IX.

A History Lesson

Dated: Gotei Thirteen Era Four


The shimmering portal falls away, and the three Shinigami stand at the formal entrance to Seireitei. Kurosaki Ichigo looks at his companions, plainly annoyed at having to come out of his way to see something that his old enemy claimed to be important. The group walks up the spiraling streets of the Shinigami fortress, before reaching the Sixth Squad offices.


"I am glad that you could make it. Please, follow me." Byakuya gestured for the group to enter his office. Ichigo tensed up, still untrusting of the old Kuchiki.

"This is a record I found in our families ancestral home." He set down a thick, leather-bound book. Its cover was unmarked.

Rukia reached across the desk, and slowly flipped the cover of the book over.


"From the records of Hangan Katai , Sixth Squad Captain and Chronicler of the Events of the Gotei Thirteen." Rukia read aloud.

"Dated: Gotei Thirteen Era One."

"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked.

"This was before the purge." Byakuya explained, but Ichigo was still lost.

"The what?"

Byakuya showed no sign of his annoyance at the boy's lack of education. "Long ago, the Gotei Thirteen were engaged in a fierce and terrible civil war, between two men who claimed to both be the proper Sotaichou. One was the first Sotaichou. To this date, we have never been able to determine the identity of the other."

Ichigo sighed. "So… this is really old."

Byakuya frowned slightly, nodding.


Rukia coughed gently, before continuing. "The strife amongst us continues to grow. Soon, they may do battle. I fear for the survival of the Shinigami. We are meant to fight hollows, and not ourselves. Those were the principles on which Sotaichou-sama founded the Gotei Protection Squads. Yet now, our view of his nobility has come into question. He has drawn his Zanpakuto before us for the first time. We fear it, for we know all to well of its dark and terrible power. The man who commands us has shown the power to shatter the cycle of reincarnation. Day by day, he grows more agitated at the men who challenge his title. Soon he will snap, and when he does, the Gotei may not survive his wrath. I can only pray that…"


"Ah. Kuchiki-san. Jushiro-san. I was wondering where you had run off to. Well… I suppose it's good that I am here, since I was supposed to inspect your squad anyway."

The assembled group turned in their seats, to meet the gaze of the red-robed Sotaichou of the Gotei Thirteen.

"Who the hell is he?" Ichigo asked.

Karite Ikatsue rolled his eyes. Instinct guided his hand toward the largest of his four Zanpakuto, but he restrained himself. His one-eyed gaze settled on the boy.

"You are… still alive?" He questioned.

"He is a substitute. He was the one to reveal Aizen's treachery and save Rukia from an unjust crucifixion." Ukitake explained.

"Ah. Well… in that case, I suppose I can forgive your tongue. I am Karite Ikatsue, Sotaichou of the Gotei Thirteen." Ikatsue nodded gently.

Ichigo grunted coldly. "Name's Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Kurosaki?" Ikatsue questioned, intrigued. "Well… you have quite a peculiar reiatsu, Ichigo-kun. I would love to talk more with you, but I must…" Ikatsue's eye settled on the book. "Where did you find that?" He demanded.

"It was found in the records of my family." Byakuya responded.

"Well… The Kuchikis. I should have guessed. May I?" The man asked, opening a palm toward Rukia. She placed the book in his hand. He flipped it open, reading quietly to himself. "So… some of Katai-Taichou's records survived the purge. That's good. Now, Kuchiki-san, if you could come with me." Rukia began to stand momentarily. "Ah. Your daughter?"

"My sister." Byakuya answered.

"Forgive me." Ikatsue stepped out of the room, Byakuya on his heels.


"Did that seem strange to any of you?"

"Of course it did." Rukia responded. "Katai-Taichou? Could he really be that old?"

"He'd look like Yamamoto if he was. And speaking of that, what's going on? What the hell happened to Yamamoto?" Ichigoblurted out.

"He really is that old, Rukia. It's a long story. I suppose you both want to know. Let's head over to my Squad, and we can talk over lunch."

"We'd love to, Taichou." Rukia responded.

Ichigo lifted an eyebrow. "You aren't in your brother's squad?"

Rukia and Ukitake laughed. "I'm glad I'm not. He's terrible to Renji." Rukia commented.

"Oh. Well… whatever. Let's get out of here before Kenpachi finds out I'm here."

They all paused for a moment, before flashing away in fear of the mere thought of his bloodlust.


Hinamori Momo looked over the blank expanse before her, as she stood atop the enormous wall of Seireitei.

"Hinamori-chan?"

The girl turned. She knew the voice, all too well.

"Aizen-Taichou!" She ran up to her mentor, embracing him as she cried into his chest.

"I am so sorry for not talking to you earlier, but this had to be kept secret. You must know, it hurt me to keep this from you. Yamamoto has become evil. That is why they are calling me a traitor."

Hinamori stared up into his face. Without his glasses, he seemed different, but otherwise, he was dressed as he had when he disappeared.

"I understand, Aizen-Taichou. Please take me with you…"

"No, Hinamori. I need someone here, in Seireitei. Someone who can tell me their plans. Someone who can help me. Besides, you don't want to come to Hueco Mundo. The hollows are quite violent. It is hard for even Tosen, Gin, and I to survive there. Trust me, Hinamori. It's better this way. Better for both of us. Now… tell me what is happening here."

Hinamori looked up at him. "Well… Yamamoto-So… Yamamoto has disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"A strange man arrived here, and then Yamamoto merely disappeared."

Aizen paused, letting her continue.

"His name is Karite Ikatsue."

Aizen's eyes flashed wide for a moment. So… he's still alive, after all of these years.

"You've been more than helpful, Hinamori. I'll be back." And with that, Aizen blurred in place, and was gone.

"Goodbye, Aizen-sama."


Ukitake Jushiro ushered his companions into his office. They sat down, as his overeager third-seats brought them drinks. The white haired captain smiled at them, which caused a small tussle just outside his door. Ichigo slumped down into a chair on the opposite side of Ukitake's desk from the captain.

"So… Where do I begin?" The Thirteenth Squad's Taichou asked.

"When did he show up?" Rukia asked.

"Five days ago. We… the Captains… sensed Yamamoto's reiatsu, so we came looking for what was wrong. He was standing next to Ikatsue, although we didn't know his name at the time. He and Yamamoto got into a fight, and Yamamoto tried to release his Zanpank-to."

"Tried?" Rukia lifted an eyebrow, taking a sip from her cup.

"Ikatsue stopped him."

Rukia sprayed the tea across the room. "What the hell? That's even… possible?"

Ichigo looked back and forth between the two. "What's so great about Yamamoto?"

The two Gotei officials paused for a moment, and then both broke out laughing.

Rukia fell out of her chair, as Ukitake calmed himself. "Sorry. Yamamoto-sama is the greatest Shinigami who has ever lived… or so we thought. Do you remember when you saved Rukia from execution, and Byakuya chased after you?"

Ichigo laughed a bit at that. "How could I forget?"

"Well… he would have come after you. It took both Shunsui and myself just to keep him occupied. And he almost killed Shunsui's Fukutaichou just by looking at her and releasing his reiatsu."

"So… Kenpachi almost did that to me."

Ukitake paused. "To give you a good comparison, Yamamoto-sama has about twice as much reiatsu as Kenpachi, with his eye patch taken off."

Ichigo sprayed his tea across the room as well.

"Bull shit. Absolute bull shit."

Ukitake seemed to ignore the boy's comment.

"Anyway… then Ikatsue and Yamamoto talked a bit, and Yamamoto disappeared. Ikatsue turned up at the next captains meeting… and that's about it. We think he's older than Yamamoto, although if he is, he hasn't aged at all in quite some time."

"So then…"

"I don't know what he wants. He knows about Aizen, although none of us told him about that. And even though he knew about that, he didn't know about you, Ichigo. We just can't figure him out."

"Which one of the swords is his Zanpakuto?"

"We don't know. When he first showed up, he released one and it became a scythe. But he didn't say the chant, so we don't know it's name yet. We really have no information whatsoever."

Ichigo stood up. "Sorry about the tea. Listen, I've got to be getting home, so…"

"The gate's still open. See you some other time, Kurosaki-san." Ukitake smiled at the much younger man.

"Here… let me help you clean this up." Rukia walked over to the spills.

"Relax. The two will be more than happy to do it. Head on back to Karakura. As much as he isn't a nice guy, he does know what he's doing. We'll survive."

Rukia ran off, following Ichigo.


The group walked down the hallways of the Sixth Squad Headquarters. Everything was quiet, and orderly, and proper. To Ikatsue, it was disgusting.

"We maintain close discipline." Byakuya explained. Behind his back, Renji nodded, rolling his eyes. Ikatsue struggled not to laugh.

"Now… Would you like to look at our records?"

"I… actually, yes please."

Byakuya led the trio to an archive with books stacked from ceiling to floor for almost miles.

"I'll be fine here." Ikatsue walked up and down the shelves, his arms folded in the crook of his back. He walked all the way to the back of the room before finally pulling down a book. Its cover was stained with age, and the pages were yellow, but it was otherwise in good condition.

Dated: Gotei Thirteen Era One

Gotei Roster:

The first name had been slashed out with an enormous line, and overwritten with Ekirei Tsukurite.

Ikatsue smiled slightly, closing the book. That was all that he needed to know from there.

He walked further down the shelves, and finally found the record he was looking for. It was a yellowed scroll, rolled up in the very corner of the room, near the ceiling.

"What is that?"

Ikatsue turned. Renji Abarai stood over him.

"It's a record from the time of the Great Houses. I need to look something up."


From the Records of Ikatsue Karite, First and Last of the Order

We forged the blades today.

The first belongs to me, although it is not mine. The Scythe of the Reaper purges all.

The second goes to our ruler. The King's Blade shall reign.

The third is a blade of mysteries, going to the one to whom it least belongs. May the World-Conqueror succeed.

The fourth ought to be mine, but goes instead to another. The phoenix lives again.

The fifth was the blade of the first to fall. The flames of justice cleanse the world.

The sixth is a magnificent secret. A new world order begins.

The seventh. . .


The ink on the remainder of the line was smeared with blood.

"What was all that?"

Ikatsue was mildly annoyed by the second intrusion of the Sixth Squad Fukutaichou.

"This is a record of seven legendary Zanpakuto."

Renji looked at the top of the scroll again. "You wrote this?"

"No. I am not the first to bear this name. . . or rather, title." Ikatsue rolled up the scroll and walked away. His steel toed boots clicked on the wood panel flooring, as Renji was left alone to wonder about what he had just read.