Chapter 25: Hole in the Sky

As the dawn light filtered through a small window, Ichigo and his friends walked into Kurayami's room at the Relief Station.

'She's been like that for five days,' Rukia peered at Kurayami's unconscious form, 'It's been five full days since she was hit by those ceros,'

'Your point?' Renji leaned back in his chair, raising his eyebrows.

Ichigo and Orihime just stared at Kurayami silently, waiting for Rukia's answer. Uryu walked back from glancing around the doorway and sat on a chair near Renji's. Chad just stood leaning against one wall and surveyed everyone carefully.

'I don't know,' Rukia sighed, 'It just feels like something's wrong,'

'Well if it is,' Ichigo sounded sad, 'Then there's nothing we can do,'

Orihime gasped and glanced at him, 'You're seriously not going to let me heal her? What if she stays like that forever?'

'Toshiro said that, due to her arrancar status, she can regenerate herself as she sleeps,' Ichigo turned to the door, 'So there really isn't anything we can do. Besides,' he turned back and smiled at his still unmoving friends, 'She isn't weak,'

'You're right,' Renji stood and stretched, 'Let's go,' he began walking towards Ichigo, 'Standing around here like a dark cloud isn't going to give her a positive environment to heal in,'

Laughing, Rukia followed the two out of the room, the others trailing behind her.

Toshiro glanced at Matsumoto again. The Lieutenant was stretched out on the couch and she was reading over that same paper from the other day. In the last few days, she'd been melancholy and lacked her usual insuppressible cheer and mischievousness.

'Matsumoto,' the woman looked up, 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing Captain,' her smile didn't reach her eyes, 'Don't worry about me,'

'It's a captain's job to worry about his subordinates,' Toshiro sighed as he put aside a stack of finished documents.

'Really,' Matsumoto blinked at him with false innocence, 'I'm absolutely fine!'

The young captain didn't believe her for a second but he just nodded and picked up his brush again.

Rangiku was trying as hard as possible not to draw her captain's attention to herself. If he knew that she was losing sleep over the traitor, Ichimaru Gin, then she'd never hear the end of it. Her eyes trailed over the document she'd stolen from the Third Division offices, tracing each character written in Gin's distinctive hand.

The Lieutenant knew that it was foolish worrying about such things, the past was the past and she was better off focusing on the future or even the present, but she couldn't help herself.

'Captain,' she stood up, 'Would it be okay for me to go out for a bit?'

Toshiro was instantly suspicious, 'You never normally ask,'

Matsumoto winced inwardly, realising her mistake, turning to face the young captain, she winked at him, 'Does it worry you?' laughing, she skipped over to the door, 'See you later,'

For several seconds after Matsumoto had vanished, Toshiro stared at the empty doorway, trying to figure out what was bothering his Lieutenant. Standing, he walked over to where a piece of paper was lying on the ground.

As he picked it up, Toshiro's eyes widened as he realised that it was the one Matsumoto had been reading.

Captain Ichimau Gin, Third Division
Report on recent mission

The captain's hand crushed the paper as his muscles clenched in fury. It took Toshiro a moment to control his reiatsu and calm his mind.

So I'm not the only one who's been thinking about the past lately, he mused as he disposed of the document, Matsumoto, why're you suddenly remembering him.

Ukitake glanced out his window as he sat up, deciding he felt a lot better than he had previously, and sighed deeply. There was something in the air that made him feel like something was about to happen, a large and presumably unpleasant something.

Standing carefully, the white haired captain moved towards the door and looked out, wondering where his Third Seats were.

The man suddenly noticed Kuchiki Rukia walking towards his peaceful house, an intense look on her face.

She can feel it too, the captain considered his subordinate, But I'd bet almost everything that she hasn't shared her thoughts with any of her friends.

'Kuchiki!" he called out in his friendly way, 'Come over here!'

With a few quick shunpo, Rukia arrived before her captain, bowing deeply.

'Don't be so formal, I know there's something you want to talk to me about,' as they walked inside, Jushiro tried to make Rukia relax.

'I'm sorry for taking up your time, Captain,' Rukia spoke politely, 'It's just,' she paused and looked away, 'I feel like something bad is going to happen to the Soul Society,' she seemed embarrassed, 'Although nothing has happened since Kuromi was found to be an ally, and that reiatsu hasn't been detected again,' she trailed off.

'I understand,' Ukitake smiled at her astonished expression, 'I've been feeling the exact same way,' the man's fingers brushed the hilt of his zanpakuto, 'So let's agree to stay on guard, just in case,'

Rukia couldn't help but feel incredibly glad that Ukitake was her captain. She bowed again, 'Thank you, Captain,'

'Now,' Jushiro stood and walked over to a side table, 'Let's have some tea,'

As Toshiro moved through the Seireitei, seemingly aimlessly, he paused on the roof of the Fourth Division. Jumping down, the young captain entered the Relief Station and walked to Kurayami's room.

Like any other time he'd come, which wasn't that many, the arrancar shinigami was sleeping. However, he saw her clenched fist and assumed that whatever she was dreaming about wasn't entirely pleasant.

'As you can see,' Unohana's voice startled him but he refrained from jumping, 'The sedative kido I placed on her has vanished and she's sleeping normally,' her tone turned pitying, 'And when you sleep, you dream,'

'Do you think she'll wake?' the young captain surveyed Unohana's warm eyes closely.

'I have no doubt,' she smiled, 'But I cannot say when. Many seasons may pass before she opens her eyes again,' she turned away, 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I think Isane is looking for me,'

'Of course,' Toshiro nodded to her and then, once she'd gone, walked into the room.

You said you could regenerate yourself if you slept, he thought, And Unohana said that her kido would break once you healed. So why are you still sleeping?

Realising that he was just standing in the room doing nothing, Toshiro turned to go when a massive amount of reiatsu filled the air.

Turquoise eyes widening, the captain raced out of the building and jumped onto the roof, turning to face the origin of the spiritual pressure.

Sogyoku Hill.

But it wasn't the landform itself, but the massive Garganta that was slowly opening up in the air above it.

As Toshiro watched, the masks of thousands of Hollows pushed through the gaps that formed and the creatures emerged.

Then, as the first menos grande stepped out of the now half open gate, every single shinigami in the Seireitei turned to stare at the hole in the sky.

Author's Note:

And now everything really starts moving . . .
To anyone who's been nice enough to read even this far, thank you!