Bleach Fanstory: A Bleached Honeymoon

By Michael Xu

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters in it, apart from OC I may create.

This is the sequel to Bleach: After the War, and follows Ichigo and Rukia as they embark on their honeymoon/mission around the world.

Story so far: After being sent on a mission to deal with spiritual hotspots around the world, Ichigo and Rukia uncover a conspiracy hidden for more than fifty years, whilst working alongside Ishida and Mayuri. They also discover the existence of more surviving Quincies during a trip with Ishida Berlin and learn that the Quincies did not all perish during the Quincy Wars, but were instead massacred during the holocaust. Furthermore, the Nazis themselves turned out to be puppets orchestrated by the former great enemy, Aizen Sousuke. With such vital information, Ichigo and Rukia raced to inform the other captains. From Berlin, they and Ishida rode across much of Western Europe, arriving in Paris to meet with Ryuken, who had arranged a flight for Ichigo and Rukia to New York in order to meet with Kensei, Rose and Love. Upon arriving in New York, the two of them are delayed when their taxi gets bogged down in traffic and sends them to the wrong place-the middle of Times Square. They are just in time to see the dropping of the New Years' ball. They eventually meet the Vizard captains, who had been waiting beside the United Nations Building.

Chapter 9: Area 51

"So Aizen was behind all of this again?" Kensei asked in disbelief. Ichigo nodded grimly. After finally getting to sleep at well past three in the morning, the five of them woke up slightly past ten and discussed what Ichigo and Rukia had discovered whilst eating breakfast. Kensei and Rose and Love listened with a shocked silence as Ichigo recounted what he had seen in Poland and Germany.

"Man, just when we thought his evil influence was well and truly gone," Love shook his head.

"Well, we should have some inkling that he was up to something in the real world," Rose said. "It's a pity that none of us bothered to follow his footsteps."

"Do you mean you were aware that Aizen was in the real world?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah, Urahara told us that he'd located Aizen shortly before all eight of us Vizards relocated to Japan," Love said.

"Then, that would mean Urahara would know about Aizen's involvement with the Holocaust and the Nazis then," Ichigo said.

"Almost probably, I think," Kensei pondered. "Truth be told, Urahara kept his secrets real close, and never divulged anything unless he thought it was absolutely necessary. I doubt even Yoruichi and Tessai, who were his closest friends, were told everything."

"Ha, that sounds like him," Ichigo laughed. He couldn't help thinking about the time in the Forest of Menos cave where Urahara had presumably told him the whole truth. "I guess this means we'll have to go over there and question him again."

"That's the best possible solution at the moment," Rose said. "In the mean time, the three of us have to go back to Soul Society and report what you have told us. I know Kurotsuchi has told Unohana about what happened at Auschwitz, but the information you discovered in Berlin is probably even more important."

"Alright then, if we're to track Urahara down, how are we supposed to find him?" Rukia asked. Love and Kensei started laughing.

"Why don't you try phoning him?" Love suggested. "He's here in the real world somewhere and I bet he has his soul pager with him. You should be able to find his number." Rukia flicked through her address book and searched the list of contacts. Eventually she found Urahara's number and dialled it. For a whole minute there was only a dial tone. But then a young boy's voice answered.

"Hello, this is Urahara's answering service," the voice, which Rukia recognised to be Jinta, responded.

"Jinta! Where is Urahara? Ichigo and I need to speak to him!" Rukia yelled at him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Kuchiki! Just wait here, I'll go and find him." The phone went silent for a while. Then the next voice to answer it turned out to be Urahara's.

"Hello Kuchiki-san, what may I do for you?" Urahara asked in his shop-keeper voice.

"Ichigo and I need to speak with you. Can you tell us where you are?" Rukia spoke.

"Oh, me, Jinta and Ururu are currently in Las Vegas right now. It's really more of a treat for them." Rukia was about to ask what Las Vegas was but then Ichigo took the phone from her.

"Hey Urahara, can you tell me your exact address? We're planning to fly over to Vegas by tomorrow," Ichigo said.

"Sure thing Kurosaki-san. Let's see...we're staying at the Luxor Hotel," Urahara replied. "Once you get to Las Vegas, you won't miss it...it's the hotel with the pyramid and the sphinx guarding it." The line suddenly went dead.

"The Pyramid and the Sphinx? What the hell does he mean?" Ichigo was baffled at Urahara's clues. He handed the pager phone back to Rukia.

"I think we'd better plan how we're going to get to this Las Vegas place and then try to locate Urahara," Rukia said.

"Good idea," Kensei said. "Just to help you out, here's eight thousand American dollars. The three us were given over twenty grand when we came here, but even after spending several nights going to the casinos we weren't able to spend it all. I think the two of you might need it." Kensei gave to Ichigo a huge pile of bank notes.

"Geez, thanks," Ichigo said.

"Call us when you get there," Rose said. "We'll establish a direct line for you to Seireitei command." Ichigo and Rukia nodded.

For the remainder of the day Ichigo and Rukia went around New York trying to find a cheap flight to Las Vegas. They eventually scored one with Jet Blue Airways. However the flight wasn't scheduled until midday on the following day, so with nothing to do, they decided to do look around the shops and eventually ventured into the cinemas and watched at two hour movie that neither of them got at all. When they returned to the hotel, they discovered that Kensei, Rose and Love and had already left for Soul Society, leaving a note behind.

"I had hoped they'd stay longer," Ichigo grumbled. The next day, he and Rukia got everything packed up early and paid for the accommodation fares, before catching a taxi back to John F. Kennedy Airport. The check in and clearance progress took nearly two hours and by the time they were through the flight was just about to take off. They boarded a rather cramped A320 jet and then endured an uncomfortable seven hour flight to Las Vegas, with an unexpected stop-over. By the time they made it to McCarran International Airport, it was already night time. That had the advantage however, of giving Ichigo and Rukia their first chance to see the wondrous lights of Vegas, which utterly amazed them.

"My gosh, so many pretty lights!" Rukia exclaimed as she peaked into the windows.

"It must darn expensive to keep them all running," Ichigo mused. Just as the plane descended towards the runway, Ichigo spotted a shining blue light rising from what appeared to be a pyramid somewhere. So that must be what Urahara was talking about, he thought smugly. The two of them got through customs quickly, found their luggage and hailed a taxi. When Ichigo asked the driver if they knew where the Luxor was, the driver nodded enthusiastically. After a trip of no more than five minutes, the taxi arrived in front of an enormous black pyramid, guarded by a sculpture of a lion with a man's face.

"So that's what Urahara meant by a pyramid and a sphinx," Rukia observed. "This is so unreal." Ichigo knew what she was thinking. He had heard of the real pyramid and sphinx before, but he never there would be replicas of them. As they walked towards the front entrance, they noticed the enormous blue pillar of light that shone straight from the apex of the pyramid.

"Hey, Rukia doesn't that remind you of the Nexus?" he asked.

"You're right it does. I can't believe normal humans of capable of such feats." Once through the entrance, they discovered that the 'pyramid' was actually just an outer frame, with the interior consisting of more regular buildings. Just as Ichigo and Rukia were about to inquire at the reception, they were met by Urahara, Jinta and Ururu.

"Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san, it's so nice to see you!" Urahara exclaimed happily. He did not expect Ichigo and Rukia to greet him with a pair of punches to the face.

"This is for keeping more secrets from us," the two both said in unison.

"Ow, you don't have to be so mean," Urahara pretended to be all innocent and hurt.

"Drop the act Urahara, I know you know everything about Aizen's actions in the real world," Ichigo said. Urahara lowered his trademark hat.

"Yes, this is something we shall discuss tomorrow. I have a special place I want to take the two of you to visit," he said. "But for tonight, why don't you lovebirds savour what this place has to offer!" Ichigo and Rukia were taken on a wild and crazy tour of this rather bizarre place, and shown some really astonishing attractions. Two in particular was an exhibit of lost artefacts from the legendary cruise-liner Titanic, which sunk on its maiden voyage, as well as a display of rather gruesome dead bodies, some of which resembled hollows. The two of them were also stunned to see a show featuring Don Kanonji, the famous Japanese spirit medium, whose tour of Karakura Town was one that neither Ichigo nor Rukia had forgotten. Luckily for them, Kanonji failed to spot their presence in the crowd. Nevertheless, the endless chants of "BWA HA, HA, HA!!" from nearly everyone who was watching was almost too much for them to bear. They also cringed at an act featuring Kanonji and performers pretending to be Karin, Ururu and Jinta, in their disguises as the Karakura Super Heroes.

"Why that Kanonji, he's stealing our images!" Jinta roared.

"Now, now, Jinta, there's no need to be worked up about this," Urahara grinned.

"Oh man, I really need to ask Karin if this sort of thing actually happened," Ichigo sighed. Rukia however, was secretly laughing inside. After the Kanonji show, everyone decided to hit the sacks, so Ichigo and Rukia were shown to two-person suite which had an Egyptian theme to hit. They were so tired from jetlag that both of them fell asleep quite quickly.

The next day, Ichigo and Rukia met Urahara at the front entrance of the Luxor.

"Where are you taking us?" Ichigo asked.

"To a place called Area 51," Urahara replied. Ichigo was stunned by his swords.

"What's Area 51?" Rukia asked.

"You'll see what it is when we get there," Urahara said. "However, I must ask that the two of you accompany me in Shinigami form. I've managed to disguise myself as a CIA operative, but the two of you are just Japanese tourists, so it would be impossible to get you the clearance required."

"Alright, I suppose we'll have to let Kon and Chappy loose in Vegas on their own," Ichigo said. Rukia sighed in agreement. They took out their Gikongan and gulped them down, turning into their Shinigami forms.

"Listen closely you two, you're free to roam around this place, but don't cause any trouble-especially chasing girls Kon!" Ichigo exclaimed directly at the two. "And try not to spend too much money. We eventually have to return to Tokyo, so we need enough to pay for a flight there."

"I understand," Kon nodded with a grin.

"Chappy will make sure Kon behaves, pyon," Chappy said. Ichigo and Rukia left the two mod souls at the front entrance of the Luxor, and followed Urahara into a black limousine. As the three of them exited the confines of Las Vegas, they found themselves in the harsh and forbidding landscape of the Mojave Desert. After about fifty miles or so of travelling on a sealed highway, Urahara turned right onto a dirt road and followed it north. The terrain soon became much bleaker and more mountainous. Ichigo and Rukia had little idea of where they were going and how far they had travelled, because everything outside looked the same to them. However, after the limousine passed through a dried-up salt lake, Urahara turned right again into another road that led to a number of signs showing the entrance to Area 51.

Over the next few miles, they passed by a number of buildings and check points until they reached a set of plain white buildings next to the airfield. As Urahara stopped the limousine at a designated point, he got out and made sure to open both back doors to let Ichigo and Rukia out, before taking out his brief case. Ichigo and Rukia watched as Urahara spoke to a sergeant before following Urahara into the main buildings of the facility. Before Urahara followed the Sergeant down a corridor, he walked into a toilet block, secretly motioning Ichigo and Rukia to follow him.

"One word of warning before we proceed any further," Urahara said. "This place has perhaps the tightest security of any area in the United States. Whilst your presence will not be noticed, the officials here will notice if I start act like I'm talking to thin air. So until I get clearance to conduct some research of my own, just stay behind me and don't speak." Ichigo and Rukia nodded. With a morbid sense of fascination, they followed behind Urahara as he and a couple of soldiers and officials descended down a walkway into a vast underground complex. Here they were amazed at the numerous amount of weird devices on display, as all around them scientists were busy conducting experiments, mostly on new forms of technology and possibly weapons systems, but there were also what appeared to be live specimens of creatures Ichigo and Rukia had never seen before. Ichigo and Rukia followed Urahara into a vacuum sealed compartment, where he was apparently scanned for intrusion of microbes. Then, after speaking to an official, Urahara silently motioned to Ichigo and Rukia to follow him into a narrow corridor which led to another chamber, completely white and apparently deserted . They waited as Urahara checked the room for cameras and then turned to face them.

"At last we can talk without me looking weird," Urahara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can you tell us what this place is?" Rukia asked. "It seems strange for such an advanced laboratory to exist in the middle of nowhere."

"Does it? To most normal people it wouldn't be strange," Urahara said. "This secret military installation is where the United States Government performs its most secret testing of advanced scientific and military hardware and software. Not only are the items being developed here far beyond the present state of technology in the real world, but there are also specimens here that come from Soul Society." He showed Ichigo and Rukia a box full of yellow and green balls that looked suspiciously like Gikongan.

"Truth to be told, I was the one who founded this complex, way back in the mid twentieth century, during the last period of my stint as an undercover operative for the US government," Urahara explained. "Of course, I had been working for them for nearly twenty years before, as a top scientist in the Manhattan Project, which aimed at creating the ultimate weapon, the atomic bomb. Two of these bombs were made prior to the end of the Second World War and were subsequently dropped on Japan. But then after the war, the US government set up numerous secret installations such as this one to research new and more powerful technology that could be used in their escalating cold war with the then Soviet Union. Naturally enough, I used the knowledge and even a few items I had gained during my days as Captain of the 12th division to assist the humans in developing new technology."

"So, this Area 51 thing is kind of like the Research and Development Institute," Ichigo said. "I can imagine you coming up with some pretty weird stuff."

"Actually, most of it was simply applying technology that I had already developed in the R&D institute for use in the real world. Things such as computers, robots and the internet were already around in Soul Society long before they became available to humans. However, I did take the opportunity to take further research into areas I didn't have time to explore prior to my banishments. For instance, the human gigais I gave to you and Rukia, and to Isshin, were actually developed in the real world, as they contained knowledge about the human anatomy that I simply could not obtain in Soul Society." Ichigo and Rukia were fascinated by Urahara's revelations, as they looked around the chamber and glanced at a number of secret documents.

"Let me get this straight then, this was the place where you continued developing your inventions during your exile, am I correct?" Rukia asked. Urahara nodded. "Then what was the point of showing all this to us?"

"Because this forms the basis from what I'm going to say to you next," Urahara explained. "Prior to coming over to the United States, I actually lived in Germany for some time, and met relatives of that Quincy family you discovered. As I assisted the Vizards to gain control of their hollows, I also began the process of gathering as much information as I could about what was happening in Soul Society. I managed to perfect the invisible cloak that I gave to Ichigo prior to the Heavenly War. With the cloak, I was able to go around completely invisible, with no trace of my reiatsu or at all. Even after I moved to the United States, I still returned to Europe a few times during the war to gather information about the Nazis. It was during one of these intelligence missions that I stumbled upon Aizen conversing with the dictator Adolf Hitler." Ichigo, who had an understanding of history that Rukia lacked, was shocked by this revelation, even though he had already suspected something like this had happened.

"So you did discover what Aizen was doing," Ichigo said. "I bet it was one of his Bankai clones."

"His Bankai clones? What do you mean?" Urahara was actually surprised by Ichigo's words. It was then that Ichigo remembered Aizen's own words during their battle.

"You probably never fought Aizen directly right, so you probably didn't know about his Bankai. Well, the first form of his Bankai traps his victims in a dimension of mirrors that reflect back any damage that is done to them. The second form of his Bankai allows him to create actual living copies of himself, imbued with a portion of his Reiyoku. These clones have access to all of his abilities accept Bankai, which means they are also capable of Kanzen Saimin."

"Ah I see now, this explains much of what I encountered," Urahara laughed. "I always wondered what was going on when I spotted Aizen several times in a lot of diverse places. It was the one puzzle I never fully understood. But, even if they had just been clones of Aizen and not the real one himself, I couldn't have done anything to stop him." Urahara glanced into the mirror and sighed. "If I revealed myself, I would have been hypnotized. Worse, Aizen would have most certainly alerted Soul Society to my whereabouts. And unlike my first sentence, the Shinigami sent to retrieve would almost certainly have been ordered to execute me on the spot. So all I could do is watch and observe what Aizen was doing."

"And what was he doing?" Rukia asked. "Hypnotizing those humans called Nazis and getting them to do his bidding?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what he was doing up until the Second World War. He manipulated the dictator Adolf Hitler into starting a global conflict, and then under the cover of war, ordered the Nazis to begin exterminating all of the Jews. As you and Ishida Uyru discovered, Aizen was responsible for finishing off the Quincies, leaving only four or five who managed to escape. They, and other spiritually aware humans, were slaughtered in the concentration camps, their deaths leading to the creation of millions of hollows. All of this the two of you probably know by now. But what happened to these hollows is the true secret." Urahara turned around and looked into Ichigo and Rukia's eyes. "Aizen rounded all of the hollows up and sent them through mass gargantas to Hueco Mundo. I presume that these hollows subsequently started devouring each other and began the process evolving into menos and beyond. Aizen however, was not finished with his activities in the real world. After his original puppet Hitler killed himself, Aizen found or perhaps already had another victim: the Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin."

"So then the Soviet Union was also under Aizen's control?" Ichigo asked. Urahara nodded.

"Under Stalin's rule, it was," Urahara replied. "I assume you have read about the Soviets developing nuclear weapons a mere four years after America did. They only did so because Soviet spies managed to steal the blueprints for the bomb. At the time I didn't think there was anything suspicious going on. But when the Soviets developed a far more powerful version of the bomb at the same time as America did, I knew something was up. By then, I had seen firsthand what the true power of the atomic bomb was. When Shinji told me about the strange phenomena in Hiroshima, I flew over to Japan to investigate. I discovered that the devastated area was so infused with spirit particles that it constituted a Jureichi. And unlike victims of conventional bombs, the people who died from the atomic bomb didn't turn into hollows. Their physical and spiritual bodies were completely vaporized, whilst those who did survive developed highly attuned spiritual powers." Ichigo and Rukia were both stunned.

"Does this mean that Karakura Town became a Jureichi because of the bombing?" Rukia asked. Urahara shook his head.

"Karakura Town's case is special, as it resulted from the presence of beings with high reiatsu living in that area for a long duration. It developed as a natural Jureichi. In Hiroshima's case the entire city became a Jureichi the instant the bomb hit. Fortunately Shinji and the other Vizards assisted me with removing any traces of spirit energy from the area. But I have a feeling Aizen already knew about it long before I did. For during my final spying operation on him, I spotted him conducting research on an advanced nuclear weapon, one far beyond the power of even real world nuclear weapons today. It just so happened that on my way back to Japan I encountered Isshin, who had been ordered to hunt me down. He and I were long time friends back when I was in the 2nd division however, and I soon managed to tell him the true story. He believed everything I said and even offered to accompany me back to Russia to apprehend Aizen. I told him it wasn't necessary, as he could use his standing as the head of the Shiba clan to tip off Yamamoto into keeping a closer watch on Aizen's movement. Apparently that's what happened after Isshin returned to Soul Society, for Aizen soon stopped his activities in the real world. Around this time, I learnt several developments had occurred in Soul Society. Aizen had promoted Ichimaru to captain, alongside Byakuya, who succeeded Ginrei, but most importantly of all, I learned that Isshin had been forced to join the Royal Guards. More than likely Aizen realized that Isshin was a threat to him and so had him banished to the King's Realm."

"So that's why dad joined the Royal Guards," Ichigo mused. "He never really told me the reasons. I assume that Aizen stopped going to the real world and decided to experiment in Hueco Mundo instead?"

"Yes, you're quite right, Aizen went to Hueco Mundo for the first time shortly after Isshin's promotion," Urahara said. "He set up his base of operations inside Las Noches, which I must say he was not the one who built it. Las Noches had already existed for an untold number of years, and was likely built by some long forgotten race. In any case, Aizen claimed Las Noches for himself and began doing experiments with the hollows he had created twenty years before. Most of them had long since evolved into gillians, adjuchas and Vasto Lordes, whilst the rest hid in the depths of the menos forest. What happened next is perhaps something you'd no doubt be familiar with, Kuchiki-san." Rukia suddenly remembered what happened to Kaien, and the hollow who could fuse with other spirits.

"Oh right, he created hollows with Shinigami-like abilities," she said. Urahara nodded.

"Naturally he was never able to create true genuine arrancars until much later on. But I'm afraid that experimenting on hollows was not the only thing he was doing there. Do the two of you still recall what happened when Karakura Town was destroyed?"

"Of course we do. It's an image neither Rukia nor I will ever forget. On that moment, it looked as if a massive nuclear explosion had detonated. Just before we left for Tokyo, I remember seeing a huge mushroom cloud rise up hundreds of miles into the air," Ichigo recounted.

"That's exactly what I had suspected," Urahara lowered his hat. "The weapon Aizen used to create his pseudo-Royal Key was the nuclear device he had been experimenting on years before. The true danger for us all is if Aizen managed to create more than one version of it. If he did, there is a chance that they could still be hiding in the real world, waiting to be used by individuals or groups with malicious intent."

"Kind of like the same group that attacked Warsaw with the hollowfication gas?" Rukia asked.

"Maybe. But in any case, I suggest the two of you return to Soul Society and tell the other captains everything that I have spoken about here. I too will return to Soul Society once I wrap up my duties." Ichigo and Rukia nodded with determination. They both knew that something had to be done to locate these weapons of mass destruction, or else the tragedy of Karakura Town would repeat itself.

By the time the three of them returned from Area 51, it was already past seven at night. Upon entering the Luxor hotel, they were met by a screaming Jinta and Ururu.

"Kisuke-san, big trouble, Kon and Chappy were spotted by Don Kanonji!" Jinta yelled.

"They're performing in his act," Ururu added.

"WHAT?!!" Ichigo and Rukia asked in shocked tones. They rushed through the hotel and burst into the theatre that Kanonji's show was performing in, and stopped in their tracks. Up on the stage was Kon, dressed up in a weird spandex costume with the letters 'KR' on it, and Chappy, wearing a big bunny suit. The two of them were doing ridiculous stunts as Kanonji screamed out "Spirits are always with you!" and the crowd did the trademark laugh again. Enraged, Ichigo flew into the centre of the crowd and with one massive reiatsu burst knocked everyone except Kanonji, Kon and Chappy out. He then flew right in front of a stunned and stammering Kanonji, who recognised him.

"Oh my god, it's you!!" Kanonji shouted. "The real Kurosaki Ichigo!" Ichigo punched him in the face and grabbed him by the collar.

"What the hell are you trying to pull here? It's bad enough that because of your antics my face is known all over Japan, but this act of yours will make the public aware of Shinigami and hollows!"

"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to recruit the two of them," Kanonji whimpered. "They begged me to join the act." Ichigo was surprised by this.

"I'll deal with them later. But promise me you that you won't mention the Karakura Superheroes thing again. In repayment, we'll wipe the memories of everyone here so that no one will know about this." Kanonji nodded weakly as Ichigo let him go. Then he and Rukia went around with memory replacements erasing the memories of this show from the minds of everyone in the audience.

After their task was finished, Ichigo and Rukia confronted Kon and Chappy.

"What did I tell you about not causing trouble?" Ichigo asked Kon, shaking him so violently that Kon almost frothed in the mouth.

"I'm sorry, we couldn't help it. Chappy spent most our money buying lots of candy and clothes, whilst the rest was lost when I was tricked by a hooker who seduced me in a back alley," Kon cried. Ichigo looked at Rukia, who was just as amazed as he was.

"I don't believe this. The two of you wasted nearly six thousand dollars in a single day," Rukia shook her head.

"We were worried that you would kill us for spending it all, and the only choice I could think of was to make money real quick," Kon said. "Kanonji offered to pay me ten thousand dollars to appear as a once-off act in my guise as the Karakuraizer." Ichigo looked at Urahara, who suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ah, ha, ha, I didn't think the little joke I pulled when Karakura Town was moved to Soul Society would become world famous," he smiled.

"Well, thanks to my efforts it won't be world famous," Ichigo said. "Alright, Kon, I assume you know where the cash is." Kon nodded, and led them all to the hotel rooms where he showed Ichigo a briefcase full of notes. Then Ichigo pulled out a soul glove and knocked Kon out. Rukia did the same with Chappy. The two of them got back into their gigais and hastily changed into normal clothes, whilst Urahara, Jinta and Ururu were laughing outside. When the whole farce was over, Ichigo and Rukia accompanied the other three to a restaurant and ate.

"So, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san, is the two of you planning to go back to Soul Society from here?" Urahara asked in his shop-keeper voice.

"No, we have to go back to Tokyo first and meet up with our division," Ichigo replied.

"They must be sick and tired of being on duty by now," Rukia added.

"In that case, may I suggest you take a little detour before going there?" Urahara said. "Why don't you stop by the island of Hawaii? I know that the two of you have tried to make this trip into a honeymoon, but I can imagine that it hasn't turned out like you expected. Hawaii will be a chance to enjoy a few days of total peace and quiet before you resume your duties in Soul Society."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Ichigo said. "What do you think Rukia?"

"Well, I am in need of a little rest. These past few weeks have been so bewildering that I still haven't grasped the full sense of what has happened," Rukia said.

"Wonderful! If you'd like I'll arrange tickets for both of you," Urahara offered.

This is the climax of A Bleached Honeymoon, and as expected it contains a lot of startling revelations. People who live in America and with knowledge of 20th century history would be able to understand the historical references in this chapter quite easily. Las Vegas was the iconic cities that was perfect for the setting. In terms of the locations and the story, I had great fun choosing the two centrepieces for this chapter, the Luxor Hotel and Area 51. The Luxor Hotel was chosen simply because of its fantastic design, being a replica of a pyramid and having a sphinx as well as huge beam of light shooting into the sky. I didn't need to go into extensive description of it, nor do a long tour of the interior. Area 51 is such a well known top secret location, and the setting of many sci-fi/conspiracy stories that it was the perfect place to go for the final revealing of the conspiracy. I thought it would be natural that Urahara would have founded, given that its whole purpose sounded similar to the R&D department in Soul Society. As for Aizen's true secret master plan, hints to its extent were given in previous chapter as well as foreshadowings in After the War, but the true revelation of the plan serves as a basis for future stories. The next chapter will be the conclusion to this story, which in itself will form only one part of a much larger piece of work.

Some points I would like to note:

Aizen's Bankai-For those who haven't read After the War, Aizen's Bankai has two forms. The first, Horu no Kagami (hall of mirrors) traps a victim in a dimension of mirrors for all eternity. Escape is impossible, as each of the mirrors carries a damage transfer effect that causes any hits upon them to be relfected back at the sender. The second form, Kagami Kage (mirror shadow), creates mutiplie living clones of Aizen, each with a portion of his reiyoku, reiatsu, intellect, knowledge and abilities. The only thing the clones cannot do is use Bankai themselves.

Don Kanonji: I thought it would be a great idea to bring him back. I read somewhere that Luxor has this show involving a magician who deals with spirits, so having Kanonji be his replacement in the future was definitely fitting. Also, I thought it was funny to reference the Karakura Superheroes, as well as the upcoming Karakuraizer, who will feature in Episodes 213 and 214 of Bleach.