It was gone in a moment, it went in a blaze

I felt so helpless, being so far away

A skeleton frame, holding my memories

Cause God only knows just what's ahead of me

Everything's been taken away from me, now I don't believe it

When everything that you had just sweeps aside

You rise like the Phoenix to fly

Ichigo Kurosaki's silent body drooped down from Grimmjow's extended hand. The Soul Reaper's shihakusho had vanished from the upper half of his body while the lower half was torn in several places. His arms and back were striped with wounds and fresh blood that dripped to the hot pavement. Grimmjow held Ichigo and his Bankai, with only a few scratches and tears in his uniform to show as battle scars.

Goten and Hitsugaya were paralyzed as they saw what had become of Kurosaki. He had been training constantly with Trunks for 5 and a half months and had even closed some of the power gaps between them, but now it appeared that he had been defeated with ease. The pressure began to build on the Captain and the half-Saiyan, as they were not only surrounded and outnumbered, but they were also outclassed.

"Here," Grimmjow said as he swung his arm backward before tossing Ichigo to Goten. "Catch!" Goten caught Ichigo in both of his arms and quickly threw him over his shoulder. He looked up, and seeing his Tensa Zangetsu in mid-air, extended his hand to catch it.

"He'll live," Grimmjow assured Goten. "It's nothing that his girlfriend can't fix." What he said was true. Goten could still feel Ichigo's energy even though it was greatly diminished. As soon as he knew his friend would be okay, Goten turned his attention back to his enemy. Grimmjow, however, turned to his fellow Espada and spoke. "Nnoitra, let's go."

Goten and Hitsugaya couldn't believe their ears, while Nnoitra immediately challenged him. "What!? Why would we leave now when we have them right where we want them?"

"For starters, we've more than completed our mission, and don't you think you've already had enough? I mean, come on, you're Fracción looks like he's been through a fucking meat grinder, and you're not looking too well yourself."

"Hmph, I was trying to leave my Resurrección as a surprise."

Grimmjow walked over to his allies and opened up the Garganta. "Then how about we leave it at that. Now let's go."

Nnoitra grunted but reluctantly walked into the portal with Tesla. Before he left, however, he turned to his enemies and smiled. "Congratulations, you get to live another day. Enjoy it, because you don't have many left," Nnoitra then turned and walked out of sight with Tesla. Grimmjow followed suit until he was stopped by Captain Hitsugaya.

"Wait!" he cried out.

Grimmjow turned around and faced Toshiro. "Hm? What the hell do you want, short stack?"

"What exactly was your mission? Did you come here to scare us? To cause destruction and spread fear?"

Grimmjow smiled and answered. "It was a test. We came to see you how powerful our opponents would be, and if I'm being honest with you, anyone at Kurosaki's level and below shouldn't bother coming to fight us, especially him. Aizen would slaughter him the minute he laid eyes on him. The city was just collateral, nothing more than Nnoitra being impulsive." Grimmjow turned and began walking away. "You have two weeks left, so I suggest you make them count, because if you stay at the level you're at right now, you're as good as dead. See you in Hueco Mundo."

The Garganta shut, and Goten was trapped in thought at what had just transpired. All of this was just to test us? How could they do this and just leave-

"Goten!" Toshiro yelled. Goten immediately snapped out of it and swiveled his head to Toshiro. "Get Ichigo to safety and then get back here!"

Goten nodded, but before he took off, he heard a combination of honking and sirens in the distance. "Clear a path for the emergency vehicles and then try to fight the fires!" Toshiro nodded as Goten raced into the sky to Urahara's shop.

Meanwhile, Trunks bolted towards Urahara's using all of the energy he could muster. In his arms, he could feel Soifon's body growing colder as her skin started to look paler. He tried to use his arm to put pressure on her wound and stop the bleeding, but he felt that the cut was too large and deep for him to do anything. Trunks pleaded with her to hang on as her life continued to slip away.

No… please. You can't… I won't let you… DAMMIT!

Trunks finally arrived above the shop, and as he saw Urahara outside with Yoruichi, he cried out to him. "KISUKE!" He landed in the yard and ran towards them as fast as he could. "She needs help!"

Kisuke immediately ran inside and called out to Tessai, but Yoruichi was taken aback when she saw her former subordinate. She only managed to whisper out, "Oh my god," before she got a hold of herself and ran inside behind Trunks. They put her on the floor and laid her to her side. While Yoruichi held her in front, Trunks quickly took off his jacket and tried to use it to stop the bleeding. Finally, Tessai hurried out with a tray of medical equipment, and Trunks and Yoruichi stood up to get out of his way.

Trunks watched from above, but his anxiety only continued to grow. Soifon's condition wasn't improving, and he felt her energy only weakening as her body went into shock. He began to panic. There was a chance that Tessai couldn't save her in time, but there was still hope. He knew there was only one person that could guarantee her survival now.

"She's not gonna make it!" He blurted out. "We need Orihime!" Trunks tried to sprint out of the door, but Yoruichi grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"No!" She exclaimed. "I'll go find her. You need to get back there and help."

"I will but… I can't just leave her-"

"GET BACK TO THE CITY, NOW!" Kisuke shouted.

Trunks jolted. He never heard Urahara's voice go beyond its normal, calm sound: he didn't even think it was capable. He had been yelled at before by his father, but to have it come from someone as cool and collected as Kisuke made the 20-year-old feel as if he had truly let him down. However, Trunks knew that Kisuke was right. There were hundreds of people that needed him, and they needed him more than Soifon did.

Trunks backed down and Yoruichi let go of his arm. "I won't let her die," she told him. "I swear."

Trunks nodded and took one more look at Soifon. He squeezed his hands, then sprinted out of the door. Once he exited, he took to the air and flew back to downtown Karakura as fast as he could.

The half Saiyan's head was racing with images of everything that had occurred in the minutes since the encounter. Scenes of dead bodies, civilians screaming in terror, Soifon's blood being spilled, and Nnoitra's smug grin circulated in his mind one after another. However, he was suddenly interrupted by someone flying towards him. Within a second, the two flew parallel to each other, and Trunks saw Goten holding a battle-worn Ichigo, heading in the direction that he just came in. They passed each other without a word or even the turn of a head.

As much as Trunks wanted to lose himself in negative thoughts, he knew that he needed to stay focused. As he arrived back into the downtown area, he saw Toshiro in the sky using Hyorinmaru to combat the fires, while the firefighters tried to battle the flames on the ground. Trunks landed on the ground and began running into the first building that he sensed an energy signal inside. The rescue workers on the ground yelled for him to stop, but Trunks tuned them out as he entered a burning apartment.

As Trunks ran through the doorway, he sensed that there were only a few people left in the building. He called out to try to pinpoint exactly where they were. "HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" he called out. He found a staircase and started to sprint up it. The steps began to collapse under him and debris from the ceilings began to fall, but the Saiyan stayed on course. After climbing a flight of stairs, he could faintly hear a baby and another child crying. Trunks raced up another flight of stairs and turned into a hallway. The sounds of crying got closer, as Trunks rammed through a flaming locked door with his shoulder.

As the door fell to the ground, he saw a little girl on the ground sobbing next to her mother, who was trapped under a metal beam. "Mommy, please wake up," the little girl asked as her mother continued to lie unconscious. The sound of a baby wailing persisted in a separate but nearby room.

Trunks quickly ran to her and lifted the wood off of her. He picked up the mother and tossed her over his shoulder before tucking the little girl in his arm. He then quickly ran to the other room, where he saw the infant in their cradle, surrounded by flames. Trunks sprinted to the crib and cradled the baby in his remaining arm. He then turned to the wall and rammed through it.

Trunks and the family dropped down three stories onto the road, and the Saiyan ran over to the nearest group of EMTs. "Get them out of here, now!" he told them as he handed over the baby and the mother.

As he put down the little girl, and with soot on her face and tears in her eyes, she looked up to him and asked, "Mister, is my mommy gonna die?"

Trunks got on one knee and smiled at her. "She's gonna be okay. I promise."

The little girl was guided away to an ambulance by an EMT, but she waved goodbye to Trunks, who returned the wave while he was approached by police officers. Trunks stood up as the group of law enforcers circled him. "We're going to need you to leave the area now," an officer sternly told him. "We appreciate your efforts, but-"

Trunks disappeared from their sight and ran back towards the fires, ignoring their calls to stop and come back. As his side and back were beginning to sting and stiffen up, he could tell his adrenaline from his fight earlier was beginning to wear off. However, he still had to save whoever he could, so he fought through the pain and fatigue. While Toshiro and the firefighters tried to quell the flames, Goten finally arrived and dropped to the ground, as they both sprinted into the blaze and vanished in the smoke, searching for any signs of life.

There were many people that Goten and Trunks managed to save that day, but there were equally as many, if not more, that they could not save in time. Some bodies laid in the street; some were engulfed by the flames and burned up; some laid in the buildings, suffocated from the smoke; others passed in the care of medical professionals. In total, 310 died and 800 more were injured in what would be dubbed as the Karakura Town Explosion, a moment when, for some inexplicable reason, multiple parts of the city's downtown area combusted without warning, and indiscriminately stole the lives of men, women, and children.

The fires were able to be stopped within five hours, but embers and ash continued to shower over the city. Trunks, Goten, and Toshiro floated above the city in silence as the sun began to set, watching the aftermath of the fires continue to unfold. All three of their faces were painted with soot and no one could escape the feeling of anguish that haunted them. A cold winter wind swept through and wrapped around their bodies.

"Goten," Trunks said as he turned to his friend. "I think I'm gonna take Ichigo and head to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. You two can go in together if you want."

Goten continued to stare into the city as he replied in a low, monotone voice. "I uh, I can't. I've got something I need to do."

"Yea but, you can't take a day to-"

"Trunks, I-I just can't. I'm sorry"

Trunks saw his friend's despair and stopped trying to convince him. Goten gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "Fucking hell," before he quickly dashed off away from his friends.

Neither Toshiro nor Trunks protested for Goten to stop. They both understood and even felt the same way as he did. "I'll go after him," Toshiro said.

"Yea… please," Trunks quietly responded. Hitsugaya turned and flew away from Trunks to pursue Goten. Now that he was alone, Trunks figured it would be best to get back to Urahara's to see if everything was okay. He flew back to the shop and arrived at the porch. He pulled the door back and saw Soifon sleeping in a bed with Yoruichi sitting close to her. The normal pigment in her skin had returned, and the pain on her face was gone.

"Is she alright?" Trunks asked Yoruichi.

She nodded. "She just needs some rest. She'll probably be up and kicking in a couple of hours."

Trunks then looked up and saw Ichigo lying in a bed as well, reverted to his Shikai form with Orihime at his side. He didn't ask her if he was okay: he already knew that the answer was yes. He simply looked to her and said, "Orihime, thank you."

Orihime gave him a half-smile but stopped when she saw wounds on his body. "Trunks, you're hurt!"

Trunks turned around and started walking towards the door. "Yea, it's okay."

"You need to get your injuries taken care of!" scolded Yoruichi.

Trunks opened the door and softly replied, "Maybe later," before he shut the door behind him.

Orihime and Yoruichi shared a worried expression on their faces. "He's just being irrational," Yoruichi said as she stood up."I'll go bring him-"

"Yoruichi," Kisuke interrupted as he stepped out from another room. "I'll handle this one. Seeing as I yelled at him before, I should probably be the one to talk to him now."

Kisuke exited the shop but didn't see Trunks standing on the porch. However, when Kisuke lifted his head he could see a pair of feet dangling over the roof. Kisuke walked a few steps out, before turning around and jumping onto the roof. He turned and looked at Trunks, who was looking down at his hands that were covered in dirt and dried blood. Kisuke then turned towards the edge of the roof and looked out to the smoke that continued to flow from the town.

"It's too cold to be wallowing in defeat," Kisuke said. "At least by yourself."

Trunks closed his hands and took a minute to respond. "I failed, Kisuke. I couldn't protect the people that were close to me, and I let so many innocent bystanders die."

"That's not something you could have prevented, Trunks-"

"But I could have!" Trunks' voice began to waver. "If I just trained harder to begin with, or if I just acted faster. I could've… everybody could have been saved. Ichigo wouldn't have gotten hurt, Soifon wouldn't have almost bled to death, and… all of those people could've lived."

"You did all you could given the circumstances, and you ended up saving a lot of lives. I'm sure the Captain and all of those people are more than grateful to you."

Trunks paused before continuing. "I saw them… there were so many bodies burning: women, kids, people my age… I couldn't get there in time. If I wasn't so selfish, I could've helped more."

"You can't always expect yourself to be so analytical when the people close to you are injured. I know that from experience. In hindsight, there are always things you could do differently, but you're young and you still have to grow and learn."

Kisuke took a moment before continuing. "Trunks, you've seen more death and destruction today as a 20-year-old than most Soul Reapers will see in their lifetimes. I know that when things like this happen, we sometimes wish the world would stop so that we could process our pain. Unfortunately, time doesn't stop, and if you take a day or two to get yourself together, that's more time for the enemy to continue to plot and prepare. If you can't keep up, then you will be overwhelmed, and everyone and everything that you care about will be destroyed. This is the essence of war. All the hurt, the pain, the anger that you feel, don't direct it at yourself. Direct it at the ones responsible for this, the ones who've caused all of us to feel this way for over a hundred years: direct your anger at Aizen and his henchmen, and make him pay for it."

Trunks stood up on the edge of the roof and looked out to the horizon with Kisuke. "Yea… I guess there's no more time to waste."

"I'll get the Tenshintai so that you can get started on Bankai training right away."

"I think I have a better idea. I'm gonna have to leave for the next two weeks with Ichigo, but I should have my Bankai by tomorrow."

"Are you going to that room that can give you a year's worth of training in a day?"

Trunks nodded. "I tried to go without it, but at this point, I'll need any extra advantage I can get."

Kisuke tipped his hat and grinned. "I see. Well, before you head off, at least let Ms. Inoue heal your wounds."

Trunks agreed and the two jumped down and entered back into the shop. Trunks picked up his torn and bloodied jacket from the floor and put it on. He then walked over to Orihime and sat down next to her. "Would you mind healing me, Orihime?" he asked.

She smiled. "Not at all." She then stretched her hands out towards him and chanted "Soten Kisshun, I reject." The hairpins flew out of Orihime's hair and surrounded Trunks. They began emitting a yellow light that shielded him and began the healing process. Trunks watched as not only his injuries were being treated, but the ash and blood were being lifted from his skin. Even his jacket was being repaired. After a minute, the glow faded away, and the hairpins returned to her Orihime's head.

Feeling that his wounds were gone, Trunks stood up and expressed his gratitude. "Thanks, I feel as good as new."

"Of course," Orihime replied. "I'm glad I could help."

Trunks walked into his room and went to the far corner where his bag was located. He reached into his bag and grabbed his walkie talkie. Even though he hadn't talked to his father in 4 months, he didn't hesitate at all to speak.

"Hello, dad?" he called out. "Can you hear me?"

After a few seconds, he could hear static on the other end. "I can hear you, Trunks," Vegeta responded. "What is it?"

"I need to meet up with you guys now, and then I need a ride to the Lookout."

"Okay, I'll arrange for that now."

Trunks dropped the walkie talkie back into his bag, then picked up the bag by its straps and reached for something that sat next to it. He picked up a box with gift wrap on it that was bright yellow with black cats all over it. He stood up but was caught off guard when he heard sniffling coming from another room. He walked over to the room across from him and slowly opened the door. In the middle of the room, Jinta sat with his knees to his chest and head lowered, failing to hold in the tears that escaped his eyes.

"Hey," Trunks said as he entered the room. "What's the matter?"

Jinta tried to stifle his sniffling before he answered. "I- I just got a text. Two of my friends from school… they died in the fire."

Trunks' heart skipped as he struggled to respond. "Jinta I- I'm so sorry."

"It's just... it's just so unfair."

Trunks walked over to Jinta, took a knee beside him, and put his hand on his back, but Jinta turned towards Trunks and buried his head on his shoulder. Trunks didn't say anything, but he hugged Jinta and allowed him to cry for as long as he needed to. When Jinta was finished, he wiped his eyes and spoke again.

"Trunks?" he asked.

"What's up buddy?" Trunks answered.

"Make sure those bastards don't walk out alive."

Trunks nodded. "I won't, I put my life on that. I'm gonna be gone for a couple of weeks to train, so hold this place down for me while I'm gone, okay?" Jinta nodded, while Trunks lifted his fist and Jinta touched his fist with his own. Trunks got up with his things and left the room.

Trunks reentered the main room where the others were and turned towards Urahara. "Hey Kisuke, would you mind doing me a favor?"

"Ask away, my boy," Urahara replied.

"Well, it's actually two favors. First, would you mind getting me a pen and a piece of paper?"

Kisuke nodded, retrieved the items for Trunks, and gave it to him. Trunks thanked him and put the paper on the wrapped box to write.

"So, what would be your second request?" Urahara inquired.

Trunks finished writing, folded the piece of paper, and looked up at Kisuke. "Do you think you can up the gravity of the chamber to 700 times earth's gravity?"

"700?!" Yoruichi gasped. "Don't you think that's going too far?"

"If it was for me, then I'd agree," Trunks answered. "But there isn't a concept of too far when it comes to Soifon."

Kisuke looked down at her sleeping. "You think that'll be enough for her?"

"If she reaches that within two weeks, it'll have to be. Please though, just make sure she doesn't overdo it."

Kisuke nodded, and Trunks walked over to Yoruichi and handed her the box with paper on top. "Could you make sure she gets this when she wakes up?"

"Sure," Yoruichi agreed. "Are you sure you don't want to give it to her yourself?"

"I won't be here long enough to do that."

"What do you mean? Where are you-"

Yoruichi was interrupted by a loud boom that came from the front yard. Everyone in the room jolted except for Trunks. "Looks like my ride's here," he commented as he walked over to Ichigo. "I was hoping he'd wake up before we left. Oh well." Trunks bent down and tossed Ichigo over his shoulder.

"Uh, Trunks," Orihime quavered. "Maybe Ichigo should rest more before he starts moving around."

Trunks started walking towards the door. "I know, but we've gotta get going now."

"Where exactly are you going?" asked Yoruichi.

Trunks stopped in front of the door. "Ichigo and I need to get stronger, so I'm taking him to the best place I know to get the results we need in a short amount of time." He turned around and took a final look at every one. "Take care guys, I'll see you later."

Trunks opened the door and saw that it was Whis instead of Vados waiting for him. "Hey Whis, you got here pretty fast."

Whis grinned. "Well, your father requested that I picked you up as quickly as possible."Trunks walked over to him, put his hand on the angel's shoulder, and the three of them soared away to Universe 7.

About 5 minutes after they left, Ichigo finally began to wake up. His eyes slowly opened and he could see that he was rapidly passing by what looked like stars and planets. "What the- what the hell's going on?!"

Trunks turned his head back towards Ichigo. "Well look who's up."

"Trunks? Where are we, and what happened to Nnoitra, and Grimmjow… and Karakura Town?"

"I got us a ride to my universe. We're gonna pick up our training there. I'll try to explain everything when we arrive."

"Well can you at least put me down?"

"Sure, but make sure you don't let go of me, or else you'll be launched into deep space."

Ichigo got down from Trunks' shoulder and grabbed onto his arm. "Trunks, what the hell happened after I got knocked out?"

"A lot. Soifon nearly died, Goten and Toshiro saved us, and Karakura Town kept burning. We couldn't save everybody. I'm sorry."

Ichigo clenched his fist. "Dammit," he fumed. "And what about the Espada?"

"Apparently they left after Grimmjow defeated you and handed you over to Goten. Goten told me that he said it was all a test to see how strong we were."

"No… what the hell are we gonna do?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

The group soon arrived on Beerus' planet and standing in front of them was the Saiyan trio to greet them.

Gohan was the first to greet them. "Hey, it's been a while Trunks, and this must be your friend, Ichigo."

"Looks like you've gotten a whole a lot stronger, too," Goku added.

Trunks thanked him, then looked to his father.

"So," Vegeta started. "What's this all about?"

"Nice to see you too, Dad," Trunks muttered before addressing the issue. "We just encountered Espada numbers 5 and 6, and it's safe to say their strength is a lot greater than what we were anticipating."

"I fought Grimmjow," Ichigo interjected. "And he had a new form to his Resurreción. It was Segunda Etapa, and I could barely scratch him while he was in it."

The Saiyans' eyes widened as they gasped in unison. "Damn," Gohan said. "I knew it was a possibility, but I was hoping it would only apply to Ulquiorra."

"You knew?" Trunks asked.

"I knew something was wrong when Dad's description of Ulquiorra's transformation didn't match the file you gave us. Now that we've confirmed another transformation, it would be our best bet to assume that all of the Espada have an additional form."

"Dammit… Gohan, I think we're gonna have to change our plan."

"Hm? How so?"

"I think the Soul Society needs to stay back while the five of us go in. Trunks turned to Ichigo and addressed him. "Sorry, that means you're gonna have to hang back, Ichigo."

Everyone was taken aback by this proposition, especially Ichigo. "What the hell?!" Ichigo shouted at his friend. "Goten and you guys are gonna go in and fight all nine Espada plus Aizen by yourselves? That's suicide!"

Gohan voiced his doubts as well. "Trunks, I'm not fully disagreeing with you, but we need to know the logic behind something like that."

"Ichigo," Trunks said. "What happens if we get there and Aizen's sealed the Garganta and sent half of the Espada to Earth or even the Soul Society? Anybody close to Grimmjow's level will murder most of the Captains there in minutes, and then he can just create the Oken in Karakura Town. On top of that, Grimmjow said that Aizen is just waiting to get his hands on you, meaning that you're already a walking target if you come with us in the beginning. What I'm proposing is that we have a majority of Soul Reapers go to Earth indefinitely, and then have a select group sit back and wait until we signal for you to come. If the Garganta's closed, we'll find a way to open it from the other side."

Ichigo backed down, and Gohan came around to the idea. "That makes sense. We'll be outnumbered before we even try to reach Aizen, but we've been through worse."

"Well, how many Senzu beans do we have?" Trunks asked.

"Only seven… hopefully, it'll be enough."

Trunks looked back at Ichigo, whose head was slumped from the news. "This doesn't mean you don't get to fight," Trunks declared. "It just means you'll be our ace in the hole." Ichigo lifted his head and nodded.

"Well," Vegeta grinned. "Now I have even more challengers to put down. It'll be my lucky day."

Goku shared in his excitement. "Yea, I can't wait to show off our training."

Gohan turned back to Trunks and asked, "So, you're off to the Time Chamber now?"

"Yea," Trunks replied. "We still need to put some finishing touches on our training. We'll probably even stay on Earth for a while just to train in peace."

"I understand. I'm guessing Goten didn't wanna come with you."

"I asked, but he said he had something else to do, so hopefully he's already strong enough."

"Well, good luck you two. You're gonna need it."

Trunks and Ichigo thanked Gohan and said their goodbyes before heading over to Whis and flying to Earth. Once they touched down at the Lookout Tower, Trunks thanked Whis and bid him farewell, as the angel took back to the sky and departed.

"What is this place?" Ichigo asked as he observed his surroundings.

"This is where the guardian of the Earth, Dende, stays," Trunks answered. "We call it the Lookout Tower."

"So, are you gonna tell me what we're doing here now?"

Trunks walked to the edge of the tower. "Yea, in a second." He looked down at the Earth and confirmed it for himself: there was truly no one left. He took a deep breath and turned around. "Alright, follow me."

Trunks led Ichigo down a hallway until he came to a brown door. "On the other side of this door is another dimension called the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Inside, time is compressed, and a day out here equals a year in there. The gravity is only ten times Earth's gravity, but the temperature fluctuates rapidly and the high air density makes it hard to breathe in there."

"Sounds like it should be fun," Ichigo predicted.

"Not in the slightest," Trunks mumbled as he opened the door to the dimension. They both walked through as Ichigo shut the door behind him. Trunks looked and pointed to his left, "So over there, you've got the kitchen and bathroom." He then looked to his right and pointed. "And over here are the beds."

Ichigo looked both ways before looking forward, and he gasped in pure astonishment. "No fucking way," he remarked as he ran out into the chamber. He stepped off of the platform and looked out into a sea of nothing. "You're telling me that this is a whole dimension of white space?"

Trunks nodded. "You take a minute and check that out while I go get changed."

Trunks walked to the beds as Ichigo turned around and marveled at the room. The building that he walked out of had hourglasses with green sanding racing to the bottom and a large clock at the top. On the floor of the chamber, it felt like it had to have been freezing temperature and only getting colder. The thing that had started to overwhelm him was the seemingly infinite white space. There weren't even walls for the sound of his voice to bounce off of. The doubts were already beginning to trickle through Ichigo's mind. Is this for real? Are we really gonna spend a whole year here?

"So, what do you think?" Trunks asked as he emerged with his Saiyan battle suit on.

"This is insane," Ichigo declared. "You've done this before?"

"Yea, but only for about two weeks when I was eight. This isn't even the worst part. Once we go deeper in, everything gets a lot tougher."

"I can see why you didn't say anything about this place before."

Trunks drew his Zanpakuto and sat down. "Ichigo, I hate this place and I really hoped we wouldn't have to come here. The two weeks I spent here with Goten as a kid were some of the most agonizing days of my life, but maybe that'll be different this time around." Trunks placed Zangetsu on his lap and prepared to meditate. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my Bankai." Figuring that it'd be best to wait for Trunks, Ichigo sat beside him and began meditating with his Zanpakuto as well.

Trunks closed his eyes, then opened them and found himself lying on the ground, staring at familiar blue sky and clouds. He stood up and saw his Zanpakuto spirit standing on a pole, facing away from him.

"So, you've returned," Zangetsu commented.

"Zangetsu, face me!" Trunks commanded. The raven-haired man turned around and jumped down onto the rooftop. "I need my Bankai, and I'm not leaving here until you give it to me."

"Trunks, do you not trust me?" he asked.

Trunks gritted his teeth while veins throbbed from his neck and his hair started to flow upwards. Electricity rapidly bounced all around his body. "You've kept me waiting long enough. The way I see it, there are only three options now. Option one: you give me my Bankai now and I can start my training. Option two: I fight you and defeat you right now, and you give me my Bankai. Option three: I go back to Kisuke and get the Tenshintai, and force you to give me my Bankai. Whatever way you choose, you will give me my Bankai, do you understand? So which one is it gonna be?"

"There is no difference between option two and option three-"

"ANSWER ME!"

Zangetsu sighed. "Very well." He waved his hand, and almost instantly, a large selection of swords appeared thrust into the ground before, not only on the rooftop but on the sides of the building as well. "Find your Bankai among these swords and defeat me with it."

Trunks powered up to his maximum in Pseudo Blue and picked up the first sword he saw. "Now that's more like it." Trunks charged Zangetsu and clashed swords with him, ready to do whatever it took to receive the power he needed.

Almost half an hour after Trunks and Ichigo left with Whis, Orihime had left the shop and Soifon was beginning to come to. Her eyes began to open and tried to get her bearings.

What the… Where am I? Soifon turned her head and saw her friend sitting next to her. "Lady… Yoruichi?"

"Hey," Yoruichi smiled. "You're up sooner than expected. How are you feeling?"

Soifon, remembering where she was before, opened her eyes fully, leaped out of her bed, and darted towards the door. "Wait a second!" Yoruichi called out. "Take it easy!"

Soifon opened the door and stopped as she saw the sky and the smoke coming from the city. "It's night?" She turned to Yoruichi and asked, "How long was I out for?"

"A little more than 5 hours. It probably would've been longer if Orihime hadn't healed you."

Soifon paused before continuing. "Where's Trunks?"

"He and Ichigo left for his universe about a half an hour ago. He said he wouldn't be back for two weeks."

Soifon walked back into the shop and closed the door. She began to remember the events that took place before; how she was preparing to finish the Fracción off when Nnoitra caught her off guard and slashed her in the back. Her memory after that was practically nonexistent, and she wanted to hear the full story from Trunks, but that was secondary to her. The fact that she could be put into a position that made her a liability enraged her.

She clenched her jaw and glared at the ground. "I need to speak to Urahara."

"If it's about the chamber, Kisuke's already upping the gravity to 700, per Trunks' request. He said he should have it done by six."

Soifon's anger began to soothe. "He asked to increase the gravity even though he knew he was leaving?"

Yoruichi nodded as she stood up. "That's not all. He also left this."

Yoruichi held up the gift-wrapped box with the note to Soifon, but the Squad 2 Captain hesitated to receive it. "This is for me?"

"Mhm. Open it up, I wanna see what it is."

Soifon took the box, but first opened the note and read it.

Soifon,

I wanted to give you this tomorrow, but I had to leave with Ichigo, so I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that your birthday will probably be overshadowed by tragedy. Regardless, it's still your day and it should be commemorated in some way. Hopefully, we can celebrate when this is all over, but for now, this gift is all I can give.

Stay strong and always hang on to your pride.

Happy Birthday!

Trunks Briefs

P.S: It's Citrine. I thought it would go with your sash.

Soifon folded the note back up and started to tear off the wrapping paper, which gave way to a plain white box. She pulled off the top of the box and revealed an amber yellow stone surrounded by a square frame implanted with diamonds. The frame was connected to a ring clasp, which was suspended from a sterling silver chain. Soifon took the necklace out of the box and silently marveled at it with wide eyes, while Yoruichi couldn't keep her astonishment to herself.

"It's so beautiful," Yoruichi gushed. "I see what he's been putting all his pay towards now."

Soifon gazed at the stone for a few more seconds, but then closed her hand while her arm dropped down to her side and her head fell to the floor.

Yoruichi was puzzled at her friend's reaction. "Soifon? What's the matter?"

"Lady Yoruichi," she whispered. "I just don't understand."

"You're going to have to elaborate. What's there not to understand?

"Why would he do something like this?"

"Well, why wouldn't he? You got him something for his birthday, too."

"It's not the same. All I did was spy on him and dismiss him, yet he still tried to be nice to me. Every single day he saw me, he never quit. At his own birthday party, he left to talk to me. He even saved my life, and he most likely saved it again today. The watch I gave him… he deserves that and more. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve anything, so why did he give me this? What could I have done to warrant this?"

Yoruichi sighed before answering. "You don't have to be deserving to receive affection. Sometimes, people will just give it to you, free of charge. These are just the things Trunks does to show that he cares about you."

Soifon raised her head but quickly avoided eye contact while blood flowed to her cheeks and turned them a soft pink color. "He… cares?"

Damn, we're going to be late...

Toshiro walked quickly down the Squad 10 barracks and stopped in front of a sliding door.

"Goten, are you in there?" he called out.

There was no answer, so the Captain tried again. "Goten, if you're in there, please come out. We can talk about this."

No response came from inside of the room. Hitsugaya put his hand on the door and spoke one last time. "I'm coming in now!" He pulled the door back but saw no one in the room.

Toshiro sighed. He's got to be somewhere in the Seireitei. He closed the door and then flew into the sky to look for his friend.

Goten sat back on the bottom of a grassy hill that overlooked the rest of the Soul Society. He sat with one leg to his chest and the other stretched out. He rested his arm on his leg and buried his head between his elbow. His skin was sticky with sweat and still covered in soot, but he couldn't be bothered with that. After everything that had transpired in the last few hours, he felt like he needed to be isolated from everyone and everything.

The 19-year old couldn't escape the horrors that he saw and heard from before. He watched as multiple people died all around him; women that could've been his mom; girls that could've been his niece; teens that could've been people he knew from school. He could hear the crying and agony of the survivors that lost their mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and friends. The flames that surrounded him and engulfed the city were burned into his memory.

He kept telling himself that if he had only gotten there sooner, if only he had asked fewer questions and acted faster, he could've saved more lives. He wouldn't have had to see his friends nearly get killed, and he wouldn't have to experience the helpless feeling of being surrounded by enemies. Goten tried to hold his emotions back, but he felt overwhelmed by it all, and the tears began to flow from his face.

Why… what the fuck is wrong with me?

Suddenly, Goten heard a voice call out from behind him at the top of the hill. "Young man, are you alright down there?"

Goten jolted and he quickly wiped away his tears. He turned around and saw that it was the Captain who looked like a wolf. Goten stood to his feet and addressed him. "Oh, hi Captain Komamura. I was just trying to get some fresh air?"

"Would you like to come up here and chat with me?"

"Oh, sure!" Goten quickly jogged up the hill, and upon reaching the top, saw two gravestones a few yards in front of him. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know this was a-"

"It's quite alright. I wouldn't expect you to notice, given the day that you're having."

Goten's eyes fell to the grass and his voice dropped down to a whisper. "Word sure does get around here fast, huh?"

"I'm sorry that you had to witness such atrocities at such a young age. You shouldn't place any blame on yourself for what happened."

"It's easier said than done. If I had got there sooner, maybe I could've changed everything."

"I'm sure you did all that you could from the moment it was brought to your attention. There are just some things in this life that are out of our control."

"Yea, I guess so."

Komamura turned towards the graves and continued. "Goten, the people buried under these tombstones were just like you: people seeking to attain justice by any means. One of them was the former Captain of Squad 9."

Goten's head shot up. "You mean he was Shuhei's Captain?"

Komamura nodded. "Yes, and we were close friends until he sided with Aizen. It wasn't until his deathbed that he finally opened his eyes to the light, but at that point, it was already too late. He was quickly cast aside by Aizen when he proved of no value. I'm telling you this to say that there are those in this world that will try to achieve their goals by any means and will crush any life in their way to obtain their desires. Sosuke Aizen is such a person. The 13 Court Guard Squads have long been fighting this war to bring him to justice and make sure he atones for his crimes. I can tell that you are a young man with a strong moral compass who wants to protect everything that you can. Goten, when you fight your battles, you are not alone: the entirety of the Soul Society is behind you."

As Goten thanked the Captain and prepared to respond, Toshiro dropped out of the sky and landed beside Goten and Komamura. "Hey, Toshiro," Goten said.

"Are you alright?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Yea, Captain Komamura over here picked me back up."

Toshiro turned to the other Captain and greeted him. "Hello, Captain Komamura."

"It's good to see that you're well, Captain Hitsugaya," he replied as he turned and started walking away. "It looks like you two have some things you need to discuss, so I shall see myself out."

"Thanks again, Captain," Goten called out.

"It was nothing, and if you ever need to talk again, I'll be more than happy to."

Goten turned his attention back to Hitsugaya. "Sorry that I made us late. Hopefully, the Head Captain will understand."

"That's not what I'm concerned about right now."

"Well, how about we fly and talk?"

Toshiro nodded, and the two took off towards the Squad 1 barracks. "Hey, Goten," Toshiro said.

"What's up?" Goten asked.

"You're not alone in this."

"What do you mean?"

"I know how you are. You're putting all of the blame on yourself, just like I am. I know you want to save everyone and put the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you don't have to. We can shoulder it together, and whatever battles you face, I'll be there to back you up."

When Goten heard it from Captain Komamura, it felt like a kind gesture, but it didn't ease his mind. When he heard it from his friend, however, Goten felt more relaxed, and it brightened his spirits a little. "Thanks," he said with a half-smile. "I appreciate that. We gotta put our all into this training. If we can face him for the two weeks, then we'll be ready for Aizen."

Hitsugaya agreed, and the two descended into the Squad 1 barracks, landing at a building known as the Central Great Underground Prison, located next to the Head Captain's office. A Soul Reaper stood in front of the door, and upon seeing the two of them approach, called for it to be opened. The large entrance slowly opened and the Soul Reaper told them that Captain Yamamoto was waiting for them in Muken, which was down eight floors. Toshiro and Goten walked down 8 dark flights of stairs and then came to a door. Toshiro opened the door, and the two of them walked into what looked like a dark void that stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. However, they could see Yamamoto stand a great distance away from them.

"Now that you are here," the Head Captain's voice echoed. "Are you ready to commence your training?"

"Yea!" Goten yelled out. "Don't you dare hold back on us!"

"I expect the same in return." The Head Captain threw off his robe and the weight of his spiritual pressure came bearing down on Goten and Toshiro. The cane that he carried around with him disintegrated into a Zanpakuto, as he drew his blade and chanted. "All Things In the Universe, Turn to Ashes, Ryujin Jakka!"

From his sword and the Head Captain's body, fire shot out from all directions and illuminated the dark void. The intensity and heat of his Shikai release caught Goten and Toshiro off guard, but the duo stood their ground. Seeing flames again, however, caused severe rage to arise out of Goten, as he yelled out and powered up to his maximum immediately. He summoned his sword and quickly drew it from his hip as he panted with anger.

"Hey!" Toshiro yelled from beside him. Goten turned his head as Toshiro reminded him, "Don't forget, I've got your back."

Goten slowed his breathing and calmed down, then smiled. "So, you ready?"

Toshiro nodded. They both drew their swords into the sky and chorused, "Reign Over the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!" Both of their swords extended and grew a chain with a crescent-shaped blade at the bottom of the hilt. A large ice dragon with red eyes circled each of them as they prepared to battle.

The fires of Ryujin Jakka magnified as the Head Captain brought his sword forward. "Come!" He shouted out to them.

"Guess that's our queue," Goten said. "Fire versus ice… let's see who comes out on top."

"Let's not get too hasty," Hitsugaya advised. "We can get killed if we don't proceed with caution."

"Sometimes you just gotta go for it and take some chances, at least that's what my dad says. Besides, I have some techniques I wanna try out."

"Well then, lead the way."

"With pleasure." The Super Saiyan charged at the Head Captain as Toshiro followed closely behind. With that, their two-week training with the Soul Society's most fearsome warrior was underway.

Author Notes: Couple of things I wanted to say/address:

Happy Saturday, I know it took a couple of weeks, but as you can see, I think I made up for it with a little more content than usual

Two things to clarify that I probably should have chapters ago: Pseudo Blue= Future Trunks Super Saiyan rage form, All the new Espada form designs are right from Bleach: Brave Souls

To the guest commenter(s) and anybody else who wants to comment or offer constructive criticism, feel free. I did delete the guest commenter before because I felt his critique was... half baked but now I've just learned to take the good with the bad. Fire away!

And as always, thanks for reading, and I'll see ya next chapter.