This is what happens when I actually spend time planning, outlining, and double-checking an arc. Almost 20,000 words, plot development, and genuine character interactions that actually matter in the long run. Wild.
Chapter 21
Shunido was all about speed. While it made the districts fly by, there was no slowing down with the technique. I kept an eye out for landmarks to make sure I didn't hurtle right over Seireitei. I wasn't sure how well oriented I was towards the Shinigami city, and I'd learned the hard way that shunido didn't do turning all that well. Better to catch myself before than after.
Mayuri's little trigger mechanism pulsed with quiet heat in my left hand. The thing had an odd texture, like melted wax, never mind that its constant, subtle vibration put me on edge. I was so focused on it that I nearly didn't drop out of shunido in time. The slow-down wasn't smooth and I careened towards Seireitei, but any worry disappeared when I saw that the barrier was still down. With disintegration crossed off my list of concerns, I switched my focus to the machine going absolutely out of control near Seireitei's center. Reishi snakes had buried everything within a hundred yards of the Twelfth Division compound, and flares of reiatsu told me that the Shinigami nearby were trying and failing to hold back the encroaching white tide.
Tens of snakes flew through the air in circles above the machine, and something dark and heavy had swelled in the clouds. I unsheathed Zangetsu as the hanging clouds turned purple, then yellow, instincts screaming that something was coming. White ooze poured from the clouds in disgusting waves, pooling over the building housing the reishi machine like a shell.
I could only stare in disbelief as the building was engulfed.
"I'm gonna kill Mayuri," I whispered.
Then the ooze began to move. Eyes formed on a mound over what could, conceivably, be shoulders, connected to arms appearing to hold up the sky. The lumpy, uneven chest broke apart into hundreds of tentacles for legs that ended in more snake heads that snapped and hissed. The thing let out a massive keening noise, generating a wind strong enough to make me step back.
"New plan," I said, adjusting the scarf around my neck. "I'm gonna feed Mayuri to that thing."
"Seconded."
I brought my left hand up and brushed two fingers over where my seal would be on my chest, then let my hand fall. No resealing; I needed to take care of this quickly, before Soul Society was engulfed. Those snakes had to be completely destroyed and I'd exhaust myself too quickly if I only had access to my sealed power. I unsheathed Zangetsu, both blades, and eyeballed the snakes twisting through the air. They were moving almost in patterns, swooping low and blasting Shinigami before shooting back up again.
"All right," I muttered, sliding my right foot back and bracing myself against a cushion of reishi. I gathered my strength, muscles tensing like rubber bands. For a moment, the world held still, lightning in the instant before it struck. I fixed my eyes on the monster, bent my knees a fraction of a degree more, and exhaled.
The world blurred when I pushed off, the horizon turning into the only line I could see. Something white and loud hurtled towards me. I raised both blades of Zangetsu and tore through it like paper. As the snake's dying screech faded, another two tried to get in the way, only to meet the same fate. Some reishi splattered on my cheeks but the wind ripped it off before it could harden.
With its thousand eyes, the massive creature saw me coming. It keened again, slowing me down, and used that fraction of a second to generate a hundred snakes to intercept me. They all screeched with deafening volume. One of my eardrums burst and the world went off-balance. Black blades glowing with power, I carved an X into the air.
"Getsuga Jūjishō!" I called. The massive energy cross detonated against the oncoming wave and completely obliterated it. The shockwave rippled through the clouds above, which only stayed together through the thousands of reishi strings stretched between them.
The explosion carved a hole in the creature's chest. White reishi oozed out like blood. Before the disgusting goo covered it, I caught a glimpse of the research building's wall.
"Fucker regenerates almost as fast as I do," Zangetsu growled, the both of us seeing the thirty-yard diameter hole close up in mere seconds. Agreeing, I turned and bifurcated the next four snakes. They were getting smarter now, coming in from angles that would send their reishi-stuffed bodies careening towards me and the few remaining spots of clear ground nearby.
"The creature grows stronger with each passing second. We must hurry."
"I know," I growled. Too bad "giant reishi monster" hadn't been covered in Rukia's hand-drawn handbook of hollows. Getsuga Jūjishō was my most powerful attack, but it would risk damaging the building inside the creature. I needed a little more finesse. Just a little.
Sheathing the trench blade, I raised Zangetsu's cleaver. Then, with six quick slashes, I launched six miniature Getsuga Tenshō attacks at the monster's midsection. They sliced through its liquid skin and buried themselves in its more solid innards before detonating, blowing a hole straight to the inside of the building beneath. I shot inside before the monster could regenerate. Creating a light with Shakkahō as the hole closed behind me and plunged the building into darkness, I looked around. Some reishi had leaked inside, but the angle of that initial surge had spared most of the interior.
Dispelling the Shakkahō spell, I let Zangetsu's hollow side bleed into my eyes. The world lightened until I could see rough outlines. There wasn't enough light here to see clearly, but I wasn't about to make myself a target by holding up a glowing red beacon. Keeping Zangetsu unsheathed and my footsteps light, I began to ascend. The staircase only went up three floors before it was completely blocked by a slowly descending mass of reishi. Scowling, I left the stairs and searched for the elevator. Finding it, I forced open the doors and glanced inside. No reishi—the closed doors had protected the shaft. Grinning, I stepped over the gap and used shunpo to go as high as I could. The machine had been on the top floor. What were the odds that the elevator went straight to it?
The odds were good. Only issue was, the top floor was completely engulfed by reishi. I couldn't get the doors open without it spilling out onto me. Letting the doors close again, I stood in the air and considered my options. In that same moment, the whole world suddenly grew denser, the air like thick jelly. Sweat prickled along my skin.
"Damn. The geezer's entered the fight."
"And he is quite displeased."
As I acclimated to the Head Captain's reiatsu, I got an idea. Quickly placing a barrier around myself to lock in my reiatsu, I pulled off Yoruichi's scarf and tied it to the sheath on my waist. Without direct contact with my skin, the specialized formulas to restrict my reiatsu wouldn't activate. Then I closed my eyes. The last time I'd consciously raised my reiatsu this high had been…well, when I'd gone through Kisuke's time portal. Back then, I'd been in the Mugetsu state. I wasn't going that high. But with my power unsealed, I should be able to get my reiatsu high enough.
Zangetsu and the Old Man lent a hand while I let the reins on my reiatsu loosen and, after a few seconds' adjustment, release entirely. My spiritual pressure crashed down on the elevator shaft for just an instant, breaking through my barrier and tearing off sheets of metal and pipes around me before it reached a density too high to detect or interact with the surrounding reishi.
I exhaled. Letting my reiatsu run wild was like throwing off a weighted blanket. At first glance, nothing appeared different. The only sign that anything had changed was the new destruction around me. The distant pings and clanks as the ripped metal hit the sides and, eventually, the bottom of the shaft soon faded to silence.
Every Shinigami in a three-mile radius would've felt that flare of reiatsu when my barrier broke, but there wasn't much I could do about it now. Wasn't like anyone was going to confront me about it, though, because no one in the history of Soul Society had reiatsu like mine. Not even the Head Captain.
"Low-level idiots might even mistake yours for his."
That was also true. And I was pretty sure people were more focused on the giant reishi snakes than flares of reiatsu that were there and gone before they could blink.
Going back to the doors, I dug my fingers into the narrow opening and pulled, forcing them open. Reishi instantly spilled through, only to disintegrate when it got within an inch of my skin. I grinned.
I'd been right. After seeing the behavior of the snakes and the giant monster thing, I'd been pretty sure that the reishi Mayuri's machine emitted had some kind of life to it—not life in the way I usually saw it, but enough that my reiatsu would destroy it if it got too close. I glanced at my hands. The doors were disintegrating too, albeit slower.
"Your methods are…unorthodox."
But effective.
I waded through the reishi, any resistance it could give disappearing almost instantly. Had I gone into bankai or higher, I could've vaporized this whole room, including the machine, before any more reishi could be produced. Which would, now that I thought about it, probably solve the problem a lot faster.
"And alert the Gotei 13 of your true power, making you a target."
The old man already knows.
"He has merely an idea. He has not seen a demonstration."
I sighed as I forced my way down a narrow walkway, catching glimpses of a guardrail on both sides until they parted at harsh right angles and disappeared into the muck. Fine.
I brushed one hand against the control mechanism dangling from my belt. I made sure to keep the contact brief—no reason to break the most likely way to stop this mess.
After ten more seconds of unpleasant trekking, I came upon another guardrail. This one, as I followed it, wrapped around something absolutely filled with white reishi. The machine? It had to be. So where was the pedestal?
The reishi around me trembled. Another keening scream, deafening now that I was this close, rocked the building, nearly taking out my only functional eardrum. I winced. Clearly, the monster wasn't a fan of me burning away its flesh, but there wasn't much it could do. Attacking me directly risked destroying the thing giving it life.
"Don't you worry," I muttered, forging on. "I'll do it for you."
I turned left twice before I found the pedestal. After burning away most of the reishi that coated the thing, I hesitated. What was the best way to do this without accidentally destroying anything?
Making my decision, I wrapped my right hand in Yoruichi's gifted scarf. The material instantly turned white-hot, the formulas imbued in the fabric unable to handle my reiatsu. It tried to release it as heat, making the air shimmer. Still, that small barrier was enough to protect the control bulb as I unhooked it and gingerly set it into the pedestal. The thing pulsed with light bright enough to sting my enhanced eyes and, as I blinked the spots away, I saw the pedestal close up and retract into the floor. I stared.
No controls?
Stuffing the scarf back around my belt, I looked around. I had no idea if what I'd just done was any kind of solution. Then again, I wasn't sure how the machine going crazy in front of me could go more crazy.
As I had that thought, the floor rocked. I staggered a step. The monster keened again, higher this time, and I clapped a hand over my good ear to stop it from bursting too. When the noise died down, I spared a second to regenerate my right eardrum. The world popped, suddenly existing on both sides of me equally again, and I shook my head to dispel any lingering weirdness. That done, I pushed through the reishi and reached out my senses, trying to get an idea of what was going on. Flares of reiatsu told me that the captains, lieutenants, and seated Shinigami were still fighting the flood. One particular burst caught my attention: Kisuke. Knowing him, he'd fade away from the action once the threat was mostly dealt with to avoid questioning.
The reishi wasn't moving anymore. I stood and stared at it. Yup, definitely not moving. Before, it had been constantly shifting as more reishi poured in from above. Now, it was still. I grinned. The machine was shutting down.
But, even with the source gone, the stuff the machine had already produced wasn't disappearing. I unsheathed Zangetsu and used some low-power Getsuga Tenshō attacks to clear a large section of the room, relying on my hierro to brush off any possible damage. I worked my way to the destroyed corner I'd entered through the last time. The massive creature, still groaning and keening but much quieter now than before, was running out of material to work with. Gaps were showing in its skin, at least here. I caught glimpses of the sky and outside. Snakes still soared through the air, but not in the same numbers as before.
I should go help,I mused. Should—I didn't have to. Not that I didn't want to, but I'd taken care of the core problem. The Gotei 13 could probably handle the rest on their own. Before I could come to a concrete decision, a massive yellow pillar of reiatsu shot into the sky from within a patch of fire, punching through the clouds and sending out a shockwave powerful enough to push my hair out of my face.
I sat down on the ledge and let my legs hang over the long fall. Keeping my reiatsu running free so I didn't have to worry about dripping reishi, I watched Kenpachi rip through anything and everything that got within his sword's reach. With him freed, my help definitely wasn't needed. No need to make myself more of a target for scrutiny than I already was. I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the distant pull of sleep before I opened them again. I wondered if Yuzu and Karin were okay. If they'd gotten their memories back.
A couple snakes noticed me through the streams of reishi. They spun and dove, mouths gaping. I lifted my right hand and flicked two bala at them. The snakes exploded like sticks of dynamite had gone off in their innards.
The Shinigami, without having to contend with an unceasing tide of reishi, were actually pretty good at handling the snakes. Rukia showed up after a while, her ice attacks clearly showing where she was. The Onmitsukidō arrived with her and fanned out to support the rest of the Shinigami—though I wasn't sure what a dagger was going to do against a forty-foot reishi monster.
I shifted in my spot. I'd have to rein in my reiatsu soon; it was melting the floor underneath me. I flicked bala at the last three snakes within range, destroying them, and then focused on pulling my reiatsu back under my skin. Zangetsu grumbled about it, but we both knew it was necessary. If the Head Captain knew just how powerful I was, the dynamic between us would shift drastically and there would be no going back.
After twenty seconds of focused breathing and three different visualization techniques, I got my reiatsu back under control. There was another moment when it crossed the boundary between detectable and not, but it happened so quickly this time that the building around me avoided damage completely. When it was done, I put Yoruichi's scarf back on. I was pretty sure I hadn't burned out the reiatsu formulas; the scarf had been throwing off all the excess as heat—a pretty tricky bit of conversion Kidō. My right hand was still regenerating from the burns it had sustained. I shunted a little more reiryoku to it to finish up the process. For the second it took my hand to heal, it itched like mad, and then the feeling was gone. I flexed my fingers.
"Y'know, the enemies here ain't pressin' ya like the ones before. Ya can heal in real time. No need ta conserve power."
Habit.
"And? Break it."
It was a good point. In more drawn-out battles, the kind that didn't allow sleep or rest, I'd avoided using instant regeneration unless my wounds were life-threatening to save energy. Now, though, when a simple bala done with two fingers instead of my whole fist could utterly obliterate my enemies, it wasn't necessary to conserve.
I rested my elbows on my knees. The Head Captain's fire had disappeared, but I could still sense his reiatsu. He was probably leaving the cleanup to the rest of the Shinigami. Kisuke was gone too, and I didn't see any sign of the Onmitsukidō. Reishi wasn't dripping from the clouds like rain anymore; a few errant globs still fell every now and then, but most of the spirit particles that had been shot up into the sky had already succumbed to gravity. Really, other than the twenty or so snakes remaining, the biggest threat was the massive creature. I leaned forward and craned my neck, only to narrowly dodge a chunk of falling reishi.
Leaning out from under the awning provided by the mangled roof? Bad idea.
"No shit."
Shut up.
I glanced behind me. Most of the reishi that had filled this room before had drained out the holes in the walls. The creature seemed to be…absorbing it, almost, using it to replace the reishi lost in the barrage of attacks mounted against it. Kenpachi alone was accounting for more than half the destruction; I watched him run up the creature's side, jump off, ride one of the reishi snakes, and, with one swing of his sword, cut off one of the creature's arms. I clapped my hands over my ears but still felt the vibrations in my chest when the creature screamed in pain. Its arm fell towards Seireitei, promising destruction on an unprecedented scale. Shinigami sprinted to get out of the way, but they weren't going to make it in time. I tensed, ready to go, only to pause.
A veritable tornado of pink petals rose up from the ground to meet the arm in midair, slicing it into millions of pieces before it could land. A shield of ice, cleverly braced against a few tall buildings, further mitigated the damage.
"They've all been training," I muttered, relaxing again.
I watched for a few more minutes. Kenpachi continued to wreak havoc while everyone else worked to keep his collateral to a minimum. My gaze strayed to a particular section of Seireitei, almost none of which had gotten hit by the white wave. There was still a clear line of destruction extending from the Eleventh Division barracks towards the Kasumiōji compound.
What did I say to Rukia? My bad?
At least they hadn't been able to make me pay for it. The costs had landed squarely on Kenpachi and the Eleventh Division because surely no mere substitute could possibly contribute to a rampage on that scale. Clearly, I had been just a victim, despite hundreds of actual witnesses saying otherwise. Good thing nearly all of the Eleventh's budget was spent on repairs anyway. The rest, I was sure, went towards sating Yachiru's sugar fix.
My time alone didn't last. The Shinigami who came to get me, however, wasn't the one I expected. He didn't come from the front, either. I got to my feet, turned, and saw Chōjirō Sasakibe standing a few yards away. My surprise, as poorly as I hid it, was genuine.
"Didn't think they'd send you," I said. During the war, we hadn't interacted much. I'd never been sure how to address him, actually. The Head Captain was always just "Head Captain" or "Old Man" or, when things got serious, "Yamamoto." The lieutenant? Chōjirō, sometimes. Or Sasakibe if he wasn't in the room.
"The Head Captain wishes to speak with you."
I ticked my right eyebrow up. "Are we done with the whole 'intruder' thing? Because that wasn't any better the second time around."
"The situation is complicated. The true nature of your existence is becoming clearer in the wake of this disaster. We were under some kind of spell."
I snorted. "Yeah, something like that." There was subtext to Chōjirō's statement. "He told you, didn't he?" To his credit, Chōjirō didn't hesitate.
"He did. I am his trusted confidant; you need not worry about your…true identity getting out."
"I feel better already," I said dryly. In truth, though, I'd expected this. The trust between Yamamoto and his lieutenant had been easy enough to see during the war. I knew Chōjirō's loyalties were unwavering; he didn't have to reassure me. With a sigh, I brushed some reishi flakes off my shihakushō and gestured in the general direction of the First Division barracks. "Lead the way."
"So you had no knowledge of these events before they occurred."
I shook my head. "I didn't. The Hell dimension, the togabito, these hollows, the crazy reishi machine…the war didn't leave room for any of it."
Yamamoto let out a grunt. I knew he was displeased; if I had known about Hell and the siblings before, I would've been an easy target for his ire. Now, all of Soul Society was to blame for the way this had escalated.
"And you are sure the hollows are dealt with," Yamamoto asked for the third time this meeting. I bit my tongue, took a breath, and then spoke.
"Yes. I saw them bleed out myself."
Yamamoto shifted the paperwork on his desk and I sensed the approaching change in subject.
"I received a report that an individual destroyed the Gates of Hell during a rampage," he said. "I can only assume such a reckless act and careless use of power would come from you."
"I also fixed them," I said. "The circumstances were…it won't happen again."
"I am not in the business of taking people at their word, Kurosaki."
"You are when it comes to me," I countered. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I'm not here to hurt Soul Society. I just want to protect those I care about. Hell threatened my sisters. I took care of it."
Yamamoto closed his eyes completely and heaved a sigh for the ages. "You did not, as you say, 'take care of it'."
I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hell's influence is not so easily removed. The Kidō Corps has been working unceasingly since you so carelessly broke the Gates. I received a report earlier that they have purified all they can." I waited, knowing he wasn't done. "Hell's atmosphere leaves residue even after we attempt to remove it. What we could not purify will fade over time."
"What's the catch?"
"Such an event has never happened before, but Captain Unohana has predicted widespread irritability and sickness in humans sensitive to reiatsu."
I stiffened. All of my friends. It would affect all of my friends.
"Those who have experience with reiatsu may be able to resist these effects," Yamamoto continued, "but there is no guarantee. Should any humans experience severe symptoms, they will require treatment from the Fourth Division." Yamamoto pinned me in place with a look. "Your actions placed all of Karakura Town at risk. Hollows will be drawn to the area in even greater numbers. Do you understand?"
Irritation flickered in my chest. I was being chastised. "Yes," I bit out, "I understand."
"Good. These two hollows. Explain their ability."
All of that just to get me to lower my guard again. Tedious crap like this was what I'd hated in the war. Sure, it was a way to slow things down off the battlefield, and it was necessary, but I'd hated it all the same. Making no effort to hide my impatience, I related everything Kisuke had hypothesized about the twins and my own observations about Mayuri's machine.
"The control mechanism was easily stolen and misused," I finished. "Why the hell Mayuri was even building something like that, I don't know."
"You will speak with respect in this room."
I scowled. "Is there a point to any of this? You can get all the information from other people. Rukia spent more time with the hollows than I did. You've got her waiting outside. Just bring her in."
"That is not the issue."
My exasperation broke through all my filters. "Then what is? You're beating around the bush, old man, and I've got better things to do. Get to the point."
"Your actions while Soul Society was under the influence of the hollows."
I stared. "That's it? I'm not going to apologize for what I did."
"You broke into the Central 46 Compound and, even more egregiously, the Daireishokairō held within it. Those are sacred grounds and the punishments usually meted out for such actions are severe. You are not above the laws here, child."
My scowl grew darker. This was stupid. I'd done what I'd needed to do and the Head Captain knew it. Above the law? I'd never pretended to be anything but that. I was human, and, more importantly, alive. They could call me a substitute Shinigami all they liked, but I was way out of their jurisdiction.
But I wasn't here to provoke anything, so I tried to speak clearly and evenly. "I'm not your enemy. When I fight, I fight to protect. That's all I was doing."
"You injured Shinigami of the Gotei Thirteen."
I scowled. "Are they dead? Look, you already know everything. I know how these briefings work. If you try to punish me, we both know that I'll ignore it. The only people who know I broke into Central 46 are the members of the Onmitsukidō, Suì-Fēng, and you. Keep it under wraps and we don't have to worry. Just bring in Rukia and let me go."
Yamamoto's displeasure rippled throughout the room, but I held firm. His shoulders lowered minutely in the tiniest sign of my victory. "And what is so important that you cannot stay?"
Yamamoto had to know he was increasing his spiritual pressure every time he felt he was being challenged. Too bad I had my power unsealed and could match him without breaking a sweat. "That's my business."
"Your business has historically concerned Soul Society."
"Not now, it doesn't. You can either let me leave or I can force my way out." I made sure to keep my voice even. This wasn't a threat, it was a statement of fact. "We both know which one's the easier option. I'm going."
After another second of weighted staring, Yamamoto leaned back in his chair. "Very well. You are dismissed."
I turned and left without saying another word. It was incredibly disrespectful, but so was wasting my time with a pointless meeting when my sisters were waiting.
Unfortunately, Rukia wasn't going to let me leave so easily. She stopped me outside the doors, eyes wide with concern. I couldn't bring myself to focus on what she was saying; I responded but didn't hear my own words. Suì-Fēng brushed past us, striding into Yamamoto's office with Chōjirō at her side. That piqued my interest enough to get me to focus.
"Squad Two captain Suì-Fēng reporting, sir," Suì-Fēng said.
"Speak."
"They used the confusion to steal numerous sensitive documents from the Twelfth, Second, and Thirteenth Divisions. We are still assessing the extent of the damage on the North side."
They? I wondered. Rukia drew my attention. She was staring at me. "What?"
"You're not listening," she said. "Is something the matter?"
I glanced back at Yamamoto's office. I could eavesdrop, but that meant staying here for longer. I'd been away from home too long. Away from my family for too long. I sighed and scrubbed a hand through my hair. Soul Society could deal with its own problems.
"It's nothing personal," I said. "I just need to get back to my family and make sure they're okay."
Rukia understood immediately. "Of course."
She stepped aside, clearing my way home. Knowing that no one would appreciate me tearing open a Garganta in the middle of Seireitei, I took an extra minute to get out to a thirty-something district in West Rukongai. Then I tore open reality and sprinted through, the urgency I'd been ignoring all this time taking control and making me run even faster.
Kisuke was there when I emerged into his basement, questions on his lips. I breezed past him. I probably said something about talking later, but I wasn't sure. I didn't care enough to go back and check. The only reason I'd chosen Kisuke's basement as an exit point at all was because it would shield the Garganta from prying eyes and curious hollows.
I didn't bother with stealth as I ran just above the rooftops, eyes fixed on the horizon past my house. The sun had already set, low, sparse clouds the only remnants of the overcast day. There was no sign of the Onmitsukidō, the Kidō Corps, or the Gates of Hell. I squinted against the wind, eyelids dragging, gravity pulling them down farther. I hadn't slept in almost forty hours and had been working the whole time. I wasn't tired yet, not really, but I was weary.
After a minute, I stopped and dropped down in front of our front door. The street was silent, but the inside lights were on. I caught a glimpse of movement in an upstairs window. Someone was home, at least.
Three steps, hand raised, knuckles poised to knock—and I hesitated. What if my family hadn't gotten their memories back? What if my sisters' memory loss hadn't been from the hollows, but from Hell's influence? What if—
Footsteps dragged me out of my spiraling thoughts. Someone yanked the door open from inside. I saw Karin, her eyes red and puffy. She barely paused at all, launching herself over the threshold and throwing her arms around me. I staggered back, trying to catch my balance when she tackled me, but my right heel caught on a lip and I fell hard onto my back. I coughed, trying to drag air back into my lungs with Karin squeezing me like her life depended on it.
I got one arm under myself and managed to get up into a sitting position, only for Yuzu to throw her arms around me too, using Karin as a guide for where I was. With one arm stuck holding me up, I returned their hugs best I could. Yuzu smelled like spices, like the kitchen, like home.
Closing my eyes, I held my sisters tight to my chest. They were alive, they were safe, they knew me. My throat burned and I bowed my head under the weight of the relief washing over me.
"You're okay," Karin said, voice muffled against my shihakushō. I laughed at the absurdity of it all. Of course I was okay. I was always okay.
"Yeah," I managed, "I'm okay."
My sisters, wrapped around me as they were, couldn't see the tears making tracks down my face. I licked my lips and tasted salt. After another second, I shifted so I could get my other arm free. Then I wrapped both of my sisters in a proper hug and let them smooth away the tangles in my brain.
"You wouldn't wake up," Karin said. She pulled away, her eyes seeking mine. I wiped my face on my sleeve before she could see the tears. "When I remembered—when we remembered, we went to your room, but you—you wouldn't wake up."
"You were barely breathing," Yuzu added. "I—we thought—"
She couldn't finish. I shook my head. "I'm here," I said. "I'm okay. I…had to leave my body behind, for a bit, but I'm back now." I put one hand on Karin's head and the other on Yuzu's. "I'm gonna get back in my body, and then we can talk about everything, all right?"
They both nodded. I smiled.
"Good." I stood up. "I'll be down in just a minute."
As I walked inside, I heard Yuzu's voice. "Was he hurt?"
And then Karin's: "I didn't see anything."
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. My fingers snagged on tiny globs of reishi.
Why were they the worried ones? Karin especially. She'd been in the most danger. Although…she'd been unconscious in Hell. Had she forgotten? Or had it been my presence and the hollows' influence? If it was her own mind, then the universe was being kind to me.
My room was just as I'd left it yesterday morning. Seemed like so long ago, now. My body was on the bed, eyes closed, chest rising and falling in an unbroken rhythm. The sheets were newly rumpled, though, the result of two sisters trying and failing to wake me up.
I stood over myself. The face below me wasn't the one I was used to; it was younger, less scarred. I lifted up my left wrist and ran a thumb over the scarring left bare for all the world to see—scarring that my actual body was starting to reflect. It was something I hadn't mentioned to Kisuke or anyone else: the more time I spent in my body, the more I noticed my body changing to reflect my soul. Aging faster than I should, aches in my bones and joints that I didn't remember having before. Ridges of new scar tissue on my neck, wrists, everywhere, like my body tracing a roadmap, trying to get it right.
I sighed. It was too late to worry about it now; maybe there was something I could've done to prevent this, a way to let my body age normally even with a mismatched soul, but I hadn't. The changes were gradual enough that no one had noticed them yet. I could only hope that no one thought to question them before I was ready to explain.
Before I stepped back into my body, I spent a minute cleaning the reishi off myself. I had no idea if it made a difference in how easily I could merge with my body, but it gave me an excuse to wait. While I was cleaning up, Kon wandered in. The plush doll hopped up onto the bed and then onto my body's chest. I lifted an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked.
"Where have you been?" Kon demanded. "You ditched me at that creepy shop. I had to walk all the way back here. Do you know how many cats attacked me, huh? Do ya?"
"Three," I said. Kon hesitated.
"Two," he admitted, only to rally. "But still! You left me at the mercy of that diabolical scientist and I won't ever forgive you for—"
While Kon went on, I turned my attention inward. Hey, Zangetsu.
"Really? For somethin' as stupid as this?"
It'll be more effective than doing it on my own.
"Fuckin' fine."
Zangetsu appeared next to me, all-white skin almost translucent in the diluted moonlight. Kon shut up immediately, body stiffening in automatic fear as Zagnetsu's hollow reiatsu shrouded the room. Zangetsu leaned down, baring his teeth in a facsimile of a smile.
"Listen," he said, "I ain't in the mood ta listen ta ya complain. Neither is Ichigo here. You're alive, whole, an' sane. Ain't got nothin' ta bitch about. And if ya don't shut yer trap, I'll see ta it that ya never speak again. I'll take yer pill, stick it in Hueco Mundo, and let the lizards eat ya. How's that sound?"
Kon shook slightly. I mentally nudged Zangetsu. He lingered for another second, then returned to my inner world. I pulled the last of the reishi off my shihakushō and flicked it away before kneeling down to Kon's level.
"Got it?" I asked. He frantically nodded his head. I picked him up and placed him on the ground. "Next time," I told him, "I'll take you with me and let you deal with the hundred-foot-long snakes trying to bury all of Soul Society in reishi. Deal?"
"I—uh, no, thanks," Kon stammered out. I gave him a thin smile.
Stepping back into my body after so long out of it was like trying to put on a jacket that was too small. I resealed my reiryoku before trying, but it was still uncomfortable. There was going to be a small adjustment period whether I liked it or not—not nearly as bad as the one I'd had when I first came back in time, but still unpleasant. I got to my feet gingerly and took a few experimental steps before I was satisfied. Leaving Kon to his own devices, I went back downstairs to where Karin and Yuzu were waiting for me on the couch.
Without anxiety distracting me, I took a second to examine Karin. She was pale, and while the puffiness and redness to her eyes could be explained by crying, I worried about the dark circles under her eyes and the air of exhaustion hanging over her. Yuzu looked better, but she'd been crying too, and her clothes were wrinkled, like she hadn't changed between yesterday and today.
Guilt tugged at me. I'd hoped that, by leaving my door closed and staying away from my sisters, they wouldn't even think to look for me—that they wouldn't know I existed. And while that had worked for a little while, I hadn't counted on the repercussions for when they didremember. I'd caused them unnecessary worry and stress without even realizing it.
Karin glanced up, hearing me come down the stairs. She visibly relaxed, and Yuzu, taking her cues from Karin, turned to look as well.
"Didn't keep you waiting, did I?" I asked to break the awkward silence. Yuzu shook her head.
"Not at all." Which wasn't true, of course. She tracked me as I sat on the longer side of the L-shaped couch. Yuzu was on the short side of the couch and Karin had tucked herself into the corner. At least this way, I wasn't directly facing them. This wasn't any kind of interrogation. I leaned my elbows on my knees and clasped my hands together. No reason to beat around the bush.
"How much do you two remember from Saturday?" I asked. They exchanged a look. Karin spoke up.
"Not much," she said haltingly. "Yuzu 'n I were asleep. Then…I dunno why, but I woke up, and there was someone standing over me, I—" she reached up and touched her head, wincing a little. "I think I got knocked out?"
Yuzu nodded. "I think I was knocked out too. But I couldn't find any sign that anyone broke in. And I know I forgot about you—" she knit her brow—"but then you—I think it was you—came back with Karin, and I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it."
Karin nodded. "Yeah. And then today, we remembered you, but when we went to your room…" she trailed off. I nodded.
"Okay. I'll explain everything, but it's going to sound a bit crazy at first."
They nodded. I took a deep breath. I couldn't tell them all the gory details, but I could give them the broad strokes of it.
"You guys were targeted to get to me," I said simply. "These guys from the Hell dimension figured out how to escape through a crack in the gates. They thought they could use me to break their chains, which trapped them in Hell."
"Can you?"
I began to crack my knuckles one by one. "Yeah. But no one there deserved to have them cut off. They kidnapped you guys while I was away. I got you back, Yuzu, but Karin—" I closed my eyes, seeing blue flames flattening into a line and then empty air—"I wasn't fast enough to save you too."
Karin blinked a few times. Yuzu scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"I…I was in Hell?" Karin asked. I nodded.
"I got you out as fast as I could," I said. "Sealed the gates. But…"
"But?" Karin repeated. I broke eye contact and looked at the floor.
"I wasn't able to get you out before Hell left its mark on you." I could sense it, a kind of shroud hanging over her skin. Invisible to the untrained eye but there all the same. "Its…atmosphere, I guess, clings to people. It's stuck to you. I got rid of most of it, but the rest…I don't know."
Mute with a mix of shock and horror, Karin leaned back into the couch, back into Yuzu, her face drained of color. Yuzu caught my eye.
"What can I do?" she asked. "What's it mean for Hell to—to stick to Karin?"
I wished I could give her all the answers, but I didn't have them. No one did. "I don't know if there's anything we can do," I said.
Then it hit me.
Orihime.
God, I was an idiot. I'd left my phone upstairs. "Actually, hold on," I told my sisters. "There might be someone who can help."
I sprinted up the stairs. My phone was loaded with messages from Uryū, Orihime, and Chad, all of them wanting to know what the hell had happened. I sent a mental apology to Uryū and Chad and pulled up Orihime's contact. Right before I could call her, though, my phone rang—Orihime was calling me, following up on the three calls spaced out over the last two hours.
"Orihime," I answered.
"Ichigo! You finally picked up, I've been so worried, there was this weird thing and I think aliens or something got into my brain because I totally forgot about you, and I guess Uryū and Chad had the same thing happen, so I was just wondering, uh, just curious, um—I was wondering if you were okay."
"Orihime," I cut in when she paused to draw breath, "I'm fine. But I need you to come to my house as soon as you can. Karin's in trouble and she needs your help."
There was barely a pause. "I'll be right there."
Karin and Yuzu were still on the couch when I went back downstairs. They'd been talking—Karin looked a little less shaken.
"Orihime is coming over," I explained. "She's got a kind of healing superpower. But she doesn't know I'm from the future, so we're gonna have to keep that under wraps."
Karin stared. "You haven't told Orihime?"
"It's a complicated situation," I said. "Listen, there's one thing I want to try before Orihime gets here. Can you sit up?"
Karin exchanged a look with Yuzu and then begrudgingly shifted to rest her feet on the floor. "You gonna tell us what happened after you dropped me off?" Karin asked. "There's no way that was the end of it."
"It's not," I admitted. "Let me know if this doesn't feel right."
While it was more difficult to perform Kaidō while I was in my body, it wasn't impossible. The green glow surrounded my hands and I held them up to Karin's heart, where the worst of Hell's miasma lingered. She let out a sigh.
"Oh, that feels good. What is it?"
"Kaidō," I said. "A healing technique."
I didn't add that it really only replenished reiryoku. Hopefully, strengthening Karin's spirit energy would help her soul ward off Hell's influence. Yuzu watched with interest.
"Is that something I can learn how to do?" she asked. I pursed my lips.
"Yes," I said, "but I don't think I'd be able to teach you." Unohana had taken that job. I'd seen nothing of my sisters for two weeks, and then suddenly they knew how to heal. Two months later, they were—in Yamamoto's words—"valuable assets" to the healing division. "I don't know it well enough, and the people that do…"
Karin frowned. "We met only because of the war, right?"
I nodded. "It'd be a bit…tricky to do it now. I don't want you guys drawing any more attention until things cool down."
Displeased, Karin lapsed into silence. Yuzu remained contemplative, her eyes still fixed on my hands. After a few seconds, Karin sighed.
"All right, no more delaying. What happened next?"
I spent a second considering the best order to tell the story in. "There were two hollows who had the power to cut away memories. They cut away Rukia's whole existence, and since I'm tied to her, everyone forgot me too." Karin and Yuzu's eyes widened in understanding. "When they died, everyone's memories came back."
"So you…you killed them?" Karin asked. I shook my head.
"No. But those two hollows caused a lot of damage to Soul Society before they passed, so Rukia and the rest of the Shinigami are busy cleaning up."
Karin narrowed her eyes. "You're not telling us everything."
I gave her a tired smile. "There was a giant monster made out of reishi that almost drowned Seireitei in super dense spirit particles before we took it down."
Karin stared. Yuzu cocked her head. "How does a monster made out of spirit particles work?"
I shrugged. "Dunno. It's gone now, though, so I'm not going to be asking it."
"Did you blow it up?" Karin asked dryly.
"Only a little."
Karin scoffed and looked away, but I could see her fighting a smile. The doorbell rang before I could poke fun at her. Yuzu stood.
"I'll get it," she said.
"It's probably Orihime," I called after her. I took my hands off Karin, who grumbled when the soothing effects of Kaidō went away.
Sure enough, Yuzu returned with Orihime next to her. Orihime's face was flushed red from running, her attempt to play off her labored breathing failing miserably when she couldn't string three words together for almost five seconds.
"I'm here," she said. She winced and paused to collect herself, taking a few deep breaths. "What can I do?"
I gestured to Karin. "She's hurt."
To Orihime's credit, she didn't ask questions. After getting Karin to lie down on her back, Orihime wordlessly summoned her spirits. The familiar orange dome flickered to life over Karin.
Wordless, I mused. That's new.
"She and the others have been training. Progression is only natural."
I looked between Karin and Orihime. Karin had closed her eyes, but Orihime had her brows furrowed. I could sense her reiatsu fluctuating. Yuzu had retreated to the kitchen to prepare some tea, but I could see her sneaking glances.
The first crack appeared with a sound like glass breaking. I winced, Orihime flinched, and Karin's eyes shot wide open.
"What was that?" Karin asked. Her eyes locked onto the crack just above her face. "Uh, is that bad?"
"Orihime?" I asked, watching her carefully. She'd gone pale and had pressed her lips into a thin line. Her hands shook. Another crack shot across the dome, then a third. The muscles in Orihime's jaw feathered from how hard she was gritting her teeth.
The dome shattered. Orihime fell back on her heels, eyes wide, brows coming down in confusion.
"I can't do anything," she said, sounding surprised about it herself. She glanced at me, her face full of apology and anxiety mixed in equal measure. "There's some kind of…like an aura around her, or something. It broke down my technique before I could do anything."
"Can you try again?"
Orihime pursed her lips but nodded. Karin closed her eyes again.
The second dome shattered even faster than the first. Orihime shook her head before I could say anything. "It's like it adapts to it," she said. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. There's nothing I can do."
For a second, her words didn't click. When they did, they didn't make sense. Orihime's technique was on par with the Hōgyoku. Hell, it could reverse death—provided she got there in time.
"Just one more time," I said. Orihime looked away. "Orihime, please. She's my sister."
"I know," Orihime said quietly. "And I wish I could help, I really, really do. But Sōten Kisshun isn't working and more tries isn't going to change that. I'm sorry." She looked absolutely miserable.
"Ichigo," Karin cut in, pulling my attention away from Orihime. She got to her feet. "It's fine. I'll be okay. See?" She flexed her arms. "Fine."
Karin could say that only because she couldn't' sense the miasma hovering over her. It was like a red-brown taint on her soul. All the ambient reishi around her was staying away, almost like Hell's atmosphere repelled it.
Yuzu emerged from the kitchen and set a small tray down on the table. "I made some tea," she said. Orihime, after a worried glance at me, joined Karin and Yuzu at the table. I hung back, unable to get the sight of Orihime's barrier shattering out of my head. Kaidō hadn't worked, Orihime's technique hadn't worked…there wasn't anything left. Instant regeneration wouldn't work on Karin—she didn't have hollow in her soul, never mind that it would put an absurd amount of strain on her body. If there were Quincy techniques for healing, I didn't know them. Blut wouldn't do anything for something like this. And the power of Hell that I'd wielded…I didn't know if I could call it up again. Seemed like releasing Karin's chain had been the extent of it.
"Come on Ichigo, stop moping," Karin said. "I'm fine."
She wasn't. When would I even tell her about what Hell had done to her? Now? During training?
I closed my eyes for a brief second. Training—I'd pull her to the side while Yuzu worked, explain things to her when I wasn't trying to deal with everything all at once.
When I sat with everyone else at the table, I got a minute of silence. Orihime was the one to break it.
"I know I shouldn't pry," she said, staring into her cup, "but…what happened?"
Karin and Yuzu both looked to me. I sighed.
"It's a bit of a long story," I said.
"One that she should hear," Karin said pointedly. Yuzu backed her up with a firm nod. Knowing that my sisters would tell Orihime if I didn't, I gave in and explained the Hell and hollows situation. As I talked, I wondered if now would be the time to tell Orihime the whole truth—the time travel, the war, all of it. But it wasn't, for the same reason I wasn't telling Karin about her condition. We all just needed a break, even if it was just one day.
When I finished, Orihime chewed her lip for a few seconds before she spoke. While I'd relayed the story, Yuzu had collected our empty cups and washed the dishes in the sink. "So these Hell guys," Orihime said slowly. "They aren't coming back."
"Yeah. Sealed away."
"And the hollows—"
"Dead at their own hands. None of this will happen again."
Orihime nodded a couple of times, gaze intent on the table. "Good," she said. "I don't want to forget you like that again. It was awful." She looked up at me. "I'm glad you're okay, though."
"Us too," Yuzu said, returning to the table. She glanced meaningfully at the clock. "It's getting late, and it's a school night. Karin, we should get to bed."
Karin glanced between Orihime and me. "Yeah," she finally said, standing. "We should. Good night, Ichigo, Orihime. It was nice to see you. And thanks, y'know, for trying to help."
Orihime smiled. "Good night. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."
"It's okay. I appreciate it."
I watched Karin and Yuzu retreat up the stairs. When I looked back at Orihime, she was staring at me. "What?"
She bit her lip, went to speak, then hesitated. "I—" she cut herself off. "You'll be at school tomorrow, right?"
Right. School. Yuzu's reminder hadn't really hit home. "Yeah, I should be."
Orihime nodded. "Okay."
The Old Man mentally nudged me. I stood. "Do you want me to walk you home?"
"Ah, no, I should be okay. There aren't many people out this late."
I still followed Orihime back to our front door. She used my arm for balance while she put her shoes back on, as she was too short to reach my shoulder.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" I asked one last time, leaning against the doorframe while Orihime went down the steps. She smiled at me.
"It's really okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Ichigo."
"'Night."
I watched her until she closed the gate and then sighed.
Zangetsu.
The hollow spirit materialized. "Stay outta sight, I'm guessin'."
"Yeah. Just make sure she gets home safe."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll keep an eye on 'er."
I locked the front door, turned off all the lights, and then headed up the stairs. Pausing by my sisters' room, I once more flashed to Orihime's technique shattering—and Karin, her eyes wide with fear as the shards rained down. I closed my eyes for a brief second then forced them open when vertigo slammed into me like a truck.
Using the wall as support, I went into my room and shut the door.
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