Author's Note: And here we are at chapter 13. Unlucky for some.
It's been quite the ride to get this far (stupid Trojans) but we are finally approaching the end of the Invasion Arc, with just three or four chapters left in it. One thing I have been wondering is if I should break this story up into smaller stories, with a bunch of arcs bundled together in a 'set' and treated as a book. This would be Book 1, including the Substitute and Invasion arcs. Should I do that or just keep going? Let me know in a review.
Read, Review and Check out my other stories!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!
Beta'd by BigCC
"Rukia" – Normal Speech
'Ichigo' – Thoughts
*Kaien-dono* - Zanpakutō speech/thoughts
"Bankai!" – Spiritual Technique
Chapter 13: From the Shadows
With Kirika
Seireitei Sewer System
The masked Soul Reaper had just opened her mouth to speak when the entire group was hit with two massive sources of Reiatsu that left everyone aside from Yoruichi breathless. Then, as abruptly as they appeared, they both vanished nigh simultaneously.
"What the hell was that?" Rukia asked shakily, "One of those sources of Reiatsu felt like Ichigo, but…"
"Sensei, go!" Kirika urged the werecat, who nodded and vanished in a blur.
"Hanatarō-san, prepare for an incoming critical patient!" she said urgently.
"Who? And what sort of injuries?" the Squad Four medic asked, although he was preparing his kit as he spoke.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, with severe contusions and wounds dealt via Zanjutsu."
This alarmed Ichigo's friends and even Hinamori looked surprised.
"It makes sense." Ishida acknowledged once he recovered, "Kurosaki is the only one of us not here and he is the only one of us, Yoruichi-san aside, who has anywhere close to that level of Reiatsu or Reiryoku." his pondering gaze quickly turned to a glare. "What I want to know is how you seem to know what sort of wounds Kurosaki-san will be suffering."
Kirika sighed impatiently. "I know it because the Reiatsu that wasn't from Kurosaki-san was from a Captain-class Soul Reaper. Not only that, the Reiatsu felt wilder and more turbulent than even Kurosaki-san at his worst. The only Captain in the Goteijūsantai with such wild and nigh-uncontrollable Reiatsu and Reiryoku is the Captain of Squad Eleven, Zaraki Kenpachi. That, Ishida-san, is called deductive reasoning. You may have heard of it."
This earned her another glare from the Last Quincy.
"I-Ichigo fought against Zaraki-taichō…?!" Rukia looked as if she were about to hyperventilate.
"He didn't lose." The masked Soul Reaper offered idly.
"What do you mean?!" Orihime demanded, her concern for her love interest overwhelming her shyness and airheaded personality, albeit temporarily.
"Didn't you notice? Both sources of Reiatsu cut out at almost the exact same time." Kirika reminded them, "Think about what that implies."
It took them a minute before one of them twigged to what she was suggesting.
"A draw…are you saying that that boy somehow managed to match the best Zanjutsu expert in the entire Seireitei in a fight?!" Momo asked in sheer unadulterated disbelief.
"That boy, as you call him, has more talent at swordsmanship than Kenpachi does." The redhead replied somewhat coldly. She hated it when people underestimated her brother. "Kenpachi has Reiatsu that matches any two of the current Captains put together and has no other skills of the Zankensoki other than a mediocre Shunpo. He is, admittedly, a very good swordsman, but he is also primarily self-taught. He has little to no true style, instead he relies on instinct and an innate, and I'll admit incredibly high, amount of skill in bloodshed. Kurosaki-san has a sister who is the Japanese National Kendo Champion for Girls and he was trained one-on-one for five days by Urahara Kisuke, who is a master swordsman on the same level of most sitting Captains. Additionally, the fact that Kurosaki-san has been accumulating power just by being in the Seireitei has pushed him to the level of a Captain-Class Soul Reaper. Believe it or not, Kenpachi has failed to win this day. Granted, he didn't lose either, but Kurosaki-san will have to settle for that."
"Why would Ichigo choose to fight a Captain?" Chad put in, diffusing the argument, as he frowned in thought "He knows that you warned us never to fight one."
"Stubbornness, most likely." Kirika sighed. Acting as unconcerned as 'Kokken Asa' had been forced to make herself out to be regarding her brother was nerve-wracking and hurt her heart more than she could accurately describe. "Kurosaki-san is naturally impetuous and the incident he underwent as a child involving his mother and Grand Fisher has left him with a very straightforward and reckless outlook when it comes to plans of action. His high-Reiatsu means that it takes a lot of power to even harm him, so he can get away with tactics that would kill or cripple ordinary people. Additionally, once he gets an idea into his head, he is the type that refuses let go of it. He wanted to fight Ichimaru Gin at the Hakutōmon and I think he deliberately chose to fight Zaraki Kenpachi to prove to me he could defeat a Captain, out of a small sense of spite, I would assume."
"Kurosaki-kun isn't spiteful!" the wielder of the Shun-Shun Rikka protested.
"No, but he loves proving people wrong." Rukia spoke up reluctantly, "A lot of the kids at his school assume Ichigo's a delinquent because of his hair and the fights he gets into, when in fact he's a straight-A student. You have to admit, he loves rubbing that in the faces of the more…straight-laced students."
Ishida, one of the aforementioned straight-laced students, let out a disgruntled snort. It was so unfair. Kurosaki had more Reiryoku than he knew what to do with and he had a natural gift for combat and he was good at studying? Sometimes life just isn't fair.
Chad nodded. "Ichigo considers it a form of subtle revenge to either prove he isn't what you suspect him to be or that he can do what you deem he cannot do."
Just then, Yoruichi blurred back into existence with the bloody and beaten form of Kirika's brother slung over her shoulder. When she unslung him and laid the orange-haired body on the ground, both Kirika and Hanatarō hissed, almost in unison. Leaving to one side the numerous small-to-medium cuts, nicks and scratches he had, Ichigo's body was in dire threat of bleeding out from the two large wounds that stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip.
"Orihime-san, we need you, now!" Kirika snapped out, burying her screaming emotional mind in the mask of Kokken Asa's indifferent persona. "He's losing too much blood, even for a Soul Reaper! Reject the lack of blood into his body!"
"R-Right!" the orangette nodded shakily. Silently, she invoked her power, causing the two-fairy shield to appear over Ichigo's body and glow with power.
"I'm…not able to reject enough blood into his body to make up for the blood loss." She informed them, strain and slight panic clear in her voice.
"You don't have to. Just maintain enough so he has a stopgap of blood to delay bleeding out." Hanatarō said, his usual passivity non-existent, "Kokken-san, I'll start working on the large injuries while you close up the smaller injuries."
"Very well." Kirika agreed. Her skill at Kaido was slowly and steadily improving, but she could only assist when dealing with such large injuries. Hanatarō was truly her better in this department.
As the two Soul Reapers and one human worked on their fallen companion, Yoruichi fielded questions from the others.
"Yeah, it was definitely Kenpachi he fought." She was saying, "The place was lousy with his Reiryoku."
"Was he there?" Momo demanded. She was obviously looking for any possible excuse to convince herself that Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't just fought one of the strongest of the current Captains to a standstill.
"He was when I arrived and he couldn't get up under his own power. His Lieutenant had to carry him off." The werecat informed her slightly smugly, "By the looks of it, Ichigo here resonated very strongly with his Zanpakutō, giving him an amazingly strong edge against Kenpachi."
"What do you mean?" Ishida asked intently.
"There are three methods of becoming a Captain of the Goteijūsantai, boy." The purplette replied, "First, you can take the Taishu, the Captain's Proficiency Test, which basically means you have to prove you are capable of Bankai. The Sōtaichō and two other existing Captains have to witness the test. Second, by Personal Recommendation. You have to be personally recommended by six of the Captain's Council and approved by three of the remaining seven Captains. The final method is Trial by Combat. You have to face a Captain in one-on-one combat and defeat them, in front of at least 200 witnesses from that squad. Of these methods, the last one is the rarest of them all…except in Squad Eleven, which exclusively uses this method. Each Captain is referred to as 'Kenpachi' and is almost always the most powerful swordsman in all of the Court Guard Squads. It is a bloody tradition of each Captain of the Eleventh slaying their predecessor. Zaraki Kenpachi slew his predecessor with one swing of his sword, and he was never even a member of the Guard Squads, which is one reason why he has only rudimentary skill in Shunpo and no skill at controlling his Reiryoku, leading to the reason why he had to take that last method, aside from it being a Squad Eleven tradition."
"What could that be?" Ishida asked, stunned that one group of Soul Reapers were so bloodthirsty as to have a leadership system that relied on killing the previous leader to replace them.
"He's a lot like Ichigo in that his Zanpakutō is permanently in its Shikai form, but there is one key difference: Zaraki has no idea what his sword's name is." Yoruichi said gravely, "By all accounts, he's never even tried to discover his Zanpakutō's name."
"I fail to understand the issue." Ishida replied in honest confusion.
"A Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō is born from their very being, Uryū." Rukia answered him quietly, "They are literally an aspect of who we are as people. To so completely ignore a part of yourself as Kenpachi-taichō does, it's…wrong."
"A lot of people feel sorry for his poor sword." Yoruichi agreed.
The conversation fell fallow as they watched Ichigo get healed by the efforts of the three healers. It was half an hour later that they all backed away and slumped to the ground.
"That's…all we can do for now." The Third Seat gasped, "Unbelievable…just how much Reiryoku does he have?!"
"Enough to attract Hollows on a daily basis to the point that the Soul Reaper assigned to Karakura Town before Kuchiki-san here was run off their feet." Kirika answered with a small laugh, "It's going to be worse once he becomes a true Captain-class Soul Reaper and attains Bankai."
Rukia, Momo and Hanatarō gaped at Kirika in shock and disbelief at her declaration.
"Kokken-san, only the Four Great Noble Houses have produced Soul Reapers that have been able to achieve Bankai." Hanatarō said cautiously.
"Aizen Sōsuke, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Ichimaru Gin, Komamura Sajin and Tōsen Kaname are evidence to the contrary." The masked Soul Reaper refuted calmly, "None of them have so much as a drop of noble blood running in their veins and they are all Captains who took the Captain's Test and are proven to have a Bankai. Besides, this is likely to be one more thing that Kurosaki-san will rub in the face of a smug noble like Byakuya-sempai to irritate him."
"Why do you refer to Nii-sama as '-sempai'?" Rukia asked. She sounded a bit irritated.
"Because, over a century ago, he was taught by one Shihōin Yoruichi." The werecat interrupted with a catlike grin, "As was Soi Fon. Kokken here is my latest cute disciple and it'll be interesting to see how Bya-kun and Hachi-chan react to Asa-chan when they see her next."
"Sensei, you're regressing to catlike behaviour again." Kirika deadpanned, grateful for the helmet hiding her blush. Being called 'cute', even in jest, by someone as beautiful as Yoruichi was one hell of an ego boost.
"Oi, is the Soul Reaper brat gonna wake up soon?" Ganju asked rudely.
"He's been grievously wounded, even for a Soul Reaper." Hanatarō actually glared at the Shiba Scion, "If he were any normal patient, he'd be out for at least half a day, although I'd prefer it if he remain out for a full day so he can recover fully. As it is, with the rate his Reiryoku is regenerating, he'll be awake inside of a couple of hours."
"Is he stable enough to move?" Yoruichi asked, "If he is, we should get going. It's only a matter of time before search parties come down here and they'll be able to follow the Reiryoku trails from Kokken and me using Shunpo."
"Well…yes, I'd say that he is." The 3rd Seat replied, looking troubled, "But it depends on where we'll be going. If we're going to Shunpo somewhere, I can't advise it. His wounds might reopen."
"No need to worry, kid." The purplette reassured him, "A ten-minute walk that away and we'll be where I want to go."
"But that's going towards the centre of the Seireitei." Rukia said with a frown.
"Now that Ichigo's beaten a Captain, things are gonna get tricky." The werecat responded, "We need to rest, heal and train Ichigo. We'll need more than one Captain-class in order to break out of here."
With that, Yoruichi gently picked up Ichigo and led the way, with Kirika taking the rear-guard position.
'Soon…it'll be soon that Aizen makes his move.' She thought, 'Then 'Kokken Asa' will not be needed anymore.'
She gripped Nejibana's hilt tightly.
'Then I'll see how much my deception has hurt my relationship with my friends and brother.'
Later
Seijōtōkyorin, Central 46 Central Compound
Aizen Sōsuke was becoming more and more irritated by the annoying fly called 'Kokken Asa' who had been throwing spanners into his plans by the cartload.
"Gin, these repeated and unwelcome happenstances are beginning to…irk…me." he stated aloud, a faux calm belying his growing irritation.
"Not much we can do 'bout that, Aizen-taichō." The snakelike Captain shrugged indifferently, "Th' one time I tried my hand at her after the Hakutōmon, she used Onmitsukidō-level Shunpo when I wasn't expectin' it and got away."
"Kuchiki Rukia is out of the Senzaikyū, Hinamori Momo isn't distracting her peers and brother figure by suffering a mental breakdown because she was captured by the Ryoka, and that brat Hitsugaya is becoming suspicious of the Central 46 and all you can say regarding your failure us 'oops, I wasn't expecting her to be so fast'?!" Tōsen snapped, his calm demeanour shattering for a brief moment, "Not to mention the fact that the Ryoka have gone to ground after Kurosaki Ichigo defeated Zaraki Kenpachi!"
"They're likely going to train Kurosaki in Bankai." Aizen snorted, "It doesn't really take a lot of deductive ability to see that. With just one Captain-class Soul Reaper and the low-level humans that they have, they wouldn't be able to breach the defences of the Seireitei in order to leave."
Aizen, despite his overwhelming contempt for the Soul Society, knew better than to underestimate the defences that had been constructed around the Seireitei. Even he wouldn't be able to get through the Sekkiseki wall that acted as the border between the Rukongai and the Seireitei using his own power alone. It was only possible for the giants that guarded the gates to open them because of the overwhelming amount physical strength that they possessed, so it was easy to deduce Shihōin Yoruichi's plan. With the barrier above and below the Seireitei thanks to the Sekkiseki walls that encircled it, there was the only reasonable plan she could make; hold off any attackers at a gate while it is opened from the other side.
Unknown to her, he controlled the other three Gate Guardians thanks to Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnotism. She wouldn't know that, but would rely on Ikkanzaka Jidanbō to aid them once again, so they would likely target the Hakutōmon once again.
"If she uses Urahara Kisuke's training device, it will only take her three days to teach the human boy Bankai." He said calmly, "I believe that at that point we will make our move and rip the Hōgyoku out of Kuchiki Rukia. Then…"
A wicked smile crossed the traitorous Captain's face. "Then I shall abandon this ossified relic of a fortress and set up in Hueco Mundo. Has the Secunda reported to you, Tōsen?"
"Hai, Aizen-sama. The Palace of Las Noches (The Night) stands ready to receive you." The blind man replied blandly, "Begging your pardon, but shouldn't you do something about Stark and his laziness? He is the Primera, after all."
"It's fine. So long as he fights and dies at my will, he is free to do as he pleases at the moment." The other Captain said dismissively.
"As you will it."
"Tōsen-taichō, we should head back." Gin put in, "Sōtaichō-san will be gettin' suspicious if we're outta sight fer too long."
"True enough." Aizen allowed, "Leave. When the time comes, you both know what to do."
As his two subordinates left, Aizen smiled cruelly. Gin had joined him in order to kill him. Tōsen had joined him out of a desire for revenge against the Soul Society. He would use them, the Arrancar, the Espada and the Ryoka, even the Soul Society itself, in order to stand atop heaven and be free.
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Later
Hidden Training Ground
"…" Hanatarō looked around the training ground and then back at the hidden tunnel that had taken them into it from the sewer system and shook his head in plain disbelief. It had been a couple of hours since the strange ex-Captain had showed them the tunnel built into the sewer system, but he still couldn't believe it.
"I have cleaned these sewer tunnels for over thirty years and never suspected that a hidden tunnel might exist there!" he muttered to Rukia, who was equally shocked.
"Kokken, do you know what this place is?" she asked the masked Soul Reaper, who was relaxing nearby.
"It's a place that Urahara, Tessai-sensei and Yoruichi-sensei secretly built when they were young, before entering the Goteijūsantai." Kokken answered easily, "They replicated it to a degree underneath the Urahara Shōten. This one has walls and doors lined with Sekkiseki, however, so no one can find it just by someone blasting off Reiatsu like a wildfire…such as what Kurosaki-san is doing at the moment."
The group turned to watch as Ichigo faced off against a tall older man in a black coat and orange sunglasses amidst a field of giant cleavers whose blades had various different shapes. As Kokken had stated, both men were emitting Reiatsu like waterfalls.
"So that's Ichigo's Zanpakutō spirit…" Rukia said with a shake of her head, "I'd wondered what Zangetsu would look like, but…"
"He doesn't fit the mental image you built up of him?" Kokken suggested.
The younger Kuchiki nodded, "Ichigo is rash, impatient and rude. Zangetsu…isn't."
"Remember your studies at the Shinōreijutsuin, Kuchiki-san." The masked Soul Reaper reprimanded her, "A Zanpakutō is born from our soul, but is not a clone of the entirety of our soul. At most it is an imprint of a particular time in our lives. Usually, they exemplify one particular aspect of it. Zangetsu-shi in this case I believe represents Kurosaki-san's determination as a guardian or protector. He is stern, unrelenting, dutiful and demands the best from his wielder. It is likely that the incident with Grand Fisher determined that all those years ago."
"You seem to know a lot about Kurosaki-kun's past." Orihime observed sharply. She, Momo, Chad and Ganju were under a barrier Kidō that Yoruichi had constructed for them. Tessai had apparently invented it in order to shield himself and Yoruichi from Kisuke's Reiatsu when he had invented and used the Tenshintai (Change God Body) to achieve Bankai in three days.
"I have been aware of Kurosaki-san for quite some time. Mostly to curse his lack of Reiatsu and Reiryoku control." Kokken laughed, "I was assigned to watch him, but not to interfere. Before you lose your tempers, I was indisposed on the day that Grand Fisher devoured his mother's soul. I would have intervened otherwise."
"Why were you indisposed?" Chad asked coolly.
"My training consists of regular one-on-one sparring with the former Commander of the Kidō Corps, the former Commander of the Onmitsukidō and one of the greatest genii seen since the founding of the Goteijūsantai." The disciple of Yoruichi replied dryly, "That tends to involve a lot of time healing up from getting the tar kicked out of me. Even Kaido has limits, especially when you fight against Urahara's Zanpakutō, Benihime."
The Soul Reapers shudder at the thought of regularly sparring against a Captain and getting badly wounded that way. All of them (Rukia, Hanatarō and Momo) interpose themselves and their Captains into that picture and resolve to never bring up the subject again.
"Kokken, get some sleep." Yoruichi ordered as she popped out of nowhere, "You haven't recovered your Reiryoku from your fight with the Squad Ten Captain yet."
"Hai, sensei." The masked Soul Reaper nodded obediently, "Will you be scouting the Seireitei tonight?"
"Nope; gotta keep boy wonder here from going too long." The purple-haired woman jerked her head at the still fighting Ichigo. "Going all out like this is all very fine and dandy, but he has to get some sleep, as well as steep himself in that onsen over there. It helps recover a person's Reiryoku and heals their physical wounds as well. So no girls near the onsen until I tell you."
"As if I would!" Rukia snapped, her face crimson.
"Did I say you, Rukia-chan?" Yoruichi asked silkily, making the ravenette splutter incomprehensibly before falling silent with a whimper. Orihime narrowed her eyes in uncharacteristic suspicion at the petite Soul Reaper as a surge of jealousy rose up in her.
With Kirika
As the other members of the Rukia Rescue Team (plus two extras) bedded down behind the soundproofing Kidō, Kirika walked over to talk with Yoruichi.
"Sensei, Ishida is leading the charge for me to explain the situation that we have going on here, in detail." She informed her Hohō and Hakuda teacher, "At this rate, I'll have to either prevaricate or come somewhat clean by the day after tomorrow at latest."
Yoruichi made a catlike sound of irritation, despite being in human form. "Tch. That's the problem with overly smart and analytical people; they just can't let things lie. Fine. You explain some things to them, but try to leave out some details and of course who you are behind that mask. The last thing we need are these kids to be reeling from information overload when they should be fighting."
"OK." The redhead nodded in slight relief. She had always argued that they should be more open in regards to information with the others. A frequent and fruitless argument on her part.
Yoruichi placed a hand on Kirika's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry. They'll understand when you tell them the truth of who you really are when they hear of your past."
"I…" Kirika hesitated, "…I don't want them to pity me, sensei. What Aizen and the other two did to me…I can't help but feel less than human sometimes. I was cut open and used like a dissection cadaver. It amazes me that I have no nightmares about that time."
"Aizen will pay for what he did to you." Yoruichi's agate eyes became flinty for a moment before softening, "And you are a stronger person than most people could measure up to. You faced true evil and came away scarred and wounded, but unbroken. Not many could do that. Add into that fact that you were only a child at the time and you've had years of good memories to bury the bad. A little pity after hearing your suffering would be understandable. I'll do what I can to mitigate any overflow of pity on their part, so cheer up. OK?"
"Hai." Kirika's voice wobbled a bit as she spoke, "Arigatou, sensei."
The Next Day
Captain's Office, Squad Ten Barracks
Toshiro scowled as he fought his way through the mountain of paperwork that Matsumoto had left undone. While by far his superior when it came to physical age, his lieutenant was much more lacking when it came to mental maturity, particularly when compared to him. She ducked and avoided any serious responsibility, outside of battle, like the plague.
'Yesterday was definitely more than odd; it was downright disturbing and perplexing.' The white-haired Captain thought with a scowl. On top of Captain Aizen being found dead in extremely suspicious circumstances, Toshiro's suspicion regarding the legality of the actions of the Central 46 had been growing more and more since his encounter with the rogue Soul Reaper. He had been slightly suspicious when Rukia's sentence of execution via the Sōkyoku had been announced, but the words of Kokken Asa had solidified those suspicions and recent events were only added fuel to the fire.
Add on to that his inability to capture Kokken Asa, his sister-figure Hinamori Momo being kidnapped and held hostage by the Ryoka and arriving at the scene of Kenpachi's match to be met by a laughing purple-haired woman who mock-saluted him with the unconscious figure of an orange-haired boy over one shoulder before vanishing in the fastest Shunpo he had ever seen and one Hitsugaya Toshiro was NOT a happy camper. Thus all of this paperwork was very close to the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Taichō~!" Rangiku cooed as she strutted into the office, "How's it going?"
A tick mark appeared on Toshiro's forehead and started to pulse angrily.
"It would be going far easier if you would just do your own paperwork instead of just dumping it onto my desk." He growled.
"Awww…! But that's booorrrrriiiiiinnnggg!" the voluptuous woman whined like a child.
"Matsumoto, we do not have time for your usual frivolities at the moment!" Toshiro snapped, "A Captain is dead, with another one defeated, ninety percent of Squad Eleven are still laid up in the Fourth Squad Barracks along with another Lieutenant, Momo has been kidnapped, and the Central 46 is acting downright suspicious!"
"Eh? What about Central 46?" the strawberry blond asked.
The bishōnen Captain sighed. "Think about it. How often to the Central 46 involve themselves in matters to do with the Goteijūsantai? I looked up the records; less than twice a decade unless it is a truly serious incident. And they interfered with the pay scale of Seated Officers -again- just two years ago. Moreover, they could care less about Unseated Soul Reapers going AWOL. Yes, the subject this time was a member of the Kuchiki Clan, but she was adopted into the Clan by Kuchiki-taichō, a move that was very unpopular in the clan, especially among the Elders. They wouldn't have their representative among the Central 46 bring her disappearance up; they'd bury it and pretend that she never existed."
The body of the Central 46 was made up of forty wise men, gathered from all over the Soul Society, but the Noble Clans would of course have members of their elders represented among their number, if not members of the six judges that rounded out the number. Thanks to the mandate handed down by the Soul King, the real rulers of the Soul Society were the Central 46, so it was inevitable that the nobility would control them to some degree.
Matsumoto nodded in tentative agreement with her Captain regarding the frequency of the governing body interfering in Court Guard business and even about the likelihood of the Kuchiki Clan representative starting this whole mess to begin with. But…
"Taichō, it really isn't a good idea to investigate the Central 46." The busty Lieutenant said softly, "Captains have been sent into the Maggot's Nest for less. If you keep doing this…"
"I know." Toshiro said seriously, "But what I have found so far indicates something very strange is going on, Matsumoto. Even the Central 46 are bound by the laws they set and the rulings they hand down, if the ruling is broad enough or specific enough, and a law passed a thousand years ago sets an absolute upper limit to what they or the Sōtaichō or any Captain can sentence someone to by the degree of the severity of the crime. Sentencing someone to execution by the Sōkyoku for a crime that, at maximum, can be punished by a year of prison and the forfeiture of three years' pay violates that law completely. These people make the laws…if nothing else, that means that they should be more than aware of how to circumvent those laws instead of blatantly ignoring them."
There was silence between the two high-ranking Soul Reapers for a minute before Matsumoto sighed theatrically, her vast chest heaving and bouncing with the motion.
"Mooouuuu! It can't be helped!" she muttered, "I'll help you then, Taichō. What's our move?"
"First, we have to make sure that everything I've deducted is in fact true." Toshiro said with a frown, "All of the paperwork on your desk is information about the specific law that is the bedrock of my case, as well as the law regarding the punishment for an Unseated Soul Reaper bestowing their power upon a human. Check through it and confirm that my theory is correct. Meanwhile, I'll be taking care of this mountain you left for me yesterday."
A wail could be heard from the Captain's Office that the surrounding Soul Reapers were familiar with; Matsumoto had gotten stuck with more paperwork and the Captain was almost literally sitting on her so she couldn't sneak away.
'Divine punishment!' was the popular opinion of all those who the last Lieutenant had landed with extra duties thanks to her slacking behaviour.
With Ichigo
Secret Training Ground
"Dammit!" Ichigo spat as Zangetsu vanished, his Reiatsu extinguished again. The number of swords had decreased dramatically, meaning he was closer to achieving Bankai
"Yo, kiddo!" Yoruichi waved at him, "Over here. Kokken's gonna explain somethin' to you all. How's the Shunpo coming?"
"OK, although I need more practice at it." The orange-haired boy replied shortly as he landed next to the Goddess of Flash, "Zangetsu-ossan is damn tough! It's like he knows what I'm going to do before I do."
"Well he is a part of you, kid." Yoruichi pointed out, "Zanpakutō spirits know us better than we know ourselves, usually. They know the way we think, so predicting how you'd react in a fight is pretty easy to do."
"If you had been going into Jinzen every day like I do, you would have an understanding about how your Zanpakutō think as well." Kokken added as she appeared out of nowhere next to them, "Really…once we get you back to the World of the Living, I'm going to sit you down and cram the theory of being a Soul Reaper into you. It's an insult to your poor Zanpakutō that you know so little about him."
Ichigo scowled. This was what he really disliked about Kokken Asa; she was so goddamn pushy and acted superior because she knew things that he didn't. Big wow. It wasn't as if he was going to be a Soul Reaper his entire life. Once Rukia was safe, he could relax and just kill the occasional Hollow that appeared in Karakura. He was only fifteen, for crying out loud.
"You won't, you know." The masked Soul Reaper said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"You're thinking that you don't need to know all of this 'Soul Reaper stuff' because you won't have to worry about it after you rescue Kuchiki-san properly." Kokken elaborated, "That is short-sighted and naïve of you, Kurosaki-san. Even if our plan to break out goes well, you, and the rest of your friends, will be on the watch lists of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. If nothing else, you will have to maintain your strength, and bonding with your Zanpakutō is something that will greatly aid that. He can be a friend, a partner, a mentor, a confidant…even a surrogate parent, under the right circumstances. Ignoring that aspect of your sword makes you little better than Kenpachi."
That stopped his annoyance cold. Kenpachi's sword had let off a scream whenever Ichigo had crossed blades with Kenpachi, a scream of pain, suffering and despair. 'Why?!' was the main thrust of the questions it put out. 'Why are you ignoring me?', 'Why are you hurting me?', that sort of thing. There was no way he wanted his relationship with Zangetsu to be anything like that.
"I'll give it some thought." He said begrudgingly, and damn it if the masked girl didn't radiate smugness.
Presently, they arrived at the area where everyone was waiting for them. Chad, Ishida and Orihime sat together, with Ganju standing guard over Hinamori and Hanatarō, although as Hinamori was all but helpless thanks to the collar around her neck and Hanatarō had way more Reiryoku than he did, it was mostly a show.
"Now then," Kokken said once everyone was seated, "yesterday, just before Kurosaki-san took leave of his senses and duelled a Captain, I was about to answer Ishida-san's assertion that there were many aspects of this rescue mission that you were all uninformed about. That…is absolutely correct."
Ishida glared, Orihime gasped, Chad remained unperturbed and Ichigo, of course, spoke up.
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"One of the Thirteen Captains, Aizen Sōsuke, was apparently murdered yesterday." Kokken replied, "With his own Zanpakutō, to boot. But when I looked at the 'corpse', all I saw was a sword thrust into the wall. Combine that with the numerous impossibilities of stealing the weapon of a Captain-class Soul Reaper and subduing and killing them without a fight or any clash of Reiatsu and we have a regular murder mystery on our hands…unless you're Yoruichi-sensei and me."
The werecat gave Ichigo a condensed version of what everyone thought Kyōka Suigetsu could do and what it could actually do.
"OK, that is a very overpowered Zanpakutō." Ichigo said, "So you think this guy faked his own death? Why?"
"Because Aizen Sōsuke is the mastermind behind Rukia-chan's sentence and indeed the entire arrest order." Yoruichi said bluntly, causing eyes to widen, especially a certain Lieutenant's.
"That's ridiculous!" Hinamori shouted, standing up and glaring at the werecat, "What proof do you have that Aizen-taichō had anything to do with it?!"
"A hundred years ago," Kokken broke in smoothly, "a hundred years ago, six Captains, the then-Grand Chief and Commander of the Kidō Corps, his vice-commander and three Lieutenants were convicted of various charges ranging from acquiring Hollow powers to infecting them with Hollow powers. All on the word of a single person, the then-Lieutenant of Squad Five, Aizen Sōsuke. Barring Urahara, who had become a Captain only a decade beforehand, all of the Captains and Lieutenants were long-serving Soul Reapers with years of loyal service…and on the basis of this one, freshly minted Lieutenant's testimony, the Central 46 condemned them. Additionally, there was no investigation conducted by the Onmitsukidō. Don't you find that more than a little odd, that those old fossils would take the word of one man over eleven other Captains and Lieutenants without at least conducting some form of investigation on their own part?"
"W-Well…" Hinamori faltered.
"The truth of the matter started when both Aizen and Kisuke both created an object they called the Hōgyoku, the Breakdown Sphere, although Aizen made his first." Yoruichi said grimly, "As the name suggests, it possesses the power to break down the line between Soul Reapers and Hollows, granting Hollow powers to Soul Reapers and Soul Reaper powers to Hollows. Neither of them were complete when they were created. Kisuke tried every trick in the book, and a few out of it, to destroy the thing once he realised what he had created, but the damn things are almost completely indestructible. Kidō, Hakuda, Bankai…nothing so much as scratched the bedamned thing.
"Aizen though…Aizen tried to complete his one by feeding it Reiryoku. When that didn't work he gathered more Reiryoku by sacrificing souls from the Rukongai to his Hōgyoku. It got to the point that even the Guard Squads were taking notice of the amount of Souls vanishing, so they dispatched investigators…who were then sacrificed to the Hōgyoku."
Ichigo blanched at this. "So this guy sacrificed how many people?"
"Unknown." Kokken said quietly, "No more than three thousand and at least one-thousand. There were no actual casualty reports."
All of the other people looked ill at that number, even Ishida.
"That was a hundred years ago. What has it to do with Kuchiki-san's situation?" Orihime asked, although she looked a little green.
"I'm getting there." Yoruichi assured her, "Lessee…yeah, so then a bunch of Captains and Lieutenants, including the Captain of Squad Five, went out to investigate…and Aizen used the Hōgyoku on them, giving them Hollow masks. Kisuke and Tessai show up and try to stop him, but Aizen's clever and powerful. Even as a Lieutenant, he had superior Reiryoku and Reiatsu, not to mention his skill with kidō was simply scary. He cast an Eishōhaki Bakudō #81, Dankū, with enough power to stop an Eishōhaki Hadō #89, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō (Way of Destruction Number Eighty-Nine, Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon) from the Commander of the Kidō Corps cold, from behind and with only a few seconds of forewarning."
This made Hinamori and Rukia's eyes widen. They knew a lot about how Kidō worked, and knew that it wasn't just Aizen's puissance with the Demon Way that counted here; the amount of Reiryoku that he had to have poured into that spell had to have been considerable, far more than a mere Lieutenant should have had access to.
"Kisuke and Tessai got dragged before the Central 46 and condemned, so I got 'em out and to one of Kisuke's secret labs." The werecat continued, "There, he used his own Hōgyoku to stabilise the afflicted Captains and Lieutenants before we all escaped to the World of the Living. Before he did though, Kisuke concluded that hiding the unique signature of the Hōgyoku inside of a Soul would be best, so he went into Inuzuri and chose, at random, a girl who has some amount of Reiryoku to hide it within…you, Rukia-chan."
The ravenette blanched. "Wh-what?!"
"It's why you were targeted with these charges." Kokken said gently, "It's why Byakuya-sempai and Abarai-san were sent to capture you. It's why you were to be executed via the Sōkyoku; it's likely that the only 100% certain method to remove it is to destroy the Soul surrounding the Hōgyoku. Barring the arrow of a Quincy, the Sōkyoku is the only other method available to accomplish this feat."
"Aizen seemed to rapidly learn Bankai, because he became a Captain a few short years later." Yoruichi continued the story to prevent someone from saying something stupid, "And, from what we gathered, started secretly gathering Souls from the outer districts, where no one cares about missing people, and started experimenting on them. We don't know what his goal is exactly, but they all had one thing in common: all of the research was geared toward merging Hollows and Soul Reapers together."
"One result of that research was a Hollow with…unique abilities." The masked Soul Reaper said quietly, "Its name…was Metastacia."
Rukia and Ganju paled.
"That…that's the name of the Hollow that possessed and devoured Miyako-dono and Kaien-dono…!" Rukia whispered in horror.
"I'm honestly shocked you didn't think it was unusual." Kokken remarked, "Grand Fisher is over fifty years old and it has two fairly weak abilities; the Lure and the Living Hair. Shrieker had one ability, Exploding Soundwave Slug Bombs. Metastacia had two very powerful abilities. First, Zanpakutō-Asauchi Destruction. Second, Spiritual Body Fusion. The second has been recorded in the annals of the Soul Society a few times, but the first? No Hollow has ever had a special ability that can interfere with or affect the Zanpakutō-possessed Asauchi of a Soul Reaper. Then again, you were scarcely in a fit mental condition to assess something at the time."
"So…Kaien-nii and Miyako-nee were what? Experiments for this bastard?!" Ganju growled. He had already known some of this, but this information about Metastacia was new to him.
"Partly, I would wager." Kokken allowed, "I have no way of knowing what Aizen was thinking, but one consequence was that Kuchiki-san fell into a depression and greatly diminished her training, which likely affected any attempts she made to be promoted to a Seated position. Actually, there is something I've been meaning to do since yesterday."
The masked Soul Reaper pulled out a familiar glove and pulled it on before slamming it onto Rukia's head, pulling her out of the Gigai that she had been occupying and settling her down. She was dressed exactly the same as the Gigai, but now you could see small specs of black as her Reiryoku started being restored, with her Shihakushō along with it.
"Whoa…!" the ravenette groaned. She could see why Ichigo hated it when she did that to him now.
"Hadō # 54, Haien! (Way of Destruction Number 54, Abolishing Flames!)" Yoruichi said, pointing a finger at the now-motionless Gigai. A blast of purple flaming energy erupted from it and struck the Gigai, wiping it from existence.
"Why'd you have to go and do that?" Ichigo asked.
"Because, Kurosaki-san, that Gigai was no ordinary one." Kokken answered, "It was likely a special Reiryoku-sapping variant designed to reduce your Reiryoku to zero. Your Saketsu and Hakusui would then be sealed in order to lock the Hōgyoku within your Soul permanently. Killing you normally would then send the Hōgyoku into the wheel of reincarnation with you and it would be all but impossible to find it in the World of the Living, although I doubt Urahara would take it that far."
"Kokken, how'd you figure that out?" Yoruichi demanded, "I'm sure none of us told you that."
"I've read through a lot of books during my time with you, sensei." The masked Soul Reaper shrugged nonchalantly, "Urahara has no organisational skill, so more than a few books were on the development of an energy-sapping Gigai and the likely effect on the Soul that houses it if drained to its limit of Reiryoku. It didn't click until just now when you told us that the Hōgyoku is inside Kuchiki-san."
Ichigo saw Yoruichi frown and could see that there was a lot more friction between Kokken and the members of the Urahara Shōten than it first appeared.
"He….Urahara almost rendered me powerless on purpose?!" Rukia hissed furiously.
"The Hōgyoku is powerful enough that he saw one ex-Inuzuri brat as a cheap price to pay for sealing it away." Yoruichi stated, "Look at the monstrosities he created with a weak, incomplete version; if he merges them together, he will have a far more powerful version."
"There's still no proof that Aizen-taichō did anything you said!" Hinamori burst out desperately.
"He did." Kokken said softly, "I should know…I was once one of his experiments."
The silence in the room was deafening.
"What?" Rukia croaked. Orihime looked sick.
"It was fifteen years ago…I was a guinea pig in just one of his experiments." Kokken was trembling as she spoke, spitting the words out as if they disgusted her to say, "I was cut open, degraded, treated like reusable and disposable trash. At the end, I was the only survivor of over half a million test subjects, just for that one experiment. The rest Hollowfied or committed Soul Suicide. I barely escaped with my life, fleeing to the World of the Living. I found the Shōten after a while and have trained to stop Aizen ever since."
There was silence as Kokken regain her self-control. When she did, she looked at Hinamori, who quailed back from the blank masked stare.
"Take it from me. Aizen is not the man you think he is. Just because he acts kind, doesn't mean that he is. Just because he says his Zanpakutō does one thing doesn't mean that it does it. Besides, he also has two followers among the Captains."
"What?!" Rukia gaped.
"Think about it. In order to be hypnotised by Kyōka Suigetsu, you have to see his Shikai being released." Yoruichi said leadingly.
"See…you don't mean Tōsen-taichō, surely?!" Hanatarō asked in disbelief, "He's a great believer in justice!"
"Again, what people say and what they actually mean can be two totally separate things." The masked Soul Reaper said harshly, "The other one is probably Ichimaru Gin. He tracked me down near the Squad Five Barracks and almost took my head off with his Shikai. You all wanted to know what we knew. Well, now you know. Kuchiki-san, please go and bathe in the onsen. It will aid in you recovering your Reiryoku. Inoue-san, please go with her as she is still unstable on her feet after being ejected from her Gigai. I will be in Jinzen."
With that, Kokken drew her Zanpakutō, sat down with crossed legs, laid her blade across her lap and went still.
"Sh-she entered Jinzen so quickly…" Rukia mumbled as Orihime helped her walk towards the onsen.
Ichigo shook his head as if to clear it. "And no one noticed anything strange about this Aizen guy?" he demanded.
"Unlike regular human hypnotism, which is fairly weak and easily broken, the hypnotism of a Zanpakutō is a lot stronger." Yoruichi said wearily, "Generally, the more a Soul Reaper or human uses a sense that the Zanpakutō uses as a medium, the more powerful it is. As Kyōka Suigetsu uses sight, where people get quite a bit of sensory input, as a medium, it is very powerful. Add into that the fact that its power is absolute hypnotism of all five senses and Aizen could prance around naked in a room full of people he had hypnotised and they would only be able to perceive him wearing his Shihakushō."
Hinamori turned beet red at that example.
"Anyway, now you know what the stakes are." The werecat said more seriously, looking sharply at the group, "Aizen cannot be allowed to get his hands on the Hōgyoku, meaning he cannot be allowed to get his hands on Rukia-chan. Ichigo, you have to master Bankai by the end of tomorrow to give us a fighting chance."
"Right." Ichigo nodded. He stood up and started to stalk back to his designated training area determinedly.
"Yoruichi-san." Ishida said as he adjusted his glasses, "Why didn't you stop 'Kokken' just now? I would have thought that you'd want Kuchiki-san to remain powerless, as per the plan Urahara-san made."
The Shihōin Princess shook her head. "The instant Aizen took Rukia-chan, the previous plan was defunct. Besides, neither Ichigo nor Kokken would allow me to keep her powerless. Ichigo, maybe, but only because he had no way of getting her out of that Gigai. With Kokken added into the mix, any attempt to keep Rukia-chan powerless was doomed to fail before it even began, especially since she seems to have been prepared to remove Rukia-chan's Gigai from the get-go."
Moving with her to a separate location so they wouldn't be overheard, Ishida lowered his voice as well and asked, "Is what she said true?"
"Some time details were fudged, but other than that, yes." Yoruichi said quietly.
"My god…" Ishida whispered.
"Yeah, kinda puts you own experiences in perspective." The werecat smiled bitterly, "Hell, at that age, I doubt that I could have survived with my sanity intact. She's a tough cookie, but I really don't know how she'll react to coming face-to-face with Aizen. Keep an eye out for her, willya?"
"She's your apprentice." The Quincy pointed out.
"I'll probably be busy fighting my last apprentice; too busy to have the luxury of being distracted by keeping an eye on her." The woman disagreed, "Soi Fon was and is an extremely talented master of Hakuda. Combined with her Zanpakutō, I cannot take her lightly."
Ishida was taken aback to see the seemingly frivolous woman taking something seriously. The last time she had looked like this was when she took something white out of Ichigo's Shihakushō and destroyed it at once the previous day.
"I'll see what I can do." He said with a nod.
"Good. I'm off to chat with the girls."
As Yoruichi sauntered over to the Onsen, Ishida sighed. Kokken Asa…no, Kurosaki Kirika, was like him. She sought revenge for what this…Aizen…had done to her. No, not only to her, but to all of the five-hundred thousand Souls that Aizen and his group had killed in the course of their experiments. When compared to that kind of reason, his own anger against Kurotsuchi Mayuri for what the man had done to his grandfather somehow seemed…lacking.
Petty, even.
Granted, the Soul Reapers had committed genocide against the Quincy race, but that had been for a good reason, even Uryū had to admit that. Almost destroying the world from too many Souls not entering the wheel of reincarnation had been a grave sin of the Quincies of the past and they had needed to be stopped. If, as Kirika and Yoruichi said, six Captains had been framed and exiled a hundred years ago, who was left that had taken part in the Soul Reaper-Quincy War a hundred years before that? Could he blame them for doing what their duty had demanded? For saving the Balance of Souls? Resent them for it, yes. Dislike them for having to do it, yes. Blame them? It was a hung verdict.
Gah. Why did nothing remain simple and easy?
The Next Day
"Renji?!" Rukia yelped. She was wearing a Shihakushō again and her Reiryoku was back up at respectable levels. She didn't have an Asauchi, but she could feel Sode no Shirayuki at the back of her mind stronger than in her accursed Gigai, which was a happy thing for both spirit and Soul Reaper.
She had woken up to see her old friend and erstwhile captor, Abarai Renji looking down at her with a complicated expression on his face. Thus the shout.
"It's alright, Kuchiki-san." Kokken appeared in a blur of Shunpo, "He and Kurosaki-san had it out with each other earlier, amid much name-calling along the lines of 'Pineapple Head' and 'Damn Strawberry', and they have come to an accommodation. Namely, he and Yoruichi-sensei will kick his ass again if he looks at you wrong."
"I can look after myself!" a blushing Rukia protested.
"He's here to learn his own Bankai." Kokken corrected her, "So no, you cannot. Even if you had an Asauchi and bonded with it, you really couldn't."
"How'd he find this place?" Ishida interjected.
"It was the werecat, Quincy." The redhead snapped, "She led me here after giving me mask-girl's cloak."
"Why?" Rukia asked.
"Because he was obviously going to train himself to Bankai somewhere and I recall he told Ichigo to save Rukia-chan." Yoruichi shrugged, "Helping him helps us. With three Captain-class Soul Reapers on our side, it'll be way easier to break out. And I subverted a Jigokuchō to send a message to Kūkaku, so Jidanbō'll be ready at our signal when we're ready. Lucky I stole a second Jigokuchō for that purpose."
All of the occupants of the training room staggered as a final blast of Reiatsu came from where Ichigo was training before the amount of Reiryoku and Reiatsu soared to criminally high heights. It stole the breath from almost everyone present and the weaker members, Ishida, Rukia, Hanatarō and Orihime, collapsed to their knees. Yoruichi had flashed off in a blur of Shunpo as soon as the rise of Reiatsu had started.
After a moment, the Reiatsu trickled off before returning to its previously high, but tolerable, levels. Hinamori, who had been asleep, woke up with wide eyes.
"That…that was a Captain's level of Reiatsu…" she whispered, "Impossible…he actually used such a dangerous method to achieve Bankai in three days?!"
"Seems so." Renji replied casually, "How's it going, Momo?"
"Fine, Renji-kun…eh?" she did a double-take, "RENJI-KUN?! When the…how…why…?"
Kokken waved a hand in front of the captured Lieutenant's eyes. "Nope. Looks like the lights are on, but nobody's home."
"Considering the last time she had seen him was being carted off by Fourth Squad, it's a reasonable reaction." Chad rumbled.
They were distracted by Yoruichi flashing back in, supporting a dazed-looking Ichigo with a shoulder.
"We may have a problem." The werecat said to Kokken as she sat the boy down, "He has a Compression-type Bankai."
The other Soul Reapers looked shocked, while the rest were puzzled.
"A what-type Bankai?" Ishida voice the question.
"Most Bankai are what are referred to as Expansion-types." Kokken answered him, "Basically supersized versions of their Shikai state. Their sheer size and unwieldy nature is why it takes ten years to master them. Compression-types have only been seen a couple of times in the history of the Soul Society. Rather than spreading his Reiryoku and Reiatsu out over a wide area, Kurosaki-san has chosen to condense it into a small, dense form, meaning it likely isn't a case of a decade, but a few hours if it's at all similar to a sword, for him to master the basic use of his Bankai. There is a demerit to using a Compression-type, however; so much Reiatsu in such a small area so close to his body will cause Kurosaki-san's to be crushed by the pressure after a while until he trains his spiritual body to withstand it."
"How long do you reckon he can last at the moment?" Yoruichi asked.
"If that Reiatsu from before is anything like the pressure he will be undergoing on a regular basis…" Kokken tilted her head to one side as she thought, "Perhaps fifteen minutes. Thirty, if he pushes it."
"He will." The werecat sent the tired boy a look that was a mix between fond exasperation and irritation, "We'll be moving out tomorrow. It'll take that long for the boy wonder here to recover and heal. Think you can get finished in that timeframe, ponytail?"
One of Renji's eyebrows twitched, but he managed to stay calm. "Probably." He replied, "As you know, a Zanpakutō has to agree to the process of teaching their wielder their Bankai, and Zabimaru has refused me before now. Since Strawberry here beat me, he's been willing, hell eager, to teach me."
"Getting beaten so easily tend to do that." Kokken sniped.
"Good one." Ichigo croaked, surprising everyone, who thought he was off in la-la land.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Yoruichi said with a grin, "You've still got to have a bath in the onsen and then rest up before I explain why you have to train your ass off to use your Bankai for anything like a long period of time."
"Wha-?" the Deathberry managed before Yoruichi dragged him off in another Shunpo.
"…is she always like that?" Renji asked after gaping for a moment.
"Mostly. Sometimes she plays a game called 'Shunpo Tag', which translates to her running rings around you before making you look foolish." Kokken replied, "Never let her tutor you on Hakuda or Hohō. She is a drillmaster from hell that makes the instructors from the Academy look like tame puppies by comparison."
"Talking from experience?" Ishida asked knowingly.
"I am. The training is harsh, but the results…" Kokken vanished in a Shunpo and created afterimages as she sped around them before returning to her original position, "…are worth it."
"Evidently." The Quincy said wryly.
"Rukia…I'm sorry." Renji was saying humbly as he bowed his head.
The petite ravenette looked at him for a minute before getting up and whacking him over the head. "Forgiven. Don't do that again!"
"OW!" Renji rubbed the spot where she had hit him, "Damn, that habit of hitting people of yours hasn't changed since Inuzuri!"
"I wouldn't know what you're talking about." Rukia said loftily.
Kokken slipped away from the arguing friends as they reconnected, a chuckle coming out of her as she did.
The Next Day
"Where did you get this?!" Rukia gaped at the Asauchi clenched in her hands.
"Yoruichi-sensei took it from the Shinōreijutsuin last night." Kirika replied, "They always have more Asauchi than they have people to give them to. While it may not bond with you today, at least you will be able to use Zanjutsu to protect yourself."
Rukia nodded and slid the sword into place at her waist.
The group had gathered at the entrance to the sewers, rather than the way up to the surface. As she had been coming in, Hinamori had her eyes blindfolded so she wouldn't be able to tell anyone where the training ground was or how to get in from the sewers.
Ichigo had fully recovered from his training to receive his Bankai and his Shihakushō had mended thanks to his Reiryoku. Renji was a bit beaten up, but had also earned his Bankai. Evidently, Zabimaru was tough on him, even if he wanted Renji to gain his Bankai.
Everyone else was in top condition, not having been in life and death combat or had to have fled from overwhelmingly more powerful opponents during the previous three days.
Kirika was also back up to normal levels of Reiryoku and health. She was definitely going to avoid picking fights with Captains from here on out, at least until she earned herself Nejibana's Bankai, which may not be far off. The spirit of her inherited sword had been amazed by just how far Kirika had jumped up the power table, from Sixth Seat to High-Lieutenant in less than a week. Ordinarily, Soul Reapers took several decades to accomplish that, if they had that sort of potential in them.
'A Bankai…I wonder what Nejibana's Bankai is…?' she wondered. No Bankai had abilities that were dissimilar to their Shikai, as the first-stage release was indeed the true form of a Zanpakutō, so it would have something to do with manipulating water, but that left a lot of room to manoeuvre for what it would look like.
"OK, listen up." Yoruichi's serious voice brought Kirika out of her fugue, "What we are about to attempt is going to be difficult to accomplish, so you have to follow orders. This means you Ichigo and Ganju!"
"Oi! Don't put me on the same level as him!" the two yelled in unison before turning to glare at each other, "Stop copying me!"
After the two were crouched on the floor after a punishment whack to the head apiece from one irate werecat, the briefing continued.
"Ahem. As I was saying." Yoruichi said with a firm cough, "We'll be relying on Hanatarō-kun here to lead us to the sewer entrance closest to the Hakutōmon. Then we have to get there as fast as possible. Once there, we have to hold out until Jidanbō opens the gate. Once that happens, we get out and open a portal back to the World of the Living. At that point, Hanatarō and Peach-chan here will be released."
"My name is Hinamori Momo, damn it!" the petite brunette practically growled.
"Don't worry; you'll always be Peach-chan to us." Kokken said faux-sincerely to her.
"Grrrr!"
"Our heavy hitters are me, Pineapple and Ichigo." The purplette continued, "We'll handle Captains. Soi Fon'll be my main concern, as I'm about the only one who can counter her speed."
"I'll handle Byakuya." Ichigo growled.
"Hey! I'm no pineapple!" Renji protested, "And why do you get to face Kuchiki-taichō, Kurosaki?!"
"Because you have only just learned your Bankai and Bya-kun has a very good idea of how you fight." Yoruichi cut in before the two started fighting again, "To top it off, Bya-kun's Shikai and Bankai are very much not the type that yours can fight against. Senbonzakura (1000 Cherry Blossoms) is capable of all-range attacks in its Shikai form; what do you think an expansion-type Bankai will do to that?"
Renji actually gulped at that. He hadn't actually considered what Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai could do. And she also had a point in that, as he also had an expansion-type Bankai, he was still very clumsy at using it.
"Urgh, fine." He grumbled, "I'll handle the next Captain to turn up, then."
"Good." The werecat nodded, "At the next step down, we have Kokken, Chad and Uryū. You three will handle any Seated Officers, including Lieutenants, that show up, which they no doubt will. Below them, we have the rest of you; Orihime-chan, Rukia-chan and Ganju. You guys are to handle any Unseated Soul Reapers, with Kidō or Hakuda or whatever, as well as any healing on your part, Orihime-chan. Hanatarō and Hinamori are non-combatants and aren't a part of the equation."
"What if the Sōtaichō shows up?" Kirika asked, "None of us can even scratch him. Hell, he could crush everyone outside of the Captain-class with a flex of his Reiatsu!"
"Then we're dead." Yoruichi shrugged, "The old man isn't likely to turn up, though. Mobilising the Captains is one thing since Ichigo managed a draw with Kenpachi and they probably know I'm here by now, but the Sōtaichō moving out himself? Unless one or more of the other Captains rebel or something, he's likely to stay out of it until then."
"So he'll show up if Aizen and the rest make a move on us." Kirika concluded, "Not that he'll do much good; Aizen probably used Kyōka Suigetsu on him during his Captain's Proficiency Test. If it wasn't for his Reiatsu being so high, I'd wonder if he even had a Bankai."
"He wouldn't miss out on such a vital trump card." Yoruichi shook her head, "No, you can be sure that he has a Bankai. He has the power to pull it off, so he almost certainly did achieve Bankai, although I shudder to think about what a Bankai version of Kyōka Suigetsu can do."
A power greater than that of absolute and perfect hypnosis…Kirika shuddered.
"OK then boys and girls…and Ichigo." The werecat smirked, ignoring the 'Oi!' of the orange-haired boy, "Let's move out!"
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Next Chapter: Broken Masks, Part 1
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