The Whole Hollow
Ok, here's the next chapter of my fanfic. Thank you all for waiting, I am ready to continue writing! I hope you enjoy this addition to my fanfic. This chapter marks the beginning of the Soul Society arc equivalent in this fic. (The last chapter was kind of a lead in.) I hope you enjoy what I'll do with this arc.
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.
Ichigo stepped out of the Garganta he saw his friends standing there decked out for this mission. Uryu was in full Quincy garb with several special items attached to his belt and in pouches and a strange glove on his arm. Tatsuki was wearing a sleeveless shirt along with a vest and had wraps on her hands and legs with gloves with armored knuckles on her hands and bracers on her legs and arms. Orihime was wearing a jeans and T-shirt combo that would allow for mobility and durability. Sado had opted for a sleeveless T-shirt and pants.
"Ichigo-kun," said Orihime, "you made it!"
"How could I not come and help my friends," said Ichigo.
"You sure you're up for this Kurosaki?" asked Uryu asked as he adjusted his glasses.
"I could ask you the same thing, Ishida," said Ichigo, "you really here to rescue a Shinigami alongside a Hollow?"
"Hmph," said Uryu as he adjusted his glasses, causing light to glint off of them, "while I do not like Shinigami or Hollows, they attacked our city and kidnapped an innocent girl. I can't simply let that pass. As for helping Hollows…" he smirked, "I'd say your sister's cooking is a good enough reason to help you."
"We're with you for this," said Sado, "no matter what happens. That's what comrades are for."
"I may not be able to do much," said Orihime, "but I'll do what I can to help out."
"Besides," said Tatsuki as she crossed her arms, "you're the one who'll have to worry the most, Ichigo. A Hollow attacking the Shinigami forces would certainly cause quite the uproar."
"Don't worry about me," said Ichigo, "if anything, I'll keep their forces off your back so we can tell them the truth about Rukia's 'crimes.'"
"I might be able to help with that," said Kisuke as he walked forward.
"What do you have in mind, Urahara?" asked Ichigo.
"Well Ichigo-kun," said Kisuke with a smile, "I have a way for you to enter the Soul Society, the location of the headquarters of the Shinigami and the Gotei 13, without being detected as a serious threat."
"And that is?" pressed Ichigo.
Kisuke pulled out what looked like a large black hooded cloak, causing Tatsuki to raise an eyebrow.
"Seriously, Geta-boshi?" she deadpanned, "A black cloak will keep the Shinigami from finding this guy's flood of Reiatsu? Have you been watching too much anime again?"
"Wasn't that from that one with King Arthur?" asked Sado.
"No," said Orihime, "that time it was a large yellow raincoat."
"I'm surprised it worked, what with how bad a disguise it was," said Uryu.
This caused them to stop and stare at the bespectacled Quincy.
"What?" he protested, "I watch TV too."
"ANYWAY," said Urahara as he tried to steer the conversation back on track, "this is no ordinary cloak, it's a special device I invented that shrouds a person's Reiatsu from being detected by others. While you are wearing this, you won't even register on their senses."
"That does sound handy," said Uryu, "we might have some use for those as well. We wouldn't want the Shinigami to find and imprison us before we find Kuchiki-san."
"Well," said Kisuke with a smile, "then it's a good thing I brought spares for everyone."
Kisuke passed out the cloaks and the group draped them over their shoulders, shrouding their Reiatsu. Strangely though, they could still feel a small trickle from Ichigo.
"Urahara-san," said Uryu, "are you sure these things are working? I can still feel some of Kurosaki's Reiatsu."
"I can too," mused Urahara, "interesting. Perhaps the immense amount of power that Kurosaki-kun possesses along with the fact that this cloak was initially designed to mask Shinigami Reiatsu, means that the cloak isn't able to completely mask your presence. Nonetheless, it should still do the job."
"If you say so, Urahara," said Ichigo, "so, are we ready to go?"
"Not quite," said a masculine voice from behind them, causing the group to turn around and see a black cat walking up.
"Oh!" squealed Orihime, "What a cute kitty."
"Everyone," said Kisuke, "this is an old friend of mine, named Yoruichi. Yoruichi-san will be traveling with you to rescue Kuchiki-san."
"No offence," said Tatsuki, "but what can a cat do to help?"
"Well," said the cat in the masculine voice from earlier, causing the martial artist to jump, "I've been to the Soul Society, so I can get you inside and lead you to your target, while also offering insight on the fighters there."
"Y-y-you can talk!?" exclaimed Tatsuki.
"Yes," said Yoruichi, "and quite well too."
"After all that we've seen, I'm not really surprised," shrugged Ichigo, "and we could use all the help we can get."
"So," said Uryu, "how are we going to get to the Soul Society?"
"I could rip open one of those Garganta things to get us there," said Ichigo.
"That isn't recommended," said Yoruichi.
Kisuke nodded and elaborated, "If you do so, the Gotei 13 will instantly be on high alert thinking they are under attack from Hollows. Kurosaki-kun, you should limit how many flashy Hollow techniques you use when in the Seireitei. It would be best to take advantage of the element of surprise and use it to get in and get out with minimal incident."
"Then how exactly are we supposed to get there?" asked Uryu.
"I'm glad you asked," said Urahara, "Shinigami usually use their Zanpakuto to open Senkaimon, gates between the worlds of Soul Society world, namely the fact that the spirit world is composed of Reishi while the human world is made of Kishi. Normally, a human from the world of the living cannot enter the Soul Society without having their body permanently converted into Reishi, resulting in your death as you become a spirit as well. Thankfully, I have managed to create a specialized gate with a Reishi converter that can safely convert Kishi to Reishi allowing you to return to this world and your human forms when you are finished. When you pass through the gate, you will enter the Dangai Precipice World that exists between the worlds of the living and the dead. Once there, you will have four minutes to travel through the Dangai before the gate closes and traps you there for all time. Any questions?"
Seeing that there were none Kisuke led them to a large square shaped ring that stood on the ground and seemed to be made of pieces of paper tightly bound together. Standing on one side of the gate with Tessai on the other side, the two Shinigami exiles channeled their power, causing a light to fill the center of the device.
"Once you pass through here, there's no turning back," said Kisuke seriously, "are all of you ready for this?"
"Hmph," smirked Tatsuki, "are you seriously asking that?"
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't," said Sado.
"We'll help Rukia-san," said Orihime.
"Without a doubt," said Uryu as he straightened his glasses.
"Let's go, everyone," said Ichigo, "to the Soul Society. Let's show them what happens when they mess with us."
Getting nods from the rest of them, the group threw the Reiatsu shrouding cloaks over their shoulders and prepared for the sprint through the Dangai. Yoruichi hopped onto Ichigo's shoulder to hitch a ride as they ran. With a nod, the group shot forward and into the portal, ready to face whatever lay on the other side.
xXsceneXx
From a secret location in the Soul Society, a figure watched all this happen through a special viewing device, a smile growing on his face.
"So they are coming to rescue their comrade, just as I planned," he chuckled, "this will work out perfectly. I will use the commotion to make my escape with my allies while the Gotei 13 eliminate the Hollow and his allies, removing a significant threat from the board. Gin."
A man with silver hair and a smile on his face appeared from the shadows behind him.
"I want you to make sure our guests receive a warm welcome upon their arrival," said the man to the newcomer, "make sure they receive all the hospitality that the Gotei 13 has to offer."
"Of course, Aizen-sama," said the silver haired man before he vanished in a blur, leaving the rom empty except for the figure watching the events unfold.