A/N: Thank you all for reading this! Review Reponses at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!
Thank you very much for so many reviews and favorites and follows! Thank you so much for waiting patiently. Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! Please, forgive me!
~26~26~26~26~
Bleach: The Other Side of Me
Arc 2: The Memory Rosary Arc
Recap: Kurosaki Ichigo has been given a mission, directly from the Soutaichou himself: protect the former Shinigami and his adopted younger brother, Hitsugaya Toushirou, at all costs. But he just received two big shocks: One, Senna is the Shinenju everyone is looking for and the key to the Dark Clan's victory, and two, perhaps the biggest of all, Toushirou has been taken by the enemy. What will Ichigo do? And what will Senna decide?
Chapter 26: In Return
Why did this happen? How did this happen?
She was the Shinenju! Why wasn't she aware of it?
Then again, it explained a lot. It explained why she had so many memories in her head. It explained why the Blanks had an affinity for her.
The Blanks...were souls that were looking for their lost memories. Lost souls, like Tomoya, the little boy who only wanted to reunite with his father before passing on. Lost souls, like the people at the festival, the ones she called there.
Lost souls...like what she constantly felt from Toushirou.
Then it clicked.
Ichigo and Toushirou had explained that the Shinenju was the collective of all the memories that were lost. And she was the Shinenju.
She had no reason to fear them. They just wanted their memories back.
And Toushirou was one of them, however less-Blank and more-human he was.
But Toushirou had been kidnapped in her place. The Shinigami were so focused on protecting her, the Shinenju, that they had forgotten about Toushirou, the Hogyouku's holder.
They had taken her Urahara's Shop with the intent on keeping her safe until the enemy who wanted her was defeated.
But Senna wasn't stupid. She knew they planned to execute her as soon as the trouble was over, so that the memories would be returned to their owners and the worlds would continue to move on.
She couldn't just sit back on the sidelines. She knew what she had to do.
She knocked on the door of the room she was in.
Soifon-taichou opened the door. "What?"
"I have some vital information that I am willing to share, if you'll listen," Senna calmly replied, not fazed at all by the Captain's stoic attitude.
"I am listening," Soifon replied. "Now speak."
"I know where Toushirou is being held," Senna revealed.
"Yes, the Valley of Screams," Soifon shot back.
"I meant, I know how to get there," Senna sincerely replied.
She had just stunned the Captain into silence.
She knew what she had to do. And no one was going to stop her.
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As black slowly turned to bright orange, Ichigo struggled to remember what he last did.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately realized what this orange light was.
Inoue's Souten Kisshun.
He remembered now. He had gotten severely injured trying to go after Ganryu, with an unconcious Toushirou under his arm.
He remember Toushirou's name being the last thing that he said and Rukia's face being the last thing he saw before he blacked out, as she dove after him, the others going in the opposite direction as he was.
"...I'm afraid we won't be of much help," Urahara was saying. "Humans can't survive long in the Valley of Screams. It's not like the Soul Society, where the Senkaimon translates your matter into spirit energy. We'll just have to let the Gotei 13 handle things from here."
"Is there anything else we can do, though?" Chad asked. "Is there a portal that needs to be kept open or something?"
"Right now," Yoruichi, in human form, had replied, "all we can do is look for the entrance to the Valley of Screams and heal the injured."
"I hate being so helpless," Inoue said, despite the fact that she was currently healing Ichigo.
"We all do," Ishida responded, gently. "But Urahara and Yoruichi are right. The most helpful thing we can do is stay out of the way."
Stay out of the way...
Is this how Toushirou feels whenever there's a hollow and he's the only one who can't fight it?
Is this how he felt before he got kidnapped?
Toushirou...
This was all his own fault, Ichigo realized. If he wasn't so busy protecting Senna, Toushirou would still be here.
"It's my fault," he voiced aloud, finally.
"Kurosaki!" He heard Ishida and Urahara both say.
"Kurosaki-kun! Are you alright?" Inoue asked. "You're lucky Kuchiki-san caught you, or you'd be in more pain than this."
"I'm sorry," was all he replied with. No, he was not okay. Toushirou had been taken on his watch, because he was careless.
"Don't blame yourself, Ichigo," Urahara said. "There were three Captains with you and even they didn't see this coming."
Ichigo was quiet. "Urahara, can Toushirou survive in the Valley of Screams?"
"..." Urahara didn't reply. Ichigo saw him look at Yoruichi, concerned and hesitant, and he then saw Yoruichi nod back. "Um...no."
That's all he needed to hear.
"His reawakening reiatsu will protect him for a while, but in the end, it will fail him," Urahara continued.
Ichigo paused. Toushirou was getting his powers back? "Toushirou's reiatsu is reawakening?"
Urahara did a double take. "You didn't know?" Ichigo shook his head. "I'm sorry. I really thought he would've told you that."
Ichigo chose to put that piece of info to the back of his mind, so he asked, "How long does Toushirou have left?"
"Until midnight," Yoruichi was the one who answered. "If he doesn't freeze his insides to increase his immunity to the toxic effects of the atmosphere there. If he does, then that's another twelve hours, at least."
"So he won't die right away?" Ishida asked.
"Not unless the Dark Clan gets to him first."
Ichigo's insides twisted in nauseous guilt at the thought of Toushirou's being killed by the hand of Ganryu's Clan, at the thought of the toxic atmosphere of the Valley of Screams making him sick to the point of death, at all of it.
This was his fault.
"Inoue, release your barrier," Ichigo said.
"Huh?" She was understandably surprised at his request. "Why? The dangerous wounds are gone, but there's still some fractures that need healing."
"I'll suck it up. When this is all over, I'll let you criticize me for my poor life choices all you want," Ichigo promised her. "But right now, I need to find my brother."
Inoue hesitantly nodded and released her healing barrier, saying, "Rejection complete." And as he stood up, grabbing Zangetsu on the way, he heard her say, "Please, find Toushirou."
To be honest, Ichigo didn't really know if he could, but for the sake of hope, he shakily said, "I will," before leaving the shop.
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Ichigo stood at the shrine where it happened, the exact place Toushirou was taken. Urahara and Yoruichi said he would survive until midnight, and even longer than that if he used his reawakening ice powers, he assumed that's what they meant by 'freeze', as well as how cold the atmosphere got the moment Toushirou was caught off-guard. But he still had five and a half hours left. He had to find Toushirou and get him out of there before then.
"KUROSAKI!" He heard a voice call out.
It must have been a Shinigami, since he was in soul form, and no one else knew his name. So it was no surprise when the one who called out to him grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around to face them.
Ichigo quickly found himself looking into the tattoo'd face of Renji. "It's your job to protect him, Kurosaki! How the hell could you so carelessly take your eyes off of him?!"
"Renji!" Rukia called out. "Leave him alone!"
"One job, Kurosaki," Renji ignored her. "You had one job, and you failed."
"Renji!" Momo yelled, personally hurt by the words he was feeding to Ichigo. "Apologize! It was our job too! We all failed!"
That's what Urahara had said. All those Shinigami and no one could get Toushirou back.
"I'm doing my best, Abarai!" Ichigo finally found the courage to speak, however shaky his voice was. "Obviously, my best isn't good enough!"
Renji finally cooled down enough to start thinking clearly. "Sorry for yelling, but you really need to get your act together."
"Urahara-san filled us in on how long we had to save Shirou-chan," Momo gently cut in.
"Until midnight," Ichigo repeated. "I know."
"It's not your fault," Rukia repeated.
"Toushirou's stubborn to a fault," Ichigo said. "I know that better than anyone. But the cold air earlier...that came from him, didn't it?"
Momo nodded, "Yeah. Shirou-chan's zanpakutou was an ice-type."
Ichigo paused before continuing, his voice quiet, "He was scared, wasn't he?" Silence. "He had no idea they truly intended on coming after him, and he had no way of defending himself."
"Are you scared?" Young Ichigo asked Toushirou, his head bandaged. The two were in Ichigo's room, a couple of days after the family had found the white-haired amnesiac boy.
"Of what?" Toushirou asked back.
"That you don't know anything before today? I'd be terrified, because I wouldn't know who I really was."
"I guess I am a little scared..."
"Dad thinks you were in a car crash," Ichigo continued, "but Mom thinks you were mugged or abused or something."
Toushirou was trembling as he answered the older boy, Ichigo could see it, "I-I don't know what happened to me. Waking up on your couch is the very first thing I can remember."
"Don't worry," Ichigo vowed, "You'll get those memories back one day. And if you were mugged or abused, I'll protect you from whoever did so if they ever dare to show their face."
"Thank you, but...you don't have to."
"I want to." Ichigo paused before sitting down next to Toushirou. "Don't be scared," he said as he wrapped an arm around the younger boy's shaking shoulders. "You're safe here. And if you never get those memories back, that's okay too. Because you're always welcome here. With us."
"I promised him that I would protect him. And yet...and yet, I couldn't," the present day Ichigo said. "But what do they want with the Shinenju? And what does Toushirou have to do with it?"
Rukia was the one who replied, "It seems they plan to use the power of the Shinenju to pull the World of the Living and the Soul Society together to make them collide. As for Toushirou, we're not sure. As far we know, they have no interest in the Hogyouku."
"Unless they're interested in why Toushirou's not a Blank like the other people whose memories are with the Shinenju," Momo suggested.
"What's the Soul Society doing?" Ichigo asked.
"They should be working on the next course of action," Rukia said. "And the Valley of Screams is obviously the enemy's hideout. Just..."
"Just what?"
"It's not possible to access the Valley of Screams from the Soul Society," Momo explained. "Without an entryway, it's impossible to enter another world."
"Isn't there any other way?" Ichigo asked.
"There should be an entrance somewhere in the World of the Living, created when the Shinenju appeared," Rukia informed him.
"I see," Ichigo muttered.
"If we find the entrance, we can go after them and free Toushirou before they destroy the Valley with whatever method they plan to use," Renji pointed.
"Right," Ichigo said.
"What is it with you and heights?" Ichigo remembered asking when Senna suddenly jumped on top of her chair.
"I don't know," Senna had replied. "I like it when I'm way up high. All those things that are all blurry to me suddenly become clear."
"Why'd she say that...?" Ichigo asked himself.
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{Master! Wake up!}
'Huh?' It was the ice dragon talking to him again. 'Oh, you again.'
{You need to wake up and find a way out of here! This atmosphere is very poisonous to you in your current state!}
'What are you talking about?'
{You're in the Valley of Screams! And the living can't survive there for long! You need to find a way out!}
Toushirou finally opened his eyes to a canyon type of place. "What is this place...? The Valley of Screams?"
"You're awake," said a voice down below. Ganryu!
This was a familiar position he was: being suspended up high and his kidnappers down on the ground out of the way of whatever method they used to torture or kill him.
"I thought you wanted Senna!" Toushirou called back. "She's the Shinenju, so what do you want with me?"
"You'll see," Ganryu replied. "Just be patient."
"Alright, so why do you need Senna anyways?"
"She is the instrument through which we fulfill our dream."
"What?! What are you talking about?!"
"Lower your voice!" said Riyan. "Lord Ganryu is the rightful ruler of the Soul Society!"
"It's alright," Ganryu quickly replied. "I abandoned such formalities long ago. One thousand years have passed since my grandfather gave in to the unjust laws and was banished from Soul Society. We wandered in exile in this Dangai Precipice World... and survived by evading the Restrictive Current, which swallows up everything that touches it. We learned a way to utilize the souls who had strayed from the Cycle of Transmigration and turned into wandering ghosts in the Dangai Precipice World as a source of power. The number of souls is always constant. Therefore, when these souls, or Blanks, who have strayed from the Cycle of Transmigration reach a certain number...they're naturally drawn together and generate a dimension known as the Valley of Screams. In other words, this space was created by countless Blanks. And at the same time, all the memories of these lost souls merge into one object and return to the World of the Living. That is the Shinenju...or Senna as you call her. But you, dear boy, are different."
"What?" Toushirou was confused. Was he supposed to be a Blank? "How so?"
"Someone pulled you out before you could merge with the others." Urahara...? He was the one who placed the Hogyouku within him, after all.
There was a sharp rip in the sky off to the side, and when it opened, there stood two familiar souls that Toushirou didn't want to see ever again.
Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname.
The two were no longer in Shinigami garb, but outfits that Toushirou found unfamiliar, as they were all white, instead of black.
But despite his surprise, he immediately knew that the two were here for him.
"You captured me...so it'd be easier on Aizen," Toushirou quietly concluded.
"You are sharp, I'll give you that," Ganryu said. "You are correct, boy. For a small fee, of course."
Toushirou noted Tousen tensing up at that last remark. "What kind of fee?" he asked, as he and Gin prepared to draw their swords.
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"What is it with you and heights?" Ichigo remembered asking when Senna suddenly jumped on top of her chair.
"I don't know," Senna had replied. "I like it when I'm way up high. All those things that are all blurry to me suddenly become clear."
"Why'd she say that...?" Ichigo asked himself.
"Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"You need to get someplace high," came a familiar voice.
The four Shinigami turned to see Senna in between her escorts Soifon and her lieutentant, Marechiyo, along with a select few from the Omnistukidou.
"Senna? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.
"Saving Toushirou," Senna replied. "I know where the entrance is."
"Senna, you're the Shinenju," Ichigo pointed out. "They need you to succeed."
"The situation is critical. The Soutaichou has already ordered the preparation of the Kidou Cannon," Soifon informed them. "In exactly one hour, he will give the order to fire it. That's how long we have to evacuate the Hogyouku and secure the Shinenju into our possession."
"You heard her," Senna followed up. "Besides, I'm not afraid anymore. I know who the Blanks are. They may be empty shells of but they're still individual people. I have no reason to be afraid of them. I have something they want, and I plan to give it to them, but not before I help you save your brother."
"Senna..."
"I know who I am, Ichigo," Senna quickly added before Ichigo could say anymore. "I've accepted it. And no matter how I restore the memories, willingly or by force, I'll end up the same way. But don't worry about me. I'm not the one in danger."
She was right.
Toushirou was their top priority.
Who knew what was happening to him in there?
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This would not end well, Toushirou thought to himself. The tension had now tripled, and he was not looking forward to the outcome.
"What kind of fee?" Tousen asked, ready to draw his sword.
"Yeah, the agreement was that you'd hand the Hogyouku over to us in return for us capturing the Shinenju for you," Ichimaru stated. "Capture each other's keys to victory to catch our enemy off-guard, right? Your words, remember?"
'Capture each other's keys to victory to catch our enemy off-guard'? Toushirou was captured because he sincerely did not expect Ganryu to carry out the threat of capturing him. So, he had to say it definitely worked.
He hoped Senna was being kept somewhere safe, somewhere Aizen didn't plan on looking. He hoped Ichigo was still alive, so that he could at least protect Senna even if Toushirou didn't make it.
That ice dragon was right. Toushirou could feel his lungs struggling to find air, air that he could breathe. The atmosphere here was toxic and he was starting to feel the effects of it.
"I remember perfectly well what I said," Ganryu said. "But I think allowing us to experience just a bit of the Hogyouku's power is a fair price to pay, is it not?"
"If you can remove it," Toushirou muttered.
Apparently, Benin heard him. "Trust me, boy, we have unique methods of getting what we want. All we really need to do is suffocate you with Blanks and you won't feel a thing."
Tousen unsheathed his sword. "Gin, get ready." Ichimaru nodded. He turned to Ganryu and his fellow Dark Ones, saying, "We're afraid that we cannot honor your request. Lord Aizen has already claimed the Hogyouku for himself." He then turned to Toushirou, as the Dark Ones readied their weapons, obviously ready to fight the two traitors. "Brace yourself, young Hitsugaya. Cry, Suzumushi."
All of a sudden, Toushirou's world turned black and white as a high-pitching tone ringed in his ear. His hearing was being overloaded, but he was bound. There was nothing he could do to fight back. He vaguely felt the bonds that were keeping him up here loosen, and he blacked out as he felt himself falling.
Ganryu watched as Ichimaru caught the boy before he could hit the ground.
"Now, now, you guys should really be more careful," Ichimaru teased. "Hitsugaya here is not a Shinigami, but a human. If he's kept in here for too long, he'll die."
"Indeed," Tousen calmly replied. "Do you really intend to fight us?"
"Do you?" Mue asked. "You're outnumbered."
"Yes, but he could easily use the same technique on you," Ichimaru revealed. "By the way, Tousen, that was impressive pinpoint aiming. You could've knocked them all out, but instead, Hitsugaya was the only one hit."
"Save the compliments, Gin," Tousen answered. "Lord Aizen cannot have the two Worlds destroyed if he plans to rule as the Soul King."
"I see, so they get another present~" Ichimaru immediately knew what was coming next. He stood back and opened up the gargaunta, as Tousen leapt up into the air.
"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihikou!"
The Dark Clan immediately scrambled to dodge all the blades that were now raining down on them.
Ichimari and Tousen had taken this time to escape with Toushirou in their clutches.
TO BE CONTINUED…
~26~26~26~26~
Preview ~ Chapter 27: The Sacrifice of Gratitude – "As the Gotei 13 reigns all havoc on the Dark Clan, Senna makes a choice and prepares herself for when she carries it out."
Sorry for the late update. Review responses:
azure blue espeon: No problem. I'm keeping in the recaps from now on, because updates for this story will be really slow.
Izz-Chan: Thank you. I might re-write earlier chapters though, since my writing has definitely improved since then. But thank you again. Your comment means a lot.
RandomReader: Yes, finally! Sorry you wait to wait for another year for this chapter. I'll try my best, but no promises. And 'at it's peak'? I don't know, I'm just getting started.
Nara Yasmin: It's alright. I can understand you just fine. Yes, I can believe you read all 25 chapters in two days, because I've read more than that in one day! Don't worry, don't cry, because I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere. I don't plan abandon this story when it's this popular. Besides, I'm proud of it, and you guys love it. Again, I might rewrite some of the earlier chapters since I am less proud of how I wrote them, but I will finish this story to completion, I promise. *Kisses~*
Bloody Lord/HeartOfFantasy: Thank you. And this chapter just added more tension, didn't it?
Espadakatsukreuz XIII: Yes, I'm back! A new year equals new year's resolutions, and one of mine is staying more on tops of my stories, so brace yourself for more updates for this story. And thanks, I try to portray relationships the way they would be in real life.
SilverTreeandGoldLeaf: Thank you, even though the first few chapters are rather embarrassing, hence why I'm thinking of rewriting them. Again, sorry you all had to wait for a year or two for this update. I'll try to be better this year.
Nakama.27: I'd say he's about as tall as Hinamori and Rukia, but he's still shorter than most of the cast, especially Ichigo. And you didn't miss it. I just didn't say anything about it. So he is taller, but he's still pretty short, enough to get irked by comments about it, at least.
Winter Iris: He'll get it soon, don't worry. But a lot things still need to happen before he gets it back. For now, just enjoy Toushirou using expert kidou spells to defend himself and being the obvious brains of the group.
Reiko x 3: Interesting? How so?
Unknown entity328: Ichigo and Toushirou being brothers, or having that sort of bond, is a common thing in my Bleach stories.
shiroooo: Thank you, and here's another update!
JJ guest: Thank you. I got inspiration for this story from the one you're talking about, so it does start out the same before going in its own direction. To answer your questions:
Right now, the purpose of Senna being in the story is because she has Toushirou's memories, currently. The end of this arc, in at least two more chapters after this one, will focus on those memories and where they go from there.
Prepare yourself for what happens to Senna in the end.
Hyourinmaru is currently on standby, but he does sense the Shinenju, and by extension, his master's memories as well. Make of that what you will.
What the Dark Clan wants with Toushirou is answered in this chapter.
Urahara placed it inside of Toushirou as he was being reborn/crossing over into the World of the Living. I am aware that the way Tite Kubo wrote Bleach makes this impossible, but this is fanfiction, so just pretend that anything is possible.
Don't sweat it. Any and all questions are perfectly valid, as you all are the readers of this story. Whether I choose the answer them or not, and how I answer them, is entirely up to me. The reason I'm so vague in answering the questions concerning "What will happen next?" is because I want you guys to theorize (besides, it also gives me ideas for where I want to story to go next).
Johanna03: Thank you.
Guest: Here's the update for you. Sorry about the wait.