I do not own Bleach or any of the characters.
Coming Home
Kurai sat down and watched Mayuri carefully. Mayuri was across the room, watching angrily as Nemu ran a few tests on Kurai's blood, once again not allowing Mayuri to have anything to do with it. After several moments, Nemu walked over and pulled the needle from his arm and held out a metal box containing two new syringes. Since his last ones were gone.
Research and Development had been rebuilt in days due to its importance, namely with stabilizing the Dangai, and Nemu and Mayuri had set about replenishing their stock of medicine. Aside from that, the Seireitei was in much the same condition as when Ichigo had left several days ago. Kurai had been aiding in rebuilding Research and Development and as such had not been sent when a team was sent to aid Ichigo. The aid was in response to a group of Hollows that had removed their masks to gain the power of Soul Reapers, called Arrancar, arriving and easily defeating Ichigo and Chad, then surviving against Urahara and Yoruichi.
"Thank you," Kurai smiled taking the box and hugging her, Nemu hugging him back. "Now, I'm afraid I have to go reinforce the others."
"Who went?" Nemu asked.
"Yumichika, Ikkaku, Rangiku, Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, and Rukia, who is finally fully healed," Kurai reported. "It probably won't make much difference if I'm there, given the events against Kariya, but I could still help."
"I see," Nemu nodded. "In that case, be careful."
"I will," he smiled and stood, stepping past her and looking sideways at Mayuri. "If anything happens to her while I'm away, you die."
"I don't feel the need to anger you at the moment," Mayuri growled.
Kurai nodded and left the building, finding Kenpachi and Kanisawa talking.
"Uh oh," Kurai grinned. "This can't be good."
"We were just discussing your deployment to aid the others," Kanisawa stated. "I'm being sent with you."
"No," Kurai said flatly. "You stay here. I need you to look after Nemu for me. If that shikai of yours is as good as you say, you're going to be in charge of keeping Mayuri from harming Nemu while I'm away."
"Okay," Kanisawa nodded. "I won't let him do anything."
Kurai nodded then turned and headed to the Senkaimon, heading through with a Hell Butterfly. When he arrived, it was evening, maybe five or six. He found his way to Ichigo's house, putting his ring on as he walked and smirked as he reached the door, knocking.
"Hello?" a young girl with black hair wearing a soccer shirt and black shorts said as she opened the door. "Oh, you're one of Ichigo's weird friends. He's in his room but Dad and Yuzu are eavesdropping because that Rukia girl is with him. They think they're dating. Idiots. Anyway, go ahead in. Up the stairs, you won't be able to miss it."
She stepped aside and Kurai stared at her for a moment before shrugging and walking past her and up the stairs. Sure enough, a man and a second young girl were pressing glasses to one of the doors. As soon as they saw Kurai, the man sprinted forward, leaping and throwing a kick at him. Kurai caught the kick, with one hand then lifted the foot, slamming the man's upper body into the floor and putting a foot to his throat.
"Thanks for holding back...Captain," Kurai smirked, recognizing the former Squad Ten captain, from two generations before Toshiro Hitsugaya.
He had only met Isshin Shiba, as he had been then, once when running a message for Kenpachi, but he remembered Isshin well from using the same move Kurai had just used after he had ordered Kurai to spar with him.
"Hello again Kurai," Isshin grinned standing. "Yuzu, this is an old friend of mine. Why don't you go hang out with Karin for a bit?"
Yuzu sighed but nodded and went downstairs. Isshin turned back to Kurai and smirked.
"Ichigo doesn't know who I am, I'd appreciate you keeping it that way," Isshin requested.
"Absolutely Captain," Kurai bowed.
Then, he walked past Isshin and knocked on the door. After a minute, it opened and Ichigo smiled then stepped aside. Kurai stepping into the room and smiled at Rukia who nodded then leaned against the wall.
"So, what's the news?" Kurai asked. "Any new Arrancar show up yet?"
"Not yet," Ichigo said shaking his head. "I assume you're the only new recruit."
"Only one," Kurai stated. "Not a great addition I admit but still."
He stopped suddenly, looking out the window as his body tensed.
"Something wrong?" Ichigo asked.
It had gotten dark very quickly as Kurai walked to the house so it was hard to see outside. Kurai couldn't sense anything but felt uneasy.
"I don't know," Kurai muttered. "Maybe it's-"
The all froze as they sensed a massive Spiritual Pressure coming from the direction Kurai was staring. They all hurried outside and Kurai subtly shook his head at Isshin as they passed, signaling him to stay in the house. Once outside, they all stopped, looking up and seeing nothing but the stars.
"They're fast," Kurai stated. "Ichigo, ditch the body, we'll have to use Flash Step."
Ichigo nodded and left his body and Rukia swallowed a Soul pill, instructing her Gigai to take Ichigo's back inside. It did and the three of them left with FLash Step, Kurai easily taking the lead as they sped to Chad, who was the only person undefended since he was recovering from being nearly killed by one of the two Arrancar that had showed up a few days earlier.
They arrived just in time for Kurai to catch the Arrancar that was there's hand just shy of driving itself into Chad's chest. Ichigo stopped to Kurai's right and Rukia to his left. Kurai glanced at Chad to see a trickle of blood where the Arrancar' Spiritual Pressure had managed to knick him. Chad took a step back, looking down at his injury.
"Chad," Kurai growled. "You need to get out of here. At your level, you're not strong enough to fight. It's nothing personal, but if you stay you'll be in the way."
"Right," Chad nodded. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Kurai smirked. "I'll ask Urahara to train you later."
Chad nodded then turned and sprinted away. Kurai released the Arrancar and it leapt back, crouching and readying himself.
"He's mine," Ichigo stated.
"No," Rukia spoke up. "Step back you two. You're too tense, you could get yourself killed fighting like this."
She pulled out a Soul Candy dispenser and ate one, her Gigai separating from her and leaving her in her Soul Reaper form, complete with her sword this time, which Ichigo looked surprised by.
"Rukia," Ichigo breathed. "Your powers..."
"Quite a surprise huh?" Rukia smiled. "I know. My original plan was to recover in the Soul Society but the Bounts moved to Karakura Town and the Soul Society had to send people that were used to you and the Human World.
"So why did they send Ganju?" Ichigo asked. "Why not Kurai?"
"I came late," Kurai stated. "Sorry about that. Anyway, can we focus on the problem at hand? If you want him Rukia, be careful. I can't tell how strong he is."
"Don't worry," Rukia smiled. "I'll be fine. I'm the Princess of the Rukon District."
"Now that's funny," Kurai snorted. "Miss average placement."
"Shut up!" Rukia snapped then turned back to the Arrancar.
He was short with a white jacket unzipped, a hole in his chest, an eye-shaped mask like a helmet, the right side of his head and his right eye covered by a light green length of fabric, and a katana held in his left hand.
"I'm Arrancar Sixteen, I'm called Di Roy," the Arrancar greeted.
Rukia drew her sword, sprinting forward and slashing at him. He blocked it with the edge of his bare right hand with a metallic clash before shoving her back.
"I'm in the Thirteen-" Rukia began.
"Never mind you don't have to tell me," Di Roy interrupted. "If I had to listen to the names and titles of everyone I was about to kill I'd never get anything done."
"I see then," Rukia muttered readying herself. "Listen to this Di Roy, at the very least you should know the name of my Zanpakuto."
Kurai drew his own, looking down at the blade and silently calling out to Haruko but with no response, as expected. Rukia raised the Zanpakuto, wrist twisted outward and blade pointing at the ground then turned it in a circle that was counter clockwise to herself.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," Rukia spoke.
As she turned the sword until the blade was pointed at the ground again, the sword itself turned a pure white, the color of snow, and a short string of beads formed from the end of the handle with a length of fabric extending from the end. Kurai's eyes widened as he felt a flutter of consciousness in Haruko but it was gone as soon as he thought he had felt it.
"Some no Mai," Rukia said before vanishing. "Tsukishiro!"
As she passed Di Roy she slashed her sword and a circle of light appeared below them. The moment it did, it formed ice and began to freeze Di Roy. He leapt into the air and Rukia turned toward him.
"Oh well, tough luck for you Soul Reaper," Di Roy gloated. "The sky is my domain! It's where my true strengths lie! A sword that can freeze the ground, isn't worth much up here."
"Well actually my friend," Rukia spoke coldly, Di Roy not hearing her over his own laughter.
He did, however, notice a column of ice forming high into the sky over the circle, above which he floated, freezing him.
"I never said my Zanpakuto could only freeze the ground," Rukia stated. "Everything inside this circle, both Earth and Sky, is within Sode no Shirayuki's frozen domain."
"That Zanpakuto..." Ichigo began but drifted off.
"Sode no Shirayuki," Kurai spoke up after a moment. "The snow and ice Zanpakuto. Most beautiful in all of the Soul Society. Even Haruko would agree, if she was awake. Sode no Shirayuki is the sister Zanpakuto to Haruko."
"It's a shame Haruko is still asleep," Rukia stated. "Sode no Shirayuki would like to speak to her."
"So would I," Kurai snorted.
Just then, another Spiritual Pressure, much larger than that of the other Arrancar's arrived, cutting off any conversation.
"My turn," Kurai growled.
"What the hell happened here?" A voice demanded. "Di Roy's been killed? Heh, oh well."
There was another Arrancar, this one with messy blue hair, an open mid-rift jacket, a hole in his abdomen, and a mask on the right side of his jaw that looked like a tiger skull's jaw complete with razor sharp teeth, or at least, some kind of massive cat.
"In that case, I'll just have to kill all three of you," the Arrancar sneered. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Arrancar six. You can call me Grimmjow."
He floated to the ground, landing a short distance in front of them and Kurai readied himself.
This guy's something else, Kurai growled. He's like her. This is really bad.
"Which one?" Grimmjow asked. "Which one of you is the strongest? Who's gonna take me on?"
"Get out of here, run!" Rukia shouted just before Grimmjow's hand drove itself into her abdomen.
"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted but Kurai held his arm out, holding Ichigo back.
"I figured it probably wasn't you," Grimmjow laughed. "No surprise."
He pulled his hand out, discarding her and Ichigo again tried to attack him but Kurai smashed his knee into Ichigo's gut to stop him struggling and make him listen.
"I'm only saying this once," Kurai growled. "Get Rukia to Orihime while I hold this guy here. I have experience with hollows. And I have experience with Arrancars. No one this strong but it's more than you. Now, once Rukia is with Orihime, get your ass back here to help me. Got it?"
Ichigo nodded and straightened up and Kurai turned back to Grimmjow who looked amused.
"You're my opponent then?" Grimmjow asked.
"I am," Kurai nodded.
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