I'm back, everyone. Please enjoy the next installment of Power of Three.
Hollow speaking or thinking
Zanpakuto Spirit speaking or thinking
Normal speaking or thinking
Kisuke stood in front of a large structure in the chamber underneath the shop and he was looking at the gathered group in front of him. His bucket hat hid his eyes so no one could see into them and tell what he was really thinking about. Though he had confidence in them to accomplish their task, especially with an ex-captain leading the charge, the enigmatic man couldn't help but try to plan for every circumstance possible.
Knowing Sosuke Aizen like he did, Urahara had definitely played it safe by not placing the Hogyoku inside Rukia Kuchiki's Gigai and keeping it close to him. Letting a device like that near a megalomaniac like the traitorous captain of Squad Five was never an option, and if he ever got his hands on it, the consequences would be very catastrophic. Though Aizen had a genius level intellect comparable to Urahara, even he would be thrown for a loop if he expected the Hogyoku to be inside the petite Soul Reaper and found absolutely nothing when he searched for it.
He cleared his mind of that train of thought and continued to plan out possible moves the "invaders" could make once they were in the Soul Society. 'So far, I'm seeing some good outcomes and some bad ones. Based on what Byakuya Kuchiki said to Ichigo, Bennett, and Randy and what they said to him, I would wager that he has some curiosity concerning them. He said he would tell Yamamoto what they asked of him and the Head Captain, and while Kuchiki is known to be strictly adherent to the customs, laws, and traditions of the Soul Society to much of the 13 Court Guard Squads as well as a stuck-up prick to some, he doesn't go back on his word if he can help it. But the Head Captain is very much the same as Kuchiki when it comes to the laws of the Soul Society, possibly to a higher degree than the Kuchiki Clan Head, though Yamamoto has heard people out on some occasions. So if the explanation that Kuchiki gives him is sufficient enough to require a call from him for further investigation and discussion, then the boys could be able to explain everything and hopefully give him enough reason to stop this farce of an execution and begin to prepare for what Aizen has planned.'
During the time that passed between the Hueco Mundo refugees' arrival and the current moment in time, the girlfriends of the Kurosaki brothers had settled in with the family and became very close with the rest of the Kurosakis. Yuzu and Karin easily accepted the three gorgeous women as family and the inklings of a bond between the two younger and three older females had begun to take shape, though the two preteens did threaten their brothers' girlfriends that if they hurt them in any shape or form, they would very much regret it. Thankfully, Yoruichi, Nel, and Tia understood that Karin and Yuzu were just looking out for their siblings.
When the three pairs of lovers gave Karin the explanation she had been asking for, she was a little shell-shocked. Soul Reapers, Hollows, Quincies, it was a bit much for the girl to take in, but she actually handled it quite well. Considering that she had been able to see spirits like her older siblings, it was not that much of a stretch for Karin to believe what they told her; she had seen Bennett, Randy, and Ichigo fighting a bone-masked hamster ghost with her own eyes after all. And she also accepted the two new Vizards for what they had been previously after they finished telling her about Arrancars and the three evolutionary levels of Menos Grande class Hollows. Hearing about how Tia had taken care of her Fracciones and Nel was not one to fight without a reason showed her the two women were good people and that sealed the deal.
The day after the talk with Karin, Ichigo, Tia, Nel, Randy, and Bennett met with the Soul Reapers that Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Tessai had saved at the Urahara Shop, the Vizards. Introductions were made and Kisuke gave a quick rundown of the boys' situation, which involved a quick explanation of their heritage, and what they and their friends were attempting to do, telling the eight ex-Soul Reapers that Bennett, Ichigo, and Randy needed training in their hollow powers and Tia and Nel needed training as well in their newly acquired Soul Reaper abilities. The leader, Shinji Hirako, accepted them and they immediately got to work.
Much progress was made during the training and the five of the trainees could wholeheartedly say they had gotten stronger. Tia and Nel had taught the boys a few important Hollow abilities like Sonido, Cero, Bala, Garganta, and Gran Rey Cero to give them an edge against opponents who were more powerful and the Vizards instructed the two former Arrancars on using Flash Step and a few Kido spells they thought could be useful in certain situations. Fortunately, both women didn't needed any instruction on releasing their Zanpakutos. All Arrancars had an Inner Hollow like the Vizards representing their Resurreccion state but had no Zanpakuto spirit like a run-of-the-mill Soul Reaper, but because Tia and Nel were now true Vizards like their soulmates and their brother, their Zanpakuto spirit that would have been separate and their Inner Hollow had merged into a single entity. All of them decided they could try for Bankai later, the Vizards agreeing to the idea and telling them to seek out Kisuke for advice on the subject.
One of the more, if not the most, important things the five of them all received training on was manifesting their Hollow masks, which basically separated a Vizard from a Soul Reaper. It came quite easily to Tia and Nel, and while the three boys had a little trouble with the task, they eventually accomplished it with some effort. Each of them could keep the mask manifested for quite a bit of time, but Shinji suggested they continue to keep practicing with it to increase the length of time.
The group going to the Society stood in front of Kisuke, each anxiously waiting for him to give them some parting words and suggestions before they got sent off. Yoruichi was in her cat form, Uryu was dressed in a Quincy battle uniform, the boys were in their Soul forms, and Tatsuki, Orihime, and Chad were clad in multi-functional street clothes. Tia and Nel stood next to Bennett and Randy holding their hands, Tia's Fracciones stood beside the group, and the rest of the Urahara Shop occupants and Isshin Kurosaki were off to the side of the perverted shopkeeper looking on at the group
Urahara clapped his hands together and cleared his throat. "Alright, now that we're all here, I'll get started. You'll be entering the Soul Society by way of a device called a Senkaimon, which is what Soul Reapers use to travel back and forth between the World of the Living and the Soul Society through a zone connecting the two called the Precipice World. However, the Senkaimon in front of you has been modified to allow humans to do so by converting them to Souls since normal humans can't enter the Soul Society because they're not made of Reishi," he explained as he gestured to the structure behind him. "The Cleaner is a moving structure similar to a train that goes through the Precipice World every seven days and gets rid of any foreign material trapped inside that zone. You'll have to move quickly because I can only hold the portal open for four minutes at the most, if you get stuck there, you'll be swept up and destroyed by the Cleaner."
"Now, the military command of the Soul Society is the 13 Court Guard Squads. There are thirteen divisions in the organizations, each led by a captain. Under their command are a single lieutenant, a couple handfuls of seated officers, and the large number of regular soldiers in those divisions. The lieutenants I will not go over since I have faith in all of you that you can handle them and a lot of them are below your power level, but I will give you information on captains that are important to know about. The ones you will need to watch out for are the Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto of Squad 1, Captain Retsu Unohana of Squad 4, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of Squad 8, Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of Squad 11, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of Squad 12, and Captain Jushiro Ukitake of Squad 13. Yamamoto is both the leader of the 13 Court Guard Squads and captain of Squad 1. He is the most powerful Soul Reaper to ever live and his Zanpakuto, Ryujin Jakka, is one of the strongest to ever be created, maybe even the strongest. The man is quite rigid in following the laws enacted by the Central 46, the governing body of the Soul Society that is made up of nobles from the clans of the Seireitei." He scowled in a very Ichigo-like fashion when he mentioned the group of stuck-up and arrogant nobles that refused to hear out his side of the story all those years ago. "The Head Captain had a reputation to 'shoot first, ask questions later' and it's changed very little in his old age. But don't mistake his age for weakness, you will absolutely regret it without a shadow of a doubt," Urahara warned with a deathly serious tone in his voice.
Yoruichi picked up where he left off. "Unohana is the head of Squad 4, a squad designed to act as medics, and as old and experienced as Yamamoto. There is a morbidly dark history surrounding her past as well as her previous encounters with the captain of Squad 11, but we'll tell you about that when we feel you'll be able to handle the information given to you. She is as deadly in the art of battle as she is skilled in the discipline of medicine. Kyoraku, the captain of Squad 8, is one of two students of the Head Captain. Like you three, he has a Dual Zanpakuto and wields it with great prowess. However, he is very relaxed and laid-back, very much unlike a massive majority of the nobles in the Seireitei, preferring not to fight as it cuts into his time sleeping and drinking sake. If I know him like I do, he very well may help you if he thinks Rukia's execution is unjust, and I'd bet he does so already. Kyoraku is a very progressive man in contrast to his teacher, which will definitely help you if you try to persuade him to help keep her from being executed."
Kisuke continued, "The leader of Squad 11, the squad made solely for battle, Zaraki is a extremely powerful Soul Reaper whose massive reserves and extremely dense spiritual pressure make him a very dangerous man to get into a fight with, and even with that, he still doesn't know his Zanpakuto's name." The three Substitutes were stunned at the information. "Yeah, he's that powerful. In fact, Ichigo, Bennett, and Randy may be the only ones other than the Head Captain to be able to take on him because of their unlimited potential and density of spiritual pressure and levels of spirit energy that are comparable to him. The man is a berserker and cares for nothing other than fighting strong opponents who he can go all out against. Ukitake is the captain of Squad 13, which is where Ms. Kuchiki's assigned. He is the second student of Yamamoto and also wields Dual Zanpakuto with a high level of skill like Kyoraku, but he is not able to perform his duties as a captain much because of a chronic illness that has him bedridden most of the time, leaving his third seats to deal with the paperwork a good amount of time. He is a pacifist and is actually part of a minor noble clan himself, though he does not flaunt his status and lord over people about it. As with his fellow student, Ukitake is progressive when it comes to the laws and traditions of the Soul Society and will most likely help you in accomplishing your objective since he is very much like Kyoraku. Something that can benefit you greatly is that if you can get either Ukitake or Kyoraku to help you free Rukia, the other will probably follow in his friend's footsteps."
He grimaced at the last captain he was about to explain. "Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the captain of Squad 12 and Head of the Department of Research and Development. Making him a part of my squad before my exile was probably a decision I never should have considered making. He's psychotic, immoral, and obsessed with his research. I know for a fact that he has experimented on his fellow comrades before as well as countless Hollows according to information from Yoruichi." He sighed at the bomb he was about to drop on the group. "Uryu, when I tell you what I am about to say, will you remain calm?" he asked the young Quincy.
Uryu narrowed his eyes at the question and pushed up his glasses to silently show Kisuke that he was treading on thin ice for what he was implying. "That all depends on what you have to say, but I cannot guarantee on whether I will or not."
"I suppose that's the best I am going to get from you," he accepted Uryu's answer. "Unfortunately, Soul Reapers and Hollows weren't the only races he experimented on. Kurotsuchi did so to spiritually aware humans with powers. Quincies, and your grandfather was one of his victims—" He was interrupted by a heavy wave of spiritual pressure blanketing the area.
Though the exiles, new arrivals, and three brothers remained unfazed due to dealing with powerful opponents, the rest of the people in the underground chamber struggled to breathe from the density of the pressure and began to sweat. "URYU, STOP! GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF, YOU'RE SCARING EVERYONE!" shouted Randy. Uryu calmed down, but still had a look of rage on his face.
"Urahara, do I have your permission to completely annihilate this madman?"
"As much as I want to allow you to do so, and I don't blame you at all for wanting to, it would make things much worse in the long run. Killing a captain would ruin any chance we have of exposing Aizen's treachery and revealing the truth to the Soul Society." He cleared his throat. "Anyways, I'll tell you about the captains that got us exiled. Sosuke Aizen, captain of Squad 5, is the ringleader of the entire operation. He's a master manipulator, a genius with an intelligence level comparable to mine, a Kido expert, and has a Zanpakuto that can completely trick all of your five senses into believing a simple illusion is real when there is nothing there or something else in its place. No matter what move you make, he can think at least 10 steps ahead of you. His Zanpakuto, Kyoka Suigetsu hypnotizes all five senses when released in its Shikai. If you witness the release, then you are already under its spell. If you are able to keep from having the release in your sight, then you immediately gain an advantage over him. He is probably one of the most dangerous people in the Soul Society aside from the other captains I mentioned." he finished.
"Squad 3 captain Gin Ichimaru and Squad 9 captain Kaname Tosen are his colleagues. Ichimaru was a prodigy when he was in the Academy and graduated faster than just about anyone. He is extremely tricky to corner, but if you do manage to do so, he is like a snake as he is much more dangerous then. He's quite smart and well-versed in deception and being sly. His counterpart, Tosen, is actually blind, which I have theorized makes him immune to Aizen's Shikai. He has a philosophy based in the sense of justice, which is complete bullshit and hypocritical considering he caused us to be exiled for something we never did or asked for. Some justice that is." said Yoruichi with a scoff after saying her piece.
Isshin stepped forward and finished the briefing. "Bennett, Ichigo, Randy, as you know, I was part of the Shiba clan before my exile. Unfortunately, the Shibas had been in decline for some time and no longer reside in the Seireitei. The current Clan Head and your cousin, Kukaku Shiba, lives with her brother Ganju in the Rukon District. Along with their late brother Kaien, the three of them are my niece and nephews. Funny thing is, you three act very similar to Kaien and look a lot like him too, with the exception of Ichigo and Randy's hair color, all of your eye colors, and Randy and Bennett's hairstyles. Kukaku may mistake you guys for him, especially if she's been drinking heavily. She will definitely help you once you tell her about being related to her."
"Alright, I believe we have covered everything. I'll begin charging the Senkaimon and get you on your way." Urahara said and walked over with Tessai to begin the process.
While the two men were doing their task, Tia and Nel were busy talking with their boyfriends and making sure they promised to return. "Be safe and come back in one piece, Bennett. Promise me that you won't do anything that'll get you hurt or killed." the blonde ex-Espada told her soulmate as they held each other's hands.
"I promise, Tia. I'll be back soon." She pressed her lips to his own to wish him good luck, both staying in that position for a bit not wanting to let go of the other.
"I'll see you soon, Randy. Be careful, especially against Aizen, Gin, and Tosen."
"I will. Don't worry, you'll see me again, Nelliel. Count on it." They gave each other a hug to lock in the memory of the safe feeling of each other's arms.
The Senkaimon finished charging and Kisuke turned his attention to the group. "When I open the portal, you must enter immediately and start running towards the exit. Don't stop for anything or you will get swept up by the Cleaner."
Bennet and Randy reluctantly pulled away from their loves and turned to the structure. Kisuke started up the device and shouted, "Go now!" prompting the group to run through the opening and into the Precipice World.
"Will they be alright, Isshin?" asked Nel.
"Have faith, Nel. Randy, Ichigo, and Bennett are strong and will only continue to get stronger with time and training. Don't forget that they are naturally-born hybrids of Hollow, Soul Reaper, and Quincy, that alone gives them the potential to reach untold heights. With someone as naturally strong in their human bodies as Chad and Tatsuki, a Quincy prodigy like Uryu, and a person who can literally erase anything from existence such as Orihime in their corner, they have a good chance of getting through with little to no damage. Add in an ex-captain and Stealth Force Head like Yoruichi as their guide, and those odds increase further."
"Isshin's right, they can get through this ordeal." his fellow exile assured the turquoise-haired girl who nodded in acceptance. With that, the people left in the Urahara Shop went back to their respective residences.
"Hey, Isshin?"
"What's wrong?"
"It's not what's wrong, we just thought we'd run an idea by you and see what you thought."
"Okay, what's the idea?"
"Here's what we were thinking..."
In a large white tower in the Seireitei, a petite Soul Reaper sat by herself looking through an opening that overlooked the entirety of the area. Rukia sighed to herself as she went over what had happened after she had been arrested and taken back to the Soul Society.
She had immediately been detained in a cell and forced to stay there until she was taken to the tower she was now in. She was visited a couple times by her brother and Renji, both admonishing her for breaking the law so carelessly and telling her that while she may have not given her powers to those boys, she had disobeyed orders by staying in the World of the Living past her assignment. She did not care to listen to what they had to say to her, simply opting to tell them that they most likely killed the boys that she had become close friends with and she couldn't forgive them or herself for getting them killed.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the locks on the door opening and the guards saying, "Lieutenant Abarai! We were not expecting you to be coming here!"
The pineapple-haired young man simply ignored the low level foot soldiers and walked straight to Rukia. He looked down at her and grunted out, "You're refusing to eat or consume anything brought to you, you're just staring out the window like you're dead to the world. Why?" with a look in his eyes that betrayed the grim expression on his face.
She simply breathed out and looked at him with lifeless eyes. "You attacked three humans, Renji. They may have been able to see spirits, but none of them ever asked to get involved in our reality. All they wanted was to take care of their family, there was never any reason or need for them to be killed so ruthlessly. How could I eat when Ichigo, Randy, and Bennett were just cut down by my older brother like they were Rukon District trash, Hollows, lower than dirt?" She turned her head back to the window slowly, not giving the redhead a second glance.
"He was carrying out an order, and despite all that, Captain Kuchiki gave his word to those boys that he would do what they asked of him and explain what they wanted to the Head Captain. Your brother is not one to make a promise like that so carelessly. They must have caught his interest regarding something if he did that."
"And what good would the word of the great Byakuya Kuchiki do if they are no longer among the living, hmm? Don't forget that he's the Kuchiki Clan Head. Not only that, but he's one of the most rigid and unwavering captains when it comes to change. He's too invested in the traditions and laws of the Soul Society to make good on his promise, I know him better than you think, Abarai."
Renji could not take the disrespect the incarcerated Soul Reaper was showing to his superior, even if she was his adopted younger sister. "Damn it, Rukia! You had everything going for you! And now you are on the verge of being executed for going against your orders!" he exploded. "What made you throw it all away for those humans?! What's so special about them anyway?" He ground his teeth together, expecting something, anything that would give him an explanation as to why she became so careless and just about threw away the rest of her life.
"Because they explained to both of you that night, they had dormant Soul Reaper powers of their own that I helped them unlock and were grateful to me for that. Because, Renji Abarai, I could be myself around them. I knew I would eventually have to return when my powers had recovered and possibly never see them again, but for the entire time I was around them and their friends, I didn't have to worry about how I would be seen by other nobles or Soul Reapers. The simpl reason for that is they didn't care if I was of a higher class than them or a noble, it never mattered in the World of the Living. That is what's so beautiful about their reality, people just don't care if someone else is of a noble clan or high ranking family, they just live their lives without worry of being looked down upon by people who consider them garbage and themselves better. Those few months I lived with them was probably the happiest I felt in my life. That is what makes them so special, because I can consider each of them close friends and more of a decent person than most of the nobles in the Soul Society. But now I am not even positive if they are even still alive and that's what saddens me more than anything else. I may never forgive you, Byakuya, or myself for causing three wonderful people's lives to come to an end so early." she explained with a tear going down her cheek, shocking Renji as his old friend rarely ever cried anymore. He realized that they must have changed her life and herself forever and for the better for her to actually shed tears over them.
The only response he could give was, "I see. I'll be taking my leave now." He signaled to the guards he was ready to leave. They nodded and allowed him to exit the tower, closing the door behind him.
'I never understood how much they affected you, and I probably never will. I'm sorry for everything, Rukia. I'll make it up to you, somehow.' His thoughts continued to rage inside of his head as he made a decision. 'I need to talk with Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake. They may just know how to help.'
The ornamental hairpieces of the Kuchiki Clan Head sat in his coal black hair as he walked inside of the Squad 1 barracks. As soon as the unseated Soul Reapers of Squad 1 saw them, they immediately began whispering to themselves, "It's Captain Kuchiki! Why's he here, the Captains' meeting has been over for a while. What could he be doing?"
The murmurings did nothing to faze Byakuya Kuchiki as he continued to walk towards Head Captain Yamamoto's office in the barracks. He waited for a second, then knocked on the large doors of the wizened man's quarters. "Enter." a gruff but powerful voice boomed out from inside the room.
Kuchiki opened the door and entered the office, stopping in front of the bearded Soul Reaper who sat at his desk. "Captain Kuchiki, am I correct to presume there is something you need?"
"Yes, Head Captain. I wanted to speak with you about my report about my recent assignment to the World of the Living. There's a few things I must explain to you that I deliberately left off of it, things I felt couldn't be told or explained to just anyone, mainly people who shouldn't know, which includes the Central 46, unfortunately. Forgive me for my insubordination, but I couldn't let those biased "judges" know about this. I have the feeling they would do something extreme if the information leaked to them." the Squad 6 captain said, bowing his head.
The ancient fossil stroked his beard. "I can see why you had this thought process and I understand, so you're forgiven. But do explain about what you felt needed to be left off the report."
"As you know, Lieutenant Abarai and I were dispatched to locate Rukia Kuchiki of Squad 13 in the World of the Living. When we located her in the World of the Living, she was in a Gigai. However, Kuchiki told us that her powers were actually never taken by the humans that she encountered and were instead in a temporarily dormant state from her spirit energy being syphoned off."
"Odd, but it's not that far of a stretch to believe, considering that a Soul Reaper's powers can be taken away permanently in the right circumstances. Continue." said Yamamoto. 'Though I have never heard off spirit energy being drained from a Soul Reaper. Captain Kurotsuchi may be able to shed some light on the matter.' The train of thought crashed immediately. 'Then again, he may want to use the younger Kuchiki as a test subject and dissect her. I won't do that to her. I do not need another incident of him dissecting someone just to test a theory of his, especially after that last stunt he managed to pull with that one Quincy. Coupled with the fact that there's been Soul Reapers disappearing from his squad for a long time and the Stealth Force has not managed to find any trace of them, there is much cause for concern regarding that man.'
"Soon after, we felt three unfamiliar spiritual pressures enter the area. The three boys that Kuchiki first ran into on her assignment then appeared. But they said something in a small exchange between us that I found intriguing. They said she helped unlock their inherited powers." The Head Captain's eyes opened slightly. From that action alone, the elder Kuchiki knew he had Yamamoto's full, undivided attention. "I believe they have an ex-Soul Reaper as one of their parents, possibly both parents if they were in Gigais. Which begs the question of who the Soul Reaper or Reapers that they have as their parent or parents is or are."
"Hmm... that is interesting. You were wise to bring this to my attention, I cannot begin to predict what Central 46's course of action if they ever got wind of this information. Anything else, Captain Kuchiki?" the captain of Squad 1 said.
"The three humans told both of us that they wanted to talk to the person in charge who allowed Kuchiki to be arrested for helping them protect their family. They didn't want to hurt that person, just talk and give them some information they have," Kuchiki explained. "However, I still cut them down, but I have the feeling they survived."
"I see. What are these humans' names? I want to hear them out."
"They are triplet brothers. Ichigo, Randi, and Benetto Kurosaki, those are their names." He paused. "Sir, if I may? I think we should keep all of this quiet, if the wrong parties hear of what we discussed, they may take some drastic actions."
"Point noted. I have the suspicion this may relate to something that we do not know everything about," said Yamamoto. "You're dismissed."
Kuchiki bowed and walked out the office. Yamamoto went back to completing his paperwork but found he couldn't as he couldn't get some thoughts to stop swirling around his head. Getting up from his desk, he grabbed his wooden cane that concealed his powerful Zanpakuto and walked to the large window in his office, stopping at it and looking at the rest of the Seireitei. 'What the brat says is quite intriguing and disturbing. But something in the back of my mind is giving me the feeling that what Captain Kuchiki does actually know and told me is not everything to the story, as if there's something strange surrounding this entire situation, something none of us can see, and that is what worries me.'
But as he left the barracks, Byakuya Kuchiki's thoughts were on another wavelength, however. 'Hisana, did I break the promise I made to you? I have to follow the law and keep my pride, but I cannot stop wondering if I did something I might not be able to take back or apologize for. I need to think about what I condemned Rukia and those boys to.'
In the Rukon District, people were going about their daily lives, however miserable they were, as if today were any regular day. In an alley behind a shop, a glowing blue portal appeared and out popped a black cat and seven teenagers.
"Everyone ok?" asked Yoruichi. The rest of them nodded in response. "Good. Let's get moving." She jumped up on the Strawberry's shoulder and sat there, getting comfortable.
The group started walking through the area, but as soon as they started encountering people, the terrified souls ran into their homes and shut the doors and windows. It confused the hell out of them. "Why are these people so afraid of us?" questioned Orihime.
"They're not afraid of you specifically, it's Randy, Bennett, and Ichigo they're scared of. You three are wearing shihakusho, what a Soul Reaper wears. There are some Soul Reapers in the 13 Court Guard Squads that abuse these people, take what little money they have as a 'protection fee', and just downright terrorize them. But the Central 46 and a lot of nobles in the Seireitei don't care because they view these people as beneath them since they are not of noble descent," the werecat said in a sad voice. "In addition, newly deceased souls usually end up in the Rukon District separated from anyone they know and without their memories. And the higher the number of the district goes, the worse the conditions get to live in."
"God, forget paradise for the dead, this place is no better than some of the worst places in the World of the Living!" exclaimed Randy. "I can definitely see why Goat-chin did not speak of anything good about the Soul Society. If Mom is actually here, she better be happy and living in a nice place and not a complete shithole. She deserves that and more."
As they continued to walk, they soon noticed a cluster of intricate buildings in the distance. Tatsuki said, "Hey, look up ahead."
The buildings they were looking at were much nicer in appearance than the dilapidated ones in the Rukon District, a clear sign of whoever constructed them having truckloads of money to burn and sparing no expense for all the bells and whistles. The three brothers gritted their teeth at seeing the much nicer Seireitei while Uryu pushed up his glasses in disgust and the rest of them were silent from the obvious difference in quality of life between the two areas. They could not understand why these people had to suffer in poverty, live in a twisted vision of Heaven and be constantly victimized by corrupt nobles and Soul Reapers just because they were not born in a noble family and the nobles doing absolutely nothing about it, instead sitting on their pompous asses and not giving a damn when it came to the more unfortunate. It was truly sickening to them.
"That's the Seireitei, where the nobles and 13 Court Guard Squads are." the disguised woman spat out, clearly not pleased about being reminded of the stuck-up nobles that she and her two friends dealt with years ago.
Though the memories of her first student came to her mind and calmed her anger somewhat, the thoughts of happier times and seeing Soifon again appeasing the ex-Stealth Force Commander a little but not by much. Her soulmate noticed the disgust in her voice and petted her to soothe her. She appreciated the gesture and mentally reminded herself to thank him when they had completed their objective.
She then warned, "Don't approach it, you'll set off the alarms and the gates will come down to prevent any intruders from entering without authorization. We need to keep moving. Unfortunately, Kukaku Shiba tends to move her place around a lot so it can sometimes be a bit of a hassle to find her, but there should be someone who knows where she is currently right now."
The group continued making their way through the area and while they were doing so, Ichigo asked Yoruichi, "You okay? Seems like seeing the Seireitei is bringing up some bad memories for you."
"Somewhat, but you're right. Just being back here is rattling my nerves a bit. Thanks for trying to keep me calm. You always know how to make me feel better, that's one of the things I love about you, Ichigo."
"Anything for you, Yoruichi."
After some searching around, they wandered into a nicer part of the Rukon District and ended up meeting someone who gave them the location of where the Shiba Clan Head had set up shop recently. Following the directions, they found a modest house situated in a clearing on the outskirts of the Rukon District, though "modest" was stretching it as one could see the huge upright stone arms grasping a banner in their closed fists.
"What are Soul Reapers doing here?" an obnoxious male voice called out to the group. It belonged to a middle-aged man in weirdly-colored clothes who appeared in the three Kurosakis' faces as if he manifested from thin air. "I am Ganju Shiba, the number one Soul Reaper hater in the Soul Society! I demand to know why three Soul Reapers, and ugly ones at that, are in the Rukon District!"
Ichigo, Bennett and Randy just stared at Ganju as if he had lost a few brain cells after being dropped on his head too many times. 'Zangetsu, please don't tell me this is actually our cousin, this dude is a dumbass.' Ichigo's brothers were pretty much thinking the same thoughts as him, both not believing how blind or how much of an idiot Ganju was say to something like that.
"I think he is, but forget that! I don't know who the guy is trying to fool, but you and your bros are in no way ugly, pretty much the opposite if the fact that you three each have a gorgeous bombshell for a soulmate. And has he looked in the mirror lately? He's not all that attractive himself." snickered the Zanpakuto spirit.
"We're here to see Kukaku Shiba. We were told we could find her here." said Bennett explained in as simple terms as possible since he knew he was talking to a complete moron.
"Yeah, she's here. I'll take you to her, but I've got my eye on you, all of you." Ganju said as he made the "I'm watching you" motion with his fingers. He showed them down the stairs and into the lower level of the house, stopping in front of the two large and buff men in different colored matching outfits that stood in front of a door leading to a large room.
"Master Ganju, you—" the one on the left started.
"—cannot go any further unless—" the one on the right continued.
"—you tell us why—"
"—these people are here."
A cough came from Yoruichi, bringing both men's attention to her. "Master Yoruichi! Please forgive us!" They knelt with both knees and bowed with respect. "Go right ahead, Master Kukaku will be pleased to see you." They pulled open the door and allowed the group to enter.
Kukaku was busy smoking a pipe and saw the cat form of the Shihoin princess walk up to her. She gained a wicked grin and exclaimed, "Yoruichi! How have you been? Not getting into too much shit, I hope!" laughing as she welcomed her old friend.
Ganju, who was a bit slow on the uptake, ran up to the well-endowed woman and shouted, "Sis, you know these people?! Why didn't—" His rant was interrupted by his sister planting a fist right into his jaw, sending him tumbling back.
"Of course I do, you bonehead!" she shouted back in irritation and shook her first at the Shiba male.
Everyone sweatdropped at the scene. Ichigo whispered to his girlfriend, "I can see how they are my dad's niece and nephew, they both have parts of his personality."
She quietly said to him, "You're right about that, both Kukaku and Ganju take a lot after your father, Isshin." However, they weren't quiet enough for his cousin to not hear them since her head snapped quickly right in their directions after she heard both of them speak.
"What did you two just say?" She had a sinister grin and aura that promised pain and agony if they didn't answer her right away.
"Uh..." The orange-haired Substitute could not get anything else to come out of his mouth.
"Both of you, start talking. NOW."
All the dark-skinned beauty could say was, "Oh boy."
And done. As always, read and review. And no flaming please.
I'm kind of pissed right now. So when I talk or speak in a normal tone, I am actually kind of loud in my volume but that's just how I naturally sound when I talk normally. And it's always been like that. But that's not how my absolute bitch of a boss thinks.
See, I work at Panera Bread as a prep cook part-time. At my job, I make everything that the people who create the soups, salads, sandwiches, and everything else need to make that stuff. Anyway, I began working there in high school and the location I work at has had six different general managers since I started up to right now. The person in charge of all the general managers in the area, the area operating partner, recently switched our previous general manager, who I got along with really well and knew had to understand and deal with because of my disability, with a new one because things were not up to "Panera Standard". And the new one is a complete bitch in every sense of the word. She has criticized my work at every chance she can get, she has changed so many things and made them completely impractical, she gets mad at everyone in the store constantly for simple things, and other things that I can't think of off the top of my head. She has made doing my job unbearable and I have seriously considered quitting entirely if I cannot get transferred to the location my previous boss now is in charge of. And the AOP is an idiot who knows nothing about efficiency or practicality. He forced all the prep cooks to start portioning citrus pepper and smoked chicken for the line because the line cooks were not doing their job correctly and were weighing out the incorrect amount of both types of chicken. No one should have to do another person's job because they were being lazy and not doing it right, but he didn't care.
Yesterday, I received a written warning from the general manager saying that my performance had been not up to standards for the past couple weeks and I clocked out without getting a manager to check my work during my previous shift and I would get written up if it happened again, and I needed to stop "yelling" at the managers or I would be terminated if I did it again. First off, she has not heard me actually yell. When I yell, I REALLY yell and it is LOUD. The checking-my-work thing was an honest mistake because no one had checked my work previously, they trusted me to get it done and I always did, and there was never really any issues with it previously and I didn't remember to have someone do it. But the performance and "yelling" things she was being a complete idiot about. According to her, I never stocked any Mac-and-Cheese in the cooler, but we had A LOT already on the racks and didn't need to stock more. She also said I needed to be coached multiple times to do things properly, but I am still learning new things even after three years of working there, so she clearly does not know how to be patient with people or work with individuals that have disabilities like I do. I am just done with her shit. I really am.
Sorry for that long rant, you guys. To everyone who can understand where I am coming from, thank you for that.
I will now be working on Power of Three now a lot longer than before, so be on the lookout for the next update.
Crash, out.