White Sun Rising: Ultimate Rewrite Edition

Chapter 5: Right Place, Right Time

Kaien Shiba was not pleased about Yoruichi's story, but considering the clothes on the humans (they were nothing like the ones he saw the last time he was down there) and the time effects within the Dangai, he had little choice but to believe her.

"And I'm supposed to be dead?" "Kukaku and Ganju told me about it when I visited them 20 years from now."

Kaien groaned as he thought about it. He wanted to run home and tell his siblings that he was perfectly fine. If he did that, history would change. But at that moment, he didn't care. "I need to see my family, tell them that I'm fine-"

"Bakudo 4: Hainawa."

Golden energy wrapped around Kaien's midsection, stopping him in his tracks. "The fuck?!"

Shinji shook his head as he lowered his hand. "Look, Kaien, I know you want to tell them you're fine, but right now, we gotta let things play out as is." Shinji DID want to charge in sword swinging after Aizen, but that was anything but an option. Even if the son of a bitch wasn't prepared for it, the rest of the Vizards deserved their shot at the fucker.

"Oi, Inoue-chan, can you open up that tear into the Dangai? We need to get going." Kaien struggled against the bonds, but unlike his younger cousin, who had dealt with Rukia's weaker-then-his-level of reiatsu, Shinji had a lot more then Kaien did.

Orihime nodded, then deployed all of her fairy spirits. "Ok, a tear into the Dangai. I can do this." She closed her eyes, then adopted a stern look on her face. "Koten Zanshun, I reject!" Tsubaki might not've been made to do this, but Orihime's abilities were flexible, and he hacked open a small tear between dimensions. "Santen Kōshun, I reject!" Three of the spirits launched into the rift, and widened it enough for entry.

"I don't think I can do this for long..." "Long enough. Chad, grab Kaien! Everyone, into the tear!" Kaien struggles intensified, but Chad picked him up easily and entered the tear, followed by the shinigami/Vizards of the group.

Tatsuki helped Orihime through, and Uryū was the last one in.

As soon as all were inside the darkened space of the Dangai, Orihime recalled her spirits and set her focus on repairing the tear before the Kotetsu arrived. "Sōten Kisshun, I reject." Her powers began reversing the damage, and right on time. The ominous sound of the cleaner of the Dangai reached their ears just as Orihime finished her job. "I don't think I have enough to make a Santen Kesshun, everyone." Tatsuki placed her hand on Orihime's shoulder. "Maybe you can use some of my reiryoku to power it?" Hiyori was not in the mood for this. "Just do it! We're running out of time!" Tatsuki began channeling her reiatsu into her right hand, allowing it to bleed into Orihime's body. Uryū was ready to run at this point.

He did not want to run back to either world decades before his birth, but he did not want to die in the old penal colony, either. "Now or never, Inoue!"

Iron willed, Orihime launched out the spirits needed. "Santen Kesshun, I reject!" The triangular shield deployed, and all prayed that this time they ended up in the right place this time.

The Kotetsu hit the shield, and history repeated itself for the first time.

Rukongai district one, Soul Society, July 24th, 2002

A tear opened it midair, and out came the forms of our stalwart heroes, which impacted the ground, with Uryū screaming at he impacted. Tatsuki, who had landed on her face with Orihime on her legs, opened her eyes. "Do you think we ended up in the right time this...time?"

Tatsuki sighed at Orihime's comment. "Time tenses and time travel suck."

Yoruichi, who had landed on her cat feet this time, had to agree. "Indeed. It appears we ended up in District one this time." Uryū got himself off the ground. "District one?"

"There two places for a soul to live in the Soul Society. One is Rukongai, which is where we are. The other-" Yoruichi's head faced the better maintained buildings in the distance. "Is the Seireitei, where the noblity and shinigami reside."

Uryū decided to ask the stupid question. "And we can just walk in?"

Kaien, now fully conscious, scoffed. "Yeah, right." As soon as that left his mouth, massive white monoliths dropped into place, forming a wall around the Seireitei.

Uryū blinked before he spoke once more. "Well, that certainly keeps everyone out."

A massive shadow began to descend in front of the gate, and Yoruichi quickly gestured everyone to move toward the small huts in order to hide.

Everyone obeyed before a massive man, easily as tall as the gate (which was around 15 stories tall) landed in front of it. "Come on out, ryōka! I don't know what it's like where you're from, but around here it's impolite to hide from your opponent!"

Tatsuki was tempted to rush out there, but a look from Yoruichi kept her from running. "Tatsuki, the only person that could actually stand a chance against Jidanbo is Ichigo, and he is inside the Seireitei. We're going to have to go to plan B and contact Kaien's sister, Kukaku."

Kaien, still bound, glared at Yoruichi. "Oh, and NOW we get to see my family!"

"Shut up, Kaien. We were supposed to end up here in District one, so at least we should be in the right time."

6th Division cell block

They had indeed ended up in the same time period, and Ichigo was in the middle of a discussion when the alarm was raised. "Attention: Ryōka have been detected in Western Rukongai District One! Repeat, Ryōka have been detected in Western Rukongai District One!"

Ichigo was both curious and confused about the alarm. 'What's a ryōka?'

His zanpakutō was not helpful. 'No clue, King.'

Shirayuki was more helpful. 'Illegal souls not brought here by konso: Hollows or otherwise.'

Ichigo hummed as he figured it out. "I think Getaboshi sent someone to rescue us."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Like you were trying to rescue me?" She was more or less back to normal, quipping and playfully insulting just like she was in Karakura.

"Yeah, but I'm trying to get you out of here without cracking some heads open first. That's plan B." Rukia tried to laugh at that, but Ichigo WAS being serious. "Still, I'm surprised Urahara would send anyone here to begin with."

"Did you just say Urahara?" Both turned their heads to look at Shunsui Kyoraku. "As in Kisuke Urahara?"

Ichigo looked at the friendly captain of the 8th Division. "How long have you been standing there, Kyoraku-san?"

Rukia looked almost appalled by Ichigo calling him by name rather then title, but Kyoraku seemed almost relieved for that as he just waved it off. "Just got here when Kuchiki mentioned Urahara. He wouldn't happen to be a messy-haired blonde man?"

"You're missing the geta and the bucket hat, but yeah, that sounds like him."

Kyoraku openly laughed as that picture formed within his mind. "That-" He laughed for a minute before finally stopping. "Ok, that's a funny picture. But it is the same man, yes?"

Ichigo nodded in confirmation.

Kyoraku sighed. "What I'm about to tell you isn't pretty. In fact, it's downright wrong, but in the end, it resulted in us losing eleven of our best officers over a century ago." He began recalling was happened one century past, starting with Kisuke Urahara's promotion to captain of the 12 Division.

Urahara Shoten, Karakura Town, Japan, August 1st, 2002, 5:00 am

Kisuke sneezed, the looked around for Tessai. 'I am NOT suffering through one of his 'remedies' again!'

Unfortunately for Urahara, Tessai noticed. "Boss, you must be coming down with a cold." 'NOOOO!'

With the Rescue Team, (plus Kaien) July 25th, 2002, 1054 hours

Yoruichi led the team into the yawning expanse between Districts 1 and 2, on the hunt for Kukaku Shiba's home. "We got kicked out of the Seireitei after I, uh-" "Died? Yes." "You know, technically, I never died. I was just, uh..." He looked at Orihime. "What's the word I'm looking for?"

"Displaced in time?" Kaien grinned. "Thank you!"

They made their way down the well-traveled path, finally arriving at their destination early in the afternoon. And all sans Yoruichi were shocked to see the house in question. It was mostly normal looking, although the massive stack behind the simple-looking home was enough to raise eyebrows. The major feature, if you could call it that, were the two stone arms holding up a banner with Kukaku's name on it.

Tatsuki blinked exactly three times in confusion. "Is everyone in Ichigo's family except him and his sisters this-" "Eccentric?" "I was going to say insane, but that works too."

Yoruichi should have seen that coming from the young black-haired girl, but she had failed to. Two shadows appeared from above, and their owners landed with crash in front of the Rescue Team. They were the Shiba clan's gatekeepers, the twins Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko.

"Who are you, those that approach the house of the Shibas?!" "Speak, or we will be forced to-"

At this point, they noticed Kaien and Yoruichi. Yoruichi being there was shocking enough. Kaien being there was impossible.

"YORUICHI-SAMA?!" "AND KAIEN-DONO?! But that is impossible!" "Yet it is true! He stands before us!" "It is an illusion! It must be!"

As the two brothers argued back and forth, most of the Rescue Team turning their heads to look at each one as they spoke their turn. While Yoruichi amused as all hell, Kaien FINALLY lost his patience. "BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP! Yes, I'm actually Kaien! Yes, I'm alive, and it's a LONG story!"

Tatsuki vaguely heard the sound of a J58 turbojet engine, and for a moment she thought that an SR-71 Blackbird somehow got into the Soul Society. She was surprised to see a black-haired woman wearing a rather revealing red robe and a generous bust rushing at Kaien with a fist ready to impact his face.

The familiar scream of pain was heard as Kaien flew back a few feet.

Read 'few' as 'sixty'.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

Kaien sighed as his thoughts turned wistful. 'Ah, good old Kukaku. Still violent as ever.' He got up just as Kukaku pulled out her sword and charged at him. "Oh, for the love of-Bakudo 61: Rikujōkōrō!" Kaien pointed at his sister, and six rectangles of light slammed into her just before she fell on her face.

And while Kukaku had a large amount of reiryoku and the skill to use it, Kaien simply had more. "So, little sister, would you STOP TRYING TO KILL ME for a minute or two?"

Kukaku glared at him. "You're not my brother! He's dead!" Kaien facepalmed. "Did you see my body?" Kukaku blinked. "No, but Ukitake did. And that Kuchiki Kaien was training-" "That I was training. I'm Kaien, damn it!" Kukaku was doubtful about that, but she had an idea. "Alright. If you're really Kaien, you'll know something only he would know." Kaien blinked for a moment, then smiled evilly.

Meanwhile, the human percentage of the Rescue Team had one question on their minds. "Who the hell was that?"

Yoruichi, who was highly amused by the Shiba siblings' antics, answered Uryū's question.

"That was Kukaku, Kaien's younger sister. As you have noticed, it appears our actions that night have not done a thing to the timeline. As is as it should be."

An embarrassed scream was heard from Kaien's direction, but it wasn't from the man himself. "YOU PROMISED NOT TO TALK ABOUT THAT AGAIN!"

Yoruichi smiled. "And now Kukaku knows that Kaien truly is alive." Chad looked at Yoruichi's tiny form. "What did he say?"

The cat would have shrugged if she could. "I am quite clueless, Sado-kun." She had a few ideas, but she didn't know which one was the right one. Kaien released the kido and Kukaku tackled him to the ground in a hug.

"Let them have their moment. We might as well head inside."

Around five minutes later, inside the hut

After dealing with an overly emotional Ganju, who was the youngest of the Shiba siblings, Yoruichi explained the situation to Kukaku, starting with Ichigo gaining Rukia's shinigami powers, the Kuchiki's death sentence (which royally pissed off Kaien) to Ichigo's curious ability to use Rukia's zanpakutō and the Strawberry's willing departure to the Soul Society, presumably to save Rukia and finally their trip through the Dangai, which resulted in bringing Kaien back with them to the present. "You know, if Kaien weren't here, I'd wonder if any of that was true."

Kaien chuckled as he tried to picture someone else using Rukia's zanpakutō. He couldn't. "Yeah, I can't see that happening. A zanpakutō in someone else's hands?"

Yoruichi glared at the eldest sibling for doubting her tale. "I've seen Ichigo use Rukia's zanpakutō, Kaien. The shikai is all white with a sort of snowflake-shaped tsuba and the blade is the length of a nodai. And according to Ichigo, she has not used it since the day you...well, died."

Kaien wasn't too comfortable with that. "Let's go with 'disappeared', OK? Besides, I'll need to actually see him use it to believe he can."

Uryū coughed into his fist. "With respect, I believe we should be moving on." He wanted to get the hell away from the hornet's nest that was the Soul Society as soon as possible. Kaien seemed to be respectable (much like Kuchiki proved herself to be after the disaster that was the Hollow Hunt) but he still wanted to be far, FAR away from the land of the dead until he was, well, you get the idea.

"Right. You need to get into the Seireitei, right? I got the right thing for the job."

Kaien smiled at that. The so-called Kukaku Cannon was powerful enough to get them above the sekiseki walls, but the barrier was another story.

They'd need the cannonball to make sure no one got fried getting in. And unless things had changed so much in 40 years, they'd need a guide, and Kaien was not going to let the Central 46 kill his student.

So, yeah, he was going with them. Simple as that.

And now the snowball begins rolling.

Not much to say this time around-

(A kunai attached to a rope impacts the Author's chest)

Author: Son of a bitch! Wait, it's too-

?: GET OVER HERE!

(Author gets dragged away and Urahara, bloody and bruised, enters view)

Urahara: I think you all know who that was and what Author-san is going to be writing next.

(Wilhelm Scream is heard before rope hits Urahara)

?: COME HERE!

(Urahara gets dragged off screaming before Ichigo (from the most recent manga chapters) walks onto the stage)

Ichigo: Sucks to be them.

(Kratos appears before Ichigo, Blades of Exile in hand)

Kratos: It will be worse for you!

(Ichigo sighs and draws both of Zangetsu's shikai)

Ichigo: Can't I get a break?

Wilhelm Scream count: 9

Next Time on WSR URE-

(Rope hits announcer)

GET OVER HERE!