Hi everyone, sorry that I haven't posted in a long time. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!


Chapter 7: Chasing Hope


Suyin Beifong's dining room was silent. The first signs of the rising sun were beginning to peak over the tips of the mountains surrounding the valley and an early light shone gently through the massive windows of the mansion. Despite it being so early, the household was already totally awake and everyone had heard about what had happened just a few short hours earlier.

Korra, Suyin and Lin sat at the head of the table. To the right side, the whole Beifong family, along with Aiwei and Kuvira were sitting and to the left side was all of Team Avatar and Varrick and Zhu Li. Uryu, however, sat at the very end of the left-hand side of the table, distinctly separate from the rest of the group. Everyone had been avoiding him since Ichigo's capture.

The mood at the table was solemn. Korra's eyes had not lost the fire from the night before when she'd declared that they would rescue Ichigo at any cost. They glared intently at anything she looked at. Even her friends were a little intimidated. Mako and Bolin were determined but none more so than Asami who despite her harrowing experience with Soi Fon was raring to get going.

"Let's run over what we know," said Lin. "There are four Soul Reapers, of varying power and one pilot. All of us together were able to pin down three of them. If Soi Fon hadn't taken Asami hostage, I believe we could've beaten all of them. They have one airship, piloted by the Equalist, Yumi."

"Ex-Equalist," Mako interjected.

"Whatever the case, they have someone with knowledge of our world. Do we know where they're headed?"

Korra shook her head. "Their airship was headed south but we don't know where they came from or how they got to our world in the first place."

"And after Soi Fon destroyed all our airships," said Asami, "we weren't able to follow her."

"Kuvira," Suyin said, "has there been any word on the repairs to our airship fleet?"

The captain of the guard nodded gravely. "It's going to take some time, but repairs are well on their way. Miss Sato's knowledge of these airships was very helpful. With her and Varrick's help, we'll be able to mobilize an army to chase after them within a day."

Suyin nodded. "Thank you, Kuvira."

Uryu drummed his fingers against the table's surface.

"Got something to say?" Korra said in annoyance.

"Lots," he replied.

"Well, go on. Spit it out."

His eyes betrayed no emotion. "Wouldn't it be wiser to focus on fixing one airship instead of wasting time with a fleet?"

"We'll want more people with us to go after them, won't we?" Bolin asked.

"I don't think you all understand how little time we have. Soi Fon could've entered this world from anywhere. For all we know, she might already be back in my world. We do not have time to fix twenty airships. Fix one and let's get after her."

Suyin nodded. "I concur with that. Send work to our mechanics, Kuvira. Varrick, I want you and your assistant down there as well to speed up the process."

The business mogul yawned. "Well, I suppose I could lend a hand. Come along, Zhu Li. You'll have to carry my portable throne there. It's important for me to have a vantage point to oversee the work."

"You're not planning on doing any work, are you?" Asami accused. "I want you on your hands and knees, fixing the ship yourself! If it's your fault that we don't find Ichigo in time, you'll wish you were still behind bars where the police could protect you from me."

Varrick laughed awkwardly. "Asami, you know I couldn't disappoint my favorite business partner."

"Go!" she shouted.

He fled the room. Suyin's husband, Bataar, got to his feet.

"I'll go with him. Perhaps I can help retrofit the airship to increase it's speed."

His son, Bataar Jr. got up to follow him. "We should try and reduce fuel consumption as well. The less stops they have to make, the better."

"While they do that," Korra said, "we have to figure out where Soi Fon could be going. And how she got here in the first place."

"How exactly did you get here, Uryu?" Mako asked.

"There is a gate in my hometown. I went through there, as did Ichigo. We used something called a Kido, it's like a spell. The problem is that if Soi Fon used the same Kido, only she will know where she arrived in this world."

"Well, that's helpful," Bolin quipped.

"They don't even know where you're being sent?" Mako asked.

Uryu shook his head. "They have no idea. I just happened to arrive in Ba Sing Se, but the worlds were closer then so the transition was easier. Ichigo was sent ten thousand years in the past when the worlds were farther apart. That just shows how much of a guessing game this really is."

Asami put her head in her hands. No one had pointed it out, but her puffy eyes made it clear that she had been crying for some time before their meeting. She breathed deeply for several seconds and then looked up.

"How did we let this happen?" she said quietly.

Everyone was quiet. Korra got out of her chair and went to hug Asami. Uryu glared at a single spot on the table, keeping his eyes averted from everyone. He didn't want to say it but it had to be said to teach them a lesson. But Korra didn't give him the chance.

"If Uryu had just done his job, this never would've happened," she said coldly.

Uryu's face snapped up. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. This is your fault."

"My fault? If you all had just listened to me, we would've been better prepared."

"This was your mission. Your one mission was to protect Ichigo and you failed!" Korra voice rose in aggravated anger.

Uryu's eyes smoldered. "You don't get to place blame on me when you insisted on coming to this city, remaining out in the open, not taking my advice and not moving on when we needed to." He got to his feet. "I warned you, Avatar. I said that if you got in my way, Soi Fon would come and capture Ichigo and she did just that. And I told you not to come whining to me for help afterwards."

"I'm not whining! And I'm not asking for your help. You can leave for all I care. Everything was going just fine until you came along."

"And what will you do without me?" Uryu growled. "You have no leads, no information to go on. And let's say you actually follow them into my world. You will have no clue what to do or where to go. You will be lost forever and so will Ichigo."

"I don't think you even care about him."

"Keep thinking that. I could care less about your opinion of me. If you want me to leave, then I will. I will not sit here and listen to your idiotic accusations while my friend is out there needing my help."

"Go, then! Get out of here!"

"Enough!" Asami leapt to her feet. "Both of you calm down, especially you, Korra. We need each other. We can't track Soi Fon or find our way around the other world without Uryu, and Uryu can't take on all of them without us. Arguing and throwing blame around is not going to help anyone. Uryu, please say you have a plan."

Uryu nodded. "I do. But if we're going to go through with it, you must follow my lead at all times. Until that's made clear, I'll keep this plan to myself. Does everyone concur?"

Asami nodded. Mako and Bolin followed suit, as did Suyin and Lin. Korra sat back down in her chair in anger while everyone looked to her. She swallowed deeply and her eyes fixed on Uryu.

"I'll follow your lead. But this had better work."

He nodded. "It's our best chance. Since we don't know exactly where Soi Fon entered this world, I believe that we should spend our time going to the other world and not chasing her. There is a place where Ichigo went back and forth between the worlds not too long ago, isn't there?"

"The South Pole," Mako said.

"Right. The barrier between the worlds is very weak there. If we can find an opening, I'm sure we can make it to the other side."

Everybody around the table nodded their agreement. Uryu stood up again. "Good. Everyone get ready. We'll leave as soon as the airship is fixed."

"What about the Soul Reaper we captured?" said Bolin. "Pretty sure that guy's still alive."

"He's unconscious," Kuvira answered. "Doesn't look like he's waking up anytime soon."

"We'll keep him here," said Suyin. "Maybe we can get some information out of him when he wakes up."


Ichigo groaned and lolled his head back against a hard surface. His entire body was sore and cramped. Feeling a great strain in his arms, he tried to move them but found that he could not. His legs were twisted awkwardly beneath his seated form. Ichigo winced and opened his eyes.

Steel, grey walls met his vision and the smell of gears, oil and blood assaulted his nostrils. Trying to move his arms again, he felt that his wrists were bound behind his back and attached to something on the wall behind him. His usual great strength seemed to be missing. Seeing as how he couldn't get up, he turned his neck to look at his surroundings.

More grey walls and the rumble of propellers outside, he was in an airship. At the far end of the room, Hanataro was sitting quietly, trying to not look at his captive. His hair hid his eyes from view and his legs were held up against his chest. It almost looked like he had been crying.

"Hey," Ichigo croaked, his voice sounding dry and brittle.

Hanataro didn't answer.

"Look at me, damn it," Ichigo said louder. "Why did you do this to me, Hanataro?"

At last, the small Soul Reaper looked up. His face was streaked with tears. "I didn't want to, Ichigo, believe me! But with things as they are I just couldn't- I couldn't say no to them."

"You could've. You could've stood up for me."

"How? They would never listen to me. You were my friend and you killed all those people."

"I didn't-" Ichigo sighed. "Did she threaten you?"

Hanataro nodded slightly. "I didn't have a choice."

Ichigo looked down. "Where are we going?"

"The South Pole. Then back to the Soul Society."

"How come I can't break these restraints?"

"They're specially made by Captain Kurotsuchi. They block reiatsu both from inside the user and from outside it. It's why you've lost your strength and your healing factor."

Ichigo put his head against the wall again. "Can you heal me then? I'm sore all over."

"I'm not allowed to touch you. I'm sorry."

"Then why are you even allowed to be near me?"

"Soi Fon wanted you to see me. The one who betrayed you."

Ichigo scowled. "Of course she did."


"This is not going to work," Ikkaku hissed.

Rangiku slapped him lightly on the arm. "Have a little faith, baldy."

"You realize that your plan B if this doesn't work is to seduce them, right? Don't tell me it's not, I know how you think."

"What, you think I can't seduce them? I do it all the time!"

"Yeah, and it never works!"

"Shush. Here he comes."

The two of them were hiding in an alleyway opposite the Senkaimon gate. After deciding yesterday that they wanted to warn their friends in the World of the Living about what was to come, they'd thought up a plan. To be more exact, Rangiku had thought up the plan and the B plan while Ikkaku sat and argued.

In front of the entrance to the gate were five Soul Reaper guards. Normally, each Squad would rotate a few guards each shift but because several of the Squads were no longer trusted by Yamamoto, only a certain few Squads were allowed to send their guards. The five guards were sturdy and unpleasant to look at, their swords were jagged and looked like they'd seen plenty of combat.

Rangiku quietly released her sword into its Shikai form and a fog began to spread into the area around the Senkaimon. The guards looked confused as the fog surrounded them, obstructing their vision on all sides. They drew their swords and began to fan out, leaving the gate somewhat exposed.

Ikkaku leapt up to the top of a rooftop and began to laugh, a chilling, bloodcurdling laugh. The guards started in surprise and turned towards the sound. Rangiku had made her way to the far left of the Senkaimon and let loose a terrified scream. The guards jumped again and two of them began to head in her direction.

Using Shunpo to travel to the other side of the Senkaimon, Ikkaku laughed again. The guards were beginning to freak out, they were spread thin and the Senkaimon gate was no totally exposed. Rangiku and Ikkaku shot towards it at great speed and before the guards could even see them, sprinted through the gate and out of the Soul Society.


Korra stepped inside the radio room within the mansion. Before they left, she needed to let Tenzin know what was going on. Bataar Jr, Suyin's oldest son was sitting in the room's only chair in front of the radio, relaying messages to his father down below with the airships. He looked up at her as she walked in.

"Avatar Korra?"

"I need to use the radio."

"I-well I'm a little busy right now and-"

"Do you think I have time for your stuttering? Get out of the chair and give me the room, kid. I won't be too long. I'm sure you can find a way to entertain yourself till then."

Bataar blanched but obliged and got out of the chair. "I'm older than you, you know."

"Cool." Korra plopped down into the seat and began to radio the Air Temple. She didn't like being rude to people, much less Suyin's son, but she was in such a bad mood that she didn't care at that moment. The only thing on her mind was Ichigo and getting him back from that pipsqueak Soul Reaper woman.

Mako and Bolin followed her into the room. "Did you get through to Tenzin?" Mako asked.

"Not yet," she replied.

Bolin sat down cross-legged on the floor next to her chair. "Man, I knew we'd be going on an adventure but I didn't think it would be this crazy. We're going to a whole different world! Like that is… that is nuts!"

"Been there, done that," Korra muttered.

"We're not going to sight see, Bo," Mako said. "If things work out, we won't be there for very long anyway."

"I know… but still. Maybe after we rescue Ichigo he can show us around?"

"I don't think Soi Fon is just going to sit back while we tour around her world. We'll need to get out of there fast and hope she can't follow us back here."

"Hang on," Korra said. "I'm getting something."

Tenzin's voice came through the radio. "Is that you, Korra? Are you alright? Where are you?"

"We're with Beifong's sister in Zaofu. We thought we were safe, but Soi Fon came and captured Ichigo."

"What?!" Tenzin cried. "How? What happened? Zaofu is said to be the most secure city on the planet."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't. Soi Fon and her goons snuck in with a delivery truck and waited till dark. They ambushed us. We outnumbered them and could've probably won, but then Soi Fon took Asami captive and threatened to kill her. Ichigo turned himself over to her and they escaped."

"My God… I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help. Is Asami alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. A little worse for wear, but she's okay. I called you to let you know that we're going after Ichigo."

"Do you know where he's being taken?"

"We're presuming back to their world. We're headed to the South Pole where the worlds are closest so we can cross over."

"Do you need any support?"

"No, it's okay. You're doing great work there, Tenzin. I'm sure of it. We'll be sending another Airbender your way. Her name is Opal. She's Suyin's daughter."

"Really? Well, if nothing else, I'm thankful for that."

"How's the training going?"

"Not so well at first, I'm afraid," Tenzin said sadly. "No one seemed to be interested in the hard work that goes into becoming a part of the Air Nation. My students were bored and discouraged and Kai kept putting bad ideas into Jinora's head."

"Like what?" Korra chuckled.

"Like getting her tattoos! I was always worried about this day when some foolhardy boy would try and take her away from me. Ah well, he's a good kid, I suppose. I tried different strategies, even took some of Bumi's advice but none of it went very well. Then Jinora and Kai got captured by some bison herders. Thankfully, we all went after them and it was a great team-building experience. We rescued the kids and all the bison so the training has had a turn for the better."

"I'm glad to hear that, Tenzin," Korra said.

"Yes, well, let me know if I can be any help in getting Ichigo back. I suppose we should've known that this day would come."

"We were too relaxed," she admitted. "I was too relaxed. Right now I just want to get him back home with us."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Tenzin advised. "You're a much wiser Avatar than you think."

"I hope you're right," she answered.

"I usually am," he joked softly.

The two of them laughed. "It was good to talk to you, Tenzin. The airship will be ready soon so I have to go."

"Alright, Korra. It was good to hear your voice. Best of luck. I know all of you will succeed and Ichigo will be right back where he belongs."

"Goodbye, Tenzin."

"Goodbye, Korra."

She took off the headset and got up with Mako and Bolin in tow. Bataar Jr. was standing outside the room, kicking his feet around in mild frustration.

"Hey, Bataar," Korra said.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"Thanks for giving us the room. And uh… sorry for how I spoke to you."

He pursed his lips. "My, you really had to force that out, didn't you?"

"At least I apologized!"

"Apologies don't mean much if you don't change your behavior afterwards." He stalked past her.

Korra glared after him in annoyance and then shook her head.

"At least you tried," Bolin offered.

"Yeah. All I can do."


"How is Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

Hanataro shook his head. "I don't know. I just know that she's in a cell somewhere."

"What about my other friends? Do they all think I'm guilty too?"

"I'm not sure. It's possible."

Ichigo's head drooped. "Yeah, I guess I can't argue with what they saw. So I'm going totally into enemy territory. No allies, no zanpakuto. Awesome."

Hanataro stared at him intently. "I admired you, you know. You were everything that I wanted to be. You were everything that a hero should be. But you betrayed that. You betrayed everyone. You're- you're friends with the Avatar, Ichigo. And you came to the Seireitei to kill us all as a Hollow. What happened to you? Was it the Avatar's fault?"

"Even heroes make mistakes," Ichigo said darkly. "There's a lot more going on here than you know, Hanataro."

"Then why not tell me? I can- I can be a witness for you. I can help you."

Ichigo looked at him sadly. "I can't trust you, Hanataro. You're the reason my girlfriend was nearly killed. You led me away from her and left her to Soi Fon who did God knows what to her before she brought her out in that courtyard."

Hanataro's face darkened. "Then I guess our friendship is dead to you."

"It died the moment you lost faith in me. You know deep down that I didn't kill all those people on purpose."

Suddenly the door to the cockpit was flung open and the pilot Yumi was tossed onto her backside.

"Hey!" she yelled. "We had a deal! I helped you capture him now help me defeat the Triads!"

Soi Fon followed her with a cold look on her face. "Unfortunately, Yumi, we don't have time for your little turf war."

"So that's it, then? What happens now?"

"You served us well. Thanks to you we accomplished our goals." Soi Fon strode confidently after Yumi who was crawling away on her back. Stepping on Ichigo's exposed ankle, she brought a cry of sudden pain to his lips. Sneering, Soi Fon ground her foot into his ankle and then kicked it aside.

Ichigo's face smoldered with anger. Yumi suddenly turned to him.

"Reaper! They're not going to give you a fair trial! They mean to kill you!"

"You shut your mouth," Soi Fon growled.

Yumi held out her hands and a powerful gust of air sent Soi Fon flying back into the cockpit.

"I'll get you free," she said.

"No!" Ichigo instructed. "Get off the ship and tell the others what's going on!"

Omaeda came barreling out of the cockpit towards her. With one hand, Yumi forced him back with an air push and with the other she opened the airlock, allowing herself to fly out the open door. Omaeda held on to the airship's interior and Hanataro grabbed on to him so they weren't sucked out with her.

The emergency lights came on and the door closed not but not before Ichigo saw their surroundings. Soi Fon stalked over to him with a horrific scowl and backhanded him across the face. Ichigo spat out blood onto the floor.

"Are we going after her, Captain?" Izuru asked.

"No," Soi Fon answered sternly. "Stay on course. She is not our priority."

"So, the South Pole, huh?" Ichigo said. "You think you can get back that way?"

"The gate is still open, Kurosaki," Soi Fon chided, speaking to him as if he was a child. "Soon, you'll be back home. The home you destroyed."

"If the gates are still open, then my friends will come after me. Uryu will lead them."

"Yes, and they'll be met with the full force of the Gotei 13. The Captain Commander will kill the Avatar himself."

Ichigo scowled but was silent. Soi Fon looked down at him disdainfully. From the cockpit, Izuru called them.

"We're almost there, Captain!"

"Blindfold him," she instructed.

Omaeda nodded and followed her instructions. With his vision gone, Ichigo just had to rely on his sense of earing and smell. The airship landed and he was marched out into the snow. It was freezing. By the frigid whistling of the wind, he could tell they were near the peak of the South Pole. He assumed they would take him through the forest into the Spirit World but they never entered the trees.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Be quiet," Omaeda said.

"We're going home, Ichigo," said Izuru. "We're going home."

"Knock him out," Soi Fon ordered.

Wham! The last thing Ichigo felt was Omaeda's fist cracking against the back of his head and then everything went dark.


Orihime sighed as she swirled her food around with her chopsticks. It was a bright, beautiful day at Karakura University and she and Chad had met underneath the loving shade of a tree to eat lunch. They'd been sitting here for some time but she'd barely touched her food. Chad glanced at her.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Hmm? N-nothing. I just feel bad sitting here eating and going to school while our friends are in danger. I feel useless."

"I feel the same," he replied.

"Like we should at least do something! Why can't we just go get a hold of Urahara and Yoruichi and Ichigo's Dad? I'm sure they can help, right? They're all super strong!"

"But even they can't fight the whole Soul Society."

"No… I suppose not. But we have allies there, right? Rukia, Renji, our friends are still up there. They will fight with us."

"Maybe."

"They have to! Ichigo's their friend as well!"

As if on cue, there was a shift in the reiatsu around them and the two of them turned their heads in surprise. At first they didn't see anything, but then striding over one of the hills in the university courtyard, they could hear voices bickering. It was Ikkaku and Rangiku.

"See?" Rangiku was saying. "Told you it would work."

"You idiot, that had a one in a million chance of working out. You're lucky those guards were so stupid."

"Yeah, you sure they weren't from Squad 11?"

"Shut up!"

"Rangiku!" Orihime cried, running over excitedly to her friend.

"Orihime!"

The two of them embraced tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Chad offered a nod to Ikkaku who returned it in his snarky way.

"What are you guys doing here?" Orihime asked.

Rangiku and Ikkaku looked at each other. Rangiku tried to smile but it was difficult.

"We know you've heard about everything happening with Ichigo. But because of this situation, there is a rebellion brewing in the Soul Society. We came to let you know."

"We felt you all deserved it," Ikkaku added.

"A rebellion?" Orihime stammered. "Does that mean a war?"

"Yeah. Probably."

"It hasn't started yet," Rangiku said.

"We can help! Right, Chad?"

"We'll do what we can. But through it all, we'll be loyal to Ichigo."

"Oh, us too!"

"I mean…" Ikkaku mused. "If he did kill all those people then I don't know but…"

"Of course he didn't!" Rangiku snapped. "Everything will be explained. I'm sure of it."

"By the way, Ikkaku," Orihime said. "Since you're in town we could go visit Keigo's sister. I'm sure she'd love to see you!"

"Nope!" he cried. "Absolutely not!"


Asami sat at the edge of her bed inside the same room where Soi Fon had ambushed her the night before. That had been a harrowing experience. The diminutive Soul Reaper had manhandled her so easily; Asami never stood a chance. Throughout every fight she'd been in, Asami had never felt as helpless or outclassed as she did against Soi Fon. No matter what she tried, she just overpowered her.

Gently touching her throat, Asami could still feel the painful soreness of Soi Fon's right hand which had nearly choked the life out of her. She swallowed and then closed her hand into a fist. There was no point in fear. Although Soi Fon terrified her, Asami knew that she had to be strong. She'd been strong for Ichigo before, whether it be physically or emotionally but now she had no other option.

Uryu and Korra would always butt heads. And even though everyone had agreed to follow Uryu's lead, Asami believed that she would be the one to call the shots. This was her mission. It was her fault that Ichigo had turned himself in and now she had to rescue him and make amends.

Asami glanced to her right where her Equalist glove lay on the bed beside her. This was it, her only weapon. While everyone around her had powers and swords, she was left with a single glove. Running her hand over its smooth palm, she gave a wry smile.

"It hasn't let me down yet," she said quietly.

There was a knock on her door and Korra poked her head in.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"The airship is finished. Everyone's gathering at the platform now."

Asami nodded and got to her feet. "Okay." Stashing the glove in a small bag, she left the guesthouse behind and set out with Korra towards the landing platform. On the way, Mako and Bolin joined them. The four of them walked in silence, even when they boarded the monorail to take them to the airship.

It passed through the main city and Asami noticed Bolin staring at the metal statue of Toph as they went by. Then he eventually hung his head and sighed. Leaving the city, they stopped at the landing platform. Uryu, Suyin, Lin and Opal were waiting for them along with Varrick and Zhu Li.

Asami took a last look back at the mansion behind them. It had been fun while it lasted here. But like Uryu had warned them time and time again, the fun didn't last. Mentally, she added Zaofu as another place on her list of locations to travel to when they weren't on some adventure.

Korra took her hand. "You ready?"

Asami looked at her with a small smile. "Yeah. Let's go get him back."

As they approached the airship, they could hear Opal and Suyin discussing something.

"But Mom, I want to go with them! Grandma Toph went on an adventure when she was just a kid, why shouldn't I? They need all the help they can get. Uryu said so himself."

"Not this time," Suyin insisted.

"Your mother's right," Lin said. "I wouldn't wish this mission on anybody. Your grandmother was already an elite earthbender at that age. You've barely started your airbending training. I'm sorry but you'd be more of a hindrance than an aid."

"But I- …" she sighed. "Okay."

Korra gave her a smile. "I've told Tenzin that you're coming. He's looking forward to meeting you."

"I guess it'll be exciting to train and make some new friends."

"You won't have any problem making friends," Bolin agreed. "But I'll um… I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," she smiled sadly. "I would write to you but you'll be in another world so I guess I can't."

Bolin laughed awkwardly. "Hah, yeah… Long distance relationships, eh?"

"We won't be in the other world for that long, Bo," Mako said dryly.

"Let's hope not," Uryu said. "Everyone ready?"

They nodded. "Good, see you on board."

He headed up into the ship while everyone said their goodbyes. Korra and Suyin hugged while Bolin engulfed Opal in a tight, tearful embrace. Mako saluted Lin but she waved him off with a smirk and patted his back.

"You'll be alright," she said.

"Yes, Chief," he replied. "Got any more estranged siblings or family members we should know about?"

"Get on with you," she pushed him with a chuckle and he laughed as he entered the airship.

Asami said her goodbyes and sat down in the pilot's seat of the airship. Uryu was seated next to her. While the other three piled into the back, Uryu wiped his glasses clean for the flight and glanced over at Asami. She met his gaze and a silent understanding passed between them. The three benders behind them were the muscle, but they were the brains.

"Everybody strapped in?" Asami called.

"Yup!" came the reply.

"Alright. Lifting off now!"

The propellers of the airship began to turn and soon they were beating powerfully against the wind. Lin, Suyin and Opal watched as the airship took off into the sky, picking up speed and leaving the valley, headed due south.

"Good luck," Lin whispered.

Knowing that they were in for a long journey, the team settled down together in the cockpit. Besides the pilot and copilot chairs which Asami and Uryu occupied, there were two other chairs behind them and also two couches built into the back walls. Bolin was sprawled out on one of these while Korra sat on the other one. Mako preferred to sit in one of the remaining seats.

Unsurprisingly, their mood was rather solemn, Bolin's especially. From time to time they could hear him moaning to himself about Opal and how much he missed her. Mako was quiet, as per usual. His thoughts could not stray from Yumi. What had she been doing flying for Soi Fon and why was she helping their enemy? After spending the last several weeks looking for her, it was a sad surprise to see her in these circumstances.

Korra sat with her hands clasped together, leaning over and staring intently at the floor. Her breathing was even and her demeanor was calm. But there was a smoldering anger beneath her eyes that looked like it could cut loose at any point. Uryu glanced back at her and she looked up at the same time. Their eyes met and Korra's expression softened.

"Hey, um…" she started awkwardly. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for the things I said to you this morning. I was really upset and I directed it at you and you didn't deserve that. We do need you. Without you we wouldn't have any idea where to even go, much less navigate around the other world."

He nodded slowly. "Apology accepted. I think it's clear that we all need each other. I've invaded Soul Society once before and it took everything we had just to stay alive. Hopefully, we'll have more allies there this time than we did then."

"What happened?" Asami asked. "Was Ichigo with you?"

"He was. Our friend Rukia was captured and sentenced for execution because she gave her powers to Ichigo, a human. So Ichigo and I, and a few others, came to the Soul Society for the first time to rescue her." A small, wistful smile came to his lips. "Looking back, that was probably when I made my first friends."

"It's good that you've already invaded," Mako said. "You'll know all the routes, all their strategies and how best to counteract them."

"Well, yes and no. It might've changed a lot, especially after it was destroyed… And we don't know who's on our side or not. This could prove to be much more difficult than the first time I went there. Plus, we don't have Ichigo. It seemed like in every fight, he grew stronger to match and eventually surpass the level of his opponent. He learned his Bankai in three days. Normally it takes a Soul Reaper years, even decades to do the same. Even if he's not as powerful as he once was, we'll miss him."

"Hey, at least we've got the Avatar!" Bolin chirped up.

Korra offered a smile. "I'll do the best I can."

"We'll need you to," Uryu acknowledged. "You're our best hope unless we find some allies."

"Is there any chance of that?" Asami asked. "We know that Ichigo had friends there. Surely not all of them are against him now."

"To be fair, the reason I got here was because Ikkaku, someone who was sent to capture me, helped me. He said there were others. We're not alone. However, things might have changed. Those allies might've been discovered and captured or even killed."

"Knowing we're not alone is good enough for me," Korra said. "With everything that's against us, it's not a bad thing to have a little hope. We can figure things out as they come."

"Let's just hope that hope itself is not what defeats us," Uryu said darkly.

The remainder of their journey passed rather smoothly, they stopped for fuel once and asked around if another airship had passed by the area. No one whom they asked had seen anything. It was a good thing that Zaofu was near the lower end of the Earth Kingdom so their journey to the South Pole was shorter than otherwise. The winds began to grow colder as they passed over the ocean.

Mako stepped outside onto the only deck on the small airship. The air sailed around him chillingly and he sighed out a breath of hot air powered by firebending. Its warmth washed over him briefly but then faded again. Behind him, he heard the door open and a blanket was tossed onto his head.

"Hey!" he said.

Korra laughed behind him. "Firebender or not, I can see that you're still cold out here, Mako."

"Wasn't that cold," he grumbled, pulling the blanket off himself and laying it across his shoulders as a cover. Korra stepped beside him and pulled some of the blanket over her, bringing them close together.

"Sharing is caring," she said.

Mako looked at her and blushed ever so slightly. Korra blanched. "Oh, come on! We've been broken up for like three weeks now, I'm not trying to start anything."

"S-sorry," he apologized awkwardly. "It's just we haven't really been this close since…"

"Well, that's because you haven't been talking to me, remember? You slept under your desk at the office just so you didn't have to interact with me."

"That's not true," he protested. "I had to focus on work."

"Right…" she drawled. "Bolin said you'd say that."

"Damn it, Bo."

"It's okay to talk to me, you know. We're still friends, right?"

"Of course we are. It's just… awkward. And I'd rather avoid it."

"Avoid me or what?"

"Not you specifically but you know… it."

"No. I don't."

"You're being difficult."

"I'm being myself!" She objected.

"Exactly!"

They two of them went silent and then started to laugh. For Mako, it felt like the first time he'd really laughed in weeks. For Korra, it was like just a little bit of the stress was lifted from her shoulders for that moment. She leaned into Mako and the two of them stood there for several minutes, just content to be together in the midst of the freezing air.

"Let's go back inside," Korra said eventually.

"Okay. Thanks, by the way. For the blanket."

She smiled. "Anytime, man. That's what friends are for."

"Right. Friends. I'm glad we can say that now."

"You and me both."

More time passed as they flew. Beyond them, they could now see the port capital of the Southern Water Tribe. With its new independence, the harbour now was always filled with trading vessels and government cruisers. An airship field was being built on the western tide of the tundra just outside the city and overall the city had become the southern trading hub of the world, relishing its independence.

"What's that?" Uryu asked.

"Home," Korra answered.

Bolin shuddered. "Good thing we're not going to the North Pole. Just seeing this city gives me chills."

"Why because of Eska?" Mako asked. "I thought you were cool with her now?"

"Yeah- yeah we're cool. Still suffered a few traumatizing experiences with her but you know, we're cool."

"Should I land?" Asami asked. "Maybe we can get some information here."

"With the storms surrounding the Pole itself, I think that would be a good idea," said Mako. "We can leave the airship there and take snowmobiles the rest of the way."

"Fair enough," Uryu agreed. "I don't know this terrain so I'll take your word for it."

Asami signaled to one of the towers that they were going to land and she brought the airship in to touch down on the snow outside the city.

"Grab your things," Korra said. "We won't be coming back here for a while."

Two officials made their way to stand outside the entrance to the airship while everyone disembarked.

"Avatar Korra?" they gaped. "We had no idea you were coming here!"

"Yeah, wasn't on the agenda but here I am," she replied. "Is my Dad here?"

"No, he left a few days ago to meet up with Fire Lord Zuko."

"Right, the criminals. Great. Can't wait to meet those guys after we deal with the assassins and warriors in the Soul Society. We're coming into town. We need a few snowmobiles."

The officials nodded. "We'll supply you with the best we have."

Walking up the city, Uryu marveled at its buildings and houses made of snow, tall watchtowers and religious cultural sites. He adjusted his glasses and let a miniscule impressed smile cross his face. Asami glanced over at him and noticed it.

"What's got you smiling, Uryu?" she asked.

"I don't think the architecture of this world will ever cease to amaze me," he replied simply.

"You and Ichigo really are polar opposites, huh?" Bolin joked.

Uryu gave a nod. "Yes, yes we are."

Entering the town, they could see that several snowmobiles were already waiting for them. Evidently, the officials had radioed ahead. Senna was waiting for them too. She and Korra embraced tightly. They filled her in on what had happened to Ichigo and what they planned to do.

"I know you'll get him back," Senna said softly.

"It won't be easy," Korra replied.

"It never is. But I believe in you. I believe in all of you. Ichigo is family, particularly to us. You will rescue him and bring him home."

"Well, technically he already is home," Bolin interjected.

"Home is where his family is," Asami responded. "Senna's right. We're his family now."

Senna took Korra's arm. "Korra, you must take great care once you return. Zaheer has escaped and is coming after you."

"I know," Korra said. "But I sure wish you and Dad hadn't kept him a secret from me too."

"We did it to protect you, dear. We thought those prisons were unescapable. But after Harmonic Convergence-"

"Yeah, I know. I messed up the world and it gave him airbending and he escaped and got all his buddies out."

"It's not your fault, Korra. You could have never foreseen this."

"I'm the Avatar, Mom. Everything's my fault."

Senna's face soured. "Is that self-pity that I hear, Korra?"

"No, Mom."

"It better not be. You're a lot stronger than that." She gave her one last hug. "Good luck. To all of you. I can't wait to see Ichigo standing here again with all of us."

"Goodbye, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Korra."

Senna left and they packed their things onto the snowmobiles, preparing to leave.

"So due south, I guess?" Mako said.

"That's our best bet," Korra nodded.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned at the voice. Mako's jaw fell open. It was Yumi. Huffing and puffing, she ran up to them. Her clothes were torn and she looked bruised up but that same fierce determination was in her eyes.

"Yumi, what are you doing here?" Mako exclaimed.

"Mako," she gasped for breath. "I flew them here. I was the pilot."

Asami scowled venomously. "You helped them. You helped them take him. How could you, Yumi? You were my childhood friend, my assistant!"

"I'm sorry, I made a deal, okay! But they didn't keep their end of it. They threw me off the airship."

"Where'd they go?" Korra said.

Yumi pointed. "The South Pole. They said that they entered this world from somewhere. When they wouldn't hold up their end of the deal, I tried to help your friend escape but he told me to find you guys instead. I didn't think you'd be here already."

"Did they say exactly where they'd be going?"

"Yeah, they said they came in somewhere just outside the forest and near the ruined military encampment."

"Guess we know where we're headed," Bolin said.

"No," Uryu shook his head.

"Huh? Why no? Am I missing something?"

"If we follow them directly into the Soul Society we won't know what's waiting for us. They could have an army waiting right outside the gate and we'll be decimated. It's better if we find our way back to my world first, then hopefully we can gather a few more allies and make our way into the Soul Society by another route. It'll take longer but it's safer."

"Oh, I can get behind that."

Mako nodded. "Me too."

Asami pursed her lips. "As much as I want to get right after Ichigo and not waste any more time, Uryu's right. What do you think, Korra?"

Korra hesitated. "I'm not sure. His plan makes sense but we could use up a lot of valuable time when we could be going in right after them. Yumi, did they say anything about their plans for him?"

She nodded. "To appease the people who still believe in Ichigo, they're going to hold a trial. But the judge and jury will all be stacked against him and then he'll be executed. Soi Fon wants to do it herself, of course."

Korra sighed. "So we have a little bit of time, but not a lot. I just don't know."

"I know I made you promise to follow my lead, Avatar," Uryu said, "but this is your call. I respect your opinion."

She licked her lips. "Okay. You're right. I promised to follow your lead, so that's what we're going to do. Lead the way, Uryu."

Mako pulled Yumi aside. "Come with us," he said. "Your knowledge and skills could really help us here."

She smiled. "You know I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Mako, I'm a criminal. I should be in jail. Life has given me this chance to go do something. Sure, I still make mistakes. I shouldn't have helped them."

"You were just the pilot."

She shook her head. "No, Mako. I gave them a lot of valuable information. I'm the reason they knew where to go, where Ichigo would be and why they needed to separate him from Asami. I'm the reason that they used her to get to him. I can't even face her. She's my childhood friend, my literal boss. I don't even want to know what she thinks of me."

"But were you willing? Surely they forced you."

"A bit of both," she admitted. "Either way, I can't go with you guys. There's too much at stake for me to mess it up."

"What will you do instead?"

She glanced off wistfully. "Amon's Equalist vision never came true. But I can still stand up for the little guy in Republic City. My mission is to end the triads who have been extorting the poor and weak for decades. My family has always been involved with them. My- my father was a triad member."

Mako's eyes darkened. "I hate that I was in the same position as him. He put me there in a way. Hell, I might've even known him."

Yumi put her hand on his chest. "My father couldn't stop the great man that you've become. I didn't know your parents. But I know that they would be so proud of you, Mako."

He put his head down and nodded. She smiled and gave him a quick hug. He returned it and she turned to leave. Asami was waiting for her with her arms crossed. She wanted to chew Yumi out for everything that she'd done. She was so angry, angry that she'd ever trusted her, and given her that job as her assistant. But when she looked at her one-time friend, her gaze softened.

"You've made a lot of mistakes, haven't you," she said quietly.

Yumi nodded. "And I'll continue to pay for them."

Asami shook her head. "Not today, at least. You remember that secret tunnel under the mansion? The one we used to play in as kids?"

"Yeah?"

"There's some money there that I stashed away in case my company went totally bankrupt. It's not much, but it should help you out."

"Haven't you done enough helping me out?"

"Probably. But I can spare the cash."

"Obviously." The two of them laughed and Yumi said her goodbyes.

Everyone mounted their snowmobiles and they shot out into the frozen tundra. The storm today wasn't as powerful as it was normally, so visibility was clearer. They travelled for some time in silence. It was oddly peaceful. Unlike the previous times they'd made this trip, there were no dark spirits, the Southern Lights illuminated their path brilliantly and the snowmobiles made for quick, easy travelling.

Before, they'd had to camp out to rest the animals but as long as they had fuel, they were good to go. After a long while, the beaming light of the Southern Portal came into view. Uryu's eyes narrowed. He could feel the reiatsu shifting and becoming more familiar. They were getting close.

They stopped just outside the forest. Uryu scanned the area. He could feel a very strong spiritual presence emanating about a hundred paces away. Korra looked confused and then came over to him.

"Do you feel that? That spiritual energy coming from over there?"

"You feel it too? Perhaps you can sense reiatsu now."

"Yeah, maybe. Alright, where are we headed?"

"That's your call as well. Where did Ichigo enter the other world from this one?"

"Within the Spirit World. We have to go inside the Portal."

The five of them trekked through the forest, stepping over frozen roots and braches. Curious spirits watched them as they walked until they ultimately stepped into the clearing and beheld the ethereal light of the Spirit Portal. Uryu reached out to touch it, overwhelmed with intrigue. It flowed interestingly against his palm and his eyes shut, trying to study it.

"Magical," he breathed. "That's the only way I can describe this sensation."

They passed through the portal and emerged into the vast expanse of space that was the Spirit World. There was Vaatu's tree, empty now of course and the other Portal beyond it. Uryu had been to other worlds before but none like this. The Soul Society was more like ancient Japan with its architecture and nature, Hueco Mundo was just a desert wasteland but this… this was otherworldly like nothing he'd ever felt before.

The spiritual pressure was incredible and it felt like he could almost see the eons of knowledge and time that passed through the broken tree before him. Despite all this, his attention was immediately drawn to a single spot. He walked slowly towards it and expanded his reiatsu carefully.

"Feel anything, Uryu?" Bolin asked.

Uryu shushed him and continued walking. Several paces away from the Southern Portal and directly above him, Uryu could feel it. This was the spot. This was where Ichigo had exited this world and gone back home. He turned to the others.

"It's here."

Everyone looked at each other in suspense and then gathered round.

"I remember this," Korra said. "I was standing right over there when he left."

"So this is where Ichigo, um- abandoned everyone?" Asami asked, not wanting to relive that reality.

"Yup," said Mako.

"Left us alone with a horrible, immortal demon," Bolin chimed in.

"I always thought him coming home was a stupid decision," Uryu admitted.

"Yeah, well, he came back and we paid the price," Korra said. "Everyone ready? Grab hold of me. We don't have any more time to waste."

Asami gave a small smile. "See you all in the other world."

"Looking forward to seeing it!" Bolin said excitedly.

"Prepare to be disappointed," Uryu drawled.

"Okay, let's go!" Korra shot them up into the air on a tornado of water from the nearby river. As they drew nearer, it was as if a flash of light blinded them, immense pain began to press in on all sides and then everyone lost consciousness, leaving the Spirit World behind them.


Ichigo stirred and immediately felt a pounding in his head. He groaned and twisted awkwardly. His arms were still cuffed behind him but his legs were free. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was clear that he was in some kind of cell. At the base of all four corners of the room, a red light emanated, providing the only illumination. Everything else was pitch black. There were no visible doors or windows.

Wincing with soreness, he righted himself against one of the walls and took several deep breaths. He felt matted blood on his face from when he'd been struck and his wrists were in a lot of pain from the cuffs that blocked his powers. Even though he knew he was in the Soul Society, he couldn't feel anything. No reiatsu. No nothing.

Ichigo coughed. His throat was parched. Who knows how long he'd been here in this cell. His eyes were tired and he felt his head droop towards his chest. Well, here I am, he thought bluntly. This is the outcome that we all wanted to avoid. This is the outcome I trained to stop, the outcome that Uryu planned against. And it all still failed.

He clenched his jaw. Okay, Ichigo. Take stock of everything. Stay calm. You can- you can find a way out of this. Or they'll rescue you. Someone will rescue you. Right? He sighed. Try as he might to encourage himself, the situation was still impossible. I have to accept that I might be on my own here. Asami… Korra… everyone, I'll do everything I can to get back to you.

All of a sudden, the red lights dimmed and a hissing sound could be heard. Ichigo looked up in confusion but it was now pitch black. Then something resembling a door opened on the other side of the cell and a Soul Reaper stepped inside, the door shutting behind him. The red lights came back on and Ichigo beheld his visitor. He was tall and muscular with spiky white hair and a strong jawline. Ichigo recognized him instantly.

"Kensei Muguruma."

"Captain Kensei Muguruma. Ryoka."

"Ryoka, huh? Haven't been called that in a long time."

"You deserve much worse than a name after what you've done."

Ichigo broke eye contact with him. "How many dead?" He asked.

"Twenty-three thousand, five hundred sixty-two and counting. We're still moving the rubble off of the bodies. We find new ones every day."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Sorry?" Kensei reached down and gripped Ichigo's shirt, throwing him up against the wall in rage. "Sorry doesn't cut it, murderer. No words or deeds will ever atone for your actions. For your sins."

Ichigo didn't reply.

"Well? Aren't you going to defend yourself? You never had a problem talking before," he sneered.

"It's called having the right to remain silent," Ichigo replied. "I'll tell my story to the court."

"Don't expect it to make much impact. Your fate is pretty much sealed at this point."

Ichigo glared at him in defiance. "Well, if my death keeps my friends safe then I'm happy to give my life."

Kensei shook his head. "Your death will only be the start of Soul Society's revenge."

"What, the old man will bring an army of Soul Reapers to my world and kill all my friends? Is that what he's planning? Surely you of all people can't support that. I know you. You're a hard man but you wouldn't kill innocents."

Kensei's face quivered. "I will do as I am ordered."

"Then you'd be no better than what you think of me."

Kensei let go of his shirt and stepped back. "You've become slippery with words in your time away. But that won't help you in the face of Central 46."

"I won't be slippery. I'll tell the truth."

"We'll see if they believe you."

"Oh, I'm not worried about them. It's people like you that I want to convince."

Kensei frowned. "Then I wish you the best of luck, Kurosaki."

"Not Ryoka, anymore?"

He smiled grimly. "All of us are Ryoka at some point."


Renji threw open the door to the small meeting place where all their allies were gathered inside, chattering and discussing ceaselessly. Pretty much everyone who'd ever come before was here, including Kyoraku and Shinji. He took his seat next to Byakuya who looked at him sternly.

"Is it true?" Renji asked.

Byakuya nodded solemnly. "Yes. It's true. They have him."

"We were too late."

"We'll see about that."

Kyoraku clapped his hands. "Okay, everybody. Calm yourselves. Let's relax. And let's talk."

Everyone around him quieted down and he cleared his throat. "As you've all no doubt heard by now, Soi Fon has brought back Kurosaki Ichigo. He is currently in solitary confinement and his trial is due to commence soon. Obviously, this changes our plans drastically."

"We wanted to enact our rebellion and hopefully take over the Seireitei before Ichigo was captured," Byakuya continued. "So with this new development, we must decide which path to take next."

"What are our options?" Shinji asked.

"I say we wait," Toshiro said. "We're not at full strength. Rangiku and Ikkaku have gone to retrieve our friends from the World of the Living, with them we can regroup and-"

"Get out of here with that weak talk!" Kenpachi yelled. "So what if they have Ichigo? Let's bust him out! Like this make perfect sense to me. We get the kid out, he helps us win the rebellion."

"I'm with Kenpachi here, to be honest," Renji said. "They think they're secure. They've just completed one of their main objectives. If we strike now, we'll catch them off guard."

Lisa shook her head. "No. If we fail to rescue Ichigo, then this whole rebellion will go up in flames because then they will come at us with everything they have. We should wait for the trial where he will be out in the open and we'll be expected to attend. We should strike then."

"You want to attack Central 46?"

"Are you crazy?"

"They didn't bring back the Avatar," Shinji pointed out. "For all we know she could be on her way to rescue him herself."

"There's no guarantees of that," Byakuya argued. "We should move forward without expecting any help from the other world."

"Agreed, it's up to us to see this through."

"I thought the Avatar was our enemy?"

"Why did we bother to send two lieutenants to the World of the Living? Isn't Uryu in the other world anyway? Ichigo's other friends are pretty much useless in a war!"

"That's not true," Renji said. "They've helped us before."

"Who cares?" Kenpachi roared. "Are we rebelling or not? Because if not, I'm taking my guys out of here!"

"Now calm down, Kenpachi," Kyoraku said.

"I will not calm down, you flowery idiot. Our enemy has Ichigo and you're all sitting here not getting anything done! I might just go attack the old man myself right now!"

"You cannot act on your own," Byakuya said.

"Why the hell not? Better than sitting here with this club of pussies."

"This club of pussies is trying to figure out the best course of action!" Toshiro shouted.

"I'm out," Shinji said. "This shit is too hectic. Y'all are never gonna decide on anything. This was never going to work."

"Shinji!" Renji protested.

"I'm gone too," Lisa said.

"Hey!"

"Squad 11, roll out!" Yachiru announced.

"Stop it!" Renji yelled. "Hey! We need each other!"

Byakuya just sat down with his head in his hands. "This should not be a big deal," he muttered to himself as several more Soul Reapers filed out.

Renji kicked out at the wall in frustration. "What the hell, man! Are we really going to just split up like this?"

"Getting Kenpachi involved was our first mistake," Toshiro said.

Kyoraku looked at them sadly. "They'll come around," he said. "Right now, all we can do is wait."

"It feels like that's all we've been doing."

"Ichigo would've decided what to do ages ago," Renji said.

"That's because Ichigo doesn't care about consequences," Byakuya retorted. He stood up. "I'm going home."

Renji watched him leave and sank down into a chair. "Rukia," he whispered to himself, "I don't know what to do next."


When the light had blinded Korra, she'd blacked out. But even amidst her unconsciousness, she could still feel the pain and pressure of travelling between worlds. It was an altogether unpleasant sensation, like a vice slowly crushing every bone in her body. But after a period of time, it was over.

Her eyes fluttered. Stretching up high above her was a blank, boring ceiling. What an introduction, she thought to herself. Slowly getting her bearings, she could see that they had arrived in a rocky mesa beneath the ceiling next to a large, gate-like structure. At the far end of the room, for that is what it was, there was a ladder leading up into the shadows of the ceiling.

On either side of her, her friends were beginning to come to as well. Bolin gaped openly at their surroundings. His eyes seemed to bulge out of his head from the pressure of the journey. Asami shook her head vehemently, already eager to clear the cobwebs and get going. Mako just lay there blankly. Uryu, to his credit was already struggling to his feet. He offered Korra a hand up and she took it slowly.

"That was not what I was expecting," she said breathlessly.

He nodded. "Not exactly fun, is it?"

They helped the others up and Asami stretched her arms towards the ceiling.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"A creep's basement," Uryu replied dryly.

"What?" Bolin cried.

"That gate is the one both Ichigo and I went through to get to your world," he continued. "And above that ladder is the creep, Kisuke Urahara."

The five of them walked quickly across the rocky terrain and scaled the ladder, emerging in the wooden shop above them. Bolin coughed loudly at the dust and Asami gave the place a look of disdain. Korra flashed a similar look.

"You know," she said, "I thought you were joking when you said creepy guy's basement but now I remember you don't tell jokes. What is this place?"

"It's his shop," Uryu replied.

"What does he sell?" Mako questioned.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Urahara! We're here!"

Silence.

"Anybody home?" Bolin called.

More silence.

Uryu scowled. "You can't be serious. Today of all days, he's not at home."

"What do we do?" Asami said. "Do we need this guy?"

"Kind of. Damn. Doesn't look like Yoruichi's here either."

"Yoruichi? Does she have purple hair?"

"Yes… how did you know?"

"When Ichigo and I were in the Spirit World, a spirit impersonated her to help him regain his Bankai. She lives here too?"

"It depends."

"Poor woman."

"Why do we need this Urahara person anyway?" Korra asked.

"He can get us to the Soul Society safely. I can't get there on my own. I need a Soul Reaper. But thankfully he's not the only one in this town."

"Who else is there?"

"You guys keep saying Ichigo is part of your family. How'd you like to meet his?"

The others looked at each other. Bolin and Mako were a bit hesitant and Korra looked to Asami for her reaction. Asami nodded.

"Of course I'd like to meet my boyfriend's family. He has two sisters, right?"

"Yeah, and his dad is the other Soul Reaper. He's a pain in the ass but hopefully he'll help us if we tell him what's going on."

"Yeah… we've heard about him."

Uryu went to the front door of the shop and opened it, letting the bright, afternoon light fill the room. Everyone squinted as they followed him outside. They emerged into a small dirty area that was enclosed by a short, stone wall. There was a walkway that led out onto the street where they could hear the bustle of activity. The air was hot and humid and the constant chirping of cicadas could be heard all around them, particularly in the clearing's only tree.

Uryu spread his hands. "Everyone… welcome to my world."

Bolin grinned. "Alright! Now's our chance to explore a little. Does everyone here wear robes like Ichigo?"

"…Not exactly."

"Oh. So not everyone is walking around with giant swords?"

Uryu sighed. "Ichigo really told you nothing about this world, didn't he?"

"Yeah, not much," Mako admitted.

"Well, if they don't have swords," Korra reasoned, "does everyone have that reiatsu thing? Like how most people in our world have bending?"

Uryu shook his head. "It is incredibly rare for anyone in this world to have abilities of any kind. Most people here can't even see Soul Reapers at all. They don't have enough spiritual energy to do so. In fact, most people here have no idea about what goes on in the spiritual world around them."

Korra's brow furrowed. "Wait, so no one here has any powers? They're all just non-benders, basically?"

"Yes."

"An equal society…" she whispered to herself. "Just the way Amon wanted ours to be. I always thought that taking away so many people's power would only make things worse but… if this world works this way then maybe- maybe he was right."

Uryu chuckled at that. "Trust me, Avatar, there are far more things that can hamper equality than just bending. I don't know anything about this Amon person, but to your credit, I think his vision was flawed in this case. Your world has an entirely different make up and history than mine. To compare the two is meaningless."

She pursed her lips. "I agree with you on that but like you said our worlds are so different. Maybe it's possible that a bending-less society could have moved on and grown as its own entity."

"That's neither here nor there," Asami said to her. "If Amon had succeeded, he would have been the only person in the entire world with bending powers. One person having an advantage over everyone else? Doesn't sound that equal to me."

Korra nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. Hearing you say that about this world just brought back some nasty memories. Take us to Ichigo's dad." She smirked. "Let's see whose fault it is that Ichigo is such an ass."

Everyone laughed and Uryu led them out of the clearing and onto the street. A car rushed past them, the driver looking at their clothes with confusion. The sidewalks were swept clean and tidy on the semi-busy street, a row of pruned trees ran parallel to the road and the flashing lights, the noise of the cars and the intrigued looks of the bystanders caused Team Avatar to stop right in their tracks.

Bolin's mouth hung open. "Asami! Look at all these Sato-mobiles! Look how different they are!"

Her hands shook as she nodded slowly. "If I had my notebook, I'd be writing down so many things right now. Look at these buildings! What's powering them? No steam, no bending… electricity?"

Mako was intensely aware of how strange they looked. "Guys, everyone's looking at us."

Korra's eyes narrowed in concentration as she tapped a bright, peculiar machine. "Uryu, what's this?"

"It's a vending machine," he replied. "You can get drinks from it."

She pressed a button. "Nothing's happening."

"You have to pay," he droned. "If you all are done gawking like idiots, can we get a move on?"

"Do you have a Sato-mobile here?" Bolin asked.

"No, I take the train. And they're called cars."

"That's way easier to say. Asami, why didn't your dad name it something simpler?"

"Narcissism doesn't allow for simplicity," she replied. "I'll see about changing the name, though."

They followed Uryu down the street, as passerby's stared at them with a mixture of curiosity, some indignation and a touch of amusement. A somber mood fell on the group. They were in a foreign land, with a massive world to see and explore all around them but they were acutely aware of how dire their situation was.

If Isshin was not there, they had little hope of getting to the Soul Society and rescuing Ichigo. Uryu had begun to question his decision to come this world instead of following right after Soi Fon. He walked in total silence, deep in thought as he ran through scenario after scenario for what might happen.

Mako, always the police officer was on the lookout for potential violence or aggression from the people around him but it seemed like a fairly peaceful town. There was the odd distrustful individual but everyone else seemed respectful at the very least. He chuckled to himself as he figured that Ichigo was probably the biggest troublemaker here, ruining these poor people's day.

Bolin just stared and stared. He didn't enjoy thinking about the stakes of the situation so he distracted himself with everything that was going on around him. The buildings looked similar to each other in that many of them employed square shapes. That peculiar bug noise had almost faded into the background, joining the overall ambience of the city. Bolin decided that he somewhat liked it here. It was quiet and mostly peaceful unlike the hustle and bustle of Republic City.

Asami and Korra walked side by side, chatting every so often but keeping quiet for the most part. Ichigo weighed heavily on their minds. Trying to ignore the fascinating technology that was all around her, Asami kept her head low while Korra who was prepared for anything, stared down any onlookers fiercely which caused Uryu to cringe slightly.

Uryu at last came to a stop at the front gate of a small house. Its quaint colours and nature almost made Bolin keep walking until he saw the writing on the sign. The house's garage had been totally renovated into an office. A large blue sign signaled its intent and read as Kurosaki Clinic. Asami stared at the name on the sign for several seconds. She knew that Ichigo's house had been small but had never imagined it to be like this. No wonder he called her Prissy.

"Hopefully his father is home," Uryu said. "His sisters should be. I'm sure for what it's worth, they'll be happy to meet you."

They went up the front door and he knocked politely. A young girl with brown hair styled in pig tails answered. A small smile broke out onto her face when she saw Uryu but it quickly morphed into confusion when she saw the others. Bolin grinned widely while Mako and Korra stood by in awkward silence.

Asami bent down with a tender smile. "You must be Yuzu," she said kindly. "Ichigo has told me a lot about you and your sister. I'm Asami, his girlfriend. We're from the other world."

Yuzu stood there in stunned silence.

Uryu cleared his throat. "It's not a prank, by the way," he said.

Yuzu ignored him and turned to yell into the house. "Karin! Ichigo's really pretty girlfriend is here!"

"What?" they could hear the other sister in the background. "Ichigo doesn't have a girlfriend! Much less a pretty one!"

"Come in, come in," Yuzu said hurriedly. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Juice? Water? Food?" Her words came out at a hundred miles an hour.

"Tea would be lovely," Asami said. "Right, everyone?"

They nodded as Yuzu beckoned them inside. The house was simple and tidy with a living space close to the front door and the dining room and kitchen just beyond it. A flight of stairs presumably led to the bedrooms on the second floor. Yuzu ushered them to the table and Uryu indicated that Korra and Asami sit while the guys stood behind them.

Karin came down from her room and stopped when she saw everyone. "And I thought having the Soul Reapers over was weird," she said sarcastically. "Care to introduce us, Uryu?"

"Sure. This is Mako and Bolin, they're brothers. This is Asami, Ichigo's girlfriend and this is Korra, the Avatar."

"That tells us literally nothing about them but okay. I'm Karin. Nice to meet you all."

Yuzu brought out a platter of green tea for everyone and the two sisters joined Korra and Asami at the table. "So," Karin continued. "I get the feeling you're all in a hurry so I'll get to the point. Where's my brother?"

"The Soul Society has him," Korra said. "He's going to stand trial for what happened and then they'll most likely execute him. We came here to rescue him."

"So why come to our house? Urahara is the one who can send you there."

"He wasn't home," Uryu explained. "We came here hoping that your father would be."

"Dad hasn't been here for a couple days," Yuzu said sadly. "He said that he'd be home soon but we haven't heard from him since."

Uryu swore.

"How will we get to the Soul Society then?" Bolin exclaimed.

"Is there no one else?" Mako asked. "Can anybody help us?"

"I'll call Orihime," Karin said. "If her and Chad come, maybe together you all can figure something out."

Uryu put his head in his hands. "This is the worst case scenario."

"Hey," Yuzu said, "Orihime can be helpful! I mean, she might not like Asami very much for obvious reasons but she can help all the same!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asami said.

Uryu swore again.


"Get up, scum."

Ichigo felt a foot kick him heavily in the side. He grunted and opened his eyes. Two Soul Reaper guards were standing above him with their swords drawn.

"Execution day already?" he replied lightly.

They kicked him again and dragged him to his feet, pulling him up by his shoulders. "Not yet, ryoka. The Captain Commander wants to see you."

"Oh. What for?"

"You think we know? We're just guards."

"Right. Okay. Lead the way."

With his wrists bound by the same power-dampening cuffs, Ichigo was forced to walk through the dark prison with the two guards prodding him along with their sword points at his back. His eyes squinted as he adjusted to the increasing light and his steps were labored and slow. He contemplated attempting an escape but he knew that with these cuffs on, he wouldn't get far.

When they reached the exit to the prison, a blindfold was placed on his eyes but he could feel the sun on his skin and knew they were outside. To be honest, the air was nice but there was a clear and acrid scent of smoke, blood and destruction as well. His heart felt heavy knowing that it was his mistake that caused this.

After a long while of walking, his escorts stopped poking him with their swords and he heard their feet stamp the floor in salute. With the cuffs on, he couldn't feel any reiatsu but he figured Yamamoto's would be almost overpowering at this point. The anger, the rage that radiated off this man whom he still couldn't see was palpable.

"Remove the blindfold," the Captain Commander said. His voice resonated with anger but there was a hint of exhaustion as well, as if the events of the past few weeks had aged him significantly.

Ichigo's vision cleared as the blindfold was taken from his eyes and he beheld his ancient captor. The old man stooped and leaned heavily on his cane, no doubt still recovering from the many wounds he had received. His signature facial scar was inflamed and the fingers on his cane looked thin and brittle.

In his heart, even despite knowing how deeply this man hated him and what he planned on doing to him, Ichigo felt only pity and remorse for what he had allowed to happen. They were in a small, secluded room with no windows and only two exits. To his right was a simple, cushioned seat and a table where incense had been burning.

The two men stared at each other. It was difficult for Ichigo to see the old man's eyes beneath his immensely bushy eyebrows. At last, Yamamoto turned away and began slowly moving towards the room's sole exit. Ichigo glanced at the guards but they were silent.

"Walk with me," said Yamamoto.

Ichigo blinked and then followed his captor through the exit and into a long, dim hallway. The only light was provided by slits where the walls met the ceiling, casting an eerie glow upon the wooden surface of the floor. It was difficult to see where the hallway led but Ichigo could only assume that the room they had left was Yamamoto's personal mediation chamber.

"Where are we going?" he asked eventually.

The Captain Commander's shoulders stiffened at his voice but his reply was calm and measured.

"I wish to show you something. I wish to show you the fruits of your efforts."

"Hmm. Am I going to like what I see?"

"Perhaps. It depends how depraved you are."

Yamamoto led him through the hallway and out into an open air room where a single throne was placed at the end. On one side, a deep, red wall was shrouded in darkness and shadow. On the other was a grand expanse, totally open to the outside world. A light breeze rippled through the room and the faint sounds of construction could be heard from below.

Ichigo quickly realized he was standing in Yamamoto's meeting place, far above the rows upon rows of traditional housing on the ground. The old man spread his arm towards the edge and Ichigo headed over to it, bracing himself for what he might see. From his struggling memory of the event, he had a decent idea of what the destroyed soul society looked like but he was admittedly unprepared for the full magnitude wrought by Vaatu.

There was no longer any smoke so the sun shone down brightly upon the city. From east to west, as far as his eyes could see was destruction. The rubble was abundant and near every significant pile of it was a team working to find who might be trapped underneath. There were still outdoor hospitals where Squad Four members ran to and fro from patient to patient.

As the wind buffeted against him and he beheld the so-called fruits of his efforts, Ichigo wanted to jump from the edge of the room and join the ruins below. For that one split second that he doubted himself, that one moment he considered that maybe it was him who caused all this and not Vaatu, he felt more vulnerable and alone than ever before.

But then he remembered. He remembered Asami, and Korra. He remembered Mako and Bolin and all his friends back home. He remembered his sisters and even his father. And he remembered Rukia and the truth that he had to prove his innocence to his accusers and he had to make up for the mistake that caused the Soul Society's destruction.

When he turned back to face Yamamoto, his tears were evident. He swallowed and blinked several times. The old man watched him keenly, trying gauge his reaction. Ichigo took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment and then said nothing. Yamamoto scowled.

"Those tears spit upon the memory of the men and women that you killed, Kurosaki Ichigo. And your silence only disrespects them more. I brought you up here so you could reflect on what you did. Tomorrow, you will stand trial before Central 46 for your many crimes. And you shall be punished accordingly. But you will be made to wait. You will be made to wait until we have invaded this other world and taken our vengeance. You will find that the biggest mistake you made that day is not killing all of us. Because so long as one Shinigami stands, you and the Avatar will live in fear."

He slammed his cane on the ground and the two guards came running with the blindfold. They placed it back on Ichigo's eyes and began leading him back towards his prison cell. Yamamoto glared at his back before leaving one final comment.

"No one is coming to rescue you, Kurosaki. You will die alone, as all traitors should."


Bolin's jaw had hit the floor as soon as Rangiku Matsumoto had stridden through the Kurosaki front door and it had stayed there until it was his turn to introduce himself. Mako elbowed him and Korra stamped on his foot until finally he came to his senses.

"And yeah this is my younger brother Bolin…"

"I'm Bolin!" Bolin blurted. "And I love Opal!"

The room went into an awkward silence.

"What's this guy's problem?" Ikkaku drawled. "Anyways I'm Ikkaku and this is Rangiku. We're Soul Reapers but I'm assuming you guys already knew that. Uryu, glad to see you got to that other world. You can thank me anytime."

"What are you doing in Karakura?" Uryu asked.

Ikkaku smirked. "There's a bit of trouble brewing in Soul Society. A lot of us still ride with Ichigo and think he's innocent or at least we want to give him a fair trial. There's rebellion in the air."

Rangiku nodded. "And we need all the help we can get so we came down to get Orihime and Chad. I guess we're lucky you're all here too."

"Yeah… lucky." Orihime said quietly while sneaking glances at Asami.

"Whether it's luck or not," said Korra, "we're happy to meet you. Our other options for getting to the Soul Society are missing. I'm assuming you two know how to get back?"

"Of course," Ikkaku said. He squinted menacingly. "So you're this famous Avatar we've been hearing all about. I guess the rumours are true. You've got some crazy reiatsu coming off ya."

"Um, thanks?"

Rangiku went up to Mako and patted his cheek lightly. "My, my, Ichigo's found himself some interesting friends, wouldn't you agree?" She turned to Bolin who almost buckled over in embarrassment. "Don't be shy, Bolin. I'm sure this Opal person is lovely."

He nodded vigorously without making eye-contact. "She is!"

"Can we stop with the pleasantries?" Mako said. "We need to get a move on."

"Agreed," Uryu headed towards the exit. "Thank you for having us, Karin and Yuzu."

The two sisters nodded.

"Bring back our brother," Yuzu said.

Korra smiled and put her hands on their shoulders. "Ichigo is like a brother to me too. He's my closest friend and I care for him more than anyone. Whether I bring him back here or to my world, I promise you this, I will save him." She hugged them tightly to herself and continued in a whisper. "If we're forced back into my world, I'll find a way to bring you both to him. I swear it. I won't let this family be held apart any longer."

"We trust you," said Karin.

"And with your trust, I can't fail." She kissed them both on the head and then headed outside. "Ikkaku and Rangiku, lead the way."

"Yes, Avatar," Rangiku laughed. "But the journey won't be easy. The Dangai has really been acting up recently so stay close to us. We'll protect you and show you where to go."

Asami glanced back at Ichigo's house. They had only been in this world for an hour or so but she felt an innate desire to explore it more with Ichigo at her side. In her quiet moments, she often found her mind drifting to the future and what it would look like. Perhaps if the option was available, living here wouldn't be all that bad. Who knows, maybe they could even raise a family here?

She shook her head to clear it and focus on the task at hand. Ichigo was her priority. He needed her now. He needed her to stay strong and hold a clear mind. The two Soul Reapers had formed a gate in front of them. Next to her, Korra gripped her hand tightly in her own. They exchanged glances and then nodded before walking straight into the gate and being enveloped in white light.


Thanks for reading! Not sure when I'll get the next chapter out but hopefully it won't take as long as this one did.