Chapter 11 – La Villa Strangiato
"Keep running! Do not stop!" Yoruichi shouted.
"I don't think we were intending to, cat," Ichigo replied, flatly.
"If you quit your stupid sarcasm for a minute,"
"Ooh, scary," Ichigo murmured, beginning to wonder why he was following a cat.
"I could inform you that the Dangai is no place for slowing up!" A roar, which almost sounded like a train rang throughout the portal. Yoruichi's eyes widened.
"What was that?" Uryū asked.
"The Kōtotsu..." the cat answered, "Hurry! Pick up the pace! Don't touch the walls!"
"What do you-" Ichigo started.
"Silence!" Yoruichi snapped. Ichigo chuckled.
"If you are touched by the Kōtotsu, you will die!" As soon he got done explaining this, the walls started to collapse.
"Don't touch the walls!" Yoruichi exclaimed, once more. The group, in response, straightened into a vague line. The Kōtotsu's light shone, giving the group awareness that it was nearby.
"Yoruichi-san, is that what you were talking about?" Orihime asked.
"Yes! Don't look back!" Yoruichi answered.
Despite their efforts, it was clear that the invaders were not going to out run the Kōtotsu. But then, a bright light.
"That has to be the exit, right?" Uryū asked. Yoruichi did not say a word.
"That thing chasing us is getting a little too close for comfort," Ichigo said, before turning to Orihime, "Yo, Inoue. Summon up one of those shields for us." Orihime nodded and started running backward.
"INOUE, WAIT!" Yoruichi roared, to deaf ears. The orange shield unraveled, its large, triangular shape, blocking the Kōtotsu from reaching them, and added the unexpected bonus of propelling them faster.
With a rush of speed, the intruders were thrown out of the Dangai, and into the air of the other realm. With a pause, either for effect, or because someone had a sick sense a humor, the band of heroes looked down and fell toward the earth.
"Inoue, summon another shield," Yoruichi ordered, calmly. With another nod, tapped her hairpins, and started her incantation. The orange shield, once again, appeared, and slowed the descent, slightly.
"Brace yourselves!" Yoruichi shouted as the group plummeted into the village below.
"Saito-sama, there are intruders from the world of the living, in the Rukongai, near the western gate," a female servant, who had fallen to one knee said, "There are four of them." The man, who was sitting on a large throne, smiled.
"What of it?" he asked, brightly.
"There is someone that we believe you would be interested in..." she replied, holding out a surveillance picture. The man looked at it, before smiling brightly.
"Oh, I believe you have attracted my attention."
"Well, that wasn't how I expected it to be..." Ichigo said, calmly, sweeping his hand through his hair. Orihime looked around and smiled.
"It looks like everyone was alright!" she said, "I'm so-"
"IDIOT!" Yoruichi shouted, punching his furry head into her eye, knocking her head back, "You're lucky we aren't dead now! If the Kototsu touched any parts of the Shun Shun Rikka, we would have died back there!"
"Calm down," Ichigo said, "I'm the who told her to use the shield. If you blame someone, blame me."
"Idiot! Stop being so brash!" Yoruichi shouted, to Ichigo.
"We're alive, and that's all that matters," he said, "Now, where do we go?" A massive foot landed right next to him, somewhat answering his question.
"It's been a long time since someone wanted to enter the Soul Society, without a pass," the giant bellowed out, with a grin on his face. Ichigo looked up, completely unimpressed.
"Who are you?" he asked, bluntly. The giant laughed.
"Such a person! There are rules here. One, you must-" The giant never got to finish his statement, as Ichigo jumped up, and threw his body into his chest. The giant was thrown back, into the wall.
"I am not here to talk. Open the gate," Ichigo ordered. The giant roared in anger.
"You fight, without telling your opponent your name!? How rude!?" he exclaimed, drawing an ax, that was slung on his back. Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"Open the gate," Ichigo ordered, harshly.
"Ichigo, stop being so hasty!" Yoruichi shouted.
"Yes, berry head! Mind your manners!" the giant exclaimed. He swung his ax into the ground, splitting open the earth. The dust cleared, and there was a pile of rubble left on the ground, with Ichigo in a defensive stance. The giant blinked, and in his hand was an ax-less handle. He blinked, once more, trying to comprehend what just happened.
"M-My ax?..." the giant said, shocked. Ichigo smirked.
"How did Ichigo become strong enough to break Jidanbō's ax?" Yoruichi whispered to herself, "How powerful is this child?"
"What the...Kurosaki...Just blocked the ax..." Uryū said, aghast, "What..."
"I suggest you open the gate," Ichigo said, darkly, "Or your ax won't be the only thing of yours I'm breaking."
"W-Well, I have an-another ax! I can still-" Before the giant could grab hold of his weapon, Ichigo, using Shunpo, flashed to the massive weapon, and shattered, as easily as he did the other. Jidanbō grabbed the handle and gasped.
"W-W-W-Wha..." Jidanbō stuttered, almost in tears, "M-My ax..." Ichigo frowned.
"There's no need to cry," he said, calmly, "Just, can you please open the gate. There is no need for you fight back, unarmed and all." Jidanbō blinked, fighting back tears, deeply wrenched by the loss of his beloved ax.
"I-I lost...Then I am honor bound to open the gate..." The giant stretched his arms, before bending over, and picking up the bottom of the gate. With a heavy grunt, Jidanbō lifted the gate, before freezing in place. Ichigo frowned.
"Oh, this is a no-no..." a voice, sly, and dark said, calmly.
"Uh..." Jidanbō sputtered. Ichigo turned his head. The man was a tall, figure, in a long white, sleeveless haori, with the standard Shinigami garb underneath. With short white hair and narrow eyes, the man's face reeked with smugness.
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, sharply.
"Who are you?" the man asked back. Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"C-Captain Ichimaru..." Jidanbō said, trembling. Ichigo looked up, then back at the man, who's smirk just grew.
"Jidanbō-kun," Ichimaru Gin, Captain of the Third Division of the Soul Society said, "What do you think you are doing?"
"O-Opening the gate. I lost, so I am honor bound to do so..." Gin tilted his head.
"I don't think so..." he said, "If I may, can you tell me what your job is?"
"To protect the gate?"
"Exactly!" the captain said, excitedly, "So, can you tell me the reason why you are opening the gate, that I may remind you, is the opposite of protecting the gate.?"
"Because I lost..." the giant said. Gin nodded, before a flash of light exploded from his hand, slicing the giant's left arm off. As blood poured from the severed limb, Jidanbō cried out in severe pain.
"Wrong!" Gin said, clapping his hands, "It is because you are an idiot. You forgot a major, major detail in your job description. You forgot to mention that the gate, under no circumstances, can not be opened for unauthorized visitors. You have failed on that notice, so thou must be executed. Sorry."
"I'm thinking that you went a bit overboard," Ichigo said, "I hope you don't do the same to poor little me..." Gin turned his attention to the redhead.
"Ah, and you must be the intruder that defeated Jidanbō-kun. Wonder what you want?" Ichigo shrugged.
"Right now, only to remove your head from your neck. Hopefully, you make this easy for me." Gin chuckled, as held a dagger out. Ichigo rose and eyebrow.
"A dagger. How unspectacular." Gin pointed the dagger at Ichigo, before tucking it close to his chest.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!" The tiny dagger in his hand extended at a rapid pace, as the captain thrust forward. Ichigo's eyes widened...
As he sidestepped the blade. Gin's eyes widened, revealing that they were a pale blue color. Ichigo, taking the small time the blade was extended, dashed in, and swung his new Zanpakutō, which he still did not know the name of. Gin jumped back, yet he was still caught by the very tip of the black blade, scratching his right wrist. He then tried to catch the substitute, before he could recover, but Ichigo shocked him with his speed, using Shunpo to get away, and appeared next to him. With a grunt, Gin rolled under the massive cleaver, and poked Ichigo in the chest, knocking him away.
"Tch. You are much stronger than I imagined..." Gin said, a bit annoyed. And to think, he thought that this was going to be easy. Oh well.
"That's good, I guess," Ichigo said, cracking his knuckles, "Wouldn't want you to get complacent. That's a bad policy to get behind, you know what I mean..."
"Kurosaki-kun is so strong..." Orihime gushed, "That's so amazing!"
"To get so strong in one week...Ichigo is definitely something else..." Sado said.
"Yoruichi, how did Kurosaki get so powerful?" Uryū asked, in shock. Yoruichi narrowed his yellow eyes.
"I honestly have no idea," he said.
"It seems that I am forced to get serious now. We can't have invaders in the Soul Society. That would be bad for business," Gin said. Ichigo scowled.
"You're annoying," he said.
"I guess I am," Gin said, from behind Ichigo, who's eyes widened in complete shock. Before he could react, he found a sword driving into his chest, pushing him at a considerable speed. He was knocked into Jidanbo, and the two were driving into a wall.
"It's so sad to see you go," Gin said, as the gate shut, "Bye-bye!" The door to the Soul Society slammed shut, sealing off the entrance. The group ran to the fallen sides.
"Kurosaki-kun, Jidanbō-san, are you okay?" Orihime asked, concerned. Ichigo coughed up blood, before rolling onto his back.
"I'm fine. Just take care of Jidanbō..." he said, holding his chest, trying, in vain, to keep the blood from escaping, "Why is it always a hole in my chest..."
"You don't sound fine," Uryū said, with a small smirk. Ichigo groaned, struggling to force himself to sit up.
"I'm fine. Nothing wrong here..." Ichigo said, "And Jidanbō's wound is much more severe. I think it would be in our best interest to help him first, don't you agree?" Orihime, who was nervously plucking at her hairpins, nodded, and summoned the healing around the giant.
"The date of your execution has been set, for thirty days, after tomorrow," Byakuya Kuchiki said, to a downtrodden Rukia. The prisoner did not respond, which irritated the red headed man accompanying the noble.
"What? They denied your argument?" he shouted. Byakuya narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing I could say could change their argument. They are stern, and thus, your punishment is thus.
"There was nothing I could do. Very few men hold value in the eyes of Central 46..."
"Almost done..." Orihime said, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. It had been almost four hours since she started healing the guardian, and the task was nearing completion. The arm was reattached internally, but the skin was not reattaching itself so easily. Maybe people from the Soul Society were harder to heal.
Healing Kurosaki-kun's wound was a lot harder too. Of course, a hole in a chest, and a collapsed lung was much, much more serious than a dislocated arm. In fact, if Kurosaki-kun was a normal human, it would have been fatal, as said by Yoruichi. Still headstrong, he insisted that he was okay, and refused health, for thirty minutes, before falling unconscious.
"Ooh, Kurosaki-kun was so amazing today..." she said, falling into her imagination, "He was so brave. He fought so valiantly..." He was rather impressive today, fighting an opponent who was so amazingly powerful, and fought him hard. He faced his enemy with no fear.
"Take this," Ichigo said, walking up behind the girl, holding a cup of tea. Orihime squeaked, nearly falling over in surprise.
"Ah, Kurosaki-kun," she said, "What are you doing out here?" Ichigo silently pointed at the cup in his hands.
"You have been out here for hours. You need to take a break before you pass out," he said.
"Oh, I'm fine. I'm almost done," Orihime responded, before looking down, "Sorry to worry you."
"I'm not worried." Ichigo swept his hand through his hair, before sitting down, against a wooden wall. Orihime blinked.
"I see that you are all alone out here, so I guess I can give you some company." Orihime blushed, before waving her arms out, in refusal.
"You don't have to waste your time out here, Kurosaki-kun," she shouted, "I'm sure you have something more important to do..."
"Not at all," Ichigo said, "Besides, me being down here keeps these damn perverts from leering down at you. So that's a plus." Ichigo rose his head, to see if anyone was in the middle of the act, but the villagers that were once there had dispersed. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, in suspicion.
"It seems that Ikkanzaka-bō has had an unfortunate accident," a man in a lush ivory hakama, wearing a heavy decorated lilac haori over it. The man had short hair, closer to brown than it was to red, with sharp brown eyes. His mouth was transfixed in a sly smile as if lords had blessed him with unbelievable fortune. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, in mistrust.
"Are you two newcomers to the Rukongai?" he asked, voice reeking with smugness.
"No," Ichigo stated, simply and sharply. The man chuckled.
"Miss, if I am not being too forward, may I ask you your name?" Orihime opened her mouth, but Ichigo shook his head, halting her.
"What is this for?"
"Collection purposes. I like to greet visitors. No harm in that."
"Then who are you?" The man's already narrow eyes closed tighter.
"My apologies. My name is Saito Yū. I am the Seventh Head of the Saito family estate, leader of the Royal Guard. You might be?"
"...Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, begrudgingly. Royalty? Why would he in the dumps, to welcome peasants. Something didn't add up.
"Inoue Orihime," she stated, brightly. Yū's smile grew.
"Inoue...How quaint..." he said, "Ah, how the past never escapes us..."
"What do you mean?" Orihime asked. Yū looked up.
"Oh, nothing important. Now, if I may ask, what are..."
"What are you doing here?" Yoruichi asked, harshly. The man looked down and dropped his smile.
"A talking cat. How exotic," Yū said, calmly, "Too bad I'm not interested. Good luck, with your future endeavors." He walked away, haori breezing in the wind. Yoruichi narrowed his eyes.
"This...Isn't good..."
"Did you find what you were looking for, Saito-sama?" a servant, on one knee, asked, bowed. Yū smiled.
"Yes. In fact, I found it, and more," he answered, "I even found a very pleasant surprise with them."
"Shall I prepare the Royal Guard?"
"No need to be hasty..." Yū answered, "We need to wait. When we see an opening, we will strike." He took a sip of his tea, before pausing.
"But, there is someone I do need to talk to..."
"So, now what?" Ichigo asked, sitting against a wall. Yoruichi looked into the open flame.
"We move tomorrow. We will be seeing an old friend of mine," he said. Ichigo shrugged.
"Whatever."
"What will we be doing there?" Uryū asked.
"Getting into the Soul Society."
"Ganju, there is no need for this!" an old man, who was allowing the group the rest house for the night. Regardless, a well-built man, with shaggy black hair, in a green bandana charged through the door.
"Where is that damn Shinigami!?" Ganju shouted. Ichigo opened one eye, in annoyance.
"There you are, ya punk-ass bitch!" Ganju grabbed Ichigo by his hair, and held him up.
"So, what are you doing here?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"If you want to continue having two arms, let me go," Ichigo said, calmly. Ganju laughed.
"You're going to threaten me! How dare you threaten the number one Shinigami hater, ya coward!" With this, Ganju threw the substitute out of the door. Ichigo landed on his feet and glared at the man.
"Now, let's see what the punk-ass bitch can do..." Ganju said, drawing a small blade. Ichigo chuckled.
"Kurosaki-kun, are you okay!?" Orihime called out. Ichigo, in responded, waved his hand, two fingers propped up.
"Do you need your sword?" Sado asked.
"Naw...I'm fine..." Ichigo said, grimly.
"Fightin' without a sword, huh? Quite stupid of ya!" Ganju shouted, charging in. With a sloppy swing, the man tried to strike the shoulder of the substitute, but with an easy sidestep, Ichigo avoided the attack.
"Back off," Ichigo said, delivering a heavy haymaker to the back of the head, slamming Ganju into the ground. Before his body could follow, Ichigo grabbed an ankle and threw him into a tree. Scooping up the blade, Ichigo advanced on the man, who went from confident to begging for his life.
"Please! Oh please don't kill me!" Ganju sobbed, waving his arms. Ichigo flipped the blade, before slamming it into the hand of the assaulter, plugging it to the tree.
"Killing the stupid is not my style. You shouldn't feel grateful, as the only cure for stupidity, is death," Ichigo said, before walking away, "And for your information, I am not a Shinigami. I am merely a substitute."
"You coward!" Ganju screamed, "You're just like the rest of them!" Ichigo ignored the comment, walking back to the house. Ganju pulled the blade out of his hand, and attempted to follow him, but a man, wearing a giant clock on his back came to him, riding a boar.
"Ganju-dono, we're late!" the man shouted. Ganju's eyes widened, as he pulled out a small whistle. He blew in it, and another boar leaped out of the brush, to run him over. Ichigo looked back, with an annoyed expression.
"I will be back!" Ganju screamed, "This isn't over, ya hear me!?" Ichigo shook his head softly.
"What was that all about?" Uryū asked. Ichigo shrugged.
Day One
"Are we there yet?" Ichigo asked. Yoruichi's tail twitched.
"For God's sake, shut the hell up!" he shouted. Ichigo smiled.
"You sound upset. May I-"
"SILENCE!" Ichigo chuckled.
"You have quite the temper," Yoruichi growled, which in the cat body, sounded like a really, really aggressive purr. Ichigo smiled, content with his early morning victory.
"If Kurosaki can stop annoying the one leading us," Uryū said.
"I'm an agitator. That's what I do, and I do it well."
"...Where exactly are we going, Yoruichi-san?"
"An old friend. Shiba Kūkaku," Yoruichi replied.
"Will this person help us get inside the Soul Society?"
"That's why we're going to them."
Renji, for past couple of weeks, has been in a situation he never dreamed, nor ever wanted. Moving Rukia over to the Senzaikyū was already painful enough. Telling her that she was going to be executed, via the Sōkyoku, was, even more, painful.
Nothing felt right. Even if what Rukia did was a severe crime, did she deserve death? What was actually going on? What was the true motive behind this?
"Abarai-kun, is that you?" a man, with short, wavy brown hair, and thick frame glasses, said, "I've been looking for you!" Renji paused.
"What is it, Captain Aizen?" he said.
"Ah, do you have a moment to spare? I would like to speak to you, in private."
"Kuchiki-san was sentenced to execution for an awfully light crime, won't you say?" Aizen Sōsuke, Captain of the Fifth Division, asked. Renji blinked, in confusion.
"Uh...I don't think my opinion matters..." he answered. Aizen laughed, before grabbing a sheet of paper.
"No one is going to hear you," he said, "But Kuchiki-san was given quite the punishment. An execution fit for captains? And the fact that none of the Royal families brought up a complaint makes this look a little fishy..."
"Are you saying that this is a conspiracy?"
"Maybe..."
"Do you think that you know who's behind it?" Aizen shook his head.
"Unfortunately, that would be a no." Renji balled a fist, something the captain noticed.
"No need to be angry. No lie can escape the Thirteen Court Guard."
"That's different..." Yoruichi said, looking up, at a pair of arms, sticking up from the ground, holding a banner that read, "Great Shiba House!" as a white chimney shaft overtook it all, behind the house. As the rest of the group looked on in astonishment, Ichigo narrowed his eyes, in slight annoyance.
"I can already tell that I'm not going to like this..." he said.
"Give it a chance, Ichigo. You may end up liking it."
"Whatever."
"Halt!"
"Who goes there!" two large beings, with similar faces and fashion stepped in front the invaders. Ichigo placed a hand on the handle of his blade.
"Is that a Shinigami!?"
"Where are you from?"
"Excuse me," Yoruichi said, "While we are not in a rush, I would like to speak with Kūkaku."
"Oh, Yoruichi-dono! We did not see you!"
"We will be delighted to take you to Shiba-sama, Yoruichi-dono."
"If we saw that Yoruichi-dono was with you earlier, my brother and I would have never tried to intimidate you guys," the twin named Koganehiko said, leading the group down a flight of stair, that connected directly to the door.
"I promise you, you weren't intimidating us," Ichigo said, "Who builds a house like this?"
"You should appreciate the creativity put into the design. Mind blowing, isn't it?" Yoruichi said. Ichigo scoff.
"More creepy, than it is creative, I say."
"Does Kūkaku-san build houses like this all the time?" Orihime asked. Koganehiko nodded.
"A boring house is a house not fit for the Shiba clan!" he said, spirited.
"Don't you think that this is a little...extreme?" Uryū asked.
"Not at all!" Reaching the bottom of the staircase, the group came across a simple sliding door, made of bamboo, and thin brownish paper.
"Who's there!" a rough voice said from inside the room.
"Kūkaku-sama, I have a special guest with me," Koganehiko said.
"Send them in." The burly man slid open the door, to reveal a woman.
Yes, indeed, she was quite the woman. Dressed in a revealing red robe, exposing a great amount of cleavage to the world, with an equally provocative white skirt, doubting Kūkaku's confidence in her looks would be a foolish wager, despite having a stump, as a right arm. She smiled a wolfish grin, dripping with arrogance, with a splash of surprise.
"Look who's here," she said, "Yoruichi! Long time, no see!"
"To you, the same," Yoruichi said, calmly, "I'm sure you understand the situation."
"Yes, yes, I think I understand." Standing up, she rolled her shoulders and walked up to the group.
"I guess I should get to know the brats. Hurry up, we don't have all day."
"Ah, Inoue Orihime. It is nice to meet you," Orihime said, stiffly.
"Yasutora Sado," he said.
"Ishida Uryū," the Quincy said. Ichigo remained quiet. Kūkaku smiled a catlike grin.
"You seem mystified," she said, haughty, placing her hand on her hip, "You see something that you like?" Ichigo shrugged.
"I did until I saw that you weren't fully featured," he said, bluntly, "Yo, what happened to your arm?" The smile on Kūkaku's face instantly faded.
"That's a story that you aren't going to hear..." Kūkaku said, grabbing a hold of Ichigo's fiery orange hair. Ichigo blinked.
"Don't worry. I'll figure it out," Ichigo said, "I'm rather quick on picking up on things. I'll figure out your story."
"...What is your name, brat?"
"Kurosaki Ichigo. Let go of my hair, woman." Kūkaku paused, before whispering something underneath her breath, and walking toward another door. Ichigo rose an eyebrow.
"I guess I can help you...If you are ready to accept a straggler..."
"Of course," Yoruichi said.
"He's my little brother. He's a good kid, despite being as useless as hell." Kūkaku tapped on the door, then called out, "I'm opening the door! Are you ready!"
"I'm ready, onē-san..." a meek voice said, from behind the door. The door slid open, and-
"Hello! My name is Shiba Ganju! I am pleased to meet up." The room froze, in a deep silence, which Ichigo broke, rolling into a deep laughter.
"That's pretty funny..." he said.
"What happened? Am I missing something?" Kūkaku said.
"You are late, Captain Ichimaru..." an old man, with an extremely long white beard said, staring down the white haired captain, who just smirked in response.
"My fault. I was bogged down," Gin said, "With work, ya know."
"Regardless of whatever excuse you can muster up, what you did yesterday is completely inexcusable!" the old man shouted, "There was a breach, that was not brought to our attention! You put the safety of the Soul Society at risk!"
"The Soul Society is fine. There is nothing out there worth our time anyway."
"That doesn't matter, Captain Ichimaru!" a small, petite female, with black-haired braids, said, harshly, "You failed to inform us about this. You also failed to kill the invaders."
"My attack should have been lethal," Gin said, "I don't know what could have happened."
"A Captain should never fail to end their target," a man, wearing a ridiculous mask, said, "How pathetic of you to do so."
"Everyone makes mistakes, here and now. No use crying over spilled milk."
"Mistake?" a large, menacing figure, with an incredible hair pattern said, "A mistake like that? What a bunch a bullshit!?"
"Oh, what could you ever mean?" A short being, with white hair, rolled his eyes.
"Old men, with their arguments..."
"With your skill, this little meeting should have never taken place."
"Ah, Captain Kenpachi, no need to be harsh. It's always good to get together."
"Silence!" the old man roared, stamping his cane into the floor, "Cease your petty arguments. We are here to question Captain Ichimaru about the incident. Now, explain your reasoning." Pausing, Gin sighed, and began to reply to the question.
"I-"
"By the order of Saito Yū, Captain Ichimaru of the Third Division is hereby ordered for questioning," a woman, with long, flowing violet hair, with a curvy frame said, walking through the door. By her side, were two men, in black cloaks, hiding their faces.
"I assume you will not argue with me, Genryūsai."
"What makes you think that you can here and-"
"Captain Suì-Fēng, stand down," the woman said, smirking, "May I remind you that I outrank every person in this room." Suì-Fēng barred her teeth but ultimately stepped back.
"Wow, Kirio," a man, with long brown hair, and a thin goatee, said, "You gotten a bit harsh in your time away from us."
"That's what working underneath that man will do. Now, Captain Ichimaru, if you may..."
"If I may ask..." Sōsuke said, "What is the point of this? This has nothing to do with the Royal Guard. They rarely get involved in our matters." Hikifune Kirio turned her head and shot a glare at the captain.
"I only follow orders. I do not question them."
"Shut up!" Kūkaku shouted, flooring her younger brother with a punch to the nose, causing it to leak blood.
"Onē-san!" Ganju cried, "He's the one who injured my hand, last night!" Kūkaku turned toward Ichigo, who was slightly amused by the spectacle, and grabbed him by his collar.
"Did you do that to my brother?" she asked, in a deep tone.
"Yes, I am the one responsible for the hole in the boy's hand," Ichigo said, with a calm smile, "But you gotta hear me out, it was purely in self-defense."
"Explain..."
"Onē-san, I-" Ganju whined.
"SHUT UP! Now, explain."
"Well, my crew and I were just resting up, waiting for the next day, when this guy strolls into this kind old man's house and picks a fight with me. Now, as the calm being that I am, I attempted to placate the situation, but your brother drew his sword, knife thing, and attacked me. So, in order to defend myself, I took him down, and to further wade off future attacks, gave him a minor injury."
"This isn't a minor-"
"Shut up, Ganju!" Kūkaku said, "While, I can understand where you are coming from, that's still family. And I won't let you just get away with hurting family." Ichigo's smile grew.
"And while I can understand that you are not only a woman but handicapped, do not make this mistake in challenging me. As your brother will attest to, I have no problem in hurting the handicap."
"What! I'm well bodied!"
"Exactly." Kūkaku brought Ichigo to her level, and glared into his eyes, before laughing.
"Oi, Yoruichi, I think you were wrong before," she said.
"Eh?" Yoruichi responded.
"I think I'm going to like this one." She let go of Ichigo and walked over to the door the group came in. She said something to Koganehiko, who responded with a nod, and ran up the steps, to fulfill his duty. She turned back to the group, and motioned them to follow her.
"It's rather bright down here..." Uryu said, looking up at the lights, that illuminated the hallways of the underground home, "And there's no sign of electrical lights or anything."
"Light vines," Kūkaku replied, despite the statement not being for anyone in particular, "I planted some in the walls and ceilings. Good source of light."
"Light vines? Is that some kind of Soul Society plant or something."
"Here we are," Kūkaku sad, ignoring the question, "Ganju, open the door." Ganju ran to the door, and slid it open, as loyal and as subservient as he could.
Inside the room, was a massive black chimney, on a platform. The room us unusually wide, and empty, and the ceiling was extremely high.
"What is this?" Uryu asked. Kūkaku groaned.
"You ask a lot of questions, boy," she said, "This is your way inside the Seireitei." As she said this, the ground started to rise, and the ceiling started to open. The white chimney shaft outside shattered and the black one took its place.
"You are going to drop in, on the Seireitei, you got me." Ichigo looked at the shaft, then back at Kūkaku before the light bulbs turned bright.
"...This is a cannon?" Ichigo said.
"Yes, it is, boy."
"And, would you say that you are decent in handling these?"
"Of course, I am! I am the Soul Society number one expert in fireworks!"
"...You lost your arm in a fireworks accident. Case closed, and I am out." Ichigo about-faced, preparing to leave.
"Where do you think that you are going!?" Kūkaku shouted.
"I'll find my own way in. Thanks for the idea, though." Yoruichi leaped onto his head.
"Ichigo, there is no other way in," he said, "This is the easiest and safest way into the Seireitei. We will be using the cannon."
"I think I'm with Kurosaki," Uryu said, "She can't just fire us all in there! We'll die, for sure!" For his comments, he was pegged in the side of his head, by a clear, spherical ball, which Ichigo caught, on the rebound.
"This is what we call, a Reishūkaku," she said, handing one to her brother, "It gathers your spiritual power, and translates it into a ball of energy, protecting you from the thick membrane of the Seireitei." Ganju exhaled, and summoned up a blue ball, protecting him from the outside world.
"It's easy," he said, making the presentation feel like an infomercial. Kūkaku smacked the ball a couple of times, even to provide an example.
"It's basically the same as Kidō," she said. Ichigo frowned.
"Hmm...Really wished one of my teachers would have bothered to teach me Kidō..." he said. Yoruichi narrowed his eyes.
"Be grateful that I taught you the art of the Shunpo..." he said.
"And I am eternally grateful..." Ichigo responded, sarcastically, "Whatever. If I lose a limb while doing this, you own me a..." He started his snarky comment, only to notice Orihime, looking at him, as he walked out of the room. He grimaced, and paused.
"A favor. A special favor," he said, his comment lacking the force that comments of his normally hold. Kūkaku smiled.
"I'll take that wager. If you follow my instructions wholly, you'll come out fully intact!"
"If you followed your instructions wholly, you would be fully intact. Oh wait," Ichigo said. Kūkaku narrowed her eyes.
"Well, I can see where he got his mouth from..." she said.
"Excuse me," Ichigo said, wondering what she said.
"Nothing. Get to practicing!"
"Inoue-dono! You are such a quick learner! It's perfect!"
"Ishida-dono! It's has a weird shape, but it's well made! You must be of the minimalistic side!"
"Yasutora-dono! It's not very stable, but it's packed with power! Very good!"
"...Kurosaki-dono...What is that..." Ichigo's ball was clearly the least stable of the group. It lacked a smooth surface and was surging with electricity as if Ichigo was just trying to exhibit his excess power. Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko tried to take the ball away from him but instead were bounced away, into a wall.
"Step off. It's volatile," Ichigo said, eyes narrow, "I know how this works." With a exhale, the ball evened out, becoming more stable. There was still an element of missing control, but the sphere no longer looked like it was going to explode.
"Spiritual control is nothing. It's a mental toy. A puzzle. Nothing difficult." The ball flared out again, as Ichigo let go of the controls.
"Then why are you controlling it now, idiot!" Uryū shouted. Ichigo smiled, and shifted his head at Uryū, shattering his ball with a quick outburst of spiritual pressure.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you, over the sound of your ball breaking. Try and run that past me again."
"..."
Day Two
"You ready kids?" Kūkaku shouted, tapping the cannon, "You got a hell of a task ahead."
"I'm as ready as I will be," Ichigo said, scratching that back of his head, "Let's get this over with."
"Come on, get excited!"
"Yip."
"Sorry to keep you waiting..." Ganju said, running outside, in much, much more casual gear than what he was wearing earlier.
"I was unaware that we were waiting for you," Uryū said.
"As was I. What do you want?" Ichigo asked. Ganju glared at the orange haired substitute and walked up to him.
"I'm going with you."
"The hell you are. Get lost."
"I'm going with you! My brother was killed by a Shinigami!"
"Ganju, stop!"
"I need to go! I need to know why! I need to know why my onī-san, who was a genius, did what he was always told dutifully, and was a symbol of excellence was betrayed, and killed!" Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"Sad story. Unfortunately, I do not give a shit. You can go, but do not be a burden." He walked around the young man and stepped into the base of the cannon. The rest of the force joined him and placed a hand on the Reishūkaku.
"When we get in, stick together. If we are separated, they will kill us," Yoruichi said, "They are much more powerful than anything you have faced before. Do not underestimate them."
"I think that you are underestimating us," Ichigo said, "No one would have taken this mission if we didn't know the dangers ahead." Orihime's look softened.
'Did I?' she wondered. The confidence she had earlier started to fade.
"Wearing my Vice Captain's badge? That's a new one..." Renji said, walking into a medium sized room, with another, a small female, with her hair, wrapped into a bun, sitting inside, against a wall, "Momo? You're here early."
"Oh, Abarai-kun, hello," she said, meekly, "I was nearby." Renji shrugged and took a seat.
"No need to be so formal. We're friends here," he said, "And you look exhausted. What's up?"
"I'm worried about Captain Aizen," she said, "He seems worried and stressed, but he won't tell me anything..." Renji frowned.
"Yeah, I guess that is a cause for concern..." Renji replied. Two other Shinigami, one with blond hair, and a large bang covering his left eye, and one with spiky black hair, and a facial tattoo, walked in.
"What's the point of this?" the blond one asked, slight drawn out, even due to depression, or fatigue. Renji shrugged.
"Kira, you know when Saito Yū can find something to look into, that he will..." Renji said, "It's only natural."
"What's the leader of the Royal Guard doing, overstepping his boundaries?" the other one said, sitting down, "He's misusing his powers."
"He's also royalty, Shūhei," a woman, with a buxom body, something that he obviously took pride in, as her garb seemed worn loose to exhibit this, walking in, "He can do whatever he wants. No one can stop him."
"Regardless of that, Rangiku," Renji said, "The fact that he thinks he can bully us around, to do his bidding is-"
Renji's statement was interrupted, by the loud blaring of alert alarms, warning the Seireitei that through were intruders. The alert told everyone to get into their designated areas and hunt down and capture the intruders. With an unceremonious ending to the meeting, the Vice Captains split up and hurried to their positions.
Rukia wished she couldn't hear them. The alert alarms. She knew whom they were for. And she wished they weren't.
"Why did you come for me?" she said, unmoving...
"La Villa Strangiato" by Rush
Author's Note – Thank you for all of the support. I love to hear good things about the story, and the fact that you are taking the time to read it, and review it makes me extremely happy. It motivates me to write every single day, and try and get a chapter for you to enjoy.
Unfortunately, there are somethings that have to be taken care of, so, until this, White will be in a little bit of a hiatus. It won't be too long, and when I return, I will fire back will a torrent of chapters. But until then, nothing will be posted.
But this can be made into a good thing! Now, as the story is in something that we like to call a break, you can help me get better for you. Post reviews that tell me what I'm doing right, wrong, anything. Get your friends who also read fanfictions a chance to read. Do anything.
Just to repeat, I am not abandoning this story. Just a small break. I hope you enjoyed what has been posted, and I hope you enjoy what should be a long future ahead, for us.
See you soon.