Hello once again. IMC here. Sorry for the delay. I've tried to get this updated as fast as I could, unfortunately life got in the way. I got my wisdom teeth pulled out, had school piled on my back in such a way that I'll have no Christmas break, and life's been a jerk. But here I am, and here this is.

I've gotten two people who've commented that this story's gone "downhill". Well, let me say just this. When I started this story, I actually had no plot written out or any idea where this was headed. Chapters came quick and easy cause I kept thinking up situations to put the characters through. Also, I was able to update faster.

Now, I am unable to update quick enough or write enough material that's good enough to satisfy you readers. So I apologize for my ineptitude. But please, don't expect great things from this story. I'm not a miracle writer, nor am I able to live up to a reader's timely demand and quality and have the best plots in mind. I do, in fact, now have a plot basis, so I do know how this will play out.

Good news. I'll be able to update this faster because there will be a lot of flashbacks in the next chapter. Flashbacks, for me, are really easy to write. Sorry for this taking up space, now get to your reading.

May I also remind you that this story has no pairings, so stop begging me to pair up people. I'm keeping this at a "friendship" level ONLY. Sorry to disappoint...ok, maybe I'm not. XD

Enjoy.


Lost Heart


We come. We run. The beating drum.

A call to war. Ships far off shore.

The battle has just begun.


Rukia stared in disgust at the carnage around her. Bits of dismembered body parts lay strewn in every direction, staining the sand a dark red.

Orihime was gasping, her hands over her mouth. Uryu set an arm over her shoulder, offering unspoken support which she gladly took.

Sado and Renji on the other hand were walking about the corpses, looking for clues or signs of life. It was a slow, messy business. Something had muddled with the reiatsu trails, jumbling any part of familiarity. The mutated bodies were hardly of any help either.

"Who—who could of done such a thing?!" Orihime's muffled wail caused them all to glance back to her shaking form, leaning on the Quincy's shoulder.

Rukia felt an overwhelming sense of pity for her friend. The human girl never had handled this kind of…situation before, and being a pacifist made it all the more hard to bear. Luckily, she had someone like Uryu to comfort her and lead her away from the…mess.

"It's probably just…err…hollows, Orihime…" she heard him say as they walked about twenty paces away.

Rukia turned back to Sado and Renji, frowning.

"Do you feel it?"

Sado nodded, his eyes lingering on a bundle of clothes before meeting Rukia's. Renji let out an empty laugh.

"Of course…who else could of done it!? That idiot…what was he thinking?"

"I suppose it's safe to say he wasn't thinking…" Rukia replied, crossing her arms as she picked her way over the bodies towards them. "The question is who these…unfortunate people are. They look like Soul Reapers…the residue certainly provides enough proof for that…"

"Not Soul Reapers…" said Renji, suddenly stooping down to pick something off the ground. It was a crest. A royal crest… Rukia narrowed her eyes to slits, examining the new find.

"Impossible!"


-two hours previously-

"You realize you've broken nearly a dozen rules to find this…proof?"

Shunsui smiled, tipping his straw hat up so he could get a better look at his teacher.

"The reward outweighed the consequences…I must say, wouldn't you agree?"

Genryusai Yamamoto glared at the impertinence of his student.

"Such blatant disrespect."

Sensing a circular argument, Ukitake came to his friend's aid.

"Head Captain, we've brought you this evidence of corruption. What rules we've broken are trivial to this scandal! By law, even if criminals are in the royal court, they are bound to the same fate as any other soul."

"That is not the problem here!" Yamamoto thumped his staff hard on the floor, causing all in the room to jump. "It is obvious there are ignorant souls who are abusing power in Central 46 and the Royal Guard, perhaps even extending to the Royal Family. But the problem remains, is that you bring me no names of those who are in the Royal Dimension who have committed these crimes! An investigation will take months, if not years. By then, the matter concerning Ichigo Kurosaki and others on this "hit list" will be of little matter. These traitors by then will have covered up their tracks till nary a paper remains. A matter like this needs quick action, for it is time our enemy wants and therefore is counting on."

"So are we gonna kill them all and be done with it?" asked Kenpachi Zaraki hopefully, grinning up the line of assembled captains.

"Obviously not," came the deadpan voice of Torshiro Hitsugaya, a vain in his temple throbbing as he glared at the man three times his size. "We need solid proof before we act and not some foolhardy lust for battle."

"Tch,"

Shunsui sighed, cracking his neck lazily. "If only we could contact someone trustworthy in the royal dimension, then this little problem could be solved."

"That is impossible," Yamamoto grunted, "Central 46 is restricting all connections to the Royal Dimension. It takes weeks to fill out all the proper forms to gain access."

"Then what exactly do you propose?" said Byakuya, turning his stony gaze upon his superior. "It's not as if we can just—"

There was a sudden loud knocking on the first division's door. All captains turned in surprise as Lieutenant Sasakibe flash-stepped to the Head Captain.

"Sir, former captain Shihouin requests entry to the meeting."

Yamamoto closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and then opened them again. So Urahara was still gleaning information from the Seireitei. Well, it made sense. But still…

"Impatient youngsters…very well, request permitted."

The doors flew open dramatically to show a purple haired woman striding boldly in front of the line of assembled captains.

"Greetings Head Captain," she said grinning, her arms perched on her hips. "I hear from my pal Kisuke you're in a spot of trouble, trouble that I know a solution to."

Glances were exchanged among the rows of captains.

"Please enlighten us, Yoruichi," said Unohana, smiling that smile so no other person could protest.

"My pleasure…but be warned. He isn't too happy with you—" Yoruichi turned, her grin suddenly disappearing. "Come on then! Get in here before I drag you!"

Footsteps could be heard shuffling closer to the door until a tall man came into view. A frown was etched on his features while his arms were crossed. He wore a Soul Reaper uniform with a captain's hiroi tied neatly to his left shoulder.

"Isshin Shihouin," Yamamoto identified, opening one eye to inspect the man before him. "It has been a few hundred years since we last spoke. Tell me, why are you not in your rightfully earned position in the Royal Dimension?"

The man in question scoffed, rolling his eyes as he stepped forward next to his purple haired relative.

"I was banished from that golden prison nearly twenty years ago. Not that it really matters, stupid place. Anyway, Shihouin is no longer the name I bear."

"Then what, pray tell, is your name now?" asked Unohana sweetly, her face unusually serious as she studied the man before her.

The man himself straightened proudly, his dark eyes glaring at those around him.

"Isshin Kurosaki."

A horribly uncomfortable silence followed this statement. Unohana took in Isshin's messy appearance, his seeming lack of care for his looks. He was not the bright, insanely cheerful man she remembered.

We're at fault for that so fate would have it…

She cleared her throat, so all eyes would turn to her.

"Isshin, tell us what state the Royal Dimension or as you put it… "Golden prison" was in when you left it?" her voice was light, but her eyes said otherwise.

"State?" Isshin repeated, laughing dryly. "Complete chaos. I'll give it to you bluntly, the Soul King no longer claims royalty, but absolute supremacy over all life forms. The Royal Guards are now bound to do his every bidding, not as respected officers, but servants. Of course there was a great uproar when the Spirit King announced this, near to the time when I was banished. But he crushed them, crushed us all. Turned them all into confused dogs with no minds of their own…they were good people…" He sighed deeply, rubbing his tired eyes with one hand.

"I know what you're going to say," he said, eyes scanning the long row of faces before him. "You don't need to apologize for killing my son. You were all, as much as it detests you to admit, used by Central 46 and the Royal Guard. They are the true killers. I understand that. Although, perhaps, this was as much as my doing as theirs."

Yoruichi put a hand on Isshin's shoulder who roughly pushed it away. "Save your comfort. Now isn't the time for it. By now if their spies are any useful, the Royal Guard will know that my son's still alive. The Soul King would have already sent his people after him. It's a sloppy move that you and us can easily use to our advantage."

"Why are they bothering to kill the kid anyway?" Kenpachi spoke up, shifting to one side.

"For the same reason why I was banished and my powers were sealed. Though now, as you all can now see, the seal has broken." Isshin's shoulders slumped. "The Soul King personally banished me because I had enough potential and power to the point where it would outstrip his own. I was on good terms with many of the guards, so instead of execution, I was banished and my powers were sealed. Unfortunately, my son caught the attention of the Royal Guard, and in turn, caught the eye of the Soul King himself. Thanks to Aizen's meddling, Ichigo's potential was met and given means to grow in such a way that he became more of a threat than I'd ever been. Naturally, they tried to destroy him along with a few people Central 46 wanted gone. As you know, they succeeded…that is, they thought they did."

Yoruichi stepped up beside her brother.

"I'll continue, if you don't mind, Isshin…"

Isshin shrugged and backed up, letting the flash goddess take center stage.

"This presents an opportunity for us all," she said, her golden eyes gleaming as she tossed her purple hair to one side like a cat. "The Soul King has made a dangerous move, stepping into Hueco Ray's territory. Apparently, there's been an ongoing boundary skirmish between the two kings. As you all are aware of, Ichigo Kurosaki currently dwells in Hueco Mundo, the realm of Hollows, far outside of the Soul King's reach. Though, as most will figure, that won't stop him. Unless the Protector Reales and Hueco Rey catch wind of his plan, no matter how much they prefer not to get involved, they would never over look a territory breech."

"So you're suggesting we alert these people?" Toshiro Hitsugaya spoke up. But before Yoruichi could respond, Mayuri interrupted, finally getting his personal say in matters.

"It's downright near impossible to track down the sorts of hollows you imply," he scoffed, waving a hand in the air, "Hueco Rey's people have stayed hidden for centuries. Yet, you speak of this as if you have the means to contact them. This kind of thing takes years of planning and researching. But assuming you've already done this or at least Kisuke Urahara has, it would mean you've known this information for quite some time, yet you refused to act until now. Reporting this to us would hardly satisfy your standards I dare say, perhaps Urahara's intentions, perhaps not. But the fact remains, you failed to tell us why you choose to disclose such…fascinating information now. Perhaps you were waiting for proof?"

Yoruichi tilted her head, "just confirmation is all, nothing more, nothing less."

"You're withholding information," Komamura bluntly stated, his great head turning to face the were-cat. "If you knew all this, why did you bother informing us instead of acting first? You have nothing to gain from this, you do not owe us, there is nothing connecting us with you to earn this information."

He broke off, leaving the unspoken question of "What do you want from us?" on everyone's minds.

At this, Yoruichi straightened herself proudly, smiling faintly at Isshin before addressing the Soul Reapers.

"It matters not for our reasons. In fact, I would go as far to say that we needed none but the simple reason to build trust and to start a new. As much as it pains us, as many friends as we've lost, we are willing to forgive and move on, so long as we move in the right direction. We are willing to help you now, in a time a need, in hopes that one day; we can repair the trust that was broken."

Surprisingly—or not, it was Soi-fon who agreed to Yoruichi's proposal.

"As Captain of the Second Division and Commander of the Stealth Force, I accept your offer and approve of your goals," she said. "Central 46 and the Royal Guard are full of traitorous conspiring scum, to clear our slate, to move on "in the right direction", we must meet this problem head on and defeat the cowardly enemies before us to restore order and restore trust among us. Our society cannot rebuild and move on before so, and to wait now will be pointless. In the face of the enemy, it is best to push away our pride and stand together rather than fighting among ourselves." Soi-fon turned boldly towards the Head Captain, "Head Captain sir, I request permission to personally inform Hueco Rey himself of the Royal Guard and oversee the hunting of Central 46's conspirers."

"See to it then, if you are so compelled." He replied somewhat grumpily. "The rest of us will determine the status of the Soul King and what is to be done."

"Yes sir!"

Soi-fon disappeared from her position and flash stepped out the door followed closely by Yoruichi, leaving Isshin in the room with the others to prepare for war.


"So what exactly is this place?" Ichigo asked, frowning at the syringes and chains. It all seemed very suspicious to him. These two strange people had opened a hidden door to get here in the first place. That alone gave him reasons to doubt, overlooking the fact that they were in a destroyed ruins of some great palace.

"A place that will help you get back what you've lost~!" replied Gin, lowering Ichigo down in the back of the room to against the wall. "Your soul's so unstable we can't risk any chances…by the way, you still leaking there? Oops, though that would have healed by now. Harribel, get me that needle over to the left!"

"This one?" The Former 3rd espada handed Gin something glowing.

"The very one," Gin's grin got wider (if that was possible) as he wasted no time and turning about and stabbing the needle in Ichigo's exposed left arm. To say the least, it did nothing to improve Ichigo's mood.

"What was that for?!"

"Regeneration enhancer; It speeds and cleans reiatsu, allowing natural healing and recovery."

A wave of nausea overcame Ichigo and he began retching. Gin stood back critically barely visible in Ichigo's hazy line of sight.

"At least the wound's healing up nicely—"

A great splatter of vomit hit the ground, spraying flecks on the nearby feet. Gin's smile faded a bit as he and Harribel glanced at one another.

"It's either now or never," the former Soul Reaper muttered before grabbing Ichigo's sweaty arms and chaining them in the shackles to the wall as the cero Espada shook uncontrollably. Harribel handed Gin a thick, black spiritual pressure restraining collar which he placed around Ichigo's neck. Two more similar bands were fastened around the boy's wrists.

"Any pressure whiplash will kill us both, it'd be best to try a few more surpressers to be safe…" Harribel observed coldly as Gin fastened the last strap. "Check vitals and try to stabilize his condition in preparation for reishi operation. I'll bring over the instruments so we can begin. Let me know when the boy shows signs of improvement."

"Ah, so serious…" Gin mumbled, but did as she requested.

It took about ten minutes for Ichigo to begin stabilizing mostly due to his losing consciousness, but only after two more suppressors were added to his wrists and a stabilizer machine was hooked up and regulating his flow of reiatsu. Deeming Ichigo ready, Harribel took a small scalpel and pulled back the top part of his shihakusho till his hollow hole was exposed. Her slim hand gently traced the hole and slowly moved to a spot above it.

"This is it."

With well guided precision, Harribel cut a thin, deep slice parallel to the hole. The cut was just under two inches long and was already bleeding profusely as she switched to another tool that Gin handed her; tweezers.

Ever so carefully, she sank the metal straight into the wound and hit something hard. This resulted in a shutter that passed through the boy's unconscious body, causing him to faintly hiss at the unwanted touch.

"Make it fast," Gin said and Harribel clasped the tweezers over the object and gave a sharp tug. Ichigo's whole being jerked in protest at the movement as a round ball was pulled from his chest. Gin immediately moved in Harribel's stead, his hands hovering over Ichigo's chest as he began to chant a kidō.

The whole room shook as the hōgyoku glowed ominously, unhappy to be separated from its master. Harribel placed it carefully into a see-through box, sealing it shut and turned back to help Gin.


Repairing Ichigo's damaged soul was not an easy task for Gin Ichimaru and Tia Harribel. It required extreme caution, especially with Ichigo's high level of power. One slip up and they'd be killed by the crushing force of his wild, untamable reiatsu.

The hōgyoku, in all rights and means, was one of the reasons why Ichigo was still alive. It was protecting and preserving the remains of his torn soul. While this made it possible to repair the damage, it also made it impossible to touch. So it had to be removed, until at least when the damage was fixed.

But the operation has a risk. Removal of the hōgyoku meant the remains of Ichigo's soul would slowly dissolve into nonexistence. They would have to work quickly and precisely, all the while hoping none of the restrains they'd put on Ichigo broke.


Gin's smile looked slightly haggard as his partner cautiously placed the hōgyoku back inside Ichigo's chest. It had been nearly four hours since they'd begun and his stamina was nearly spent on healing kidō. Harribel withdrew the tweezers from the kid's chest as it immediately closed up. The limp body before them gave one final shutter before letting out a heavy sigh.

"I do hope all of this has not been in vain," Harribel murmured, rising to her feet and turning to the door.

"He'll recover—"

"It will take time," her voice was sharp as she strode from the room. "The boy will have to accept what has happened. When he wakes, he will be unreasonable. But see to it that he's not alone in the world, so try not to be insensitive when he regains he bearings."

The door slammed in her wake, making Gin laugh slightly.

"Heh, easier said than done…"