Phase 4: The Workings of the Gotei 13
"Ichigo, we need to go. Defying a war call is considered High Treason." Rukia said. "I know, I know. Let's get going then, Kira. Where is the Sekai Gate going to open?" Kira shook his head. "No Sekai Gate, they aren't working properly. We'll use a different, more direct way." The look of confusion on Ichigo and Rukia's faces made him smile.
He got up, and walked out into the hallway. There, he caught sight of Karin. A year older than him, she was a dazzling, black-haired version of her mother. She walked by, smiling at him. She knew of Shinigami, having forced it out of Ichigo 10 years ago. "Ichi-nii, who is this guy?" She asked as he walked by with Rukia.
"His name is Desuka Kira; he's a Shinigami from Rukia's Division coming to tell us we need to report to Ukitake." Karin scowled. "Great, so you got to leave again? Can I come with?" Karin asked, begging Ichigo. "I want to see this Soul Society that you keep going to."
"No. It's too dangerous." Ichigo said. Kira wanted to vomit. I know he wants to protect her, but seriously, can he not feel her Reiatsu? It's nearly at my level. "Ichigo, you can let her. I'll play bodyguard, if you want." Kira said with a smile on his face. Karin laughed. "A kid like you protecting me? From what I heard, you got your ass handed to you by the enemy not too long ago." She kicked at his face, Reiatsu infused in the attack. "I could probably take you myself."
Karin saw that Kira didn't even flinch. "Well, you didn't even move at that, you must be stronger than I thought. A little company will be nice." She said with a smile. Rukia laughed, and Ichigo's face went dark. "Kira, try anything and Zangetsu will go through you." Kira smiled mockingly. "Whatever you say, Ichi-nii." Karin and Rukia broke out laughing, and Ichigo attempted to kick Kira. Kira stepped to the side and stuck out his leg, tripping Ichigo up, which made Karin and Rukia laugh even more. "What happened, Ichi-nii?"
Ichigo stood up, shook his head, and walked out the door. "Rukia, when you see him, let him know we are leaving in three hours. I'm opening the portal in front of the house." Rukia just shook her head, unable to speak since she was still laughing.
Phase 5: The Origin of the Zanpak'to
Three hours later, the four of them stood in front of the house. "Ready?" Kira asked. The other three nodded their heads. Kira took a brief glance a Karin. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a skull on the front, a pair of jeans with rips in the knees, and a golf cap on her head. Her hair gleamed in the sun like flowing Onyx, and her eyes did the same, giving off an aura of vast knowledge.
Nice view. But, duty comes before fun. "Hirogari Tsubasa, Ketatamashii Kaze!" His half-drawn blade once again disappeared in a swirl of wind, reappearing as a spear. "Here we go!" And he cleaved through the air three times, forming a rough doorway in the middle of the street. "My zanpak'to has the ability to pierce barriers and the time/space continuum. I'm the only living Shinigami who can travel back and forth between the dimensions without using the Sekai Gate."
Rukia just laughed. "So your Captain Ukitake's personal messenger now, I'm guessing? This power is perfect for getting into contact with multiple Shinigami over long distances." Kira frowned. "That's exactly why I haven't got any combat missions yet, even though I've been in the 13th Division for 3 months now." He smiled again, forcing it up. "Anyways, let's go see Captain Ukitake. He's waiting." Kira then walked through the portal. Karin followed suite, followed by Rukia and Ichigo.
They entered the 13th Courtyard, a span of stone littered with Shinigami, and with an area marked off in the middle where Kira's portals would open. Inside of the 13th Division's area, the news of their arrival reached Ukitake's ears quickly. By the time they entered the 13th Barracks, 15 minutes later, he was sitting in the Captain's Seat, waiting on them. "Good job on your mission, Kira-kun."
"Thank you, Captain Ukitake." He said with a bow and a smile. Karin shook her head and whispered into Ichigo's ears. "Is this normal?" Ichigo smiled. "Yeah, the Shinigami have a strict and rigid hierarchy, and respect to your superiors is very important. You'll see worse than this, believe me. He's almost at the brink of being disrespectful." Karin smiled too. "Then he does have some balls, considering how powerful you tell me Captains are."
Ukitake then stood up and sighed. "Well down to business. I'm guessing Kira-kun told you why I called you here." Rukia nodded, while Ichigo spoke. "Yeah, I heard about Grimmjow and his plans. You need me to fight? Well, I don't want to." Ukitake frowned. "You should know by now to show respect to your superiors, Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo. In times of war, a Substitute will join the ranks of the Division whose Captain gave you your badge, and thus, you are under my command. If you don't show me the proper respect..." Ichigo laughed. "If I wanted to, I would, but I'm not a Shinigami, and this is how I am, Ukitake-san. I will show exactly how much respect I believe is necessary and I will not follow orders blindly."
Ukitake let out a sigh. "I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from the guy who stormed into Soul Society with only a Shikai hoping to save Rukia." Rukia smiled, and Karin laughed. "So that's what happened the first time you disappeared." That's when Ukitake noticed her. "Who are you, young lady?" Ichigo spoke first. "This is my little sister, Karin. She kind of forced me to take her along."
"Nice to meet, you, Karin-chan. I'm Ukitake Jyuushiro, Captain of the 13th Division." Karin glared at him. "Chan? I'm not a little kid, Oyaji. Don't add chan to my name." Ukitake sighed again. "She bears a striking resemblance to you, Ichigo, both in personality and in looks. Anyways, the Captain Commander would like to see you; he has something to show the two of you. Kira, you too, since your new, you missed this announcement a few months back."
....
An hour later, the four had arrived at the Captain Commander's office. Kira was shaking slightly. "The old man scares me. God I hope this doesn't last long." Ichigo laughed. "Yeah, Yama-jii isn't exactly friendly. Let's get this over with, shall we?" And with that, Ichigo walked through the door. Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryuusai sat at his desk, his ever faithful Lieutenant standing at his shoulder. "Ichigo, Rukia, Kira, I've been waiting. There is something I must show you. It is the oldest secret in all of Seiretei." He stood up, walked to the wall behind his desk, and pressed a portion of it inwards. The wall slide out, revealing a hidden room. Inside of the room was a glass case holding a shining pure white stone. "Behold, the Onisosenishi*. The source of all Zanpak'to."
Kira stared at the stone. It was about 2 feet in diameter, without a crack or blemish on its entire surface. "Captain Commander, how is this thing the source of all Zanpak'to?" Ichigo nodded in agreement with the question, as did Rukia. Karin had a huge expression of curiosity on her face. "Long ago, when Shinigami first discovered Earth and the physical world, we did not wield our blades. We only used Hakudo, Reiatsu enhanced brawling, nothing more."
"When we reached Earth, we found the humans, physical representations of us, and we sensed the spirits inside of them. We knew they were our origin. We also found a race hunting Humans for food. No, not Hollow, but Demons. Yes, the beings in your mythology existed, Ichigo. They hunted you, lived with you, and fought with you. Then, they learnt to co-exist with humanity, learning agriculture and diplomacy. The Humans and Demons lived in harmony. One day, the Hollow appeared. Demons could not fight them, being creatures of purely physical nature. So, they entrusted us with the charge of protecting Humans, giving us their most precious relic: the Onisosenishi*. It is where their souls go when they die, where all dead demons exist. We used it to give life and strength to our newest weapon. The Sword which we learnt to forge from Humans. Each Zanpak'to has inside of it a Demon spirit which gives it strength. And so, we live up to our end of the bargain, and protect both Humans and Demons on Earth from the Hollow."
The facts hit every one of them hard. "So, every zanpak'to is actually a sword with a demon's soul in it?" Kira asked. Yamamoto nodded. "The zanpak'to shows the full extent of co-existence between races. We share our thoughts and minds with our zanpak'to; they are a part of us. Yet they are not us, or even something similar to us, they are the souls of an ancient race." He smiled there. "You hold in you a powerful demon, Desuka Kira. If you can learn to harness it, you may become a powerful Shinigami."
"You are all dismissed. Ichigo, I expect you to fight, as you may be the only one who can defeat Grimmjow. He's grown much more powerful than we can have hoped to have expected." Ichigo sighed. "Fine, I'll fight, Yama-jii." He said with a little reluctance. Kira laughed in his head. Ichigo is afraid of the Captain Commander too, huh? I guess no one in their right mind wouldn't be. "Well, let's go rest, shall we?" Kira said.
"We can stay at my families place here in Seiretei, if you want to avoid the Barracks." He said after they left. "I'd like to take a break from the Barracks, myself. Some of the Shinigami seem to dislike me, and they keep moving me while I'm asleep." Ichigo smiled, and Rukia outright laughed. "What's so funny?" Kira asked. Rukia stopped laughing long enough to answer him. "That's the 13th Division's hazing ritual. We wait until the new person is asleep, and then move them. They did it to me when I joined too. It's actually very fun to do." Kira grimaced, but then broke out laughing. "Well, that explains why I can never catch the person who did it. Everyone has been doing it. Anyways here we are."
The building they stood at was not overly large, but neither was it small. It was a normal sized manor house, styled like the rest of Soul Society, in Japanese fashion. Kira opened the main gates, and welcomed the guests to the Desuka Manor. "We are a minor Noble house which has gotten lucky with the amount of Shinigami births recently. All but one of my five siblings are Shinigami, and Tsuba-ojisan and Oka-san were both, as well. The girls can stay in my Sister's room, she never comes back from the 5th Barracks, and Ichigo can stay in my Older Brother's room, as he's off on a mission right now."
Rukia stopped at the gate. "I'd love to, but I should probably go home. Nii-sama would want me to go home. Plus I haven't seen him in close to a year; I'd like to visit with him." Ichigo nodded. "Say hello to Byakuya for me, okay?" Rukia smiled. "I will, Ichigo. See you all later." And then Rukia left, leaving Kira, Ichigo and Karin alone in the manor grounds.
*Onisosenishi (Demon Ancestor Stone, or Stone of the Demon Ancestors)
Phase 6: Contemplations
Night time and Soul Society's sun dims, the moon replacing it in the sky. The night is quite, filled with stars. Kira had always admired the beauty of the night. The moon, mainly, had always intrigued him. It shone with a silver glow that seemed to... invigorate him. He loved it, and that is why he made his room with a glass roof. He sat there, staring at the moon and thinking. Ketatamashii Kaze, are you still awake?
Yes, I am Kira, what is it you need? I want to know exactly how much of that was true. Every word, Kira. I exist here in your mind, and inside of the Onisosenishi, as a Demon soul. We live in there until our 100 years are done and we are ready to be reborn. But do not worry; I will stay with you until you die. That is the contract of a zanpak'to. That's relieving to hear. I'd be lost without you.
Kira then went on to recall his Father. He hasn't had time to think since he left heard about him from Isshin, and he now wanted to remember his face once more. Father is alive, after all. I wonder if I will ever see him again. Kira, if it is your destiny, you and your father will meet again. The future can never be foretold, but hope can change it.
Ten years ago, a month before the battle with Aizen and his Arrancar, Kira stood on the training field at the Desuka Manor. Only 9 at the time, he had already attained Shikai, though only the week before. He felt he shouldn't enter the Gotei 13, as he was too young, in his own opinion. He stood, spear at ready, on the opposite end of the field as his father. Tsubasa was a man in his middle years. His light brown hair and deep green eyes, with a face that is echoed in Kira's. Tsubasa smiled, as he saw every one of his kids there gather. "Well, kiddos, be ready. Kira's about to test out his zanpak'to for the first time." He said, hefting his axe on his shoulder.
The youngest of Kira's siblings, Hitaro, smiled. "Kira-oniisan, be careful. Dad doesn't know how to go easy." The rest laughed as well, knowing full well that Kira's Reiatsu was one of the strongest in the house. If Tsubasa didn't release, Kira wouldn't be in danger."Ye ready, boy?" Kira smiled, his face already showing his willful nature and vast knowledge. "As ready as I'll ever be, Tsuba-ojisan."
Kira charged headlong at his father-
But was woken as he heard a scream from his sister's room. He reacted more out of instinct than thought, moving out into the hallway and towards the room. He met Karin on the way, her eyes wide with shock. "What happened, Karin?" Karin grabbed Kira's arm and pulled him with her. "There's a humanoid Hollow in the room I just left, and her Reiatsu was at a much higher level than mine. More than yours, too." Kira took a mental blow there. An Arrancar in Soul Society? How is that possible, when we have surveillance and barriers placed all around here, preventing Hollows from getting in?
Just as they rounded the corner, a doorway opened, and Karin was grabbed into it. Kira followed in as quickly as he could, but the Arrancar already held her tightly. "Young Shinigami, or should I say Desuka Kira? You dared sneak into Hueco Mundo and spy on us, and hope to live? I'm going show you how sadly mistaken you are!" She draws her sword and places it on Karin's throat. "I'll slit her throat first, and then move on to you. That should give you enough time to regret what you did."
In the next few seconds, a lot of the things happened. With a surprising amount of speed, Kira released his Shikai, created a doorway, and got behind the Arrancar, all within a second. He then hit her arm holding the sword, knocking the blade away. Karin took this opportunity to kick the Arrancar in the face, which broke her mask. The Arrancar screamed in pain, her mask shards lying on the ground below her. "You'll not live for long, Desuka Kira. Lord Grimmjow will not allow it!" And she dissipated like any hollow would.
Karin yelled loudly. "Ah, God Damnit! I can't believe I got caught so easily. And you dispatched her like it was nothing." Kira let out the breathe he had been holding since the fight started. "It was you who finished it, Good kick. I didn't think once that I could win, I just moved instinctively when I found out your life was in danger." Karin's faced flushed for a second, so quickly that Kira wasn't sure it actually happened. "Thank you, Kira."
"No problem, Karin." Kira responded. Ichigo burst in through the door seconds later. "What the hell just happened?" He asked, seeing Karin and Kira standing together. Kira shook his hands and head in denial. "It's not what you think, Ichigo. An Arrancar attacked in Karin's room, and we ran from it. But it caught Karin here, and we fought it." Ichigo sighed. "Why is it that every time I come to Soul Society, something happens?" Karin and Kira both laughed with vehemence, making Ichigo wonder if nothing really did happen.