Moon Princess

by romeoraiden

Ichigo Kurosaki was born destined for greatness but has had to suffer as he grows to embrace his destiny. Naturally, he will not endure this burden alone as he will have many allies to help him along the way. But only one of them can help him go beyond as his ever-faithful sword of the moon. (M for Violence and bad language)

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Debt to Pay. Travel into the Beyond

"Longest days of my life…" Ichigo muttered to himself as he lies down on his bed to relax after the ordeal he just had.

Following the awakening of Getsuhime, he spent the remaining days being trained by his father and on occasions by Kisuke, mostly to increase his strength and speed to an immense level but from time to time Isshin would show him how to properly wield a katana with true swordsmanship, he's still a mere practitioner in the eyes of the two obvious masters but he's always been a fast learner so he'll get there.

He's also had plenty of time to adjust to the revelation of his heritage as a true Shinigami and not a lowly Substitute like Rukia, and the insufferable Uryū called him, that part boosted his ego by a lot but he knows better than to rub it in on anyone when he still has more to adjust.

Isshin didn't say more about his past after the whole used to be one of the Captains of the Gotei 13, the military branch of Soul Society where all Shinigami belong and even had a noble status.

Whatever doubts he might've had about him at least being a Shinigami were washed away when they started clashing swords, Renji is nothing compared to his dad.

He can't say anything about Byakuya just yet since he couldn't really pay attention to him throughout that fight, the only way to confirm for himself is to fight him for real next time, then he'll know where he really stands among True Shinigami.

With his family, things are the same as always, when he got back, Karin was nonchalant about it but he could easily tell how worried she was about him being absent without letting them know where he was.

Yuzu on the other hand might as well replace her face with a waterfall because it felt like it took forever to calm her down as soon as she saw him enter the house.

She's always been such a worrywart like Orihime, guess that's why they get along so well. His mother paid a visit to Urahara's Shop every so often but not as much as he thought she would and Kon has been doing a good job looking after the twins.

It's nice to know that Kon is being put to good use and though Ichigo will never admit it, he's glad that his parents know about him because this way, he'll have more freedom to roam around the house and with two extra sets of eyes watching him, things might turn out good for the little guy.

It isn't all sunshine and rainbows in the Kurosaki Clinic as evident by the fact that there seems to be some comical tension between the matriarch and youngest child that is more noticeable when he's near them.

He can't explain it because they don't say or do anything as a result of whatever this is he's not physically involved in it but he is in some way judging by the odd competitive stares between them.

When he asked Karin, the middle child simply shrugged by telling him with disinterest that he doesn't want to know, and when he asked Kon, who's returned to his plushie body, he tells him the same thing Karin did but he did it while laughing, making Ichigo even more curious but at the same time was all the proof he needed not to be.

At least his time with his family, which could likely be his final moments together has proven to be memorable.

They didn't do anything significant besides staying close as a family and that's perfect for Ichigo who is content with it being like this, something surprisingly shared by his father.

Concerning the Twins, Ichigo worries about how to approach them with the truth with him and Isshin talking extensively about it during their breaks, and he at first thought that they would end up arguing about it and while they were intense discussions, they lack the tomfoolery the Kurosakis are used to and in the end, he decided to let his parents handle the matter when the time comes but if they discover the truth and confront him instead he'll handle it the way a big brother should.

"You're stressing yourself too much with this childish mentality," The Voice of Getsuhime spoke to him from within his soul.

"And pray tell what mentality are you referring to?" Ichigo asked with a sigh to his sword spirit.

He's adjusted to the whole talking sword thing that only he can hear and Getsuhime is an all-around sweet, socially awkward but not in a creepy way that would make people want to avoid her girl, and she has a fire in her that wants to be depended on when the going gets tough, though she and Ichigo don't have any common ground yet and she doesn't approve of his snarky attitude, nor with anyone so she prefers to keep things calm and subtle.

"You strain yourself every time someone goes through any kind of turmoil, no good comes from having a hero complex, Ichigo. It's self-destructive," Getsuhime advised.

"What's so bad about wanting to help people?" Ichigo questioned.

"Weren't you the one who once said that you aren't noble enough to want to help everyone in the world nor selfish enough to ignore a person in need right in front of him? Yet recently you're trying to be the former too much. Understandable, the world would be a better place if everyone thought like that but that's not the case," Getsuhime practically starts to reprimand him. "When you confront a foe, you're main concern should be to stay alive."

"What are you, my mother's Zanpakutō?" Ichigo now cracked a joke. "Of course, I have every intention of staying alive. The best way to keep everyone safe is to make sure I remain kicking."

"You got one part down, I'll give you that," Getsuhime mused.

"Bite me," Ichigo hissed. "I know what you're trying to say, Getsuhime, and believe me, I get it. But the fact of the matter is that regardless of the circumstances, I have to do this. Not just for Rukia's sake but also for myself," He said with a more sadden tone, becoming more and more somber.

"You mean your solemn vow?" She questioned.

Ichigo said nothing as he becomes lost in his memories, of his first official day as a Shinigami Agent.

(Flashback)

"The Hollow is in this park?" Ichigo asked Rukia as they arrive at the destination she instructed him to take after she abruptly forced his soul out of his body and kicked him off the roof of his school and they arrive in a park near his high school.

If he recalls correctly, he used to play here a lot when he was younger and even spent a lot of time with his sisters as well but the three of them pretty much outgrew this little place.

"Yep, a hollow will be here shortly, and when it does, you will strike," Rukia explained while still working on her phone that she told Ichigo is one made in the Soul Society for Shinigami to stay in contact with their superiors and receive orders on where and when to be. "Tell me, do you know of any spirits that wander around in this place."

"Yeah, a little boy named Susaku Futaba. He's been dead since last January," Ichigo informed with sadness but Rukia also detects anger in his voice.

"How did he die?" She asked.

"Got hit by a truck while he was running away from his father, a drunk and abusive bastard who finally got what was coming to him but at the wrong time since it took the poor kid dying for him to be put in prison for attempted murder and the judge was very sentimental and angry enough to pull some strings to ensure he never sees the light of day again," Ichigo explained.

"I see," She replied nonchalantly, which unnerved Ichigo by her apathetic response but chose to say nothing about it once he recalls that as a Shinigami, she must've encountered hundreds more dearly departed than he's had in his lifetime and heard all kinds of sob stories from those who suffered injustices, died too young or just straight up got what they deserved, or received not nearly enough punishment that she's learned to suppress any ounce of pity.

He can't tell which is sadder, being forced to send off so many dead souls or becoming unable to sympathize with anyone's suffering.

Then again, he can already tell that Rukia is nicer than she lets on, she just prefers to keep the persona of a strong and cold individual to garner respect and intimidation.

On that note, they have common ground to stand on.

"If he's still wondering around as all Pluses do, unwilling to leave the place they died on he will most certainly be the Hollow's next meal," Rukia said.

"We'll see about that," Ichigo growled as he pulls his enormous sword from his back, prepared but still reluctant to fight.

At least he's not showing any hint of fear, though that's unsurprising to Rukia considering that he now has the power to fight back.

On the other hand.

"And just what are you so eager about? You intend to fight the Hollow before the child shows?" She questioned him in a lecturing tone. "You may know of this kid's background but he's still a ''stranger" to you, isn't he?"

"What are you on about now?" Ichigo protested. "You just said a Hollow will be here and attack the ghost kid who resides here, and the whole point of me being here is to fight the freak, so why not help him if he does show up."

"It appears that you are as foolish as you look," Rukia scoffed, using the words he said before against him.

"What…"

"Nothing will matter if you don't commit to the powers you now wield! Saving someone because he's right in front of you is nothing short of foolish," Rukia continued. "We Shinigami are neither heroes nor villains, we're beyond such pathetic human perceptions of right and wrong. A Shinigami sees all souls as equals, no matter their virtues and sins. You can't just wander around saving those you can see. Those you can reach! If you're going to save someone, you must have the will to save all Spirits!"

"HELP ME!" Cried out the voice of a young child.

Ichigo and Rukia turn in the direction in front of them and see a small boy with short, scruffy black hair and large grey eyes wearing a white T-shirt with a red collar and sleeves, blue jeans, and sneakers running away with terror evident in his face.

Once he reaches the park, he ends up tripping, just then, the howling sound of a hollow can be heard.

"It's here," Rukia said as they turn to a house on the boy's right where their target finally arrives and it's a big one, somewhat bigger than the first one Ichigo fought that resembles a large six spider-legged insect.

He has gray-green skin with orange joints, as well as orange spots on his back. His mask is plain white with a humanoid face, framed by two tufts of brown hair and a forelock of purple hair that falls over the top of his mask.

"Crap, it's crazy to think that things like this wander around the city completely unnoticed by practically everyone," Ichigo muttered.

"Yes, and that is exactly why we Shinigami exist, to stop their corruption before they devour this entire world," Rukia said with all the seriousness and conviction one would is beyond human.

"So what's it going to be, Ichigo Kurosaki? To go anywhere for them, to even give your life for them, that's the kind of commitment you have to make if you are to follow through with being a Shinigami. So decide, NOW!"

The Hollow makes a high jump off the house to land very close to the boy named Susaku, nowhere left to run, losing all hope as the Hollow stares at him with a sinister grin.

"My decision…" Ichigo finally spoke, a moment completely caught off by her words before becoming emboldened. "You can take your Shinigami ways and shove it!" He screamed, rushing forward to confront the Hollow who is forced to cease his attack on the boy, briefly panicking at the sight of a Shinigami and backing away before Ichigo, with speed that surprises him, narrowly miss hitting the mask.

Ichigo doesn't relent and makes a horizontal swing that again the Hollow avoids with impressive reflexes for something so big and makes his swing at Ichigo with its right front leg but Ichigo too has great reflexes to avoid.

As the two clash, Rukia runs to the boy to help him to his feet.

"Keep your distance from them but don't stray too far. We'll come for you once this beast has been dealt with," She instructed him and despite the situation, Susaku is quick to process her words and obeys.

The Hollow attacks with both his front legs that Ichigo parries with his sword but this may have been a minor distraction as he uses his other legs to march forward to ram Ichigo, who reacts fast by lowering down and moving below the beast.

Ichigo then proceeds to attack it from his position, however, the Hollow continues to prove to be very fast for his size, clearly having experience fighting Shinigami who would naturally have an advantage of being small and more agile.

Every attempt the Hollow makes to strike is evaded as Ichigo swiftly moves past the legs, making swift movements to ensure he doesn't get killed.

Ichigo for his part has experience fighting opponents bigger than him and while overpowering humans is nothing impressive for Shinigami and Hollows alike, it can be beneficial for him.

He attempts another swing and is finally successful in hitting the Hollow's mask by the right but the blade didn't go deep enough and left a small cut but one that was good enough to cause him intense pain as it screams in agony.

"Not deep enough," Rukia noted.

"Close enough for me," Ichigo said with a premature smug, giving the Hollow the impression that he believes he's already won, infuriating him immensely.

The two resume their clash again, each fruitlessly trying to hit the other as they use their speeds to avoid one another, only this time Ichigo has less movement as the Hollow becomes crafty and uses his large spider legs to block him at certain turns, forcing the young Agent to react quicker than he would prefer in such short pace to react to the next direction available that would soon be blocked as well. Ichigo does manage to escape after another failed attempt to strike the mask, forcing it to back away and give Ichigo more freedom.

"I've had enough!" The Hollow finally spoke, frustration and hatred all over him as it makes another strong strike that Ichigo is forced to block but the impact was better than before, and Ichigo getting knocked to the ground.

"Damn…" Ichigo groaned, trying to get up but it was too late as the Hollow is already above him.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried out as the Hollow stumped down both his front legs to impale him but Ichigo saves himself by grabbing the spider legs with his bare hands, pouring all the strength he has to resist, now annoying the Hollow into pushing deeper down and making it more difficult for the spiritual human.

"I'm… not… going… to die… HERE!" Ichigo screamed as he squishes tighter and ends up breaking the tip of the legs to bits and this hurts the Hollow greatly as it backs away, howling in pain.

"Now's your chance!" Rukia yelled as Ichigo picks up his Zanpakutō in time to parry another leg swing and this time it's a clean cut that slices it off, to the Hollow's horror. He tries to escape but Ichigo stops him by rushing for another leg to cut it, making it more difficult to escape.

"I don't know what kind of person you were when you were alive. But it's clear that human is long gone and all that's left is a beast with no compassion or mercy. So this is farewell!" Ichigo shouted as he thrust his sword through the Hollow's mask, shattering it as it screams in more pain before vanishing in the same manner as the first hollow he fought.

"Well done. I'm pleased to see that your strength was also augmented by your Soul's transformation," Rukia praised with more relief than she is letting on that Ichigo performed admirably and succeeded in his first true battle as a Shinigami Agent. "So, have you finally decided?"

Before responding, Ichigo makes a loud groan, lying down on the floor to take a breather. "I gotta tell ya… this is all pretty much fucking shit to me. I'm just not noble enough to want to help everyone in the world. But…"

"But…" Rukia pressed for him to continue.

"I'm also not selfish enough to ignore someone in need right in front of me," Ichigo sighed in surrender. "I haven't committed to anything about Shinigami but I am more than willing to do what I must to repay the debt I owe you for saving my family. Therefore I will become your Substitute. Just don't go calling me that ever again. Agent sounds way more respectful of me doing this job."

Rukia smiles at his answer, deeming it a satisfying response. "It'll have to be enough. Now for your next important duty, sending spirits off to Soul Society," The two turn to the boy who returns to the park once he saw the monster was slain.

"Right…" Ichigo muttered, instantly knowing that this may be uncomfortable before he even started as he gets up and walked toward him. "Hello, Susaku."

"How do you know my name?" He asked curiously.

"That's not important, except that we're here to help you," He replied with the usual big brother tone he always uses when addressing dead children.

"How?"

"By taking you somewhere safer than here," Rukia spoke next standing beside Ichigo. "More monsters like that one called Hollows will show up again and they won't stop until they get you but they'll have a much harder time, or rather won't be able to harm you where we'll be sending you."

"But… this park is the only place where I can be happy. I… I don't know anywhere else to go…" Susaku sobbed, too scared to move on like so many before him.

If the rumors are true, neither home nor school offered this child any joy, except for this park where there was always something or someone to put a smile on his face, some even claimed that he was seen still in this park at night sleeping.

Better here than with his father. Mother ran out on them years prior and there were no other relatives to help him.

"Susaku…" Ichigo whispered getting on his knees. "It's not safe for you here anymore. I know it must be lonely being walked passed by so many who can't even see you call out to them, nor can they hear you to comfort your pain but that's all the reason you need to find a new place to start over. There is no reason to stay somewhere that's dangerous when you have the chance to find someplace else."

Susaku can only lower his head, unable to process any of this.

"Maybe one day, you'll be able to smile again but to do that, you have to want to feel happy again. You do want that, don't you?" Ichigo asked him and thankfully he is quick to respond with a weak nod. "Then all you have to do is trust me."

He gives him the sincere smile only a big brother could give and remembering how Rukia did it, raises his sword and places the pommel of his Zanpakutō on Susaku's forehead once he lifts his head to stare, and just like before, a bright blue light shines on him as the rest of his body turns into blue mist that is absorbed into the light, and in the process, all Susaku's fears and sadness dash away as all he can feel is tremendous bliss that he has not felt in a long time before vanishing.

"He'll be alright where he's going," Rukia assured him with a proud smile.

"I hope so, I hate to find out that I was nothing but a liar," Ichigo said somberly.

That was the second time he's seen a ghost pass on to the Afterlife, the first time was with the suicide man Rukia sent off.

Were all those times he stopped seeing certain ghosts was because they were attacked by Hollows or helped by Shinigami?

If so, how many vanished because of the former? Did he have it wrong all along and was never able to help them?

All this time, was he just making up empty promises? How many Hollows passed him by as they feasted on innocence?

He's been blind to the truth of the world this whole time and only now have they truly been open. Sometimes he wished he couldn't see spirits and be more normal but now that he knows this much about what lies beyond, is that something he still wants?

Can he go back now that he's seen more than he would've wanted?

No. It's far too late for that.

"Anymore Hollows around?" He asked her.

"No, and hopefully that's all for today. But be vigilant, they'll always be back. Their hunger is eternal," Rukia frowned with decades of experience battling hollows resurfacing in her mind, all the battles she fought, all the close encounters with death, all the comrades she lost because of them.

"Then we better get this show on the road," Ichigo declared.

(End of Flashback)

"Helping her regain her powers wasn't going to be enough for me, in all honesty," Ichigo bemused. "This is how I will repay what I owe Rukia. I can't accept any other way."

"So be it," Getsuhime spoke in acknowledgment.

"What time is it, anyway?" Ichigo asked without bothering to check his clock.

"10 o'clock. You've spaced out for a while," Getsuhime explained. To some, a memory no matter how short can seem like a lifetime when one's heart is poured into it.

"Crap. Urahara told me to leave my window open for him at this hour. Hope it isn't anything freaky," Ichigo whined, reluctant to do as instructed. He slid his window open and looked outside to find nothing yet.

Five seconds later he saw something shine in the distance before a small ball flew into Ichigo's room and collided with his wardrobe and a red blood-like substance poured out and wrote a message on the wall that read "Urgent! Meet us outside of Urahara shop Immediately."

"Son of a…" Ichigo uttered in horror, unable to think of this screwed-up scenario as anything but one of those things where the message is written in the victim's blood.

Before he could continue his thought more of the message popped up. "P.S. if you think this is one of those messages written in the victim's blood, then truly you have no sense of humor."

"MOTHER FU-"

"You lash out he wins!" Getsuhime quickly warned and reminds him of the way Kisuke plays. "Don't want to alarm your sisters into coming in and see this, do you?"

"You're right…" Ichigo sighed in defeat, desperate not to give in to rage. "But what should I do about this? Yuzu will most definitely walk in to clean up my room in the morning, and I can never convince her to let me clean up after myself."

"Let your mother deal with it, she's friends with that wretch so she must be accustomed to his nonsense," She suggested. Ichigo considers it a good idea and goes to his door to leave.

The first thing he sees when he leaves is his mother, already waiting for him outside.

"Kisuke wrote a message on your wall that looks like it was written using someone's blood, didn't he?" She questioned with a knowing grin.

"He's done this before?"

"Yeah, the first time was during my wedding with your father. He couldn't make it to the afterparty and left a big message as a way of apology," Masaki chuckled looking back on something funny to her now but was horrifying at the time. "He even had the nerve to write a P.S. saying I have no sense of humor for thinking that. Can you believe it? ME? Not having a sense of humor."

"This is a running gag?" Ichigo whined.

"Don't let it get to you, now come on, I'll walk you to Kisuke's place," She said.

"What about Yuzu and Karin? Dad's already there," Ichigo said.

"No need to worry, they're already fast asleep, if you recall, I'm taking them and Kon in your body out of town to take our minds off of everything while you and your dad go do your own thing," Masaki said with a more sadden tone but her enthusiasm has not faded. "Everyone's already bought your father's cover story that Kisuke made about moving to a ''special'' conference in Tokyo that will take a while with no guaranteed time that only Ryūken will discover any falsehoods but won't do anything about it."

"Alright, just give me a moment to see them one last time. You can count on me and dad coming back but better safe than sorry, you know," Ichigo said softly to her.

"Of course," Masaki smiled.

Ichigo silently walks into the room of his sisters, soundly asleep, while he's not the most subtle person ever, when it comes to his sisters, he's always been able to display a gentle touch and he's done his hardest to never disturb them, coming into their room without causing a sound is child's play at this point.

Ichigo gives them a rare smile even his parents sometimes disbelief that he has and walks to them to give them a gentle kiss on their cheeks.

"I'll be gone for a while but you won't even notice, and that's for the best," Ichigo whispered into Yuzu's ear, confident that she won't wake up. "You just focus on yourselves, nothing will change for the both of you, I promise."

With that said, Ichigo leaves as he came in, total silence, and he ended up failing to hear Yuzu whisper.

"Brother…?"

She wouldn't wake up until morning but she definitely heard what he said but most likely she'll brush it off as a sweet dream.

---

The young Quincy exits a room while taking a deep breath, after taking the time to give a small farewell to someone most precious that will hopefully not be his last as he embarks on an important quest and will be leaving his home.

"And what do we have here? The last time you went for a walk by yourself at night, you had a well-deserved beating, commendable as you were in your attempts to hide your wounds from my sight," He was just about to open the front door when halted by a familiar yet unpleasant voice of a man walking down some stairs of their big house that's a mansion. "Where are you off to this time, Uryū?"

"Nowhere that's any of your concern, Ryūken," Uryū replied with a defiant but not necessarily hostile tone towards the middle-aged man of average height and who appears quite fit for his age.

Fair-skinned with white hair and narrow blue eyes, wearing thin, frameless glasses and a plain grey suit with a light blue shirt and a tie adorned with Quincy crosses.

"What have I and your mother been doing all these years? I for one didn't waste so many precious days just to raise such a disrespectful boy like you," The Older man scoffed at his son's usual behavior. "I know you don't get that from Masaki's obnoxious boy, he's much more lenient even though by all accounts he shouldn't and has the right to be." This causes a vein to pop in Uryū's forehead for his father comparing him to Ichigo, worst, calling him more mature.

"If you want to pick a fight with me, you can just say it instead of making up complete nonsense like that," He hissed at his father.

"Spare me, you know how I feel about fools with no talent," Ryūken coldly replied.

"What is it now? Kairi hasn't been put to sleep that long ago and already she might wake up," The two men cease their bickering with the arrival of a woman close to Ryūken's age but at a glance, one would mistake her for being younger as she is quite a catch. Long wavy dark hair, light brown eyes, and wearing a simple, yet very pretty white dress.

"The problem is that this boy continues to be insistent on proving just how much of a fool he is," Ryūken continues to be stuck up regarding his son but does his wife the favor of not carrying on with this and heads towards his room. "I won't press it further. I have more important matters to attend to concerning the living. I have to wake up early for a very important surgery so there have better be no further disturbance."

"Goodnight, dear," Kanae replied whiles walking to her son. "I take it you're off to do whatever it is you planned on doing after you started training to use the Leiden Hant (Suffering Grip)."

"You make it sound like you're oblivious but we both know that's not the case, especially when you and Masaki have been talking about what's been happening in the passing weeks," Uryū said, trying to avoid eye contact with his mother, reluctant to say anything about his intentions while feeling guilty.

"She loves to talk way too much when depressed but she never mentioned anything about you, not that she needed to," Kanae said warmly.

"I would prefer if you not try to talk me out of this," He said much more firmly. "My pride has been stained and unless I do this, it'll be beyond repair."

"I'd figured you'd say that, which is why I won't do anything of the sort," She said to him, surprising her son greatly initially before he realizes just how reluctant she feels for saying it but in a way he did expect her to not deny him but to hear her say it still came as a surprise.

"Rather your father and I like it or not, you're at an age where Quincy children are expected to determine their own fate, and though you aren't a pure blood because of me, you've made up your mind on what you wanted to be long ago so I won't stop you, and neither will your father but for a completely different reason. We only ask that you try to come back alive."

"I will, mother. Thank you for your blessing," He said with a bow of respect but did not give her a hug, nor anything more heartwarming, and departed the house.

Some would see this as Ishida being his usual cold self but in truth that was a form of mental defense on his part as he is conflicted deep down, unwilling to give a farewell to his mother, not sure if he could say or do anything else that wouldn't give the impression that he might not come back or give false hopes that he will.

After all, what he is about to embark on will be anything but safe, the chances of coming back will be so low that he was hoping that he could leave without looking her in the eye.

His father he could handle because of how stern he is, and while he cares for his dad in his own way and vice versa, neither ever bothered to assure anyone that there is love between them, always showing the contrary.

"I know you'll be fine," Kanae whispered. "Ryūken and I leave them in your hands, Isshin."

---

"Ichigo! Mrs. Kurosaki!" Mother and Son halt their walk to their destination once they hear an orange beauty passing by without their initial notice and rushes towards them.

"Ah, dear Orihime. Always a pleasure to see you," Masaki greeted the young girl well known by the Kurosaki household.

"Likewise. I take it you were both summoned as well?" Orihime said to them cheerfully but she did seem down.

"Summoned? Is that what we're calling it?" Ichigo bemused to himself. "Are you okay? You seem a little out of it." He next asked concerned, and that's when Orihime starts to feel down.

"It's just that…" She began, almost unable to express herself before turning away from the two, that's when she confesses her feelings in a rare display of animosity, or at least that's how it seems to Ichigo, you can never tell with a girl like her. "I was told I had no sense of humor!"

'You too…' Mother and Son muttered at once.

"That Kisuke, he never learns," Masaki shook her head. "Well, no harm done. I'll clean up your apartment in the morning before I take my girls on a much-needed vacation."

"Aww, you don't have to do that for me, Mrs. Kurosaki," Orihime insisted.

"Nonsense, it's the least I can do since you're offering my boy assistance, after all," Masaki said with firm resolve.

"Speaking of which, Orihime, are you sure you're up for this?" Ichigo asked her with concern.

Ichigo was shocked when he discovered that two of his friends were coming with him and his father to rescue Rukia.

"Of course! Because I made the decision myself!" She smiled at him with all the confidence in the world, which did little to ease Ichigo. "But more so because I too want to help Rukia, and if I can help you in accomplishing this I'll be all the happier."

"Orihime…" Ichigo whispered, the uncertainty briefly written on his face before hiding it to not downplay her.

His dad calls them Fullbringers, an abnormal human subspecies that aside from certain quirks that they all share, each possesses very unique powers. Not even Kisuke knows much of them, except how they're made.

They are the children of women who were attacked by Hollows while pregnant and were not only lucky enough to survive the encounter but traces of the attacking Hollow's power lashed themselves onto the malleable souls of the unborn babies, triggering a mutation that made them Human-Hollow Hybrids, or at least their souls are half-hollow.

The fact that Hollows would rarely but surely attack humans rather they're Spiritually Aware or not is aggravating to Ichigo enough as is but the mere thought that soon-to-be mothers have endured such ordeals and perhaps be none the wiser about it only made Ichigo's distaste for Hollows worsen, even more, apparent when it turns out that two of his friends might've never been born because of them and that's what gave them their powers.

Kisuke hypothesizes that there's more to it than that but that is the conclusion that Soul Society has come up with while exploring Fullbringers, at least what is considered common knowledge to the lesser Shinigami.

The real kicker is that Ichigo also played a role in Orihime and Chad developing their powers because of his unfocused Reiatsu raging out of control and infesting them, as Ichigo calls it, with spiritual awareness.

That made him guiltier than he already was, it was bad enough that they've both had to endure two Hollow attacks and he wasn't there for them the second time.

"I see. We best hurry then," Ichigo chose to swallow his concerns as she's already dismissed his pleads for her to reconsider.

As they near the Urahara Shop, the three see that Chad is already there.

"Chad," Ichigo greeted him.

"Wow, you came here faster than we have," Orihime smiled.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep so I decided to have a nightly walk and upon arriving here I received the notice," Chad explained.

"And the notice is?" Ichigo asked, taking a good guess that it was the same one he got, that's when Chad points at the street to his right having the same bloody message written down for all to see.

"He really likes that joke!" Ichigo suppressed the desire to yell at how out of control this has gotten. Written right in the middle of the street for all to see and start a real panic if anyone mundane sees it.

"He never changes," Masaki sighed whiles dragging the three kids away from the scene. "Pay it no mind, Kisuke's good at cleaning up his mess at least."

"That wretch most certainly does not," Getsuhime stated and Ichigo can't disagree.

"Now that I think about it, you mentioned that Uryū would come, didn't you Orihime?" He asked her.

"Yep. He definitely will, just wait a while," She replied.

"I'm a little surprise that he even considers coming at all, and into Shinigami territory no less," Masaki mused.

"Not as surprised as I am to see you indulging in these sorts of things, aunt," The four are now right in front of the Urahara Shop and to their surprise, the Quincy in question was already here before any of them, and just like the night Ichigo saw him display his powers, he is wearing a white, form-fitting, high-collared tunic that bears some resemblance to both Mandarin Chinese dress and cassocks of Catholic priests with a blue cross design on his chest, making him look distinctly "foreign" or "Western" compared to the Shinigami.

"I knew you'd come," Orihime cheered.

"I'm quite surprised you have," Chad admitted, having had doubts.

"In many ways, I wish I wasn't but all of my being is dead set on doing this. After all, I can't forgive myself for losing to a Shinigami," Uryū said with anger so well suppressed that no one ever noticed.

"Thank you, Uryū. I just know Rukia will be happy to reunite with all of us," Orihime smiled completely missing practically everything hostile Ishida just said.

"Didn't you listen to a word I said?" He muttered dumbfounded.

"She's a national treasure," Ichigo sighed, amused to see how fruitless his second cousin tries to handle their high school princess.

In a way he is happy to have them all here, the more support the better, on that he admits but he can't suppress the concern he feels about the fact that it's these three, the ones he holds the closest outside of his parents and sisters.

Then again, he and Uryū are very much at odds with each other after that asinine stunt he pulled when he revealed his powers to him.

It's because no one died that he's willing to make things better with him but if anyone had died, then there might've been no going back for him, especially after the gruesome choice Ichigo was forced to make.

(Flashback)

"I have it out to hear with that phone of yours and it's false alarms," Ichigo protested to Rukia as she forced him out in the middle of the night to hunt down a Hollow again but just like with the last three times in over a week, it turned out to be a false alarm as they found no soul-eating beast wondering about Karakura causing trouble.

Ichigo initially considered this a sign of good fortune with the infuriating lessons Rukia's been giving him on restraining his spirit energy paying off with the number of hollows appearing less and less because of him.

Sure, Hollows are somehow still showing up on an almost regular basis but Rukia is confident that they aren't after Ichigo anymore.

It's even more fortunate because he could focus on the final exam of the semester that he passed with flying colors, he may look like a delinquent, and he is, but behind his tough exterior lies a keen intellect.

"Shut up and return to your body!" Rukia hissed at him while she carries said body.

"You have better do something about that thing because it's broken," Ichigo demanded as he returns to his body.

"Don't go blaming me for this. When I receive an order, I have to answer and assume it's accurate." She argued.

"Well, I'm telling you it's broken, so either fix it or get a new one."

"Denreishinkis are state-of-the-art tech centuries ahead of anything in this world, the only way one of these could be broken is if the damage is physical, it could never malfunction," Rukia continues to defend her case. "That settles it, the only real explanation is that someone else is dealing with these Hollows before we can. There can't be any other."

"You think it's that Hat and Clogs dude you've been visiting?" Ichigo suggested.

"Doubt it, any sort of Shinigami activities on his part would land him in a lot of trouble since he's an exile," Rukia explained.

"Watching you two talk is like watching a newly married couple who shouldn't have bothered going to the alter at all," The two ceased their argument at the sound of a voice familiar to Ichigo and quickly turn to see who spotted them and it is none other than Ichigo's second cousin.

"Greetings, Kurosaki. Kuchiki," He said with a tone of respect that hides a lot of condescension.

"Uryū," Ichigo uttered surprised to see him here. How long has he been here and how much did he see and hear?

"Is he the cousin from another family you mentioned to me that one time?" Rukia asked Ichigo, eyeing the newcomer with the same concern as him.

"Yeah but I've never seen him dressed like a priest before. What brings you here, Uryū? I've never known you to waltz around at night," Ichigo asked.

"Wish I could say the same about you. The last time you minded your own business at night escorting Orihime home after a previous study group you two got jumped by nineteen thugs," Uryū replied.

"Twenty. And we weren't the ones who were hospitalized," Ichigo reminded, recalling the sick bastards who couldn't resist the sight of Orihime and tried taking her but instead their insides were decimated.

"Indeed, you know my father and I have never seen eye to eye but we both can agree that treating someone sent to our hospital by you is most unpleasant," He retorted.

"THAT'S WHAT WORRIES YOU?!" Ichigo yelled.

"Why don't we cut to the chase, you're not here for a midnight stroll, are you?" Rukia questioned while fully aware that it isn't midnight yet but is just making a point. Uryū must've realized this because he didn't bother to correct her.

"I must say, unlike me who's always been proud about seeing spirits, I've never known you to be as enthusiastic as you have been in the past couple of weeks," He said, surprising Rukia as Ichigo never told him that this guy can also see spirits.

Ichigo for his part was surprised for very different reasons.

"What are you getting at? Don't tell me you know that-"

"A new Hollow is here," Uryū is quick to interrupt Ichigo looking to his right and shocking the two Shinigami.

Just as he said this, Rukia's Denreishinki starts to beep, warning of another Hollow appearance.

"Another order! And he's right," Rukia gasped.

"Seriously…" Ichigo uttered before looking in the same direction as his cousin.

"Well done. Your use of sensing spiritual beings has improved, even if it is inferior to mine I must admit that I never expected you to show any improvement," Uryū praised underneath an obvious attempt at an insult.

"What are you on about?" Ichigo questioned.

Uryū responds by raising his right hand and on his wrist is a small silver cross held together by a chain that begins omitting blue energy that expands, forming a large bow almost as tall as Uryū.

Without wasting any time, Uryū gets on one knee, in a position Ichigo and Rukia recognize as one of an archer with him pulling a blue energy string with his left hand and firing an arrow of similar color right towards where the new insectoid Hollow is flying about and is instantly shot and gets vaporized but not in a way it would be slain using a Zanpakutō.

"The signal just vanished…" Rukia uttered almost speechless but the Hollow wasn't purged, it was destroyed completely without any trace of its existence left.

"Uryū… what are you?" Ichigo muttered.

"You should know better than me. After all, we Ishidas have always been no more than a lowly branch family to the great Kurosaki Clan. I am a Quincy, which is what you should be as well," Uryū said with venom now evident on his face as he looks at Ichigo with scorn. "But all you are is a traitor to our blood!"

"A Quincy… it can't be?" Rukia muttered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ichigo demanded, oblivious to what Uryū is referring to.

From then on things quickly spiraled out of control for Ichigo more so than before but it also brought him the clarity to the mystery of why he can see ghosts, at least a fraction of it.

For the longest time, his main ability was something he only shared with Karin and Uryū, they were the only ones from his youth that he knew could see the dearly departed, something he really couldn't share with everyone else because of the oddity of the mere sound of it.

He and Uryū have never really been close growing up and once they reached high school, they both never even acknowledged each other to the extent that nobody knew they were related until this all started happening.

Even his longtime friends like Tatsuki (well, friends is a loose term these days with her), Orihime, and Chad were none the wiser, they've had the most interactions with him for one reason or another.

He and Orihime are both in the Handicraft Club, so she was the most surprised, trying to be friends with him for a while but his distant outlook made things difficult so she wondered if Ichigo could lend a helping hand but he never learned how to talk to him, worse in his opinion, it wasn't until he became a Shinigami that he started to notice Uryū again, with the few and subtle glances he's been giving him.

Rukia explained to him what she knows about what Uryū is.

The Quincy, otherwise known by the Shinigami as the Monks of Destruction are a tribe of humans who started out being able to see ghosts like Ichigo but eventually they somehow learned how to manipulate Reishi (Spirit Particles), the supernatural matter that souls and the Afterlife itself are entirely composed off, and because Shinigami and Hollows have been traveling between their respective worlds to the Human World since practically the Dawn of Time, gallons of Reishi have leaked their way into this world over the millennia and this never truly effected the humans in any considerable way, at least not in a way that it is common knowledge.

It's the reason why Shinigami can move about in the air, using Reishi to solidify the air for them to travel skyward.

But with the Quincy, they've learned to use Reishi for different methods and have even weaponized it to combat Hollows, creating spiritual weapons with powers that rival the Zanpakutō, primarily bows since Quincy were more known for being masters of archery and because they've dedicated themselves to fighting Hollows one would think that they and the Shinigami were allies, but Ichigo would be wrong.

Shinigami and Quincy were bitter rivals, the reason being how the Quincy affected the World.

Shinigami govern the souls between the Human World and Soul Society, which maintains a balance that if not kept would result in the mutual destruction of both worlds.

All souls, including Hollows, are subject to the Shinigami governance of maintaining the balance.

When a Shinigami slays a Hollow, they don't really die but they are cleansed of the darkness that corrupted them and ascend into Soul Society as the people they once were, and not just them but the souls Hollows have devoured that remain inside them are also purified.

Of course, there are exceptions, if a Soul has committed evil deeds while they were humans then the Zanpakutō will cast judgment upon them and sentence their wretched existence to Hell, a shocking and bitter-sweet phenomenon that Ichigo witnessed during one of his earliest fights as a Shinigami Agent.

Quincy, however, are a complete detriment to the order of things, the reason they're called Monks of Destruction is that they don't purify Hollows, they destroy them, erasing their very existence without a trace, annihilating their chance at redemption, leaving no trace left behind of the humans they once were because they are now truly gone.

As such the souls that come to the Human World do not return to Soul Society and therefore the souls would increase only on the side of the Human World.

As a result, it becomes heavy in souls, causing Soul Society to spill over into it, mixing life and death together, bringing about Armageddon.

For a thousand years, the Shinigami have conflicted with the Quincy, giving them numerous warnings to cease their actions but they would repeatedly ignore them, making it clear that they only care about their fellow living humans, not the dead.

Rukia is convinced that there's more to it than that but the bottom line is that this reached its boiling point two hundred years ago when the Soul Society finally lost all semblance of patience and mercy, bringing about the near extinction of the Quincy, and this wasn't a war but a one-sided slaughter so as far as she was concerned, there should be no Quincy left but Uryū erased those thoughts and because Ichigo's mother is the first cousin of Uryū's father, that means that Ichigo and his sisters are also of Quincy descent, explaining why he has Spiritual Awareness.

This initially troubled Rukia because of this dark history but chose to ignore it due to Ichigo showing conviction to being a Shinigami but she did question if he knew anything about it. Ichigo is certain that his mother never brought anything up concerning Quincy, she can't even see spirits herself so how can she be the source of his sight?

Plus, Ryūken Ishida is someone Ichigo knows even less about except that he is dedicated to his work as a doctor and Director of the Karakura Hospital and if he wasn't already married, people would say that he's married to his work, also he's a total dick to his son and has zero patience for fantasy stories about ghosts and the likes so maybe he does know but is completely disgusted by it all, that would explain the seeming animosity with his son, though it doesn't seem like Aunt Kanae has any problems to speak up.

That aside, the real problem is that Ichigo and Uryū are now supposed to be archenemies but this is just one-sided and if it isn't sorted out soon, they may reach a point of no return.

"How long do you intend to follow me around?" Uryū questioned while walking to his home but stops after being followed for fifteen minutes once he left school and the one following him is Ichigo who was alone.

"Dang, you figured me out," Ichigo whined. "When did you spot me."

"When you were watching me with Inoue." He said a bit smugly. "You did alright for a beginner hiding your Reiatsu but you're way too tense and jumpy, as though you expect to be attacked by a Hollow at any moment that it was easy to notice once and a while."

"Oh? Good, good. As expected of the one who always scores first place in our test scores," Ichigo gave a fake praise while clapping his hands.

Honestly, the only reason why he even remembers Uryū is that they had this unspoken rivalry about having the highest points in their studies, and this year Ichigo made it to second place to the horrified gasps of practically everyone in the school.

Ichigo wasn't going to allow himself to be an academic failure as well as a delinquent always being harassed in the streets, it sure is enjoyable to see the clownish expression off of Keigo and Tatsuki when they see his grades, and admittedly it is satisfying for Orihime and others to see him in awe for having brains and brawns.

He even put his intellect to good use helping Chad study to make it into the top 10, but to him, it doesn't amount to much since Ichigo is always behind Ishida, the massive prick.

"But you have to give me a break about being jumpy. The whole Hollow madness is still pretty new to me, seeing the very Gates of Hell itself notwithstanding," Ichigo muttered, despite the impressive level of courage he displays the more he fights Hollows, it does not change the fact that the turmoil it brings to his everyday life is still massively exhausting.

"Yes, you haven't been doing this for not even two months so it's understandable why you would be fatigued," He said all while still not looking in Ichigo's direction.

"Would you quit it with the back phase and look me in the eye when I talked to you," Ichigo demanded.

"I would but you're violent Reiatsu is hard enough to stomach this close, I rather not risk the stench of the dead fall on me as well," He retorted, really getting on Ichigo's nerves as he walked toward him and forces him to turn around to face each other eye to eye.

"Dammit, enough of this racial crap you have going on!" Ichigo snapped at him. "Last night was the first time I'd ever heard about the Quincy, and if this power flows through my veins, my mother never told me. She can't even see spirits!"

"Evidently. No offense to Masaki Kurosaki, but she is far from the brightest tool in the shed when it comes to both our families. Says a lot about yo-" Ishida couldn't get much farther than that as Ichigo delivers a swift sucker punch that knocks the Quincy to the ground.

"Keep rambling nonsense! See where it gets you," Ichigo furiously growled, now all out of patience for his cousin.

Seriously, who insults a person's mother right in front of them?

"All these years I thought you were the smart one,"

"Always so uncivilized," Uryū sighed, not at all bothered by Ichigo's outburst, although he does rub his left cheek that will be pretty bruised after that punch. "But now that you have delivered the first blow, why not settle things with a proper challenge, between a Shinigami such as you, and a Quincy such as I. Which would surpass the other?"

"Is that really what you want?" Ichigo questioned, a multitude of scenarios coming into his mind about how all of this could go down regarding him and Uryū.

"I do. You'll be the first to understand that the Shinigami are unnecessary in this world," Uryū said with fierce determination.

"Rukia wasn't kidding when she said I'd end up fighting you," Ichigo sneered, reaching for his shirt pocket that carries the pill form of Kon that Rukia gave him in case something like this would happen.

He hoped it wouldn't have come to this but he overestimated his kinship with the Ishidas.

"Going to abandon your physical body again? I can't imagine that would be pleasant to your soul," Uryū commented.

"Just the opposite. It feels oddly satisfying," Ichigo said before swallowing the pill and this again separates his soul from his body, leaving Kon to inhabit the latter.

"Try to keep your distance a bit Kon, I can't guarantee you won't get caught and I don't want to get blood splattered over my body,"

"Talk about family drama. What you two need are some sexy girlfriends to relieve your stress," The Mod Soul muttered, not surprised how quickly his owner resorts to violence.

"So, if you've got some rules on how this fight is supposed to play out say them now before I send you to your dad's hospital," Ichigo warned.

Not deterred by his boasts, Uryū reaches for his shirt pocket, picking up a small, round, white tablet only a little larger than an adult fingernail with writing or symbols circling the flat edge.

"What is that supposed to be?" Ichigo questioned.

"Hollow Bait. A very fitting item that proves that size doesn't determine potential danger," Uryū said. "You're smart enough to grasp the full details of this powerful relic but I'll spare us further mouthfuls and give you the short version. Once I crush this, it will release a powerful energy wave that will attract a multitude of Common Hollows from their world into this city."

Ichigo gasps in horror upon hearing this.

"The one who defeats the most Hollows within twenty-four hours will be the winner. Nice and easy rules to understand, wouldn't you agree?" Uryū explained callously.

Ichigo had a different opinion as he rushes over to Ishida as quickly as he could to grab the Hollow Bait off him but in the blink of an eye, his cousin vanished from his sight.

"What…" Ichigo uttered.

"I've never known you to back down from a challenge, Ichigo. Has your time on ''their side'' made you fearful?" Uryū questioned as he crushes the Hollow Bait that crumbles away like dust.

"Uryū, what have you done?!" Ichigo yelled. "Are you really willing to endanger everyone in Karakura just because I'm a Shinigami instead of a Quincy?"

"Keep your Soul Society morals to yourself," Uryū hissed. "It's pointless to worry about other people when I will kill every single Hollow before they even have a chance to feast on another soul. You as well, if you have the confidence to protect people from Hollows you should be able to take on this challenge."

"Have you lost your sanity?! Why the fuck should a massacre that happened centuries ago affect our lives in the here and now?" Ichigo protested.

"Oh, so you at least know about Soul Society's genocide against us, do you? Only their point of view perhaps but it is of no concern because to tell you the truth I agree how that nonsense shouldn't define me at all," Ishida said, surprising Ichigo.

"I don't care about what the Shinigami did in the past, in fact when I heard about it and the consequences of being a Quincy, I long since accepted that the Shinigami did the right thing two hundred years ago. Why should we care that thousands or even millions of lives have been sacrificed when the fate of the entire World is more important? As long as the world survives, then life will continue and humanity can begin anew. That is the belief of the Shinigami. I can acknowledge that at least."

"Then why is me being a Shinigami turned you into a complete sociopath?" Ichigo questioned, choosing to ignore the monstrous philosophy Uryū speaks when concerning the history of his dead people.

"How about you defeat me and then maybe I'll tell you," Uryū replied as he resummons his spirit-made bow to immediately fire an arrow at the very first Hollow to arrive only a second ago in his far right. "First kill is mine. What are you going to do about it?"

"I rather cut you to ribbons instead for starting all this chaos," Ichigo sneered as he raises his sword but not necessarily to attack Uryū, not just yet at least.

"How about a third route? Going elsewhere if you wish to protect as many people as possible," The Quincy suggested. "You should know by now that Hollows are particularly attracted to humans with enough Reiryoku to see Pluses, especially them."

His words suddenly ring a lot of bells in Ichigo's head, instantly thinking of his sister Karin who can see pluses as well, try as she might to deny it.

"Kon, find Rukia and regroup, we're in for a really bad day," Ichigo shouted.

"No need to tell me twice," Kon uttered as the two split off in separate directions.

"Choosing to go after your family first, he surely must've realized the trouble he's caused to our classmates," Uryū bemused. "Even still, this course of action is the most logical for any person to take. It is neither the right nor wrong choice, just something that's the most natural. All the same, your naivety will cost you greatly if you fail to at least recognize which of those closest to you is really in danger. Then again, the hard way has always been the only way for brutes to learn their lessons so all the better in the long run."

(End of Flashback)

Things after that sour between the two but thanks to Rukia who found some sympathy for Uryū, managed to convince Ichigo to help his cousin get out of his path of self-destruction and make amends with one another.

Though him agreeing to help Ichigo save Rukia might be a bit too much, despite his claims that this is about exacting revenge on the Shinigami who defeated him, Renji Abarai.

"Good, you're all here," Kisuke cheered, exiting his shop to greet all of them. "Now, please, come in as I explain to you all how to get to Soul Society, and due try to pay attention, otherwise you'll be trapped in the space between worlds."

"Wow… this is amazing," Orihime gasped in awe once they made it to the Study Chamber beneath the Urahara Shop. "It's like stumbling across an underground base."

"You're swallowing this up way easily," Ichigo said amused by Orihime's reaction.

And yes, this place is pretty incredible but to him, it isn't enough to have a reaction like hers, especially when he knows it'll only increase Kisuke's ego.

Speaking of impressions, Chad and Uryū seem more unimpressed than he was.

Chad is not surprised since he's the stereotypical silent giant and after the Hollows, there should be little left to surprise him.

Uryū? If he has anything positive to say about something made by a Shinigami, he'll never express it and simply readjust his glasses for the fifth time this night.

Just then, Tessai approaches Orihime. At first with a silent giant demeanor of his own with a shining glint in his glasses before reaching to grab her hands and starts to cry.

"Your reaction is simply wonderful," He sobbed. "I, Tessai, am so moved to finally see such a young soul show real appreciation for the hard work we of this humble shop put into what we make."

"Aww, you're welcome," Orihime giggled.

"So easy for her to get along with people she just met," Ichigo whispered with an amused sigh.

"To be young and gullible again. You kids have no idea how your youth is wasted on you," Isshin said always feeling glee to see Orihime be her cheery self, it's like she was born to be a part of his family.

Now if only his stupid son would man up already and make her a true Kurosaki.

"Oh yeah, well wisdom is wasted on the old," Ichigo spatted at his father.

"HA! Oldest insult in the book, and not even considered a classic anymore. If you ask me, you're the elderly one around here," Isshin mocked his son.

"Why you… Ten days of ass whooping wasn't enough for you I see," Ichigo hissed.

"Funny, I recall always standing high above the sky whiles you were the one at the ground most of the time," Isshin persisted.

"Now, now, boys, if you're going to kill each other, just remember there are fates worse than death," Masaki stated while placing a hand on each of their shoulders, and this was the spark that silenced the two Kurosaki men, implying a deeper meaning that only they can understand.

"Okay, dear…/Whatever…" Father and Son replied at once, the former more obedient while the latter just surrenders in annoyance.

The main reason for Ichigo not to pursue any relationship is because of his overbearing and way too clingy mother.

It's a miracle that she's allowing this, Isshin can't possibly be stupid enough to think he can push his luck.

Normally, the silliness of this family dynamic would bring a laugh to everyone in the rocky terrain, but the three other young friends of Ichigo are preoccupied with another matter.

"Mr. Kurosaki?" Orihime uttered in disbelief to see Ichigo's father dressed like a Shinigami, katana included.

"Hold on, what's going on here?" Uryū protested.

"Right, the topic was never brought up until now," Ichigo said, there's no way any of his friends would know about his Shinigami heritage with the subject never brought up since he and Isshin spend the time training upon the revelation. "As bizarre as it sounds, even before I met Rukia, I was already a Shinigami because my dad happens to be one. One shock fest too many, I know."

"That's insane!" Uryū muttered in disbelief, as is Orihime and Chad, though as usual the latter is composed, the widening of his eyes doing little to show his amazement over his best friend's true nature. "That means you're an amalgamation of both Shinigami and Quincy."

"Hybrid is a word for it, though like I told you already, I never once displayed any of the powers you have," Ichigo said.

"I know it's a lot to take in for you kids but try to bear it, you'll find this to be easy pretty quickly," Masaki said while she stands beside Orihime and Uryū.

"I'm surprised you kids need time to swallow this at all, given your experience with the silent war between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo," Isshin commented.

"Believe me, this isn't hard to process, in fact, it sheds a lot of light on how much of a monster your son really is. Like the fact that he killed a Menos Grande with barbarous raw power," Uryū said, composing himself from the initial shock while adjusting his glasses again, though this time it was because of said shock that made them almost fall from his face.

"I choose to consider that comment a compliment," Masaki frowned.

"I feel loved," Ichigo joked at said comment of him being a monster.

Something he always took personal pride in is the fact that Chad's latent abilities made him inhumanly strong enough to handle all manner of things no normal person should as well as harm Hollows with his bear fist and for the longest time Ichigo's been able to contest to his might even though they've never really fought each other, not even as a way of sparring but it was enough to know that he could keep up with him and that other brawlers like Tatsuki were beneath him, and have been for a long time.

"You certainly know how to leave the rest of us surprised," Chad simply said.

"Yeah. I knew that you got the hang of this whole hollow fighting thing rather easily but it looks as though you were meant to do this," Orihime said both amazed and sad, though none but Masaki noticed the latter feeling.

"Pretty much. It's been an interesting couple of months," Ichigo mused, looking casual about it but only because he's had plenty of time to process it all and although he still has questions that need answers, he chose to ignore them for now because he's sure that it'll all be too time-consuming on his conscious to pounder and the passing ten days were better spent trying to learn all that could be taught about being a Shinigami, which was a lot, and there is still so much more to process.

"Alright, children, let's not get sidetracked here, and let's get down to business," Kisuke insisted as he snaps his fingers, bringing forth a large rectangular gate-like thing that appears to be made of some kind of stone wrapped in paper to appear out of seemingly thin air. "This is the Senkaimon, or at least a version of my own making, the primary means to travel between the Human World and Soul Society."

"But not the only one, judging by your choice of words," Uryū noted.

"A topic for another day, I assure you," Kisuke replied with a knowing smile. "Now, let's get you all changed up."

He raises his cane to thrust it forward into Ichigo's forehead, separating his soul from his body to the surprise of his friends, even though Ishida has already seen this happen once, though last time someone else was inhabiting Ichigo's body unlike now, it is left lifeless.

"How about a little warning next time! Separating my soul and body your way is very unpleasant," Ichigo protested to Kisuke for his stunt while the Shopkeeper merely chuckles at his reaction, even more so by his irritation from his friends poking his body out of curiosity about how this whole soul leaving the body actually works.

Changes were done to his shihakushō during the ten days he trained at the insistence of his mother who wanted him to stand out from everyone else aside from his orange hair, even though Isshin pointed out that this will have a higher probability to turn out badly for him but she would not relent and had Ichigo's sleeves removed and the obi sash has been replaced with a red rosary-like belt shaped like a kite with a flat top and bottom that safely carries Getsuhime's hilt like a magnet.

"Would you guys please stop poking me. That's not a toy, you know," Ichigo demanded.

"That's right! I wouldn't want you lots to ruin my favorite host, after all, so quit touching it," Kon demanded who showed up out of nowhere on Ichigo's shoulder. "Though, Orihime can keep touching it as much as she wants."

"How did you get here?" Ichigo demanded.

"I hitched a ride on your mother's back when you both left, not that I'm surprised you never noticed me,"

"Oh, I noticed you, I just figured you were playing hide and seek with us," Masaki mused.

"Well, there goes my talent for espionage," Kon sighed.

"You have talent?" Ichigo questioned incredulously.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kon snapped at him from the insulting implications.

"A talking toy?!" Orihime and Uryū uttered at once from the shock of seeing Kon for the first time.

"What's wrong with you two?" Kon asked them, not understanding their surprise seeing him while in his stuffed animal body.

That was when he got spontaneously snatched by Chad, the two looking eyes with one another, a very faint light blush on the silent giant's cheek while the Mod Soul is completely terrified.

"NOT YOU AGAIN!" Kon cried, recalling his first encounter with Chad that was terrifying.

"You two met before?" Ichigo questioned, completely forgetting the day that he and Rukia were rather harsh on Kon and he ran away for a day before returning apologizing for it, and dressed up by Yuzu even though his two ''owners'' never really noticed that he was gone in the first place.

"Alright, alright, I'm sure you kids are having the time of your lives experiencing new things here and there but we should get down to business already," Yoruichi interrupted him, becoming the center of attention.

"Oh, Yoruichi, I was told you were back in town," Masaki greeted, not at all bothered by the talking cat.

"Apologies for not visiting but two of your son's friends required my full attention," The cat replied to her before turning to Ichigo. "We've never been formally introduced until now, have we, Ichigo? I am Yoruichi Shihōin. I will be your guide into Soul Society along with your father and will make sure you kids make it back safely in one peace."

"I see… a pleasure to meet you," Ichigo replied, taking the whole talking cat thing a lot better than Uryū and Chad, not that he isn't bothered by it, but he makes a swift decision not to comment on it.

"Is that it? I was expecting you to make a scene about me like young Ishida has or at least look disturbed as Sado was," Yoruichi commented, sharing the same opinion as his friends.

"The sword I carry on my hip is alive that I can talk with constantly in my head, plus I have a talking stuffed animal living with me in my room so a talking animal seems like an inevitability," Ichigo replied.

"Ah, so you're one of those young men who aren't so easily impressed. That explains why you don't like the beach. How boring," Yoruichi said disappointed.

"That's what I've been saying for years now," Isshin grinned.

"Shut up dad!" Ichigo hissed.

"You have a talking sword?" Orihime asked surprised, the topic of the Shinigami and their abilities was never really touched upon while Yoruichi was training her and Chad.

"That's right, I was taught that Shinigami wield swords made using their souls and are sentient as a result," Uryū said.

"That's not completely accurate but close enough," Ichigo said while reaching for his sword without unsheathing it. "Her name is Getsuhime. Cool gal. Kind of reminds me of Chad if he was shorter and a girl, a bit more outspoken, and albino instead."

"Wait, so is it a sword or a person who lives in a sword?" Chad asked to clarify.

"Both. Zanpakutō are special but also kind of weird. Don't even get me started on Kisuke's sword who's both a vampire and a dominatrix," Ichigo whined, really disturbed by Benihime. "Speaking of which, what about your Zanpakutō, dad? I haven't heard anything at all from him, he's so silent, I question a few times if there's any life in there."

"It's complicated," Isshin said a bit weakly with sadness that they can all see. "Engetsu's been dormant for too long and even though I can use my abilities he still slumbers. I don't know how long before my partner and I can truly reunite at last."

"Unfortunate, but it's something you must put on hold for now, my friend," Kisuke insisted as all attention focuses on him. "Right then, listen up, as I said before this portal is what will take you to the Soul Society, however, please bear in mind that the place in question is a Spirit World, so to set foot there you have to be a Spirit yourself like Shinigami and Pluses, and yes, if any of you are curious, Hollows can invade Soul Society, one of the perks of being in war with each other for millennia is that the enemy is usually closer than we realize."

"Lucky them," Ichigo huffed.

"This brings us to an important problem that only Isshin and Ichigo can really leave their physical bodies without any consequences, the same cannot be said for you three," Kisuke pointed at Orihime, Chad, and Uryū. "Even if we separated your souls from your bodies, the two are still chained together."

"And unlike Ichigo, we rather not take any chances cutting them," Yoruichi pointed out.

"You cut Ichigo's Chain of Fate? Doesn't that mean he's technically already dead?" Uryū questioned.

"Not at all, even though it's been cut twice already, Ichigo's immense Reiryoku combined with my ingenuity made it child's play to restore it so rest assured that our hero is still among the living. Never before has resurrecting the dead felt like taking candy from a baby," Kisuke explained.

Even though she already knew this, Masaki still sighs relief hearing that. Her baby is still with them.

Orihime too has a breath of fresh air since she couldn't help but panic when Uryū made that question but no, her crush is still with her and not with Rukia.

That last part didn't feel right for some reason to her.

"Luckily for our human friends, my Senkaimon has a special device stored in it called Reishi Henkan-Ki (Spirit particle Conversion Machine). Its purpose is to convert Kishi (Holdlets), which is the physical matter that all in this World is composed of, into Reishi and will allow you to accompany Isshin and Ichigo into Soul Society," Kisuke continued.

"You mean to turn our physical bodies into one of spiritual matter, in essence making our bodies truly one with our souls?" Uryū asked for verification.

"That's a fascinating way to look at it, and yes," Urahara nodded before becoming more serious. "Of course, letting you six in is the easy part, the hard part on the other hand is time as you'll have only ten minutes to reach your destination."

"Is that going to be enough?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"More than you can imagine," Yoruichi said. "If not for your miraculous achievement of obtaining your true Shinigami powers sooner than we anticipated the best Kisuke would've done for us is give us only four minutes. Now that would've been a disaster."

"That's right. Before reaching Soul Society, you'll first find yourselves in a place called the Dangai (Precipice World), a corridor-like dimension that serves as the bridge between the Human World and the Soul Society," Kisuke explained. "It is one of the most dangerous places in existence and no one, not even the strongest Shinigami must ever be there for long, otherwise it will consume and erase you."

"Then we're in for the run of our lives," Ichigo bemused.

"Exactly," Yoruichi said simply. "However, only those with confidence can come."

"That's no problem then!" Orihime said. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without confidence."

"Love the optimism you kids have, especially with the extra adjustments I've made for you lots," Kisuke said. "What makes the Dangai so dangerous is the substance that makes up its walls. The Kōryū (Wresting Flow), a ghastly current that constantly flows through the Dangai, in order to prevent enemies such as Hollows from coming in, it can stop any spiritual entities from moving, and even one foot caught by it makes escape almost impossible."

"Are you sure you aren't sending us to Hell instead?" Ichigo muttered.

"You've seen Hell, kid. You tell me which seems harder to burst into," The Shopkeeper joked smugly, getting the young Shinigami to scuff in annoyance.

"I can't offer you too much protection from that, you must rely on one another to make it through. However, I can protect you from the Dangai's trump card; the Kōtotsu (Wresting-Surge)," He continued. "A real behemoth that pretty much defines the term unstoppable. It appears once every seven days to cleanse the area, attacking anyone and everything that makes contact with it. It looks like the same material that makes up the Dangai, only molded into the shape of a bullet train. If the Kōtotsu touches any spiritual being, they will be trapped inside it, since the Kōtotsu's body is flowing with the Kōryū current. Once you are inside, it won't be there."

"Nice, not even Mayuri is that good in manipulating the Dangai's flow of time," Isshin mused.

"Isshin, my friend, you flatter me too much. I'd be careful saying such things in front of my former subordinate or he'll be mad," Kisuke chuckled with delight.

"Like I need any reminders of that disgusting freak. He's about the only one among the Captains I don't want to mess with again," Isshin groaned.

"But you have no problem facing the Head Captain? I have no doubt in my mind that you're strong Isshin. Even when you were the Lieutenant of the medical division, you possessed destructive capabilities that were described as boundless but keep in mind that your strength has been dormant for two decades now and by human standards, that's way too long so you're very rusty," Kisuke warned.

"I know me and Engetsu are out of practice but that won't change anything. The Dangai is nothing to me," Isshin said confidently that they'll make it.

"If dad says we'll be fine, then we'll be fine. Quit stalling already," Ichigo hissed.

"Did you just side with your dad on something?" Orihime asked extremely perplexed.

For the longest time that she's had the joy of knowing the Kurosakis, Ichigo and his dad have always been at odds with each other even though nothing even close to estrangement was ever implied, so seeing them be on the same page is like finding the Holy Grail to her.

Guess them being Shinigami counts as just that.

"Yeah, I know what I did, don't rub it in," Ichigo pleaded while hissing.

"Too late. I'll remember this," Uryū smirked, knowing this will infuriate Ichigo in the future.

"I will get you for this!"

"That's enough. If you're going to do this, you have to go in with a clear mind," Masaki interrupted, calming her son by forcing him into a group hug with Isshin. Ichigo relents this time due to the real implications of this hug. It is a somber one held by the possibility that they may never see each other again. "Above all else, focus on coming back safe and sound."

"I will, mom. Don't hope, count on it," Her son said with fierce determination, neither lying nor giving false hope. At least that's what he's convincing himself to be as such.

While this was happening, Kisuke snaps his fingers again and the Senkaimon opens up.

"It's time," The Shopkeeper stated as everyone that will go into Soul Society.

"Alright," Isshin nodded and hugs his wife one last time and whispered. "If we do not return, nor send a message that we're alright, take the girls and go wherever Kisuke instructs you to go. Move forward and do not come for us."

Masaki clung to her husband a bit tighter after hearing those words, doing her hardest not to say what she wants them to do, which is nothing, like she's been struggling with during the passing days, ultimately, she resigns to her son's choice and entrusting Isshin to watch over him.

"Come back home, my love," She pleaded one last time to him and later spared one last look on her beloved son whose focus is solely on the Senkaimon. Like Uryū with his own mother, it became difficult to say goodbye to her.

With no words left to say, the group of six enters the portal.

"Good luck my friends," Kisuke said solemnly, hoping just as much, or even more than Masaki for their success and safe return. He instinctively touches the portal, wishing he could go with them but he ends up receiving a shock to his hand, forcing him to back off. Alas, he can't go to Soul Society, his true home anymore because of his banishment. "You're going to need it."

"You never told Ichigo the whole reason why you're helping him, have you?" Masaki questioned him.

"He would've never understood, even if I had told him my entire history," Kisuke sighed while adjusting his hat. "Your boy has a heart of gold but in the end, his emotions will always lead him astray."

"He is only seventeen years old. That number could mean anything to a Pure Spirit but to kids their age, emotions always win. Even little Uryū has to pay the price for his misbehavior when he used that Hollow Bait," Masaki pointed out.

"That's true but regardless of how asinine this may seem to you, you know enough of the true threat. You also know from Isshin how frustrating Soul Society's hierarchy is, most importantly how easy it is to be exploited by the corrupt, and the one we are truly up against is the most corrupt of them all," Kisuke said with narrowed eyes. "Isshin is strong, too strong for his own good, especially in his younger years but Ichigo is something else entirely, as his mother you know that better than anyone. If we are to survive, we need all the help we can get."

---

"Damn, the Dangai is a truly gloomy place, isn't it?" Ichigo reflected.

Dark, murky water flowed all about, and there was only a narrow strip of dry land from where they were standing to the other side of the Dangai.

This corridor-like dimension is supposed to be the bridge between the Living World and the Afterlife.

Suffice to say, Ichigo and his friends aren't given a very good impression of what awaits those that die, one shouldn't be reprimanded for thinking this place would instead lead them to Hell, not that it's necessary if that's the case, considering that the Hell Gate can show up anywhere it wants and needs to be.

Then again, the poor experience with the spirits that keep balance in both worlds isn't any good to begin with, so Ichigo stands by the opinion that this place alone tells him all he needs to know about the Soul Society.

"Let's move," Yoruichi rushed forward as everyone followed.

A loud splashing sound could be heard behind them, and it only took a look to see the Kōryū heading toward them, and as they try to run a part of the wall crashed down, creating a huge splash, some of which splashed onto Uryū and his cape.

"What? I'm stuck!"

"You and your damn clothes!" Ichigo unsheathed Getsuhime and flashed into action, attempting to cut the cape off.

"Wait, if you touch the Kōryū with your Zanpakutō, it will get stuck too!" Yoruichi yelled.

"No, I can handle this," Getsuhime spoke within Ichigo's mind, persuading him to continue and he decides to take her word instead and in an instant, slashes at the current holding his cousin, disintegrating it upon being cut, leaving his Zanpakutō and Uryū's cape unharmed, to the shock of Isshin and Yoruichi.

"Impossible!" Yoruichi gasped.

"Not bad, my boy," Isshin instead smirks at his son's latest accomplishment.

The group run much faster but the current keeps gaining on them, once they are close enough, Isshin intercepts with his own Zanpakutō, though, unlike Ichigo who attacks directly, he makes a horizontal swing that never touches the Kōryū but the force of the swing creates a shockwave that blows all of it away from them.

"And we're supposed to put up with this crap for ten minutes!" Ichigo protested, attacking the current again with Getsuhime successfully disintegrating all she touches.

"Don't lose heart just yet, the entrance is just ahead," Yoruichi said gazing at a bright white light close by.

Just a little longer, while the Kurosakis keep cutting their way through they should be alright.

But it seems that the Dangai may have a will of its own as all the Kōryū is concentrated at the front, covering up the Gate to Soul Society, refusing to let any outsiders in.

"Damn! Even if Kisuke promised us more time, most of it will be wasted with this crap," Uryū cursed their misfortune.

"An eyesore, I know but this is no more than an inconvenience," Isshin sighed, having anticipated this happening but is not yet worried.

"I'll clear a path for us," Getsuhime suggested.

"Right. Everyone shield your eyes," Ichigo warned about to unleash the power of his Princess. "Purge, Getsuhime!"

His Zanpakutō assumes her true form, releasing a blinding blue light that forces everyone but Ichigo to cover their eyes from the burning force that the Dangai cannot withstand as a huge chunk of the Kōryū is reduced to nothingness, creating a path for everyone that goes beyond a mere corridor.

"Shit… I think you went overboard," Ichigo muttered, amazed at the devastation Getsuhime caused once the light faded.

"If I had, this world would be crumbling away by now. Everything will be okay for you," She said without concern.

"Overboard is an understatement, you madman!" Yoruichi yelled in alarm. "It shouldn't be possible but if you somehow manage to destroy the Dangai then both the Human World and Soul Society will crash into each other as a consequence."

"Warn me next time then. FUCK!" Ichigo cried, skipping a heartbeat over the catastrophe that is implied to occur if he wasn't careful.

"Let's just go!" Isshin demanded, noticing that the Kōryū is reforming faster than he thought.

Once they are twenty feet from reaching the entrance, the current yet again reaches them. Ichigo curses, about to use Getsuhime again but this time with less power.

He is stopped once he sees that Orihime turned around to face the current herself.

"Orihime!"

"Hinagiku, Lily, Baigon! Santen Kesshun (Three Sacred Links Shield), I reject!" Orihime cried out, and by her command, the pair of six-petal flower-shaped hairpins that she always has with her at all times glow in a bright orange light, followed by two petals of one of the hairpins and four on the other are torn off and manifest as three small creatures that Ichigo can only describe as fairies that gather together to create a shield shaped like a triangle that she uses to protect them against the Kōryū.

For a second, everything went white for everyone. Then everyone was blown out of the Dangai, crashing into the ground with a painful thud.

"Well, that happened," Isshin muttered just as confuse as everyone over how it all went down.

"What happened exactly?" Chad asked, even though he is more familiar with Orihime's power, having trained alongside her, there is still he has yet to process.

"Heeey…" Orihime slurred, looking rather frazzled. "We're alive. Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah," Ichigo got back on his feet faster than the others and noticed that they are all standing on the shield Orihime made that must have soften their fall. "But what did you just do exactly?"

"Nothing much, I just used my own power, the Shun-Shun Rikka (Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield)," She smiled while explaining to her crush.

"Cute name," Ichigo noted.

"Thank you. Basically, my powers are in my hairpins and I can harness them to use some pretty great abilities to defend myself and others all on my own," She explained.

"Neat, and the fairy things?"

"I'm glad you ask, you see…"

"YOU FOOL!" Yoruichi finally came to and headbutted her, or rather that's what it looked like but really she hits her in the right eye.

"My eye…" The orange girl sobbed while on her knees, covering her eye that should be severely injured by how the impact alone sounded but as Ichigo would later investigate is suspiciously alright.

"What were you thinking?" Yoruichi hissed. "Did you not listen to a single word I said? If it had been one of your flowers that made contact with the current instead of just the barrier, it would have dragged you in! You would be dead!"

"Sorry," Orihime said sadly. "I just thought we weren't going to get to the gate in time."

"Okay, okay. We made it, let's not start bickering amongst each other so soon," Ichigo of all people takes it upon himself to defuse the situation.

"You fail to grasp the severity of the situation," Yoruichi growled.

"If you two have time to argue about results than you have time to be on your guard," Isshin advised.

"Right, and the dust is clearing," Uryū added.

What they saw was a town that wouldn't look out of place in feudal Japan. All of the buildings were only one story and they were all built out of wood and bamboo. There was a stone foundation beneath one big house, but even that looked hand made. The stones weren't cut to fit each other, just piled together in a way that happened to fit. There were trees pushing their tops between the buildings, growing right up in the alleys between houses. Small stone wells were dotted here and there and the roads were hard packed dirt. Most odd of all, however, was the lack of any life.

"So much for gazing at the radiance of the Silver City," Ichigo whined with further disappointment. He was told before on what the Soul Society looks like but seeing it up close is so much sadder.

"Were you really expecting to be greeted by a flock of Angels upon entering the "Beyond"? Uryū asked rhetorically.

"You're the one dressed like a priest, you tell me how it feels to finally set foot here,"

"Like I want to skin my own soul alive but am tempted to do it to a Shinigami first," Uryū growled, with his impulsiveness against the Quincy's sworn enemies kicking in.

"So," Orihime blinked.

"Yes," Yoruichi said. "This is the slum district, more commonly known as the Rukongai (Wondering Soul City), where souls first arrive after a Konsō, and where most souls wait to continue in their reincarnation cycle."

"The Soul Society is divided into two realms, so to speak, the Rukongai and the Seireitei, where the Gotei 13 and the nobles who run this place reside. Though, once upon a time, the Shinigami were stationed pretty much everywhere here," Isshin said with malcontent. "However, ever since a rebellion several hundred years ago started by a rogue noble house, the Ryōdoji Clan, where tensions between the commoners and nobles was at an all-time high, the economy and culture of the Rukongai has taken a major downturn, and most of the souls with the potential to make a difference leave for the Seireitei. The Shinigami barely take care of this place, believing it beneath them."

"That's terrible!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Assholes!" Ichigo hissed with suppressed contempt before turning to his dad. "So, how does it feel to be back home after so long?" He asked curious and concern for his dad.

"Honestly, apart from certain people who still hold a place in my heart, I severed my ties with everything else about this place a long time ago," Isshin said almost emotionlessly before brushing the subject just as quickly. "We should really get moving, the last thing we want is to become surrounded by the enemy."

"Good point, though by prosperous, did you mean that place?" Ichigo asked, pointing at the giant white buildings in the distance.

"Yep, the Seireitei is dead ahead," Isshin affirmed, and using his quick reflexes, grabs his son by his shoulder just as he was about to rush in without thinking, stopping him. "Not so fast, you brutish punk. Our arrival would've never gone unnoticed by the Gotei 13 so rushing in would only get us killed and getting squashed is not the way I would like you kids to go."

"Squashed by what exactly?" Ichigo questioned.

His answer came as a colossal thud as numerous stone walls began to materialize and fall out of the sky, landing in-between the teens and their destination, if they were any closer they might've been knock down by the shockwaves that barely faze them from their distance.

"Okay… now I'm impressed."

"Where did those walls come from?" Uryū questioned while gazing at the sky.

The six move closer to the walls more cautiously, it's then that they see a massive gate that they'll need to pass through to get in, that's also being guarded by a behemoth of a man, extremely large and muscular, who easily towers above most Shinigami. His hair is tied into a pony-tail, which extends down his waist. He has long sideburns, which continue down onto his neck and long enough to be tied up in small pony-tail like tufts. He wears armor on his left shoulder and upper arm, plus a red hat with tassels. The left side of his chest is left exposed by his uniform.

"Hah!" He spoke with a deep and resonant voice as he sees the intruders. "It's been a very, very long time since anyone's had the guts to try bring down chaos and get through this Gate without the proper pass. Now I finally have something to do! I've gotta thank you all."

"Jidanbō, one of the four Gatekeepers who guard the doors to the Seireitei, one for each gate, north, south, east and west," Yoruichi explained. "Each of them should be as strong as a Lieutenant but it has been so very long since any of them have been in a real fight due to the lack of intruders who dare attack the Seireitei."

"And even if he is as strong or stronger than Renji it makes no difference," Ichigo said as he moves at blinding speed, already right next to the Gatekeeper and Getsuhime had since returned to her sealed form as soon as they exited the Dangai.

"My name is Jidanbō Ikkansaka, Gatekeeper of the Hakutōmon (White Way Gate)! Are you the first to die!" He boomed.

Ichigo makes no response and readies to use Getsuhime, light blue reaitsu already radiating off him.

Before the fight could begin, Jidanbō notices Orihime, Chad and Uryū rush in to assist Ichigo, causing the Gatekeeper to frown.

"You people have no manners. Clearly you're from the saddest parts of Rukongai," He taunted, raising his right hand that holds an axe several times larger than an average human and slams it down right behind Ichigo, the impact is great enough to create a massive fissure in the ground, blocking the three away from Ichigo.

"Damn," Uryū cursed.

"I don't know how things are done where you're from but in this district there are rules that everyone must follow. #1. Wash your hands before you eat. #2. No eating anything from the ground. It's bad for your health. #3. Say thank you when given courtesy, and #4. All duels must be one-on-one."

"But…" Orihime began.

"Hey, everybody! Don't do anything, okay?" Ichigo asked. "I want to try this on my own!"

They immediately began to protest.

"Why, Ichigo?" Orihime asked. "We'd fight better together!"

"Yeah, idiot. Quit acting tough!" Uryū snapped.

Before anymore arguing could be made, the giant swung down his axe on Ichigo.

Unfazed, the Shinigami Agent raised his blade and stopped the axe cold.

Everyone blinked at the casual ease Ichigo had blocking the massive weapon.

"Have a little faith you three," Isshin encouraged walking next to them. "Ichigo can handle something this simple."

The others finally obliged.

Jidanbō laughed. "You're very good, kid. Only two people have attempted to barge in and have stopped my first thrust. However, nobody has stopped the SECOND!"

Jidanbō swung his axe, once again doing jack diddly to Ichigo or Getsuhime.

Jidanbō scowled. "Jidan 10-strike festival!"

He swung his axe like a madman, hacking away at Ichigo without mercy. And yet, none of his swings so much as dented Getsuhime.

"You done?" Ichigo asked.

"No! I still have another axe!" He pulled out a second handaxe from within his shihakushō and prepared to strike.

However, Ichigo was tired of this and readied his blade to strike.

"Sorry pal," Ichigo stated. "But I'm Gonna Kick Your Axe."

That was all the warning anyone got before Getsuhime cut through the blades like butter, creating a blast that sent Jidanbō flying into the gate.

"My axes!" Jidanbō cried out. "How could you?!"

The giant seemed on the verge of tears.

"What did you expect?" Ichigo drawled, his sword hand was still holding firmly onto the handle of his Zanpakutō. "You tried to kill me with them. Did you think I'd just lie down and take it?"

"Technically, you were just taking it for a bit," Chad argued. "It just didn't do anything to you."

"… Touché," Ichigo admitted.

Whatever eggshell thin mask of maturity Jidanbō had managed to hold up for that long finally crumbled and the giant started bawling.

"Awk!" Ichigo yelped as a tear bigger than his body almost crashed down on him.

"The Gotei sure has become sloppy while we were away," Isshin muttered, not believing what he is seeing.

"Indeed," Yoruichi sighed with disappointment. He genuinely thought the Gatekeeper could pose a problem but alas, he is just a waste of time.

"Wait no!" Orihime yelped, her inability to see people in tears coming out in full force. "Don't cry! I can fix your axes!"

Jidanbō looked at Orihime in shock. "You can?"

"If you let us through, I'd be glad to!" Orihime chirped.

"Th-Thank you!" He cried, gathering the pieces of his blades.

"Orihime," Uryū asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I don't think any of us could jump over that gate," Orihime stated. "Plus, I think he knows Ichigo can't be stopped."

"I won't object," Ichigo nodded.

"Alright then, Sōten Kisshun (Twin Sacred Return Shield), I Reject," She called with two petals each from her hairpins again tearing off via a bright orange glow with two more fairies to create an oval-shape shield that covers the broken axes and in less than a minute, the axes were completely repaired, as though they were never broken at all, in fact, they look as new as the day Jidanbō first wielded them.

Jidanbō was ecstatic. "You're so nice! Here I am, crying like a baby, and even though your friend trounced me, you still care about me! You're so kind and caring!"

Orihime smiled at the compliment.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, we can proceed to the Seireitei," Ichigo mused.

"Yes, I was defeated, therefor I yield," Jidanbō stated. "I'll let you all pass and open the gate myself."

"What…" Isshin said in disbelief. "That's not how this works."

"Poor young man. He really is too nice for his own good," Yoruichi shook his head as Jidanbō proceeded to turn and lift the gateway for the gang. The black cat is quick to frown, noticing a grave danger. "There's someone else on the other side."

Everyone tensed, looking for the person as Jidanbō raised the gate.

On the other side of the gate stood a lean man with pale skin, appearing to be in his early to mid-twenties, unusually thin and tall with very sharp features, giving him a skeletal appearance, his eyes are narrowed to slits and close, making them wonder how is it he can see, and bears unusual silver hair. He also has a wide mocking smile that is disturbing to most of them. To Ichigo's concern, he was also wearing the same outfit as Byakuya, a shihakushō with a white haori, there's an insignia on the back.

"Great, of all the troubles from the past to come barging in it had to be this guy," Isshin narrowed his eyes, troubled by the appearance of this man.

"What is he even doing here? The 9th Division is supposed to be around this Gate," Yoruichi cursed their luck.

"It seems there's been a miscommunication, Jidanbō. Opening the gate for Ryoka (Traveling Evil) … Mmmm~," Gin said lightly. "Is something we don't allow."

"I did my best while defending the gate and lost, therefore I had no choice but to let them pass," Jidanbō tried to justify himself but his own tone spoke the truth for him.

He's made an error in his role as one of the Four Great Gatekeepers of the Seireimon (Pure Soul Gates), and as a consequence, his left arm is instantly sliced off entirely from his body, he had no time to process this as the large man falls to his knees with the gate following on his shoulders with only his right hand to support it.

"Jidanbō!" Ichigo yelled in anger before glaring at the Captain who drew his sword before any of them noticed, hence why the Gatekeeper's arm was cut off.

The blade of his Zanpakutō looks more like an ordinary wakizashi, knife size but definitely a katana. The hilt is light blue with a tsuba made of two slim swirls of metal looping around the blade to make an open oval, resembling an "S".

"This is so not how I wanted to spend my day. Mmmm~," Gin sighed. "I was supposed to be teaching Izuru how to make American dishes to try out something new for our Division, but no, it has come down to this instead. How "lovely". Mmmm~"

Gin is then forced to block a sword swing from Ichigo who attacks him.

"What are you doing, you snake-faced freak?" Ichigo demanded in outrage.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to keep you Ryoka from setting foot on the Seireitei. Duh. Mmmm~!" Gin explained as he pushes Ichigo a few feet away from him.

"I meant besides that. The noise you do at the end of almost every sentence," Ichigo corrected.

"You are one confusing boy. Mmmm~" Gin does it again, perhaps to taunt the teen.

"It doesn't make sense; why are you doing that?" Ichigo muttered. "I can't be mad at you for harming a defenseless man when you're being so creepy."

"You're the creepy one, look at your hair," Gin talked back.

"Oh, here we go again!" Ichigo whined. "And that's rich coming from a guy with hair like yours. Silver is a woman's color because only they can get it right." He mocked back, referring to the beauty of Getsuhime's hair.

"Then you have the wrong Shikai," Yoruichi mocked, and Ichigo responded to the talking cat by flipping him off. "Kinky."

"Kid, those are fighting words! Mmmm~" Gin said, seemingly irritated by the insult on his own hair. "Naughty children need to be punished. "Shoot to kill, Shinsō (God Spear)!"

Gin drew his sword just as his Reiatsu spiked, and everyone watched as with inhumanly fast movements, the man thrust his blade, causing it to extend at an insane speed.

Ichigo had no time to react at the great speed, nor did he need to as his father steps in and blocks the hit with Engetsu.

The impact from the clash creates a shockwave that blows everyone but Isshin and Gin away, including the wounded Jidanbō, causing the gate he was holding to fall, only to be caught by Isshin who is able to lift the large gate with his left hand.

Silence soon engulfs the area at the tension that has fallen before them, the two superior Shinigami staring intently at each other with Gin losing his grin as he stares at his opponent with suppress disbelief.

"Oh my, do my eyes deceive me," He asked curiously.

"No, it's me Gin. I won't try to waste both our times with any kid's games," He affirmed.

"I take back what I said, what an interesting day this turn out to be. Captain Shiba. Mmmm~" Gin regains his smile recognizing Isshin. "You've aged but I can totally tell it's you."

"I lost the right to that title and name a long time ago, so don't insult me by addressing me as such," Isshin insisted.

"Then what else should I call you then? Never mind, where have you been I wonder, as far as everyone was aware, you were K.I.A. after the Ōin War, and in case you forgot, you were hailed as the hero who stopped that atrocious Arrancar and his Vasto Lorde (Highest Great Hollow) Generals," Gin said.

"I didn't forget that last part, that is something I did not know. No one told me. Not that I care anyway and if you must know where I've been, why don't you ask "him"," Isshin said before he pushes Gin's sword off him and quickly backs away, letting the gate close but not before he says one last thing to the Captain. "Say high to Rangiku and Tōshirō for me."

"Yeah… how about I don't do that," Gin retorted now looking irritated at the mention of the two Isshin named, particularly the former.

---

I admit that Getsuhime having the power to damage the Dangai makes her too overpowered in the grand scheme of things but I assure you that while Ichigo is far stronger with her than he is in canon with Zangetsu, the Captains will still pose a challenge in terms of physical strength and skill, I won't derail that much from the canon. Okay, that's not true but the overall plot will (technically) be the same. Also, while I won't be utilizing Isshin all that much with Ichigo and Getsuhime being the main focus, he'll do his part here and there, along with showing up the power that earned him the position of Gotei Captain.

Flashbacks will be a common trend since I do want to include the first arc as much as possible without adding it completely. The first arc didn't really interest me at first but overtime I came to appretiate it as a good beginning for a series so precious to me so this is my little way to show my love.

So I realized too late that the cover image for this story could make some of you misunderstand a thing or two, such as Getsuhime's Shikai so I will clarify it now. Her Sealed Form is less curved than a standard katana, close to being considered a chokutō, which is a Japanese blade that is straight but shorter than a katana. When Ichigo assumes her release state, Getsuhime becomes a completely straight blade, a good example of a straight sword in Bleach is Shinji's Zanpakutō, Sakanade. One last thing, I based Getsuhime's second tsuba on Nelliel's Zanpakutō, Gamuza. I admit I felt bad about doing that because pretty much all Shinigami and Arrancars have unique cross guards for each of their blades and two that share a similar one ruins the dynamic Kubo has going on but I couldn't help it, it's perfect for the moon aesthetic I have going on.

That's all for this month. Please enjoy, and favorites, follows and reviews are always encouraging.