Lol it's been ages since I've updated this fanfiction, omg! I've learnt so much since… what, 2017? Anyways, I no longer have a pat-reon (and I wanna clarify that I was posting my original fiction on there, it was not for making money off of fanfiction). What I am working on now is a RedBubble for my Photography, and I'm working on getting my original fiction published!

You won't find Skykaila (now I'm calling it The Realms of Skykaila) online anymore, except in snippets, since I want to make that into a comic (trust me, this is gonna be a big project and it probably won't happen for another year or two). Thanks to anyone who originally checked it out!

But anyway, that's enough of a personal update from me…

If you want more HichiIchi, you can find my tumblr blog "shiroxichigo". There's also an amazing discord server for HichiIchi which is kinda hard for me to share on ffnet because they don't allow me to post links. So, send me a PM or get in touch with me on my blog, and I'll get you a server invite! I'm also on ao3 as MidnightMuse234! Thank you~!

And, as always, happy reading!

Ichigo is amazing, Shiro thought. Ichigo could influence someone's perception, make them hear things that weren't actually there, and do the same with images? That was truly incredible! But at the same time, Shiro was understanding more and more why people thought Ichigo was dangerous. Ichigo was a kind-hearted dragon, Shiro knew that, but anyone who didn't know him could just as easily assume that his power was dangerous if he were to use it for the wrong reasons.

Right now, however, Ichigo was prepared to use his power to help Grimmjow, Renji, Shiro and himself escape. That seemed noble to Shiro, at least.

Grimmjow 'hmmed' at the idea for a long while before he finally nodded. "Alright, here's the plan. Renji, I need you to count how many guards there are first, I won't risk Ichigo exhausting his reiatsu before we really need it. Then, we're going to start a fire on the other side of their camp to distract as many guards as possible. Odds are there are some resting and others on duty. The ones resting will be forced to respond to the fire while the ones on duty will be distracted enough that Ichigo can push into their thoughts with minimal effort. Are we clear on what we're doing?"

Ichigo and Shiro nodded, while Renji grumbled and nodded as well. The red dragon slipped away, avoiding guards as he got a feeling for the area the guards were covering. It was massive. They were lucky to have found a spot close enough to the waterfall without bumping into guards. In fact, Renji was certain they'd somehow snuck past the first circle of guards while there was a gap in their defences without any of them knowing it. They had the devil's luck, but how long was that going to last them?

Shiro held Ichigo tight while the orange-head nervously bounced his foot. They all heard shouting and several crackles from a fire. Ichigo immediately shut his eyes and began to concentrate. He could pick up some of the thoughts bouncing around inside different soldier's heads.

Blasted dragons.

What the hell do they think they're doing? Won't a fire attract attention?

It's an ambush! We're surrounded!

I don't want to die!

Ichigo felt guilt twist in his stomach. He bit the inside of his cheek as he forced himself into the last one's mind. Her mind was on the verge of being consumed by fear. If Ichigo wanted, he could break her mind with her own fears, rendering her useless for the rest of her days. He didn't wish to do that her, however, and merely slipped into her mind without her noticing. He could easily read her thoughts now. Where is Candice? I hope she's alright. She could protect me. I need her…

Ichigo frowned and retreated as soon as his illusion was cast on her mind. He hardly felt Shiro's grip in his hand as he moved to another soldier. Each became easier than the next to infiltrate, especially as he learned more about each individual from the previous mind he'd entered. The more Ichigo knew someone, the easier he could slip in undetected, disguised as one of their thoughts.

A shaky sigh slipped through Ichigo's lips. "There. I have everyone. We'd better hurry."

Grimmjow nodded and Renji, whom Ichigo hadn't seen return since his eyes were shut, was quick to follow Grimmjow. "There are only three of them this way so we'll be less likely to get caught. Then we jump into the pond at the bottom of the falls and we'll be back in the real world. Everyone should be prepared to fight because I guarantee there'll be guards on the other side."

"Alright. Let's go." Grimmjow signalled for the other three to follow behind him. He brought out his sword and kept it low to the ground as they moved forward.

Shiro stayed close to Ichigo. He just stopped for a moment to look around when he saw a guard staring right at him. Shiro took in a deep breath and Ichigo spun around. "It's okay," Ichigo reassured, "he can't see you, I promise."

With a gulp, Shiro turned to see the man still staring at him, or rather, through him. Shiro clung to Ichigo's arm and the two of them continued towards the waterfall.

"You're one scary son of a bitch," Renji muttered.

Ichigo gulped and didn't reply.

"Your power is amazing," Shiro tried to reassure Ichigo.

Ichigo gave him small smile.

Grimmjow stood at the edge of the pond and reached his hand towards Shiro. "We're going to jump in groups of two. I'm taking Shiro, Renji's taking Ichigo."

"I've got Ichigo," Shiro cut in.

Grimmjow shook his head. "You've barely got any control over your powers, Shiro, and Ichigo's going to be drained. Renji and I still have our full strength."

Ichigo and Shiro glanced at each other, then Ichigo said, "We don't have time to argue. My grip on the guards is beginning to slip."

Shiro sighed and surrendered his position to Renji. As he did, Shiro felt a small stabbing sensation in his chest. He could feel Renji's hostility towards Ichigo, and he knew that Renji didn't completely trust Ichigo yet. Shiro's instincts were screaming at him, don't let this man near your mate, don't let this man near your-

"Ready?" Grimmjow asked.

Shiro nodded and stepped up beside him.

On the count of three, they jumped into the pond.

Shiro felt his entire world spin. He landed flat on his face on the other side of the portal. He was expecting to be wet, he felt himself enter the water, but there he was, face in the dirt and completely dry.

Grimmjow cackled at him. "Need a hand?"

Shiro shot him a glare but took Grimmjow's hand anyway.

"What do we have here?" someone new spoke.

"Shit!" Grimmjow cursed and took out his sword. He pointed it at the throat of the newcomer – Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra glanced down at the sword, then back up at Grimmjow's face. "Do you intend to fight me, Grimmjow? You won't win."

"Ha! Well aren't you cocky, Ulquiorra!?" Grimmjow grinned. "I bet you won't be so confident when I cut your throat!"

"Stop!" A woman screamed.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Orihime…? You're still alive!?"

"What are you doing here?" Ulquiorra questioned.

Orihime held up a crystal that had been hanging around her neck.

"She's a witch," Grimmjow muttered.

Shiro blinked. He never expected Orihime to be a witch, nor did he ever once suspect Grimmjow and Renji of… well, Shiro still didn't know what Grimmjow and Renji were, but they were both loyal to the royal family of dragons. How long had he been surrounded by people who weren't who they pretended to be?

Orihime's eyes were focused on Ulquiorra. "Do you know what this crystal does?"

Ulquiorra turned to face her, clearly not threatened by Grimmjow's sword. "It can seal away a dragon," he said.

"Exactly."

"That won't be strong enough to seal me away," Ulquiorra added.

"I only need you out of the way for an hour, at most. Orihime narrowed her eyes.

"Orihime, what are you doing?" Shiro questioned.

Orihime ignored him and whispered something. The crystal began to glow orange. The light consumed the entire group. When it faded, Ulquiorra was gone.

"You sealed him away?" Grimmjow questioned.

Orihime nodded. "I knew the truth about Aizen a long time ago. He forced me to join him… or else he was going to kill you, Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes widened.

Shiro glanced between Ichigo and Orihime. "You know each other?"

Ichigo nodded. "I thought she died three years ago. We were close friends before then. She snuck food from her village out to me." Ichigo stumbled as he rushed towards her. He hugged Orihime close. "I'm so happy you're alive."

Orihime sniffled. "I'm sorry that I couldn't let you see me."

"What happened?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime gestured to the crystal now laying on her chest. "Well, I was born a witch, but not just that… Aizen was searching for another Dragon Priest and his search brought him to me."

"A Dragon Priest… and a witch?" Renji questioned. "That's damn near impossible."

"I wasn't born a Dragon Priest, though. My brother was. He died protecting me, and his powers transferred to me when he died," Orihime explained. "Aizen thought that was interesting. So, he told me that I could come work for him, or else watch all my friends die." Orihime glanced at Ichigo. "He said he would reveal your true nature to his men… and he said that he'd force Tatsuki into his army if I didn't comply."

Ichigo felt a rage burn within his heart. He was not the type to seek revenge, but he wanted to make Aizen pay.

Shiro stepped up to Orihime. "If you're… a Dragon Priest, then, you can see how many dragons Aizen really has on his side?"

Orihime nodded. She pointed at Grimmjow and Renji, "I knew the both of you were dragons the moment I saw you. Shiro, you were really hard to read, but I could see that a spell had been cast on you. I knew Aizen would kill me if I tried to tell you anything, so I'm sorry that I had to keep you in the dark."

"What about now?" Shiro asked. "Won't he kill you?"

Orihime's grip tightened around the crystal that contained Ulquiorra. "Aizen can try, but I'm done being scared of him. Besides, and this is why I'm really here to warn you, Aizen doesn't care about me or the people back at that small village anymore. He cares about getting you back, Shiro."

Shiro flinched. "Why?"

Orihime sighed. "He intends to take your power from you. Dragon Priests are capable of performing a ritual that passes one dragon's power on to another."

"Oh!" Ichigo interrupted. "That's what Aizen wants!?"

"What is it?" Shiro questioned.

Grimmjow growled.

Orihime turned sorrowful eyes onto Shiro. "I don't know much about it since I've had very limited sources to go by… but dragons used to perform a ceremony where, as they were passing, they could pass their power on to the next generation. A grandfather might give their power to their grandchild, a mother to her child, a father to his child, and so on..."

"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed. "We stopped doing this hundreds of years ago, but it was primarily used as a sign of respect to the royal family. Dragons who highly respected the royal family… they would arrange that once they were approaching death, their powers would be transferred to the current King, sometimes even to the Prince. Whoever you transfer your power to becomes a new colour of dragon, a combination of all the powers they have. That's why the royal family is…"

Ichigo froze and stared at Shiro.

Grimmjow and Renji exchanged nervous glances.

Orihime looked between them all.

"Oh my god…" Ichigo stumbled back, his hand moving over his lips. Shiro shifted nervously at the intense stare Ichigo was giving him. He felt a cold shiver settle on the back of his neck. He'd never seen Ichigo so shocked before, or even so terrified.