Now, I don't normally do this, but one review certainly did catch my eye – after all, it was such a long one! Nartog, my dear fellow, you have hit jackpot with many of your guesses! Are you perhaps from a future dimension? Either way, I will indeed give one hint to where the story may go: poor Ichigo will experience many relationship problems soon! Ah, the joys of writing humor…
Still, we're on the Soul Society arc for now, so expect action, suspense, and… humor!
And a thounsand apologies for being so long to update!
Prelude and Preparation
"Here, I brought lunch. Hanataro?"
"She hasn't come for a long time. Maybe she was caught."
Some old memories of being in the Kenpachi Division stirred in Renji. "Maybe she chickened out. Huh, won't be needin' this, I guess." She flung a bento at the other Shinigami – she held a total of three.
Ichigo caught it gratefully. Renji put down her load and started eating her own lunch. She gave Ichigo many strange looks, until he couldn't help but say, "If you have something you wanna say to me, don't just sit there and give me weird looks!"
Renji stammered. "Uh… how did you know Captain Aizen was gonna die?"
Ichigo smirked. Time for a little time/dimension-traveler style cryptic answer. Heh, Urahara must've started to rub off on me. "I have my sources."
"Oh, well, she's dead. They found the body this morning. They're thinking of murder. But it is just a gigai, right?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. H- She's lurking around in the Central 46 chambers, probably practicing her victory speech or something."
He noticed that Renji still looked uncomfortable. It was the look Ichigo recognized as the one Renji wore when he was doing something that he felt was wrong.
"Did something happen?" he asked, concerned.
"Momo and Kira started fighting and got locked up." She hung her head in despair. "I-I just wanted to tell them so bad! They're nice guys, they're my friends! I couldn't just watch them getting so upset over nothing…"
She looked so upset. Ichigo frowned. He thought he was preventing misery with his plan of stopping Aizen once and for all, but now he was beginning to have doubts. Okay, now Urahara has definitely rubbed off on me. "Don't worry. We'll get Aizen back for this. Just keep quiet and pretend that you don't know anything."
The vice-captain nodded. She decided to speak of happier things. "You should have seen Captain Kuchiki's face when I told her I killed you. I mean, you did scare captain Ichimaru off – hah, she looked kinda smug. I didn't even know she had expressions."
Ichigo wasn't listening. Finishing the last of his meal, he stood up. "Okay. If I go and flare my reiastu a bit Yoruichi should come. I'm gonna try that. Keep an eye out for her, okay?"
"Sure. This Refined Operation Aizen, are you sure it'll work? I don't know… if she managed to fool the entire Gotei 13…"
This got Ichigo riled up again. "Fine. Go run back to your Captain or whatever. Don't save Rukia. Heck, you can even tell Byakuya you lied about defeating me. Maybe he'll lock you up and everything can go back to the way it was supposed to be."
Renji gulped. Senbonzakura… a thousand tiny blades..."Nah, I'll wait."
As Ichigo disappeared to the surface, Renji muttered, "And the Captain's a girl, dumbass."
Meanwhile…
"It looks like a giant metal lollipop, Kisuke."
Urahara had to admit that the cat-woman was right. "Well, the swirly design is optional, but I think it looks nice." The scientist answered. "Besides, it'll match the new wallpaper."
Byakuya frowned. This madman was using his money to rebuild the machine after all. "When the Kuchiki family volunteered to fund this project, we did not agree to pay for decorating costs."
"Oh, come on, Byakuya-bo. You have so much money could gild your breakfast every day if you wanted to. Besides, you're doing this for the good of the Soul Society. Think about it. Now everyone one will say, 'Hey look, there's Ichigo! Remember who saved him?'"
"The Kooo-cheeee-keee Fa-muh-leee!" Urahara supplied. The duo then started to cheer, and shove praise on the Kuchiki Clan.
Kyoraku tried to help his old friends out. Staggering over to the already – silently – fuming noble, he slung an arm over his thin shoulders and drawled out, "Yesh, thunk about it Bee-yuah-ku-yah-kun, you'll gain sho much shocial shtanding."
The small storage room – otherwise known as the Temporary Substitute Shinigami Retrieval Department – fell silent.
Ukitake coughed, but it was not one brought by his sickness. Urgently he whispered to his drunken friend, "Um, he kind of already is at the top of the social ladder. Bit of a family trait, being a noble and a captain and all…"
Awkward silence.
Urahara dared to break it. "Well, now, Lord Kuchiki, how about you go inform that wonderful and beloved sister of yours that I have the blueprints for the machine. Once I get the materials and place to build it, I'll have it finished in the blink of an eye."
The Kuchiki blinked. Although it may have served some simpler purpose – the room was a little dusty, after all – the rest of the room swallowed nervously.
"Uh, run along now, better not keep Rukia waiting!"
"Yes, go on Byakuya-bo, no need to stand cooped up in here with us old fossils."
"I'll have the machine done in no time. Ichigo will be back here soon enough!"
"LET'SH HAVE A DRINK SHOMTIME, 'KAY?"
The youngest in the room left – with shunpo. He slammed the door behind him too, although it was pretty heavy in the first place.
"Wut?" the drunkard asked. It appeared that all of his friends seemed really angry.
"Shunsui… you're not helping."
"A TALKING CAT?"
Renji immediately chucked her near-emptysaké bottle into the churning waters of the sewer. She had thought of taking advantage of her 'to-be-traitor' position and having a nice drink – now it seemed she was paying the price.
"Come quickly. Ichigo's waiting." With that brief message, the black cat leapt out of the sewer. "I'm afraid he's… a little tied up at the moment."
"Wait, what? Who are you? Why are you talking? Am I dreaming? Damn!"
After one last glance around, she left – leaving poor old Hanataro to her own devices.
And what her quick last glance did not register was a shadowy figure hurrying away down the complex sewers of Sereitei.
"I don't get it, why do you run away?"
Clang.
The intruder scoffed. "I don't see why you're so keen to find out."
Slash. Block. Clang.
"I thought you said all you wanted to do was fight." With that, Ichigo took off again, ducking and weaving through maze-like passages. The Kenpachi wasn't far behind.
He paused for a moment, waiting for the bloodthirsty woman to catch up to him. To his surprise, she appeared around the next corner in front of him. Once again he parried her blows. This time Kenpachi said, "You're running in circles. You take care to make sure the way you run is twisted and confusing. You wait when I fall behind. And you're strong enough to block my blows, but you've never tried to attack me. Why is that?"
Swish. Dodge.
Sidestepping behind the massive battle-scarred woman, Ichigo again fled with shunpo.
When they met again, Kenpachi answered herself. "You're trying to distract me."
This time the Ryoka smiled.
"You don't have to, you know. I just want to fight you – I ain't gonna rat out your friends. Look, I'll even help you. If you fight me, I'll do anything you want. And I don't care what people say, I don't break promises after a good fight."
"I'm afraid it's the fighting part I'm afraid of. I suppose I'm just using you. Look, both of us are exchanging blows and flaring reiastu. Most people are gonna think you're fighting me, and to not interfere. I'm counting on that."
"Oh, so you're not trying to distract me?" Kenpachi sounded almost disappointed. Being Captain of what was considered one of the most thickheaded Divisions of the Gotei 13, a messed up chance to prove her brainpower was a little depressing. That and how she was rumored to possess the worst sense of direction in the Society of Souls.
Ichigo hated disappointing people. Most big damn heroes do. "Well, I guess you're sort of right. I'm using this fight to distract everyone else. I mean, I'm the horrible Ryoka who's fighting a captain. Should allow a few people to slip around unnoticed for a while."
Kenpachi smiled. "I see. Okay, it's a deal. Let's have a giant fight to make everyone look at us!"
"Sure." Zangestu clashed once more with Zaraki Kenpachi's nameless blade before both combatants drew back.
"Right! I'm looking forward to this! Tell you what, I'm even going to let you have the first strike. Come at me, Ichigo Kurosaki!" the captain laughed like a maniac. "And no holding back!"
Let's go, Zangestu.
Of course. Sharpen your will, and strike with precision.
Yeah, and no holding back.
Together, they charged.
Hanataro smiled happily. She had found the anesthetic with relative ease – well, she had spent a lot of time trying to get up the courage of 'sneaking around' in her own barracks and searching through musty old boxes full of strange and long-forgotten medicines in the dark. Now to get back into the sewers.
That's when things started to go downhill for her.
When she exited the storage rooms, she noticed how far the sun had moved across the Society of Soul's blue sky. It was way past the time she was supposed to be back.
As she headed to an opening, she noticed that something was terribly wrong.
Hurrying up to one of the 4th Division members crowding around the sewer entrance, she asked what all the commotion was about. She gasped at the answer she received:
"Vice-Captain Abarai was seen this morning in the sewers… and the Ryoka that she reported she had defeated is fighting Captain Zaraki Kenpachi!"
Oh no! The plan's completely blown now… what should I do?
Sitting under the Sokyoku hill, Yoruichi barely paid attention to Renji as the tattooed woman swung her zanpakuto around like a maddened freak. Quietly, as not to disturb the Bankai training of the other, the cat slipped out with feline grace to meet back up with Ichigo.
Yoruichi ran, feeling the strange boy's reiastu. Still unsure of what he wanted, if he was friend or foe, the black cat decided to help him out anyway. They had lost their Ichigo, and Yoruichi had given up stopping Aizen for good. But seeing this boy defeat Jidanbo and scare Ichimaru with such ease had given Urahara's accomplice new hope: perhaps this child could save the Society of Souls?
This hope, however, was not at all without doubts. Besides, what was this idiot doing flaring his reiastu like this?
Soon the idiot in question came into view. Yoruichi did a double take. The orange-haired boy was screaming and shouting too! He didn't seem to know a single thing about stealth. Didn't he know that they were trying to mount a rescue mission?
The feline landed lightly in front of Ichigo. "What are you doing? You could have alerted an entire Division like that! In fact, a captain could be comin-"
"Yeah. That's why I need you to find Renji in the sewers and help her get bankai. Please, take her under the Sokyoku and then after you get her started come back and meet me."
"Renji?"
"Vice-captain of the 6th."
"Ichigo… most people would notice a vice-captain disappearing in a matter of-"
A thundering monstrous reiastu overwhelmed their senses. "I-Ichigo! Run! It's a Captain!"
The Substitute noted calmly, "Looks like the distraction has arrived. Right, I'll keep everyone's attention on us. Just find that red pineapple and help her get bankai, 'kay? Come back when you're ready.
The black cat looked at the boy incredulously.
And Ichigo just gave a confident smile. And so Yoruichi went to find Renji. Because somehow, there might be hope after all…
Using a strong knockout potion, Hanataro dispatched the Shinigami guarding Rukia. Dropping down from her precarious perch on a convenient roof, she crept up the door of the Senzaikyu, apologizing to the unconscious guards as she did so.
Taking a deep breath, she opened it. For Ichigo-sama, and Vice-Captain Renji, and for everyone else, I'm going to be brave and save the Society of Souls! "Rukia-sama, I'm here to rescue you."
Setting down her brush, the Captain raised a graceful gloved hand to let the Hell Butterfly alight. Her steel-grey eyes widened ever so slightly at its message.
"The Central 46 has decided that Rukia Kuchiki's execution is to be rescheduled to… tomorrow."
The turmoil in her heart peaked at the words. But she pushed it to the back of her mind – because duty called.
Taking her sword, she left the barracks of the 6th, intent on stopping the intruder at the Senzaikyu.
Is it just me or are my chapters getting longer?
Hehehe, hopefully see ya soon, because while I haven't been able to write I've already planned out most of the story. And I think I made it all too obvious who poor Ichi-nii-san's up against next.
Next time: A reunion with a twist – Kuchiki Siblings Revealed!