Today was the day the other branches of the afterlife would show up in Soul Society. A lot of the Soul Reapers were excited to see what kind of fighters lived in the other parts of the world, how they fought and what their strength was. A few wanted to know what it was like in their part of the world, how their culture worked and what their system was like. These various curiosities led a lot of them to be waiting eagerly at the Senkaimon in eagerness to meet the new arrivals.
At the front of their unexpectedly large greeting party, Toshiro awaited the arrival as well. His commanders would be leading each of their groups and would introduce him to the one currently leading each of those groups, who he would then talk to about future plans along with the Head Captain. Since the meeting yesterday only two more groups had offered aid, but not much. Their most important contributions right now were that of Heaven and Elysium, though the African groups would definitely be a huge help with their numbers and experience. Heaven had impressive technology to lend them and Elysium had their immortals. All in all, the Japanese branch felt honored to have such additions to their fighting force.
"So have you been to the other branches?" Ichigo asked the young king, standing beside him with Ruala on the other side. The girl still looked a little pale, from what Ichigo hadn't been allowed to know, but she kept a firm stance to hide this weakness.
"I know what they're like but I'm generally not supposed to visit them." Toshiro replied. "I'm pretty much trapped in that realm."
Ichigo frowned and went quiet. He definitely didn't envy being Soul King if that was true, he couldn't stand sitting around and doing nothing. He knew Toshiro hated it too because he remembered how often Rangiku complained that he never stayed inside long, always moving somewhere or sitting on the roof when he got the chance. This dragon liked to fly, and becoming king had chained him down. A chained dragon was generally a dangerous dragon.
Speaking of dragons, the young man glanced back and noticed several of the drakes perched on rooftops to view the newcomers as well. They had already found their partners just by following their instinct towards the person they seemed to have the strongest pull towards. Some of them Ichigo had predicted, like Wardin with Kenpachi Zaraki, but a few he was surprised by, like Noxis with Renji. Hasyl had partnered with Byakuya and so had gotten to now Tælaf well, Grendir had made good friends with Ikkaku – not to mention great sparring partners – and Laseiltha had partnered with Unohana, which Ichigo wasn't all that surprised about. The large Flora-Water dragon had a very similar aura as the healer.
A shout from one of the door guards brought everyone's attention right to the gates. Both guards stood at attention as the doors opened wide and a silver clad figure stepped through. Ryder Evereed, commander of the North American branches. Next to her were two figures in American military uniforms. The girl had long black hair up in a bun, silver streaked through it, and eyes of fierce gold that had a slight silvery tone to it around the edges. She looked young but had an aura that she was far older than most of them, though it couldn't be possible. The man on Ryder's other side had shocking red hair and dark brown eyes, a cocky grin on his face to set him apart from the other. The three of them bowed to the group in front, mostly to Toshiro.
"This is Zephyr," Ryder motioned to the girl on her left, "And Carson," The red-headed man. "Zephyr is from the Heaven's Guard and is the second in command of all of Heaven, and Carson is the General for the Army branch of Heaven. Many soldiers from both groups are here as well as some from the other squads."
"Our military differs from how the Living World works due to our Spirit Blades but generally have the same purpose." Zephyr added in a calm voice that still held command. "Heaven's Guard is the strongest group while Army is the one that deals with most Hollow attacks. I can explain more later, of course."
"It's probably better to wait." Toshiro nodded in agreement. "You're the first to arrive. A barracks has been set up for you to stay in until this war is over."
"I will be glad to lead you there." Sasakibe stepped forward, the Squad One Lieutenant offering a slight bow to the two military leaders.
"We accept your kind offer gladly." Zephyr bowed back. She clearly knew what she was doing and how to earn favor, though Carson looked a little apathetic about it all.
The American branch followed the silver haired Japanese as he led them to their temporary base of operations for the course of this conflict, everyone parting aside to let them through, watching in slight fascination how they marched in step with one another. The different factions had different colors on their otherwise similar uniforms and not all held swords at their sides, which were shaped into two-sided blades or rapiers considering their birth place. Some had a gun strapped to their sides, guns of various shapes that were unique each time, just like the blades of their fellow soldiers. It was definitely different to the people of Soul Society, who were used to everyone having a katana of some kind at their side.
Once the large force passed them by the wait began again, but this time it didn't take long. The light in the Senkaimon flickered as a different gate connected to it and another figure started walking through. This one was the black haired Kavain, standing tall but still looking tiny compared to the hulking figure that walked beside him, a well-muscled man with a fierce posture and stern expression, beard dark gray and neatly trimmed, eyes a dark grey like the coming of a storm. Toshiro could only assume this man was Zeus.
"It's an honor to meet the Soul King." Zeus bowed his head to the much smaller figure.
"I welcome your assistance." Hitsugaya replied. He looked past the tall man, noticing there were several others behind him, but hardly enough to make a full force. However, if he remembered right, these 'gods' had powers rivaling the Captains, perhaps more so, and each ran an entire army of powerful creatures they could summon at will. Elysium may have the smallest amount of fighters in the world, but they make up for it easily.
"It's been many years since I left Elysium." One of the women said, a wise seeming mistress in flowing white robes. It seems the Greeks had no specific uniforms, but no one would ever mistake their kind for humans or weaklings with their Spiritual Pressure giving them the appearance of heavenly beings.
"We hope your stay here is comfortable." Byakuya stepped up, offering his home for them to rest in. He'd volunteered to house the Immortals since they were few in number and better mannered than most. Still acting as a noble, as always.
After the Kuchiki noble led them away, it was a slow arrival of the various groups coming to aid them. The two African tribes arrived together with Damian leading them, the gray-haired man saluting his king as he introduced them to the two dark skinned individuals leading their tribes. They insisted on staying outside the Seireitei, preferring the open lands just outside the Western border than the confines of the city. Only the leading officials remained inside so as to keep updated on the plans. Next to arrive were a few of the Grim Reapers from England, a group that all wore stiff suits and glasses. One individual stood out with long red hair and a feminine appearance despite them all being men, flashing a fanged grin at them. Last to arrive was the Chinese Soul Society closest to them, only agreeing to help because they were next in line as a target due to their proximity. They were determined to stop the threat before it ever reached their borders.
"Dang, that was something…" Ichigo scratched his head as the armored warriors of the Chinese marched by. "It's really gonna take a while to get used to these guys."
"Hopefully they won't be here long." Toshiro replied. "I'm sure they wish it as well. The faster we win this war the faster everyone can go back to being separate again. It's highly rare for different Soul Societies to gather like this."
"They'll behave, considering this isn't their home." Balthazar, the one who brought in the Grim Reapers from England, spoke up. "Many are eager to learn about this place just as the Japanese are eager to learn about them. It's a mutual alliance based on curiosity at the moment, which is better than no reason at all."
"For sure." The young king nodded. "Alright, since they're all here, best we head to Squad One to meet with the Head Captain and discuss plans. It will just be leaders for now, and then those leaders will alert their forces."
The commanders nodded and flashed away to find the leaders of the branches they had brought to lead them to the Squad One meeting hall. It would be there that the fate of this war would be discussed.
Now that the exciting arrival of the separate realms was over, Soul Reapers returned to their squads and the dragons took to the sky to follow their partners, wherever they are. Myndræl joined his partner's side as he and his Royal Guards made their way to Squad One as well. A blur of red and another pair joined them.
"I so wanna meet the other groups." Karin said excitedly, barely able to keep the grin off her face. "The Greek guys especially look cool, never thought I'd get to meet gods."
"Immortals." Ruala corrected.
"Which would technically be gods." Sofia smirked on her master's shoulder. "But the technical term is Immortals. They're so strong because they've lived for a very long time."
"And the Americans have some really cool zanpaktous." Karin continued, walking in step with the young king and her brother. "I never would have thought they could be guns."
"They're from a different country, but it's strange for me as well." Toshiro agreed. "They've brought a few of their Marines with them, which in Heaven are like the Department of Research and Development we have here and Squad Eleven put together, if that's possible."
"Yeah, not possible here." Ichigo shook his head.
"And not all of them are Soul Reapers." Ruala said. "America values diversity, after all."
"What do you mean?" The Kurosakis looked at her curiously, the younger one asking the question.
"Though they dress as military, many come from different styles of living that shows through in their Spirit Blades, their version of zanpaktou."
"And I've read that they welcome Arrancar into their midst." Toshiro sighed. The two at his right widened their eyes. "As well as Quincies and humans like Orihime and Yasutora. However, there are no more Quincies in their midst after the big war and a rare few gifted humans. I doubt they'd bring them here. As for their Hollow warriors, they might not risk bringing them anywhere where Hollows are killed on sight."
"Well I'm still walking around and the Visoreds hold Captain positions, so surely the old man wouldn't kill them if they're part of the fighting force." Ichigo grumbled. His eyes lit up. "Hey, if they're letting in Arrancars, maybe…"
"I already asked Nelliel to look into recruiting any willing Arrancars." Toshiro interrupted. "They're at risk, too, and I know of multiple demon attacks on Hollows. She might be able to get a few."
"Yeah, there will be a few." Karin nodded. "Well, guess I better head off. I won't be allowed into the meeting this time around."
"You're lucky you got into the last one." Ichigo chuckled as his sister ran off.
She turned back to roll her eyes at him before vanishing away, Dyrilæn flying away above them.
"She just wants to see the other groups." The orange-haired man shook his head.
"I don't blame her." Toshiro chuckled. "Come on, you're representing Karakura Town in this meeting."
"Yeah, I know…"
They continued their trek towards the meeting hall. Meanwhile, Karin found Momo and Shinji talking to someone in one of the military uniforms of the American branch. Curious, she approached, wondering what the Squad Five duo was doing talking to an American.
"…allowed in the squads?" She caught the tail end of Shinji's question.
"Aye, we are." The figure replied in a slight Scottish accent. His hood was up so they couldn't see his face. "I didn't expect you to take it so easily, to be honest."
"Consider me a counterpart."
"Oh, Karin!" Momo spotted the black haired teen beside them and smiled. "Captain Hirako sensed that this soldier was an Arrancar and came to talk to him."
"So you guys really do let Arrancars in?" Karin looked curiously at the figure.
"America is a much better place for us than most." The figure pulled down his hood, revealing short crimson hair and pale skin with freckles, a bone mask shaped like a bear on the right of his face, his other eye sharp green. "We were told to keep our hoods up to avoid making people uncomfortable, but clearly we shouldn't be worried."
"Well my brother's got a Hollow and so do three of the Captains and a few others." Karin shrugged. "Plus my brother made friends with an Arrancar named Nelliel."
"Hm, I don't think I've heard of her." The Arrancar mused. "But if she's like us I'd be happy to meet her."
"She's in Hueco Mundo right now fixing up after the ordeal with Aizen."
"I heard rumors about that war, but we were busy with our own problems."
"We handled it just fine in the end." Shinji waved his hand through the air. "But if you guys never met Aizen I guess it was possible to become an Arrancar even without his Hogyoku."
"Oh yes, it's possible, but most of us don't survive the process." The man frowned. "Actually, people in the American branch are working on turning us into full Grim Reapers so we don't have to consume souls anymore. A lot of us are wary about it but it's our own choice to try it. Most don't and thankfully no one bothers us about it."
"America and its freedom policy." Shinji smirked. "Well, I suppose if you're trusted to fight other Hollows, you can be trusted to beat up some demons."
"Thank you for understanding." The Arrancar held his hand out to shake before pulling it back in a flustered movement and bowing. "Forgot that you bow here…"
"Either one works." Shinji gave a slight bow back, Momo and Karin copying the movement. "Just takes some adjusting."
"Hey, could I meet some of the other people in your groups?" Karin stepped forward. "I wanna see the kinds of zanpaktous you have and how you guys fight. Is it really that different from us?"
The Arrancar chuckled at her enthusiasm and gladly led her to where the other Americans were staying, putting his hood back up in case there were still others who didn't agree to having a Hollowfied soul walking around.
"Arrancar have zanpaktous, right?" Karin asked.
"Aye, we do." He motioned to the broadsword at his back. "Mine looks big, but my Resurreccíon isn't much. I was only a Gillian when I was turned into an Arrancar."
"Are most of the Arrancars Gillians?"
"Yes, but we have a few Adjuchas among us. They're higher up, obviously, and Vasto Lordes usually want nothing to do with anyone anyway."
"The only Vasto Lorde on our side is my brother's Hollow." Karin shut her mouth tight quickly.
"Your brother is a Vasto Lorde?" The Arrancar looked intrigued.
"He's a Visored, which is like the opposite of you guys, a Soul Reaper with Hollow powers. My brother's Inner Hollow managed to get to the level of Vasto Lorde by powering up through my brother, or so I've been told."
"Interesting…Who is your brother, exactly?"
"Ichigo Kurosaki. You might have seen him standing next to the Soul King when you guys arrived."
"The orange haired one? You're related to a Royal Guard?"
"He was made a guard yesterday so don't think too much on it." She started their walk again as the Arrancar had stopped when she'd mentioned her brother being a Vasto Lorde. "Toshiro…I mean, the Soul King came and asked him personally to be a guard. Do you know anything about my brother?"
"I vaguely recall his name when we heard about the war here in Japan, and I've heard about him through some of the Hollows we have acting as spies in Hueco Mundo."
They were nearing where the others stayed, one of the soldiers standing and waving them over.
"I see you've made a new friend, Rex." The woman smirked, a dark skinned woman with dark brown almost black eyes, bronze colored hair swept back and a mask going over her face between her eyes like a beak before moving to the top of her head in a bone feathered crest. Another Arrancar, this one not as worried about hiding as the man now called Rex.
"Hello to you too, Sestiva." Rex sighed. "She just wanted to have a friendly conversation with us."
"I'm Karin Kurosaki." Karin offered a slight bow to the Amazonian-like warrior.
"Sestiva Hawkblade." The woman replied in kind. "So, what all do you wanna know?"
The young woman followed the two Arrancar into camp excited to learn more, her dragon staying back for now as she noticed many hostile glares her way. America had been the first land to rid themselves of dragons; they would probably be the last to accept them. With her partner occupied she instead went to talk to the other dragons.
It took quite some time for everyone to agree, but a plan was eventually established and the leaders split to their separate groups to alert their warriors. Karin left the Americans to listen as her brother and the Head Captain together explained what was going on to the Captains and Lieutenants. They were to all head out together to the location Ruala Nakryin had located, leaving a good enough force behind in case they were attacked in their absence, something the Americans had supplied with their military experience. Once there, the main force would stay some distance away while a small army went with the Soul King to the entrance. There he would open the gates.
If they were lucky the demons wouldn't expect such an early attack and there wouldn't be anyone there to guard. The small army was just in case there was a force protecting the entrance. If there was and they defeated it, someone would run to the main force and they would make their assault on the realm and hopefully would defeat Kamai before too many lives were lost.
This, of course, left room for any unexpected changes or unseen events. They knew they were risking a lot since they didn't know what kind of force Dethmaiyn had, the true powers of his Demon Lords, or the layout of this realm. It was a big risk charging in since they had many disadvantages, but if bad went to worse, they could at least pull back into more familiar grounds and trap the demons there. They had left individual tasks for the leaders to assign to their armies depending on their individual technologies and number of people. They didn't have time to work out every little thing, so a lot would have to be figured out in the field.
But first, they all needed rest. The other branches needed some time to adjust and set up their forces the way they needed to be for tomorrow's assault. Watching all this happen from atop Sokyoku Hill, Toshiro remained silent and hoped this was enough.
"We will win." Myndræl purred to his partner, laying down on the rock next to him.
"But how much will we lose?" Toshiro sighed. "We may end up retreating from this assault, and this war may go on another decade even after finding their home. So many things can go wrong; so many lives will be lost."
"Sacrifices are necessary in war." The dragon leaned his head gently on the young king's side. "These people will follow you gladly to stop this threat."
"That makes their death my fault…"
"No, it was their choice to follow."
"Because I'm their king and I gave them no room to get out of it by putting pressure on them, telling them they'll be next if they don't help now."
"You gave them a logical choice. Some chose to fight and others chose to wait it out. The latter trust you will triumph."
"I'm still responsible for the thousands upon thousands here who decided to die now instead of later."
The dragon gave a snort of icy air and rumbled deep in his throat.
"Honestly, will you stop trying to bear all the blame?" He growled. "Take the dragons for example. We don't follow just anyone, and in the present we trust humans about as much as they feed us, which is a very short time. And yet, hundreds of us have followed you back here, found their partners to live and die for, and will gladly offer their elements to aid you. Dragons don't die for a lost cause, Toshiro, we die for a cause we believe is just and fair, one that will let us continue our race even if many of us fall. The Elders have seen many a war and know when to put in a word to keep the younger generations alive. They have not yet, so shouldn't that tell you we're determined to help you win?"
"Then tell me, Myndræl, if this assault fails, will the dragons pull out?" Toshiro turned to look his partner in the eyes.
The sapphire dragon remained still for a moment, holding that teal gaze in a silence that spoke volumes. The dragon's gaze had a smirk to it, a calm stare that made quite clear his answer. The dragons would fight for their king no matter what the cost if it meant freedom to roam the realms again.
"They trust me that much?"
"You have proven yourself to the dragon race. The Elemental Keepers have never followed a human before you, have never once stepped in to assist unless it had to do with their elemental dragons. And these leaders from the other Soul Societies, they clearly believe you have a chance at success if they follow you, and I could tell they appreciated that you heard out their ideas and built on them instead of doing everything yourself. In this way, you are not the one fully responsible anymore. Each leader bears a portion of the burden and the weight of their own people."
"You really have grown wise, Myndræl." Toshiro smiled slightly. The dragon swelled with pride and grinned. "I can still remember when you followed me around like a puppy."
"Ah, our first meeting." Myndræl purred. "I was a little naïve at the time, wasn't I? But dragons grow up faster than most once we find our powers and then the Ice and Water keepers offered me their wisdom when you became king. Since I'm your partner I need to speak on behalf of the dragons, so I have to be a little more mature than I was."
"Sometimes, though, that playful side of you comes out."
"Ha! I wish yours would more often!" The dragon nudged his partner playfully and Toshiro laughed. "But anyway, you should probably get some sleep yourself. Even a king needs to rest sometimes and you've been busy nonstop. You'll need all your strength against Dethmaiyn."
"That is true."
The white-haired being walked with his dragon back to the others, finding the Kurosakis once more and staying with them in Squad Ten as they enjoyed their last moment of peace they would have in probably days or even weeks. Karin couldn't wait to tell him about her Bankai and Ichigo had a good talk with his dad about being a Royal Family, one the other Kurosakis and young king joined in after a while. When night had truly fallen around them, they all retired to sleep.
Tomorrow there would be many that never walked again.
Sorry these are taking so long. Trying to get the other chapters beta'd and get my grades up. Forgot I hadn't posted this yet. Still working on the next chapter. I am trying, so sorry. This AN will change when I have time. Enjoy.
Beta'd by Writer of Craziness