miles away. There is a limit to how far they have to be for her to sense them, however.
4. Miko: Priestess/Shrine Maiden. A human female with large amounts of spiritual energy, a pure heart and powers of purification.
5. Kaede's village: I'm not sure what the village name actually is. It's the place Inuyasha and Kagome met and the most recent home of the Shikon Jewel. It's the closest village to the Bone Eater's well and serves as a sort of base to Inuyasha and his friends. Kaede is the miko of the village.
6. Head Captain Yamamoto: The Captain of the First Division. The leader of the Soul Society (because Central 46 is still dead).
7. Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki: A human with Soul Reaper powers given to him by Rukia Kuchiki. One of the most powerful warriors in the Soul Society but he's technically not an official Soul Reaper.
8. Onmitsukidō: The Stealth Force/Punishment Force/Secret Mobile Unit/Special Forces/Covert Ops. Lead by the Shihōin clan leader (but because the current clan leader, Yoruichi Shihōin, abandoned her title, Soifon is the leader of the Stealth Force now). The are five branches: Executive Militia (assassination of law-breakers, or missions involving combat), Patrol Corps (intelligence gathering), Detention Unit (supervision of criminals), Unknown Division and Reversal Counter Force (covert message-bearers).
9. Hell Butterfly: What Soul Reaper use to carry messages that aren't covert. Also, Hell Butterflies act as guides to the Soul Society.
10. Senkaimon: World Penetration Gate. The Soul Society and the World of the Living are parallel worlds. The Senkaimon is the gate used to travel between the two worlds. The Senkaimon is the only (not to mention safe) way to enter the Soul Society besides Konsō (Soul Burial), which is a one-way ticket for lost souls ONLY.
11. Zanpakutō Spirit: The true (humanoid) appearance of the zanpakutō.This story takes place during the Zanpakutō Rebellion/Sword Beast Filler Arcs. Their zanpakutō spirits would just attract attention, so instead they're carrying them within their swords like usual. However, the zanpakutō WILL make an appearance later on.
12. Ashisogi Jizō: Leg-Cutting Jizō (A Jizō is a benevolent spirit that takes the appearance of a baby in Buddhist monk's robes and looks after children). Mayuri Kurotsuchi's zanpakutō. Its release command is "Rip". It takes the form a golden, deformed trident with a baby's face where the three prongs meet. Anything cut by Ashisogi Jizō is paralyzed and cannot move. They can still feel pain, however. Mayuri has achieved Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō (Golden Let-Cutting Jizō). Ashisogi Jizo's true form is a being with a golden baby's head, butterfly wings, a silver halo and ripped robes.
13. Goddess of Flash: Flash Master. Yoruichi is fastest at Flash Step. Therefore she earned the title Goddess of Flash or Flash Master.
14. Werecat: Yoruichi has the power to turn into a cat. A younger Byakuya used to call her "werecat" because of this.
15. Hat 'n' Clogs: Kisuke Urahara wears straw bowl hat and wooden clogs. Ichigo calls him "Mr. Hat and Clogs" because of this. I've shortened slightly. Maybe Ichigo will call him by his full nickname later.
16. Zangetsu: Moon Slayer/Moon Cutter. Zangetsu is Ichigo's zanpakutō. It's in constant Shikai state and cannot be sealed because Ichigo can't control his sheer amount of spiritual pressure. Zangetsu does not have a release command because it is ALREADY released. Ichigo, unlike Rukia, has achieved Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu (Heavenly Chains Cutting Moon). Zangetsu's true form is a middle-aged man with long black hair and shades over his eyes. He wears a formless tattered black robe.
17. Spirit Ribbons/Reiraku: Spirit ribbons are a visualization of spiritual pressure. Spirit ribbons are white UNLESS they belong to a Soul Reaper. ONLY SOUL REAPERS have RED Spirit Ribbons.
18. Hirakotsu: The bone that flies back. Sango's weapon. It is a giant boomerang made with the bones of demons that her village had previously slain.