DUTY AND HONOR Q&A

PLOT AND STORYLINE

How does your canon differ from Kubo-sensei's?

[POSSIBLE CANON SERIES SPOILERS] Early on, not by as much as you'd think (with the exception of the romantic bits). I started these stories back in late 2009, set in a general 'Post-War' timeline/universe, and then integrated a relatively minimal amount of Kubo-sama's canon into it as I went along. (The integration occurs in Bonds of Honor rather than RDBH, simply because I've spent a much longer time writing it!) My plot actively separates from Kubo's somewhere in and around Aizen attacking the fake Karakura Town. In the Duty and Honor series, Ichigo fights in the same manner and still loses his power due to his final attack.

In Duty and Honor, Ichigo and the Soul Society are still unaware of Isshin's true identity (as a former Shinigami Captain and former head of the Shiba Clan) after the War with Aizen, until it's revealed at the very end of RDBH. Just... assume that Isshin fought the final battle but stayed outside of everyone's sight and awareness, because I'm not going to go back and rewrite the entire battle, fight sequences are a pain in the neck. Ichigo's training in the Precipice World would have been undertaken by Yoruichi, Kisuke, or both, since they actually were aware of Isshin's identity.

Ichigo is returned to the Fourth Division for healing after the final battle, along with the rest of those who participated in the fight, and regains consciousness somewhat sooner than canon under Unohana's care. He spends a few days after waking up wandering around in Seireitei on the fringes of all the 'Yay we survived!' celebrations before returning to Karakura ahead of the final dissipation of his powers, where he spends the next year brooding. He regains his powers about a month before we see him in the early chapters of RDBH, which is part of why he's having so much trouble with his control. I am updating his early appearances in RDBH to reflect this, as when I started the series, I didn't anticipate him losing his powers at the end of the war. (The updated versions appear on AO3 only at this point.)

Gin is critically injured during the battle but survives, which is another major deviation from Kubo's plot.

Possibly the biggest difference between my series and canon is that Ichigo actually succeeded in killing Aizen at the end of the War, rather than Aizen being captured and imprisoned. This did, however, have the effect of allowing Aizen to manipulate the reincarnation cycle, bringing himself back as a human with his prior memories intact. The 'how' of that will be explained in the end... after I figure it out.

(Because I wasn't working on this series during the Xcution/Fullbringer arc, nothing at or beyond that point was integrated into the plot. You're welcome to assume that Ichigo got his power back working with them in the same manner he does in canon, except in Duty and Honor, his layup period is almost exactly a year, rather than 17 months. I don't have a precise headcanon for the restoration of Ichigo's powers here; if I'm *not* going with canon, it would be that they came back on their own within that timeframe because Ichigo's Hollow powers increase his spiritual healing ability and allowed his powers to reassert themselves in a much shorter time than Isshin's did.)

Byakuya's family is also a major deviation: while Byakuya's father was later revealed in canon to be Kuchiki Soujun, Kuchiki Ginrei's son, I had already, for purposes necessary to the plot (the angst! All the angst!) made Byakuya's father Kuchiki Kouga, a character seen in the non-canon Zanpakutou Rebellion anime filler arc, the wielder of Muramasa. In my series, Byakuya's mother was Kuchiki Ginrei's daughter, and his father was from outside the family, rather than the reverse. Kouga was also an adulterous bastard, and sired Ise Nanao, Hisana, and Rukia in various extramarital affairs.

(It's likely that Kouga himself was an offshoot of the Kuchiki Clan at some point in the past, because he manages to pass on the Clan's characteristic lavender/blue/grey eyes to his children rather than his own green. Yes, I know the genetic improbability of that. Genetics work differently for Shinigami. It's my story and I'm sticking to that.)

I stopped reading Bleach a while ago (just after the Fullbringer arc wrapped), and intentionally haven't caught up since it because I don't want to screw up the plotlines I still have in my head. I have peeked at/been informed of a few spoilers, so I basically know who dies, and a little of the why/how, but I haven't done any real research into the plots. However, I'm told I managed to correctly predict Isshin's former Squad as well his real identity, and the reappearance of Captain Hikifune. Who's reading whose plots here, Kubo-sama?

That said, assume that NOTHING from the beginning of the Fullbringer arc onward in canon has anything to do with Bonds of Honor, even if I DID accidentally predict Hikifune's reappearance. I'm retaining my original plotlines with regard to Ichigo's genetics/ancestry, Isshin and Ryuuken's relationship, and everything else that I am fully and/or marginally aware has been Jossed, or, in this case, Kuboed.

Is Aizen behind the Espada reincarnating?

Not intentionally. You'll notice that when he sees the reiatsu of Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Hallibel appear alongside Ichigo & Co. in chapter 27 that he's unaware of who/what they are/were. However, as Aizen used the Hogyoku both to create the Espada as well as to metamorphose into his evil butterfly self, it's entirely possible that he accidentally formed a link between himself and his Arrancar in the process, which could have served to draw their souls back into the human world after Aizen reincarnated.

WHY DID YOU KILL CHAD/TAKE HIS SOUL AWAY?

This is literally the most useless answer I can give you, but you'll see. It is explained, COMPLETELY explained, in later chapters. It is all explained. And you will not hate me for it as much as you did when he was killed and his soul very abruptly moved on.

[Post BoH Ch29] WHY DID YOU KILL [insert character here]?

See above. It's all tied in to the plot, I swear, I'm not just killing them off for personal enjoyment. And you can believe that, because I don't actually enjoy writing character deaths! It was in part my inability to face writing one of the deaths found late in the story that forced me to walk away from Bonds of Honor for so long - even though I'd had long discussions over it with the character in question, and I was the only one of us that seemed to have a problem with it!

How does Satoru know about Aizen?

So, being tortured for a few hours does *not*, in fact, make you an expert in being a torturer. Tsutomu was trying to stimulate an acupuncture point that would result in Satoru being knocked unconscious in order to keep him from overhearing Masa's ranting and so that he could be more easily transported. However, the point he hit rendered Satoru unable to voluntarily control any muscles, physically - but not mentally - simulating unconsciousness. Satoru was awake and aware while Masa was storming around ranting about Aizen, but completely unable to move, react, or otherwise give any indication of consciousness.