Editor's Notes: Bleach and Marvel are owned by their respective companies. I write these characters out of respect, not because there is any monetary gain in it for me. Happy Reading!
Marvel/Bleach
Farewell
As Dr. Strange stands up, he easily manipulates his white robes into the traditional loose flowing garb that he normally wears. After composing himself, the mystic teleports out of the room and re-emerges at the large doors that stand before the head captain's meeting room. He presses his garmets with his hands before opening the doors. The old man with the long flowing beard is sitting behind his desk with his hands interlaced in front of him.
Dr. Strange: 'I was told by Captain Unohana that you wanted to see me upon my waking.'
Yamamoto: 'Yes. How are you and your companions doing after last night?'
Dr. Strange: 'From what I can tell, they are taking everything that has happened in stride. The wounds that Betsy and I received have been healed by your squad four.'
Yamamoto: 'That is good to hear. What can you tell me about Death?'
The mystic closes his eyes at the elder's question.
Dr. Strange: 'I can not tell you too much; she is the "end", put into form.'
Genryusai's eyes open slightly when Stephen refers to the being made of pitch as a "she".
Yamamoto: 'What do you mean by "she"? That form that came before us was of no gender.'
Dr. Strange: 'I know. Being an abstract, Death can take any form it chooses, but when it has appeared to us before, it usually comes in the form of a skeletal female. I can not begin to tell you why she - it - chose the solid mass of shadow this time.'
The soul reaper simply nods his head in acceptance of Strange's explanation.
Yamamoto: 'It had immense power. Even with you standing before me now, I can not detect any power from you. I know you have power, but it is undetectable. The moment Death stepped foot into soul society, I felt its power.'
Dr. Strange: 'In our universe, we have many kinds of powerful other-dimensional beings that claim to be "rulers of hell" or "conquerers of death". What came here last night was Death. Everything it claimed to want to do, it could have done with but a thought. When Death spoke of knowing your Spirit King, I would believe it to be true.'
Yamamoto: 'When you do leave, what is to stop Death from coming back and waging war on us again?'
Dr. Strange: 'I can not say whether that will happen or not, but when Death said it did not hold absolute power over this realm, it was not a ruse. Your Spirit King gave her a task; "to prepare you for an attack that was unimaginable".'
The head captain sighs as he listens to the sorcerer's words.
Yamamoto: 'For as long as I have been head captain of the thirteen court gaurd squads, I have never seen the Spirit King. He is a mystery to even us soul reapers, but we serve and carry out our duties as if he was the one giving them to us.'
Dr. Strange: 'He does not oversee the rule of soul society?'
Yamamoto: 'Daily life and orders are handed down by central 46; he lives in another dimension entirely and rarely ever leaves that place.'
Stephen strokes his gotee with his right thumb and forefinger as the information sinks in.
Yamamoto: 'I am going to call a captain's meeting to debrief everyone on what has transpired up to this point. Your group should attend as well before we part ways.'
Dr. Strange: 'For what it is worth, I speak for us all when I say we have enjoyed our time here.'
Yamamoto: 'You and your allies are powerful; I am glad that you were able to provide us with your aid.'
The elder captain nods his head in both respect and dismissal of the mystic. Dr. Strange bows before turning on his heal and exiting the large room. As the doors close behind him, he disappears to find the rest of his team.
With nothing else to do at the moment, the green goliath walks back to the place he finds most familiar; the eleventh squad. As he passes one of the training barracks, he hears voices and scuffling coming from inside. Hulk slides the door open and sees Ikkaku Madarame leaning casually against a wooden support beam. In the center of the room, Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki are sparring bare handed. Before anybody notices the jade giant, the orange-haired substitute throws a punch at the red-headed sixth squad lieutenant. Abarai dodges the punch, while grabbing his arm, and flips Kurosaki over his shoulder! The teen lands with a huff as a small cloud of dust rises from where he lands. The bald third seat of squad eleven looks up and notices Hulk as he lifts himself off of the beam.
Ikkaku: 'Look who finally decided to show up. Care to join us in a friendly scrimmage?'
Hulk steps through the doorway and into the large practice dojo.
Hulk: 'Not that I care, but the last time you wanted to spar against me, you, Renji and that other guy with the shades got your butts handed to you.'
The third seat smirks as he eyes the large behemoth.
Ikkaku: 'C'mon, we're not usin' our zanpakutou, so you won't have to worry about gettin' hurt.'
Hulk: 'I'm not worried about you hurting me; I'm more concerned about not wanting to send you back to the fourth squad when I'm done with you.'
He shifts his weight and looks over at the orange-haired teen who has picked himself off of the tatami mats.
Hulk: 'What're you guys doing anyway? Did you not get enough fighting in last night?'
Renji brushes off his sleeves before answering Hulk's questions.
Renji: 'That guy's fighting styles were like nothing we've ever seen before. He was tough, but his hand-to-hand was amazing.'
Ichigo: 'If I was able to keep using Zangetsu, I might've been able to beat him. When he started using his fists, I could barely block his attacks.'
Ikkaku: 'Ichigo learns faster than I've ever seen anyone learn. It's like he was meant to be a soul reaper; we're training for anything else that might pop up.'
The green goliath rubs the back of his head and sighs.
Hulk: 'I get that, but why are you all gathered in the eleventh squad? Baldy I can see; but the red-headed pineapple comes from the sixth squad right?'
At Hulk's nonchalant insults, both the third seat of squad eleven and the lieutenant of squad sixth close their eyes in annoyance and their left eyebrows twitch simultaneously.
Ichigo: 'I came by looking for Ikkaku and Renji was already here.'
The annoyed lieutenant grumbles out his reply;
Renji: 'I needed to get away from Captain Kuchiki. He was brooding over the loss of his scarf that Thanos burned.'
The jade giant nearly coughs as he tries to stop from laughing!
Hulk: 'His scarf? The guy's mad cause he lost his scarf? Here I thought Strange was eccentric.'
Renji: 'Apparently, its handed down to the head of the great Kuchiki clan, generation after generation. I don't think it's really about the scarf; I think he's mad that a guy like that alien grabbed him in the first place.'
Hulk is still trying to conceal his laughter and after a moment, he calms down.
Hulk: 'I wish we didn't have to leave soon; a piece of me wants to make fun of that guy really bad.'
Renji: 'You'd definately get a workout; Captain Kuchiki is in a whole different league.'
Hulk pops his knuckles.
Hulk: 'Sounds like my kind of guy.'
After the conversation dies, the green goliath gestures for the three to come at him. Before any real damage can be done to their surroundings, Dr. Strange materializes before them.
Dr. Strange: 'Hulk; I apologize for interrupting your bout, but Head Captain Yamamoto has requested our presence at a meeting he is holding.'
The quartet freeze at the mystic's appearance, with Ikkaku in a headlock, Ichigo trying to choke out the mammath and Renji wrapped around Hulk's huge leg! Hulk sighs with dissapointment and lets go of the hold he had Madarame in. He shrugs off Ichigo and pulls Renji away from his thigh. Strange's presence vanishes and Hulk turns his back to the three as he begins to lumber out of the room.
Hulk: 'Too bad. Maybe next time guys.'
The door closes behind him with a loud "clunk" and the jade giant bends his legs and launches himself into the air.
Meanwhile, Betsy has changed back into the costume that the Quincy, Uryu Ishida, had fashioned for her. As she fastens the cape around her shoulders, she notices that the costume has been cleaned and pressed. When she exits the fourth squad with Shuuhei Hisagi, she recieves a telepathic message from Stephen Strange. Betsy; please meet me and the others at the head captain's meeting room as soon as you can. He wants to have a debriefing with the captains and he requests that we be there as well. The telepath stops and mentally responds to the socrerer. Sounds like it's about time for us to be on our way. A shame really. Psylocke sees Stephen close his eyes in her mind as he cuts communication. Betsy sighs and the ninth squad lieutenant looks over at her.
Shuuhei: 'Who were you "talking" to?'
Psylocke: 'It was Dr. Strange; 'e says that the 'ead captain wants us to be a part of a meeting.'
The mutant turns to the soul reaper and cups his cheek in her left hand while giving him a kiss just under his right earlobe.
Psylocke: 'I'll be sure to see you afterwards, love.'
She turns around and lets the soul reaper watch as she saunters off. Betsy puts about ten feet between her and Shuuhei before flash stepping out of sight.
As Stephen leaves Betsy's mind, Logan is still walking with the small captain of squad two. The hairy mutant notices many soul reapers watch them from windows or from the shadows of allyways. As he looks out of the corner of his eye, he notices no change in Soi Fon's features; but he would bet that she is keenly aware of the many extra sets of eyes on them as well. As if to answer the Canucklehead's unasked question, the soul reaper speaks.
Soi Fon: 'It is rare for me to be seen outside of squad two and even rarer for me to be seen with another "soul reaper". Even if some of these onlookers knew who you were, it would still surprise them to see me with you.'
Wolverine: 'I got ya; pretty much stick ta yerself right?'
Soi Fon: 'My duties are normally carried out in secret and without many being made aware of them. As we speak, many of my stealth force are stationed around the area and not one of these soul reapers are even aware.'
Logan sniffs the air and confirms what he had smelled earlier.
Wolverine: 'Yer right 'bout that, darlin'; we're passin' through the sixth squad and I can smell yer smoke buddies all over this place.'
The captain with the twin braids looks over at her companion.
Soi Fon: 'Do they really all smell like smoke?'
Wolverine: 'They each have their own unique scent, but the overall smell o' them is smoke. I thought with yer shunpo ya didn't use thin's like smoke pellets.'
Soi Fon: 'We use all sorts of items to give us an advantage in battle. We use any means neccisary to accomplish our directive.'
The feral mutant nods his head in silent understanding as they continue to walk. Suddenly, a black butterfly floats over and Soi Fon holds out her right forefinger as it lands on the perch. Logan looks at her as she listens intently to an unheard message. Moments later, the butterfly takes to the air and the captain turns to Logan.
Soi Fon: 'Head Captain Yamamoto has just called a captain's meeting. We should head there right away.'
Wolverine: '"We"?'
Soi Fon: 'He requests that you and your companions be present as well.'
The mutant shrugs his shoulders as he starts to walk off in the direction of the first squad. He is stopped when the lithe woman puts her warm hand on his arm.
Soi Fon: 'Why walk when you can flash step? This way I can test just how fast you've become.'
Logan cracks a smile, revealing his canines.
Wolverine: 'We gotta bet somethin' that'll make it worth my while. How's 'bout if I win, ya gotta kiss me.'
The captain's cheeks turn red at his words!
Soi Fon: 'Y-you won't win! When I beat you, you'll spend the rest of your time here with my lieutenant, cleaning the barracks!'
Wolverine pauses a moment before accepting the wager.
Wolverine: 'Alright, darlin', yer on.'
He disappears before she can recover from his previous statement! She frowns and then disappears as well, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake!
After leaving the company of Toshiro Hitsugaya, Thor takes to the skies and heads for the first squad. A storm rumbles in his mind as he battles with himself over what Death had said to them all earlier and what he's witnessed in the fourth squad. He doesn't like that the wounds that Thanos left will linger, but the soul reapers will have no memory of why they are even wounded. As the thunderer lands just outside of the long covered walkway that leads to the meeting room, he straps Mjolnir to his hip and begins to walk. Just as he reaches the doors to enter, he hears a loud impact and feels a small tremor under his booted feet. When he turns to investigate, he spots his green-hued ally emerging from a cloud of dust as he walks under the covered path. Hulk acknowledges the blonde god with a nod of his head as he approaches. The two powerful men open the doors together and walk in.
Psylocke comes out of her flash step just inside the corridor leading up to the large white doors of the head captain's meeting room. As she walks up to the doors, she catches Logan's thoughts as he comes out of his own flash step on top of the walkway's roof. Made it! There's no way in hell that I'm gonna clean barracks with an idiot like Omaeda. Soi's gonna have ta eat her words when I go ta claim my prize. Suddenly Logan's mood sours as he takes in a whiff of the air around him. Son of a - she's never gonna let me hear the end o' this one. He leaps off of the roof and greets Betsy with a frown. Psylocke smiles and thinks; why would you bet a captain that you would beat them 'ere? Especially Soi Fon? Logan folds his arms and leans against one of the thick red pillars that support the roof. I thought I had more ta gain than she did. I swear; no matter how long I live, I'll never understand dames. At this, Bestsy smiles and walks to open the doors as Logan follows her inside. Before they enter completely, Betsy thinks; Logan, why are you wearing a soul reaper uniform? His relpy; I just needed a change is all. As she's about to question him further, he gives her an intentional mental image of him ripping his costume off in disgust. With that, she exits his mind without another thought and tries to leave him with a feeling of consolation. He steals a glance at the proud second squad captain as she stands closest to where the head captain stands. She, in turn, smirks in the feral mutant's direction as she silently gloats her victory. In her mind, Psylocke thinks; it's because you had more to gain that she beat you, Logan. He turns his head away from the small captain as he follows Betsy to where the other heroes are standing. The hairy mutant comes to a stop on the right side of his female teammate as he thinks back; I figured as much.
Head-Captain Yamamoto takes a step forward when everyone has finally arrived. The heroes take note that two of the ten remaining captains are missing from the line-up; Kenpachi Zaraki of the eleventh squad and Jushiro Ukitake who is the head of squad thirteen. The eldest captain taps his walking stick on the floor to announce the start of the meeting.
Yamamoto: 'I have called you all here for the final time while our visitors are still here to strategize against what Death plans to do.'
Though the captain's eyes are closed, Dr. Strange can tell that he's surveying the entire room.
Yamamoto: 'Strange-san has explained that the being we encountered last night is his universe's embodiment of death. Most of you witnessed the power it possessed and we must believe if it wants to take our memories, it can.'
At this, the blue-haired captain of the twelfth squad steps forward.
Mayuri: 'I have a theory on how to ultimately foil this "Death" being's victory.'
The heavily scarred head captain nods his head for the scientist to continue.
Mayuri: 'The Daireishokairo.'
Murmurs travel around the captains and Betsy picks up on Logan's translative thoughts. What the hell is the great archive, some kinda library? Yamamoto taps his concealed zanpakutou again and silence returns to the room.
Mayuri: 'We can not possibly combat our memories being erased, but if our experiences were recorded, this being the outsiders know as "death" would not be able to affect such a thing. The Great Archive holds all of soul society's histories; private and public.'
As the scientist pauses in his explanation, Dr. Strange steps up to comment.
Dr. Strange: 'I believe your theory is correct, Mayuri. In all of my experience, Death has not been able to rewrite what we know as history.'
Kurotsuchi sighs and interrupts the mystic.
Mayuri: 'Do not talk to me as if we are friends, strange doctor. You should always address me by my last name, if not by the title of "captain".'
Stephen closes his eyes at the captain's light chastizing as Mayuri picks up where Strange had left off.
Mayuri: 'We will not know, however, how to access these particular archives once the five outsiders leave soul society. The very fact that they will exist opens up the possibility for us to stumble upon them one day.'
Yamamoto: 'We will put this into effect at once! We can not allow even our memories to be sacrificed by an enemy; use whatever resources you need to record the last several days into the Daireishokairo. You are all dismissed!'
As the doors open, Kurotsuchi walks proudly over to the five heroes. He looks each one in the eyes before saying;
Mayuri: 'Just to make sure we have everything, I'll need the five of you to stay at least one more night. Tomorrow, you can do whatever you like.'
He doesn't wait for a reply as he turns his back on the quintet. As he begins to stroll to the exit, Logan hears a crazed chuckle escape the scientist's lips before he flash steps out of the building. All the other captains begin to file out of the great hall as well when Shunsui casually strolls up to the heroes.
Shunsui: 'Thor-san; since you'll be here for at least another night, how about I treat you to some sake? Logan-san, you're welcome to come along as well.'
Before answering, the god of thunder thinks about everything that has just transpired and he sighs; content with how things are going.
Thor: 'Aye; it be time to accept yon offer, Shunsui Kyoraku.'
Wolverine eyes Soi Fon who has lingered behind her fellow captains and shakes his head.
Wolverine: 'Right now I'd love ta take ya up on yer offer bub, but it looks like I have a promise ta keep.'
The captain smiles and the two walk out of the meeting room together. The feral mutant tucks his thumbs into his obi and hangs his head. Without looking up, he sends out a slightly annoyed thought to his teammate and telepath; Psylocke. I don't suppose I could ask ya to put a mental whammy on Soi that keeps her from orderin' me ta clean her barracks. Betsy's mental reply comes in the sound of amused laughter. Sorry, dear; what would Charles say if 'e learned that I used my powers in such a way? Logan sighs audibly as the small female captain approaches the group.
Soi Fon: 'Logan; walk with me.'
The mutant looks back at his allies and frowns as he sees there'll be absolutely no help from any of the remaining three. As he begins to walk with the raven-haired captain, he mutters;
Wolverine: 'So much fer helpin' a fella out.'
Soi Fon: 'What was that, Logan?'
Wolverine: 'Nothin' darlin', lets go.'
Hulk looks to Psylocke who has an exremely amused look on her face and says;
Hulk: 'I don't know what that was all about, but if I don't remember anything else, I better remember the look on the runt's face just now!'
As the two small warriors depart the first squad's meeting room, the green goliath turns to Strange and Betsy.
Hulk: 'It's my turn to head out. If you don't need me, don't look for me. Got it? I don't think I have to say, "Hulk just want to be left alone."'
The mystic and telepath exchange looks as the green goliath walks out of the building.
As Betsy begins to leave the sorcerer, she turns and says;
Psylocke: 'I don't think I need to tell you were I'm going to spend my final night.'
The telepath winks at the sorcerer before attempting to lighten his mood.
Psylocke: 'This 'as been a long journey for all of us, Stephen. Try to enjoy the last few 'ours 'ere OK?'
Stephen smiles at the purple-haired beauty.
Dr. Strange: 'My dear, what makes you say I have not enjoyed my time here?'
The mutant shrugs.
Psylocke: 'No reason. Just remember, Thanos 'as been defeated and we 'elped win the day.'
The mystic nods as he pulls his cape around his shoulders. Once she leaves, only the head captain and Strange remain in the large empty room.
Yamamoto: 'You and your team have earned the priviledge to relax and explore the whole of soul society. You should join them in their time of rest.'
Dr. Strange: 'I do not pretend to know what this "Daireishokairo" is Captain Yamamoto, so please forgive my ignorance when I ask if you think recording our time here will actually work.'
Yamamoto: 'You are a very intelligent man, Strange-san so I will not insult you by explaining things. No matter how eccentric or strange Captain Kurotsuchi seems to you, he is an extremely capable scientist. If he says that recording the events that have transpired here over the last several days will work, then I trust that it will.'
Dr. Strange: 'Know that I did not mean any disrespect by questioning this plan. I just do not like feeling powerless in a situation.'
Yamamoto: 'I understand, but sometimes, even the powerful need only stand by while others take the lead.'
The mystic ponders the elder's words before nodding his understanding. With that, he bows to the soul reaper and teleports out of the room.
The setting Sun turns the light cloud cover ablaze with deep oranges and reds as Soi Fon and Logan walk silently next to each other. Nobody would accuse the hairy mutant of being patient and so the silence that hangs in the air is deafening to him! He lets out a frustrated growl and begins to concede defeat just as the captain of squad two starts to speak. Wolverine sighs and the soul reaper clears her throat.
Wolverine: 'Go ahead, darlin', say what ya were gonna say.'
Soi Fon: '... Why are you always so casual? Anyone else I know, who knew they were going to be put to work, would've never come willingly. In most cases, I would have to threaten them with the possibility of death if they chose to go against me.'
Logan shrugs his shoulders.
Wolverine: 'Can't say fer sure, but if loosin' our bet lets me spend a little more time with ya, then so be it.'
At his statement, the small captain's eyes go wide and then soften. She tries to hide her blush with a confident sneer as she re-composes herself.
Soi Fon: 'I may just have to threaten you with death if you keep speaking to me like that.'
The mutant grins.
Wolverine: 'Didn't I tell ya? Yer sting did kill me.'
This makes the captain stop and position herself in Logan's way, making him come to a stop as well.
Soi Fon: 'All those days ago? But you're here and without any sign of Suzemebachi's poison.'
Wolverine: 'My heart stopped fer 'bout a minute. When I fell? I was dead.'
Soi Fon looks away from her mutant companion and brings her left hand up to rub her right arm unconsciously.
Soi Fon: '... When I first tracked you coming out of the forest, I wanted nothing more than to take your life. Everything about you; from how you addressed me to how you moved, sickened me. You were an intruder in my domain and you needed to be dealt with.'
Logan remains silent as the proud warrior recalls their first encounter.
Soi Fon: 'After engaging you in combat, I ignored my gut which said you were not fighting me as hard as someone who wanted to invade would have. Towards the end, my feelings changed. I didn't want to destroy you, but I knew because of my mission, I had no other choice.'
She frowns and tries to hide her emotions under her chin-length mane.
Soi Fon: 'After you entered the head captain's meeting with no mark to show from our struggle, I was outraged but also a little glad that you somehow survived.'
The mutant and captain stand silently a foot apart in a deserted corridor of squad two as the Sun lowers itself behind the tall buildings of Sei Rei Tei. Logan takes this moment and quickly closes the minimal distance between the two of them and lifts the female's chin up as he plants a passionate kiss directly onto her lips! With his accute senses, he immediately takes in everything that happens within that moment. Before he closes his eyes, he sees her shock and chuckles mentally. He feels her soft lips. He hears her breath catch in her throat. He tastes her surprise and passion in her saliva. He inhales her scent that he's become so accustomed to over these last several days. In reality, his stolen kiss only lasts for a moment, but for Logan and his mutant senses, it may as well have lasted several minutes. As he separates from the lithe woman in front of him, she just stands there; body ridgid and with her head down. Logan doesn't see her hand come up, but he does feel it as it catches him on the side of his face and sends him flying into the corridor wall several feet away! The force of the blow embeds his hairy body into the wall as dust and debris conceal his form. Before she flash steps away, Soi Fon cooly says;
Soi Fon: 'I expect my barracks to be spotless when I inspect them in the morning... mongrel.'
Now alone, Logan coughs and sputters as he removes himself from the wall. He wipes his mouth and smiles to himself before slowly walking to the stealth commander's barracks.
The green goliath walks out of Sei Rei Tei as the Sun sinks into the horizon. He has no particular place in mind as he wanders aimlessly into a dense forest. The disappearing light source casts long shadows from the trees and onto the ground. After walking for several more minutes, Hulk steps out of the tree-line and comes across an open space that has a small stream running through the middle. As he looks around and begins to feel the quiet of his surroundings, he sighs. The grass under his large green feet is lush and soft as it blows gently in the wind. The mammoth sits down and lays out on his back. He stretches his enormous arms out as he looks up at the slowly appearing stars in the violet twilight. His breathing starts to become heavy as his eyeslids slowly close for what should be a restful night's sleep. Before Hulk closes his eyes for the night, he hears a soft tinkling of bells not too far from his position. His emerald eyes snap open as he sits up to look for the sound. Suddenly, a deep chuckle comes from the tree-line on the other side of the stream.
Kenpachi: 'Man, yer a tough man ta track down.'
Hulk looks across the water and sees the captain of the eleventh squad leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chiseled chest. Zaraki's haori and kimono top are missing and his mid-section is covered in white bandages. The jade giant gets to his feet and rolls his neck.
Hulk: 'When did you wake up? I thought you were gonna use the excuse of Thanos beating the hell out of you to get out of our final fight.'
The spikey-haired soul reaper grins madly, making his uncovered eye gleam in the low light.
Kenpachi: 'He didn't fight too fair, but I would've felt bad cuttin' him down without him havin' a proper weapon to fight with.'
Hulk: 'Why was he able to get into your head like that? I thought a soul reaper's zanpakutou is supposed protect against stuff like that.'
Zaraki lifts himself off of the tree and takes a few steps forward.
Kenpachi: 'I never learned my zanpakutou's name. I rely on nothin' but my own strength; my sword's just a tool fer me ta use in battle.'
Hulk: 'I get that.'
He flexes his large chest to drive home his point.
Hulk: 'Are you here to take me up on the offer I made you while you were laying in the hospital?'
Kenpachi: 'I'm here ta settle our score, yeah. The way I see it, our first battle was interrupted and the second time we tangled ya weren't yerself. This here'll be the final test of each other's strength.'
Hulk: 'I'm not gonna hold back on you. If you make me angry, I'll get stronger. You won't like me when I'm angry.'
The captain grins at Hulk's statement as he draws his worn-down sword.
Kenpachi: 'I want this fight ta be as long as possible! If what I hear is right, yer goin' home tomorrow and if the great archive's gonna record yer final day here, I want all of soul society ta know how strong ya are!'
Hulk clenches his fists as the battle-hungry captain sprints from his position, causing patches of grass to upend in his wake. Hulk begins to run towards his opponent and his footfalls shake the very trees around the area! Birds that have settled in for the night squak and chirp as they leave their perches in distress as the two titans clash in the middle of the stream!
Meanwhile, Dr. Strange reappears on top of the tallest building in Sei Rei Tei. He looks out into the steadily approaching darkness and sees the whole of this soul filled world. Many buildings within the confines of Sei Rei Tei have made the transition from day to night as lights are turned on from within. He looks out into the Rukon District and sees the same thing happening to the homes there. The mystic sighs and lets his arms fall freely at his sides. Moments later he levitates himself and crosses his legs as he begins to meditate. After a minute, he opens his eyes and tilts his head as he looks down at his gloved hands. From his floating position, he holds out his right hand and says;
Dr. Strange: 'Way of binding, number four; crawling rope.'
Nothing happens and after a few seconds of leaving his arm outstretched, the mystic brings his hand up to his face.
Dr. Strange: 'I see. My repentance begins before I will leave this world.'
Stephen sighs again and closes his eyes as he centers himself. He blocks out everything around him as he meditates on all that has happened.
As Logan makes it to the barracks of squad two, he smells the faint scent of fried rice crackers and hears the crinkling of a paper bag. When he rounds a corner, he sees the one responsible for the noise and smell. Sitting on the wooden steps and leaning lazily against a support beam is Soi Fon's large lieutenant, Marechiyo Omaeda. As the short mutant approaches, the soul reaper looks up from his bag of snacks and snorts.
Marechiyo: 'You finally showed up. What took you so long? When Captain Soi Fon gives you an order, you get to it right away!'
Logan squints at the pompous lieutenant.
Wolverine: 'Like yer doin'? Soi told me that ya'd be already sweepin' this place.'
Omaeda hastily gets up from his position upon the steps and walks over to the shorter man.
Marechiyo: '"Soi"? How many times do I got to tell you? It's "Captain Soi Fon"! Besides, I was waiting on you to get here. My captain gave me orders to make sure when you got here to "work you until you bleed.". She then said, "When you heal, make you bleed some more.".'
Wolverine: 'Is that right?'
Marechiyo: 'You must've really made her mad to have her want to treat you like that. When I screw up, she usually only beats me a little.'
Wolverine: 'Ya can say I pissed her off a bit.'
The balding soul reaper continues to eat his rice crackers as curiousity gets the better of him.
Marechiyo: 'So, what'd you do?'
The mutant chuckles as he recalls his and the captain's last interaction.
Wolverine: 'I kissed her.'
With those three words, Omaeda's eyes go wide and he stops stuffing his face in mid-motion as his entire body freezes with shock! The lieutenant quickly recovers and practically yells.
Marechiyo: 'What? Y-you're lying! You're still alive; if you did what you say, then you should be dead!'
Wolverine: 'Well I'm here ain't I? Like I told ya before; she likes me better'n ya.'
As Logan continues to antagonize the hefty man, Marechiyo's face becomes red with rage. He huffs a couple of times before calming down slightly as the feral mutant casually walks past him to pick up a broom that is propped up against the railing of the barracks. Without looking back, Logan says;
Wolverine: 'Ya got crumbs on yer shihakusho, bub.'
The mutant turns, after he picks up two brooms, and sees Omaeda look down at his kimono and quickly brushes off his chest and large purple collar that flares out from under his garment. Not waiting to see if the large man is ready, Wolverine tosses him the spare broom and then begins to sweep. Marechiyo drops his bag of crackers as he fumbles with catching the cleaning tool and to his credit, Logan notices that the man doesn't drop it.
The next morning, Betsy slowly opens her eyes to the sound of birds chirping outside of Shuuhei's quarters. She rolls over and pats the empty space next to her. Her hand may only grip sheet, but the mutant telepath can still feel the warmth of the recently departed soul reaper. She sits up and stretches as she tussles the sleep out of her hair. After she gets dressed, she mentally searches for the tattooed lieutenant of the ninth squad. She soon finds his mental signature and sets off to see what he's up to.
Bruce Banner wakes up to a scene of unbelievable destruction that it is spread out all around him. Still slightly disoriented from sleep and his transformation, only bits and pieces of last night are clear to him. He puts his hand on the tree that supports his form and instead of feeling the expected rough bark, he feels splintered fragments. He gets up and looks at his resting spot and his eyes go wide with disbelief! The brilliant man can tell that the tree was enormous just by the size of the broken trunk. The elder tree's radius is at least twelve feet in diameter but that didn't matter to whoever snapped the tree in half! Bruce slowly turns 360 degrees as he takes in the bedlam around him. From his murky memory, he recalls a stream that flowed through this area. In its place are several muddy craters and slowly flowing water that trickles from an unseen location deep with in the untouched bamboo forest. Every tree and bush in a mile radius has been uprooted and torn asunder. The beautiful, lush green scenery that Banner remembers is now dark and muddy. He frowns as he takes everything in and closes his eyes. He clenches his fists and turns his thoughts inward as he converses with his alter ego. Was this really necessary? All of this wanton destruction? The green goliath grumbles back his annoyance with Banner's chastising. Don't come in here with your pasifism. Kenpachi was itching for a good fight; I gave it to him. Bruce sighs and comes out of his revery with his inner demon. The brown-haired man sighs and begins to walk back towards Sei Rei Tei, shirtless and bare footed.
Logan grimaces in the state of half-sleep he finds himself in. His heightened hearing picks up on the faint beating of dust covered wings as he rolls over and tries to ignore the insect. The sound of beating air becomes increasingly louder as the Hell Butterfly hovers extremely close to the mutant's ear. His grimace gives way to an annoyed growl as he attempts to swat the creature away from him. The Jigokucho deftly avoids the lazy swing as it attempts again to deliver its message. Logan huffs and sits up as the small messanger lands gently on Wolverine's finger. No sooner does the insect make contact with Logan's hairy index finger does he hear what the butterfly has to tell him. A telepathic summons from the captain of squad two makes the mutant smirk and groan at the same time! Logan; meet me in my office immediately. That is all. After doing its job, the insect lifts off of its perch and floats out of sight. Logan watches it leave before putting his bare feet onto the wooden flooring. He glares at a window that allows the bright moring Sun to infiltrate his room as he rubs the back of his neck. He gets up and throws on his kimono before heading down the hall to Soi Fon's office.
Last night.
After deciding to join the captain of the eighth squad for drinks and merriment, Thor is surprised to see Rangiku Matsumoto at the same establishment. She is with a few other soul reapers that the thunderer recognizes from Hulk's descriptions as Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa, Tetsuzaimon Iba and Renji Abarai. His blue eyes are surprised to see the last member of their group; the blonde lieutenant of the third squad, Kira Izuru! The large group quickly joins the captain and god for drinks and the small get-together turns into an all night party! The troubles and worries of the war with Thanos quickly became a topic of jokes and laughter as more and more alcohol is consumed. Not until the moon is high over-head does the party begin to die down. Renji and Tetsuzaimon leave first, followed soon after by Ikkaku and Yumichika. After seeing the effects of several sake jugs take affect to the two other lieutenants, Thor offers his thanks to the hatted captain and escorts the man and woman out of the restaurant. The cool night air has no effect on the two as they cling drunkenly to the god's mid-section. He smirks at their lack of control and effortlessly aids them in staying vertical. As he walks with the two, Thor realizes that he's never been to the third squad and doesn't know exactly where to go.
Thor: 'Kira Izuru; I concede in not knowing where thou resides. Wouldst thou tell me where to go?'
The soul reaper looks drunkenly up at his crutch and mumbles something incoherent. At this, Rangiku joyfully says;
Rangiku: 'Don't worry! He cansh stay withsh me; in factsh, let's all sleepsh together!'
If it wasn't for the god's strong grip, the lieutenant of the tenth squad would have twirled away from his arm and fell to the ground! Instead, after attempting to spin away, Thor reals her back in under his protective bicep. Not knowing what else to do, he does what the female suggests and heads to the familiar surroundings of the tenth squad barracks. After rolling out two futons, he assists the two soul reapers with relaxing for the remainder of the night. Kira, as soon as his head hits the soft material, falls into a light snore! Rangiku on the other hand, remains in an upright possition while smiling for no particular reason. Her face is extremely red and she sways from side to side. Thor smiles at her before moving to the doorway.
Rangiku: 'Do you really have to go?'
Thor: 'Tis true. Get some rest, fair lady, fort I wouldst not want to miss yon beauty as I leave.'
The woman hiccups and nods before the thunderer exits the room and shuts the door behind him.
The Present.
Thor moves quietly in the small room that he has temporarily borrowed from Captain Kyoraku. The sunlight of the morning glints off of his armor that hangs on the back of a chair in the room. The thunderer stand shirtless in his room as he looks down at the armor that Captain Kuchiki had fashioned for him. He silently moves his eyes over the glistening metal; admiring the fine craftsmanship and solid construction of the impressive chainmail. Deciding on what to do, the blonde god puts on his Asgardian tunic, and fastens Mjolnir at his side before picking up the lightweight armor and heading out the door.
Dr. Strange comes out of his trance and as soon as he puts his feet down onto the roof of the white tower, he disappears. When the sorcerer reappears, he is in front of the doors to the head captain's meeting room. After knocking, he is invited in by the powerful elder soul reaper. Genryusai looks up from the stack of paper on his desk and nods a greeting to Stephen.
Yamamoto: 'Good morning, Stephen-san. Was your night restful?'
Dr. Strange: 'I afforded myself the luxury of a meditative trance. It is not quite sleep, but it does allow me to replenish my energy.'
The head captain doesn't say anything to this, but Strange can almost see his thick, white mustache twitch with a smile.
Yamamoto: 'I am sure you are eager to get back to your world and daily lives. I have squad thirteen captain, Jushiro Ukitake preparing the main Senkaimon for you and your allies' departure. When it is complete, he will report to me and I will send out an invitation to all that would like to see you off.'
At this, the mystic nods and then bows before turning to leave the elder's presence. Once the doors to the meeting room close, Dr. Strange closes his eyes and picks up on the white-haired captain's soul signature. No sound is made as the sorcerer disappears from the first squad.
Psylocke walks into a very busy room located in the ninth squad's jurisdiction. A few soul reapers manage to ignore her as they go about their work, but there are others who stop what they're doing to stare at her as she walks by. Her smile makes them blush and they hastily return to their work. Because of his thoughts, the mutant easily finds Shuuhei in the back of the multi-roomed building. He is looking over what appears to be a newspaper while at the same time, directing two more soul reapers.
Shuuhei: 'Because of everything that's happened lately, we're really behind. We'll each have to pull double shifts if we're going to get this edition out on time.'
She smiles at how hard he's working and walks up behind him. She gently moves her hands up to his shoulders and begins to massage them. The lieutenant immediately stiffens before relaxing as he figures out who is touching him. Hisagi grabs her right hand with his as he turns around to look at the purple-haired beauty.
Shuuhei: 'Hey. Sorry I left before you woke up this morning. I've got to work fast if we expect the news to see print today.'
Psylocke: 'It's no problem really; I do 'ope you come see me off when we're finally ready to leave.'
The tattooed reaper closes his eyes and smiles.
Shuuhei: 'I'll be there.'
Betsy smiles and kisses him on the cheek before leaving him to his work.
Wolverine walks up to the entrance to Soi Fon's office and knocks on the door using his knuckles. The voice of the captain can be heard as she says;
Soi Fon: 'Enter.'
The feral mutant slides the door open and steps into the reletively empty room. Across from him, sitting behind her desk, is the twin-tailed lithe stealth force commander. She stops what she's doing and interlaces her fingers together as she rests her chin on top of them. Logan folds his arms and stares back at the soul reaper as he waits for her to say something.
Soi Fon: 'You and that oafish baffoon of a lieutenant did an acceptable job last night.'
She gestures for him to sit in the chair across from her. Logan smirks before walking over and sitting down.
Soi Fon: 'The day that you leave has finally arrived. Are you sad?'
Wolverine: '"Sad"?'
Soi Fon: 'You have grown accustomed to this place and our ways, have you not? I would assume that to leave would cause one's feelings to be of regret.'
Wolverine: 'Darlin', I ain't regreted nothin' in my life. 'Sides, I'm not gonna remember anythin' 'bout my time here anyway, right?'
Soi Fon: '"Nothing"?'
Wolverine: 'Nothin' I wanna get inta right now.'
Soi Fon: 'I see.'
Logan sighs, becoming impatient with what he considers to be pointless questions.
Wolverine: 'Look darlin', I know we ain't really seen eye ta eye since I got here, but if this's all ya wanted, then I'm gonna get ready ta head out.'
The mutant stands up and the captain slams her hands on the table while looking down to conceal her expression. Her sudden movement makes Logan pause and Soi Fon closes the distance between them with incredible speed. Before he knows it, the small captain is only inches from his face with a look of murder in her eyes! As he attempts to prepare a defense for her close proximity, the soul reaper grabs his face, intertwining her small fingers into his mutton chops, and crushes her lips onto his! Wolverine's shock quickly turns into a passionate ferocity, as he moves his right hand up into the raven hair that is at the base of her skull. His left hand grips her waist and pulls her into him as he strengthens their embrace! When he stole the kiss last night, he had to quickly absorb her before she rejected him. This time, however, he knows this kiss is on her terms and he can truly savor it. Everything about the lithe woman screams confrontation and in this moment, that doesn't change. The mutant senses that at her core, Soi Fon struggles with her current actions but he doesn't care as he looses himself to what he knew was in her all along. After several minutes, the captain breaks their embrace and slowly untangles herself from the feral man. Breathing heavily, she manages to pant out;
Soi Fon: 'I... will be glad... not to remember this moment. I won't have to... suffer embarassment at the thought of my temporary loss of control.'
Before she looks away entirely, the captain blushes even deeper as she adds;
Soi Fon: 'You are truly an animal, Logan. Leave me and forget.'
The mutant smirks as he licks the taste of her from his lips. Before he leaves, he sees her bring her hand up to her mouth in remembrance of their encounter.
Thor's descision to seek out the noble and captain of the sixth squad is, to him, a natural one. At first, the thunderer found Byakuya Kuchiki standoffish and arrogant. But now, he feels that he understands the burden that the soul reaper carries a little better. The blonde god stands just outside of the captain's office and calls out;
Thor: 'Captain Byakuya Kuchiki; art thou available to speak with me? It is Thor.'
There is a momentary pause before the noble's calm voice is heard.
Byakuya: 'Come.'
Odin's Son slides the door open and closes it after stepping through. He finds the captain not at his desk, but off to the side and kneeling with his back turned from the door. Thor can see incense burning on a shelf to the left of the soul reaper. The raven-haired noble appears to be writing something on a piece of paper that is on top of a small table that he's positioned in front of. The Asgardian takes a step forward before saying;
Thor: 'Mine apologies fort interrupting yon duties.'
Byakuya: 'This is not a duty. I simply want my own account of what has transpired here over the last week.'
Thor: 'Yon sentiments art exactly why I am here.'
Kuchiki turns at the sound of shifting metal and sees the armor that the god holds in his hands.
Byakuya: 'Mm?'
Thor: 'This armor be strong, but tis constructed of spirit particles. If I were to travel back to the world of the living with this, it wouldst surely be lost whenst I return to my body. There wouldst be no record of the magnificent craftsmanship of this piece and Odin's Son canst stand fort that.'
At this, the captain closes his eyes and regally stands up to walk over to the much taller man. He takes the armor from Thor and places it over the chair that is behind his desk.
Thor: 'What wilt thou do with it?'
Byakuya: 'The size of the armor will raise unanswerable questions if left out in the open. I will store it in the Kuchiki manor's vault for safe keeping.'
The god nods.
Thor: 'Fare thee well, Captain Kuchiki. Twas an honor to hath met and fought along side you.'
The soul reaper pauses before looking up.
Byakuya: '... Likewise, god of thunder.'
Thor proudly turns around and heads out the way that he had come.
After walking for quite some time, Bruce Banner stops to rest under a large tree just outside of Sei Rei Tei. He looks down at his muddy and bruised feet and sighs. I'm not the one who usually walks around without any shoes on. If I wasn't still so mad at Hulk for his base need for destruction, I'd transform and he could do the rest of the work. The scientist wipes the sweat from his forehead before looking up into the sky at the Sun. After averting his gaze from the blazing orb, he concentrates all of his thoughts onto a single person. Psylocke, can you hear me? A moment passes before he feels the woman's thoughts in his mind. Bruce? Is everything all right? Betsy can tell that he is frustrated with his current situation as she listens to his reply. I'm just ready to go home. Have you heard any word from Stephen about our departure time? She doesn't find any humor in his current situation, but she smirks nonetheless. I'll see where 'e is and maybe 'e can save you some walking time. Bruce nods his thanks and then feels the mutant telapath leave his mind.
Dr. Strange steps out of his teleportation spell within a few yards of several soul reapers of the kido corps. Stephen assumes that they're putting the finishing touches on the preparation of the large gate that stands before the captain of squad thirteen. The area surrounding the large Senkaimon is well maintained, with large slabs of polished stone laid out under foot. Many great pillars surround the area in a semi circle and the whole place looks very formal. As the mystic touches down on the polished stone, the white-haired captain turns to greet him.
Jushiro: 'Good morning, Stephen-san. We're making final preparations for your group's departure.'
Dr. Strange: 'Thank you, Captain Ukitake.'
The sorcerer looks down at the soul reaper's hands and sees that they are wrapped in white bandages and Strange recalls the massive amount of energy his zanpakutou tried to absorb before having to ultimately release it into the atmosphere.
At that moment, the mystic feels Psylocke enter his mind. Stephen? We may 'ave a small problem. Dr. Strange can sense both amusement and concern in the female's thoughts as he replies. What are you referring too, Betsy? She thinks back; Bruce just contacted me and 'e seems a little put off at the moment with his alter ego. I told 'im I'd get in touch with you to see 'ow you can 'elp 'im. Dr. Strange nods mentally as the mutant severs their link. The mystic turns his back on the soul reapers and reaches out with his powers to find Bruce Banner. Once he locates him, the sorcerer sends out a thought to the telepathic ninja. I have opened a portal for Bruce that will lead him straight to me. Please inform him of this. The mutant doesn't respond, but within moments, Bruce appears out of thin air next to Strange. The mystic looks over at his now human teammate and Banner looks back at him with a troubled expression.
Dr. Strange: 'I will not question why you will not let Hulk out, Doctor Banner.'
Bruce: '... It's stupid really. Last night Hulk went out into the woods to sleep, but he found that the blood-thirsty captain of the eleventh squad, Kenpachi Zaraki, was waiting on him. The area was peaceful and Hulk had no real intention of destroying that place.'
The sorcerer continues to listen to the scientist as he tries to work through his conflicted emotions.
Bruce: 'It wasn't until he was goaded into fighting that he helped lay absolute waste to the entire area! I can't allow Zaraki to manipulate Hulk like that anymore.'
Dr. Strange can think of many things to say to the Doctor at the moment, but chooses to remain silent as he senses the cause of Bruce's agitation slowly approach.
Within minutes after the conversation ends between the two, the large spikey-haired captain can be seen making his way towards the area with the large Senkaimon. As Bruce sees the wild soul reaper approach, he mutters under his breath;
Bruce: 'Not now...'
Captain Zaraki is accompanied by his third and fifth seats and they all have expectant looks on their faces. As they get closer, Stephen notices that Kenpachi's left eye is black and blue with a great deal of swelling. His left arm is out of his kimono sleeve and wrapped in a sling that is secured to his chest as if it were dislocated or broken at the shoulder. Dr. Strange casually steps in front of Bruce as if to conceal him from view when the three men stop a few feet away.
Kenpachi: 'Where's Hulk? I wanna congratulate him on givin' me one hell of a fight last night.'
Dr. Strange: 'He is not here. I am afraid you have made this journey in vain, Captain Zaraki.'
The captain looks down at the smaller man as if noticing him for the first time.
Kenpachi: 'What? That little man behind ya can bring him out anytime he wants.'
At this, Bruce puts his hand on his ally's shoulder as he steps out from Stephen's shadow.
Bruce: 'You and Hulk leveled an entire forest just so you could have one last fight.'
Kenpachi: 'Yeah, what's yer point?'
Bruce: 'I've witnessed untold destruction on a near daily basis because of the monster that rages inside me! For once, he found an ounce of peace and you took it away from him!'
The captain rolls his eye while scractching the inside of his ear with his pinky. Ikkaku and Yumichika share a look of boredom at what they've come to find here. Just then, the pink-haired lieutenant of squad eleven pops up over her captain's right shoulder with a smile on her face.
Yachiru: 'C'mon, skinny, Green Green makes Kenny happy! You don't wanna make Kenny sad, do you?'
The face the girl makes is almost too much for the scientist to bare and he looks away so that he doesn't cave to her large, sad eyes.
Bruce: '... I'm sorry. You may accept my inner beast, but I've had to live with him for years. He's more dangerous than any of you realize.'
After a minute more of silence, Kenpachi sighs as he turns around.
Kenpachi: 'Whatever. Yer too high an' mighty fer my tastes anyway. I don't know how big green puts up with ya. I'm outta here.'
As the two men watch the quartet fade into the distance, Psylocke comes out of a flash step to appear before them.
Psylocke: 'I don't know what you did to that Zaraki, but 'is thoughts were all over the place!'
Dr. Strange: 'Bruce gave the captain a piece of his mind.'
Psylocke: 'Good for you Doctor Banner.'
Bruce: 'That captain is terrifying. I think I'd rather face Red Hulk fifty times over than to confront Kenpachi alone.'
As the three share a small laugh, the head captain and his lieutenant are seen walking up the same path that Kenpachi and his squad did. The two soul reapers acknowledge the heroes briefly before making their way to where Captain Ukitake is. Shortly after the soul reaper's arrival, Dr. Strange turns towards Betsy and says;
Dr. Strange: 'I believe it is time to gather the rest of our team.'
Psylocke: 'Right. I'll contact Thor and Logan.'
Psylocke reaches out with her mind and searches for the thunderer first. She soon finds him soaring through the air using Mjolnir as his guide. I don't want to disturb you Thor, but I think it's just about time to go. She waits as he thinks back his reply. Yon presence in mine mind be not an intrusion, fair Psylocke. I wilt alter course and head to yon position. She leaves his mind and sets her thoughts on her teammate, Wolverine. As she gets a lock on his whereabouts, she raises her eyebrows in surprise at his thoughts. As she re-compsoses herself to tell him what everyone's plans are, she is interupted by the hairy mutant. Nothin' too serious happened, darlin'. Ya just caught me relivin' the kiss I got from Soi Fon. She mentally shakes her head and responds. When you can, 'ead to the place that you're seeing in your mind. O' and Logan? Don't worry, I won't ask 'ow it all 'appened. He smirks his reply; good, cause I didn't wanna kiss an' tell. She smiles at this as she leaves the man's mind.
As Psylocke mentally returns to her teammates at the Senkaimon, she senses both the captain and lieutenant of the tenth squad before the come out of their flash step. As Rangiku touches down she begins to whine at her captain who arrived seconds before she did.
Rangiku: 'Captain, we almost missed them leaving!'
Toshiro: 'We wouldn't have even been this late if you would've woke up earlier. Besides, didn't you say your goodbyes last night?'
Rangiku: 'I think? I don't really remember...'
The boy captain sighs in frustration as he folds his arms into the sleeves of his kimono.
As the two get settled, Sajin Komamura comes into view as he travels the stone tiles. He looks to Dr. Strange as he says;
Sajin: 'Even though we have not had many times to interact, I felt it necessary to see you and your allies off.'
Dr. Strange: 'Your presence is very much welcomed, Captain Komamura.'
The fox nods his large head before walking over to stand next to the head captain.
The sound of whooshing air signals the arrival of the god of thunder as he touches down next to Banner and Strange. As he straps his hammer to his belt, he is nearly pounced upon by the large-breasted tenth squad lieutenant!
Rangiku: 'There you are! I was worried that you had left without saying goodbye!'
With his amazing hearing, it's easy for the Asgardian to pick up on what Hitsugaya says annoyingly under his breath.
Toshiro: 'Do you really think the rest of his team would leave without him? Sometimes, Rangiku, I wonder about you...'
Thor smiles at what the boy-captain says before addressing the woman in front of him.
Thor: 'It twud be a shame if I left without saying farewell to one such as beautiful as yonself.'
The blonde soul reaper blushes as she sighs. When she wraps her arm around his bare bicep, she looks down with surprise.
Rangiku: 'Your muscles are even bigger without your armor! Where is it anyway?'
Thor: 'Mine original armor was damaged whenst first arriving in yon world by thy very skilled young captain.'
He nods respectively over to where Toshiro stands with his back turned to the two.
Rangiku: 'Captain!'
The captain's shoulders rise into his neck in agitation as he grumbles without turning around.
Toshiro: 'You were informed about our fight when I debriefed you on it!'
The lieutenant calms down and puts her finger to her mouth contemplatively.
Rangiku: 'Oh, I remember now. Still, I don't see why you had to fight this hunk in the first place!'
Thor: 'Tis alright, fair Rangiku; if our positions were reversed and I saw him as an "intruder" in Asgard, I twud hath acted with haste as well.'
Toshiro: 'Stop talking about me like I'm not even here!'
The two look at the irritated white-haired boy who has finally turned around.
Thor: 'Mine apologies, young captain; mine intention was not to offend thee.'
Rangiku: 'He's not offended, he just doesn't know how to give a proper goodbye.'
At this, Toshiro calms down as he refolds his arms into his kimono.
Toshiro: 'I can't deny your strength or fighting ability. You and I worked extremely well together in our war with Thanos. Hyorinmaru will miss the way you can create moisture in the atmosphere with Mjolnir.'
With this revelation, Thor lets go of Rangiku's arm and walks over to the small soul reaper. He puts a firm hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder and smiles.
Thor: 'It tis I who will miss yon companionship. You taught me how to commune with the spirit of Mjolnir if only fort a brief time. Fort that alone, Odin's Son tis more than greatful.'
He removes his hand from the captain's shoulder after he gives it a firm pat that makes Toshiro scowl. As the god turns his back on the youth, Psylocke sees Hitsugaya's expression turn from the frown into a slight smile. She catches his stray surface thoughts as he turns to walk towards the head captain. Certainly a powerful ally indeed. Suddenly, a wise and powerful voice echoes over the boy's thoughts. I will not remove you by force, Psylocke, but do not intrude any further into my master's thoughts. Psylocke blinks back surprise and slowly exits the soul reaper's mind. She touches her right temple as she whispers;
Psylocke: 'Hyorinmaru...'
Dr. Strange raises an eyebrow at the mutant's voice.
Dr. Strange: 'Mm?'
Psylocke: 'It's nothing to worry about, Stephen; just a minor psychic backlash.'
The mystic nods and wraps his cape around his body as he waits for Logan to arrive.
Instead of their feral mutant ally however, they are greeted by Shuuhei Hisagi who comes out of his flash step right beside the female telepath. As if she was waiting for him, Betsy intertwines her arm with his and smiles warmly at him.
Psylocke: 'I was wondering when you were going to show up.'
Shuuhei: 'This edition of Sei Rei Tei Communication took a little longer than expected, but we put it together smoothly. I want to report to Head-Captain Yamamoto before you leave.'
Psylocke: 'If Logan doesn't hurry up, we may stay another day.'
She winks at him as he gently pulls away from her. After a moment, Jushiro Ukitake approaches the heroes and says;
Jushiro: 'The Senkaimon that will take you back to the world of the living is ready to go. Where is Logan-san?'
The captain surveys the group and frowns.
Dr. Strange: 'Our friend, Wolverine, has issues with authority. He always seems to come through in the end however.'
Ukitake: 'I see.'
Just then, Logan comes out of a flash step as well and looks around at the gathered forces waiting on him.
Wolverine: 'What? Were ya guys waitin' on me?'
Dr. Strange: 'I believe that we are all in agreement that it would not hurt for you to be slightly less cavalier about our impact upon this world.'
Wolverine: 'Relax, doc; don't go gettin' yer panties in a bunch. I'm her now, so let's do this.'
The captain of squad thirteen looks quizzically at the shorter man before smirking at his casual pattern of speech.
Jushiro: 'If you'll all follow me, Genryusai-dono would like to leave you with a few parting words.'
The group heads over to where the captain's of squad one, seven and ten are. Ukitake takes his place next to Sajin and stands quietly to wait for the head captain, while Rangiku parts ways with Thor and stands next to the lieutenant of the ninth squad. As everyone takes their places, Yamamoto surveys the gathered heroes.
Yamamoto: 'These departing words may seem inconsequential due to what will happen when you re-enter your universe, but we as soul reapers still have the need to say them.'
Stephen nods his understanding and Logan frowns as the final moments of their time here draws near.
Yamamoto: 'We have taken every measure to make sure that your time and experience here will not be forgotten. The Thirteen Court Gaurd Squads are greatful to all of you for your assistance in defeating Thanos. Because of you five, we are now aware of the possibility of other dimensions and the strength they may possess.'
With his speech seemingly over, two of the soul reapers who were preparing the portal place their hands on either side and a bright light soon emanates from the opening. As the heroes watch, five black butterflies emerge from the Senkaimon and hover around each of them. Wolverine smirks as he tries to wave his away.
Yamamoto: 'The Hell Butterfly will assist each of you in returning to the world of the living. As you are aware, the Dangai is a perilous border dimension, but with these creatures, you will not be in any danger.'
Banner sighs audibly and Betsy picks up his thoughts. It's a good thing too; any unwanted agitation and I might unleash Hulk. She doesn't say anything to him as she thinks it best to save her questions for later. After the head captain finishes, he nods his head and taps his cane onto the stoned walk way. The other captains blow slightly to the heroes and Rangiku runs back up to Thor for one final goodbye.
Rangiku: 'I'd say don't forget to write, but it seems a little too ironic, even for me.'
Thor: 'If there be any way I could prevent my memories from being erased, I wouldst surely do it. Take comfort in this small fact.'
She hugs him before stepping away. As she does, she intentionally lets her blonde locks conceal her face to hide her expression. The thunder then pats Toshiro on the shoulder again, which makes the small captain sway from the force.
Thor: 'Captain Hitsugaya; tis been a pleasure meeting you. Perhaps there may cometh a day whenst we wilt require yon aide in our universe. Until then, fare thee well.'
Toshiro: 'Yeah, thanks... thank you.'
Komamura bows to the group and as Bruce begins to walk past the insanely large fox captain, Sajin stops his movements with his large gloved hand.
Sajin: 'Forgive me. I have heard the rumors that the large green man resides in your form. Seeing you here and not him, only seems to confirm these rumors.'
Bruce: '... It's true. That monster does live within me.'
Sajin: 'You say that he is a monster, but many soul reapers here, myself included, respect his power.'
Bruce: 'Even after he leveled an entire forest for no other reason than because he got into a fight?'
Sajin: 'You carry too much of the burden for Hulk-san's strength. I felt Captain Zaraki's spiritual pressure when he was fighting. That man also aided in the destruction of that forest. Would it be terrible to let your other self out to say his goodbye?'
Bruce: 'I'm sorry Captain Komamura; I think you mean well, but I can't let him out here anymore. I can't risk it.'
The fox closes his eyes.
Sajin: 'Very well. If you communicate with him, give him our regards.'
The captain of squad seven walks off without another word.
Shuuhei has rejoined Betsy and she smiles at him.
Shuuhei: 'I'm going to miss you.'
Psylocke: 'No you won't, love. Soon, I'll be a distant memory.'
The soul reaper frowns but notices that the mutant has a smile on her face.
Psylocke: 'Don't brood over this. Even if we won't remember our time together, it doesn't mean it didn't 'appen.'
Shuuhei: 'You're right, but - '
Psylocke: 'No buts.'
She puts a finger up to his mouth before removing it to kiss him deeply.
Logan walks past the two lovebirds until he gets to the small boy that Thor had just parted with.
Wolverine: 'See ya kid.'
Toshiro: 'Captain Hitsugaya.'
Wolverine: 'I know; I just wanted to see yer reaction.'
The feral mutant bares his canines as he grins and walks away before the captain can respond. He then walks up to the captain of the thirteenth squad.
Wolverine: 'Make sure ya keep that Kyoraku in line fer me.'
Jushiro: 'I'll try, but you know that he does what he pleases sometimes.'
Wolverine: 'Yer right. Jushiro; it's been a pleasure.'
The man known simply as Logan bows deeply to the white-haired captain before parting ways. Ukitake returns the favor by bowing at the waist as well.
As Dr. Strange makes his way through the people gathered, he stops in front of the head captain and bows in respect.
Dr. Strange: 'Thank you again for everything and allowing us into your world. This has been an adventure I regret to see come to an end.'
Yamamoto: 'I agree. I would say that you and your allies are welcome to come back anytime, but I know that my invitation will not last beyond these next few days.'
Dr. Strange: 'It is alright. I understand and appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.'
The captain moves to the side to allow the mystic to follow the rest of his teammates into the Senkaimon. Stephen takes one last look back as the gate begins to close on them and sees the tenth squad lieutenant throw herself into a surprised Shuuhei's arms and bury her face into his chest.
Editor's Notes: It's been a while, no? Sorry about that. This story has been my 'baby' for so long and I know that it's coming to an end. I'm guilty of procrastination I suppose. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Just an FYI and for anyone who is interested, I've set up an account on and my I.D. is icex1982 I'm going to be drawing this story and putting my concepts and pages up on that site. If your curious as to what I've come up with, please check it out!