Chapter 17: After the calm is the storm
Summary: My name is Kurosaki Karin. 17 months and some after my brother lost his powers I… died. After training so hard in almost two years to become stronger and protect my family back in Karakura, I needed to leave them after a freaking car accident. But I'm not worried. My life here in Soul Society just began. [HitsuxKarin]. Maybe I'll write stories for another partners, too.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tite Kubo's Bleach, and its characters. I just borrow some scenes on the manga and twist it into something that will blend with my story.
We're on the "The Thousand Year Blood War".
Previously on Hitsugaya Karin…
Karin looked at Shin and saw him unconscious from the hits he took to protect her. Nanami is giving him a first aid treatment. Karin sighed. She opened the Senkaimon when Nanami finished.
"Be careful, brother. He wants your Bankai." Karin told Ichigo before entering the Senkaimon with Nanami and Shin (They're holding Shin by wounding his arms on their shoulders.)
Ichigo watched as the Senkaimon closed. He looked at the battered up enemy. "Now, who are you?"
"So that's your sister. The two of you are too much alike, those were her exact words." Ivan answered. He fired and the Substitute Shinigami dodged.
Uryu appeared behind the man, and pointed his arrow on his neck. "Who are you?"
"Oh, prince! You're here, too. Tch…" Ivan said, a black shadow like thing engulfed him and he disappeared.
Karin and Nanami entered Seireitei and flash stepped towards the Fourth Division. When they arrived, Hanataro welcomed them in. His face was grave and he looks so serious. The whole Division was also in chaos.
"What happened here, Seventh seat Hanatarou?" Nanami asked as they put Shin on one of the hospital beds.
"… Sasakibe-fukutaicho is…dead." Hanatarou answered. "Tomorrow's the funeral." He began to heal Shin.
"Th-that's…I'm sorry." Nanami said. Karin just stands next to her.
Karin sighed and tapped Nanami on the shoulder. "I'll go report what happened in the Living World." She got out of the room.
Karin walked out of the Fourth Division. Once she was out, she flash stepped away to find her Captain. She reached the Tenth Division in no time.
"Toshiro." Karin called as she entered. "Some new race attacked Seireitei, too?"
Toshiro looked up from his papers when he heard his girlfriend call his name. Right now, all of the shinigami are in a solemn mood because of what happened but to hear that your girlfriend was attacked, too, was different news. "Attacked by a new raced? What do you mean?"
Karin sat on the couch in the room. "We were done with our patrolling when an arrancar suddenly appeared…"
"An arrancar? But eight years already passed, why would they attacked now?" Toshiro asked confusedly.
Karin glared at him. "Let me finish my story first! …I'm sorry. I just… I'm just tired." She sighed and leaned her head on the back of the couch.
"…"
"We thought that he's an arrancar but he have Quincy powers. He has a star-like pendant Uryuu-nii have on his necklace. Then it morphed into this giant thing that shot four cannonball-like reishi."
Toshiro got up and sat next to Karin. He cupped Karin's head and guided it into his shoulder. "I need to tell the others about this, but first, sleep."
The Gotei 13 stood around a pyre, Yamamoto-soutaicho being the one closest to it.
"Choujirou Tadaoki Sasakibe…was a shinigami meant to become a captain." Byakuya started. Renji was behind him with a serious face. "According to the records…He was able to master his Bankai before Kyouraku and Ukitake. Yet… he never used his ability in front of other people, ever since the creation of Gotei 13. Not all men of captain rank are men of character. What you learn by hearsay is that 'He never took part in battles. Some even insulted him, treating him like a mere sekikan. Still… no matter what people said, Choujiro Sasakibe always maintained his role as the vice-captain. In the years…the captain change many times…and sometimes the position happened to be vacant…but not only he never became a captain substitute… He always refused to be even just a substitute of the captain's authority, like Hisagi and Kira. All this…because of his strict loyalty." At this, Renji lifted his face, his eyebrows/tattoos creased together. "Choujiro Sasakibe… swore that he would stay a vice-captain as long as Genryuusai Yamamoto was alive. Such man… used his Bankai for the first time in a fight… and died. Fledglings like us… cannot possibly understand pain the Captain Commander is experiencing now."
Yamamoto stands in front of the pyre and opened his eyes. Four members of the Kido Corps stand behind him, holding a pole with fire on the top. "Light the fire."
"Don't exert yourself. I bet even sitting down would be painful with that." A man sitting on a throne said while leaning down, his elbow on his spread legs. "I'll allow you to speak lying down.
"Ye…yes sir…" Ivan answered. His right arms was cut, more like blasted off of his body.
"However, well…if you're not going to sit down. I guess you don't need your legs."
Ivan clenched his left hand. "… You must be joking..! I would never…never speak to you while lying down…I would never ever be rude to you sir!" He said while sitting on his heels. Hi whole body is shaking from the pain.
The man smiled. "I see. Well, then. Let's hear your report."
"I called all of you to come in this meeting to address the issues involving a new enemy who resurfaced." Yamamoto-soutaicho declared in a normal voice but his hand gripped his cane. The captains and vice-captains didn't say anything. Their faces were grim. "But first, I want to hear the report of those who encountered these enemies. Third seat Kurosaki."
Karin walked in front of the soutaicho, together with Nanami and Shin. "Thank you, Captain Commander." She bowed, and took a deep breath. "A week ago, I volunteered to go to the Living World to investigate about the weird things the Twelfth Division detected. I brought students from Class 6-1, Abe Shin and Kobayashi Nanami, with me." Nanami and Shin stepped up and bowed.
"Kobayashi-san, can you please tell us what the three of you discovered during your stay in the Living World." Yamamoto commanded.
Nanami looked up. "On our first day, nothing weird happened. After that, we would constantly see a crack between dimensions that looks like a Garganta."
"Looks like a Garganta? It's not a Garganta?" Kyoraku-taicho asked.
Nanami was startled, and Shin looked at the man and answered for Nanami. "It's a Garganta but it's a small openings and no Hollows come out from it."
Nanami sighed and gave Shin a grateful glance. "Right. But two days ago," Nanami paused as the dark clouds in the room grew darker, "there were so many large openings and we spent our entire day exterminating Hollows. And he appeared."
Karin took this as a cue. "A man with a high reiatsu, and a mask on his left eye, appeared when we were about to go home. I asked him what he wants and he said something about looking for my nii-chan and taking his bankai from him."
"Taking his bankai?" Hirako –taicho asked. "Are Arrancars capable of doing that?"
"But he's not an Arrancar. No, he's not." Nanami and Shin nodded. The captains looked more curious. "He showed us what he is. He is a Quincy."
"A Quincy… my suspitions were right." Yamamoto murmered. "Continue."
"Hai, soutaicho. After he created his weapon, he shot a reishi on us, and I told Kobayashi-san to fetch my brother. Shin and I fought him, and although I was not seriously injured, Shin needed to stay in the Fourth Division and just got out today." Karin looked at Shin pointedly. Shin looked at the girl with serious eyes. "He took the shots that were for me."
"I'm sorry. I forgot that you were the one with ranks." Shin said sarcastically.
"And what did you mean by that?' Karin shouted.
Nanami looked back and forth at the two. "Guys, we're on a meeting." Karin and Shin practice their breathing to calm their nerves. Nanami put herself between them. "Captain Commander, my mission was to fetch Kurosaki-san, but he and the others felt the unfamiliar reiatsu and dashed to aid us. We arrived on the scene and he asked Karin and I to bring Shin home because he was unconscious. Karin opened the Senkaimon and warned her brother about what the man wants, and we left."
"The man's name was Ivan Azgiaro." Shin added.
"Thank you Third seat Kurosaki, Kobayashi-san, and Abe." Yamamoto said. The three took this as a sign of dismissal and they bowed. "Stay and hear the rest."
"Arigato, soutaicho." The three said.
"Eleventh Division Third and Fourth seat, Madarame and Ayasegawa, tell us about your investigation in the Rukongai." Yamamoto called. Ikakku and Yumichika walked in front. Ikakku nod his head, and Yumichika did a graceful bow.
"Our mission was to find out what's happening on Rukongai District 64 East, Sabitura." At this, Nanami and Karin exchanged a look. "The whole village is empty. No one, not even a kid is left. One of our men found footprints. They were all over the same place and they're in pairs of bare foot and a sandal. We came to a conclusion that someone from that same village gathered the people around to transport them somewhere else." Ikakku reported.
"Yes, soutaicho." Yumichika said. "We ordered the others to look for more clues. And we found this note in one of the nicest house in that village." Yumichika handed him the note. "It said there 'The time has come for my revenge –Ono Mami.' That was so unbeautiful! She should've put down something like 'I'll come back and bathe in your blood'."
"…" The First Division fell into a silence.
"Ummm…. Suotaicho, I believe that it's my fault." Nanami raised her hand, and bowed her head in shame.
Karin looked at her angrily. "What do you mean your fault? She was the one who was bullying you!"
Yamamoto sighed, and told the girls to step forward again. He looked at Byakuya, and sighed once more. I have a feeling that he knows something, too. "Captain Kuchiki, if you could please join them. Madarame, Ayasegawa, you could go back to your places now." The people mentioned followed the orders. Byakuya stands on Nanami's side. "Kobayashi-san, can you please explain."
"W-well six years ago, the Academy held an assembly regarding bullying and after that, they found out that I was Kuchiki Hisana and I asked them to keep it a secret." Nanami started. Byakuya took a hold of her hand. "But Ono-san heard the secret and told the Kuchiki elders, and Kuchiki-sama banished her from the Seireitei…. I think…"
Byakuya looked at Yamamoto. "I affirm that what she said is true. I queried my Grandfather about it before."
"This is my fault! If I wasn't your friend-" Karin said but was cut off.
"-My life won't be so interesting." Nanami finished for her.
"I believe that nee-sama's life is in danger." Rukia said, and the others nodded.
"But, Rukia, they also want Kurosaki-san." Nanami looked at her sister. "Maybe Ono-san became part of a group or something, and she'll use them to fulfill her revenge on me, but I'm not the only one who's in danger!"
"She's right." Yamamoto said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him. "I received a declaration of war from them two days ago, when Sasakibe-fukutaicho died."
The people gathered began to murmur. "We're going to a war again?"
"I need to practice. Can you have a sparring with me, Kurosaki-san?" Kenpachi
"I'll up the defense in Seireitei." Kurotsuchi muttered.
"Isane, get the Fourth Division ready for the injured and needs medical attention." Unohana told her vice-captain.
"Should I warn the other Vaizards? What about the Living World?" Hirako asked out loud even though he's mostly talking to himself.
"Silence!" Yamamoto ordered. "I want all of you to get make plans and get ready. Kobayashi-san, Abe, please inform the Academy that we will be screening for those who wants to graduate this year. We need to fill in our ranks and soldiers."
"Hai, soutaicho!" The two answered. Nanami squeezed Byakuya's hand, and went to hug her sister, and then she went out of the First Division with Shin. The others piled out the door and started to get their troops as ready as they can be.
Living World, Karakura Town, Japan…
"Ichigo!" A shout came down from the sky, and Ichigo turned around only to be hit by a green puffball.
"Nel? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked as he hugged the crying toddler.
"Ichigo, Hueco Mundo…was attacked… by a beard man and troops…" Nel said between her sobs.
Another person fell from the sky and landed with his head. "What the! Wait, your Pesche, right? What's happening here?"
"Ow, and I was planning to surprise-attack you. Oh well, you are Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Can you please look at me?! I don't want to see your ass!" Ichigo shouted. "Nel was telling me something about Hueco Mundo and I was listening seriously…"
"Hueco Mundo was under attack…" Pesche said.
"… I already know that…" Ichigo said. "Come to my house and I'll call the others. You can explain there."
A/N: I'm so lazy! Well, not really. That one chapter I posted last week? I spent four hours just typing that one because I was copying some parts in the manga, and I'm doing research at bleachwiki and such. I started typing this last Sunday but I stopped because I was so annoyed with the crappy wi-fi. *Le sigh
Anyway, thank you to all these people:
AraShiba
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Rei-blaze—Thank you for taking your time to notice my fan fiction, for liking my plot, and for the long review. For the author's notes in the middle of a story, I also hate those but I want to convey what I feel about that part as soon as possible because I forget about it if I don't type it down. I know I can put asterisk on the words but there was this one time that I tried to and the asterisk was gone when I uploaded it. For the PoVs, I'm sorry if it's confusing. I based the way I wrote to the books I've read, and fan fictions, and other reading materials… I thank you for the tip Verb tense, I'm sorry, I'm not really good at those. I rely mostly on the Spell and Grammar check of my Microsoft Word Thank you very much; I hope you have more time
Iceprincess1345-Thank you very much for saying its worth the wait! 3 And for your question, I want the whole fighting scenes to be based on the manga but the stupid Internet connection is not working that well so, I'll try to improvise on some and paraphrase the other as long as it makes sense. But I'll be rereading the manga (if the internet doesn't act up) and try to make my story as accurate as possible.
Thank you again to all of you. I wish that you'll love this birthday present from me!
Love much, Eurielle 2
P.S. District 64 East was where Karin and Nanami lived before moving to District 3 West Ono Mami was the one who thought that no one can be greater than her, so she decided to bully Karin but Karin is strong so she bullied Nanami instead.