Summary: She was... a stranger to them, even to him. A faceless ghost from the Apocalypse claiming she came from the future but if it meant that she could keep everyone alive, then Kurosaki Karin would be that ghost for them.
Following the canon chronology with obvious alterations for the purpose of the story. Main pairings of the story: Hitsugaya/Karin, Ichigo/Rukia, Gin/Rangiku. Other pairings will come later.
Written in the third person. The words in italic are characters thoughts.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (if I did, the 'ending' we got wouldn't have happened).
[SOUL SOCIETY: THE RESCUE ARC]
GHOST
~.~
Chapter 4: moonlight stage play
That boy...
Jushiro now fully understood the meaning of the living world saying 'facing the ghost of the past'... Quite literally.
The newcomer was the spitting image of his deceased Fukutaicho he couldn't bare to replace in over four decades.
There was something eerily familar about him, yet so different... Jushiro couldn't exactly pinpoint what was it.
Apart from his bright orange hair, the thing that stood out the most was it was the first time he saw Kuchiki being... so open in front of someone else.
Alive.
And it happened with that ryoka.
Jushiro gasped inaudibly. "... Byakuya, who is he?"
"He's not related... At least not to the one you're thinking of right now... He's nothing. Just an ordinary ryoka." Jushiro frowned. That atitude was so unlike Byakuya. The Sixth Division Taicho had clearly picked up an interest in that boy... Why? "This trifling fight will be over."
"Stay in the back and protect them... Karin," the ryoka said.
The person with no trace of spiritual energy froze. Jushiro raised an eyebrow at the scene unfolding in front of him.
These two ryokas obviously worked together and seemed to already know each other so what was the reason of that reaction from the second person? They had looked so confident until now.
The boy removed the hood of the other person. Despite the black cloth on the lower half of their face, he could tell it was a girl... The orange haired Ryoka ruffled her hair before grinning.
Jushiro felt a pang of wistfulness that took him back fifty years ago.
He vividly remembered that spring day where he was sitting on the grass. He had watched his Fukutaicho praise the new member of his Division and member of the Kuchiki Clan after she showed the abilities of her zanpakuto for the first time.
"What kind of big brother would I be if I wouldn't recognize my own little sister even if she grew up?"
Jushiro stared as the young girl cried in silence, stunned.
He also noticed Kuchiki silently repeating 'no way, that's impossible...' behind the two Ryokas in a mantra.
Nothing made sense.
Was she really the Ryoka's sister? But wasn't that boy with orange hair coming from a human family, in the living world?
If so, how did that girl get shinigami powers as well?
The apparent wear of the black kimono underneath that cloak along with the zanpakuto on her back made it clear: she was a shinigami as well. But she couldn't be another Substitute Shinigami since Kuchiki had only given her power to one person in the living world...
Come to think of it, how could that girl know Jushiro's name?
"Don't worry, I won't die yet," the boy with orange hair finished, a confident smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, Ichi-nii." Jushiro stared, wide-eyed, the girl take a tube hidden in her sleeves. She curtly opened her brother's mouth and make him gulp down its content.
The taller boy immediately passed out and was gently caught by the one who caused that.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" the man standing in the back shouted.
Jushiro had been so engrossed by what just happened that he hadn't recognized him first... Shiba Kaien's brother.
They had met when Jushiro had to announce Kaien's death to his family. The Thirteenth Division Taicho was fairly certain the girl made him shallow a strong drug to save him from his recklessness.
He thought the serum could either be gaten or hoten but the effects of whatever tranquilizer she just used were instantaneous.
Where did she get that kind of complex substance?
She pivoted on her heel after wiping her tears away with the glove... Wasn't that the same as Byakuya's?
Nothing added up together.
"You think I enjoyed doing that to him?" she groaned, confirming Jushiro's hypothesis. "He's not ready to fight against Kuchiki Byakuya," she paused. "Yet."
Byakuya seemed surprised as well but he moved forward to face that other Ryoka. He spread another wave of reiatsu but the mysterious girl still didn't waver, an underable look on her face.
The same couldn't be applied to Kuchiki, who was now on her knees due to the pressure. The member of the Shiba Clan and the member of the Fourth Division were struggling to remain on their feet.
"I cannot comprehend why the likes of you think you would stand a chance or why such an insignificant scum would have in her possession something as sacred as the tekko. You dare to wear such a precious item and as the Head of the Kuchiki Clan, I cannot let that go unpunished. I will show you... Scatter–"
Jushiro was left speechless for the umpteenth time of the day. Another newcomer arrived. But that time, he recognized the person who stopped Byakuya from releasing his shikai.
Her hair was now longer than it had been a hundred years ago and she wasn't wearing her captain haori anymore but there was no doubt on the matter.
"You are..."
"You... Yoruichi," Byakuya spatted the name of his former mentor, bewildered.
"Who... is that... Do you know her?"
"No... but I've heard that name before..."
"Ex-commander of the Division of special operations and ex-general of the Keigun brigade of the First Division, Shihoin Yoruichi," Byakuya ended. "I haven't seen your face in a while. It's been a hundred years since your disappearance... Everyone thought you had died..."
Jushiro remembered how young Byakuya badly took the news of her disappearance. Despite his hostility towards her, he had reluctantly admired her.
"Yoruichi-san, finally. I knocked him out for you," the girl said, the calm back in her voice. So she knew Yoruichi as well?
Yoruichi picked the orange haired boy up and carried him on her shoulder. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me too fast. You'll only have two days."
Jushiro caught sight of Yoruichi distress despite her seeming impassibility. "... Two?"
The girl firmly nodded. "Unfortunately."
For having seen how Byakuya used to act in Yoruichi's presence in the course his youth, Jushiro was fairly sure of what was about to happen.
"You won't be able to leave freely, Shihoin Yoruichi."
"Oh... You talk like a big shot now, don't you? Have you ever once beaten me at 'tag', Byakuya-boy?"
"... Should we try again?"
Jushiro sighed. Despite his cool exterior, Byakuya could be so easy to provoke. He and Yoruichi were now having one of their old shunpo contests accross the buildings around them. It took them six flash steps to be out of Jushiro's sight.
Jushiro scrathed his head, perfectly knowing there was no way Byakuya could win against the one who taught him that technique... She was the Goddess of Flash after all.
"Good grief, he's as moody as ever," he whispered to himself.
"K–Karin, is that really you?" Kuchiki stammered.
Jushiro could tell she was on the verge of passing out after the pressure suddenly got lifted as Byakuya started chasing Yoruichi.
The Ryoka crouched down to Kuchiki's level to remove the black cloth covering her to reveal a juvenile face. She physically looked around Hitsugaya's age, perhaps only slightly older.
"Hello, Rukia-nee... It' been a while."
"But how, you're..." The Ryoka leaned towards Kuchiki and whispered something in her ear. She took Kuchiki's hand in hers and Kuchiki grasped it back in a tight hold, nodding along with whatever the girl just said, eyes wide open.
"So don't lose hope," the Ryoka ended outloud before Kuchiki passed out.
There was something tender in the way the Ryoka put Kuchiki's head on the ground, it was unsettling. Despite his confusion, Jushiro decided to say something.
"You're a child... I won't fight against you but I have to arrest you."
She sighed, giving up on her aloof and distant atitude once for all.
Despite the apparent youth, her eyes reflected the pain, tiredness and grief Jushiro had only seen in the eyes of veteran soldiers who had been through centuries of fights.
"Ukitake-san... We've never personally met but I'm not really suprised. I don't want to fight either," she explained, putting her sealed zanpakuto on her back before taking a book with a leather cover from her bag and opening it with her reiatsu. "But I can't let her go back to her prison. The same goes for Ganju and Hanataro even if I know you wouldn't harm them. In a few hours, you're supposed to have an announcement from Central 46," she added a quotation mark sign with her hands at the mention of Central 46, rolling her eyes. Jushiro's brows were now knitted in a frown. Why would a Ryoka even know that type of piece of information before anyone? He wondered if she had something to do with Aizen's murder. "They'll announce their decision to move up again the date of the execution. That part is my hypothesis but you'll probably try to convince Byaku-nii but given how he is right now, it will be a lost cause. Same goes for your request to get a hearing with Central 46 for... different reasons." She started turning the pages of her book until she stopped on a page and read its content. "In the end... 'Entry #53: August 6th, 2001: [...] Ukitake-san unseals the Shihoin Shield to successfully destroy the Sokyoku with Kyoraku-san."
Jushiro stared at the girl, slack-mouthed.
No one knew he had the Shihoin artifact in his possession, apart from Kyoraku. The only way the Ryoka could state that event as if it had already happened would be...
"So you figured out," she finally said, her melancholic smile confirming his thoughts.
"Impossible..."
She nodded, before revealing in a somber voice, "You used... you will use Kamikake in two years if things remain as it is. We have to change that."
But if Jushiro had to use it, that would mean the Soul King...
He watched the girl, his forehead puckered. He would have to put his trust in her.
"Tell me everything I need to know."
Uryuu loathed the thought of having to wear a shinigami's black attire and yet, there he was.
However, Uryuu wasn't alone. He had Inoue-san with him and he absolutely would not risk having her injured because of his own pride selfishness so he choose the safest option.
"I see... so Tsubaki is still injured...?"
They were now running accross the streets, not really knowing where to go.
"Yeah... I spent a few hours trying to heal him but... it's a lot harder to heal him than I thought..."
Uryuu turned his head on his right to see Inoue-san's slouched back. "Wh–what are you saying? Inoue-san can still use shield and healing! Those are helpful already!" Uryuu tried to make it look like a scold, though he wanted to cheer her up rather than anything... Or at least make an attempt.
Uryuu wasn't the best in that department.
"Thanks..." she replied with a speepish smile.
This might actually be a good thing, Uryuu concluded. If Inoue-san could only defend or heal, her chance of being attacked was significantly lower...
After being with her these days, he came to know her quite well. She didn't want to hurt anybody... even if it was the enemy.
Inoue Orihime was too kind.
Someone like that should never be at the front of a battle. She wasn't suited for it: she was a healer.
Otherwise, she would only become a burden to her comrades and end up hurting herself and her allies.
"Hey! You two, over there!" They stopped in their steps, turning to see a shinigami, narrowing his eyes at them suspiciously. "Which Division are you from? What are you doing here?"
Uryuu's body stiffened at the question. He hadn't thought about it... All he knew was that there were thirteen Divisions in Soul Society.
"We're from the–"
"Ah, Uryuu-kun, Orihime-chan! I was looking for you two."
The shinigami who just questioned them adopted an erect posture at the sight of the newcomer. That white haori over the extravagant pink kimino... Uryuu's eyes widened.
A Taicho.
Shit.
"Kyoraku-Taicho?!"
Given his reiatsu, he had to be the one who just fought against Sado-kun... Was that how he got their names? Uryuu mentally shook his head.
No, Sado-kun would never do that to them. His loyalty had never wavered, especially when it came to Kurosaki.
"These two are from my Division, I need them for a mission. Is there a problem?" the Taicho casually asked, tilting his head.
"N–no, of course not, Kyroraku-taicho!" the shinigami stammered.
"Great! You can leave now."
"Hai!"
The other shinigami ran away, leaving them alone with the Taicho. Said Taicho who didn't seem to want to fight them... Why did he save them just now?
"Don't worry, I've come to pick you up. Some of your friends retrieved Rukia-chan, I'll take you to her."
Uryuu kept his unreleting stare on the Taicho until an announcement was broadcasted through the streets.
ALERT! ALERT! KUCHIKI RUKIA HAS ESCAPED WITH ONE OF THE RYOKAS. UKITAKE-TAICHO'S, THIRTEENTH DIVISION'S THIRD SEATS KOTETU KIYONE'S AND OTSUBAKI SENTARO'S REIATUS HAVE VANISHED. SIXTH DIVISION'S FUKUTAICHO ABARAI RENJI'S REIATSU AND FOURTH DIVISION'S SEVENTH SEAT YAMADA HANATARO'S REIATSU HAVE VANISHED AS WELL.
ALL SHINIGAMIS MUST REPORT THEIR SITUATION TO THEIR SUPERIORS. A TAICHO MEETING WILL BE HELD IN 30 MINUTES.
Uryuu inhaled a sharp breath at that.
Someone had done it... Someone had managed to save Kuchiki-san. But who?
It couldn't be Inoue-san since she had been with him the whole time. Nor Sado-kun who had been beaten by the Taicho in front of them.
So it only left Kurosaki. Uryuu couldn't deny he guessed Kurosaki would be the most suited for that even if it pained him to admit it.
And now that he thought about it, he almost couldn't feel Sado-kun's reiatsu anymore...
Same for Kurosaki and Ganju. No, it was there but very faint.
"Good grief, I thought it would take longer for them to find out..." The Taicho said before grabbing him and Inoue-san and started using shunpo.
Uryuu's eyes widened, not struggling to escape from his hold anymore. Even if he was a Quincy, he could tell that was high level flash steps there.
The Taicho stopped at the sight of a masked person. They were slim and slightly smaller than Inoue-san. Most importantly, he couldn't feel any trace of reiatsu from them.
It was the same person as the one who managed to get through the West Gate over them.
"There you are."
A women's... no, a girl's voice.
"Sorry, sorry. It took me more time than planned to reach them," the Taicho said.
What was happening? What were they doing at the Sokyoku Hill?
"It's okay. Thank you... Kyoraku-Taicho." The masked person looked like she wasn't sure whether or not she should add something. "It's good to see you again," she finished, her voice softer.
Uryuu had no idea to who she was talking to: he and Inoue or the Gotei Taicho?
However, that sentence could have more meaning than one.
"It was great to meet you face to face! See you tomorrow."
"Likewise," she replied as the Taicho disappeared again. "Yo. I'm glad to see you safe... It seems Sou–Kyoraku-Taicho arrived on time before Kurotsuchi Mayuri could blew up anything."
"... Kurotsuchi... Mayuri?"
"The Twelfth Division Taicho: if you see him, run or he'll try some twisted experiments on you," she answered, her lips pursed as if she had been chewing a lemon rind. Uryuu was about to ask what she meant when she cut him off. "Enough with pleasantries, follow me. The others are already there," she curtly revealed.
Uryuu frowned. "Who are you?"
"... You'll know soon enough, but first, we have to help Kuchiki Rukia," she said before turning back and walk away.
Screw it, Uryuu would ask questions later. He had the feeling that just like the Taicho in the pink kimono, she could have killed them before if she truly wanted to.
She took them to a place underground eerily similar to Urahara's secret basement underneath his shop.
"Everyone..." Uryuu whispered. He had no idea what Kurosaki was doing there in a middle of thousands blades fighting against a man who vaguely seemed familiar and Abarai Renji, or just what was going on in general, if he was honest, but he felt relieved to see everyone was more or less okay.
What puzzled him was the presence of a woman with orange clothes and another Taicho with white hair sitting close to Kuchiki-san's unconscious form.
Was that the 'Ukitake-Taicho' mentioned in the announcement?
Kurosaki stopped whatever he was doing to greet him. "Ishida, Inoue! I'm glad you guys are okay!"
Uryuu touched the bridge of his glasses, not used to Kurosaki's genuine concern for him. It was an uncomfortable feeling but it wasn't unwelcomed either.
"Kurosaki-kun, you're okay!"
"But where is Yoruichi-san?"
"I'm here!" the woman with dark skin and purple hair announced. Uryuu gasped. He probably hit his head too hard at one point... "Don't be so surprised, cats don't really talk."
Uryuu opened and closed his mouth several times, before opting for silence to avoid looking even more stupid in front of everyone.
"Now that everyone is here, Yoruichi-san can tell you her story once... Kuchiki Rukia wakes up. I'm coming back tonight, I have a few people to visit first," the person with a mask started before walking away.
"Hey! Wait, you can't leave me like that!" Yoruichi-san shouted, disgruntled.
"You do owe an explanation to everyone, including Ukitake-san about what happened a hundred years ago... Since we're destroying the Hogyoku tonight."
"You mean..." The other person nodded before exchanging a long look with Yoruichi-san who ended up giving in. "Fine."
Karin felt like suffocating.
As stupid as it was, seeing so many people not recognizing her hurt even if rationally speaking, it was normal.
The Karin from August 2001 either hadn't met them yet or was known as Ichi-nii's little eleven year old human sister. The only solace she could find was that Ichi-nii had somehow recognized her yet decided not to say anything until the last moment... A miracle itself knowing the protective worrywart Ichi-nii was when it came to her and Yuzu.
After the initial shock, Karin deduced that her brother recognizing her made sense. Appearances can be deceptive: Ichi-nii was clever both on the academic level and outside matters related to school.
But the thing was, Ichi-nii was a terrible liar.
He had done a terrible job at denying he was a shinigami the first time around in the past (technically it hadn't happened yet). Not to mention that just after his half-assed 'I don't know what you're talking about', he left his physical body in front of her to fight Ulquiorra. His silence only meant he correctly guessed something went terribly, terribly wrong in the future...
They would have a very long family discussion about everything... Several of them, actually since the Ichi-nii at that point of the past didn't know about their old man's true nature or about how he was related to Ishida.
Karin ceased her flash steps at the sight of the Eleventh Division's barracks. She didn't even need to focus to feel Kenpachi's reiatsu. Baldie, Pretty, the tiny Fukutaicho and another member were there as well. There was no need to make a sneaky entrance with them so she just used the main entrance and went into the room where Kenpachi was lying down.
There was no need for a formal greeting with that Division.
"I see you're already mostly healed, Kenpachi." She recognized Unohona's neat work and briefly wondered what kind of conversation those two had while she treated him.
It also reminded her she needed to see her the next morning...
Karin couldn't help blinking at the sight of Kenpachi's ridiculous haircut up close. It defied the laws of gravity and looked ridiculous.
"Who the hell are you?" Baldie asked.
Karin felt a sense of relief to see he still was the same, from his potty mouth to his shiny bald head.
She snorted. "Hello to you too, Baldie," she gave as a non-answer.
"UH? Who are you calling 'baldie'?" he yelled, ready to fight.
Karin snickered. It was too easy to get him riled up, just like Red Pineapple.
Yachiru-chan energically jumped on her shoulder. "Kuro-kuro! Did you heal Icchi? Do you want candies?"
Karin had no idea how that tiny girl... a zanpakuto spirit could continuously be so full of energy all the time. "Yes, he's training to get bankai as we speak now."
It seemed to catch Kenpachi's attention, who was now sitting on his bed, grinning. "I see... Interesting!"
Karin smirked. "Would you like to help us?"
Toshiro signed another administrative paper from the Fifth Division at a mechanical pace, his eyes wandering every three or four minutes on the handwritten letter lying on the corner of his office.
It was undoubtedly Aizen's writing.
Just as the masked girl claimed, the content of the letter was unsettling, if not disturbing. To think that Aizen really planned to use him in his twisted scheme... And most importantly, Hinamori.
The main question remained what to do with his childhood friend?
She had been declared as missing, possibly kidnapped along with Ukitake-Taicho while, just as Toshiro predicted, Abarai had been branded as a traitor, especially with the younger Kuchiki's escape.
Given Ichimaru's delighted reaction, it was that mysterious' girl doing again. Not to mention Kuchiki (Byakuya)'s description during the emergency meeting matched with her.
'Karin-chan'
What was she planning?
"Did you sleep well, Matsumoto?" he asked in an even voice at the sound of his Fukutaicho stretching out on his couch.
Toshiro had been slightly worried since he came back to his Division's barracks after that crisis reunion with Matsumoto sleeping on his couch without reeking of alcohol.
"Taicho... What are you doing in my room?"
A vein popped on his forehead. "Idiot... The office is not your room. Since you're up, hurry up and help me with this... I'm dead tired."
"Well, Taicho, you were the one who volunteered to take over all the paperwork of the Fifth Division."
He was perfectly aware of his Fukutaicho's underlying accusation.
While it was true Toshiro volunteered for Hinamori's sake, he also kept doinh that to prove himself worthy of his position as a Division Taicho despite his young age.
He perfectly knew the rest of Gotei 13 didn't protest since it meant less unrewarding work for them. It revolted Matsumoto while Toshiro considered it as a win-win situation: he finally managed to get respect from all his Division's members. It had been hard to earn it, especially as Shiba Taicho... Former Shiba-Taicho's successor.
"Oh, shut up." He rested his chin on his palm and waved the few papers left with his other hand. "Take these to your desk and finish them."
Matsumoto quickly noticed it. "... There are only this many left? Wasn't there a lot more...?"
Toshiro started drinking the green tea that he had prepared thirty minutes ago. The beverage got cold by then. "Shut up and work already. Go! Go!"
"I... How long did I sleep?" she asked, unsure.
At least four hours probably.
Toshiro loathed seeing his Fukutaicho so sullen. Until now, he had thought Matsumoto and Ichimaru were simply classmates from the Academy.
Apparently he had been wrong.
Toshiro looked at the window. It was night already. "Nevermind that. What time is it?"
"Almost 10:30P.M."
"Let's go," he announced, taking the letter with him and putting in the pocket inside his uniform.
"Hai."
They both started to run towards the Third Division.
At first, Toshiro had thought Ichimaru's suggestion to stage a fight to suggest that he thought Ichimaru was the one who had kidnapped Hinamori (technically true) and murdered Aizen was excessive but now that he could feel three shinigamis following them (Aizen's minions, probably), he had to admit Ichimaru had been right.
"Taicho..."
"I know."
He sped up and Mastumoto followed him behind. They stopped at the sight of Ichimaru and Izuru.
"The two of you are together after all... Just as I thought. I will be straightforward: tell me where Hinamori is?" he shouted loud enough to be heard from afar.
"Wha' are ya talkin' 'bout? I ain't got a clue where the Fifth Division Fukutaicho is... But she might be as dead as her Taicho as we speak now."
Even if Toshiro knew it wasn't true, Ichimaru's nonchalant tone and creepy grin sparked a flash of anger in him.
Toshiro hadn't been nicknamed a child prodigy for nothing: he had that crippling feeling the Ryoka avoided telling him what exactly Hinamori had been through to end up mentally scarred. And he had the belief that she didn't say anything because of whatever soft spot she had for Ichimaru, even if it was clear the bastard had contributed to Hinamori's pain.
"You bastard, I'll kill you," he shouted, his hand on the hilt of his weapon.
"If ya draw yer zanpakuto... I have no choice but to stop it with mine."
They both unseathed their swords and released a strong wave of reiatsu around them.
"Ichimaru... Taicho..."
"Move back, Izuru."
"Do the same, Matsumoto," he ordered.
Ichimaru just stared at him, his smile streched wide. If anything, he looked amused and it was genuinelygetting on his nerves.
Toshiro rushed towards him, his zanpakuto still in its sealed state. Both weapons were clashing against each other, the metallic sound resonating in the starry sky.
Ichimaru's fighting style was a perfect reflection of him: vicious and dirty. He threw a piece of torn cloth from his sleeve to obstruct Toshiro's sight to repetitively attack him at a pace he could barely keep up with.
It only meant one thing.
"Sit upon the frozen sky, Hyorinmaru!" he shouted with more ferocity than necessary as a dragon of water and ice was being formed.
He tried not to hit Izuru and Matsumoto and only targeted Ichimaru since Toshiro knew he was fully capable to either dodge or stop it.
"Shoot 'em dead, Shinso."
Ichimaru's blade was now glowing white and extended at high speed to stop Toshiro's ice dragon.
"Nice fight there."
The new voice stopped him.
He turned his head to see the girl in the black cloak sitting on the nearest rooftop, her elbow propped on her knee.
"You can stop now, they're gone."
Toshiro frowned before noticing that indeed, the three foreign reiatsus following them were gone. Ichimaru retracted his wakizashi and Toshiro sealed Hyorinmaru back with reluctance.
"Karin-chan, that's quite the ruckus ya caused in good ol' Soul Society!"
She jumped from the rooftop to smoothly land between them. The Ryoka reminded him of the living world's representation of the Grim Reaper for one moment, the moonlight highlighting her haunting appearance.
Toshiro's eyes slighty widened at the sight of blood stains on her white tabi but he kept silence on it. He had no desire to know to whom that blood belonged to.
"I could have done more subtle there," she conceded. "But I came up with something great to piss him off." The hint of sadistic joy that held promises of never-ending torture for the 'him' aroused Toshiro's curiosity.
He wondered what Aizen had done to her on a personal level to make her so full of hatred.
Ichimaru cocked his head, very keen to learn more details. "We shall go inside for the talkin'." The Third Division's barraks were located directly behind them anyway.
"Sure." She finally laid her cool gaze on the two Fukutaichos. "Hello, Izuru-kun... Rangiku-san." Her eyes crinkled on the corner as she pronounced Matsumoto's name before she turned her head.
The two Fukutaichos exchanged a long look before returning her greeting.
There was something that drew him to that girl, Toshiro mused as the five of them were heading to Ichimaru's quarters. Despite the darkness she emanated whenever she was talking about Aizen or the permanant hollowness she had in her voice, he could detect a brief hint of warmth in her grey slate eyes.
He had seen it the first time they had met and it just happened again as she locked her eyes on Matsumoto.
"Ya hungry, Karin-chan?"
"Yeah, I haven't eaten a true meal since you bought me that one when I arrived. At least I had your dried persimmon and Yachiru-chan's candies too..."
To Toshiro's puzzlement, Ichimaru frowned, a notable occurence since it rarely happened.
"Tha' was five days ago."
Toshiro blinked. He didn't know what disturbed him the most: Ichimaru's genuine and unironical concern for another soul or hearing a shinigami had survived without eating any consistent meals for five days.
It was unheard of, no matter how little reiatsu said shinigami had.
That could only mean two things: either that girl had an exceptional quantity of reiatsu within her to allow her to survive for that long without passing out or dying, or that girl had very little reiatsu. Toshiro was tempted to think the former was the right answer given how she could apparently challenge Kuchiki to some extent.
Not to mention the speed of her shunpo had caught him off-guard.
The girl just shrugged at the remark. "I've been through worse."
They headed towards Ichimaru's quarters.
Unlike regular officers, every Gotei 13 Taicho had their own individual quarters. Fukutaicho only had a invidual bedroom, which was better than all other officers who had to share a room with others. But what striked the most when they entered Ichimaru's quarters was... how bare and impersonal it was.
It was empty, as if Ichimaru was ready to flee at any moment... It probably was the case. Or had been the case at least.
It seemed Ichimaru had a change of heart and decided to stay, even if he had no idea idea how and where the hell Aizen planned to escape when he would be chased by the whole Seireitei after his treason would be revealed.
"Sit in the livin' room while I prepare food for Karin-chan," Ichimaru offered. "Anyone else wanna eat too?"
Everything about tonight was just... bizarre. But it might just be so for him given the other shinigamis' atitude.
Toshiro grudgingly raised his hand after Izuru and Matsumoto did it with much more enthusiasm. It had been a very long day after all.
"Do you want some help?" Matsumoto inquired, her voice overly sweet.
She used that tone every time she wanted to make Hisagi do the chores she was supposed to do.
Toshiro shuddered. It was a relief his Fukutaicho seemed to feel better but there was no way he would willingly eat her food ever again.
Ever.
Ichimaru opened a nearby cupboard in the kitchen connected to the living room and removed five bowls and the silverware before finally replying a in slow yet delibarate voice. "Rangiku, yer cooking is weird."
Matsumoto glared at him for the blunt comment, before a pout started forming on her face. Toshiro sighed in relief.
The girl sitting on his left did the same. Did Ichimaru tell her how lethal Matsumoto's food was?
"I went to visit the Eleventh Division. They're with us," the Ryoka supplied while he could see Ichimaru put the soba noodles in the boiling water.
"If you wanna drink sake, it's in the cupboard," Ichimaru pointed out.
"I don't–"
"I've finished it last time!" Matsumoto proudly replied.
No one sounded surprised, albeit Izuru's shoulders dropped in disappointment. Toshiro faced palm: there was no reason for her to sound to smug about it.
He wasn't going to question when and why his Fukutaicho went to Ichimaru's quarters. It wasn't his business and he wasn't even sure he wanted to know.
Toshiro blinked, the noise of a zanpakuto put down on the floor bringing him out of his musing. He only noticed now that the girl had removed the hood on her head to reveal long black hair going past her shoulders. The hair was now partly covering her eyes as she grabbed a notebook in her backpack and infused her reiatsu with her fingers to open it.
She sat, squaring an ankle over one knee and started writing at a frenetic pace on a new page, angrily crossing out something a few seconds later.
"Ya mean they're jus' in to fight?" Ichimaru mocked her.
"I know! Shocking, isn't it? To think The Eleventh Division is usually so peaceful," she remarked sarcastically, completely unaffected by Ichimaru's teasing. She continued to write on another page at a slower pace. "It's the same anyway... But at least they won't be fighting against us tomorrow," she added, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Toshiro had no idea he had been on the edge of his seat until he noticed his knuckles went white, his fists tightly gripping his own white haori.
Her face had been blocked from his sight because of her hair but he found himself being curious about it. The girl had a light scar on her forehead, probably caused by a zanpakuto.
"How's the Ryoka's bankai trainin' goin'?"
Toshiro scoffed. No matter how good they were, they was no way for them to reach bankai in the span of several days, or even weeks.
"Good enough. I knocked him out earlier today but now he's practicing with Renji and Yoruichi-san," she offhandedly offered before stopping altogether to write on her notebook. "He recognized me," she finished, her voice going soft.
The gentleness caught Toshiro off-guard.
Who was that Ryoka she was talking about?
The one (according to the descriptions from others) with orange hair? Matsumoto grabbed both of her hands, a determined look on her face.
"It will be okay."
The girl squeezed back with equal force. Toshiro repetitively blinked.
Matsumoto was sociable and full of empathy but there had to be more than that. He could see tears on the corners of his Fukutaicho's eyes.
Over the years, Toshiro only had her seen shed tears once. It had been after Shiba's disappearance twenty years ago and even there, it had been mixed with anger and confusion.
"What's going on?" Toshiro asked.
But they all ignored him.
"Ichimaru-san told you, uh?" The Ryoka's voice lacked of that usual snide and emptiness of hers. Right now, she sounded... So tired. And relieved.
Of what?
"He told Kira and I everything earlier today... He really is an idiot."
"Oi, what are you talking about?" Toshiro asked again, his voice louder that time. The four other people with him knew more about whatever was going on and he didn't like that... He hated feeling like an outsider again.
The girl pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes forcifully, as if remembering a painful memory before setting her firm gaze on him.
"I'm from the future," she stated in a flat voice.
Oh.
"Oh," he repeated outloud.
She arched a brow. "You're taking it better than I expected."
"Do we know each other?" was the second thing he said after her revelation.
He blinked, surprised by his own words and the trepidation in his body.
"Yeah. We were... friends," she replied without missing a beat, contrasting with the hesitation before pronouncing the last word. That detail didn't go unnoticed by Toshiro who decided not to investigate further for the moment. Instead, he asked about Aizen's betrayal and about his childhood friend lying in Ichimaaru's spare room as he intended to.
Of course, Ichimaru ended up making the moment anticlimatic when he brought the soba served in a hot broth. Surprisingly, it looked... tasty, dare he say it. Hopefully, it wasn't poisoned.
"That surprisingly looks delicious, Ichimaru-san," the Ryoka remarked as she took off the piece of black cloth hiding half of her face.
Toshiro gaped at the sight of her entire face. "You're a kid..."
She had to be around Hinamori's age at the time where she was still at the Academy.
"And you're an elemantary student," she retorted naturally, her hand ruffling his hair. "But you're still cool!"
To Toshiro's dismay, it was getting humiliating.
Matsumoto could barely hold back her annoying gligging and Ichimaru's creepy grin was getting wider. At least Izuru had the decency not to laugh, his eyes shifting away from them.
He pushed away her hand, the vein on his forehead bulging once more. "I'm not a kid!"
"Right," she said without an ounce of sincerity. Toshiro's eyes twitch in irritation at the clear display of disrespect. "Now let's eat."
The girl used that improvised dinner as an opportunity to recount an abridged version of her future, featuring two wars: one of them won thanks to her brother, Kurosaki Ichigo and another lost.
She didn't dwell on the second war and only revealed it had been Quincies, which left Toshiro bewildered since they had been exterminated two centuries ago. The Ryoka – who insisted multiple times they should call her 'Karin' – indicated she would explain that part later, since the priority was the plan for tomorrow, a fact which everyone agreed on.
"Yer plan didn't take into accoun' one part, Karin-chan... The Hogyoku."
The last word caused a reaction from Matsumoto, who flinched and touched her necklace.
Karin froze mid bite before placing the chopsticks on the bowl. "That's what I wanted to tell you... It'll be destroyed overnight," she announced, a dark smile forming on her face.
That wiped off Ichimaru's sardonic smile.
He looked positively aghast, his eyes wide open to reveal striking light blue orbs and his mouth hang open before he started cackling. His body uncontrollably rock and Toshiro thought that Ichimaru had never looked more human than now, his head upturned as his maniacal laugh grew louder.
The most surprising thing was how contagious Ichimaru's laugh ended up being. Even Toshiro allowed himself a slight chuckle after seeing the usually unshaken Karin guffawing.
"What's that Hogyoku thing?" Toshiro asked once they all stopped laughing, not wanting to keep feeling stupid.
"The reason why Aizen orchestrated Rukia-nee's execution, killed Central 46 and staged his own murder. But I won't let him get that one."
"You mean there's more than one?" Izuru asked.
Now that Toshiro thought about it, tonight was the first time he saw the Third Division Fukutaicho seem so relaxed. It matched the description Hinamori had made of him at their time at the Shinagami Academy.
She sighed. "Yes. There are two of them and Aizen is in possession of the other."
"But why would Aizen go that far to try to get it?"
Several seconds passed before Karin finally replied, her lips set in a grim line. "It materializes one's heart desire, any desire no matter how grand they can be and make it a reality. Though I'm not sure it can be said Aizen even has a heart."
Toshiro had nothing to reply back to that. He couldn't fathom how such powerful artifact could exist but he had the certainty that said Hogyokyo would lead Soul Society to its doom and drag the human world down with them if Aizen happened to have two of them.
"I'll take care of it. The plan is to destroy them both and the first part starts tonight."
If Toshiro hadn't known better, he would have said it was her way to cheer him up.
"When you'll be at Central 46, don't even try to do anything against Aizen. Especially you, Ichimaru-san."
"'Course."
"I know you wouldn't recklessly attack him, I'm just telling you to be careful. Once you'll reveal your betrayal, you'll be his main target."
Ichimaru had that signature mocking smile plastered back on his face. Toshiro could still tell the difference, it looked more forced. "Worried 'bout me?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," she said, surprising them. A small, wistful smile formed on her lips. "Don't get yourself killed."
A/N: I'm so surprised yet delighted by the feedback I got after my last update. Now, this chapter might not be what you expect but I think it was necessary to settle one of the divergent elements from this arc compared to the original one. There are so many amazing and underrated dynamics in Bleach that deserve to be explored and I'll try to develop them as well.
T: Hey, thank you so much for your kind comment! And thank you for still sticking around with my story. It'll be a long one since I want to at least write about events taking place at least until the Thousand-Year Blood War arc to develop the plot properly (with twists compared to the original timeline) and develop relationships (not just romantic ones) but comments like yours keep me motivated!
I would like to thank the people who has favorited or/and is following this story after I published the previous chapter: Guy-Tom, Lucy Usui, rainbowstarwishes, Harveyman, Glasrevin, Taiski, gaara king of the sand, Shadoath, Just shipping, Allteas, ElinkA, Arkavios, kevin. , Vines, TrimusicaDrag00n90
Once again, thank you for the fav/following! Don't hesitate to post comments, I'll make sure to answer them on next chapter's A/N or through PM :)