Chapter 5: The Ambassador
I raced out into the town in search of my soul reaper friend. Why would she just disappear on us like this?
But something didn't feel right. I senses Ichigo's spiritual pressure. But I felt two others that I've never seen before. Soul reapers. I spotted Ichigo, Uryu, and Rukia by a sidewalk across the street from me. With them were two soul reapers.
One of them was wearing a pair of shades and had a tattoo. His hair was dark red and spikey in a way that reminded me of a pineapple. He was fighting with Ichigo.
The other one was tall, quiet, and had long black hair. He looked astoundingly similar to Rukia. But it hit me then that he was Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's brother and the captain of squad six in the court guard squads.
"Roar! Zabimaru!" the red-head yelled as his zanpacto changed into a large toothed, serrated blade. He whipped it forward and it sawed through Ichigo's left shoulder with a sickening sound.
I almost jumped in, but I saw Ichigo stand back up on his own, and a shockwave of his own spiritual pressure hit the battlefield, and he attacked the other man with newfound strength, wounding him. But before he could finish him off, his blade broke, at the hands of Byakuya!
That was the flash step. I hardly even saw him move! He must be the real deal!
But Rukia saved Ichigo from the final blow by kicking him away, walking away from him with the others, screaming at him for trying to stop her departure.
"That fool!" I muttered to myself before using Banshi to mechanize my scream, "RUKIA!" I roared, catching the attention of the other two.
"Another interference! What do you say captain? Should I mop the floor with him too?" the redhead struggled.
"No", his partner said, "Whoever it is, they will not attack so long as I'm here. We're done here, Renji."
I growled and nearly went after them, but Mom found me first and held me back, "Ash, I can't allow you to continue."
"What's going to happen to her?!" I said sternly, "Why is she being apprehended?!"
Mom sighed, "She gave her powers to a human."
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We were back at Kisuke's shop while Ichigo recovered.
"Why?!" I yelled, "Why is it a crime?!"
"Look, I'm afraid that's how it's always been", Kisuke sipped his tea, "It takes time to bring back one's powers unless the substitute soul reaper dies. This infraction, especially among higher squad members, can permanently cripple a squad. That is part of the modern logic anyway."
"What happens now?" I trembled, "Will we ever see her again?"
"That's the problem", Mom gulped, "I don't support this, but this 'crime', is only punishable", she paused for a moment before she almost whispered, "by death."
The teacup shattered in my hand, "There's nothing we can do?! No! We have to save her!"
"The fact is that they don't know the circumstances under which Rukia's powers were lost. If they understand that, then perhaps Rukia's sentence can be lessened, and from there, we can focus on getting her out."
"Then why are we just standing around?" Ichigo groaned as he tried to sit up, "Let's just go in there and beat their asses into the ground!"
"Not a chance!" my mom barked at him, "I'll be the one to take care of this. Under technical terms, I am the level of captain. I can personally speak with the higher-ups and possibly change their minds."
"Great", I slumped, "Now I have to sit around and hold down the fort in the world of the living."
"I never said that", Mom corrected, "If I am a captain, then I will need a lieutenant: YOU. Only the head captain knows of your true identity, and all of the rest know nothing else about you. That's why we're going to the Soul Society in three days."
"In the meantime, I'll be training the others to launch a raid on the Seireitei", Kisuke smirked, "If diplomacy doesn't work first."
"I get your drift. I guess that makes me your eyes on the inside", my eyes gleamed in excitement.
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Three days later, we exited the portal and I got my first glimpse of the afterlife. The Rukon District looked very similar to an old fashioned Japanese village, and people from every time and age populated it. At the center of it all was a large city wall that stretched for miles.
A giant stood outside. He glanced at my mom, gasped, and then fumbled for a large ram's horn which he blew into to alert the inside of the Sareti.
"Lady Miharu!" he got down on one knee and held one of his axes over his heart, "You have returned!"
"Oh, it has been far too long, Jidanbo. You must have grown another five feet since I last saw you!"
"You flatter me Milady!" he bowed and opened the tiny double doors for us before closing them behind us. Once we were out of the giant's range of hearing, my mom instructed me on the basics.
"Anyone and everyone wearing this dress code is a captain. Remember, so long as we're in public, you are to refer to me as Captain or Sensei. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Captain", I winked at her in understanding.
"Lady Miharu!" a high pitched voice said cheerfully and I looked to see a little girl with pink hair standing on my shoulders.
"What the?!" I fell backwards and she landed on the ground softly.
"Welcome back! Where've you been all this time?" she asked adorably.
"It's good to see you too", my mom ruffled her hair.
"Aw!" I walked up to her and looked her over, "She's too adorable to be a soul reaper!"
"I'd be careful, Ash. She's the lieutenant of squad eleven." I jumped back.
"I heard the horn and I was right inside the gate, so I figured I might as well say hi! Kenny's gonna want to spar with you again!"
"My, my!" a soft voice crooned in a creepy way. I looked to see a man in a captain's uniform with closed eyes, a terrifying smile, and snow white hair, "I was beginning to think we'd never see you around here again, Miharu."
"Gin", Mom turned to him, "Pleasure to see you again."
Shivers raced down my spine. The spiritual pressure from this guy was just plain creepy!
"And it looks like you've managed to pick up an apprentice", he addressed me, "I don't believe I've seen you since Miharu last left six or seven years ago."
"Gin," Mom responded, "I'm here to speak to the head captain about a certain prisoner that you have taken into custody, as of three days ago."
"Rukia Kuchiki", he smiled, "Why does she concern you?"
"Let's just say that I owe her a debt", she pushed up her glasses, "I would like you to lead my Lieutenant to the girl's cell if you don't mind."
"In all due respect, Sensei", I interrupted, "I don't like this guy. I don't care if he is a captain, he gives me the chills. I can find Rukia myself, if you don't mind."
"I can't say that it's the first time I've been told that", Gin chuckled "Take the roof and head towards the repentance cell in the middle of the Seireitei. Along the way you'll see the prison. You just can't miss it.
Without hesitation, I rocketed in that direction, but I quickly swapped out my shoes for my more casual pair. I couldn't stand those sandals!
"Halt! Who goes there?!" The guards stopped me.
"I order you all to let me pass. I have to speak to Rukia."
"We have orders from Lieutenant Abarai to have the prison closed to speak with her himself."
"Maybe you didn't hear me clearly", I began to reach for Banshi's sealed form, "I am a lieutenant, and I come under the orders of the Lost Captain, Miharu Kozuki. Either let me pass or I'll cut you all down!" I sent out a shockwave that blew the guards aside. And I entered the prison, following the voice of Renji. Two more guards were positioned outside of Rukia's cell. They drew their swords and again I blasted them backwards.
"What the hell?!" Renji burst out of the room, "State your name and your unit!"
"Ash?!" Rukia spoke in shock.
"It's me. Lieutenant Abarai, under Miharu Kozuki's orders, you are to leave the prison so I may speak to Rukia."
"Miharu? So she's back?"
"I'm her lieutenant. Your guards didn't take the information well. You may take your leave, Renji", I directed him out the door and he growled at me.
I sat down outside the cell and Rukia turned her head to face me, "You shouldn't have come here."
"Did you honestly believe that I would stand by while you get executed? I owe you a debt, as does Ichigo."
"Ichigo's dead!" Rukia yelled at me, "There's no use in worrying about him now."
"Your substitute is alive and well", I said, making Rukia look up, "And the last I heard from Kisuke, Ichigo discovered his shikai, Zangetsu. He hasn't grown weak. He's grown stronger. Heck the whole gang's gonna be launching a raid once they're all ready. I've got a sneaking suspicion that Ichigo might even beat your bastard brother in a sword fight."
"I doubt it. Even with his shikai, he'd never get past Byakuya's bankai."
My eyebrows raised, "Bankai?"
"The ultimate form of a zanpacto in which every captain with the exception of one knows. Ichigo will never win, let along get into the Seireitei."
"Then I'll get you out of here one way or another. My mother might be able to get through to the head captain. Besides, if I do die trying, my ghost will still have my soul reaper powers. I'll just come back to get you."
"You don't get it!" she yelled at me. I let my spiritual pressure and Rukia lurched forward in pain until I let up.
"Maybe you didn't hear me well enough", I growled as she caught her breath, I whipped out Banshi and sliced through the lock on the door and I walked in folding him up again, "Whether you or anyone else in the soul society like it, you are going to get out of here if I have to drag you every step of the way!" I walked in front of her and put my finger under her chin, "That's an order from a lieutenant, and a friend. You've done nothing to be in here."
"You don't think I know that?" she closed her eyes and growled, "But you'll never make it. My brother will kill you and then me with his bare hands!"
I rolled my eyes and kissed her on the lips and she gasped in shock.
I pulled away after a moment, "You talk too much. Do me a favor and keep your mouth shut. Your brother can-"
"Can what?" a voice said coldly. I screamed and flash stepped back out of the cell and into the hall to see that Byakuya was standing right there!
"I don't know who you are, but you have no clearance to be in here", he calmly hissed.
"Shut up", I growled, "I don't need a lousy captain like you to be interfering with classified affairs. And for the record, I am the lieutenant of Lost Captain Miharu Kozuki. You all need to get with the program."
"You have no place in speaking to a captain in such a manner, boy."
"Subordinates act formal out of fear and/or respect for their higher-ups. I have no respect for a captain that would let his own sister die. And I don't fear you."
"That arrogance is going to be the death of you, boy." Byakuya flash stepped behind me with his sword swinging. At the same time, I flash stepped to my right, blocking his strike with Banshi's handle and the blade hung above Byakuya's neck.
"Case and point, I have the bite to back up my bark. If this was a real battle and you did so much as flinch, my zanpacto's blade would have closed up and snipped your head off before you could remove your blade. You would have been defeated by a lowly lieutenant, Captain Kuchiki." I left a slight cut on the back of his neck for good measure before I removed the blade and walked away from him. I walked out and snapped open Banshi, "Echo through the skies, Banshi!" I called as we took to the skies.
"You're lucky he didn't pull out his bankai", Banshi told me, "And my form's superiority in melee fights isn't going to do you much good against someone with stronger kido abilities. You have to watch what you say."
"So what?" I replied, "He deserved it. That captain is nothing but a cold-hearted bastard, and you know it. Besides, I had to show Rukia what I was really capable of."
"Just be warned, not all of the captains will be so easy to catch off guard. And some of them have much shorter fuses."
"Hey, the only problem I see is the lieutenant of squad eleven. She snuck past my sonar and hopped onto my shoulder without even trying!"
"That is not the point", Banshi corrected as we landed on the edge of an open crater, the training grounds as Mom told me. I stuck the blade in the ground and lowered the handle for me to hold. I focused and activated Banshi's sound powers. But this time I turned on some music, letting my partner act as a boom box. I was up for a little Bruno Mars today, Locked out of Heaven. That was the position that Ichigo and his friends would literally be in, ironically.
All of a sudden, sirens blared as the Seireitei was surrounded by a giant white wall, "Intruder alert. We have intruders in the west Rukon District! All squads assume your positions! A captains meeting will begin in one hour!"
"Ichigo", I smiled. He made it earlier than I expected.
I already didn't like the soul reapers here. I already hated Byakuya. Gin Ichimaru scared me beyond death. I didn't like it. Any of it. For all I knew, every captain could be like that.
I looked out over the training grounds to see two people. A teacher and a student were practicing, slowly going through the motions. The man, the teacher, had neat brown hair with glasses, and a kind look on his face.
His student, was a beautiful girl, who looked my age, if not a year younger. Her hair was black and tied up behind her head. She looked to her teacher in admiration, with those wonderful dark brown eyes.
As a whole, she was one of the most adorable girls I had ever seen.
"Alright Momo, we'll give this another try. I won't be going easy on you", the teacher drew his sword.
"Right!" she nodded nervously as she took her stance. They both dove forward with a series of strikes and the girl was keeping up easily. I watched, and eventually I found myself using my sonar to track their movements precisely.
But I silently gasped at something I saw, or rather didn't see: the teacher wasn't even there! He was just empty space! How was it possible?!
Suddenly my sonar picked up a figure who stood right behind Momo, invisible to the naked eye. The fake teacher dashed to Momo's right and she slashed with her sword. The fake disappeared in the blink of an eye and the real teacher appeared right behind Momo, hitting her on top of the head with his zanpacto's scabbard. Momo yelped in surprise as she looked to see her teacher.
"Looks like I win again!" he tilted his head in a kind smile.
"I'm sorry Captain Aizen", Momo got down on her knees, bowing to her teacher, "I've…..failed."
"It's alright, Momo", Aizen knelt down too, and put his hand on her shoulder, "You're still training."
"But I'm just worried that I might not ever be as strong as you", she muttered.
"Maybe you can", Aizen lightly tapped her on the nose and she smiled again.
A captain. I guess I was wrong about my cruel captain assumption after all.
But I then focused back on how he won that battle. I almost assumed that it was invisibility, but that wouldn't explain the fake Aizen. You could see his footprints, you could hear the sound of his blade clashing with hers. Momo even looked like she was taking the recoil of each strike. It occurred to me then that such was the power of Captain Aizen's zanpacto: it could toy with one's sight, touch, hearing, possibly even smell and taste for all I know. In other words, it was a perfect illusion. However powerful it might be, it wasn't enough to let him slip past my sonar when my guard was up. If he caught me by surprise, on the other hand, I wouldn't know until it was too late.
I had successfully worked out how to beat another captain!
On the other hand, Aizen wasn't like the other captains I've encountered thus far. He was much kinder, caring. I saw no reason to label him as a threat of any sort.
"Duty calls", Aizen said to Momo as he flash stepped out to meet the head captain.
"Ash!" a voice called and I looked on my shoulder to see a little black butterfly, a hell butterfly as my mom told me. These little creatures acted like walkie-talkies to the soul reapers, and Mom was calling.
"I'm here. What is it?"
"The captains meeting. The head captain asks that you be present, so as to make a proper introduction. Go to the center of the Sareti right now!" Mom alerted me.
"On it! Echo through the skies! Banshi!" I rocketed into the sky as Momo looked to me in surprise as I waved to her.
.
Knock, Knock.
"Come in", a deep elderly voice boomed as the doors to the meeting hall opened. In front of Mom and I were eleven individuals, ten were in rows down the aisle, while an old man sat in a throne at the end of the room. The captains. But I saw that only two were missing, one of which was Gin Ichimaru.
The captains turned to us and muttered in surprise.
"Welcome, Lady Miharu Kozuki. It has been a long time", the head captain stood in greeting.
"Sorry for not informing you all," Mom replied, "but I had some rather urgent matters to attend to."
"I understand", he nodded, "And I see that the boy has grown quickly."
"Nothin' like a little time on the other side of the world of the living to help you learn fast or die faster", I stretched, "Pleasure to meet you all." I glared at Byakuya.
"Captain", he growled, "Why is he here of all people?"
"For a proper introduction, of course!" the guy in the pink robe said casually.
"Correct", Yamamoto told everyone, "This boy is Ash Valero, Miharu's lieutenant who she raised in the world of the living."
"That explains why I've never heard of him", an attractive girl with short black hair said.
"That's right. So long as I reside here in the soul society I will act as a lieutenant, with your permission of course."
"Captain with all due respect, I do not condone the notion of having this reckless boy be a lieutenant!" Byakuya raised his voice a little, "I had a run in with him by Rukia's cell. He tried to fight whenever I attempted to have him removed." I rolled my eyes.
"Is this true?" Yamamoto asked.
"I'm not denying it", I raised an eyebrow, "But with all due respect, I was sent under my Sensei's orders, a captain. I was ordered to interrogate the prisoner uninterrupted. Between following the orders of her and the orders of a captain of a squad I'm not associated with, I choose the former. Besides, Byakuya, you flash stepped first in an attempt to slice me in half. I'm obliged to defend myself. Either you can drop the subject now, or you can show the rest of the captains the cut I left on the back of your neck, and reveal the fact that you were defeated by a lowly lieutenant and spared to tell about it. It's nothing personal Captain Kuchiki, but I am not under your jurisdiction."
Suddenly, Byakuya flash stepped towards me, but before I could even react, someone huge stepped in the way. The man was tall enough to dunk a basketball without even moving his feet. He had an almost evil glance in his left eye, and an eye patch was over his right. His hair was spikey and a ragged scar ran down his face. It wasn't as thick or deep as mine was, but it was well over twice as long.
A massive zanpacto hung at his belt with a jagged, almost serrated edge. But what struck me the most was this guy's spiritual pressure. It was massive, powerful, and overall, crushing! It was as strong as mine! No, it was even stronger! I looked to his front and saw that he had grabbed Byakuya's blade with his bare hands, and they weren't even bleeding!
"What do you know? There really is a gash on the back of your neck. It's been a while since I've seen you this ticked off, Kuchiki", the man said.
"Stand aside", Byakuya said without emotion, "This boy needs to learn respect for his superiors."
"You really don't get it", the man said, "In all of my years as a soul reaper, I've seen only one occasion on which a subordinate has dared challenge a captain in such a manner. And the guy who did wound up being the present day captain of squad eleven. It takes guts to stand up to one of the thirteen and I've seen enough to believe that this boy has that sort of courage. In fact, I don't think he really fears any of us. And judging by your wound, I'd say he has the strength to back up his talk."
"What are you getting at, Kenpachi?" Byakuya narrowed his eyes.
"You may see an arrogant and boy who needs to be taught a lesson. But I see a young man who's got more courage in his blade than most soul reapers could ever hope to have", the man released the sword and Byakuya sheathed it as he walked back to his place. The man turned to me and finished, "You have my respect."
"Thank you, Captain…." I hesitated as I tried to remember his name.
"Kenpachi Zaraki", he smiled at me.
"Kenny….So that pink haired girl was your lieutenant. It's been a while since someone has snuck up on me like that."
Kenpachi laughed, "You know what, I kind of like you. You would have made a fine high ranking seat in squad eleven, kid."
"Ash", Mom looked to me, "I understand that you saw a conflict that had to be resolved, but please try to refrain from similar actions in the future."
"I will try to restrain myself. As you wish, Sensei", I responded, bowing formally and taking my position at her side.
"In short, Head captain," Kenpachi turned to Yamamoto, "I second the decision to make this boy a lieutenant!"
"I too second this", I couldn't see who spoke at first, but then I looked to the very end of the aisle. I was shocked to see a boy that was my age, if not younger than me! His hair was long and spikey, and it was colored so flawlessly white that it would have made freshly fallen snow dull in comparison. A pair of intelligent, icy green eyes looked over to me, and he stood several inches shorter than me.
"Thank you. And you are?" I asked.
"Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad Ten", he nodded.
"Apart from Byakuya, are there any other objections?" the head captain asked. No one responded, "Very well then" he tossed me some sort of badge, "Then by the decision of the thirteen captains, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Lieutenant of the Lost Guard, the honorary Squad Fourteen."
"Thank you all", I bowed as I carefully wrapped the cloth around my neck and the badge was displayed on my right. The captains looked at me with surprise and discomfort, "Is something wrong?" I asked.
"I suppose you might not be aware of our customs here since you were raised in the World of the Living. Around here," Yamamoto said, "it is often seen as tradition for lieutenants to wear their badges on their left arm. Yet you wear yours on your neck."
"Oh, sorry. For most of my life I've lived in a place on the other side of the planet. It's mostly desert out there and the people who live there usually wear their bandana's like this. I even found myself doing the same thing. Now it's more of a reminder of that place. However, if it is a tradition here then I'll follow suit if you so wish." I began to remove it, but Yamamoto stopped me.
"That won't be necessary. While it is true that it is merely tradition, it is not exactly set in stone. There are some soul reapers who freely choose a different form of dress code, such as Captain Shunsui. If this a part of your ways, then you may do so too."
"Again, thank you", I bowed.
There was a knock at the door. I paled at the man who stood there.
"So, you are here, Gin Ichimaru, captain of Squad Three", Yamamoto greeted him glumly.
"What a surprise", Gin mused, "The thirteen captains that govern the Soul Society, all here just for me? I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or appalled. Even Miharu and young Ash as well? Oh, but I see that the captain of Squad Thirteen is missing."
"He isn't feeling well today", the blind captain replied.
"Aw, that's too bad."
"Enough. What exactly is this all about?" Mom asked, "I was not informed."
"Gin met a group of ryoka outside the gate and they are still alive", the man with the giant mask said.
"But that is aside the point. The problem is not that you allowed the ryoka to live. It is the fact that you acted alone, without permission. Can you defend yourself?" Yamamoto asked.
"I cannot", Gin replied with that smile still on his face, "I take full responsibility and am willing to accept the consequences that you see fit."
"Hold it, Gin", Aizen looked to him, "I still have a question that I want to ask you." Only then did Gin's smile waver to reveal a look of discomfort.
All of a sudden the alarms rang, "Alert! The Seireitei has been breached! All units to your battle stations!"
"It can't be…the same ryoka from before?!" Kenpachi wondered before a wicked mile crossed his lips and he dashed out the door. Yamamoto dismissed us all to battle stations. But I still had Gin on my mind.
"Saved by the alarm, eh Ichimaru? Why don't you just admit it? You're not going to get away with this." Captain Aizen was addressing Gin as everyone else left.
"You're not making much sense, Sosuke", Gin smiled.
"I want to make this clear for you Gin Ichimaru. Don't underestimate me", Aizen pushed up his glasses before walking away, soon followed by Gin. Only then did I notice that Toshiro Hitsugaya was standing behind Gin, listening in on the entire conversation. A look of suspicion was in his eyes.
"You look like you just ran into a menos", he looked to me.
"I almost wish I had", I muttered, "You felt it too, didn't you?"
"I'm just glad that someone else shares my sudden distrust for him."
"'Mistrust' is sugarcoating it", I shivered, sitting down on the steps, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but Kenpachi was very right in what he said, I'm not scared of standing up to most of the captains. In fact the only thing that really gets to me is a good old fashioned jumpscare. I don't know exactly why, but in all of my life, Captain Gin Ichimaru is the first and only being that has ever left me absolutely terrified."
"Toshiro! Ash! Look at this!" Mom called and she pulled me aside to watch the spectacle.
High up in the sky was what looked like a ball of lightning. The entire Seireitei was surrounded by a shield that repels spirit energy. But that energy ball high up there pierced straight through the barrier and exploded into four parts that scattered through the Seireitei.
"He actually did it!" Mom said in surprise.
"That's Ichigo for you. He has a habit of doing the impossible", I smiled, "Wait a minute, I'm picking up Ichigo….Orihime and Uryu. What's Chad doing here?" I said pointing out the four dots, "Ichigo's with some guy I've never seen before, and I can't tell who's alone in the last one."
"If someone is with them, I can only assume that one of them is a Shiba, a fireworks expert. That damn Kukaku always has the craziest dramatic entries up her sleeve", Mom fixed her glasses.
"So what now?" I asked hopping onto the railing.
"Keep an eye on their forces for now and pretend we're with them. The Captains will be on hair trigger."
(End of Chapter 5)
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(Flash steps in)
HEEEYY EVERYBODY! Beowulf here!
I know the jump to the Seireitei was sudden, but I had to get moving on this!
Now, as of late, I've developed this crazy idea for this story. I actually have plans to do a slight crossover with one of my other fan fics during the Hueco Mundo arc.
You see, as of late, I've been binge watching leach and I just finished said story arc. Then when I looked back to my other story, I saw so many fricking similarities that it terrified me! Then it hit me, what if one of my characters could cross over into Grimlocked? It makes perfect sense!
If you have any comments on whether or not I should do this, an if so, how, please leave a PM or a review if you want to. I would love to hear your feedback!
Also, if you haven't already done so, check out my other stories, and maybe you can tell which one I plan to cross with.
A special thanks to all of my supporters from all of my stories. Especially to my inspiration, Monty Oum (Rest in Peace).
Until next time, all hell breaks loose behind the Seireitei walls! What happens next will be most exciting!
This is Beowulf and the OC crew signing out.