A Common Enemy

by fokker333

As the Battle of Hogwarts is lost, the Ministry falls, and the world is on the dawn of war, three vastly different groups unite against a common enemy. Determined to exact their vengeance against the one who destroyed their worlds, they fight. As they battle against the most powerful Dark Lord alive, they must deal with their own personal demons. Who will survive, and who will not?

7. Reapers of the East

Nanami Katsuyoshi gritted his teeth as pain coursed like fire through his veins. He would not make a sound. His training as part of the Onmitsukidou had been far worse than anything these wizards and their puny wands could throw at him. He forced down the agonized yell that threatened to escape his throat. Forcing his eyes open, he shot a hate-laden glare at his tormentors. "You're not getting anything out of me," he said, his voice not shaking a bit despite the pain. The black-cloaked masked figure standing over Katsuyoshi's hunched body growled in irritation.

"You're a persistent one, aren't you," the Death Eater growled. "If physical pain won't work, try this on for size! Legilimens!"

A pain shot through Katsuyoshi's head, although it was nothing like the pain he had just experienced, and images began flashing through his mind unbidden, as though someone were forcibly digging through his memory. Images of the hollow invasion of the Soul Society, the bodies of massacred civilians littering the streets as clashing swords rang through the wreckage and sparks flew assaulted his senses as his mind relived the hell that had destroyed an entire dimension.

Forcing himself to block out the images, Katsuyoshi knew that the masked wizard was somehow reading his mind. Panting in exertion as he finally forced the Death Eater from his mind, he intensified his glare at his captor. It was all he could do. Bound and helpless, his zanpakutou confiscated, and at the mercy of his enemies, Katsuyoshi could only move his mouth to talk. Clearly the masked wizards had hoped to get information from him. To hell with that.

"Who are you?" the Death Eater demanded, as he had been doing for the past half hour. "Who do you work for?"

"Go fuck yourself," Katsuyoshi spat, and pain seared through his body again, this time more intense than ever before. He was unable to keep a small whimper from escaping, and his tormentor stopped, seemingly satisfied with getting at least some reaction of pain from his bound victim.

"One more time," the Death Eater murmured, crouching down and touching the tip of his wand against Katsuyoshi's forehead. "Legilimens!"

Katsuyoshi writhed in pain as images washed through his mind again, and this time, weakened by torture, he was powerless to stop it. The Onmitsukidou scout could only watch helplessly as the Death Eater searched through his mind, obtaining information that could compromise the entire remnants of the Gotei 13. Thankfully their policy of compartmentalization meant that as a low-ranking scout, Katsuyoshi was privy to little important information. Unfortunately, he still knew enough about the organization to place his comrades in considerable danger.

"So," the Death Eater said triumphantly as he finished, standing from his crouch. "A new factor has come into play. I must inform the Dark Lord immediately. You, on the other hand, are useless to us now. Any last words?"

Katsuyoshi knew that his time was up. He had given the Death Eaters information on the Gotei 13, however unwillingly, and now he was going to die. Not saying anything, he instead concentrated on creating a Hell Butterfly between his bound hands behind his back, focusing his reiatsu into the small black insect. In the darkness of the dimly lit chamber, the messenger was all but invisible. With one last burst of reiatsu, he sent the Hell Butterfly fluttering back to the Gotei 13's base. Gazing fearlessly into the eyes of his captor, Katsuyoshi calmly gathered saliva and blood from his cut lip into his mouth, spitting it with perfect aim into the right eyehole of the mask.

"You little-!" the Death Eater said, wiping the mixture from his face in fury. "Avada Kedavra!"

In a giant underground cavern under a devastated city, the leaders of the shattered remnants of the Gotei 13 were meeting to discuss the future of the organization.

"I still say that we've been sitting on our asses doing nothing for long enough," Ichigo said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Four years of nothing! We all vowed for revenge against Riddle, and it's about time we did something about it!"

"And I shall say again," Byakuya counseled, "Without sufficient information about our enemies capabilities, we will not be able to work effectively against them at all."

"But Ichigo's got a point," Shinji drawled. "The longer we wait to actually do somethin', the more power Riddle an' his minions gain around the world. Even as we sit here talkin', there's a force of three hundred attackin' Romania."

"We simply don't know enough of the enemy's strengths!" Byakuya continued arguing. "Rushing into battle unprepared will only get you killed."

"I'm sure that there are people in Britain who would be willing to give us information," Rose interjected smoothly. "I personally am growing impatient of inaction. Can we at least move our base of operations to Britain? We can remain hidden under kidou, set up our headquarters, and gain some information in the process. If lack of intel is all that's keeping you from agreeing with our plans, surely this has convinced you, Captain Kuchiki?"

"Hmph," Byakuya said, not saying anything.

"I agree," Toushiro spoke up, and the other captains voiced their thoughts as well. Muguruma Kensei and Kyouraku Shunsui both expressed their support for moving to England.

"Looks like you've been overruled, Byakuya-kun," Kyouraku said from beneath the wide brim of his straw hat, which he had kept over the years. "Then it's decided, we're moving our base of operations to Britain."

Before anything further could be said, the Captains and Ichigo were interrupted by the telltale fluttering and reiatsu ripple of a Hell Butterfly. Toushiro frowned. "We don't have any scouts scheduled for a report at this time, do we?" he asked rhetorically. Nobody bothered to answer; they all knew that this Hell Butterfly was unanticipated.

Kyouraku, as senior Captain, held up his finger and allowed the messenger insect to land, and the message played out for all to hear.

The voice of one of the advance scout members of echoed throughout the cavern, and all activity ceased as every two hundred or so shinigami listened to the message. Thankfully the civilians, secluded in the residential area of Urahara's underground, could not hear, as its contents would undoubtedly cause them to fall into chaos.

Emergency report. This is Nanami Katsuyoshi, advance scout of the Onmitsukidou. I've been captured by an enemy, who has identified himself as a follower of Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. I've been tortured for information about the Gotei 13, physically at first and then mentally. They have a way to read people's memories, and they used this technique on me. I'm afraid that I've compromised the Gotei 13's existence, although the information they have seen should be limited as I was able to block out some of it, and was not privy to more classified information. Nonetheless, I must warn you, Captains. They know that we exist, and they will take steps to destroy us. My time is almost at an end now. I can only pray that this message reaches you before the Death Eaters make a raid. Please take heed. Nanami Katsuyoshi out.

The message ended, and the Hell Butterfly disintegrated into reishi. After a long moment of silence, Ichigo finally spoke. "That settles it then," he said solemnly. "It's either give them the first strike or take the initiative ourselves."

"Yes,"" Byakuya agreed. "We go to Britain."

"What about the civilians?" Kensei asked. "We can't take twenty thousand civvies with us, and we can't leave them here by themselves, either. They'll be too much of a target."

"I think it's clear that Riddle will target us alone, since we're the only ones who could pose a threat to his rule. He's been fairly lenient towards civilians around the world, but I don't know well he'll react if he finds them in hiding. He can't rule the world if there's no manpower, so he's been leaving the others alone. But I hear that the Death Eaters have been cracking down on factions who even try to resist," Rose said. "It wouldn't be good if he were to find the civilians hiding."

"We can't take them with us," Kensei persisted. "They would be too much of a burden. We can't protect twenty thousand civvies and fight Riddle at the same time."

"What if we have them assimilate with the local population?" Kyouraku suggested lazily. "They could pretend to be refugees."

"Too suspicious," Toushiro disagreed immediately. "Twenty thousand civilians suddenly entering a country randomly? The governments would immediately be suspicious."

"Plus, you don't want to leave Rina-chan by herself, do you?" Ichigo said with a smirk. "She's really grown on you, huh."

Toushiro tossed an icy glare in Ichigo's direction. "She has," he admitted firmly. "And for good reason, too, as you should well remember."

Ichigo immediately looked away, shamefaced at the memory. They had all lost a lot, and he had overstepped his bounds by bringing it up. "Sorry," he murmured apologetically. "That was uncalled for."

Toushiro grunted, accepting the apology. "Don't worry about it. We're all a little worked up," he said. "But the important thing is to solve this problem we have. What are we going to do with the civilians? I know that some of the troops have friends and relatives among them, myself included, obviously. They won't take too kindly to a forced separation. Especially if leaving them behind means that they could be in danger from Riddle's minions."

"So we don't have much of a choice," Ichigo said. "They have to come with us."

There were so many problems with that plan, but the Captains agreed that it was the only choice. They were about to disperse and inform the rest of the troops about the decision when a man with short, spiky brown hair and small horns protruding from his forehead ran up, panting, and knelt into a bow.

"Pardon the intrusion, Captains!" Akon, the former Third Seat of the Research and Development Institute and currently their head researcher, panted. "We've finally finished the project!"

The entire Captain's counsel, who had been tense following the decision regarding the move to Britain and the situation with the civilians, relaxed immediately. "Finally, some good news," Toushiro grumbled. "Go ahead and report, Akon," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Akon said, straightening. "Upon our arrival in the world of the living approximately four years ago following the fall of the King's Realm, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo, the natures of our powers have changed. Our bodies, once composed of reishi, are now flesh and blood and we are no longer capable of enhancing our physical abilities with reiatsu. We are effectively human. However, our powers with kidou and zanpakutou, as well as the usage of flash-step, have been retained. The Research Development Institute and I have been looking into this for the past four years, and we have come to this conclusion. Due to the destruction of the spiritual realms, our powers have become firmly grounded in the world of the living. How this happened is a mystery. However, we suspect that our ability to use the spiritual arts despite the lack of spiritual power is a result of our long existence in the presence of spiritual particles. Despite the fact that those realms do not exist any longer, we can still use reiatsu to a limited extent because of the leftover spiritual energy we have. As you have probably observed during the last four years during training, our powers have been severely limited. We have been forced to fight as humans in a world of humans, and I respectfully advise you to get used to the fact, since it will probably be like this forever, until we end our lives as humans in this world. After examination of our enemies, the so-called Death Eaters under the command of Tom Marvolo Riddle, I strongly suspect that we are still considerably more powerful, especially those of Vice-Captain or Captain level. In a fight against them, Captains and Vice-Captains could probably hold their own using swordsmanship alone. Once you add in kidou and zanpakutou powers, we would be at a considerable advantage. That power advantage is balanced by their strength in numbers, however. The forces of the Death Eaters are roughly double that of ours. This means that in an all-out pitched battle, the outcome would be inconclusive, according to the RDI's simulations."

"Thank you for the report, Akon-kun," Kyouraku said. "Was there anything else?"

"Yes, Captain Kyouraku," the scientist said. "The Research and Development Institute has completed and successfully tested Urahara Kisuke's experimental single-dimension Senkai gate. It will allow us to travel anywhere in the world of the living through a temporary pocket dimension, similar to the Dangai but without the Cleaner. The time dilation factor is also reduced until it is almost one-to-one, but ratio of distance traveled is greater: one kilometer in the pocket dimension equates to roughly two hundred kilometers in the real world."

"This solves our problem then," Shinji remarked. "We can leave the civvies here in the underground chamber, take the Senkai gate ta Britain ta fight, an' return any time if they're in danger."

Akon bowed and walked away as the Captains began discussing the implications this new factor had on their plans. "We can keep our base of operations here in Japan," Kensei said, "and set up a forward operating base in England. Our entire forces don't have to be at the FOB, just an advance guard. That way the civilians will be guarded, and we have a presence in England against Riddle and his men."

"And if they decide to attack the FOB with all their forces?" Byakuya questioned. "If we only have a fraction of our troops there, they would be overwhelmed easily."

"We can call for reinforcements using the Senkai gate," Toushiro pointed out. "With the gate, the strength of the FOB can be up to full in minutes. Then we'll have the element of surprise, since the Death Eaters don't know of our transportation method."

Byakuya nodded at this. "A good point," he acquiesced. "Are we all in favor of this plan?" he asked the counsel. They all nodded their agreement. "Very well. We have a little over two hundred troops, with seven Captains and six Vice-Captains. I suggest that we send two Captains, two Vice-Captains, and fifty troops to England to set up the forward operating base. Is this an acceptable force?" More nods of agreement. "Very well. Who shall lead the advance force?"

"I'll go," Ichigo immediately volunteered. "I'm one of the strongest Captains here, but with less experience. I probably won't be of much help with the decision making that happens back here in our base of operations, so I'll be a valuable asset in the FOB."

"Very well," Byakuya said with a nod. "Who else?"

"I'll go," Toushiro spoke up. "Although I'm less powerful than Ichigo, I have more experience than him. I'll be able to make decisions there effectively."

"A good combination," Rose noted. "A powerful melee fighter and a ranged, support-type who is also capable of close combat. The two of them would make a formidable foe for any Death Eater."

The rest of the Captains agreed. "The two of you will pick the Vice-Captains to go with you," Kyouraku said, "as well as the fifty troops. Will an hour be sufficient?" Ichigo and Toushiro nodded their assent. "Very well. You'll leave for Britain as soon as possible. Take Akon with you, he'll be able to show you the workings of the experimental Senkai gate."

"Yes, sir!" the two younger Captains said, acknowledging their senior's authority. They flashed off, seeking the Vice-Captains that they already had in mind for the forward operating base.

Kyouraku watched the two Captains vanish as they made their way to the barracks area of the lower-ranked shinigami with a smile. "They've really grown up," he mused aloud. "Yama-jii would be proud."

Byakuya also watched the vanishing pair of Captains with approval. "Kurosaki Ichigo is becoming a fine Captain indeed," he agreed. "It is a pity, though. The war against Aizen, as well as this recent tragedy, has forced the boy to grow up far faster than should be necessary for one his age. He has seen and experienced much. Sometimes I wonder if he will crumble beneath the weight of these things."

Shinji sighed, slouching back on his chair. "Ichigo lives up ta his name," he drawled. "One who protects. I believe that as long as he's got people ta protect, he'll never lose that resolve. It might waver sometimes. It has already. But he always finds it in him ta keep going, ta continue ta protect those who are close to him."

Byakuya eyed the Visored Captain. "An unusually perceptive statement from you, Captain Hirako," the noble observed neutrally.

The laidback blonde shrugged, stretching and getting up from his seat with a yawn. "It happens sometimes. I'm jus' pointin' out my own observations on the kid," he said, turning and walking away from the rest of the Captains. "And yer right, Captain Kuchiki," Shinji called over his shoulder. "He's becomin' a fine Captain indeed."

"Oi, Rukia!" Ichigo called as he dropped out of the flash-step in the large courtyard where shinigami were training. "Rukia!"

"What's up, Ichigo?" the Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division asked as she sauntered up to him casually, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She had obviously been training as well. "Something wrong?"

"Not exactly," Ichigo said. "We're taking the initiative against that Riddle bastard at last. Me and Toushiro and two Vice-Captains of our choosing are heading to England to set up a forward operating base from where we can launch operations against him. We'll be leading a force of fifty troops there in an hour."

"And so you're here to tell me goodbye?" Rukia said with an arched eyebrow.

"Not quite," Ichigo said, a slow smirk spreading across his face. "You're coming with us."

"Really?"

"That's right." The smirk slowly became a full grin. "We're going to England."

"You say it as though we're on vacation," Rukia said with a smile. "Don't forget that it's supposed to be business, alright?"

"I'm responsible," Ichigo protested mildly. "I know when to take things seriously. I always do."

"Whatever, Strawberry," she joked, eliciting a mock scowl. "So I take it I'm supposed to be packing?"

"Yup," Ichigo confirmed. "Don't pack too heavy. We'll get supplies and whatnot locally. Otherwise, it's up to you what to bring. The group's meeting by the hot spring in an hour. Go to it."

"Yes, sir!" she said, saluting, much to Ichigo's irritation. Before he could protest the unnecessary deference to rank, she flash-stepped away.

Ichigo could only grin as he too set off to pick out the other shinigami who were to go with him. He and Toushiro had agreed to each choose twenty-five shinigami. With a little over two hundred shinigami in their full force, the seven remaining Captains of the Gotei 13 had become very close to each and every one of the rank-and-file. He had already made a list of people, making sure to balance the strength levels. He didn't want to bring all the most powerful shinigami, leaving the home base in Japan under strength. Granted, with five Captains there, that was pretty much impossible, but Ichigo didn't want to take chances. He passed Toushiro while searching for the first of his list of twenty-five, and acknowledged the Tenth Division Captain with a nod.

Toushiro returned the nod and continued to search for the person he was looking for. An explosion echoed in the distance, and the familiar pulse of power washed over his senses. With a small smile, he made his way to the source of the explosion, finding the dark-haired Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division, and his best friend, standing with chest heaving in front of a heavily scorched boulder easily as large as a small house.

"I see you've been training hard," Toushiro said with a small smile.

"Yup!" Momo replied cheerfully. "I've gotten a lot better!"

"That's good," Toushiro said, "because you're coming with me and Ichigo on a mission to England. We're to set up a forward operating base there from which we can launch missions against Riddle. We're going to bring fifty other troops with us. Go get cleaned up and pack your stuff, we're leaving in less than an hour."

"Okay, Shirou-chan!" she chirped, causing Toushiro to sigh good-naturedly. "I'll go get ready then!" She dashed away after sealing her zanpakutou, and Toushiro continued on his way to alert the rest of his troops.

An hour later, Ichigo, Toushiro, Rukia, Momo, and fifty assorted shinigami were assembled and ready to leave. Akon, the head researcher, was explaining the specifics of the prototype Senkai gate. "Basically," he concluded, "it allows us to condense a large distance into a very small one in the pocket dimension. That way we can travel from here to England, a distance of over nine thousand kilometers, as though we were only traveling about fifty. With flash-step, we can reduce the time spend traveling to minimal."

"Thank you, Akon-san," Ichigo said. Turning to the assembled troops, he raised his voice. "Now, you all know that our mission is to set up a forward operating base in England so we can make a first strike against Riddle. We're finally doing something against the bastard that caused the destruction of the Soul Society. We have all lost much. Some more than others. But none of that matters. Because we have all been wronged, and we have all sworn vengeance. And this mission, starting today, starting right now, is the beginning of that vengeance. All you need to do is to put your entire beings into defeating Riddle. I know that I'm going to. So who's with me?"

A roar rose from the fifty shinigami, and after a nod from Akon, Ichigo dashed straight into the open Senkai gate, with Toushiro, Rukia, Momo, and the rest of the shinigami following. In moments they were all through, and the glowing gates slammed shut, fading into the air.

"Man," Kyouraku said, pulling his straw hat over his face, hiding his wide grin. "They're getting all worked up. I guess we should start training harder in preparation for our upcoming campaign against, Riddle. Can't let the young ones leave us older guys in the dust, can we?"

"Indeed," Byakuya agreed, turning and walking away. "Until a later time then, Captain Kyouraku." He nodded in acknowledgement to the other Captains and also disappeared from sight. As if his departure were a signal, the rest of the shinigami gathered to watch the advance force dispersed, and soon the shouts and clashes of training filled the massive underground cavern as soldiers, inspired by their youngest Captain, set about their preparations with increased vigor.

Ichigo sprinted through the surprisingly plain corridor that composed the pocket dimension of the prototype Senkai gate, grim determination etched in his eyes. They had been flat out sprinting for several minutes now, and due to their extremely honed physical capabilities, none of the shinigami were even breaking a sweat. After a few more minutes of running, a set of lights came into view at the end of the long hallway.

"This is it!" he shouted to the rest of the troops. "Stay on your guard, we don't know where in England we're going to exit. I want the area to be completely secured! Nothing gets in or out without my or Toushiro's say-so! After that, we'll set up the FOB. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" the troops roared, and the entire advance party burst out of the pocket dimension, zanpakutou drawn, sharp eyes darting around, assessing the forest clearing that they had exited in for any source of trouble.

Harry and Colonel Roy Mustang sighed in unison as Oliver Wood and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross glared at each other, shooting imaginary daggers out of their eyes. Even after two years of cooperation, the wizard and the soldier were still not getting along. Perhaps their animosity toward each other was due to some deep-rooted rivalry between British and American. Perhaps it was because of ideological issues. Or perhaps…

"You wizards are such pussies!" the woman spat, her hand slowly inching towards the sidearm holstered at the hip. "Shooting prissy little colored lights out of fancy sticks. Fight like real soldiers, why don't you? There's nothing wrong with a good gun in your hand!"

"Bloody Yanks and your bloody ignorance," Wood shot back. "You've got no appreciation for a culture that's had hundreds of years of history. More than your piddly little colony country!"

"Appreciation?" Ross shouted. "I've got your appreciation right here!" She violently shoved her middle finger at Wood's face. "And you can take it and shove it up your ass!"

Wood growled, reaching for his wand, and Ross did the same with her handgun. Mustang and Harry decided that enough was enough. "Silence!" the Colonel roared, snapping his fingers once. A spark flew through the air, igniting a dense pocket of oxygen between the quarrelers. The resulting explosion blew both apart, slightly singed, as Harry hit both with a Disarming spell. He caught Wood's wand, and Lieutenant Hawkeye expertly palmed the flying handgun, quickly hitting the magazine release catch and pulling back the slide, ejecting the magazine and the chambered round, rendering the firearm utterly useless except for pounding nails.

"You are adults!" Mustang growled angrily. "Lieutenant Ross! I expect better from you. You are a member of the elite alchemy division of the United States Military. I expect you to act as such. Mister Wood! You should be mature enough to understand the concept of cooperation! You are doing your cause no help by arguing with your allies. Consider yourselves both on probation. You will both serve the night watch for the next week. Together. Perhaps this punishment will allow you to settle your differences. You are both soldiers in the same army, so act like it!"

Finished with his angry tirade, the Colonel turned on his heel, dismissing the shamefaced wizard and soldier. "That is all. I'm sick and tired of these petty arguments. This goes for the rest of the army, as well! We cannot accomplish anything without cooperation and teamwork. Understand this well, or you may very well fall in battle when the time comes. Dismissed!"

When the camp returned to its usual busy hubbub and chatter, undisturbed by quarreling allies, Harry sighed again. Even after two years of their alliance with the Americans, to the point that the two groups had become one, under the joint leadership of the commanders of both factions, little progress had been made against Voldemort. Almost all of Europe was under the power-hungry Dark Lord's control, and he was beginning his advances against Asia. According to the group's latest intelligence, China, Voldemort's first target, was mere weeks from falling, its government deposed and a puppet installed like almost all of Riddle's conquests.

"It's troubling, isn't it?" Harry turned to the blonde seer, who was gazing across the camp, at the hundred or so fighters and support personnel. "Even with a combined British-American alliance, we can make so little headway."

Harry nodded, slightly discouraged. The two were soon joined by Mustang and his staff, Ron, and Hermione. "We need to plan an attack soon," Ron murmured, "or he'll become way too powerful and influential to defeat. I estimate that China has about three weeks and two days before it goes under. We need to strike a blow to Riddle's forces devastating enough to force him to withdraw at least some of his forces from Asia, or China's done for."

"We're still outnumbered in Britain at least two to one," Hermione reminded the redhead grimly. "And if we do anything to attract his attention, we'll just bring down his wrath on our own heads. He's been leaving us alone since we haven't been doing anything. As soon as we start posing a threat towards his control in Britain, he'll crack down on us. Hard."

"Even guerilla tactics won't work," Mustang said, clearly frustrated at the whole situation. "Damn that bastard."

The group was silent for a moment, pondering for situation, until suddenly Luna flinched and swayed sluggishly where she was standing. "Luna?" Hermione asked, worried. "Something wrong? Another vision?"

"Something's coming," Luna rasped, dropping to one knee, clutching at her head. "Something… that's going to change… everything. I see black… so much black… and the gleaming of blades…"

"That doesn't sound good," Harry muttered. "Just great. More potential problems. As if we don't have enough of them as it is." He turned to Luna. "Luna, how soon is this going to happen? Can you get a sense?"

"Soon," she gasped, cradling her head. "Very soon."

Harry and Mustang paled. "Shit," they both said in unison, bolting upright. Urgency ran through their beings like water, and they sprang into action. Harry whipped out his wand, firing red flares into the air. Mustang's staff whipped out their firearms and readied them as the Colonel roared, "All troops to battle stations! Prepare for imminent attack! This is not a drill!"

The camp burst into activity, wizards and witches preparing for battle. The familiar metallic clicks of firearms being locked and loaded filled the clearing as the support personnel took cover in prepared underground shelters, unable to contribute much during actual fighting.

The large clearing was filled with tense, prepared fighters, wands and guns at the ready as they waited for the wards to be breached and Death Eaters to come flooding into the clearing.

Light filled the clearing, partially blinding those unfortunate enough to be facing directly in the direction of the source. Crying out in pain and surprise, those fighters stumbled away from what appeared to be a set of glowing doors, suspended a few feet in midair, slowly sliding open. Wands and weapons were trained on the widening opening, and the wizards and soldiers waited with bated breath for the first person to step through the portal.

"I've never seen something like this before," Harry murmured, his wand hand rock steady. "Is it possible that they aren't Death Eaters?"

"Don't take any chances," Mustang warned. "Any possible allies should have joined up with us long ago."

"Even so," Harry countered, "If possible, don't aim to kill. Try to disable. That means stunners and non-lethal spells only from the wizards. Don't aim for vital organs if possible for your men, Colonel."

Before the Flame Alchemist could respond, the doors opened fully with a creak, and all of a sudden, figures flashed out of the opening. Figures dressed in black, wielding shining blades, dashed out.

The clearing erupted into flashing spells and the chatter of firearms. Harry watched as one of the black-robed figure dropped from a stunning spell. He fired one of his own and was surprised as the red energy was dispelled into sparks by one of the arcing blades, clutched in the hand of a young man with… white hair?

Backing up steadily to try and gain some distance between the rapidly approaching white-haired swordsman, who clearly specialized in melee fighting, Harry was startled by the ice that erupted from the young man's blade, coating his feet and lower calves, rooting him in place. Cursing, Harry frantically cast spells at the oncoming swordsman, forcing the relentless assault to let up slightly. A sudden burst of fire at his feet melted the ice enough for him to yank his feet free, and Harry shot a grateful look to Colonel Mustang before turning his attention back to the battle. The white-haired swordsman was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was faced with another black-robed man with distinctively Asian features.

Roy Mustang snapped his fingers, sending a fireball rocketing through the air towards a group of the attackers. Before it impacted, the fireball prematurely exploded, sending embers floating everywhere. The Colonel frowned. His flame alchemy never backfired. Which meant something had intercepted the fire before it reached its intended target…

He ducked, dropping to his knees as a fireball similar to the one he had just launched whizzed through the air where his head had just been, crashing into a tree and setting it ablaze. The fire was quickly extinguished before it could go out of hand, and Mustang found himself glaring at the form of a young woman with dark hair tied in a bun. She held a long, straight sword with steel prongs jutting from the sides of the blade. Looking at the fire licking at the blade from the guard of the sword, the Colonel found himself intrigued despite the heat of the battle, literally. It was a pity the swordswoman was an enemy, or he could gain some previously unknown information about her abilities.

His eyes traveled up the woman's figure, his sharp mind analyzing every characteristic that caught his attention. The woman's Asian features and the bronze plate tied to her upper arm sent a shiver of shock running through his body. His rudimentary knowledge of Chinese quickly caused him to translate the character etched into the armband. Five. "Dammit," he muttered aloud. These weren't enemies. In fact, he had probably been completely wrong earlier. These were friends, from Asia, seeking either help from the British wizards against Riddle, or to fight Riddle himself. "Cease fire!" he roared, frantically trying to stop the fighting before anyone was seriously injured. "They're not enemies! They're not enemies!"

Ichigo was the first out of the Senkai gate. To his surprise, the clearing that the pocket dimension exited into was completely filled with people. People pointing weapons straight at the gate. Instinctively ducking as the crackle of gunfire filled the air, he drew his zanpakutou, slashing apart a red ball of energy. "Take them alive if you can!" he shouted, flash-stepping away from the gate to allow for his troops to pour through.

Ichigo suddenly found himself facing a young woman who looked to be the same age as Karin and Yuzu, in her late teens. She even had flaming red hair, a more fiery shade than his softer-spoken sister, but the recognition shocked him into stillness. He was suddenly jerked back to reality as another glowing red streak of energy whizzed past his head. This wasn't the time to be caught off guard.

Dashing forward, he thrust his zanpakutou at the red-haired girl. Ichigo was mildly impressed by her reflexes as she dodged the strike, retaliating with her own, conjuring small birds from the air, which flew towards his face, chirping furiously.

Ichigo slashed with his zanpakutou, reducing the birds into a cloud of feathers and smoke as the summoned avian creatures vanished. She's a ranged fighter, he thought as he dodged another flurry of spells. And I inherently specialize in melee combat. If I can just get in close, I've got the advantage. Ichigo charged.

Slashing in an upward diagonal arc, Ichigo managed to get the girl to dodge to the right, into a perfect position for his follow-up strike. Changing his grip on the sword, he swung downward in a mirror copy of his first strike. He saw the girl's eyes widen in surprise and a bit of fear as she managed to duck the gleaming blade with mere millimeters to spare. A few strands of fiery red hair floated to the ground, and Ichigo took his stance again, preparing for another charge.

Toushiro was the second out of the Senkai gate, and like Ichigo before him was surprised to see the amount of people already in the clearing. And like Ichigo, he quickly assessed the possible threats and dashed at a young black-haired man wearing glasses. Slashing at a streak of energy that erupted from the man's wand, he dispelled it into bright sparks. As the young man quickly backed away, trying to gain some distance against him, Toushiro smirked. He wasn't a mere melee fighter, after all.

"Soar above the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" he called, slashing in an upward crescent arc. The release of his zanpakutou sent a flurry of ice from his blade, coating the ground and the bespectacled man's feet and lower legs, rooting him in place. Toushiro's smirk became victorious as he dashed forward, blade poised for a pommel strike to knock him unconscious, when a fireball suddenly exploded at his adversary's feet, melting the ice and allowing the wizard to get to safety. Toushiro cursed, looking around for the source of the fire.

The man in question, dressed in a military uniform, snapped his fingers again, sending a wave of flames rolling across the clearing. "Momo!" Toushiro called, getting the Vice-Captain's attention. "Take this guy!" As the kidou expert released her zanpakutou, intercepting the fire with her own before it could do damage, Toushiro dashed away. A fire user was a bad matchup, and his own abilities would be valuable elsewhere in the battle.

Rukia narrowed her eyes as she faced off against a young woman with bushy brown hair. The witch had demonstrated a vast repertoire of spells, each and every one different as she and the Vice-Captain exchanged spells and kidou. Letting off a blast of white lightning from her palm, Rukia dodged to the side to avoid a blast of purple fire. She didn't know what these spells would do, but getting hit was probably something she wanted to avoid.

Rukia left her sword sheathed at her waist, instead relying on kidou. The wizards were ranged fighters, and Rukia, a kidou expert, preferred to exchange spells rather than try to get in close to attack with her zanpakutou. A quick glance around the battlefield told her that despite being outnumbered about two to one, the rest of the shinigami were faring pretty well. The two sides were fairly evenly matched, and Rukia knew that that would change as soon as the two Captains went into bankai.

Turning her attention back to her opponent, Rukia began channeling energy into her palms. After a quick incantation, she began chaining Sokatsui spells together, firing blast after blast of blue fire at the witch, who countered with her own spells, all the while sidestepping to avoid the blasts of flame.

Toushiro knew something was wrong with the battle with a quick scan told him that none of the enemy wizards or soldiers had any killing intent. Although the spells they used incapacitated the shinigami, the Tenth Division Captain could still feel the fallen troops' reiatsu, which meant they were merely unconscious. Their intel suggested that Riddle's followers were ruthless in battle, rarely taking prisoners unless it was absolutely necessary. That meant that these wizards weren't Death Eaters.

Toushiro slowly became aware of the sharp cracking that signified gunfire, and his suspicions were strengthened. None of the reports said that the Death Eaters used regular human weapons, or even associated with the 'muggles'. Pieces began connecting in the young Captain's brain, and he quickly came to the conclusion that the wizards and soldiers that the shinigami were fighting against weren't followers of Riddle. In fact, they were most likely the complete opposite, fighters resisting Voldemort's rule. These were potential allies, and they were fighting like enemies!

Toushiro took a deep breath. There was only one way to stop this battle. Gathering his reiatsu, he released in a massive pulse that washed over the entire clearing. Exhausted, he dropped to one knee, panting. With the change of powers came severely reduced reiatsu reserves, and even a simple pulse of pure reiatsu manipulation, barring using his zanpakutou, exhausted the young Captain.

The flare of reiatsu could not have come at a more opportune time, coinciding perfectly with Mustang's shout. In an instant, everything froze. Spell-fire and gunfire died away as the wizards and soldiers stopped fighting. The shinigami did the same, feeling the reiatsu pulse that their Captain had released. Swords halted mid-swing, kidou spells died away, and the clearing was quiet.

Ichigo was the first to break the silence, having come to the same conclusion Toushiro had. "You aren't Death Eaters," he said quietly. Everyone heard him.

"Neither are you," Mustang said in return. "It seems that this was all a huge misunderstanding. If you were fighting us, thinking that we were Riddle's followers, it seems that we have a mutual enemy."

"Resistance?" Toushiro inquired, having gotten his breath back, standing again.

Harry nodded. "That's right," he confirmed. "And you?"

The Japanese leaders hesitated in their response. "It's classified," Toushiro finally said stiffly. "I assure you, we meant you no harm. We have a mutual enemy, after all."

Mustang nodded, relaxing. Turning, he called, "Medics! I want a field assessment of everyone who's injured. Tend to the wounded and give me a casualty report!"

Toushiro and Ichigo also relaxed. "Iemura!" Toushiro snapped, and the blonde medic came forward with a salute. "You know what to do."

"Yes, sir!" the Third Seat of the Fourth Division said, gesturing for his medic squad to follow him as he began checking on the fallen shinigami.

Toushiro and Ichigo were soon joined by Rukia and Momo, and they walked across the clearing to where Mustang was standing. "You're the leader here?" Toushiro asked.

"It's a joint leadership," Mustang explained, noticing the looks of realization as the Japanese noticed his difference in accent to the British. "The soldiers in uniform are Americans. We went into hiding when the government fell four years ago, and two years ago we came to Britain and joined with the wizards, who've also been in hiding since the Ministry in Britain fell. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang," he introduced. "This is my aide, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. My second in command, Major Miles, is helping with cleanup. I'll introduce you to some others later."

"I'm Harry Potter," Harry introduced. "I was the leader of the British resistance until the Americans came and we changed to a joint command. These are Ron Weasley, our chief strategist, Hermione Granger, our head researcher, and Luna Lovegood, our seer."

"A pleasure," Toushiro said, nodding. "I am Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, Toushiro Hitsugaya in Western naming convention, and I am the co-commander of this troop."

"I'm Captain Kurosaki Ichigo, the other commander," Ichigo introduced himself, extending his hand and shaking with the British and American leaders. "These two are the Vice-Captains and second in command, Vice-Captains Hinamori Momo and Kuchiki Rukia. Reverse their name orders for the Western way to say it, I guess. The four of us and fifty soldiers were sent here to England to set up a forward operating base from which we can launch missions against Riddle."

"So what's your story?" Harry asked once introductions were finished. "None of the Asian countries have shown any resistance to him yet."

"We may be Japanese," Toushiro said with a dark expression, "but we are unaffiliated with the Japanese government."

"It's a long story," Ichigo offered.

"We've got time," Harry said. "The wards haven't fallen. I'm a bit curious as to how you managed to enter the camp while completely bypassing the wards, but that can wait, as long as nobody else can use that ability to travel."

"We're the only ones," Ichigo assured, and Harry nodded.

"Alright, then," he said, flicking his wand and conjuring a number of soft armchairs for the group to sit in. "Let's hear it."

Sitting down, the four shinigami-turned-humans made themselves comfortable. "Well," Toushiro started, "I guess I should start by asking you this: what do you wizards know about death and afterlife?"

A number of different looks came over the Westerners' faces, ranging from pensiveness to sadness to intrigued curiosity. "Dumbledore, our teacher, always referred to it as the 'next great adventure'. He's gone now though, so if he was right, I guess he's experiencing it right now," Harry said. "How does this have to do with you guys, though?"

"Death is where our story begins," Toushiro said. "It may be hard to believe, but the afterlife does exist – or rather, it used to. But I'll explain that later. 'Heaven', I guess you would call it. But it was quite different from what the common opinion is. In fact, it was very much like the real world, but in an Edo Japan style."

"You speak as though you know what it's like," Mustang commented, intrigued.

Toushiro sighed, and Rukia, Hinamori, and Ichigo looked sad as well. "That will be explained later, as well. But you need to know about the background of the afterlife to understand our stories," Toushiro continued. "The Soul Society, as it was called, was arranged in a district system. The four districts of the Rukongai, which means 'Place of Wandering Souls', were the places where the majority of souls who passed from this world ended up. The four districts, North, West, East, and South, consisted of eighty districts each. They were arranged in a circle around the Seireitei, which means 'Court of Pure Souls'. The districts were numbered, with the lower numbers being closer to the Seireitei, and the higher numbers being further away. The Seireitei was the headquarters of the shinigami. I suppose you Westerners would call shinigami 'Soul Reapers'. Far from the Grim Reapers of legend, the shinigami did not bring death, but rather were escorts for deceased souls, leading them to the Soul Society. We," the young Captain said, "were all shinigami."

"So you're dead?" Hermione asked, her eyes gleaming as she absorbed all this new information.

"Not exactly," Ichigo said, shaking his head. "But that'll be explained later as well." He took up the tale, letting Toushiro rest. "The shinigami were organized into a force, an army if you will, called the Gotei 13, or the Thirteen Imperial Court Guard Divisions. Each Division consisted of around two hundred shinigami, led by a Captain, Vice-Captain, and eighteen other seated officers. Like we said when we were introduced, Toushiro and I are Captains, and Rukia and Hinamori are Vice-Captains. Our jobs as shinigami was to guide souls to the afterlife, along with the purification of Hollows."

"Hollows are human souls who died with regret," Rukia began explaining. "When a human dies, their soul is chained to the world with the Chain of Fate, which is attached to their chest. If the soul had regrets when he or she passed, that chain would begin to decay. Once fully decayed, the soul would become a Hollow – a mindless beast without a heart. They were truly hollow creatures, and they had a single-minded determination to devour other souls in an attempt to gain a heart. Our job as shinigami was to purify them by destroying them with our swords, sending them to Soul Society as well."

"You keep speaking in past tense," Mustang noticed. "Why is that?"

"Four years ago," Toushiro said, picking up the story again, "as you know, Riddle began his rampage in Britain. All the souls that he killed died with regrets. There were so many that our shinigami stationed in the world of the living were unable to perform soul burials quickly enough to keep up with the rate that newly deceased souls were appearing. As a result, the Hollow realm, called Hueco Mundo, became overcrowded, and the Hollows flooded into the Soul Society. As soon as the fabric separating the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo was breached, Hollows began entering Soul Society by the thousands. We fought, defending Soul Society with our lives, for a full week. Over two thousand shinigami were killed in action, and finally, with the Hollows threatening the very center of the Seireitei, where the rest of the shinigami and the civilians we had managed to evacuate were gathered, the Captain-Commander, the strongest shinigami, along with several others, sacrificed themselves to buy us time to escape to the world of the living."

"So what happened to the afterlife?" Ron asked. "This Soul Society place?"

"You must realize that as denizens of the afterlife, shinigami were considerably more powerful than humans. We were powered by spiritual energy and were not limited by physical bodies. We Captains and Vice-Captains were the most powerful and most experienced, having sometimes hundreds of years to hone our powers. The Captain-Commander was the leader and the strongest shinigami for over two thousand years," Toushiro explained, and the British and Americans gulped. "As soon as the rest of us were safe, the Captain-Commander expelled all of his reiatsu – spiritual energy – from his body at once. The resulting explosion was enough to completely collapse the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. As a result, our bodies, which were composed of spiritual particles, became flesh and blood and our powers became grounded in the world of the living. We can still manipulate reiatsu and fight as we once did, but we are now limited by our physical bodies and are far weaker than we were before."

"So you want revenge on Riddle, just like the rest of us," Mustang said, nodding in understanding. "We have all lost much to the power-hungry bastard and his schemes, even if in your case he probably didn't intend it. How many living humans knew of the afterlife?"

"Heh," Ichigo said, scratching his head almost sheepishly. "I guess that's where my story comes in…"

#

Woo, this one's a long one again. Over 8,000 words in this chapter. Things are moving along, and all the characters have converged: HP, Bleach, and FMA. The major action against the Death Eaters comes next chapter, so stay tuned! Leave a review if you would like, and I'll see you next chapter!

~fokker333