Author's Note: Hey there, guys! I come to you early with what is probably my quickest update to a story ever! I'm sorry to say that this a short chapter, but I felt it was the appropriate way to end what has been the most aggravating arc to write about for me. That's right; Ryuu is finally heading to the Soul Society and to the scenes that I really want to write! Until then, please enjoy this short, but sweet chapter.


"You're really leaving?" Tatsuki asked in shock.

"Yes," Ryuu said with a nod.

After making sure everything was in order over the last two weeks, all that was left was to break the news to his favorite student. He had cancelled classes indefinitely and managed to find a replacement instructor sooner than he had hoped. He hadn't formally told his students the news due to his supervision over the training of both Ichigo and his friends, but now that the day had finally come, he decided it was time to tell the best student he had ever had- human or Soul Reaper- that he was leaving.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuki," Ryuu said sadly. "I should have told you sooner."

Tatsuki was silent for several moments as the two of them stood outside her house. The man who had helped her become famous as the second strongest woman in all of Japan was suddenly walking out of her life. She wasn't sure what to feel. Anger, hurt, sadness, betrayal, confusion? All those feelings fought for dominance within her and neither one was winning.

"Can you at least give me a reason," she asked with a frown. Perhaps knowing the reason would help her realize exactly what to feel.

"It's…well…it's a family matter," Ryuu said trying to find the appropriate words. It wasn't entirely a lie. Ryuu did have family where he was going and it was part of the reason why he was leaving.

"What kind of family matter?" Tatsuki inquired further. The short answer wasn't going to cut it. Her sensei, who had trained her since she was in grade school, was leaving and she wanted to know why.

Ryuu's brow furrowed. This wasn't something he really wanted to talk about, even if he was going to seriously play down the truth, but Tatsuki was his student; he owed her this much at least.

"I'm…going to see my wife," he answered.

"Y-Your wife?" Tatsuki asked stunned. She never knew her sensei had a wife. "Oh…"

"Yes…my wife and I have been…separated for a while now." It was the truth, if a little vague on the details.

"And you're going to try and get back together?" Tatsuki filled in.

"Hopefully," Ryuu said with a nod.

"…I understand," Tatsuki said averting her sad expression from her mentor.

"You are my best student, Tatsuki," Ryuu spoke sincerely. "I wanted to get you to the top of the tier and show the world what you were made of. You've made me proud."

"Thank you, Hiromasa-sensei," she said, her tone still sad.

"This not an excuse for you to go soft on me, Tatsuki," Ryuu said his tone suddenly becoming forceful.

Tatsuki looked up at him in surprise. He suddenly seemed to look like he always did when he was instructing her: strict, rigid, and dominating.

"I didn't spend all that time training you only for you to lose your edge the second I leave. In my absence, you will continue to train with the same degree of passion, commitment, and determination you have shown me all these years. Do I make myself clear?"

"B-But, sensei…"

"No, 'buts' Arisawa!" Ryuu snapped. "I trained you to take down anything that comes your way. Are you telling me that I did all of that for nothing?"

"Sir, no, sir!" Tatsuki shouted, snapping to attention. She knew better than to argue or talk back to her sensei at this point. Years or long, torturous drills had taught her that.

"Right, because you are a fighter, aren't you?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"You won't stand for the second strongest! You will be the strongest!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"So you will continue to train,and you will continue to get stronger! Do you get me?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good," Ryuu said in much lighter and friendlier tone as he placed a hand on Tatsuki's shoulder. "You're meant for great things, Tatsuki. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. I am truly so proud of what you become."

Tatsuki looked up in awe at her sensei. Ryuu had become like a second father to her over the years. She would miss him, no question, but he was putting all his faith in her. She would not let him down. She could not let him down.

"Thank you, sensei, for everything," she said with a smile. "Will you ever come back?"

"I don't know, but if I do I better see some improvement," Ryuu warned teasingly causing Tatsuki to giggle.

"You will," she promised.

Ryuu's grin widened a bit. Would he ever have a student like her again? He seriously doubted it. He only wished Tatsuki was a Soul Reaper.

"Goodbye, Tatsuki," he said with a proud expression before turning to leave.

Even though he was dying to get back to the Soul Society, there was a least one thing in the World of the Living that he could honestly say he would miss.


Ryuu stood patiently outside the Urahara shop later that night. He decided he would wait for the kids to show up. Ichigo's tall, muscled friend- Sado he believed his name was or Chad to some- had already showed up ten minutes ago and was quietly sitting on a box Kisuke had thrown away.

Ryuu had tried making conversation with the teen- at least he thought he was a teen-, but the boy was clearly not a conversationalist. Any topic starter had been met with a nod or an affirmative grunt. Thus he had opted for silence for now.

The silence was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing. Ryuu looked ahead to see two teenagers running towards the shop. He recognized them as Ichigo and that girl, Orihime. The two came to a stop in front of him and Chad and tried to catch their breath.

"Chad? How'd you get here so fast?" Orihime asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk and got the message around here," Chad explained.

"Around here?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

To answer his question, Chad jutted his thumb in the direction of a rather gruesome looking message that was splattered all over the ground about two yards away from the group.

"What is with that guy?" Ichigo asked in horror.

"One of his favorites jokes," Ryuu answered in annoyance. "He tried that on me once…that was the worst birthday ever."

"Anyway, where's Uryuu? I though he was coming," Ichigo asked.

"Oh, he'll be here! Just wait a while," Orihime said optimistically.

"He won't come," Chad stated bluntly.

"Chad!"

"It's no big deal if he doesn't come, Orihime," Chad assured. "Out of all of us, he's the most complex. The more complex a person is, the weaker they are."

"That's some profound logic from a highschooler. You're more perceptive than you look," Ryuu appraised.

"It just makes the most sense to me," the giant teen replied with a shrug. "Maybe it would be better if he didn't come."

"Who won't come?"

The group turned their heads in the direction of the new speaker. Uryuu stood before them carrying a small pack and wearing his full Quincy uniform.

"Didn't I say this to you before? I can't forgive myself for being so easily defeated by those Soul Reapers. So I spent my time training."

"You lost to your opponents because you- like all Quincys- mistook your arrogance for pride," Ryuu commented with a smirk.

"You're the one who's arrogant, Soul Reaper," Uryuu scathed, the words "Soul Reaper" dripping with venom.

"Sure…so were you late because it took you an extra twenty minutes to match your make-up with that dress you're wearing?" Ryuu asked with an amused grin, causing Ichigo to let out a bark of laughter.

"Dress? How dare you! This uniform is a prime example of the Quincy's brilliance and sense of style!" Uryuu shouted.

"It's ostentatious and unnecessary," Ryuu stated as a matter-of-factly. "A Soul Reaper's shihakusho is light weight, allows for full movement, and can be customized to meet one's specific fighting style easily. That 'gown' of yours is cute, but gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever; it's actually more a hindrance. And that cape you're wearing doesn't even serve a purpose. The only thing that dancer's dress is good for is distracting the enemy with hysterical laughter."

Ichigo started holding his sides from all the laughing he was doing and Uryuu was unable to contain his fury.

"How dare you mock me! I'll kill you were you stand, by my honor as a-"

"You kids can go on inside. Kisuke's waiting for you in the basement," Ryuu told the group.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you!" Uryuu shouted.

"Keep it down! It's the middle of the night and people are trying to sleep!" the veteran Soul Reaper chided before heading inside.

"H-Hey! Get back here, damn you!" Uryuu shrieked.

"Well let's get this over with," Ichigo said as he followed the older Soul Reaper inside.

"How do you think we'll get to the Soul Society, Chad? A time machine?" Orihime asked as she went in as well.

"We're not going back in time, Orihime," Chad answered dully.

Only Uryuu was left standing alone in the street looking incredibly flustered.

"Damn uncultured imbeciles!" he growled.


The group stood before the door to the Soul Society that Kisuke had provided for them. He gave them the rundown of how exactly the door worked and how it would get them to the Soul Society. The portal would transform the make-up of their bodies into reishi which would allow them to set foot within the Soul Society.

"So we wouldn't have to remove our souls at all?" Uryuu asked as he walked forward and looked up at the tall structure.

"Correct! You guys will be able to enter the Soul Society and keep your original forms!" Kisuke explained cheerfully.

"Alright, I got it. Let go in then-aaarrrggghhh!" Ichigo shouted as Kisuke jammed the butt of his cane into the boy's kidneys.

"Not just yet! We still have one more person to wait for," the eccentric shop owner said.

"Who?" Uryuu asked.

"Me."

The group turned around to meet the speaker- Ichigo took a few extra seconds to nurse her aching side before following suit.

Ryuu was walking towards them in completely different outfit from the one he was wearing earlier. Everyone recognized it as the same shihakusho Ichigo was wearing, identifying him as a Soul Reaper. Like Ichigo, his zanpakutō was also strapped to his back with a fiery red sash.

"Well don't you look spiffy," Kisuke commented.

"I can't believe this thing once fit me," Ryuu said with a chuckle.

"Wait a minute, you're coming with us?" Uryuu asked in outrage.

"What? Did you honestly think I'd let a bunch of teenagers wander into the Soul Society aimlessly?" Ryuu asked incredulously.

"We don't need you!" Uryuu snapped.

"You're all still green behind the ears. You wouldn't last one day on your own in the Soul Society without help," the adult male rebuked.

"So you really are a Soul Reaper, Mr. Hiromasa," Orihime said in awe.

"Yes," Ryuu said with a nod.

"Then that means you lived in the Soul Society," she deduced. "Are you excited about going back home?"

"This isn't a vacation, Orihime, we have a mission to accomplish," he warned, even though he secretly was excited about returning home.

"Well now that you're here, Ryuu, I can continue," Kisuke said.

"As I was saying: entering the Senkaimon won't cause you any pain. As long as you keep going forward, you'll make it to the Soul Society. The only thing you need to worry about is time," he stated, his voice becoming serious. The time allowed to get through the Senkaimon to the Soul Society…is four minutes."

"Four minutes?" Ichigo asked in shock.

"Once the four minutes is up, the door will close… and you will all be locked forever in the Dangai Precipice World. Inside that place, in order to prevent enemies such as Hollows from getting through, there is a current called the 'Kouryuu' which can incapacitate a soul. If you get caught in it, your chances of getting through the Dangai in time will be impossible."

"Then…what do we do?" Orihime asked now slightly intimidated.

"Just walk forward," a voice said startling the young girl.

She looked down at where the voice had come from and was surprised to see her mentor from the last two weeks standing beside her.

"Mr. Yoruichi!"

"Remember what I told you," the feline said. "The heart and the soul are connected. What matters is what your heart thinks. Only those who can do it can follow Ryuu and I."

"What are you talking about," Ichigo asked with a scowl. "We're all here. We made our decision and we will see it through!"

"Don't be so rash, Ichigo," Ryuu interjected. "If you die in the Soul Society or are captured by the enemy, you'll never see this place again. Do you really think you can do this?"

"Of course I do!" the teen responded without hesitation.

"Well done," Yoruichi complimented.

"Wonderful!" Kisuke cheered. "How about you guys take a few minutes to make sure everything is in order? Mr. Hiromasa and I need to talk."

Ryuu followed Kisuke off to the side and left the kids to check whatever gear they brought and mentally prepare themselves for what lied ahead of them.

"So your mind's really made up then?" Kisuke asked.

"Does it not show?" Ryuu asked as he tugged at his shihakusho.

"I admit I was surprised to see you wearing that. I almost didn't recognize you."

"Well, I'm already starting to feel like I'm home again. Oh, and one more thing," he said before slamming his fist into Kisuke's shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain from the shop keep.

"May I ask what that was for?" Kisuke asked as he rubbed his now bruised shoulder.

"Tonight reminded me of how angry I was on my birthday three years ago," Ryuu said with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh come on! The bloody message on the ceiling was funny!" Kisuke whined.

"It wasn't funny and neither was that ghoulish gigai replica of my wife you built that crawled out of TV threatening to kill me for an infidelity I never committed!"

"No one in the world as any sense of humor," Kisuke groaned causing Ryuu to sigh and rub the space between his eyes.

"You know, Kisuke, I started to think the Seireitei was ready to exile you from the start; Aizen's frame job only gave them an excuse," Ryuu said with an amused grin making his way onto his lips.

"That is a possibility," Kisuke agreed mirthfully.

The two men shared a laugh. The century spent in exile had strengthened the friendship between the two men. Ryuu now felt the same kinship with Kisuke that he felt with Shunsui and Jushiro one hundred years ago. It would be hard to imagine life without him, but with luck, if he managed to kill Aizen and prove their innocence, perhaps he could get the ban removed and allow Kisuke to return soon.

"So do you have it?" Ryuu asked when their friendly laughter subsided.

"Right here," Kisuke replied as he procured an item from inside his coat. It was a tiny vial containing a small spherical object.

"So how does this work again?" Ryuu asked as he took the vial.

"It'll block your spiritual signature from the Twelfth Divisions scanners," Kisuke explained. "My former vice president may have made some improvements, but I doubt he's thought through every contingency. Once you swallow that device, the ban the Seireitei put on your spiritual signature will no longer apply. Be warned: it'll only last for a day. After that you'll have to make every effort to conceal yourself."

"I appreciate this, Kisuke," Ryuu said gratefully before popping off the cap to the vial and swallowing the tiny orb

"It was no trouble at all. Something like this is trivial for me!" Kisuke gloated.

"And the moment's ruined," Ryuu deadpanned.

"Seriously, Ryuu, be careful," the shop owner said, the cheerfulness replaced with seriousness. "Aizen might already know you're coming. If you see his shikai, you lose whatever edge you have over him."

"I know. I'll make sure he doesn't get the upper hand," Ryuu said with a nod.

"Then I wish you luck, my friend," Kisuke stated extending a hand which Ryuu happily shook.

"Well, let's get this over with," Ryuu said as he and Kisuke made his way back to the Senkaimon.

"Are you all ready?" he asked.

There was a nod from everyone in the group and Ryuu smiled.

"Then Mr. Urahara and Mr. Tsukabishi, open that door."

Kisuke and Tessai stood on both sides of the Senkaimon and pressed their palms against the ground. A bright glow formed in the center of the door and expanded to all four sides. The Senkaimon was finally open. The way to the Soul Society was clear.

"The ways open! Go now!" Kisuke shouted.

Ryuu looked through the door that led to a home he had not seen in a century. This was it. The time he had long awaited had finally come. Every day he spent training was in preparation for lied on the opposite end of this portal. Now was the time to put his blade to work.

"I'm coming, Retsu," he whispered as he and the group of teens dashed through the door and into the unknown.