Chapter 8: The Shiba Clan.
According to you …I'm stupid, I'm useless, I can't do anything right. According to you… I'm difficult, hard to please, forever changing my mind.
(A/n: Sorry, but I'm skipping through the Jidanbo part and going straight to the Shiba house!!)
"So, Yoruichi, This is where Shiba Kukaku lives?" Kimiko asks, looking up at the two huge arms. Her feline friend nods, "Yes, Kukaku likes moving from place to place." They proceed to walk into the house and Kimiko looks back at Ichigo and Uryu, "Are you two idiots coming or not?" After they snap out of their shock, they walk up to the house. Two large men jump down from the huge arms, "What are you people doing here? Be gone!" the yellow one yells. "Two of you are soul Reapers! Leave at once!" Ichigo grabs Zangetsu, "Man, this place is crawling with gatekeepers… It's a real pain in the ass." The two men see Yoruichi and gasp, "M-Master Yoruichi! Please, forgive us!" The man leads them down the stairway and knocks on the door, "Master! You have visitors…" There's a thud against the door and he opens it, revealing a woman in a red tank-top and a long white skirt. "It's been a long time, Yoruichi…" She says. "Everyone, this is Shiba Kukaku," Yoruichi says, walking into the room. Kimiko bows, "Nice to meet you, I'm Kuchiki Kimiko." "So you're from the Kuchiki clan…" Kukaku says. She glances at Yoruichi, who simply nods her head, "We need your help, Kukaku." Yoruichi explains the whole story and Kukaku sighs, "You always need something whenever you visit me, Yoruichi… But I'll help you." She stands up, "I'll have an overseer help you out." Yoruichi looks up and asks, "Overseer?" Kukaku walks to the opposite door, "Yeah, but he's actually my kid brother. He's a bit of an idiot, but he'll have to do." She yells at the door, "I'm opening the door now, so behave yourself." The person on the other side grumbles, "Yeah, sis, I'm ready." She opens the door and the man bows, "My name is Shiba Ganju. It's an honor to meet you!" Kimiko sighs as Ganju and Ichigo start fighting, "We're never getting into the Soul Society like this…"
Meanwhile, in the Seireitei, Renji escorts Rukia into the Repentance Cell. "Do you see it, Rukia? That is the instrument to your execution… the Sokyoku," He says. The other guards get ready to leave, but Renji stays. "… Lieutenant Abarai, we must lock the chamber…" One of them says. He ignores them and walks up to Rukia, gripping her shoulder tightly, "I want to leave you with some undisclosed information… It seems that the White Road gate was opened by a few ryoka… Now my sources say that one of them was a Soul Reaper… A Soul Reaper with orange hair and a sword as long as his body…." Rukia gasps and looks at Renji.
Back with Kimiko and the others… Ganju and Ichigo are still fighting. One of them knocks Kukaku's pipe out of her hand and breaks it. She gets pissed off and charges an intense attack. Kimiko and the others manage to get out of the house unharmed. When they make it back in Kukaku orders them to follow her into the basement. "Alright, this is how we're gonna get you guys into the Seireitei! Through the sky!!" She shouts, "Or my name's not Shiba Kukaku, Fireworks expert of the Rukongai! Kuroganehiko! Shiroganehiko, Raise it up now!!" There's a huge rumbling as the platform rises up to the ceiling. "What the hell?!?" Kimiko yells, crouching down.
Back with Renji, he walks alone, looking up at the Repentance Cell. "… How long has it been since I saw Rukia's face look so alive?" He thinks. "Hello! It's been a while, Renji!" He hears. He looks up, "Aizen-taicho!" Renji exclaims. "How have you been? I heard about Kimiko… Do you think she's alright?" Aizen asks. Renji looks down, "… I don't know… we basically left her for dead in the world of the living…" "Well if I know Kimiko, she'll be just fine until she has to return." Aizen says, "Unless… Gin was right and she was with the ryoka that infiltrated the Soul Society yesterday…" Renji looks up, "W-What? Sh-She was with them?" Aizen looks at Renji, "… Renji, I have to ask you something… Do you think that Rukia deserves to die?" "What are you talking about Aizen-taicho?!" Renji asks. "I'm simply saying… Isn't it a little odd that the Sokyoku is being used on someone lower than a captain's rank? I cant help but feel that… Somebody is doing all of this on purpose…" Aizen says, "Renji… Maybe I--!" he's cut off by the emergency siren, "All captains and lieutenants report to their meeting rooms!"
"What the hell is that thing?!" Kimiko yells, looking up at the huge cannon-like tube. "This is how we're going to get you all into the Seireitei!" Kukaku says. She explains about her shukaku sphere and how the Sekki-Sekki rock guards the Seireitei from invasions… The others go back to the house to train, Kimiko waits for Kukaku, "… I knew your brother, Shiba-san…" She says, "He was… my commanding officer at the time of the accident." Kukaku looks at her, "… you know who killed him?" Kimiko looks at her, "… Yes. But… It was an accident. She didn't mean to kill him!" Kukaku stares at Kimiko with a hard look in her eyes, "… She?"
* * *
A few hours later, everyone meets up in front of the cannon. "Kimiko, Yoruichi-san, do you know how to use the sphere?" Uryu asks. Kimiko and Yoruichi (Who is on Kimiko's shoulder.) look at each other, "Hm… That's a good question, hand me a sphere," Kimiko says. Ichigo tosses her one and she balances it on one finger. The orb glows and the cannonball forms around her. She smirks and laughs, "Heh that was easy as breathing in and out." Ichigo falls to the floor, "It's not fair!!"