Chapter 21: Lost in Time (Know thy *ENEMY*)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
"Normal speech"
'Inner speech/thoughts'
'Inner Quincy/Yhwach speech'
'Inner hollow/Zanpakuto speech'
xxx
'Kurosaki Ichigo. Meet me outside the Academy once this class ends. We need to talk about the Bakkōtō problem Yoruichi-sama has informed me about.'
Ichigo tucked the piece of paper back into his pocket and hurried towards the academy's gates as fast as he could without turning his steps into Shunpo. Very much aware of the Captain of the 2nd Division's approach to tardiness, he prayed he wouldn't be late. Making one last turn, he pushed the gates and finally stepped outside the academy premises. He managed to take only one deep breath, though, as a light breeze signaled the arrival of the short Captain.
"Follow me and don't speak until we get to my office." Sui-Feng ordered and vanished an instant later. Quietly cursing, Ichigo kicked the ground and trailed after her. Very soon, he discovered that he really had to push himself in order not to completely lose track of the Captain but it felt kind of odd, as if she always made sure he wouldn't completely lose her. Somehow, the teen got the impression he was being tested. When he finally came to a stop, it was right in front of the door leading to the Captain's office.
Sui-Feng was already waiting for him with an unreadable gaze pointed straight at him.
"Interesting speed you possess, Kurosaki Ichigo. Come inside." She said and motioned him to follow her inside the office. Forced to take a few deep breaths, Ichigo watched her back with a slightly puzzled expression.
'…this race aside, am I just imagining things or does her expression look a tiny bit friendlier than the last time we met?' He wondered and quickly walked inside.
"Close the door."
Once he did that, Ichigo saw the Captain silently pointing at the chair in front of her table. Left with no other choice, the teen complied and sat down. Looking up, he noticed the contemplative stare Sui-Feng was giving him. Before he could react to it, though, she spoke again.
"Tell me, Kurosaki, how is it possible that ever since you appeared in Soul Society, everything seems to be connected to you in some way?"
Almost reflexively and without thinking, Ichigo replied not even a fraction of a second later.
"That's the million yen question I've been asking myself ever since I died, Captain. Though, the answer is still the same it was all those months ago. I have no freaking idea."
Clearly dissatisfied with the answer, Sui-Feng leaned into her chair.
"Well, at least you are aware of it."
Ichigo reacted in the only way he thought was appropriate. He shrugged.
"I'd have to be really dumb to not notice it."
It was only for a fraction of a second but, in that moment, the teen thought he saw a bit of mirth briefly appear in the Captain's eyes.
"Yes, I guess you would." Sui-Feng replied with a badly hidden smirk. Before Ichigo could ask what she meant by that, she spoke again.
"Moving onto important stuff. The Bakkōtō. It bothers me that an Academy student is aware of secrets not even some of the Captains know of but let's ignore that for now. Yoruichi-sama has asked me for a favor and so I complied. I looked into the matter and, frankly, what I found doesn't make me happy in the slightest."
Ichigo leaned forward, closer to the table, and looked at the Captain with a gaze filled with curiosity and mild concern. Not saying anything, he waited for her to continue.
"Have you met the new Captain of the 3rd Division, Kurosaki?"
Narrowing his eyes in confusion, Ichigo slowly nodded.
"I have. A few times, actually."
"And what is your impression of him? Kyoraku says you can gauge people very well so I'm willing to at least hear your opinion."
"If only Kyoraku-san was right… but sure, I can give it a shot."
With a deep frown, Ichigo thought about the question very seriously. He thought back to all the times he had met the new Captain and the way the man had acted during those.
"I think Amagai-san is clearly a charismatic and ethical person. He can be very friendly and casual. At the same time, there is something cold, harsh and maybe even ruthless inside of him. Like he wouldn't hesitate for a second before killing me, in case I was a threat. On the other hand, he also has a strong sense of justice and morality… I don't know, sometimes I think he has two, slightly different, personalities. I'd like to trust him but after everything that has happened so far, I'm fairly skeptical. He could turn out to be the best ally but also the worst enemy." He said, carefully choosing each word. To his surprise, Sui-Feng didn't react immediately. For a while she just stared at him, creating a moment of complete silence in which the teen realized his potential mistake of sharing his real, honest thoughts.
A minute later, Sui-Feng's expression underwent a minute change. Her regular, everyday frown deepened and Ichigo felt a bit of suspicion coming off from her gaze.
"Who are you, Kurosaki?" All of a sudden, she asked. In response, Ichigo blinked.
"What do you mean?"
The Captain of the 2nd Division continued to stare at him for a few more seconds and then she stood up. She walked around her table and stopped only a few inches away from him.
"I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person, Kurosaki. I'm not a scientific genius nor a philosophical prodigy. However, I'm the best at what I do. I'm a master assassin and a damn good Captain. Over the course of the past century, I have learned to judge people based on the minimal changes in their expression. I learned how to pick out a convict from a crowd of saints but also from a crowd of other criminals. If I need to, I can kill a person in several different ways in less than a second. My actions are based on orders, cold logic and my instincts of a trained assassin. However, as many people do, I also possess instincts of my guts. A sixth sense if you'd prefer. I rarely act upon it as it goes against my principles, yet I can't shake the feeling that right now, I should listen to it. Do you know what my gut is telling me, Kurosaki?" She spoke quietly and in a tone that caused Ichigo to feel a cold sensation on his spine. He shook his head.
"No idea."
She took one step closer to him.
"It's telling me that you are a dangerous person, Kurosaki. You seem to attract bizarre incidents as well as bizarre people. Many know you and you know many. There are even rumors about you in the Academy. I checked. Your academic performance is persistently climbing up the ladder of the best in the Academy's history. Some could say that these could be explained by the Shiba blood flowing in your veins but I don't think so. Your personality is a stark contrast to the one the members of the Shiba clan usually possess. Moreover, you are too good at reading people's personalities. Far too good for somebody, who is barely sixteen years old. To add the final nail in the coffin, Yoruichi-sama herself thinks you are unusual and intriguing." Sui-Feng added even more quietly. For a second, she seemingly enjoyed the uneasy expression on the teen's face. Then she straightened her back and walked to a large bookshelf on the left side of her office.
"Amagai Shūsuke was previously a member of the Onmitsukidō and how you described him is probably the best description of such a person I have heard in quite a while. It's not something I would expect from an ordinary student or from a shinigami of your age."
Since Sui-Feng wasn't staring at him anymore, Ichigo was finally able to take a deep breath, as for the past few minutes, he was barely breathing, his chest tightened from the pressure the Captain's stare put on him.
"You… you give me too much credit, Captain. I'm not nearly as perfect as you think I am." He retorted firmly, yet with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Sui-Feng turned away from the bookshelf and formed a dangerous grin.
"I may have sounded like I think so but make no mistake. I'm aware of your weak points, Kurosaki. Still, my opinion of you has already changed a little."
"Is that why you treat me… uhm, in a more friendly way?"
The grin on the Captain's face vanished in an instant and Ichigo felt like hitting himself. Aside from the suspicion, the conversation had been going unusually well but now it looked like he may have ended that trend. He tried to open his mouth to try and correct his mistake only to find out he didn't know how to do that. Silence filled the room one more time.
'…I'm such an idiot.' Ichigo berated himself, feeling the pressure of Sui-Feng's stare once again.
"Be careful, Kurosaki. Remember your rank and remember who you are speaking to. Don't look for things that are not there. We are not friends nor do I expect us to become one for the foreseeable future." She hissed coldly a minute later.
"…yes, Captain." Ichigo replied. He watched the Captain walk back to her table but didn't dare to restart the conversation.
"Although, I do admit there may be a slight difference in my tone." Unexpectedly, Sui-Feng admitted once she sat down. Her intense stare melted a bit and, when Ichigo met her gaze, she nodded to him.
"However, it is by no means an act of me becoming friendlier or more familiar with you, Kurosaki. It is because you have earned a little bit of my respect. Now, circling back to the original topic. Amagai Shūsuke. I asked you about him because I have a good reason to believe he is in a possession of one of the Bakkōtō swords."
Still in disarray from her sudden words of acknowledgment, Ichigo creased his brow in an attempt to adjust his thoughts.
"Uh, wait, wait? Are you sure?"
"Are you questioning my investigation?" Sui-Feng retorted with narrowed eyes. Immediately, the teen shook his head.
"No, of course not. I'm just… trying to wrap my head around it. I mean, because of the whole Aizen incident, the shinigami of Gotei are quite mistrustful of new people these days. It would be the worst time for Amagai-san to risk getting exposed as a traitor. Why would he even do that? He doesn't look like somebody who would need a Bakkōtō for additional power nor does he look stupid." Ichigo explained, trying to reason with the Captain. Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes even further.
"I see. Well, that is true. But even if I think he's guilty of being in possession of a Bakkōtō, I won't act upon it yet. As you said it yourself, the atmosphere in Gotei is not very good and I don't want to needlessly add more wood to the fire. However, I won't hesitate to do it if it turns out he really is a traitor."
"Yeah… me neither." Ichigo agreed quietly.
Both of them immersing themselves into their thoughts, they leaned into their chairs and stayed silent for a few minutes. Eventually, though, Ichigo mentioned one thing that bothered him.
"Uhm, can I ask one question, Captain?"
"What is it?"
Ichigo frowned.
"How exactly did I earn your respect?"
Baffled, Ichigo saw Sui-Feng form a dangerous, yet honest smile.
"Once I'll tell you, you'll need to leave. I have something to take care of. Now, about the respect. Yoruichi-sama informed me that you managed to give Urahara Kisuke quite a good beating and from a professional point of view, this is what has earned you my respect." She said and then widened her smile.
"From a personal point of view, though, beating up Urahara Kisuke gets you a bit of my favor too."
…
Next day, Captain's meeting
Quiet murmur echoed within the assembly hall as Yamamoto patiently waited for the arrival of the man who had called for the meeting. With narrowly opened eyes, the Captain Commander of Gotei 13 looked over each of his Captains. Aside from Sui-Feng, they all seemed fairly relaxed and that meant that they had no idea what was happening. It made Yamamoto sigh. On one hand, he was glad his Captains weren't constantly on edge but, on the other hand, he was a bit disappointed. In his opinion, a Captain of Gotei 13 needed to be aware of any serious matter within Seireitei or within Soul Society.
"Tch, I knew I should have kept looking for Ichigo. This is a waste of my time…"
Yamamoto's grip on his cane tightened. It was the third time Captain of the 11th Division made an attempt to rile him up with his pointless whining.
'You'll have to try harder than that if you truly want to test my patience, Captain Zaraki. I have lived for far too long to….' Yamamoto thought and then realized what the man had said.
'Ichigo as in… Shiba Ichigo? Hmm, why does the combination of Zaraki and the boy doing something together bother me so much…?'
His face got clouded but, before his thoughts could take him somewhere he didn't really want to go, the door to the assembly hall opened and a lone man stepped inside.
"Captain Kurotsuchi. Glad to finally see you arrive." Yamamoto greeted the Captain of the 12th Division. The rest of the hall quieted down.
"Commander." Mayuri replied. He took a few more steps forward and stopped when he was in the middle of the hall and when he had a good view of everyone inside of it. He glanced at Yamamoto. The Captain Commander gave him a short nod.
"You can start by informing the other Captains of the reason behind this meeting, Captain Kurotsuchi."
Acknowledging the words in silence, Mayuri took a small device out of his pocket.
"It wasn't that long ago that I have informed all of you of the unusual behavior of the pockets of space which exist within the Garganta. I hope you all remember." He said and purposely glanced at Kenpachi.
"Yes, the Valleys of Screams." Shunsui quickly stated and steered the scientist's attention away from the large Captain.
"Indeed. Now, I also explained their unusual behavior. They seemed to be moving through the endless Garganta in a way which suggested gravitation towards one central Valley and-"
"To the point, Captain Kurotsuchi, please." Yamamoto interrupted Mayuri, causing the Captain to purse his lips and form a thin line with them.
"Fine. The important thing is, due to the various data I acquired, I was led to believe the movements of the Valleys, while erratic, were fairly predictable. Because of that, it seemed we had enough time before things could get to the critical point." Mayuri continued in an irritated tone.
"What are you trying to say?" Komamura, the large Captain of the 7th Division who wore a helmet over his head, asked.
"He's saying Kurotsuchi made a mistake." Kenpachi retorted with a grin. Almost immediately, a large vein pulsed on Mayuri's forehead.
"I didn't make any mistake, you cretin! All of my calculations were precise!" The scientist snarled.
"Yet something has changed." Sui-Feng added coldly. Mayuri turned away from the grinning Kenpachi and, quite obviously, took a deep breath in order to calm himself down.
"An unexpected turn of events, yes. It is most unfortunate but the regular use of Senkaimon gate has accelerated the movements of the Valleys of Screams to the point where they can now potentially collide with the Soul Society and it can happen in less than a month, maybe even sooner."
The silence that fell upon the assembly hall was very brief. The one who broke it was no one other than Shunsui.
"What should we do, Yama-jii?" He quietly asked the Commander. In response, Yamamoto gave him a serious look.
"First, let Captain Kurotsuchi finish. Captain Kurotsuchi, continue." He grunted and looked at the scientist.
"Right, moving on to the incident from yesterday. In the late evening, The Shinigami Research and Development Institute noticed one of the Valleys stopping very close to the Soul Society and then rapidly expanding until a part of it connected with the Precipice World. With the collaboration of Captain Sui-Feng, we sent a group of Onmitsukidō agents to investigate the newly created dimensional space. Unfortunately, things turned sour and, before they could reach it, the agents all died under undetermined circumstances, leaving the investigation unfinished. Right after that, I alerted the Commander, who ordered the Kido Corps to immediately shut down the Senkaimon gate." Mayuri paused and his expression turned unpleasant.
"As it stands, right now, we are cut off from the Human World. Until I can get some data from the dimensional space, which is still occupying a part of the Dangai, we can't secure the connection and so any transport between Soul Society and Human World is impossible." He added.
As most of the Captains glanced at each other, nobody noticed the brief hint of worry in Isshin's eyes.
"In that case, it's quite simple, isn't it? You just need some sample data." The newly appointed Captain of the 3rd Division stated with a firm voice. Mayuri glanced at him with a sardonic gaze.
"Pray to tell me, Captain Amagai, what is so simple about that? I cannot authorize sending another group of shinigami to the Dangai. Make no mistake, I have no regards for their lives, but it would simply be counterproductive. From what I can gather, something has attacked them and so-"
"Then let me go." Amagai said, causing a loud moment of silence to explode within the hall. Almost every Captain looked at him in shock. Shrugging, he looked at Yamamoto.
"To me, it looks like a regular shinigami can't handle whatever is happening in Dangai. I'm a Captain and so I think I should me more than enough. I'm quite confident in my abilities."
Yamamoto met his gaze with a silent stare. Meanwhile, Sui-Feng formed a suspicious frown.
"Why would you risk this? You heard Kurotsuchi. Nobody can guarantee your safety. You have no obligation for going there."
Amagai turned to face her with a hard gaze.
"No obligation? I am a Captain of Gotei 13. That alone should make me obligated enough. I am responsible for the lives of everyone within Soul Society. I said this to my men many times, but I will not just stand and watch people die for nothing. Right now, we are against sending more people to the Dangai but what about tomorrow? What if the situation gets worse and we will have no other option than to do it? How many men will we then sacrifice until somebody gets off his high horse and do what he should have done at the beginning? Being a Captain is not just about commanding your troops and sending them to fight for you. You should be out there, fighting with them on the front line! That's, Captain Sui-Feng, is why I would risk this."
Caught off-guard, Sui-Feng could only stare at Amagai. For just a short moment, she realized that this was what Ichigo had meant by Amagai having a strong sense of justice and morality. And she wasn't alone. Most of the Captains appeared to be surprised. Even Yamamoto couldn't help but to open his eyes fully.
'Hmm, very foolish but definitely not naïve. Also, a very strong resolve. Interesting.'
"You said that very well, Captain Amagai." Once again, Shunsui was the first one to break the silence and he did it while tipping his hat to Amagai.
As if realizing what he just said, Amagai stiffened and looked away, abashed.
"While I appreciate your initiative, Captain Amagai, I'm afraid I can't let you take the risk. We are already short on Captains and losing another could prove fatal to Seireitei's security. The only thing we can do now is to wait for Captain Kurotsuchi to-"
"I hate to interrupt you, Commander, but, after thinking about it, I'm afraid Captain Amagai may actually be right. You all cut me off before I could add one more thing." Mayuri rudely butted in and caused Yamamoto to narrow his eyes.
"Elaborate, Captain Kurotsuchi."
Mayuri silently pressed a button on the device he had taken out from his pocket at the very beginning of the meeting. Immediately, the device projected an image on one of the hall's walls.
"I said sending more shinigami would be counterproductive but, at the same time, it is the only thing we can do. Even I cannot analyze the anomaly from here. See this?" He pointed at the part of the image marked with red color.
"This is the Valley of Screams that is currently entangled with the Dangai. Now, using every single possible scenario I could think of, I tried to simulate what can happen. Every time, it ended in the same way. Watch this." He explained and pressed the button on the device once again. The image was replaced with a short video, in which the bloated Valley of Screams pushed its way through the Dangai.
"I don't see any damage to the Dangai." Toshiro stated with a frown. Mayuri grinned.
"No. However, let's see what happens, when I modify the size of the current Valley of Screams and replace it with what I suspect to be the size of the one Valley the rest of them gravitate towards."
He pressed the button once again. This time, the recording was even shorter. The reason being, as soon as the Valley of Screams tore through the Dangai, it collided with Soul Society and the simulation exploded.
"…not good." Toshiro, as well as the other Captains, muttered.
"Wait… what does that mean?" Amagai asked while blinking.
Satisfied with the reactions, Mayuri turned off the device.
"That, dear Captains, is what I call an inconclusive result. My simulation was able to process the data we have so far but the gap, caused by the lack of additional information, is simply too large. This means that one of the possible scenario of the two dimensional spaces colliding into each other is the destruction of both. The reaction may or may not be possibly as violent but, at the very least, it will cause major damage to the balance of the worlds. In other words, if we let this happen, not just Soul Society, but other dimensions as well, could be potentially doomed." He said with an expression that was anything but regretful.
Not one to suddenly lose it, Yamamoto stared at him with a serious gaze.
"Are you sure you are not just being melodramatic, Captain Kurotsuchi?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I can't say for sure until I have more data. Like I said, the results of the simulation are inconclusive. However, are you willing to risk endangering the whole world, Commander? You have a willing Captain right here in this very room. What is worse? Possibly sacrificing one Captain or the precious balance of the dimensions?" Mayuri replied, adding a hint of sarcasm to the end of his reply.
The atmosphere in the room changed almost instantly.
Twisting his expression into a deep and dark scowl, Yamamoto released a good amount of his reiatsu at the scientist. He didn't say a word but the fiery pressure within the air was enough of a retort. For a few seconds, the two Captains stared at each other with an intensity that caused the rest to gulp.
Then, all of a sudden, the pressure vanished.
"Very well. Captain Amagai, I accept your proposal. Please prepare yourself as fast as possible. I will notify the Kido Corps. Captain Kurotsuchi…" Yamamoto looked at the scientist one more time.
"…for your own good, I hope you are right about this."
Ignoring the beads of cold sweat running down his brow, Mayuri grinned.
"I know I am."
…
Karakura Town
Despite Uryū Ishida's words of advice, Ichigo had decided to use the bit of his free time he hadn't already spent with Rukia and visited the Human World once again. As he had allowed Rurichiyo to call him 'Onii-chan', he felt that spending some time with the girl was the least he could do. Moreover, there were things he wanted to talk about with Kenryū and Enryū too. He had intended to keep the visit brief, however, Rurichiyo had been against it and so he had been forced to spend the whole night in the Shiba's home.
Because of that, it was already noon of the next day when the teen made sure there was no hollow activity in his vicinity and plunged his zanpakuto into the air in front of him. Twisting and turning the blade, a crease that opened itself only to reveal a set of doors, formed from nothing.
Ichigo waited for a Hell Butterfly to fly out of the dimensional gate but, to his confusion, it never appeared.
"…that's weird." He muttered with a frown. Giving the Senkaimon a suspicious glance he closed it and opened another.
The action brought the same result.
Ichigo released a drawn-out sigh.
"Come on!" He exclaimed and stared at the gate with a contempt. After a moment, he shrugged.
"To hell with it."
He took a step inside.
Immediately, he felt his inner instinct screaming at him. It took him just one glance at his surroundings to realize that something was very wrong. Zangetsu wasn't far behind.
'Nice one, genius.'
"…uh-oh."
Instead of immediately appearing in another set of Senkaimon gates, the place he ended up in looked as unpleasant as a sewer. The only saving grace was the lack of smell. Ichigo looked behind him. The Senkaimon he had created already vanished. Turning his head back, he took a careful step forward and tried to recall the things he had read in his textbooks.
He closed his eyes and, a minute later, barely resisted the urge to slap himself.
"Of course. I'm an idiot. When you don't have a Hell Butterfly, you end up in Dangai. I should have thought of that… I definitely should have thought of that." He grumbled with a scowl. Taking another step forward, he made a note to look at the wrinkly walls covering the sides of Dangai.
'That should be Kōryū, the so-called Wrestling Flow. I really don't want to touch that.' He thought and then shook his head.
'It's always the same. I try to stay away from trouble but it somehow catches up with me. What am I, cursed? Damn it.'
An intense bright light appeared in a distance, causing him to momentarily stop his thoughts and look at it.
"…a Senkaimon?" He muttered in surprise.
Hesitating only for a second, he burst forth and sprinted towards the light as fast as he could, only to see a person suddenly stepping inside the Dangai. As he got closer, he realized who it was.
"Captain Amagai?"
The man, completely caught off-guard by Ichigo's presence, blinked.
"Kurosaki?"
Then he paled. Placing his left hand on his ear, he opened his mouth.
"Open the Senkaimon! We have a problem! There's a… hello? Hello? Captain Kurotsuchi! Captain… ah, crap."
Ichigo watched the man shout with a confused stare.
"What's going on?"
Amagai gave him a dry look.
"You were not supposed to be here, Kurosaki. We are currently… what is that?"
Seeing the man point a finger at something right behind him, Ichigo instantly spun around. Not even a second later, he cursed.
"You have got to be kidding me! How can I have such terrible luck, fo-"
"Get down!"
There was an explosion of light and Ichigo felt a blast hitting him straight into his face. Clinging on to his consciousness, something pulled on him and blew him away from Dangai.
…
"Urgh…"
A quiet groan escaped Ichigo's lips as soon as he regained most of his senses. Wary of a throbbing pain in his head, he gulped and slowly opened his eyes. Lying down on his back, the only thing he could see from his position was a beautiful, clear sky high above him. Clearly no longer in the Precipice World, Ichigo sat down to look around him and saw a completely different scenery.
"…what the heck?"
As far as he could see, there was a rocky area filled with many canyons and mountains all around him, an area he did not recognize from any of his memories nor from any of the academy books. Moreover, to create an even weirder landscape, bizarre Shoji-type structures, with white tassels attached at the tops, seemed to be randomly embedded into some of the cliff sides.
"I definitely did not expect this when I volunteered."
Almost forgetting about the Captain of the 3rd Division, Ichigo glanced behind him to see Amagai just getting up on his feet. His hair and clothes disheveled even more than usually, he gave the teen a dry look.
"You really chose the worst time to appear in Dangai, Kurosaki. What were you even doing there? Senkaimon was supposed to be on lockdown."
Ichigo raised both of his eyebrows in surprise.
"Really? Since when?"
"Since yesterday late evening."
Releasing a sigh, Ichigo briefly closed his eyes.
"So probably right after I used it to get to the Human World… damn. I should have known something was off when no Hell Butterfly came out." He berated himself quietly.
"Eh, you were still able to create a Senkaimon on your side?"
The teen looked back at the Captain to see him staring back with a blank expression. A full minute passed till either of them moved.
"How about you, Captain? Why were you in Dangai? Wait, no, why is Senkaimon in lockdown in the first place?" Ichigo then asked, only for the other man to nod towards the mountain in front of him.
"Sorry, Kurosaki, but that's kind of classified. Official Gotei 13 business. Moreover, I don't think this is the time to just stand here and chat. We should search this place for any abnormalities." Amagai said and took a step forward, leaving Ichigo with a confused frown.
"…wait, what do you mean, abnormalities? You know where we are?"
Amagai stopped and briefly looked at the teen over his shoulder.
"Kurosaki, we have just been pulled out from Dangai and we didn't land in Soul Society or Human World or even in Hueco Mundo. Let that sink in and then think about it. You look like a smart kid."
And before Ichigo could stop him, Amagai left in a Shunpo.
…
Later
Standing on the top of the 168th mountain, Ichigo's expression darkened and his mood fell even lower than it was a mountain ago. Even after visiting all the other 167 mountains, the scenery never changed. The only thing he could see was still the same rocky area he had seen when he had come to. The Captain of the 3rd Division also wasn't helping Ichigo's mood, as ever since the parting words, he never talked to the teen again.
'Forget talking, the guy seems to be deliberately avoiding me in general. It's been what, two days since we got here and I barely saw a glimpse of him.' Ichigo mused, developing a twitch in his eyelid from the frustration.
Amagai not being anywhere near him wasn't the most important thing on Ichigo's mind, though. The date of the fake wedding between Rurichiyo and Kannogi Shu was slowly but inadvertently approaching and he was stuck in some forsaken place devoid of any life. Although, Ichigo wasn't even sure it had truly been two days since he landed here.
The sky above him never darkened into a night and so it was hard for him to guess the time. So far, he had been trying to calculate the hours by instinct but even he knew that such a tactic would not hold for long. Just thinking about it brought a grimace upon his face and so, begrudgingly, he marched over to the next mountain. Half-way to it, though, he came to a sudden stop.
"Wait a minute… this mark in the ground. This is definitely the third or fourth time I'm seeing it. First time was when we… damn." His eyes pointed at a certain part of the rocky ground, Ichigo cursed.
'I've been going in damn circles!'
Clenching his fists, Ichigo kicked into a nearby pebble and, turning towards the sky, released a loud shout.
"Damn it!"
The rocky landscape easily carried his voice all the way to the horizon and created an eerie effect of an echo but Ichigo easily ignored it. He was far too busy trying to calm himself down from the frustration that was gradually entering his being like a poison, spreading within his mind and corroding his thoughts every time he tried to push it away.
"…" With his head still pointed to the sky, he took several deep breaths but, this time, even they weren't much of a help. For some reason, he was unable to calm the inexplicable feeling forming within him. Too much pressure seemed to fill both his chest and stomach.
He briefly closed his eyes and tried to empty his overloaded mind. Resorting to the easiest soothing method, he crouched and then lay down on the flattest part of the rocky ground that was near him.
Keeping his eyes closed, he took another breath. Then another. And another.
Before he knew it, he somehow slipped into a light slumber.
…
'What am I doing?'
The thought kept persistently reappearing in Ichigo's mind every time he allowed himself to slow down. After he was finished exploring the whole area, which seemed to be a lot smaller than he had expected, Ichigo spent the time training himself by destroying the landscape with every single ability he knew. The only time he took a break was when he felt that he was getting too much into the destruction.
But when he did so, the frustration from being kept in a cage in a form of a foreign area slowly turned into melancholy. And stranded alone in a place he did not know, that was the most dangerous thing that could happen to him. It wasn't as if melancholy was alien to him; he had gone over many phases in his life and melancholy had been one of them. But back then, it had been a simple feeling of numbness, something that could make him apathetic and uncaring.
Currently, though, it was his worst enemy. It was an invisible blade that was slowly cutting him into pieces of crumbled resolve.
'I wanted to do so much. I wanted to change Soul Society, rebuild it into a little piece of heaven and turn it into a pleasant place for the dead. But this goal is getting further and further away. First Bounts, then Aizen...' He mused gloomily.
'Until all these major conflicts are resolved, the only one who can help me with this goal is Rukia and that's… I need the full support of Gotei on this but they are saying that they have bigger and more important things to take care of.'
A bit of anger seeped into his own inner voice.
'I get it. Three Captains deserted and are plotting who knows what. But is that really more important than ensuring the well-being of the souls coming to Soul Society every day? It's not like Aizen declared a war. Why does even an organization like Gotei 13 exist in Soul Society in first place? They are practically a military, damn it! An Afterworld should not have a military! Some kind of police, somebody who could keep an eye on order? Sure. But a whole military? It's like…'
But the anger left as fast as it came and was once again replaced with a veil of disinterest.
'Screw it. It's not like I can do anything while I'm stuck in here.'
Propped against the edge of a cliff, Ichigo felt a bit of adrenaline suddenly rush into his body. His apathetic mind made a complete turnaround and the weight of the reality dawned upon his with all of its might.
"I really need to get out of here." He stated and reached for his zanpakuto, only to jolt forward when he a familiar voice come from behind him.
"That might be harder than you'd think."
With one hand already gripping the hilt of his sword, Ichigo turned around and pinned the owner of the voice with a hard glare.
"Where the hell did you came from, Captain Amagai?"
The man met his gaze with a slightly amused smirk.
"I was once a member of Onmitsukidō, Kurosaki. I know how to conceal my presence."
Ichigo relaxed his grip on his zanpakuto but his glare remained hard, prompting Amagai to raise one of his eyebrows at him.
"I sense a bit of anger…"
"Yeah, well, you earned it, Captain. I don't mind being alone but you could have at least told me something before you disappeared." Ichigo barely restrained himself from snapping at the Captain but the tone of his voice was still less than friendly, a detail that didn't go unnoticed.
"And I told you. This is a Gotei business to which you are in no form privy. I don't mind being casual, Kurosaki, but please remember I'm still a Captain. Besides, I told you to think about this situation. You still haven't figured anything out?" Amagai countered him rigidly, his informal tone slowly slipping into the formal one.
Ichigo continued to glare at him for a bit longer before he lowered his head and sat on the ground. He propped his back against the edge of the cliff once again and gave the man a brief glance.
"I did, actually. It isn't making much sense, but I think that this area is some kind of secluded part of Garganta?"
Amagai eyed the teen with a fixed gaze.
"Good guess. I'm not allowed to tell you in exact terms but, in every practical sense, you are right. This really is a part of Garganta space. More specifically, it's a pocket space composed of souls ejected from the reincarnation cycle. Actually, it's one of the many pocket spaces that are freely floating within Garganta."
Rapidly blinking, Ichigo felt his brain freeze.
"Wait, one of the many?"
"Yeah."
For a moment, Ichigo remained silent and tried to digest the information.
"Are these a normal occurrence? Because this area looks kind of… artificially made. I mean, I doubt that all those Shoji-type structures, scattered all around, just come to life without a reason." He then asked, causing Amagai to sigh and rub his messy hair. The man sat down, next to the teen and too, propped his back against the edge of the cliff.
"You are too observant, Kurosaki. Frankly, I don't know much about these pocket spaces myself and I doubt most of the Captains do either. I sure as hell never heard of them before and I'm not as young as I may appear to be. However, after I left you, I did manage to find something out." Amagai said and rubbed his left shoulder, for a split second allowing Ichigo to see two sword hilts hidden within his robe. The teen immediately looked away.
"And?"
Amagai formed a bitter grimace.
"There is no way out of here and also no way to contact anyone from Gotei. We are definitely going to be here for a while."
…
Soul Society
"Captain Kurotsuchi!"
"I'm doing what I can, so spare me the comments!"
Yamamoto overlooked the snappy response but the frown did not leave his face. He, along with the few other Captains that had watched Amagai disappear within Dangai, stared at the Captain of the 12th's Division's back with thoughtful expressions.
"It has been several hours since we lost contact with him. Do you think that…?" Ukitake solemnly trailed off, unable to finish the saddening thought that was currently in everyone's mind.
"Who knows? I, for one, trust Captain Amagai to be quite capable and resourceful, so…" Shunsui glanced at his friend with a shrug.
"Silence!" Without actually turning around, Mayuri snapped at them, causing the two men to silently raise their hands in defense.
"What interests me, the one who is actually trying to do something, are those last few words that came out of the communicator." Mayuri continued and then finally turned around, only to give Yamamoto a hard glare.
"Did that fool confirm the whereabouts of his equally foolish son?"
"No."
"…curses. How did the boy manage to enter Dangai on his own in the first place?!"
This time, Yamamoto didn't give the man an answer. However, a thought that had been slowly shaping within his mind for many weeks now, breezed over his consciousness once again.
'…for your son's sake, I hope I'm wrong about this, Captain Shiba.'
…
With Ichigo
Sitting on top of a large rock, Ichigo watched as Amagai continued to shake his head.
"…no, no, no, Kurosaki. See, I had to circle around him and take him down by surprise because he was that much stronger than I was. Anyway, striking from shadows is always the best modus operandi for the members of the 2nd Division. Our advantage isn't being the strongest, it's being the deadliest." The Captain said, finishing his story in a firm tone.
"You seem plenty strong to me." Ichigo retorted with a raised eyebrow. In return, the Captain of the 3rd Division chuckled.
"I do, don't I? That's now, though. Back then, I was just a rookie. Hell, it was only a few months after I received my first Asauchi. You can't expect such a novice to face an opponent that's almost as strong as a regular Captain."
"…fair enough." Feeling the irony, Ichigo muttered and slid from the rock, only to fall on his knees.
"Huh? I feel kind of weak." He said, surprised. Quickly lowering himself, Amagai eyed him with a critical gaze but said nothing for a few minutes. When Ichigo's stare became too much, though, he shrugged.
"You're simply low on reiryoku."
Ichigo blinked.
"Me?"
"No, the rock behind you." Amagai dryly retorted and caused the teen to scowl at him.
"I know we've been here for a... uhm, couple of days? A week? But that is definitely not enough for me to… what?" Ichigo trailed off as soon as he noticed a slightly amused smirk on the Captain's face. Amagai chuckled.
"Did you forget the part where you were blowing off the steam by well, to put it lightly, modifying the landscape around you?"
Ichigo stared at him for a brief moment.
"…ah." Feeling embarrassed, the teen looked away but that only served as a source of an even greater amusement for the Captain. The man released another hearty chuckle and then reached into one of his pockets.
"Here, take this. It should help you increase your recovery rate." He said while offering the teen a thick and tough-looking bar. Eyeing it with suspicion, Ichigo squinted his eyes.
"What is it?"
"It's an emergency energy bar. I always take several of these with me on missions in case I have to spend a lot of time nowhere near any food supply. When you expect to expend a lot of reiryoku, it's best to keep one or two of these on you. I guess it's a habit I got from my time in Onmitsukidō, when I was forced to go on long-term missions outside Seireitei." Amagai explained and nudged the teen to take the bar. Giving it one more suspicious look, Ichigo finally accepted it and bit into it.
"…it tastes horrible."
Amagai laughed and lightly slapped Ichigo's back.
"It does, doesn't it? I always suspected it's the taste that forces your body to recover faster, in hope you won't eat more of it."
He watched Ichigo's disgusted face for a while longer. Then he reached into his pocket again.
"However, now that you said it, I kind of feel a bit weak myself. I guess I spent more reiryoku than I thought." He stated and looked at the bar in his hand. Forming a grimace, he glanced at Ichigo and forcibly smiled.
"Cheers, I guess?"
…
"So, to make the story short, you are trying to change the core, fundamental rules and laws of Soul Society and turn it into a place worthy to be called an Afterlife?" Amagai asked the teen with an unreadable expression as he massaged his left shoulder.
Ichigo scratched his head and let his eyes roam over the rocky area in front of him.
"…something like that, basically."
Amagai went silent. He even stopped kneading his shoulder, prompting Ichigo to turn his head and look at him.
"You disagree?"
The man creased his brow in a frown.
"That's not it. You just didn't strike me as an altruist. Moreover, you have to admit that your idea seems a lot like a Western view on the matter, where people believe in a true posthumous paradise." He said after a moment.
The corners of Ichigo's mouth twitched in surprise, a detail that Amagai quickly noticed.
"Or so I've heard." The Captain quickly added in a hesitating tone and shrugged. Seeing his unsure gaze, Ichigo formed a tiny smile of acknowledgement.
"No, you are right. I'm just surprised you know that."
"Heh, I'm a bit cleverer than I probably appear to be. Anyway, you don't seem to be denying anything." Amagai said with a chuckle. In response, Ichigo shook his head.
"Because it's most likely the truth. I read a lot of western poetry, mainly works of William Shakespeare, so some of his thoughts, his philosophy and beliefs may have influenced my own approach to certain areas of life. Although, ever since I died and arrived to Soul Society, things have been changing quite chaotically…" He stated, his smile slowly turning into a frown. Next to him, Amagai stretched himself and let out a deep sigh.
"I do not know that man and so I can't say I understand how his works shaped you but, to me, it seems like they did a few things well. Anyway, everybody goes through certain changes after they die, simply because death itself is a powerful thing. Unless you experience it, you can't predict how it will change you. Whether you evolve or regress, there is only one road and once you choose it, it's incredibly hard to stray away from it." The Captain revealed, unaware of Ichigo's sudden shift in expression as the teen pinned him with an intense gaze. But since it made Ichigo go silent, Amagai soon felt the uncomfortable silence developing between them and so he turned his head at the same time as Ichigo opened his mouth.
"What did yo-"
*RUMBLE*
Before Ichigo could even finish his question, the whole pocket space terribly shook and threw both of them into different directions. A low, blunt, continuous sound reverberated through the area with such volume, Ichigo felt like it was trying to tear his eardrums into pieces. Feeling a strong pressure and pain in his ears, he quickly covered them with his hands and loudly shouted in an attempt to relieve the slowly-increasing pressure in his head.
"Gargh! Gah…! WHAT THE HELL?!"
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Amagai doing the same thing, but the man was already back on his feet and, despite the pain and discomfort, trying to locate the source of the sound. In that moment, Ichigo saw him pale and he knew that things were about to get a lot worse.
…
Soul Society
Staring at the large screen, the Captains of Gotei 13 stood frozen, unable to believe their eyes. Only the Captain of the 12th Division seemed to be moving.
"Fascinating! To think the Valley of Screams could move so fast through the Garganta! Fascinating, indeed!" He yelled in excitement and completely ignored the shocked stares coming from the Captains standing behind him.
"Fascinating? That thing is going to ram right into the first Valley that's within Dangai space! If anything, it's disastrous!" Komamura roared indignantly, surprising the rest of the Captains with the intensity in his voice.
"Captain Kurotsuchi." Still fairly calm, Yamamoto's voice forced Komamura to stand back as he called out to the scientist.
It had been a bit more than a day since Amagai Shūsuke had vanished within Dangai and the Captain Commander wasn't really in the mood to accept the tilts in attitudes.
"Nothing I can do, Commander. Those things seem to operate based on their own, chaotic sequence of rules that are impossible to predict. I really need that sample. Right now, the only thing we can do is to wait." Mayuri replied off-handedly.
"That is not what I was expecting to hear from the Gotei's best scientist." Yamamoto growled, his words causing Mayuri to stop moving. The man slowly turned his head to stare at the Captain Commander with a cold glare. However, faced with the fiery power of the millennia-old Commander, he decided to keep his thoughts for himself.
"Either way… whatever happens once the two Valleys collide should not affect Soul Society in the slightest."
As soon as the words came out of Mayuri's mouth, a deep, echoing sound fell upon their ears.
"…I said should not, not will not." Mayuri said and his cold glare turned into a frown. A moment later, all of the Captains, along with Yamamoto, left the scientist alone and stepped outside his lab.
Once outside, they all looked up at the sky.
"…that doesn't look good, Yama-jii."
Yamamoto could only agree with his former pupil. What had once been a beautiful sky filled with light blue color and a sun now looked like something completely different.
The sky had grown darker. Heavy, black clouds filled with crackling of red lightning, so unusual and so ominous, looked like an image cut off from a scene of a disaster. But the most worrying thing was a weird, translucent barrier that seemed to be grinding against the fabric of the very Soul Society.
There was nothing, no thoughts running through the Commander's mind as he stared at the spectacle with a frown that promised pain.
End of chapter 21.
Time sure does flow in an interesting way(*ehm). Sometimes you feel like a minute is an hours and sometimes it's the other way around.
For example, I feel like it's been yesterday that I last updated this story but, in reality, it was already a month. Jesus. I had a goal set up for myself but failed to accomplish it. (you know, write two chapters for this story and one for another one...the usual)
Still, the day when I update again is here! Rejoice!
Seems like nothing gets past Sui-Feng, not even Ichigo and him being the 'Number One'. Amagai is actually a cool guy. Kurotsuchi likes to provoke Kenpachi. Senna will not appear. Ichigo has a really bad luck. Amagai is actually a jerk. Kurotsuchi likes to provoke Yamamoto too. No, Senna will really nto appear. Melancholy is a bitch. Amagai is a jerk but also a cool guy? Even Kurotsuchi doesn't know everything.
That's the short version of this chapter xD. And yes, I really did reveal a spoiler. No, I will not change my mind. I am mixing things from the movie with canon manga information and the green-haired girl wouldn't bring anything to the table. At least not in this story.
By the way, how many hints or references can you understand from this chapter's titles? I've hidden 4... I think. And yes, the beginning of this AN was intentional, hence the *ehm.
Aside from the chapter's title, I also hid multiple little details within the whole chapter (as I try to do so in every chapter). Have fun remembering them twenty chapters later.
To reviews (thank you for all of them!):
*MugetsuIchigo - so far, Mayuri only knows that somebody special exists. He is not aware it's Ichigo. Yet.
*Harbinger_of_Kaos - yes, there are many ways I can explore the Unohana topic. Diamond Dust Rebellion? Think again. I have to say, I imagined Rurichyio calling him onii-chan just once and the idea was sold.
*Cricycle - thank you, I try :)
*Dinner - glad it clicked xD. Melodramatic? Do you have any idea how hard did I have to think about it to make it sound I'm at least a bit smart? JK! Chapter's titles have often multiple meanings.
*reality_deviant - unexpected means I'm doing at least something right!Yay!
*Holl0w_Dan - I'm not thinking about pairings atm tbh (such swag language). I politely decline your offer as I have a Bankai already made up.
*HeavenAsunder15 - happy to hear that.
*Kragh50 - trust me, the delay bothers me too. I have so many ideas for this story, it gets unbearable.
*kevin - I really want to, but I have little free time these days.
*Lord_Wolfe - the issue was forcibly put on hold as Ichigo states in this chapter.
*NieveDrop - everybody wants to know! Yeah, her speech in manga was so good, I just had to use it in some form. I'm glad I did it well enough.
*frahul - in time, we will get to them.
Good news for the impatient! Next chapter will be posted in one month, maybe even earlier, but DEFINITELY not later.
Thank you all for your support. Thanks Kubo-sensei for not adding things in manga that could clash with my own ideas (Shunsui's Bankai? My body is ready!)
See ya next time!