AN: Hello everyone, I hope you all enjoy this Chapter! The Bleach characters are finally in play! This starts off from Bleach Chapter 239 as the opening scene's for Ichigo and the gang. Up dates will not always happen fast. I currently have a few chapters already written for this story that I am editing, once I am caught up with what I have already written, up dates will take some time. For further NaruHina pairing development that happens between the prologue and this chapter of the story I have a little side story that I am working on called 'Moon Lit Rendezvous' for those who love NaruHina! :D
Disclaimer: This story is mine, the characters and their worlds are not, they belong to their original creators only!
Chapter 1
He sat on the edge of his bed, his orange hair being ruffled by the breeze blowing in the bedroom window behind him, staring intently at his newly healed right hand. 'They're wrong. I know they are wrong! There is no way she would betray us! Not Orihime!' He thought to himself, unconsciously clenching his hand.
Ichigo stood up, new determination rolling off him in waves. 'They tell me that I am not permitted to go after her, to rescue her, well screw that!' He thought as he crossed the room to his desk where his combat pass lay. Picking it up he pressed it quickly to his chest, he could feel his mortal self fall away, this black shinigami robes billowing out around him and the weight of his massive sword resting heavily upon his back. 'I will save you Orihime! I won't abandon you! Just stay safe, I will be there as soon as I can!' He thought as his jumped out of his bedroom window, landing nimbly on the sidewalk below before taking off at a run for Kisuke Urahara's shop.
Ichigo slowed to a walk as he rounded the last corner, the front of Urahara's shop finally coming into view.
"Welcome! I was wondering when you would show up." The robed, blonde man said from the shadows by the door. A long trail of smoke wafting up from his pipe.
"Urahara…" Ichigo began.
"You want me to get you to Hueco Mundo right? That is what you came here to ask me to do isn't it?" Urahara said, as he peered out at Ichigo from under his striped hat, a knowing grin on his face. "Well, come right this way, all the preparations have been made and we have no time to lose." He said as he moved into the dark interior of his shop.
They moved quickly to the entrance to the secret underground training area and leapt in. "I was worried that Aizen might target Orihime's special abilities, but I didn't remove her from helping with the battle preparation in time to protect her. I am at fault for that Ichigo, and for that I apologize. So I will do whatever I can to help you get her back." Urahara said as they moved along the training ground.
"You'll get into trouble for helping me won't you?" Ichigo asked.
"Maybe, but I'm always in trouble for something, so I wouldn't worry too much." Urahara replied waving off Ichigo's concern.
"Such a long face, what's wrong Ichigo, scared?"
Ichigo whipped around at the sound of the taunting voice. "Uryu! What are you doing here?" He said surprised to see him sitting casually on a large boulder nearby.
"Are you dense?" Uryu said, jumping down off of the boulder. "It's obvious isn't it?"
"We wish to save Orihime too." Said a very tall young man as he appeared, walking around another large boulder.
"Chad! You're here too!" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise. "But are you sure you guys should go? I mean with your strength and all….."
"Aaahhrrrrr!" Chad growled as he activated the strength in his arm and through a powerful punch at Ichigo, who barely blocked the punch with his sword. "She is our friend too. Please believe in us Ichigo!" He said. "You don't have to do this alone."
"All right now! I need your attention please!" Urahara said, loudly clapping his hands to get the boy's attention. "I need to explain a few things to you before we begin! I will shortly be opening a gateway to Hueco Mundo that is used by Hollows and Arrancars known as the Garganta, in which you will be forced to use the abundant spirit particles within the portal to make a path. You must stay together and head straight into the blackness. Do NOT hesitate nor deviate from your path once inside! If you lose your way I cannot guarantee that I can get you back safely, nor can I guarantee you will even arrive in a world you will recognize! The Garganta not only connects the realm of the living to Hueco Mundo and Soul Society but to other dimensions of reality as well!" As he gave his warning he jumped to the top of one of two large wooden pillars located in the center of the training grounds. "I will be monitoring your progress from this side in the event that something goes wrong so that I will be able to try and rescue you, but there are no guarantees! Any questions?!" He asked, calling down to the group below him.
After a moment of silence he continued "Good!" He said turning to face the second pillar and raising his cane. "Now we begin! IN MY RIGHT HAND I HOLD THE STONE THAT CONNECTS THE BORDERS OF WORLDS, IN MY LEFT HAND I HOLD THE BLADE THAT BINDS EXISTENCE, THE BLACK HAIRED SHEPHERD, THE SEAT OF THE NOOSE, A BANK OF CLOUDS COMES, STRIKING US AND THE CRESTED IBIS!" Urahara shouted as a ragged line formed between the two pillars which opened into a gaping, eye shaped black hole. "Move quickly everyone and be safe!" He said in farewell as Ichigo, Uryu and Chad leapt into the abyss.
Aizen narrowed his eyes at the image before him. 'So they are coming then.' He thought. "You may end this now Ulquiorra." He said to the Teal eyed Arrancar next to him. Turning, he looked down at the group of Arrancar soldiers gathered below him. "Rudbornn, I need you and your men to go and delay Ichigo for me. Do what you must to prevent him from making it through the Garganta, but do don't kill him or his friends. They do not need to die yet, I may have use for them." He said, addressing the Arrancar with the bull shaped mask below him.
"Yes lord Aizen." The Arrancar known as Rudbornn Chelute said, bowing deeply. "Let's go." He said to the four men behind him. They were four of his Calaveras, and as such were all dressed in matching white robes with full, skeletal helmets. Turning, they moved as a group out of Aizen's great hall and out of Las Noches, Aizen's castle, to a spot where they opened a small Garganta and leapt into the abyss, the Garganta closing behind them.
Tsunade studied the four squads of shinobi gathered before her. "Thank you for assembling so quickly." She said, gaining everyone's attention. I have a mission of vital importance to Konoha that needs to be taken care of. There has been reports of two members of Akatsuki moving across the border of the Land of Fire! Team Kakashi, you will be taking the lead on this, Yamato, you will be taking team Kurenai who will be the primary scouts for this mission. Shikamaru, you will be leading team Asuma, you and team Guy will provide support for team Kakashi!" She said, earning nods from the appointed team leaders. "We cannot afford to allow them reach Konoha! You must stop them!"
"Yes Hokage-sama!" The group before her chorused.
"Kakashi, Yamato, Guy and Shikamaru, remain for further briefing, everyone else, you leave in one hour from the south gate, DISMISSED!" Tsunade ordered. Once the other shinobi had left her makeshift office, she turned to the four team leaders that remained. "I must brief you on what is currently an S ranked secret that may affect the mission that you are about to embark upon." She began, making eye contact with each of the shinobi before her. "While this would not normally be considered an S ranked secret, but because of the people involved, and with the threat that Akatsuki poses, it has been deemed necessary. The parties involved have already been briefed and this information is on a need to know basis. Hiashi Hyuga, clan leader of the Hyuga and per tradition of the Hyuga clan, has formed a betrothal contract for his daughter Hinata. The official announcement of the betrothal will be in December when Hinata turns 17 and until then, or until circumstances change, this information is top secret. The reason for this, as I am sure you are wondering why at this point, is because she is betrothed to Naruto."
"Pshh, how troublesome." Shikamaru said, fully understanding the implications should Akatsuki find out about the betrothal.
"Ahh, how youthful! Once we can, we need to properly congratulate your most youthful student Kakashi!" Guy said excitedly as he turned to his gray haired friend.
"Definitely." Kakashi said, giving Guy a smile before turning a meaningful look upon Yamato. They looked at each other, neither needing words to state just how worried they were. For they both knew that should anything happen to Hinata, controlling Naruto would prove an impossibly hard task.
"Kakashi, Yamato, judging by your reaction, I don't believe I need to explain just how bad things could go if anything goes wrong. You're dismissed." Tsunade said, sitting back into her chair. 'Be safe gaki.' She thought as she started on the next pile of reports on her desk.
They moved quickly through the trees. So fast in fact that if you were to merely blink, they would be out of sight. Team Kurenai, moving in a fanned out formation, led the way with team Kakashi hot on their heels. Team Asuma flaking to their right and team Guy flanking to their left. They had been traveling at top speed for an hour and were fast approaching the area where they believed they would most likely to intercept the Akatsuki.
Hinata quietly signaled the appearance of a lone figure up ahead causing the group to slow their approach. Stopping as the figure came into view of the rest of the shinobi.
"OH YAY! LOOK! LOOK! LOOK! LEAF NINJA HAVE COME TO PLAY WITH TOBI! TOBI HAS BEEN SUCH A GOOD BOY!" The one eyed, masked Akatsuki member shouted as he danced from foot to foot clapping excitedly. "OH AND NARUTO-KUN TOO! WHAT GAMES SHALL WE PLAY?!"
Ichigo ran swiftly, a glowing path of reishi forming under his sandals as he ran with Chad close behind.
Uryu, who was running on a path just next to and slightly ahead of Ichigo, spotted something just ahead. "Hey, do you guys see that? What the hell is that?" He asked.
"I have no idea!" Ichigo replied.
"Shit! It's an Arrancar!" Uryu said, having been able to pick up on its spiritual pressure as they got closer.
"Damn! What the hell are we going to do! We can't fight in here!" Ichigo said, frustration evident in his voice.
"No idea." Chad said from behind him.
"Well, we have to think of something, and fast!" Uryu replied.
"It's too late." Said a calm voice as the Arrancar with the bull shaped mask appeared before them, forcing them to halt. His four white clad men forming a line behind him. He raised his hand slowly, "Aizen-sama does not wish for your deaths, you should be grateful." He said. As his hand stopped, he gave the slightest of gestures and his men darted forward, swords drawn.
"DAMN IT!" Ichigo shouted, drawing his sword to try and block as the white clad soldiers attacked. One of them tried to cut him across the chest while another came at him from the side, breaking his concentration for a moment. Not far away, Uryu was having similar problems.
"Ichigo!" Chad said urgently from behind. "The path!"
"What the hell?!" Ichigo said, looking down at both his and Uryu's reishi paths as they disintegrated from beneath them. As they began to fall, a jagged tear opened up beneath them. The bull masked Arrancar could be heard saying from above them, "Did you really believe Aizen-sama would allow your approach?"
As they fell through the jagged tear a feeling like static electricity ran over their skin and for a moment they seemed to stop and almost float before returning to free fall. The blackness giving way to blue sky. Ichigo watched as the jagged black rip closed behind them, leaving nothing but bright sunshine and large, puffy clouds.
'Shit! Were still falling, how are we going to land!' He thought to himself as he used his spiritual pressure to right himself so he could see where they were falling too. His eyes opened wide. Below them lay not Urahara's training room, as he half expected, nor Karakura town, not even Soul Society. No, below them lay a green forest of extensive size, and they were approaching it rapidly. "Uryu! Chad! Prepare for landing!" He shouted to his friends as they fell into the top of the canopy with a crash.