Ichigo screamed. He couldn't help it. He had faced dozens of foes since the day he first received his Shinigami powers from Rukia Kuchiki, and almost always been in some state of intense pain. Yet, every battle he'd fought in paled in comparison to the beating he was getting from the Time Passage Uruhara's Jikan scroll had opened.
It was absolutely unbearable. While he felt as though he was falling endlessly through the air, spinning wildly as he fell, he also felt the strange feeling as though he was shooting up into the heavens, rocketing up with a force that could knock his soul clear to another galaxy. His body was burning from an intense heat that could make Ryūjin Jakka's attacks feel like dying embers, and yet he felt as though his entire frame was gripped in a frosty bite more powerful than Hyourinmaru's slashes. He felt as though his blood was being drained from every pore, and at the same time felt as though all the blood was rushing to his head would explode at any second. And as if that wasn't bad enough, it felt as though his soul was being consumed by a huge monster, from the inside out.
In other words, he felt like crap.
You think you got it bad, Kingy?! he heard his annoying HollowfiedZanpakuto shout angrily within his mind. Try bein' inside your inner world while this is goin' on! It's like a nine-point earthquake's going on in here! Ichigo growled at his darker half and shot back a quick reply.
Well, I'm sorry, but I can't really do much about it, Hichigo! Ichigo shouted, grimacing from the pain on his body and the pain in his neck. I'm barely surviving here, so I really do not need your criticism right now, dude!
Well, sorry Kingy, but as long as your inner world's in chaos, you'll be screwed! Which means I'll be screwed, and I don't want that! Ichigo sighed, shaking his head.
Why can't Zangetsu ever tell me what I need to do? Why do I always have to get this kind of advice from this over-bleached piece of—
I believe what Hichigo is trying to say, Ichigo, Zangetsu announced, finally making his appearance, is that you will not be able to leave the Time Passage as long as you are internally in turmoil. He paused, trying to find the right way to explain their predicament. It's like attaining any of your powers, be they Hollow or Shinigami. You need to focus less on the problem itself, Ichigo, and still your soul.
Yeah, Kingy! Hichigo added, jumping back in. Ol' Man Zangetsu's right! Stop freakin' out like some little girl, man up, and get us out of this freaky place! I don't wanna die just yet!
Ichigo rolled his eyes at his white photo-copy of himself and clenched his eyes shut. Okaaay…so how do I do that exactly? He could almost hear both parts of his Zanpakuto sigh in annoyance, Hichigo adding quite a few swearwords to his sighs.
First, take a deep breath. Don't worry so much about what's going on. Breathe, relax. Ichigo nodded slowly, taking a long breath. After a few moments, he could feel the pain slowly slipping away. Before long, the burning was dulled down to a light sting, the frost to dull numbness, and the feeling of falling out of control became more…relaxed. Ichigo cautiously opened his eyes, and sighed. He was still in the darkness, but at least he wasn't in severe pain.
Yeah, look on the bright side, Kingy, he heard his Hollow mock, we may be lost in the Time Passage, stuck between times, and may never see the light of day again, but at least we don't feel like we just took on all of the Captains at once! Ichigo growled angrily, but Hichigo ignored him, continuing. So now that we are done falling, maybe you can put that thing between your ears to some good use, and get us out of here, because as far as I can tell, we're still stuck!
Hichigo, don't get your panties in a twist, Ichigo muttered bitterly, a small smirk growing on his face as he felt his inner demon send him a piercing scowl. So, Zangetsu, we've stopped. What's next?
The powerful, older-looking spirit frowned. This next part is difficult. In order to open the gateway to another time, you need to focus on a time that will be best for us to enter into. You need to remain focused and relaxed, otherwise we'll just end up falling through chaos again.
And knowing your skills with focusing, we could end up falling for quite some time, Hichigo added, sneering venomously.
Then I just have to focus, and we'll be fine, Hichigo! Ichigo shot back angrily. Sighing, he closed his eyes, trying to picture a set time to return to. The problem, though, was he just couldn't decide on when to return. If he came back during his life time, he could end up causing one of those crazy rifts in time and space that destroy the whole world. Besides, Aizen's mark was too deep even then. If he just returned to the day he became a Shinigami, the Visoreds would still be hurt by Aizen's power, and the Shinigami Realm would still be in chaos from his betrayal. But, if Ichigo went too far back, he might get lost, or killed. He wanted to change everything…but how far back would he have to go to actually make a big enough difference?
I know this is troubling Ichigo, but just trust yourself. Your soul will guide you to the right exit. Ichigo nodded at the Sword Spirit's words and closed his eyes again. His breathing became even, steady, and slow. He cast his mind out as far as he could, and clenched his fists tightly.
I just…I just want to fix everything…
Suddenly, before Ichigo could think, he felt a strong presence tug on his shihakushō, pulling him back down the tunnel of time. His eyes opened again, and after a few moments, a large grin grew across his face. Right in front of him, cutting through the darkness of the passage, was door-shaped opening, glowing with bright, ethereal light. Ichigo smirked and leaned forward, gaining momentum as he shot towards the doorway. Here goes nothing!
The bright light burned into his eyes and shocked his senses, but he pushed on, grinning as his vision began to clear. Bright blue skies above him, with small clouds aimlessly easing along, long rows of houses and villas built in an old Japanese style of architecture, and the feeling of pure reishi seeping into his veins and filling his soul with happiness; there was no doubting it, Ichigo had made it back to the Shinigami Realm.
"Yes! It actually worked…" It was then that Ichigo realized where he was. Two-hundred feet above the dome-like barrier of the Seireimon, frozen in the middle of the air. Before Ichigo could try to stop himself, gravity caught up with him, and he plummeted.
"HAT-N-CLOGGGSSSS!" Ichigo shouted at the top of his lungs, bracing himself for the impact. As soon as he hit the barrier, he shot off, like a cannonball out of a cannon, into the Rukongai. He was certain people were staring and pointing, but he ignored them. He was more worried about where he was going to land. Which ended up being in the middle of a field, forming an large crater several meters wide and several feet deep. Ichigo groaned painfully, the exhaustion and abuse finally hitting him.
"Crap," Ichigo managed to mutter before blacking out.
"I am sorry, Kaien Shiba, but you are not yet ready to join the ranks of the Shinigami, even as a student." The black-haired boy stared in shock at the Shin'ō Academy Representative. The elder soul's words rang, clear and sharp, through his ears, their painful truth they told cutting him down like no Zanpakuto could. Slowly, Kaien stared at his hands, set on his knees, their knuckles buckling into bone-white fists. He was certain that his fingernails were cutting into his skin now, but he didn't care about that now. All Kaien could feel was shock, plain and full.
Another Shinigami stood up and moved to the back of the room. "You may attempt again, in one year's time, if you still feel like you would wish to join the Gotei 13, Kaien Shiba," he said, frowning, "but, honestly, I think it's time you gave up." Kaien looked up, bewilderment strewn across his face. "Think about it, Kaien. Every year, you come to this building, a confident grin on your face, and show your skills to the Shinigami who are attending, Shinigami who have the same skills you have, and have refined them far more than you ever could. And every year, you fail the exam, often times horribly. I know you want to join the ranks of the Shinigami like your uncle, Isshin Shiba, head of the Shiba Clan, did fifteen years ago, but you are not your uncle. I'm sorry, but I seriously think you should just stop having these fantasies of joining the Gotei 13, and move on with your life."
Kaien stared at the ground again for a few moments, before shaking his head and slowly pulling himself to his feet. "Thank you for that insight, Shinigami-dono," Kaien said, bowing his head in respect, "but, if I held the same mentality that you believe I should hold, then I would fail at everything I seek after." The Shinigami sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"So, I suppose that you are to be expected again, in one year's time?" Kaien nodded, grinning.
"Of course! I still have a chance to make it, don't I? I'll see you again in a year, Shinigami-dono." Smirking a bit, he turned on his heel and left the large room. The Shinigami watched him leave and smiled, shaking his head. He was a curious one, that Kaien. He would have to keep a close eye on him, if he did ever manage to make it into the Gotei 13.
"But that would take a miracle!" he said to aloud, chuckling a bit. The Shinigami let out a long sigh at this, then turned back towards the entrance and moved on towards the Seireitei, leaving his fellow Shinigami behind to deal with the rest of the hopeless trash the Rukongai carried. Captain Hirako wouldn't be happy if he appeared late again. Smirking coolly, Sōsuke Aizen slowly slipped into the Seireitei, leaving the Rukongai far behind him.
Kaien sighed as he slowly moved along the road back to the Shiba Mansion. He was in no great hurry to return to the place. When he did get there, no doubt he would be surrounded by his little brother Ganju and his little sister Kūkaku, and the blitzkrieg of questions about his entrance exam would begin. Kaien grimaced as he thought of young Ganju, the little boy's eyes wide with excitement at the thought of his brother becoming a Shinigami. He'd be crushed when that same brother would have to tell him it would be a little while longer before he became a Shinigami, if the possibility even existed still. Frowning, Kaien came to a stop just beyond the dusty streets of the Rukongai and looked out over the rolling fields beyond the city.
Where had he gone wrong? Kaien had always been completely confident in his abilities. He was unbelievably intelligent for a soul of such young an age, only about one-hundred years, as well as being extremely skilled in all kinds of kidō spells. The Shinigami were extremely impressed by his amount of reiatsu control, as well as his knowledge of hadō and bakudō. And his speed was incredible; only one of the Shinigami present had managed to out-pace him, though he had been from the Onmitsukidō, so it seemed fair. The only thing he really could seriously work on would have to be Zanjutsu, seeing as he didn't have a Zanpakuto yet. Sighing, Kaien stared down at the valley. If that was the one thing he had to work on, then why had he been forced to stay back?
Sighing, Kaien shook his head free of such negative thoughts and began trudging his way down to the Shiba Mansion. Accent on began. About halfway down the hill, Kaien suddenly came to a stop, his eyes wide. Sitting at the base of the hill was a huge crater, almost twenty feet in diameter, and six feet deep. And lying at the bottom was a man with spiky orange hair, a Soul Reaper's cloak, and two large, ōdachi-style blades that stood erect in the earth on either side of him. But what shocked the young Shiba the most, though, was the fact that the man before him looked just like him, except for his vibrant hair of course.
Kaien stared at the downed Shinigami for a moment or two longer and then shook himself firmly. Quickly, he walked down to the crater, picked him up, and continued on his way to the Shiba Mansion. Who the man was, and why he had Kaien's face didn't matter at that moment; right now, this man needed help, and Kaien could give it to him.