Author's Note: Hello again! First of all, the reason why it took a bit longer to upload than usual is, besides what I've mentioned in other notes, that I had a lot of imagining to do and a lot of describing of new "things". I can't say more or it'll take the fun in reading the chapter, but you'll know what I mean soon enough. Also, this chapter is again a pretty long one, so it took some time to edit it just right.
I want to underline the fact that in the last chapter I said that the action is about to begin, which means it won't begin just yet. Sorry for that, but there are still some loose ends that need tying and I just didn't manage to fit any fights for now…however, this is definitely the prologue to the action, as you will have a peek into the jinin's plans and not only. So enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Chapter 8 Divide et Impera
In the real world, news of the jinin's disappearance had not reached certain highschool students who would have been very interested to know. As it was, they were all gathering in the school yard, to talk about how their training had been going during the weekend.
Tatsuki was the first to speak. "Hey, guys, you're not going to believe how much I improved with my RnZ these past two days! I can make it glow much brighter now, though I'm still no match for Urahara", the girl admitted rather grudgingly. "I almost wish a hollow came around so that I can test my abilities!"
Rukia frowned. Tatsuki was still too enthusiastic of this whole situation and she was really afraid of the girl's reaction to her first fight. Unfortunately, she didn't know how to prepare Tatsuki for it, so she could only let her hit the wall on her own and learn the lesson. She was hoping it wasn't going to be a too hard hit.
Before Tatsuki said anything more that might have worried Rukia, Ishida interrupted, to report that he had a very satisfying training session himself and it was clear how pleased he was to be able to tell them of his progress. Even Chado said a few words, enough only to convey the fact that he hadn't been idle that weekend and his skills were sharper than ever.
Orihime felt the urge to say something herself, especially as she also wanted to ask a question. "I also trained with Tatsuki and it's been lots of fun!" When she saw that her friends were starting to roll their eyes, she hastily added: "Of course, I was very serious about the training, as I know that there might be trouble soon. What have you two been doing this weekend, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san?"
Rukia felt that the purpose behind Inoue speaking up was to ask that particular question and she felt sorry for the girl. She was obviously in love with Ichigo, and the stupid strawberry had no clue, though everyone in their group knew. She wondered if she shouldn't just tell Ichigo and let him deal with it, just like he had told Tatsuki everything that they've been withholding until then. If she did tell Ichigo, how would he react? She smiled a bit imagining that he would definitely blush with a vengeance, but then her humorous mood left her as she pondered the possibility of him welcoming that news.
But no, if Ichigo had feelings for Orihime, she would have felt it. By now she knew Ichigo too well to have any doubts on that matter, but she just couldn't stop being a bit insecure. In any case, she decided this was not her secret to tell, and Orihime had to decide herself whether she was going to confess to Ichigo or not. She wanted to reply to the girl's question, to ease her mind, but Ichigo was faster.
"Not much, actually, compared to what you guys have been doing. On Saturday, me and Rukia visited this red-head." and he pointed to Renji, who was yawning, obviously upset he had to go to classes so early in the morning when he had been hoping to sleep late at least in the real world. "Since he's posing as my cousin from today on, we had to tell him about homework and such stuff, so it was a rather boring day. I would have preferred training with Zangetsu."
"Well, you shouldn't have let me kept you", Renji said, ready for a new teasing match with Ichigo. "I would have preferred Rukia being the only one to explain the homework to me, you just got in the way anyway".
"Is that so?" Ichigo retorted. "And here I was thinking that even with two persons explaining, you were doing a lousy job at understanding. Should have known better than to waste my time with you."
"What was that, carrot-top?" Renji said through gritted teeth. "You want a piece of me? Bring it on, I too would have preferred to spend my Saturday training, Zabimaru is anxious to kick some butt."
"Now, guys, behave. This is not the time for a fight. Classes are about to start", Rukia said. Her words didn't do much to calm the two hot-headed boys down, but they broke off their argument and followed the others to the class. Things didn't improve when Ichigo and Renji continued their arguments during the breaks, and all their classmates remarked how similar Ichigo and his cousin were. At that remark, they both shouted that they were nothing alike, much to the amusement of Rukia, Orihime and Tatsuki. Chado was also amused by this and even Ishida cracked a smile against his will.
They were all thinking that from now on school promised to be a very fun place with Ichigo and Renji around, in the same classroom. However, they were blissfully unaware that their happy times were about to meet an abrupt ending.
*****
While the group in the real world was having fun in Karakura High School, and the captains and lieutenants in Soul Society were preparing to leave for their assigned destinations, the jinin were gathered in their new fortress for a strategic meeting in order to achieve their goal of ruling both worlds.
They were in neither of those worlds, but in the depths of Hueco Mundo, somewhere not far beyond the Forest of Menos, where they had decided it was least likely for someone to discover their hideout. Their "fortress" was actually a former cave which a few lowly hollows had been staying in, but they had been easily dealt with and the jinin claimed the place for themselves.
The cave was not actually just one cave, but an intricate system of caves and tunnels, covering a very wide area. Each cave was very large and a bit of light managed to filter down in every one of them. On the other hand, the endless tunnels were dark, narrow, and each of them ended in a different part of Hueco Mundo, each exit far away from the next.
The key advantage of the place was that no one would suspect they would be there, also that the tunnels provided perfect escape routes should they need to flee, not to mention the fact that the Forest of Menos served as a "natural" shield for them.
The jinin were in one of the largest caves, in the middle of the Fortress (as they were referring to that place) discussing the steps that needed to be taken in order to achieve their goal of ensuring a perfectly danger-free society for all shinigami, plus souls and humans.
If Kurotsuchi Mayuri would have seen them then, he might have looked twice before realizing these were the same jinin that had escaped Soul Society mere hours ago. They were no longer identical, asexual and non-descript in appearance. They had individualized themselves. Gekitai had taken a male form, he had shoulder length hair, parted down the middle, one side being black and the other white, and he had deep black eyes. His skin was chalky white and made him look like what many humans wrongly called a ghost, but the fact that was very solid ruled against that theory.
Hensei had taken on a female form, she had wavy rainbow colored hair that hung down to her waist and her eye color was changing between black, gray, arctic blue, green, gold and red, depending on her mood. Her skin hada warm, golden color and her tall body was perfectly proportioned.
Mahi Itami had taken on a male form, with short hair the color of blood, left longer at the top where it was somewhat curly. His eyes were equally red as his hair, and he kept them permanently narrowed. He had an olive-hued skin, and his body was very athletic. Taller then Gekitai, he was towering over the rest of the jinin.
Repurika had taken on a female form, with pale blue pixie-styled hair, and her arctic blue eyes looked like they could freeze someone just by glaring. She was thin, and shorter than Hensei, and her marble-white skin made her look like an ice sculpture of a fairy. There were two other jinin who looked exactly like her, except that one had dark green hair assorted with the same color eyes, while the other had golden hair and golden eyes. These last two were the result of Mayuri's testing Repurika's ability to create other jinin like herself, and Hensei's ability to do the same while he had morphed into Repurika. The jinin had agreed to use the names given to them by their creator, while for the last two additions of their ranks, they simply called them Midori* and Kin*.
Finally, Surikireru had taken on a male form, with silvery long hair in a braid that almost reached the middle of his back. His skin was light-colored and his slimness didn't give him an air of fragility only due to the muscles visible through his robes, not to mention his impressive height. His gray eyes were presently holding a dull expression, as he was conversing with Mahi Itami, who was just saying: "I don't see why we should eliminate threats first, and then proceed to our final objective. Would it not be better to eliminate anyone that might stand in our path as they come?" Mahi Itami's red eyes seemed ablaze as he spoke in a hurried tone, with a low-pitched voice.
"Your reasoning ability seems to have been affected. Search among the data from both worlds that has been implanted in our memory. Do you not see that the best way to go about this is the principle of 'divide et impera'? If everyone should stand in our path at the same time, the probability of success of our mission is reduced significantly. It is best that we track down each possible threat and eliminate them, and that is how we shall prevail, by dividing them first, and then conquering." Surikireru's voice had a very cutting edge and each word was precise.
"I still think we should avoid taking the lives of shinigami. We have to protect them, not eliminate them", Hensei said. She had a very warm, melodic alto voice that held a thousand inflections.
"Protecting them from themselves is part of our responsibilities. We have also been given data of the history of Soul Society. Aizen Sousuke is just one example of the fact that shinigami don't always know what is best for them, and the same goes for humans. Thus, those who threaten our mission are a threat to both races, and must be eliminated." Gekitai reasoned dispassionately.
"Now that this is clear to all of us", Repurika said in a high soprano voice, throwing a challenging glance towards Hensei, "should we also divide ourselves and attack different key shinigami, or should we attack together? After all, the 'divide et impera' tactic can work in the reverse way as well". Both Midori and Kin nodded at that and looked expectantly around.
Mahi Itami was the one who replied. "I believe that if we are to go about our plans like this, then we can each attack a different target. We were endowed with great powers and the possibility of us losing a fight is minimal".
"Arrogance is a trait of human or shinigami, my friend" Surikireru said. "We are jinin and we are above such faults. Underestimate our opponents and the probability of your losing a fight is very high. However, it is clear that we each have to attack different targets, due to the large number of opponents we face, but we should do so with due care."
"Agreed. And meanwhile me and Hensei will make sure our numbers increase, to even the odds." Repurika said.
"Do not presume to tell me what to do", Hensei replied, "as I am well aware of it myself. However, the process requires much in terms of energy from me, as I first have to morph and take on your form, Repurika. Our creator has made it possible for us to increase our energy by devouring hollows, so I will go do that right now. I suggest all of you join me, since we shall all need our energy for the fights to come".
In an hour's time, hundreds of hollows had been devoured and there were eleven jinin now, four more copies of Repurika having been created: Murasaki*, Kasshoku*, Kobaruto* and Enshoku*. The jinin were now busy planning which of them would go to what world, and whom they should attack first. Among the data that had been implanted in their memories, the jinin had a lot of information about all the strongest shinigami, plus the substitute one and his one of a kind friends (a Quincy and humans with uncanny abilities). They had where to choose from.
However, unknown to them, the slaughter of the hollows had not gone unnoticed. A lone figure had arrived at the scene, but long after the jinin had gone. The figure did not have much left to see, as there weren't any traces left to indicate who had been there and what exactly had happened…However, he decided to come back to keep an eye on the place in the future, despite the many menos and other assorted hollows roaming about. He shunpo-ed away for the time being.
*****
A couple of hours after the meeting, all the captains and lieutenants were gathered in front of the first division, from where they would open the Senkai gate and use garganta (a technique that had been provided by Urahara, who had only stayed in Seireitei for the time needed to make an opening into Hueco Mundo, after which he had hastily returned to the real world despite the fact that ever since the end of the Winter War he had been welcomed to Soul Society) to reach their destinations.
The group due to Hueco Mundo was going to leave first. Kyouraku didn't seem to be interested in the least of the fact that he would be seeing a new dimension in a short time. He was more interested in trying to hang an arm around his lieutenant's shoulders and hug her close, but Nanao kept on pushing his arm away, with a blush, an exasperated look and deep sighs.
Ukitake was trying to make peace between his two third seats, who were thrilled to be taken along with the rest, and therefore were arguing which of them would prove more useful in the search for the missing jinin. He was afraid that Kiyone and Sentarou's usual excessive enthusiasm was going to get them into trouble, but he hoped they would know when it was time to be serious.
Soi Fon was looking straight ahead, intent on her mission, but she could see her lieutenant in the peripheral vision, and the fact that he was happily munching on a fried rice cracker was making her twitch with the urge to knock it out of his hand and beat some sense into him. But she managed to refrain from doing so, thinking that if, no when they found the jinin, he would not have another opportunity to eat. She was sure she could find the rebels if they were anywhere in Hueco Mundo, but just for safe measure, she was taking her five Corps Commanders with her.
Hisagi was the only one who had chosen to go alone, because he hadn't decided who was fit to be his lieutenant, and his officers had to train much more before they could come on such a mission. He preferred letting them continue the training at the division's headquarters and help the others who were assigned to search for the jinin in Soul Society.
After saying their goodbyes to the Captain-Commander and the rest of the captains and lieutenants, the group left without a backward glance. The group due to the real world was next, and this was a much weirder one. Hinamori was sticking close to her "Shiro-chan", while an amused Matsumoto was snickering behind their backs. Hitsugaya wanted to snap at her, but considering the fact that she was in one of her rare good moods nowadays, he was loathe to ruin her fun, even if it was on his account.
Kenpachi was grinning madly, while whispering a single word "Ichigo". His small lieutenant was clapping her hands in excitement from her usual position on his back, while stealing glances at the last captain, who was as still as a statue. Byakuya still couldn't believe that he had to make a team with these shinigami. As if it wasn't enough to have two members of the 11th division on the team, they had four. Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika had been taken along by their captain, and Byakuya didn't know which of the two was worse. Ikkaku, who looked like he could almost dance with excitement, or Yumichika, who suffered of a severe case of narcissism. He could only wish that they would part ways fast in the real world, while searching for the jinin.
This group also said their goodbyes, and followed the hell butterflies through the Senkai gate. On the other side, Urahara and Yoruichi were waiting for them, having been announced of their coming. However, it had been decided that Ichigo, Rukia and Renji not be told yet, as they would find out soon enough in any case.
On seeing the new comers, Yoruichi smirked, knowing it would annoy Byakuya, even if he wasn't going to show it: he was so uptight, he just invited teasing. Then again, she could imagine why he was looking particularly haughty this time; it was because of the other members of the team.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in", she drawled. "Welcome to the real world, ladies and gentlemen. How was your trip?"
"Yes, welcome, everyone", Urahara added, fanning himself lazily. "I trust you are all tired from your trip and will want to rest, and I have just the place for it" he said with a concealed grin.
"What non-sense are you saying?" Byakuya said, looking at the mischievous couple. "Our 'trip' was extremely short and we do not have the time nor the inclination to rest. We must proceed immediately to look for the jinin."
"Yeah, I have to find someone too, though it's not the jinin." Kenpachi said while Yachiru just laughed in delight. Ikkaku, who wouldn't have minded a rematch with Ichigo himself, murmured 'Right you are, taichou!' Hitsugaya and Hinamori simply ignored them.
"Oh, but there's really no hurry, is it?" Urahara said, reassuringly. "There will be plenty of time to do that after you've seen your new residence. I am afraid I am quite sure finding the jinin will not be a task easily accomplished, which means you'll be spending quite some time in the lovely town of Karakura."
"Even if we'd admit to that", Hitsugaya finally spoke, "do you really think your shop will be able to accommodate all eight of us?"
"But it's not the shop he's referring to" Yoruichi said with a grin.
"Then what is he referring to?" Byakuya said, beginning to feel extremely annoyed. It wasn't like he expected this to be easy, but surely both Yoruichi and Urahara were just trying to make things worse so that they could have their fun, which was unacceptable.
"Follow me, everyone, and find out", Urahara said, thrilled. He led them down the street for about a couple of hundred feet, and then stopped. They were facing a two stories high building which proudly announced "The Shinigami Hotel" in silvery metal letters above the door.
Kenpachi simply laughed aloud at the sight, joined by Matsumoto, while Hinamori was gaping at the writing, and Hitsugaya and Byakuya were wearing somewhat similar expressions of disapproval. Yumichika whispered 'This name is not beautiful for a hotel'. Hitsugaya said, a threat in his voice: "Is this your idea of a joke? Because it is anything but funny!"
"Joke? Why no!" Urahara said, seeming offended by that idea. "And of course it's not funny. This is the result of a lot of work on my part, and at least once you're inside I hope you'll be able to appreciate it at its true value. You didn't think you were all going to fit somewhere in my store and stay there for free, were you? I am, after all a businessman!"
"I personally took charge of the design of the rooms so you should feel honored", Yoruichi put in. "My excellent taste will surely satisfy even the most pretentious customer".
"Let's just get this over with." Byakuya said, knowing that despite the outrageous name for the 'hotel', it was a good idea to have a place where they could all stay and not breathe down each other's necks…well, by the looks of the building, they were going to be rather crowded, but it was better than them all trying to stay at Urahara's shop.
"That's the attitude, Kuchiki-sama" Urahara said, in a slightly mocking tone. "You can choose from twelve wonderful rooms and I'll fill you in on the rent and anything else that you might want to know. For anything, gigai, soul candy, a shoulder to cry on…" at that last mention, everyone threw him looks that could kill "…I was just offering", he said defensively. "In any case, for almost anything, then, you can come to me and I'd be more than happy to assist you."
They entered the building to find a wide reception room, with a sofa, and a few armchairs gathered around an oval shaped table, a vase with roses on it. There was also a desk, presently unoccupied, but Yoruichi promptly went behind it to play receptionist. The room was very bright, the walls pale beige, paintings depicting angels, gods, and demons hanging from them a few meters apart from one another. A huge crystal chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, its lights turned off as there was plenty of natural light coming from behind the peach colored curtains covering the large windows.
"I'll be checking you in" Yoruichi said with a wink. "As you've already been told, we have twelve rooms, half of which are on the first floor, and the other half are on the second floor. Here on the ground floor beside this room you will also find the cafeteria, where you can enjoy delicious meals." Her voice was perky as she was promptly informing them of the services the 'hotel' was providing, but she could barely hide the laughter that was threatening to burst out any second now.
Byakuya, considering it natural for him, as a noble, to have priority, said: "I want the best two rooms you have here, though I doubt they will meet even half of my expectations. And they must be next to each other, of course. The amount of payment you will require is irrelevant."
"Oh, Little Byakuya, you think one room will not be enough space for your comfort? And here I thought you couldn't get more snobbish" Yoruichi burst out laughing, not able to contain it anymore.
"No, it is not that one room is not enough. One room is for me, while the other one is for Rukia. If I shall be staying here, so will she." Byakuya said quietly, hoping Yoruichi will cease laughing once and just get on with this whole thing already. His patience was wearing thin too fast for his liking.
"Ah, so that was it! I see…I do have to wonder if she'll come though, I have the feeling she's quite comfortable in Ichigo's closet" Yoruichi said, knowing that this remark will drive Byakuya crazy.
"She will do as she is told" Byakuya said, through gritted teeth. The fact that Yachiru was yelling in excitement while forcing Kenpachi to take her near each painting on the wall so that she could admire it was not helping at all. At least Matsumoto, Hitsugaya and Hinamori had sat down on the sofa and were quiet. Urahara, instead, was watching the whole argument between him and Yoruichi with a lot of interest and an insufferable smile played on his lips.
"Ok, great. Then you'll have rooms 1 and 2…Who's next…well, I think the 11th division will be better off on the second floor, so that's four rooms, say numbers from 9 to 12…And I think Momo-chan and Shiro-chan might want to get a room together" Yoruichi said suggestively, making the two in question blush furiously and deny with all their might. Happy that she had provoked a reaction in the otherwise 'icy' captain, she amended "All right then, if you're sure, then you can have rooms 7 and 8, on the second floor. Rangiku-san, you can have room 6, it's on the first floor, I hope that's OK." When no one objected, she continued: "I'll let you settle down then, but payment comes first" Yoruichi said, motioning them forward.
In less than twenty minutes, all the shinigami had inspected their rooms and had gathered downstairs to discuss how they were going to search for the jinin. Urahara had gone back to his shop, but Yoruichi was still there, and before the 'meeting' could begin, she observed: "I think this discussion will have to be postponed, we're going to have some visitors, in case you haven't noticed". They had noticed, and each had reacted differently to it.
*****
Rukia was glad to have had so much fun at school that day, thanks to Ichigo and Renji. Those two hadn't stopped bickering for two seconds, which had earned them admonishing from several teachers, much to the class' delight. Classes were finally over, and the group was about to go their separate ways when they felt several familiar reiatsu appearing out of thin air in the direction of Urahara's shop.
Rukia whispered 'Nii-sama!'
Renji was quick to exclaim, amazed: "Taichou…and so many others!", while Ichigo swore and groaned: "Kenpachi…"
"It seems like you're going to have to fight with him, whether you like it or not", Rukia said, though her mind was still on her brother, as well as on the fact that several captains, lieutenants and other shinigami had suddenly come to the real world. There was really only one explanation for this.
"We have to go!" She told both Ichigo and Renji. They nodded and then she told the rest of their friends: "I think it would be best if we'd go first to see what it's about. We'll let you know as soon as we can, OK?" The others also nodded and then Rukia started running towards her brother, with Ichigo and Renji close behind. They would have preferred to use shunpo but decided better to keep Chappy, Kon and Alfred (Renji could only afford the 5th popular soul candy) away from Byakuya and the others, and it would have been too much trouble to come for them later on. They were all surprised when they reached Urahara's shop, saw him wave at them in an extremely relaxed manner, but no trace of the shinigami who had come. They kept on going and then suddenly they stopped, unable to believe their eyes.
"The Shinigami Hotel" Rukia read out loud, utter incredulity pouring out of her. There was no doubt that this was the work of Urahara. She strode in, determinedly, followed by Ichigo and Renji who were beyond words with disbelief.
"Welcome, you three, we were expecting you", Yoruichi said, motioning to the armchairs that were still unoccupied.
"Ichigo!!!" both Kenpachi and Yachiru exclaimed rather loudly, which made the boy in question wince. In his haste to find out what was going on, he had almost forgotten who was waiting for him there.
"Nii-sama, what's going on?" Rukia wasn't about to be distracted, she knew something must have gone terribly wrong for so many powerful shinigami to come to the real world. She had to find out what was going on.
Before Byakuya could respond, however, Yoruichi continued: "Come on, you guys, have a seat, the explanation will probably be way too long and though I'm as anxious as you are to hear the details, I'd rather not do it standing." They saw the logic in that and sat down…and then the briefing began. Byakuya was the one to explain everything in his calm, even manner of speaking. Rukia was as shocked as Ichigo and Renji to hear such news, while Yoruichi merely nodded thoughtfully; she had been informed of the most important events before, but the details were significant as well.
Hitsugaya completed the story by telling them of their assignment, and he was about to add that they had to decide how to search for the jinin, when Ichigo interrupted: "Before you say more, Toshirou, I'd like to know what's up with this place."
Hitsugaya's eyebrow twitched. "That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you. And this is where we'll be staying while in the real world."
"Yes, this is another great idea that Kisuke had", Yoruichi said proudly. "And Renji-kun, you'll have to move in here as well, he said he won't put up with your freeloading ways anymore".
Renji sighed, but nodded. He knew this was coming ever since he had read the writing above the building's door, but if a high rent was what he had to pay for being in the real world with Rukia, then he'd do it. It seemed a small enough price from his perspective.
"Rukia, you are to move in here as well, starting immediately", Byakuya told his little sister. "I have already rented a room for you and I expect you to be swift about the movement."
Before she could think things through, something in Rukia made her say: "But, Nii-sama, I'm sure Urahara charges high rent, while I'm presently paying nothing at all and I am very comfortable". She wanted to say more, but stopped when she realized she had argued with her brother in front of other people…many, important other people. This was not Kuchiki behavior, and she regretted following her instincts to speak up. However, she was surprised to hear Ichigo support her.
"Yeah, Byakuya, Rukia's fine where she is now, she doesn't have to move". His tone was definitely challenging, and while Rukia's heart filled with joy at those words, she couldn't stop thinking that Ichigo had once more addressed her brother much too familiarly, in addition to speaking against him.
"Rukia will move, boy, and that's final", Byakuya said, ignoring Yoruichi's snickering. To Rukia he said. "You will surely be safer here", at this Ichigo gave a short derisive laugh which Byakuya chose to do his best effort to ignore, while continuing: "and there is no need to worry about payment."
Ichigo almost bolted from the armchair and made a rude remark about Byakuya's flaunting his wealth, but Rukia put a hand on his arm to stop him while answering her brother: "Very well, Nii-sama, I shall move. I will bring all my belongings by the end of the day." This was the least she could do to amend for her mistake, plus she was still having nightmares every now and then, and Ichigo deserved to sleep without interruptions from her. But to her surprise, Ichigo was not done yet and had other ideas altogether.
"In that case, I think I'm going to join this party. I am, after all, a substitute shinigami, and since it's definitely going to come down to a fight if we find these jinin in here, then I'd rather not drag my family into it." Ichigo was only half aware of what he was saying, and wasn't very sure if his reasons seemed valid. All he knew was that he was glad Rukia was back from Soul Society, that he had missed her during the one day and a half that she was gone, and didn't plan on staying too far from her now, especially after finding out what dangers lurked possibly very close by. And he was happy to see that Rukia was smiling warmly at him.
"Oh, great, so one more customer, Urahara will be so thrilled. He knew this shinigami hotel business will bloom and bring profit. He's got such a mind for business…and not only". No one paid attention to what she was saying, as the atmosphere was rather tense. But Byakuya decided against putting Ichigo in his place. He considered it below his dignity to argue in front of so many others, plus he couldn't deny the Kurosaki boy the right to rent a room there.
Kenpachi, Yachiru and Ikkaku seemed particularly pleased that Ichigo was going to be nearby. Hitsugaya wondered if the building would survive should any of those three decide for a midnight fight with Ichigo. No, definitely no, the building would not remain standing. "Right", he said, trying to make them all focus on the issue at hand, "then let's talk about how we are going to locate the jinin, if they are even here in the first place."
"Their purpose is clear, to rule over both Soul Society and the real world, by means of overthrowing the Soul King and imposing their 'for the greater good' rules" Yoruichi said, serious for the first time that day. "But how are they going to achieve that?"
"There are two most likely options." Byakuya replied calmly, having managed to ignore all his personal issues for the sake of the mission. "They will either try to force their way in the Royal Dimension directly, or they will try to eliminate all possible threats first, and then attempt to reach the King. From these two, the second option is by far the most plausible one". Everyone nodded their agreement, amazed at how clearly Byakuya saw things.
"So if they are indeed trying to eliminate all obstacles, we, captains, are all targets along with the lieutenants and a few other skilled shinigami as well. They will surely come after the most powerful of us" Hitsugaya said.
"And don't forget Ichigo and his friends, they will surely be targeted too", Yourichi added. "But that means the jinin have to split up as well, and then we can turn this in our favor."
"And the good news is", Kenpachi said, "it means some of those jinin will be coming here". The idea of meeting with some of the jinin soon seemed to give him great pleasure.
"Considering the fact that there is already a team of powerful shinigami in Hueco Mundo, we can leave them to take care of any jinin that might be there or who might attack them", Hitsugaya continued. "Soul Society should also be safe enough with everyone who remained there, so we have to make sure we destroy all the jinin here. And from the looks of it, we have to let them find us".
"True enough", Byakuya said, "but I do not like the idea of letting them find us. I suggest we do thorough searches on a daily basis. We might not be able to feel their presence, but that is no reason not to keep on looking".
"Though I don't like to agree with him, Byakuya's right", Ichigo said. He could have omitted the part about him not liking to agree with Rukia's brother, but he was too upset with Byakuya right now to consider what would be more polite to do. He figured the worst that could happen was a kick from Rukia the next time they were alone together. "I'll let my friends know about all this and we'll also search. Also, Yoruichi-san, it wouldn't be bad if you could convince Urahara to take them in. As you said, they'll be targeted too, not to mention that living closer by will help us coordinate...and there aren't any more rooms here, are they? After all of us move in?"
"Well, I suppose Kisuke is happy enough with the profit he'll be making out of this hotel, so he'll be willing to accept the three of them in the shop…wait, it's four of them now, with Tatsuki-chan, right? And even if he doesn't take them in for free, I'm sure they'll work something out."
"So let's do this then", Ichigo said. "Yoruichi-san, please go and talk to Urahara while I'll call my friends to tell them that they have to move and then I'll go with Rukia back at my house to take our stuff". Rukia blushed slightly at Ichigo's choice of words. She was sure Byakuya hadn't missed the "our" in that phrase.
"And let us do a preliminary search, just in case", Hitsugaya suggested. The rest of them nodded and within the minute they were all out the door. Ichigo wondered what he could tell his family about the fact that he wasn't going to stay at home for a while, but continue to go to school…as he was planning to go to classes, there was no point in missing school when it wasn't very clear if and when the jinin will be found or when the jinin will find them.
*Midori means green.
*Kin means gold.
*Murasaki means violet, purple.
*Kasshoku means brown.
*Kobaruto means cobalt (a medium blue color).
*Enshoku means, more or less, flaming orange.
Author's Note: There will definitely be fighting in the next chapter, but I hope you liked this one as well. It's going to be interesting having all these characters live under the same roof, don't you think? In any case, the title of the next chapter is "First Confrontation" and until we "meet" again, I wish you all the best! Bye.
