"Wow Renji, you've got skills!" Mika commented at the thunder/lightning and the dark sky.
"Yeah…whatever lets go!!" Renji ran off with the rest of the group following him.
As expected, their request to go to Rukongai was denied. Even though they pleaded, begged and offered to become slaves for an hour, Yamamoto kept his word; the 3 would not leave the premises. Ikkaku suggested that there were escorts such as captains as 'bodyguards' in case Aizen did try and make a move. Yamamoto stopped and considered it an option but quickly dismissed it. He felt that it was time that he was stricter to them, unlike the other times they had demanded something and he allowed it, he told himself that it was time they don't get what they want.
"Can't we at least just go to…well ya know…just for the last time?" Tori begged putting on a puppy dog face.
He hesitated; he knew exactly what she was talking about. In fact it was something that was not supposed to be ever brought up. He rested his head on his palm in frustration and in deep thought. The group before him suddenly went silent, was he rethinking his decision? He stood up and exited the room swiftly leaving the group feeling pretty hopeless.
"This sucks! For the first time in years, somebody that's actually worth a fight challenges me, but I can't fight because of some stupid overprotective old fogies!!!" Mika yelled punching a hole in the wall as she and her 2 other friends decided to return to their home. She stopped her tracks, glaring at the floor, her fist still implanted in the wall. "He could've at least let us go and visit…" She trailed off with a face full of remorse.
"Stop" Tori told her not wanting to bring back the subject. "Rina, isn't there a way we could get outta here?" She asked her friend.
"Well, even if we do leave, nothing really happens. So we could basically sneak out at night but there's the gate we'll have to deal with" She said.
"Oh right the gate" Tori grumbled. "Couldn't we jump it?" She asked.
"Well there's the barrier to consider so jumping the gate and digging underneath the gate isn't an option" Mika reminded them removing her fist from the mini-crater in the wall.
"GRR!! Then how the hell can we get outta here without having a stupid escort?!" Tori yelled out frustrated.
"Are you guys plotting something?" Renji asked he heard the commotion the 3 were creating and decided to investigate. Mika shot him a very cold glare sending chills up his spine.
"What ever made you get that idea?" Mika asked quietly.
"U-uh…well you guys are talking about Seireitei's barrier and gate and all so I thought that you guys were planning something like…oh I dunno…ESCAPE?!" He replied emphasizing the word 'escape'.
"Why would we wanna escape?" Rina asked.
"Cuz you guys have no freedom in this place." He answered smugly.
"Ya true…" Tori answered.
Renji looked at the crater on the wall.
"What happened here?" He asked Mika who still had her hand balled up in a fist.
"Nothing" Rina quickly said.
"I'm not asking you" He said shooting a look at her. "Well?" He asked Mika again.
"…I saw a bug" She lied as she turned on her heel and left.
'I never knew she was so aggressive around bugs!' He thought as he backed away.
"Do ya think Jidanbou would help us?" Rina asked. The others shook their heads, Jidanbou was a great friend and all but he would also never betray a rule sent out by the Captain Commander. "Even if we blackmail him?" She asked again. Tori and Mika thought for a moment.
"If we praise his axes, we might have an opportunity…" Mika pointed out.
"Men and their weapons" Tori muttered.
"Worth a shot!" Rina said, they planned to confront Jidanbou later in the day.
They arrived at their home but just sat around doing nothing. They just sat in complete silence until the sun started to set. They got around to eating dinner before leaving to their task.
---
"Hey Jidanbou!!" Tori called out to the massive figure. He looked down and asked what she wanted. "Can ya open the gate for us?" She asked innocently.
"No" He boomed.
"Aww…why not?" She pouted.
"Every gate keeper has been ordered not to open the gates for you 3" He answered.
"Did I mention how shiny and…er…glorious your axes look?" Mika praised.
His face lit up with excitement and he started talking about his axes while subconsciously lifting up the gate. When it was just high enough for them to walk under, they quickly ran out.
"HEY!!" He yelled out.
"Sorry about this!!" Rina apologized before knocking him out back into Seireitei letting the gate fall.
Their destination was near the 80th district of Rukongai but further. As they passed each district, they could see how much difference there really was from the 1st to the last. Even though it wasn't the shinigami's jobs to 'take care' of the citizens of Rukongai, you'd expect more civilized people. They finally reached their destination when the full moon appeared. They stood in front of a forest that led to places that many had not known of. Mountains barricaded the back, a waterfall rushed down its rocky sides. Many caves were in these mountains.
"Well" Mika took a deep breath.
They nodded at each other as they separated. Rina went west; Mika went straight ahead and Tori to the east.
--Back at Seireitei…--
Ukitake, Yamamoto, Byakuya, Hitsugaya and Renji jolted up from their beds feeling as though something had went wrong.
"Their reiatsu's…" Ukitake said quietly noticing the disappearance of 3 reiatsu's.
"What are they thinking?!" Yamamoto muttered.
All 5 of them quickly got dressed and preceded to the girls' apartment. They met up with each other to their surprise. After many knockings on the door, they decided to break in after all no one responded. They found that no one was in the apartment except for the two moose that slept soundly.
"I have to tell you guys something" Yamamoto sighed as he sat on the couch. "You guys obviously don't know of their families. I fear that they've decided to go back to their homes—they're in grave danger" He went on.
"What do you mean? They've never talked about their families so what's the problem?" Hitsugaya asked.
"They've never talked about their families only because they want to keep it a secret. Centuries ago, we discovered a horrifying fact about their families. They were annihilated but somehow those 3 survived. I don't know what could happen to them if they go back, all I know is that it's too dangerous" He finished.
"Should we go get them then?" Ukitake suggested. He and Kyouraku had heard something like this before when they were still in their academy years.
"It's best if we do, but…" he trailed off.
"We understand" Ukitake said. "I'll get Kyouraku and Unohana" He said as he left.
The remaining 3 went off into Rukongai not knowing of what they would see and experience.
"I shouldn't be scared of this at all! It's my family after all. But…I just get the feeling somebody that's living is in there" Rina muttered as she approached the gates of her old home.
Her family as well as Mika's and Tori's were an ancient one that was once considered of noble status. They didn't want anything to do with Seireitei, but, their fathers were shinigami so they did have some sort of connection. All 3 were great friends and would look out for each other; the 3 met up that way and became friends that shared an unbreakable bond. An eerie wind blew through. Rina shivered knowing that the wind was telling her something. She went into the manor anyways.
---
Mika looked up at the waterfall that was in front of her. The moonlight reflected onto the water making it look so serene. Behind the waterfall was a cave that led to many chambers. Her family had lived in these caves only to hide their ways; they believed bats were creatures of luck as they befriended them. Bats were gentle creatures although many believed they drank blood and would harm humans. She peered into the dark cave the moonlight didn't reach far into the cave so she only had kidou to help her see in the dark. When she was a little girl, seeing in the dark wasn't hard at all so she didn't need light just as the rest of her family. But after living for many years in complete light, that skill had disappeared. She walked in warily with only a small light source lighting up the rocky walls.
---
To the east not far from the waterfall was another cave; it was where the Shinboku's resided. It continued into the mountain and underground. There were many tunnels in the ground it led to basically an underground city. Sorta like Urahara's underground training ground but with buildings and stuff. The Shinboku's lived with very strange creatures not common at all. Although they looked ferocious and deadly, they were truly softies at heart.
"Well here goes nothing!" Tori took a deep breath and walked down a tunnel leading to what was once her home.
Red, green and blue eyes pierced through the darkness in the forest and caves.
"So, after these years, somebody decides to intrude?"
"Been awhile since I've had a decent meal anyways"
"She'll have no idea what hit her"
3 voices spoke to themselves as they scented the 3 walk into their own homes. The 3 were unaware of a living being in the same spot as they were. They walked into complete darkness full of death and mystery.
Aww...the story's almost done! Well the next 3 chapters can be read in any order since in focuses on the 3 at the same time. And yes it reveals a lot more about them and their families and such. ...This is kinda starting to sound like some fairy tale but oh well!! If you choose to skip the next 3, you'll be lost and confused.