Chapter 23: Shooting For the Sereitei
sakuraphoenix: Hey everyone! It's me, sakuraphoenix, and I'm finally back!
Detroid: Don't count me out my cute Fennekin! Detroid434 helping out as well! Well, it's getting close to college for some people and as for me. You can guess that I'm trying to get into the same college as my girlfriend.
sakuraphoenix: Yeah, that's why I've been slacking lately. Yep, that's my excuse, though it's more truth, less excuse if you ask me
Detroid: True, but at least we're getting back to working on fanfics together
sakuraphoenix: Let's hope we can keep that up for the time being
Detroid: Yeah! But don't give up, or else
sakuraphoenix: Did I sound like I was giving up?
Detroid: I can't tease you my cute Mew?
sakuraphoenix: Aw *blushes* well, I think we should move onto the disclaimer before we get sidetracked
Detroid: Right! Anyway, let's get going with it
sakuraphoenix: yep!
Disclaimer: We do not own Bleach, period, so stop asking!
Detroid: My girlfriend does, however, own her OC, Karen
sakuraphoenix: and our friend Lyokowarrior1994 owns his OC, Shizuku, who's unfortunately not showing up in this chapter.
Detroid: And a special OC I own who won't have much effect in this chapter but will later in a different arc of Bleach but I won't spoil about her, yet.
sakuraphoenix: true, but she's not showing up today, is she?
Detroid: Yeah
sakuraphoenix: Well, looks like we've run out of time, so enjoy!
Can someone around here say earthquake?! Or better, what the hell is Ichigo doing?!
"What the hell's going on? Ganju, I'm talking to you." Said Kukaku
"Sis, I'm so sorry." Said Ganju
"Huh?" asked Kukaku
"It's just that I only showed him once. I never thought it would turn out like this. His spirit energy is strong, but he's out of control." Said Ganju
Kukaku looked shocked before she opened the door to the practice room, and we all saw Ichigo in this huge sphere! The worse part? It was still growing!
"You stupid idiot. Concentrate your spirit energy!" exclaimed Kukaku
Soon enough, the sphere solidified and grew smaller to fit Ichigo. Well, I won the bet. He did it by nightfall, not that Kukaku and I placed any bets.
"I did it!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Great! You did it Ichigo!" exclaimed Orihime
"Yeah." Said Ichigo
And he lost his concentration. Oh boy. This is gonna be bad!
"You ignorant dumbass! You gotta stay focused!" exclaimed Kukaku
He looked confused, then the sphere shattered, and then Kukaku pummeled him into the ground.
"What are you? Freakin' deaf or freakin' stupid?! Remember? I told you if you don't concentrate, you're gonna blow up." Kukaku said while having her foot on Ichigo's head
"Yes. Yes, you did." Said Ichigo
"Next time, just be sure not to do this." Ganju said as he was picking his nose
I bet he didn't see me or Kukaku punch him in the face simultaneously.
"You're as guilty as he is schmuck." Said Kukaku
"Aw, why do you always have to treat me the same as him? After all, I'm your brother." Complained Ganju
"Quit your whining!" exclaimed Kukaku
Yep. They're brother and sister alright. Kinda makes me glad that I don't have any siblings. Unfortunately, the only thing I have close to that are Umi and Tsubomi, my crazy cousins. Well, Umi's the only crazy one in my books. Every time she sees me, she just wants to bear hug me like she's never gonna see me again. Tsubomi's more on the calm side, which I am grateful for, but Umi well… she certainly lives up to her namesake, since her name means 'sea'.
"Yoruichi. You're back." Said Orihime
"So, our Ichigo has finally succeeded in forming a cannonball, has he?" Yoruichi asked as he approached a now-sleeping Ichigo
"Hmm? What's wrong?" asked Ganju
"Hmph. Nothing's wrong with him. He's just sleeping it off. I need the rest of you to go and sit over there. We haven't got much time before we begin our mission. I'm going to tell you now what you can expect once we're inside the Sereitei, and you must remember… MROW!" Yoruichi exclaimed in pain
That's not good! Ichigo, you idiot! As if everyone had the same idea, we all began pulling Yoruichi out of his grip, but unfortunately, we made his tail look like a crazy straw or a staircase. Poor Yoruichi.
Later…
We were all gathered at the base of the Flower Crane Cannon. I just hope that this would be a smooth ride. At least Strawberry was finally awake.
"Very well. Are we all here now?" asked Yoruichi
"Yes sir." All five of us said in unison
"Hmm? What happened to your tail Yoruichi? It looks like one of those flexible toothbrushes." Said Ichigo
Oh no!
"What do you mean? Is there something wrong with it?" Yoruichi asked with a red angry aura surrounding him
"Uh… uh, no. Nothing. It's a perfectly wonderful, beautiful tail." Ichigo said with a pale look on his face
"Don't you remember that you were the one who did that?" I whispered in a low tone
"Huh? I did?" Ichigo asked in a confused tone
"After you created that cannonball, you fell asleep and grabbed Mr. Yoruichi's tail. It took the four of us to get you to let go, and by then it was too late." Uryu said while Yoruichi wasn't very happy about it.
"My tail. My pride and joy. Ruined." Sobbed Yoruichi
"I highly recommend avoiding that subject from now on." Said Uryu
"Yeah. Got it." Ichigo said while sweat-dropping
"Hey, wait. Why isn't Ganju here with the rest of you?" asked Kukaku
"Hmm? Last time I saw him, he was downstairs muttering some nonsense to himself." Said Ichigo
"Never fear! Ganju is here!" exclaimed Ganju
Okay, what do I see in this picture? An open scroll, Ganju's new clothes, and that he was seriously out of breath.
"You should know, the hero is always the last one to make his entrance." Said Ganju
"Okay? But what's with that outfit?" asked Ichigo
"Heh-heh. You like it, eh? This is my custom battle costume. It's pretty sweet, right? Save your breath because I'm not lending to you or your curly-haired friend, so don't even ask." Said Ganju
"Oh, I'm crushed to hear that." Ichigo said with sarcasm laced in his voice
Hang on a sec, why do I get a feeling there's something pig boy here isn't telling us?
"Hey wait, what battle?! You're not coming!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Hate to break it to you captain short-sighted, but he kinda does." I said
"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo
Instead of letting me answer, Ganju growled before walking over to Ichigo and staring at him in the face before glaring at me.
"My big brother was killed by a Soul Reaper!" exclaimed Ganju
Whoa. Talk about total shock moment.
"Ganju, don't you dare." Said Kukaku
"Why don't you listen and let me talk for a change, sister?" asked Ganju
"Huh?" wondered Kukaku
"My brother… he was a brilliant man. He passed the Soul Reaper Academy entrance exam on his first try. At that time, his spiritual power was at 6th class. That's the same level as a lieutenant of the thirteen court guard squads. Then, he finished a six-year curriculum in one year, and he became a member of a squad. In just five years, he became a lieutenant, but he was betrayed by his comrades. His own Soul Reaper allies lead him to his grave. I was still just a kid back then, so I don't remember all the details of what happened, but there are two things I'll never forget. Faces, those two faces. The cruel face of that Soul Reaper as he dragged my brother's mangled body back home, and the face of my dear kind brother, happily giving thanks to that same Soul Reaper. Why did he do that? Why would my brother be so forgiving? To this day, I just don't know. But there's one thing I do know for certain. Somehow my brother never blamed the Soul Reapers, and he never hated them. But how?! Why didn't he hate the fiends who completely destroyed him?! Why did he continue believing in them to the bitter end?!" exclaimed Ganju
He then grabbed us by the collar of our outfits, and dragged us so close to his face and it was close enough to the point where I could've sworn his breath smelled like fish!
"Somehow, you two seem different than the other Soul Reapers. It was what you said when you had trouble with that cannonball technique dandelion head. As for curly hair, he told me about what happened to your parents and your sight as well. With everything you two experienced, that's what I think. I think that's what makes you two different, and I think if I go with you, I might discover something important. That's why I've decided I'm going to help you. I'm willing to go along with you into the heart of enemy territory and try to learn what being a Soul Reaper really means." Said Ganju
"Oh, Ganju…" Orihime trailed off
"Our Ganju…" Koganehiko said while crying
"Such a fine man you've become." Shiroganehiko said while crying
"Heh, well it sounds like you've got your mind up about this." Said Kukaku
I was just as surprised as the next person was when Ichigo grabbed Ganju by the shirt before saying:
"You and me then." Said Ichigo
"You and me." Ganju agreed
"Alright then, are you all ready for the cannonball?" asked Yoruichi
"Yes." We all said in unison
"Hey, I just thought of something. Do you know how to make a cannonball?" Ichigo asked Yoruichi
"Actually, that's a good question. I guess I ought to give it a try." Said Yoruichi
Oh come on! If this is Yoruichi's first attempt, I'm gonna pull his tail off!
"Don't tell me this is your first attempt." Said Uryu
"For once, I think we agree Uryu." I said
"Put that down on the floor Ichigo." Said Yoruichi
Once he did, Yoruichi jumped onto the ball, and voila, here's the cannonball.
"Hmm, just as I suspected. The task was as natural as breathing in and out." Said Yoruichi
"Wow Yoruichi! In one try you did something that took us forever to learn!" exclaimed Orihime
"What about me then? It took me one try too, remember?" I asked Orihime
"Oh yeah, that's right. I guess I forgot." Said Orihime
And cue the anime fall for me.
"I can see it bothers you, but I don't know why you find it so surprising. You'll learn that there are many things that I can do that are far beyond your reach." Said Yoruichi
"Hey, Ganju. Were you able to master it as well?" asked Kukaku
"I think so." Said Ganju
"Then we'll use Flower Crane Cannon launch method number 2. Alright?" asked Kukaku
"Very well." Said Ganju
"You better not chicken out and run away in the middle of the launch, you little brat." Said Kukaku
"I would never do that." Said Ganju
"Not afraid to lay your life on the line?" asked Kukaku
"No! No way!" exclaimed Ganju
"If you're all ready to go, then the final countdown begins now!" exclaimed Kukaku
She slammed on the tube-like thing, and it opened up.
"Get inside everyone!" exclaimed Kukaku
And we were inside the tube. I just hope this works.
"The sun will be rising soon. That will be the signal to begin the launch ceremony." Said Kukaku
"Now listen, once we're inside the Sereitei, it's important that we stick together. If you should encounter any captains, don't fight them. Don't even think about it. Just run. Our goal is to save Rukia, do you understand? You must avoid taking any unnecessary risks." Said Yoruichi
I closed my eyes as I centered my thoughts, and I could've sworn I heard Kukaku say something outside.
"Now is has begun! Pour your spirit energies into the center!" Yoruichi exclaimed as we all began pouring our energies into the center of the orb and created the cannonball
I suppose this would be a late time to mention my fear of heights!
"Somehow, I thought blast off would be more explosive." Said Ichigo
"That was only the start, you simpleton." Said Ganju
Oh come on! A roller coaster now?! I hate fast things! And just as we gained speed, Ganju pulled out some kind of paper from his outfit.
"What is that thing?" asked Ichigo
"These are the directions for the next stage of the launch. The first stage of Flower Crane Cannon number two was just the blast off itself with the initial directional setting. Now we go to the secondary spell, which controls acceleration and axis adjustment. This'll help with the precision guidance. Right, so stay out of my way if you wanna land safely." Said Ganju
"Alright, I will." Said Ichigo
"Now there's just one more thing I have to explain to you all. In order to enter the Sereitei successfully, we have to stabilize this cannonball. That requires keeping the spirit energy output from each one of us at a constant level, and to do that, keep your hands on the crystal in the center so you'll be able to see how much energy the others are releasing, and simply adjust your energy release accordingly. One mistake, and that's it. We'll all die." Said Ganju
"Mm-hmm." Said Sado
"I understand." Said Uryu
"I got it." Said Orihime
"Yep." I said
"Mmm…" Ichigo trailed off
"Now Flower Crane Cannon number 2 begins!" exclaimed Ganju
As Ganju was chanting, I was trying to keep my spiritual energy on the same level as the others, but Ichigo was a completely different story.
"Ichigo, I think you're releasing too much energy." Said Orihime
"You really think I am? Alright, I'll back off." Said Ichigo
"Ichigo, you've gotta lower it a little bit more." Said Uryu
"What? Are you kidding me? But I already lowered my output by almost half." Said Ichigo
"Ichigo." Said Sado
"Alright, alright! I'm working on it!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Would you shut up?! You and your big mouth made me repeat the same line twice!" exclaimed Ganju
"Don't blame me just because you can't remember your stupid little chant!" exclaimed Ichigo
"That 'stupid little chant' might just save your precious life if you could just shut your big yap!" Ganju exclaimed before the two of them started banging foreheads
"Cut it out! Both of you! We can't argue at a time like this! We're in big danger here!" I exclaimed
"She's right. Stop this. You're going to upset the balance of the spirit energy." Said Uryu
"Hey look, what's that?" Sado asked as he looked behind him
We all looked, and it was the Sereitei!
"It's the Sereitei." Said Ganju
And we're not going to make it, are we?
"We're going to crash!" exclaimed Uryu
"The only way to survive this is for you to pour in all the spirit energy you've got!" exclaimed Yoruichi
Didn't need to tell us twice! We poured in everything we had, and the Sereitei's membrane kept us in the air
"Push through!" exclaimed Ichigo
But once we did, we were in mid-air, but this wasn't good by a long shot. Why? We were floating for no reason.
"What's going on? We blasted through the shield, but we're not falling to the ground. We're just floating here!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Don't get separated! The cannonball was destroyed by the shield, but its residual energy will still hold us up until it dissolves." Said Yoruichi
"And what happens then?" asked Uryu
"It will coalesce into a whirlpool, and then vanish. We must stick together because anyone who gets separated will get blown away by the explosion!" exclaimed Yoruichi
As if on cue, the whirlpool was starting up, and I was getting dizzy and sick.
"We're in the whirlpool!" exclaimed Yoruichi
"No! Not a chance! I'm not about to get blown away!" exclaimed Ganju
And as usual, Ichigo and Ganju were fighting, again.
"Will you two cut it out already?! This is ridiculous!" exclaimed Uryu
"Grab the person closest to you and hold on tight! Then don't let go no matter what!" exclaimed Yoruichi
Well, that was easier said than done. I would've been blown away if Uryu didn't grab my hand.
"Thanks Uryu. I owe you." I said
"Don't mention it." Said Uryu
He tried to reach out to grab Chad's hand, but couldn't reach in time, and I was blown outside the same time Chad threw Uryu towards Orihime. I could only watch as the spirit energy split into five groups. Everyone… please be safe.
Detroid: See ya next time hope we all see ya soon for another season! Lol, Code Lyoko reference when I didn't mean to make one.
sakuraphoenix: You said it my adorable Raichu
Detroid: Aw *blushes* You're making me blush my cute Zorua, but anyway, I'm Detroid
sakuraphoenix: And I'm sakuraphoenix
Detroid: And we're both saying
sakuraphoenix: We heart you, signing off for now
Detroid: Bye!
sakuraphoenix: Zai jian!