Author's Note: Alright! Another chapter! Okay, so the plot definitely bolted forward in this chapter haha. And I must make an apology to any Tatsuki fans. I pretty much effectively killed her plot-wise in this chapter (hmm if I hadn't added the plot-wise…). Also I made up some facts in this chapter about certain things, but I didn't feel as if they affected the characters/situations/etc in a drastic way, so I feel pretty good about it, all in all. If anything needs clarification, please let me know in your next review. Also, for anyone that was curious…there will be more information about the 'big bad' in the next chapter, I promise.
uzumakisunspydr: Thanks! I thought it was really important to throw that support in there. Though, as seen in this chapter, I had to throw in another challenge to the 'support Ichigo' group. If there are too many 'good guys' then people start to question the realistic (well as realistic as an anime/manga about soul reapers can get) qualities of the plot.
kaiserkawaii: Haha, I like strawberries too. In fact I had some for dessert earlier, : - ).
MrsKurosaki x: Haha, I could totally see Isshin strangling Yama-jii with a hula hoop too. It definitely wouldn't surprise me. And yeah, I'm liking the giant support group as well. Although more support means more challenges to come their way!
DarkJason: Haha! Thanks so much! It's comments like this that make me want to continue writing this story. Glad you like it!
rukia death kuchiki & BioHazard82: Thanks! Glad you like it!
realityfling18: Haha thanks! I agree. I think if we just let Hiyori harass people during battle, they'll be sure to win every fight.
Nekura Enzeru: Thanks! I try to be more laid back when I'm writing the vizard scenes, only because they just seem to be a pretty laid back group in general. I'm also trying to incorporate more of Urahara's inventions. I mean the man works constantly on this stuff, and we only get to see about a fraction of what he produces in the anime/manga.
Eternity Crystal: Thanks! Originally, the story was only going to focus on the vizards and their activities, but then I realized how important it was to incorporate other situations and time frames. It really helps to develop the plot and move it along.
Chapter Five: Empathy
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"…Some can has it…"
Seireti was in an uproar for what seemed like the 800th time in the past week. Two massive explosions had gone off, causing extensive damage to the surrounding area. One of the explosions was set off in the 18th district of Rukongai, where the area was mostly devoid of population, meaning that there had been no casualties. Oddly enough the other explosion was set off in one of the many storage buildings located just at the edge of sereiti. It was odd because, again, there were no casualties.
This hadn't stopped Yamamoto, however, from sending out various troops to investigate both scenes. He, himself, was currently leading the investigation team in Rukongai. Also, conveniently, Captain Kurotsuchi was forced to stop his side-investigation of the prison's security tapes in order to figure out what exactly had caused the explosion. If the captain-commander hadn't decided to jump all over the current situation, he would have realized that – elsewhere – there was an escape plan being put into action.
Captain Hitsugaya and his lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, were currently rushing along the corridors of the heavily-guarded prison in search of Isshin's cell. Up until now, the duo had had to take out the guards in a precise manner. If they hadn't knocked them out from behind, the guards would have given away their plan the instant they had woken up. Although everyone involved would have been in the real world by then – they wanted to make sure they had enough time to gather Urahara's group before leaving Japan completely.
It was almost unreal that they were all willing to go the lengths Ichigo had gone, in order to help Isshin. However, everyone involved knew that there were no second chances after this. If they were to bail Isshin out, it meant that they were past the point of being threatened with arrest. This time around, they would be facing execution. Which is why each step of their plan had to be performed immaculately.
Matsumoto winced as she heard the loud crash of another frozen security camera fall to the ground before breaking into pieces. Even though she knew that the entire layout of the prison had promised no guards in this specific area, she couldn't help but feel as if someone would catch them at the slightest sound. Matsumoto halted to a stop as her captain held up a hand. The duo stood motionless, watching the clock for a full minute in agony before the hour hand and the minute hand both moved to twelve.
Twelve O'clock p.m. Lunch time.
Turning the corner casually, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto walked as if they were on a cloud the rest of the way ahead of them. They watched as a random shinigami from the first division swung open the metal door to the cell ahead of them. Then – again – they both watched as the hilt of Hitsugaya's zanpakuto crashed down on the head of said first division member. As the man went down -- lunch tray and all-- they met the bewildered gaze of Isshin Kurosaki.
"There's no time for questions. Follow us," Hitsugaya breathed before turning swiftly and leading the trio back out of the prison.
As Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Isshin used the back ways to make their way towards the Kasumioji clan's property, they heard a sudden yelp. Whirling around in alarm, Hitsugaya held the blade of his zanpakuto up to Hinamori Momo's neck. Realizing what he had done, Hitsugaya quickly withdrew his zanpakuto.
"Hinamori, what are you doing here?" He growled out, annoyance in his tone, "Matsumoto take Isshin the rest of the way, we don't have time for delays."
"But Taichou, if they catch you—,"
"GO!" Hitsugaya roared in her direction and watched as his lieutenant and the other man ran off.
"Toshiro-kun. Isn't that the prisoner, Isshin Kurosaki? Why are you helping him?" Hinamori asked innocently.
"It is him," Hitsugaya replied icily, "What are your intentions, now that you know?"
"Toshiro…." Hinamori paused and tears filled her eyes, "Why are you being so cold?"
It was a rather ironic question, if Hitsugaya had time to muse on it, "What are your intentions?" He asked again. It wasn't that he was trying to be so harsh on purpose. It was mostly that he was terrified of the consequences that this interruption would have not only on his own safety – but that of Matsumoto's.
"I don't know.." she replied uncertainly, "Can't we just talk about this, Toshiro?"
"I don't have time to talk," he snarled, "Too many peoples' lives hang in the balance."
"If what you say is true," she trailed off and her voice shook, "Then I won't tell anyone. I don't want anyone else to be hurt by my actions."
Hitsugaya didn't have time to reflect on that statement. He simply sheathed his zanpakuto and flash-stepped away from the bewildered girl, silently praying that she wasn't lying.
He arrived at the Kasumioji manor a short period later to find that -- other than Kenryu and Enryu – only his lieutenant remained in the vicinity.
"Matsumoto, I told you to go on without me!" He shouted.
"Taichou, I couldn't leave without you," Matsumoto said seriously, "It wouldn't be right."
Hitsugaya stepped towards the senkai gate before looking at Matsumoto gratefully, "Thank you, Matsumoto."
The two waved goodbye to Kenryu and Enryu before rushing through the Senkai gate. They knew there was no going back after this. The Kasumioji clan was going to seal their Senkai gate as soon as Matsumoto and Hitsugaya made it through to the other side. They would now officially be fugitives of soul society.
"Fine. If you won't answer me as a group, then I will ask each of you individually," Soi Fon declared as she stared at the group before her. They were all settled onto different parts of the two couches of the Kurosaki's living room.
Soi Fon had been attempting to 'extract' information from them for the past two hours with no success. It was surprising that she had even managed to last that long.
However, Soi Fon's latest statement had struck a nerve with both Kisuke and Yoruichi. Individual questioning was the situation that they were trying to avert. If Soi Fon took Yoruichi or Kisuke away to be interrogated separately, it would be fine because they would know what to expect. The others, however, would be in serious danger.
"Why don't I start with the brat?" Soi Fon snarled, motioning towards Tatsuki. Immediately, the people on either side of Tatsuki attempted to cover her, as if that would stop Soi Fon from noticing her existence.
Soi Fon smiled wickedly, and before most of them could process what had happened, Soi Fon had Tatsuki held in front of her with both of her arms pins behind her back. Almost simultaneously, Yoruichi and Urahara had surrounded Soi Fon on either side with their zanpakuto's at her neck.
This only made Soi Fon smile even more. She snapped her fingers briefly and members of the second division detained Yoruichi and Urahara long enough for Soi Fon to drag Tatsuki out of the room. Urahara and Yoruichi had terrified looks on their faces as they watched the event.
Soi Fon dragged the squirming girl upstairs into Ichigo's room before throwing her onto Ichigo's desk chair. Tatsuki bolted from the chair, aiming for the door. Instantly, the sound of a bone being dislodged from its socket was heard as Soi Fon dislocated Tatsuki's shoulder. Tatsuki screeched in pain and she attempted to stem the flow of tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks.
"Is that what will get the brat to remain motionless?" Soi Fon pondered out loud. She wasn't, however, expecting the perfect round-house kick that had just implanted itself in her face.
Soi Fon flew into Ichigo's closet, where Kon had been trying to take a nap. Her head had been thrown violently against one of the shelves and she grunted in pain. Clearing her head from the dizziness that was clouding her vision, Soi Fon ignored Kon's bitching about his interrupted nap and instead bolted towards Tatsuki. The girl had managed to make it so far as to open the door before Soi Fon grabbed her ankle.
Letting out a startled yell, it quickly turned into a long scream of pain as Soi Fon proceeded to break every one of Tatsuki's fingers on her right hand. Soi Fon enjoyed the power high for all of two minutes before she heard crashing noises from downstairs. What the hell was going on?
Ignoring Tatsuki for the moment, Soi Fon stepped into the upstairs hallway and looked down the flight of stairs. Two of the men from her division literally flew into her vision as they landed at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. Soi Fon bolted down the stairs and turned the corner to see a rather horrifying sight in front of her. Apparently the Quincy and s friend, Chad, had decided to break out their powers on the second division at the sound of their friend's pain.
Soi Fon also noted that Urahara was knocking her members out left and right using the hilt of his zanpakuto. But what made Soi Fon the angriest was that Yoruichi was throwing punches and kicks in a whirl-wind to her surrounding members. The little 'battle' had managed to take out all of the division members that had been sent with Soi Fon to the house. Soi Fon howled in fury before claming herself down rapidly. Bringing her thumb and pointer finger into a circle into her mouth, Soi Fon let out a piercing whistle. Instantly, 300 more of her division's members poured into the house from every possible exit.
"The games are over," Soi Fon paused before looking at the completely trapped group, "Now you die."
Just as she was about to issue the killing order, a voice broke eerily over the crowd, "Chire, Sebonzakura."
Soi Fon watched in horror as a thousand cherry blossoms filled the room, and in an instant all three hundred of her men and women were unconscious. Obviously Byakuya's shikai had gained some new ability that could temporarily disable others in battle. Soi Fon watched in alarm as Byakuya Kuchiki and Rukia Kuchiki entered the room with Isshin Kurosaki at their side. Yuzu and Karin immediately bolted to their father, who scooped both of them up at once and hugged them.
Soi Fon was about to speak, when a wild reiatsu burst into the room. Her head snapped in the direction of the other nearest exit as Zaraki Kenpachi entered with his lieutenant draped over his shoulder. Madarame and Yumichika were standing behind the pair, zanpakuto's drawn. Finally, Soi Fon's attention was drawn to the last exit, her only chance of escape. As she made her way closer to the exit, she watched in horror as Captain Hitsugaya and his lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku stepped through, with Renji Abarai close behind them, effectively blocking her chance for escape.
Soi Fon, however, wasn't about to give up without a fight. She knew she was outnumbered and against five captains for that matter, but she didn't want to be seen as weak. She wasn't going to give in without injuring at least one person. Turning to face Byakuya, Soi Fon held up her zanpakuto and prepared herself.
"You realize that – after me – others will come for you. They won't stop until your dead."
"We are all quite aware of that. However, we are prepared to take down any other threats," Byakuya replied and watched as Kenpachi's face lit up at the thought.
Everyone's attention focused back on Soi Fon as she laughed loudly, "No, Kuchiki, you don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation. Now alongside of helping a criminal escape, you have all been charged with instigating two attacks on sereiti and abandoning your positions as captains and vice-captains," She laughed again and lifted her zanpakuto, "Now you must deal with the royal guard as well."
Everyone's eyes widened at that statement. All of the captains in the room were well aware that the royal guard was the most powerful defense that soul society had to offer. It was compromised of former captains and vice-captains, after all.
Rukia's attention was drawn to Isshin as he suddenly stepped forward to speak, "Then we will do as my son did, and leave."
Karin and Yuzu looked up at their father in shock, "Are we really leaving dad?"
"We have to, girls. We have no choice."
There was a collective murmur of agreement on that statement, even from Uryuu and Orihime, who had just reappeared in the room with a fully-healed Tatsuki. Yoruichi stepped forward and looked at her former subordinate and friend in disdain.
"However, Soi Fon. Let it be known that once this new war starts, and soul society needs our help, we won't be there to give it to them. Yamamoto and his army have lost our support."
"Fool. We. Don't. Need. Your. Help." Soi Fon accentuated as she glared up at Yoruichi.
Yoruichi only grinned, "We'll see about that, won't we?"
She watched as Soi Fon let out a howl of anger and charged her. Soi Fon only made it half way across the room before she was knocked out cold.
From each spot in the room, captains and former captains exchanged worried glances as they took in the gravity of the situation. There was absolutely no backing out of it now. They had less than twenty-four hours to gather their belongings and leave Karakura for good. If they remained, they would most certainly die.
"Matsumoto and I will go with Inoue Orihime to retrieve her belongings and meet you back here by 6:30," Captain Hitsugaya said and motioned for the two to follow him.
As they exited, Byakuya turned towards Ishida, "Renji and I will follow you to your home and explain the situation to your father," Ishida nodded briefly and the three of them left together.
Tatsuki, still terrified by the incident with Soi Fon, requested that she be left in Karakura. While the others had been hesitant to allow her make such a decision, Yoruichi agreed, stating that most of soul society didn't even know about Tatsuki and that her reiatsu was so little that it would most likely be overlooked or not sensed at all. After Yoruichi's explanation, the others had reluctantly agreed and Yoruichi took Tatsuki back to her house.
Meanwhile, Tessai had begun to prepare a rather large meal while Urahara returned to his shop to pick up the belongings he would need most. As he returned, he demanded that everyone clear the area in the family room. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, he placed a sapphire jewel near the light switch and then pressed it twice. A blue mist emitted from the jewel and spread out over the area. Everyone watched as the mist settled above the members of the second division and Soi Fon and then slowly began entering through their mouths and noses.
As the process finished, the jewel on the wall shattered and everything returned to normal. Yoruichi, who had returned seconds before, walked forward and examined the bodies for any changes. She could see no difference.
"Kisuke, what did you do?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, that was a nemasu mist. It will put the members of the second division into a sleep-like state for the next three days. That should give us plenty of time to remove ourselves from Karakura town."
Yoruichi stared at Kisuke in awe. Although it shouldn't still surprise her that Kisuke came up with these things, it did. She shook her head slightly and walked towards the kitchen. She stopped as the door to the front of the house opened and Byakuya, Renji, and Ishida walked in. Each of them was holding two bags. Yoruichi raised her eyebrow and Byakuya only shook his head in disdain.
"He wanted to bring extra Quincy outfits," Byakuya replied before setting the bags down in the foyer.
Behind them, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Orihime shuffled in and shut the door behind them. Matsumoto was holding Orihime's two bags. She set them down next to Ishida's and sighed heavily.
"Ah, I'm just so tired! Who would have thought Orihime-chan would have such heavy bags!"
Hitsugaya glared at her before picking up the bags himself, to test her theory. Sure enough, Toshiro fell over backwards at the weight. Baffled, he stood up and stared at the red-head bewilderedly.
"Orihime! What do you have in there?"
Inoue laughed nervously and waved the group away, "Oh nothing! Nothing! Just some cook ware I had lying around the kitchen."
Everyone in the group gave her a blank stare before Tessai's shout of 'dinner is served' lead them all into the kitchen. The kitchen table had been merged with the dining table in order to fit the entire group. They would have to make more accommodations later in order for everyone to have a place to sleep. Urahara had commented that people could have taken the floor if the entire second division wasn't already spread out there, and Byakuya shot him a glare.
Later that night, everyone had managed to fall into an uneasy sleep. Rukia had slept in her normal spot in Ichigo's closet, while Orihime and Matsumoto shared Ichigo's bed. Hitsugaya had opted to sleep on an air mattress in the center of the room. The members of the eleventh division had taken up the living room couches and floor while Renji, Chad, Ishida, and Byakuya had taken the guest bedroom in the basement. Karin, Yuzu, Jinta, and Ururu were all asleep in Karin & Yuzu's room while Tessai had decided to sleep on another air mattress in Isshin's study.
Yoruichi and Kisuke were the only two members of the group still awake. They were currently sitting outside on the porch in silence. Both of them were reflecting on the current situation, and how, exactly, they were going to get out of it. Yoruichi sighed audibly before turning her head in Kisuke's direction.
"How did we get in this mess, Kisuke?"
Urahara placed a hand on Yoruichi's shoulder, "I don't know. But I hope that Kurosaki-kun and the others got my message. We might have to meet them sooner than we thought," he breathed.
Yoruichi shook her head, "I don't think it's a good idea to meet up with them, Kisuke. If we have too large of a group moving around the country together, it's bound to draw attention at some point. It's bad enough that there is a group of nine vizards living together somewhere. Our group can stay together for now, but eventually we may have to separate as well."
"I was hoping that didn't have to happen," Kisuke admitted sheepishly, "But I guess we have no choice."
Yoruichi looked at the sad expression on Kisuke's face and she removed herself from her chair. She walked towards him before settling herself in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"As long as we have each other, it doesn't matter what happens."
Kisuke leaned in to kiss her gently, "As long as we have that, then I think you're right."
He smiled warmly and nuzzled her neck lightly, "I think we'll have to send Ichigo some more news."
Ichigo opened his eyes to see Hiyori and Shinji standing above him. With their help, he stood up from the training ground and dusted off his clothing. These little 'messages' that Urahara had been sending him lately – while helpful – were starting to get extremely annoying. He had already had several bruises and scrapes from landing in random spots to receive the messages, and his sleep schedule was severely cut in half.
"Geez, doesn't Kisuke think he's overdoing it a bit?" Shinji questioned while looking at the haggard appearance of the man in front of him.
"That's my line," Ichigo said bitterly.
Hiyori looked at them both impatiently, "Well what did he say this time?"
"Apparently their group has plans to leave the country as well. They didn't disclose where, though. He said it wouldn't be possible to meet up with us," Ichigo paused and looked slightly saddened at the thought, "They're sticking together for now, but they might have to split up once they arrive in America."
"That's rough," Shinji said and then raised an eyebrow, "But oh wait, we're doing exactly the same thing."
Hiyori's expression became panicked, "What do you mean, Shinji?!?! The vizards can't split up!"
Shinji's eyes widened and he waved his hands frantically, "No, Hiyori, I mean't that we're doing the same thing by moving all over the globe for our safety."
Hiyori calmed down at that statement and then smacked Shinji across the face with her water bottle, "Asshole! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Shinji yelped in pain while Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair, "He also said that he wouldn't be sending us messages for a while. At least not until something major comes up that he has to relay to us."
Ichigo turned on his heel slightly and both Shinji and Hiyori looked at him questioningly, "That being said, I'm taking a well-deserved nap."
Five hours later, Ichigo woke up to the smell of barbequed chicken. Hungrily, he pushed himself out of bed and set off to join the others at the dinner table. As he sat down, Mashiro beamed at him. Ichigo did a double take as he noticed the color of her hair. Instead of its usual mint-green, Mashiro was now sporting a light-brown 'do.
"Do you like my hair, Berry-tan? Ah! Wait until you see Hachi's!"
Ichigo whirled around in his chair as Hachi made his appearance into the room, on cue. The cotton candy pink of Hachi's hair had turned into a pale blonde color, similar to Kisuke's. Ichigo was somewhat surprised by the transformations. It would take a little while to get used to.
"So as I was saying,"Hiyori glared at Mashiro for interrupting her story, "Ichigo has learned how to fire a decent-sized cero. He still needs a lot of practice though."
"That's great Ichigo. You're making a lot of progress. Though, I think you should take off from training tomorrow. You look exhausted," Lisa commented.
There was a murmur of agreement from around the table, "Yeah, just take it easy tomorrow. We have plenty of time to hone your skills," Love stated as he shoved a fork full of chicken into his mouth.
Ichigo wasn't about to argue with the suggestion. He could definitely use a full day to catch up on sleep. Besides, Love was right. They had a long time to work on Ichigo's skills. It wasn't like they had a war to help soul society fight. Yamamoto had lost their support about two weeks ago.
"At this point, even if Ukitake does somehow wake up from his coma, I really doubt any of us would be willing to forgive Yamamoto's actions up to this point. When this is all over, soul society has a lot of ass-kissing to do," Kensei stated out of the blue.
No one commented on the randomness of the statement. Everyone was too busy focused on Kensei's last statement. When this is all over. Obviously Kensei was hoping for a positive outlook on the whole situation. Ichigo wasn't even sure if he was looking for that anymore.
Yamamoto had failed Ichigo too many times in the past to be forgiven now. He had forbade Ichigo from saving Orihime even though the girl had helped to rescue Rukia from her death sentence and had helped soul society discover the traitors. Ichigo had also taken countless blows for Yamamoto when Amagai had stolen the old man's power and was attempting to use it against him. He wasn't sure that a man like that deserved his support.
"Nice going, Kensei, you effectively killed the mood," Shinji joked from across the table.
Kensei grunted in response and stood from the table. He brought his dishes over to the dishwasher and Lisa followed suit. The rest of the vizards were sitting quietly around the table, some still reflecting on Kensei's statement.
"He's right though," Rose said quietly, "They've made this mistake once before. We never even really forgave them for that time."
"So it's unlikely that we can ever forgive them for this time," Hachi added in agreement.
"Of course we can't," Shinji chimed in as he stood from the table, "You can't forgive people who don't apologize."
"But what do we do about the souls not affiliated with soul society when this new threat decides to make its move?" Ichigo inquired, seriously.
Everyone grew completely quiet as they reflected on the statement. Shinji let a sigh escape his lips as he looked backwards at Ichigo, "Well decide what to do about that when the time comes."
"And if we're too late?" Ichigo asked, glaring somewhat coldly at Shinji.
"Then we're too late," Shinji retorted just as coldly.
Ichigo wondered briefly if this is what it really meant to be a vizard. He watched as mostly everyone went their respective ways. Soon it was just him and Hiyori, alone in the kitchen. Then Hiyori stood up and looked at Ichigo, seriousness suddenly gracing her features.
"He doesn't mean that, Ichigo. Shinji may make a lot of bold remarks, but in the end he always tries to do what's right."
Ichigo nodded in understanding, "And you?"
"I feel the same way he does. The same way that you feel too. As inclusive as this family may seem, none of us want to see innocent people get hurt. Sometimes I think that's the only thing that still makes us human."
Ichigo looked up at Hiyori's depressed expression with surprise. Is this how she really felt?
Hiyori suddenly looked away and her volume lowered to such a degree that Ichigo was forced to strain his ears to hear her, "Please don't tell anyone I said that."
"I won't," Ichigo replied and watched as Hiyori made her way upstairs to her bedroom, "I promise," he added to himself.
Because sometimes, he felt the same exact way.