Chapter 5
It's the fifth Chapter my kooks!
Not much to say except off we go!
I don't own Bleach
The Palace of Senjumaru Shutara
Tatsuki had always been one for being her own person, she wore what she liked and she liked what she wore. The school uniforms they demanded she wear were the most feminine thing she owned and the Kimono and Yukata she had for festivals being the only real dresses she had. So being measured by a plethora of animated arms for a Shihakusho was not really high on the list of things that she'd consider up her street.
"Hey hey hey! Watch those hands!" the numerous hands wrapping tape here, there and everywhere, some of which were getting too close to Tatsuki's intimate areas for her own comfort.
Ichigo looking on at his sister could only smile, his own ordeal having been much similar. During his measuring Senjumaru had divulged that the rest of the group had already long departed to join the fighting down in the Seireitei and that after they had had a chance to speak with Ichibe and retrieved his sword then Ichigo would be leaving as well.
"Generations have been tended to by my weaving and none are so lucky in an age to have been specially tended to by my hands themselves Miss Kurosaki" Senjumaru said as she retracted her hands, collating the measurements she had just taken. "Your clothes will be ready soon, Ichibe will be ready to see you both now but do be hasty, time is, after all, of the essence." And with that she left to collate her fabrics and begin weaving the Kurosaki twins' new attire.
"Come on Tats, let's get going." he said placing a lazy arm over his sister's shoulder as he shepherded her away from the room and towards the leader of the Zero squads residence.
"You didn't have those cold hands prodding every nook and cranny Ichigo" Tatsuki grumbled swatting Ichigo's arm away from her and came to a stop as Ichigo brushed past her.
Noticing his sisters sudden stoppage, he turned back to face her.
"Tatsuki? Whats wrong?" Seeing his sister facing the ground and not look up at him he decided to press on. "This isn't about the robes is it?"
"No Ichigo, it's not about the robes." she spoke out, still not daring to face him, lest he see the tears beginning to form.
"Tatsuki you know that you can tell me anything, you could before and you can now. Please, I just want to help."
There was a moment of silence, of deliberation. Tatsuki mentally weighed up telling Ichigo what plagued her mind, that they were both essentially now just souls and there was no way back.
His lack of approaching the subject meant he didn't know, that that Nimaya person had only told her and that her brother's soul hadn't seen fit to tell him yet, unless they too were unaware.
"Ichigo, you know the portal that Isshin-dad made for us?" she finally spoke, posing the question to him.
Ichigo nodded to her "It's an incredibly complex bit of kido if he could penetrate all of the barriers between here and there to basically skip out three different entrances."
"Yes it probably was, look Ichigo. I'm not going to pretend that I know exactly what Kido is or what Kido does, but I trust that that Nimaya guy understands it very well. He told me, after you went in that the portal has made me a soul now permanantly. It's just that in the moment it seemed so easy to want to be fighting alongside you but even feeling the pressure of this place and what you have to do I feel like I've died for nothing " by the end of her sentence the tears had started to fall steadily and her brother had taken her in his arms rubbing the small of her back.
"It's okay, we can always get you a gigai and get you home when this is all over. You deserve a chance to know Yuzu and Karin as siblings not just as my little sisters, and as much as dad's a nutcase on the best days you deserve to really know your father."
Tatsuki just kept herself in his arms, face pressed into his chest, staining the front of his shihakusho with her tears.
"I can't Ichigo, he told me of what happened to our clan, that there's none of us left and that you are meant to be the next clan head. If you're going to stay in this world then I want to help you, Isshin can truly take care of the girls and they nevr have to know the truth about us."
Ichigo, as ever, was dumbstruck by his sisters comment. And although he believed he had always been a good brother where Karin and Yuzu were concerned he couldn't immediately treat Tatsuki like them. She didn't need him to pick her up from school, scare away boys, make food, or console her when she'd had a bad day. She was for now still Tatsuki, toughest girl he'd ever met and force to be reckoned with, the two weren't immediately interchangeable in his mind.
"Look Tatsuki, I really appreciate you offering to help, both with the clan and with the war, but we only need to focus on the one right now." He lifted his sisters chin with his thumb, her eyes still glazed with tears and streaks down her face. Smiling he continued, "Don't worry about me, you're gonna be by my side until the end of this but I want you to keep safe, if you can't fight, you run, I can't lose you to this war."
Tatsuki sniffled before wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I know whats at stake her Ichigo, it's like with that Aizen guy, you beat him too and I believe you'll win this one as well."
Squeezing his oldest friend one last time he released her. "Well in that case lets see Ichibe, have a listen to what he has to say now."
As he led her through the doors of the Monks Palace she gazed at the bald man sat waiting for them, his face set in a warming, toothy smile.
"Ah Ichigo, and this must be Tatsuki. Yes you feel stronger now young Kurosaki, I can sense the peace of your soul." he then turned to Tatsuki. "And the younger twin, as a person of interest I can feel that you are also much better attuned to our world than you were at the Battle of Karakura town."
Tatsuki was suprised that someone so high up in the spiritual chain of command was aware of her presence and input, be it how limited it was, during the fight. However given how she was there at the moment Ichigo reappeared she was certain that that was where she had fallen onto his radar.
"You're wrong by the way" he said startling her out of her musings. "I've known about you since you were born, just like your brother. The Zero squad is not able to have the luxury of interfeering more than is strickly necessary, however we are afforded the ability to see what we need, and given I have named everything in the Soul Society thus far, I think that naming you and your spirit is me being very aware of you."
Showing a slight shudder of fear, Ichigo motioned accross the front of his sister, seperating her from the monks eyesight temporarily.
"Okay Hyosube, we get it you know a lot about us, what do you need from us, you wouldn't have called me back with a war waging down there if you didn't have something important to tell us." Ichigo spoke, the displeasure very evident in his tone.
"Right you are Ichigo!" the Monk exclaimed as he clapped his hands together, rising to his feet. "I recieved a misseve from the head captain whilst you were gone, he believes, as do the other captains that an unknown is needed in this war. And following serious deliberation, you are going to be sent to gather 13 Soutaichou."
It was like someone had spoken to Ichigo in Arabic.
"I'm sorry but what? 13 Soutaichou? But theres only ever been one"
"Ah yes, soul society likes to paint itself as whiter than white, but you've seen and done enough to know that isn't strickly true. There was a time before this Gotei where every squad had a head captain, a Soutaichou. All with levels comparable to Yamamoto at his prime they were a force that controled the status quo of the world."
"So why are we expected to find them, people that powerful don't vanish without good reason"
"You are indeed correct Ichigo, but there's no easy way to say they killed the soul king, created hollows and quincy in the process and left."
If Ichigo had been shocked at the first reveal it had nothing on this one. Ichigo Kurosaki was about to be sent, with his untrained sibling, to go and recruit 13 legendary warriors who killed a god.
A snort broke the silence
"Just your luck Ichigo" Tatsuki joked. "Right then Hyosube-san you wouldn't just have us wander round when time is short, so when are you going to tell us where they are?"
The monk smiled, "Very good Tatsuki, I know how to get there but I'm not quite sure where there is."
Tatsuki looked confused at the statment but Ichigo spoke for her. "So theres a gateway or portal to where they're hiding, like Rirukas pocket dimensions? "
"Exactly, now the location of the portal is somewhere that has been guarded for long millenia, however with some careful digging and monitoring I believe I know where it is."
"It's in Karakura town isn't it?"
"Oh you better believe it"
"...Typical"
"So how are we going to get back this time? I've been booted off this rock and I came back through a death portal so what device this time Hyosube?" Ichigo queried, clearly still upset by the nature of his first departure.
"With these" Spoke two voices startling the twins. Senjumaru and Nimaya had arrived with the new uniforms and with a shroud that could only be hiding Ichigos new Zanpakuto.
"Arigato Senjumaru-san" the twins spoke taking and sliding into there new robes.
Turning to Nimaya the man just smiled.
"Place your hands into the cloth Ichigo and pull out your sword."
Ichigo did as instructed, placing his right hand into the bundle and pulling on what was very clearly a hilt, as he finished pulling the large black blade, a smaller blade spil off from the side, forcing him to catch the falling weapon with his left hand.
"So tell me, How do you like those zangetsu?"
Ichigo twirled the swords in his hands, the awkwardness of duel weilding zanpakuto had crossed his mind momentarily but the second he had a firm grasp of both blades, he felt the knowledge and power of both Zangestu and the old man flowing into him, Zangetsu taking the large blade, and Ossan taking the short sword.
"They're perfect Nimaya-san thank you." Ichigo bowed to the sword smith.
"Oh it was nothing, but I have something else." with that that he pulled out an Asauchi, before turning to Tatsuki. "Shiba-san, I believe you'll need this", gesturing for her to take the blade.
Awkwardly, Tatsuki reached out and grabbed the scabbard of the sword, having never practiced kendo this was an entirely new experience for her to hold a sword. Tying the scabard to her new Shihakusho she bowed to the legandary smith.
"Thank you Nimaya san, this is truly a great honour."
"Eh, don't flatter either of us, we need you to watch your brother and you don't want to die, this was a win win." and with that they both left the twins with Ichibe.
"So portal?" Ichigo asked
Hyosube took on a more serious face. "The portal to there domain lays behind the graveyards shrine, the last place anyone would think to look is something so blatantly obvious."
"As for getting down to the world of the living, it's easy." And with a clap of his hands the floor parted and the duo fell to the ground.
RIght I know not a lot happened and I'm very aware of how long I've been sat on this chapter. I'm sorry, lets move however. Hoping to update as soon as I can