Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Star Wars.

Chapter 3: Boy meets sword, boy meets friend, boy meets mentor

Kuchiki Rukia, convict of Seireitei, stared in shock at her two new rescuers. Ichigo and his twin stood side by side, staring in defiance at her brother and friend.

A lot has happened over the past few months.

First, Inoue Sora, the older brother of their classmate, Inoue Orihime, attempted to attack her when he turned to Hollow. Result: he was purified.

Second, the Ichi twins, along with the rest of the family, visited the grave of the Kurosaki matriarch, Kurosaki Masaki, who died around 11 years ago. That's where Ichigo and Rukia met with Grand Fisher, a powerful Hollow who has evaded Shinigami for 54 years, who was actually the girl Ichigo found when he was nine. A battle took place that brought in his three sisters within the crossfire. Result: Grand Fisher escaped and the outlying reiatsu from the battle planted seeds of power within the three sisters.

Third, Ishida Uryu, a Quincy and Rukia's first current rescuer, challenged Ichigo to a battle, using Hollow bait. Amidst the chaos, a Menos Grande, one of the greater-class Hollows, joined the fray and it took a powerful blast from Ichigo to bring it down. Result: the Menos Grande retreated to its homeplace and Ichigo and Uryu became friends/rivals.

…oh, yes. During the skirmish of Ichigo and Uryu, three other people awakened some latent abilities and allowed them to combat the Hollows. Inoue Orihime, whose powers awoke to protect Arisawa Tatsuki from a tentacle Hollow; Sado Yasutora, whose powers awoke to protect Karin, who was practicing soccer with her teammates; and Kurosaki Ichiko, whose powers awoke to protect Yuzu while they were shopping.

Back to the present, brother and sister grasped their zanpakuto tightly, barricading Rukia behind them.

The red-haired pineapple-head frowned. "Oi, why are there two Shinigami here? I thought you can't give powers to two humans." Brandishing his blade, he smirked. "This'll be fun! I've always wanted to have a 2-on-1 fight!" Then, he charged at the two. As they fought, Renji shouted, "Oi, oi, you can't hit me if all you do is block! Come on!"

Renji slashed and Ichiko blocked it, allowing Ichigo to jump over her and slam his zanpakuto down. The redhead jumped away and charged again. He dodged the sword thrust made by Ichiko and slashed at her side. As she tended to her wound, Renji smirked and kicked her away. Ichigo gritted after him and Renji pushed his sword away to come low and strike in an uppercut. "Idiot," he goaded, "you should've stayed at home, human. Rukia came here willingly so that you won't chase after her. Whatever you want to do here is useless. Do you really think that a newbie like you two could even cut an experienced lieutenant?" He was cut off when a quick slash cut his chin. "What?"

"Sorry about that," Ichigo said as he stood, "I wasn't really listening since I was more focused on making sure my zanpakuto didn't slip. Now, you were saying something about 'one scratch'?"

"Heh, you're one cheeky bastard."

The aristocratic voice of his superior said, "You were careless, Renji. Your arrogance clouded your judgement."

"Kuchiki-taicho, there's no need to be so careful around this guy! He can't even scratch me unless I'm focused on something else!"

"Stop for a moment, Renji. This is no ordinary boy you're dealing with. At first, I dismissed him as a mere look-alike but after due consideration, I am convinced. He is the one that scarred the infiltrating Menos Grande days ago."

"Hahahaha, that can't be right! This guy wounded a Menos Grande with such a weak zanpakuto?! I don't believe it!" He turned to Ichigo. "Hey, what's the name of your zanpakuto?"

"Name," the orange-haired Shinigami asked, confused, "I don't do that kind of stuff."

"Ha! This is even more unbelievable! A Shinigami who doesn't even know his zanpakuto's name managed to scar a Menos. Tch, I'd bet the other one doesn't know it either." He jerked his head towards the shaky Ichiko. He put his hand on his zanpakuto and it glowed red. "Then watch closely, rookie. This may be your only chance." With a grin, he shouted, "Hoero, Zabimaru!" As he slid his hand across the blade, it changed to a six-sectioned blade with protrusions at the end of each section. "Your prey is right in front of you." He jumped high and whipped forward, surprising both orange-heads when the sword extended towards Ichigo, piercing deep in his shoulder.

Renji clicked his tongue and pulled his blade out of Ichigo's shoulder, causing blood to spurt from the cut.

"Ichigo," shouted his sister as she rushed to his side. Then, she glared at his offender. "I won't forgive you!"

"Come on, then!"

The battle afterwards was resolved quickly with Renji smirking victoriously over the fallen Ichiko, blood pooling around her from various wounds on her body. "That's done." That was when he felt a very ominous and heavy pressure weigh over him. What is this powerful reiatsu? He looked over to the source and saw Ichigo glaring at him with utter hatred and fury. Impossible…how could he still be standing…and with such reiatsu?!

Ichigo saw his sister being taken down and became angry, forcing himself to stand and fight for his sister's pride. He ran forward and immediately slashed Renji's shoulder before he could blink. Turning around, he slashed his torso. And for a third strike, he jumped over Renji's initial strike and slashed downward. As Renji knelt in front of Ichigo due to his wounds, the latter snarled, "I don't care what you do to me. But don't ever hurt any of my family!" He raised his zanpakuto and prepared to attack again. "It's over!"

But as it approached the redhead, the very blade vanished from its hilt, to the shock of everyone present. Ichigo slowly looked at Byakuya and was wide-eyed upon seeing the blade in his hands. As the noble dropped it, he suddenly appeared behind him. He felt a sharp pain emerge from his chest and he fell to the ground.

Byakuya said, "Even when falling, you're slow."

Renji muttered, "Senka…it's been sometime since I've seen that move. And even after all this time, I can only barely see it." If I didn't even see taicho fully, there's no way that he could have fared any better.

"Renji, bind Rukia. I still have one more thing to do." As the redhead apprehended his old-time friend, Byakuya walked towards Ichiko and stared down at her with apathetic eyes. Raising his hand, he pointed a finger at her chest and said, "Gobotsu Maiso Fuin (Pentagram Star Burial Seal)." A star surrounded by a circle appeared on his finger and the same design appeared beneath Ichiko. Byakuya twisted his hand and the large circled star started spinning and decreasing in size before ending right at her chest. She gave a small spasm before returning to rest once more. "Come. The boy will not have long to live and the girl's powers are sealed."

Renji and Rukia went forward and Byakuya was about to follow them when he felt a hand grasp his leg. With a twitch, he turned his head to see Ichigo smirking up at him, "Who the hell does not have long to live?"

"Let go." Byakuya's voice is barely a whisper and his lieutenant and sister tensed.

"What was that? Who're you talking to? Look at me if you want to say something."

"You must really despise your arm to allow it to be cut."

Before any of them could comprehend, Rukia ran forward and kicked Ichigo's hand off her brother's leg. "Don't you dare touch my Nii-sama. Know your place, ningen!" She glared at him with anger but Ichigo could see that it was but a mask to hide her sadness.

"Rukia…" Ichigo said.

"Nii-sama," she turned, "I'm ready to face my punishment. Let us leave."

"Very well" was the stoic reply. "Renji, open the Senkaimon." He complied and all three of them approached the gate that appeared in front of them.

When Ichigo struggled to chase after her, she shouted, "Stay where you are! Please…just stay there. If you do follow after me…I'll never forgive you."

Ichigo, however, is undeterred. "Then, don't," he shouted after her retreating form. "Hate me all you want, I'll still come and rescue you! Mark my words, Rukia! Even if it kills me," he coughed blood as his vision turned black, "I'll…bring you…back…"

And since Rukia was carrying the front, no one else could see a faint pink color on her cheeks hidden behind her tears.

As the gates closed, a certain man wearing a bucket hat approached the three fallen teenagers.

++ Seireitei ++

Byakuya, Renji, and Rukia exited the Senkaimon gate connected to Seireitei and stopped in front of it. Byakuya said, "Renji, escort Rukia to her cell." He nodded and vanished with her in tow.

Once he was sure no one was around, he spoke in less than whisper, "Once again, do I have your word that no harm shall come to Rukia until the plan is complete?"

An equally soft voice replied, "And once again, I reply. You have my word that not even a cut shall be seen on any part of her body."

"And what of that abhorrent orb that is sealed within her? How shall you remove it then?"

"I added a numbing agent to my device. She won't even feel a sting."

"I see. By your leave, then, Aizen," said Byakuya before he vanished.

Aizen Sousuke emerged from behind the Senkaimon with a smirk on his face. Phase 2 is complete. Phase 3, execute.

++ Later ++

Kurosaki Ichiko was laid right inside a runic circle, courtesy of Tsukabishi Tessai. "Please, wait for a moment, Kurosaki-dono," he said, "I have to finish this counter-seal before I can unseal your powers."

"I have a question. Why didn't that noble guy just use the same thing he used on Ichigo on me?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya-dono is a respectful man. He does not hit a woman, unless she directly endangers Soul Society. Also, he also believes that this seal is all that is needed to fully seal your powers since its power is directly proportional to the user's reiatsu and inversely proportional to the recipient's current strength."

She clicked her tongue. "So can it be undone then? If I was unconscious and he was at full strength, is my Shinigami powers…gone?"

"It can be undone, Kurosaki-dono, but it will be painful and will last a while before your full powers return."

"I see. Then, let's start now. I want to get stronger to rescue Rukia. And it's not by waiting around."

++ Underground ++

"The purpose of this task, Kurosaki-san," Urahara Kisuke said from beneath his fan, "is to let your normal soul get used to reiatsu. And to do that, well, you have to fight against her." He pointed towards Tsugimiya Ururu, who gave a respectful bow towards them.

"Are you crazy, geta-boushi," Ichigo skeptically asked. "There's no way I'm going to fight a little girl!"

"Ah, well, like it or not, this is essential." He threw Ichigo some fighting gloves and headgear, a matching pair being put on by Ururu as well. "She will fight you, regardless of your choice. Knock her out before she does."

"Eh?"

The black-haired girl suddenly dived at him, her fist at the ready, and he started running the opposite direction.

++ 70 hours later ++

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he glared up at Urahara. It's been two days and he hasn't got a clue how this dumbass hole is going to regain his Shinigami powers. He's gotten word that Ichiko has already regained her powers and is currently training with someone called Shihoin Yoruichi in secret, along with Orihime and Sado.

Hanakari Jinta came down with a bowl of fruit and laid it in front of him. "Here's some food for ya."

He growled. "I told you I'm not hungry!"

"Hey, do you know how long we've been in here?" After a pause, he said, "70 hours. And here's a little secret. The Encroachment will get worse from here on out."

"What?" Then, Ichigo looked down and saw that mouths grew on every chain link and started eating at it. "Hey! Stop it! No! Wait! HEY!" The mouths finally devoured the chain, revealing a hole in his chest. Immediately, the hole was filled with a heavy pressure. "AAAAAAHHHH," he shouted as a white substance escaped his eyes, mouth, and nose, forming a mask on his face.

++ Warehouse ++

"Ooooohhh," Ichiko suddenly moaned, catching the attention of her companions.

Orihime asked, "Ichiko-chan, what's wrong?"

"I don't…know…it's as if…something's burning in me…" she looked up at Orihime's concerned face. "And…for some reason…I feel that Ichigo's hurting…"

Yoruichi, which was a black cat with golden eyes, said, "His pain is just like yours, Ichiko. His pain will help him get stronger. Don't falter for even a moment. I doubt your brother would accept defeat so easily."

++ Back to the Shattered Shaft – Ichigo's subconscious ++

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes to see the side of a tall building. He sat up and found himself staring at the street. "Where am I?" He suddenly heard the sound of flapping fabric and turned to it. He saw a tall, middle-aged man with a light beard and mustache, staring at him behind his brown-tinted and narrow sunglasses, his black cloak flowing with the wind. The unusual thing is that he is standing on a narrow pole, with perfect balance. "Who are you?"

The man answered, "What are you talking about? It's me…" Whatever the man spoke suddenly became garbled. Ichigo frowned in confusion, having not heard what was said after. "I see," the man said, disappointedly, "you still can't hear me. It's sad…and here, I thought that no one else knew me better than you." As Zangetsu started tipping to the side of the pole, Ichigo blinked his eyes.

"Know you? Sorry, ossan, I don't know anyone gloomy like you." He was shocked to silence when the old man was still standing casually on the pole, against gravity.

"Curious…how can you sit in a place like that?"

Suddenly, the whole world righted itself and gravity pulled Ichigo towards the ground. As expected, Ichigo shouted, "AAAAAHHHH!" He felt a presence beside him and found the old man.

"Screaming like a woman," he said, "such composure! Do not worry, Ichigo! Shinigami control death!"

"But I'm not a Shinigami right now!"

"If you can control the reishi around you," he continued, ignoring Ichigo, "you can use it as a makeshift floor in the air. You can stand, walk, and run on it like you would on actual earth! Look back to your past battles. You used it a few times before. Trust in your instincts. Feel it coursing through you."

Ichigo's eyes flashed. He could sense a small sliver within him.

"Good. You feel it. Those are your own latent Shinigami powers, slowly granted awakening due to Rukia's powers within you. Kuchiki Byakuya assumed that your powers are completely Rukia's and your twin's powers are merely the excess reiatsu that expelled from your body and found a new host. He was wrong. In sealing Rukia's powers within Ichiko, he merely brought the two powers together and strengthened its awakening. And in removing Rukia's in yours, he carved a path for your latent powers to surface." He stopped falling and watched Ichigo. "This is your task, Ichigo." The ruins from the crumbling buildings formed into numerous boxes and joined Ichigo in falling. "Find your Shinigami powers…before your world completely crumbles or…you will become a Hollow."

Ichigo fell through a hole and only he and the unlimited boxes around him are left within the darkness.

Find my Shinigami powers? How can I do that? If they're hidden in one of these boxes, then it would take me years to get through them all. Dammit, this would be much easier if I could sense it. But, noooooo, even I failed at that! It's too obvious even Ishida said it? Wait…Ishida…I think he once said something. What was it? It has something to do with threads…

A flash

"Did you know…that a Shinigami's reiraku is red?"

He shouted, "THAT'S IT!" Threads emerged from all boxes and surrounded Ichigo, with him looking around. Once he found the red thread, he grasped it tightly and pulled a box towards him. Upon opening it, he found a hilt. "Isn't that a zanpakuto hilt?"

"Good, Ichigo," the old man said, appearing behind him. "I can finally let you learn my name."

His eyes widened. "So you're-"

The sound of rumbling brought him out of his reverie. The old man shouted, "What are you waiting for?! Pull it out now!"

Ichigo gritted his teeth and pulled at his zanpakuto with all his might.

++ Shiba Residence – Days Later ++

Shiba Kukaku, a tall woman with black hair, a prosthetic right arm, and an impressive bust, smirked at her audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Kakaku Ho (Flower Crane Cannon)! I'll send you to Seireitei through the sky!" She pointed to the sky for emphasis, her grin widening to unbelievable lengths.

Ishida gawked, "Are you serious, Kukaku-san? We can't survive a blast from that thing!" A sphere hit his face and landed in Ichiko's hands.

Kukaku replied, "That is a reishukaku. Oi, girl, put your reiatsu through it."

"Uh, okay," she closed her eyes and fed the sphere her reiatsu. A few seconds later, a larger sphere of reiatsu surrounded her with small wisps escaping it.

The Shiba matriarch nodded approvingly. "Not too shabby, girl, for your first try." Walking over to her, she pounded on the sphere. "This is what I'll be firing. All of you will be in it. Listen up, Seireitei has more than just that big wall as security. The very barrier of it is made of sekkisekki, a very powerful stone that can negate even the strongest of spiritual attacks. And that's not all. Surrounding the city from top to bottom is a sphere-shaped shield."

Ishida asked, "What…does it do?"

"It turns and disintegrates any intruding objects to its base element, reishi. This sphere," she pointed to the one Ichiko is in, "will be used to prevent that. By constantly feeding it your reiryoku, you can produce a sphere so dense that it can hold you until you land in Seireitei. Now, are there any questions?"

"I have one, Shiba Kukaku," a voice said from the forest nearby. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial to their survival if you taught these children how to create a reiatsu sphere properly?"

The residents of the Shiba house widened their eyes at the statement while the group looked at the forest in confusion. Out of the forest walked a man with a robe as black as night and armor as red as the sands of Mars. He looked at the group behind the slits of his mask.

Kukaku slowly said, "R-Revan…what are you doing here?"

Revan replied, "After dealing with some usual business, I heard stories of a group of people entering Soul Society, attempting to intrude on Seireitei, and managed to get kicked out in the process. The elder told me that this group of younglings sought you out, so here I am."

Yoruichi asked, "Revan…you wouldn't happen to be the one who killed Hollows and gangsters in Rukongai, would you?"

Revan walked until he reached the cannon stage before saying, "What of it? I merely did what Seireitei is too lazy to do, protect Rukongai."

"Seireitei does protect Rukongai."

"They protect it from what? That is the question. The arrival and attempt at destruction by Hollows here are few and far between. The true danger lies in its townspeople, its gangs and organizations. Unlike those of the Living World, attacks from these people are commonplace, especially in the higher-numbered districts. There, killing and goring is an everyday occurrence. There, thievery and robbery is life. There, prostitution and slavery is easily displayed in the town square. Tell me then, little cat, has Seireitei protected Rukongai thus far?" Silence met him. "But I digress. Let us focus on the present. I hear that your ragtag group wants to infiltrate Seireitei for a friend? Pray tell, why?"

Ichigo answered, "Rukia is about to be executed for giving me her powers. I'm not going to let that happen!"

"From what I understand, Kuchiki Rukia left Soul Society a few months ago. Have you created such a strong bond that you face death head-on, Shinigami?"

"Yes. She has done so much for me and I would be damned if I didn't do anything to repay it."

"Such conviction," Revan approvingly replied. "I've never seen someone so determined as you. In light of these events, I believe I'll join you in your quest."

They were surprised. "You want to join us?"

"Yes. I have to say. Seireitei must have fallen so far as to execute an unseated Shinigami who merely gave her powers to a human. Isn't that just punishable by…what was it again? Oh, yes, it was punishable by exile. So how could a power transfer be mistaken for treason? I'm not one to leave such injustice to happen, not while I'm around."

++ Next day – Kakaku Cannon ++

The hours before their departure has been spent on training the children on how to properly produce a safe enough sphere for a successful break into the Seireitei. Although Ichigo had a little trouble, Revan taught him how to control his reiatsu. At his current level, he can procure a sphere strong enough to withstand something as instant as the impact towards the Seireitei barrier.

Currently, the whole group – Yoruichi, Ichigo, Ichiko, Sado, Orihime, Ishida, Ganju, and Revan – stood in front of a smirking Kukaku. "Alright, kiddies, Yoruichi, Revan-san, listen up! Today is the day you guys are blasted into Seireitei. You guys ready? Alright, get in the cannon!"

Once inside, Yoruichi said, "Listen up. When we enter Seireitei, do not split up. If you encounter a captain-class Shinigami, run far and run fast. They are no pushovers and will not hesitate to kill any of you. Our sole purpose is to save Kuchiki Rukia. There will be no unnecessary detours from that goal."

Outside, Kukaku stabbed a blade to the ground and started chanting.

"It's started! Pour your reiatsu into the orb!" They did so.

Taking her bandages on her head off and wrapping it around her arm, she slammed her flaming fist onto the floor, shouting, "Kakaku Style Version 2: Kagizaki!"

Hello, everyone! As you can see, I skipped some parts because I feel that they are unnecessary to the plot. Instead, I put the significant parts, like the Ichi twin's power loss, Ichigo's meeting with Zangetsu, the gang's meeting with Revan, and the departure to Seireitei.

Next chapter will be where the true fun starts. But do not be surprised if updates are slow. I have studies to do, after all.

Just a little note here, Ichiko's zanpakuto is a melee-type zanpakuto by the name: Tengetsu or Heavenly Moon. Release phrase is 'Soar to the skies' or 'Sora ni kyuto.' The name is influenced by the Kudo twins of Bleach: The 3rd Phantom. While their zanpakuto names are different, their Bankai names are related to each other: Kokyu Ryujomaru and Ryukyu Kotomaru, Tiger-Seeking Dragon Brander, and Dragon-Seeking Tiger Culler. So, using the word 'Heavenly' from Tensa Zangetsu, I got Tengetsu.

Read and Review.