Author's Note: For this chapter I tried to avoid using too many lines of dialogue from the manga and anime. I may have paraphrased a few things or changed some lines a bit while adding my own original dialogue in there. Writing Gin's lines in particular is hard work. I like Gin's accent in the manga and prefer it over the smooth and prim tone used in the anime. Unfortunately that make it harder for because it's like teaching myself how to write poorly. Just tell me what you all think of it, I really want to get Gin's accent as best I can.
DISCLAIMER~ Bleach is the property of Tite Kubo and some other crap I can't remember right now
Ryuu had always hated traveling through the Dangai Precipice World. It was dark, gloomy, and the way the walls shifted and convulsed as if they were alive just plain freaked him out. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about being in there long, since they had to really book it to beat the four minute time limit. So far they had been running for three and the path behind them was already starting to collapse and catch up to them.
"The path's already collapsing!" Uryuu shouted. "We're running out of time!"
"If you got the time to look back, put it to better use and keep running!" Yoruichi snapped. "If the Kouryuu catches you, it's over!"
As if on cue, the walls and ceiling behind them collapsed even further. A small tendril of the purple-black goo latched onto the back of Uryuu's cape and held him back.
"Uryuu!" Ichigo shouted upon looking back at the sound of the Quincy's screams and seeing him slowly being pulled into the Kouryuu.
"Dammit!" Ryuu cursed. He had warned that brat that his outfit was too much of a hazard.
Ichigo was about to make the mistake of using his zanpakutō to cut his companion out, but fortunately Yoruichi stopped him before he could doom himself along with Uryuu. Ryuu was about to turn around and save the poor fool, but Chad beat him to it. The quiet giant tore off Uryuu's cape and hoisted him up on his shoulder effortlessly before resuming his retreat. Ryuu silently remarked on how resourceful the teen was and found himself wishing he had ten more men like him in his ranks when he was a captain.
The group resumed their flight, ignoring the protests of Uryuu who demanded to be let down and run on his own. The Quincy only stopped his shouting when he noticed a light piercing through the collapsing path behind them.
"Everyone, look! Something's coming!"
Both Ryuu and Yoruichi looked back in horror. It could only be one thing.
An incredible mass came speeding towards them like a bullet train. It was the same color and made of the same ooze that composed the rest of the surrounding area with a bright light shining brightly at the mass' "head".
"Wh-What is that thing?" Uryuu asked in fear.
"It's 'the Cleaner'!" Yoruichi exclaimed. "It appears once ever seven days to clear the area! Why today of all days?"
"The power of convenience…" Ryuu grumbled irately. "Run faster, everyone! If that thing touches you, you're dead!"
The group quickened their pace. The exit was in sight, a mere thirty or forty yards away, but the Cleaner was gaining on them, practically licking their heels. It all seemed hopeless. They would not make it in time. Ryuu and Yoruichi could probably make it out in time on their own, but neither of them would abandon the young teens. It seemed like it was over.
It was to the surprise of everyone then, when Orihime of all people stopped and faced the speeding mass of death.
The red-head placed both hands to the sky blue flower-shaped hair pins she wore and shouted "Santen Kesshun! I reject!" Three lights shot out from her hair pins and combined to form a giant bright orange triangle in front of them.
The shield had managed to keep the Cleaner from reaching them, but the powerful force behind it couldn't be held back for long. The collision had created a blast force that ejected the group of six out of the Dangai through the portal and into the Soul Society. They all landed with enough force to create large dust cloud and small triangular crater. Ryuu and Chad had managed to land gracefully. Orihime looked no worse for wear. Yoruichi, Uryuu, and Ichigo, however, were all sprawled about the crash site.
"Is everyone alright?" Orihime asked with a nonchalant smile.
Everyone was mostly silent, but Ichigo grumbled in response when Orhim commented on his "artistic landing".
"That was certainly unexpected," Uryuu commented as he reached into his robe and pulled out- to Chad and Ichigo's shock and Ryuu's disgust- a spare cape. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this so soon."
"I am embarrassed to even be in the same crater as you," Ryuu stated flatly, earning a hateful glare from the young Quincy.
"This is great! No one got hurt!" Orihime exclaimed happily before Yoruichi head-butted her in the eye.
"Did you even listen to what I said back there?" Yoruichi shouted angrily at the cowering, crying girl who was nursing her eye. "You're just lucky only the shield was touched by the Cleaner! If it touched anything else, you would be dead right now!"
"You don't have to yell!" Ichigo piped in. "We're all here because of Orihime!"
"You don't seem to get in!" Yoruichi snapped.
"Go easy on her Yoruichi," Ryuu calmly interjected. "She was just trying to help and without her actions, we'd definitely be dead."
Being complimented seemed to perk Orihime right up and she took her hands away from her eye and beamed appreciatively at Ryuu.
"Hey, the smoke is clearing," Uryuu spoke up as he finished fiddling with the last clasp on his cape.
Indeed, the dust from their collision with the ground had started to settle and the surrounding area was finally visible.
In front of them was what appeared to be an ordinary, unassuming village reminiscent of feudal era Japan. Ryuu recognized the area.
"This…is the Soul Society?" Ichigo asked in what sounded like mild disappointment mixed with surprise.
"Yes," Yoruichi replied.
"It's the area known as the Rukon District," Ryuu added. "This is the place where souls wind up after they've received a konso and are sent to the Soul Society. It's a large area that surrounds the Seireitei, which is where the Soul Reapers reside. It isn't as wealthy or as extravagant as the Seireitei, but it's a much more free area with much more residents than the Seireitei."
"But…where is everyone?" Uryuu asked curiously after some looking around.
"Hey! Look over there!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"Everyone followed his direction and found a much nicer area behind them. The streets and the majority of the buildings appeared to be made of white marble, the roofing and everything else appeared to be made of fine wood or bronze colored tile. To the teens, it must have seemed like a royal city. To Ryuu, it was home.
"Finally…" he muttered under his breath.
"Looks like we landed closer than we could have hoped for," Yoruichi said.
"I get it! That's where the Soul Reapers live, right?" Ichigo asked excitedly before taking off towards the white pristine streets.
"You idiot!" Yoruichi shouted irately. "Don't go near there! It's not safe!"
"Huh?" Ichigo asked as turned back to look at her, unaware of the massive wall that was plummeting towards the ground a mere two feet in front of him. His newly acquired Soul Reaper reflexes kept him from being squashed like a grape under a hammer, but it was still a very close call.
Ryuu looked up after the first section of the familiar gate came crashing to the ground. The rest of the wall that divided the Seireitei from the Rukon District came crashing down two at a time on both sides in perfect symmetry. The shockwaves kicked up more dust into the air and everyone had to shield their eyes. Ichigo, who had been caught at the front of the shockwave, was busy coughing up the dust that had surrounded him when he heard a loud voice.
"It's been so long since someone tried to enter the West Gate without a pass," Ichigo heard the voice say.
When the dust finally started to settle, the Substitute Soul Reaper found himself overcast by a large shadow. Had a cloud blocked out the sun? He looked up, and his eyes widened in shock. The shadow wasn't caused by the sun, but by a man…a man that stood over thirty feet tall.
The man was very muscular, more so than Ichigo remembered Tessai being. Long black sideburns traveled down the sides of his face and continued down to his neck and were tied into ponytail-like tufts. He wore a uniform like Ichigo's and Ryuu's, only the entire left side of his torso was exposed revealing a silver shoulder and arm guard. On his massive head he wore a red hat with golden tassels dangling from the sides and in his giant right hand was equally giant hand axe.
"I'll treat you to a good time, kid!" he said with an amused expression before slamming the pommel of his axe down against the ground a few feet away from Ichigo, causing yet another shockwave. The giant chortled in amusement as he pulled his axe from the small hole he made in the ground.
"Come on! Attack from whatever direction you want, kiddo!"
From the same spot where they landed, Uryuu, Chad, and Orihime looked on in amazement…or in Chad's case, his stoic equivalent of amazement.
"He gigantic!" Uryuu exclaimed. "Who is he? With such a massive body, he surely can't be human, can he?"
"His name is Jidanbou," Yoruichi answered.
"He's one of the four elite warriors tasked with guarding the four gates to the Seireitei," Ryuu continued for her.
"So…all we have to do is defeat this behemoth to enter the Seireitei," the Quincy surmised.
"Don't say it as if it were so simple, boy," Ryuu berated. "Jidanbou has stood as the guardian of this gate for the last three hundred years. No one that tried to enter the Seireitei without authorization has ever gotten past him."
"He's that strong?" the boy asked in what Ryuu was mildly relieved to see was awe. It meant the boy was starting to understand the strength of the enemies that stood before them.
"Yes," Yourichi replied. "One swing from his axe is all it takes to cease your existence."
"Then how do defeat such a monster?"
"It's all a matter of mental work," Yoruichi said. "Fall back, Ichigo! We'll come up with a plan!"
To the feline's utter shock and aggravation, Orihime and Chad charged ahead as well to assist Ichigo.
"Hey! Didn't you two hear what I just said?" she shouted. "Get back here!"
"Just our luck that the only child we brought who isn't brash is the Quincy," Ryuu mused with a sigh.
"Don't talk about me as if I'm not here!" said Quincy shouted.
"I kind of wish you weren't," Ryuu replied with a wry smile.
There banter was interrupted by an even stronger axe strike to the ground from Jidanbou. Ryuu looked on to see he had struck just where Chad and Orihime were about to run and actually surged the land so horribly that it stuck out of the ground and blocked to two teenagers from progressing any further.
"Hang on!" he bellowed.
Ryuu noticed Uryuu's eyes widen further.
"T-That's unbelievable! All he did was swing his axe once…and turned the ground into a barrier!"
"That's the power of a gatekeeper," Yoruichi explained. "Their sole purpose is to keep intruders from getting past the gate through raw power and intimidation. No one in their right mind would ever stand up to stand up to someone like that, no normal person anyway."
Jidanbou looked past the wall and towards the two teens whose assault he had stopped.
"Your behavior is atrocious! What kind of backwater place did you come from anyway?" he chided. "This place has rules! First, always wash your hands before a meal. Second, never eat food that has fallen on the ground. Third, all duels are fought one-on-one. My first opponent is the orange spikey-haired kid! Until I am finished fighting with him, you two stay they there and wait patiently! You guys are guests here; you should follow the rules."
Orihime seemed despondent in being unable to help Ichigo, but what chance did she have against such an opponent. She was still human after all. She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ryuu standing beside her.
"I'll take care of this," he said as he walked past her.
He glanced at Chad and could tell the boy was already forming a sneak attack plan to assist his friend. Ryuu didn't want to take away this experience from Ichigo. He personally believed in coming out of every fight stronger than when the fight started. However, they couldn't afford to waste time or energy on Jidanbou, such things were better spent on getting past any minor enemies and getting Rukia out of there as fast as possible. Once they did that, Ryuu could attend to his own agenda: finding and killing Sosuke Aizen. Also, being so close to home and Retsu, was admittedly making him anxious and he would be damned if he would let a gatekeeper get in his way when he was so close.
Before he could even make his way over the wall Jidanbou had created, however, Ichigo spoke up.
"Hey! Chad, Orihime!" he called out.
"Ah! Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed happily. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine!" he replied.
"Wait right there! Mr. Hiromasa is coming over!"
"Don't worry about it! Just stay right there! Don't help me!"
Everyone's face bore a surprised look.
"Uh…what do you mean, Ichigo?" Orihime asked.
"Just wait right there. I'll be okay," the boy answered.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Uryuu demanded loudly. "You've seen how strong he is! I don't care what training you received in ten days, you can't beat him by yourself!"
"Oh! Uryuu, you're here too?" Ichigo asked appearing to be genuinely surprised, causing Ryuu to snicker.
"I've been here the whole time!" the Quincy shouted irately. "Are you trying to mock me?"
"Geez, you're annoying…" Ryuu heard Ichigo mutter.
"Can you fight?" Chad asked.
There was a brief silence before they received an answer
"Maybe…" Ichigo answered thoughtfully.
"What do you mean 'maybe'?" Uryuu shouted again.
"Will you shut up?" Ryuu snapped in annoyance, effectively silencing the bifocal teen.
He took in a deep, calming breath before turning back to the wall.
"Are you sure you want to fight him, Ichigo?" Ryuu asked.
"Yeah," Ichigo responded confidently. "I can do this."
"Then show them what you've learned in the past ten days," the adult Soul Reaper said with a grin.
"You are seriously going to let him do this?" Uryuu asked incredulously.
"And why not?" Ryuu replied. "Ichigo should be ready for this."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Do you know what Ichigo did in ten days?"
The young Quincy only responded with raised brow.
"The plan had been for him to take ten days to slowly recover his powers and give him the basic skills necessary to get through the Soul Society, save Rukia, and get out. However, none of us could have predicted the boy's rapid healing. By the fifth day he made a full recovery. With the five days we had left, Ichigo did nothing but train. He's not the same amateur you challenged to a duel anymore."
"Oh, so he's learned some special battle skills?"
"No," Ryuu answered causing Uryuu to look at him in confusion. "All that kid learned was how to fight until he dropped and without fear. Nothing more, nothing less."
"…are you serious?" Uryuu deadpanned. "This isn't going to work."
"Don't be so cynical. Kisuke and I believe in learning on the job. A novice will only fight that much harder if their life is on the line."
The battle didn't last as long as Ryuu had feared and Ichigo came out of it with barely a scratch on him. He easily fended off Jidanbou's powerful axe swings- an act that made the giant gate keeper very happy. The battle revealed Jidanbou's poor math skills as well as a second axe that was brought out when Ichigo started gaining an edge. However, even with the combined power of both axes, Jidanbou was unable to defeat Ichigo, and the young Substitute Soul Reaper managed to destroy both of his axes and knock the giant man down.
His friends looked on in awe. They had all worried that Ichigo would be lucky enough to come out of this alive.
"A-Amazing!" Uryuu exclaimed mouth agape. "He actually managed to bring him down!"
It was to the continued shock of everyone that Jidanbou actually managed to spring back up to his feet, looking only slightly worn.
"Ha! That was close!" he stated with an embarrassed chuckle. "I got distracted for a second and let myself get knocked down!"
The young giant looked down at the face of a confused-looking Ichigo and started to laugh boisterously.
"What's with that look? Did you really think you beat me? Ha! There's no way I could be beaten by a guy like you! You bumpkins sure are full of yourselves! Now I'll finish you off with my…axe?"
It was only then that Jiddanbou realized that the blades of his axes had been completely obliterated, leaving only the broken handles.
"What the- Where's my axe?" he demanded worriedly. "My…my axe!"
Before anyone knew what to expect, the giant guardian was on his knees, slamming his broken axe handles into the ground, causing small tremors with each hit, and bawling like a child whose toy was just broken.
"You bastard!" he wailed. "My axes are broken! It's all your fault!"
"Is he…seriously crying?" Uryuu asked while observing the strange scene.
"Jidanbou was always…a child at heart," Ryuu commented looking on in embarrassment for the gargantuan man.
"Is he…is he going to be okay?" Orihime asked curiously.
"Yes…maybe…I don't know," Ryuu answered awkwardly.
Ichigo, for his part, was just completely at a loss for what to do next. He had never consoled a sobbing adult before, let alone one that was larger than his own house.
"Uh…this is a little weird, but…sorry?" he tried. "I probably didn't have to break both you're axes; I could have let you keep one, I guess…"
Jidanbou turned his tear-stained face from the ground to look at Ichigo and placed both of his large hands on his shoulders.
"You…you're such a good guy!" he exclaimed tearfully. "I'm your enemy, but you actually care about me and feel sorry for breaking my axes! You're so kind! But look at me, crying like a baby because of a broken weapon…I lost. I lost as a warrior and as a man!" he shouted miserably.
The giant took a few deep breaths, calmed his sobbing, and wiped his tears away before speaking again.
"I have been the gatekeeper of the West Gate for three hundred years and have never lost a battle. You are the first one to beat me," he stated. "I, Jidanbou Ikanzaka hereby grant you permission to pass through the West Gate into the Seireitei," he announced with a small grin.
"Wha- Wait! Are you serious?" Ichigo asked excitedly.
"Can you really let us in?" Uryuu asked warily as he walked up towards the two.
"Yes," Jidanbou nodded. "Your leader defeated me. I have no right to deny you passage."
"What? Ichigo's not the leader!" the black-haired teen shouted in outrage.
"Neither are you," Ryuu stated dryly as he came up behind.
"Ichigo…is that your name?" Jidanbou asked the orange-haired boy.
"Yeah," he replied with a proud grin. "Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Ichigo…what a cute name," the giant commented.
"It's not cute!" Ichigo shouted angrily.
"It's not exactly masculine either," Ryuu muttered with a snicker.
"I heard that old man!"
"I'm not sure why you want to go through, but be careful, Ichigo. The warriors inside are very strong," Jidanbou warned.
"I know," Ichigo replied with a nod.
"…okay then. You better be prepared. I'm opening the gate now," the giant man said as he crouched down and slid his massive fingers beneath the gate. "Once the gate's open, you hurry inside."
Jidanbou took a deep breath and then with his semi-truck size arms, lifted the gate upwards before stepping beneath it to get a better hold.
The kids looked utterly amazed by what they were seeing. Ryuu was about to grin happily as the way was opened, but he felt a familiar presence close by that immediately set him on edge.
He had memorized the spiritual signature of three Soul Reapers one hundred years ago. For the last century, he held onto the memory of that trio of spiritual pressure. For the last century the memory filled him with rage. This one, he remembered, was young at the time. Young…but incredibly lethal.
He faintly heard Ichigo's voice asking Jidanbou what was wrong and heard the fear in the giant's voice as he uttered one of three names belonging to the people who ruined so many lives. Ryuu's eyes remained fixated on the young man approaching them. He had grown since he last saw him…but that same eerie grin remained. It was him alright.
Gin Ichimaru.
Ryuu's fists clenched tightly at his side. The young man had been just a boy the last time Ryuu saw him, but he was aware of his rank as a Third Seat of Squad Five. He recalled hearing about Gin's fame as a child prodigy and his graduation from the academy after only one year. That raw talent was something Ryuu remembered desiring for his squad, but the boy had applied for Squad Five instead, most likely because Aizen got his hooks into once he sensed his potential as well. Even then, as just a child, the boy had a frightening presence. To the untrained eye, he may have seemed as just being a happy carefree child, but beneath the foxlike grin, those closed eyes, and that youthful face, Ryuu sensed…something dark…something insidious.
Now, the same boy who stood before him on that night all those years ago was casually strolling up to the gate, draped in a captain's haori.
"Well, what's this now?" Gin asked curiously.
The was a light gust of wind and Ryuu heard what sounded like a shot of air. The next thing he knew, Jidanbou's left arm went flying from his body and into the streets behind them.
"What a shame this is," the silver-haired man said facetiously. "A Gate Keeper isn't s'posed ta open the gate."
As is reacting to Gin's voice, blood spurted from the stump that was once Jidanbou's left arm. The man screamed in agony as the reality of his injury had finally sunk in. Ichigo and his friends looked in horror. Ryuu and Yoruichi glared angrily as Gin merely stood there, smiling as the blood rained down all over.
With only one arm remaining, the weight of the gate became a bit much for Jidanbou. He fell to his knees and held up the gate using his shoulders and his remaining arm, panting furiously from the pain
"Wow! Ya can still hold the gate up with just one arm?" Gin asked in mocking amazement. "No wonder yer of the Seireitei's elite. However, ya still failed as a Gate Keeper."
'Dammit!' Ryuu though furiously. 'I know it would be foolish to think that a captain might not show up to investigate, but Ichimaru. This is too perfect a scenario. Aizen must know we're here.'
They had to fall back. Ichimaru was on verge of being captain class as a child; he didn't want to think about how strong the last century had made him. If this became a battle, the entire strength of the Seireitei would come down upon them and this whole venture would have been for nothing. Rukia would die, Aizen would get his hands on the Hougyoku, and…he didn't want to think about the end results of that scenario.
"But, I was defeated," Jidanbou tried to explain. "A Gate Keeper can't deny passage to the one who beats him."
"What're ya talkin' about?" Gin asked. "Ya don't get it. Even if the Gate Keeper loses, he still can't open the door. If the Gate Keeper lost then that means…he gotta die," he explained as his smile became much more wicked.
Before Ryuu could stop him, Ichigo had lunged towards Ichimaru. The Soul Reaper captain had managed to effortlessly block the strike with his zanpakutō before the younger of the two leapt back and pointed his cleaver-like zanpakutō at Gin.
"What the hell do you think you're doing you bastard?" the boy demanded brashly.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Yoruichi seethed.
"Every bit the reckless moron Isshin ever was," Ryuu grumbled as he ran his hand down his face.
"I beat Jidanbou fair and square and then you just show up outta nowhere and starting attacking!" Ichigo shouted at Gin who merely looked at the boy in amusement.
"Orihime, take care of Jidanbou's injury," he ordered.
"Y-Yes!"
"Let's go!" Ichigo challenged. "If you want to fight so badly, I'll be your opponent!"
"What an interestin' kid ya are," Gin commented. "Aren'tcha afraid of me?"
"No!"
"Stop messing around, Ichigo!" Yourichi shouted. "Fall back you idiot!"
"Why? I can still fight!" the teen protested.
"Yer name's…Ichigo Kurosaki?" Gin asked.
"Huh? How do you know my name?" Ichigo asked curiously.
Gin grinned a little wider and began to walk away.
"In that case, I definitely can't let ya pass," Gin stated as he raised his zanpakuto.
"So what're you gonna do?" Ichigo asked undauntedly. "Attack me with that dagger of yours?"
"This ain't a knife…this is my zanpakutō."
As soon as Gin finished speaking, he quickly turned around, crouched slightly, and reared his blade back. Ryuu's eyes widened. He had seen this attack before.
"Shoot 'em dead…Shinsō," he commanded.
He thrust his blade forward and the blade itself extended towards Ichigo at an incredible speed. Ichigo was about to raise his blade to defend himself, but the strike never came. Instead, Ryuu was suddenly standing in front of him. The older man, drew his zanpakutō from the sheath on his back, faster than Ichigo had ever seen and quickly swatted the extending blade away. The blade collided into the by the gate and stopped extending upon hitting the solid sekiseki.
Gin looked on curiously as his blade returned to its normal size, his smile faltering for a moment.
"I know that sword…"he mused before his grin spread gleefully across his face once again. "Capn' Hiromasa!"
"It's been too long, Third Seat Ichimaru," Ryuu replied with a stern glare.
"It's Capn' Ichimaru now," the fox man clarified, tugging at the hem of his haori.
"Oh, please forgive. I don't call people by titles they don't deserve."
"The Head Captain, seemed ta think I deserve it," Gin responded with a shrug. "But really, who are ya to judge? Yer not a capn'…not anymore."
"Where's Tōsen?" Ryuu asked ignoring the barb. "Is he too busy licking at Aizen's heels like a lost mutt to come see me?"
"Can't say I know where Capn' Tōsen is, but what makes ya think I came here to see you?"
"Don't take me for a fool, Gin! I'm not and neither are you!" the former captain stated raising his voice slightly. "Why are you here? Did Aizen tell you to find out who came? How long's he been watching? Why do you know of Ichigo?"
That was the question that had been really bugging him since Gin revealed he knew Ichigo's name. Of course there was the likelihood that the Seireitei found out about Ichigo through Rukia or Byakuya, but somehow Ryuu felt deep within his gut that it was than that. It could have been paranoia, but he just felt it.
"I could tell ya…" Gin said slyly, "…but that would spoil the surprise!"
"I have no problem killing you right now, Ichimaru!" Ryuu shouted as he pointed his long blade at the young man.
"What are you doing, Mr. Hiromasa?" Ichigo asked in confusion. "I'm the one who fighting this g-"
"Stay out of this, Ichigo!" Ryuu shouted. "Use your brain for once! Any idiot could see that this man is too powerful for you to even think of fighting!"
"I can beat-" Ichigo tried to protest, but Ryuu cut him off once more.
"No you can't! This man's been a cold killer since he was just a child, before you were even born!"
"Well that was mean!" Gin said in mock hurt.
"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth!" Ryuu shouted furiously. "I've been waiting for this day for one hundred years, when I can end the lives of the three who had destroyed so much!"
"That's enough, Ryuu!" Yoruichi shouted. "Now isn't the time for your vendetta!"
"He's right here in front of me!" he replied angrily. "I can kill him and then Aizen will be down to one puppet to play with!"
Yoruichi had enough. She jumped up and swatted Ryuu across the face with a clawed paw.
Ryuu's eyes widened in shock at what she had done. She had cut him pretty; he could feel blood flowing freely down his cheek. However, she had affectively snapped him out of his anger.
"Stop being an idiot! This isn't what we came here for!" she shouted. "If you fight him now, others will show up. Are you prepared to cut through a hundred innocent Soul Reapers to kill one man? What if Retsu shows up?"
That one really struck Ryuu. He had been so consumed by his century old anger and desire for vengeance that he had lost sight of nearly everything else. He took a deep breath and lowered his blade.
"So, whatcha gonna do, Capn' Hiromasa?" Gin asked gleefully.
Ryuu didn't respond. He merely raised his hand and pointed his middle finger and his pointer finger over his shoulder.
"Hado #1, Shō," he chanted.
The shockwave of the kido launched from his two fingers and threw Ichigo backwards through the gate.
"Jidanbou, drop the gate!" Ryuu ordered.
It wasn't like the giant had a choice. He was losing a lot of blood and the door was becoming heavier by the second. He hefted the gate up just enough for him to let himself fall back. Everyone backed up as the gate started to close, but Ryuu stood facing Gin for a moment longer.
"Another time, Ichimaru," he promised.
"I'll say hiya to Capn' Unohana for ya," Gin said cheerfully.
Ryuu glared once more before he shunpoed away behind the closing gate.
"Bye bye!" Gin said with a wave before the gate closed completely.