What will they do next? Time to see if you guessed right or not. I do not own Bleach, characters or locations.
~Seireitei~
"I call this meeting to order." Kyoraku's voice resonated throughout the room. "What have you all found during this week?" Kyoraku turned to the Taichou of squad 2.
"No sign or traces of either Aizen Sosuke or Abarai Rini." The following nine Taichous had not been able to find anything more than The 2nd squad Taichou.
"I was able to find reference to a ritual." Kyoraku perked up at the 10th squad's Taichou's words. Hitsugaya continued when he saw he had everyone's attention. "It's called the Blood Ritual. The reference I found didn't give detail on how it works or how to reverse its effect, but it does say what it's effects are. One: It causes false Hollowfication. Two: It causes whoever the ritual is performed on to lose their memory. Three: It's only temporary as long as the seal that appears on the victim's neck is present. Finally: The seal disappears after a length a time. Which depends on how exposed the victim is to Hollowfied Reiatsu. Once the seal disappears the effects of the ritual become permanent."
"Where did you come by this information?" Kurotsuchi-Taichou asked curiously.
"I did not come by it. Kurosaki Karin brought me a book her brother had in his room that she thought might be helpful." Ichigo wondered what book the Ice Taichou was talking about.
"What book was that?" Ichigo had no clue what book it was.
"The one hidden in your closet." Karin spoke like she was walking on thin glass. "You got it after mom died trying to find a way to bring her back." She knew Ichigo had tried many times to bring their mother back to life, because he felt guilty that he was the reason she died.
"Oh that one." Ichigo knew exactly what book it was. He never tried anything out of that book. It didn't make sense and it creeped his younger self out.
"May I see this book?" Everyone turned to Urahara. The man didn't have his regular striped hat on but the rest of his outfit was how it normally was. Hitsugaya took a small black covered book out from his robes and handed it to the former Taichou. "How interesting." Kisuke turned the book over and rifled through a few pages. He stopped on a page that caught his eye. He turned to the orange haired Taichou of 9th squad. "Where did you get this book?"
"I got it at a festival. There was a fortune teller there and she just handed it to me. Told me to keep it safe." Ichigo remembered the festival, but he had a hard time remembering the lady at the stall. "She had really weird hair colour."
"That was the first festival we went to after mom died right?" Yuzu seemed confused to everyone. Her brother nodded at her. "I remember that stall, but there wasn't anyone there when we walked by." Yuzu had a really good memory. She had wanted to go back to the stall later when someone was there, because there was a necklace that look like one her mother had Worn often.
"So it may have been a Soul. Yuzu couldn't see Souls when she was younger." Isshin explained seeing the confusion on the other Taichou's faces.
"It could have also been a Hollow that was worried for its fellow Hollows." Everyone turned to Urahara who had his face in the black book. "It says that all of the rituals require a lot of 'heartless' sacrifices. Meaning either killed in cold blood, or with literally no heart."
Everyone knew what that meant. If Aizen knew the ritual then it may already be too late to stop it.
"You're right. The ritual is already taking place." Everyone turned to the cloaked figure at the door. Most taking a defensive stance. "Do not be afraid. I am an ally." She pulled down her hood to reveal long black hair that had streaks of red, orange, and yellow in it.
"You say that, but how do we know that is true?" Kyoraku wondered how the woman had gotten into the sealed room. He was distracted by a Hell butterfly flying into the room. "What is it now?" He held his hand out for the butterfly to land on.
"Kyoraku-Soutaichou, I apologies for interrupting your meeting, but something has happened. The Soukyoku has disappeared." The person who had sent the message had spoken loud enough that all of the Taichous had also heard the message. They all were shocked by the news.
"Sorry for causing panic, but the safety of my master was at steak. I could not stay with her and risk being unable to help her." The woman drew attention to herself again. "As you said earlier, she will lose her memory if she hasn't already. This was the only way I could help her."
Kyoraku could see that she was almost in tears. 'It must be hard for her to be away from her master. Wait a minute' Kyoraku smiled at his thoughts. "You're the Soukyoku, aren't you?" The other Taichous, except for Urahara and Kurotsuchi, looked from the Soutaichou to the cloaked woman and back several times.
"My name is Shinouta. I am Abarai Rini's zanpakutou." She removed the cloak to reveal shinigami's robes, but instead of white and black it was red and black. "Please help my master. The heir of the Shinchi family."
"Shinchi family?" Hirako-Taichou tilted his head at the zanpakutou spirit.
"That was our mother's family name." Renji spoke up. He had not heard anyone use that name since his childhood. "It actually used to be Chike many generations ago. But then it started being used to slander the family, so they changed it. According to what my mother told me when she was alive, no one should know that name. The name of fallen Royalty should be forgotten." Seeing the hurt on the zanpakutou's face he added, "Her words not mine."
"Royalty?" Kyoraku looked at the Fukutaichou. He had never heard of the Shinchi family, but the Chike Clan sounded familiar. "If I remember correctly. Almost a thousand years ago the Chike Clan was one of the six Royal families. They refused to use their power to help protect the humans and turned on the other families. In the end they were wiped out, but there were a few that escaped. And one branch of the family that helped exterminate their own family. They were the Shinchi, correct." His glance went back and forth between the zanpakutou and Abarai.
"Yes, Soutaichou." The history of the fall of the Chike Clan was taught in the academy an example of what would happen if someone went against The Soul King. "However the Shinchi family is never mentioned in that history, because years after that they refused to help again. But this time they did not openly refuse him." Renji began rebelling the story his mother had told him long ago when he was a small child. "Instead they plotted to overthrow The Soul King. Everyone in the family knew about the plan. Only one person did not agree with the plan. The youngest daughter of the family Head's youngest sibling, my mother, Shinchi Yuki.
"She was betrothed to the last member of another Royal family, the Abarai Clan. Their name was lost to history by request from my father, Abarai Kirito. My mother told my father of her family's plot to kill The Soul King on the night before their marriage. My father saw my mother's displeasure in her family's choice. He brought her to meet The Soul King, lying to her family saying they were going to get the King's blessing as my father was his nephew.
"They were married that night and my mother took my father's name. The next day the extermination of the Shinchi family was ordered. My father and mother decided to leave the Soul King's realm so that my mother would be safe, but they were not hunted by the Royal Guard.
"Many people were killed, but the strongest fighters, including the Head had escaped. He escaped using the power he refused to used to protect others. 'The Soukyoku prefers Pure Bloods', that was the saying used by the family to choose the Head. He was always the strongest, but his power had started to fade. That was why he had planned to overthrow The Soul King. So he could replenish his power, without anyone being able to deny him."
"the Soukyoku cleansing ritual." Ukitake spoke up. Renji nodded in response before continuing on.
"They tracked down my mother and father in the same year that me and my sister where born. My father protected my mother, and fought off their pursuers as my mother escaped. My father's Clan had the ability to control Hollows with their voice, but it was at the cost of their lives. My father used that ability till it took his life, but he took almost all his enemies with him. The only one that remained was my mother's uncle. My mother guessed he was still alive, since she heard any gossip around the village she hid in about a man with hair the colour of blood wandering around the forrest.
"The day Rini was taken away was the same day my mother died. After I saw them take her away I ran back to the house to tell my mother that Rini had been taken. She had told me to protect her no matter what. I found shinigami standing outside my house. My house was in ruins with blood covering everything." Everyone was as silent as death while Renji told his story. He was surprised that he hadn't shed a tear while he had told it.
"When Rini was born Shinchi Itachi lost the power of the Soukyoku, but the family had lost the ability to physically manifest it centuries earlier when Chike Clan had first refused and it was taken away from them. That was when it came into the possession of the Gotei 13, and when the sacrifices began." Shinouta continued when Renji had finished. "But Rini was different than the rest. The Sokyoku always appears to the next head of the Shinchi family. Before her all of my bearers were male. She is the first female to have me and the first to be in possession of another zanpakutou spirit. I always remember all those who I have shared my power with, but I am beginning to forget their faces and names. She will most likely be my last master."
Everyone else in the room was still trying to process the information they had just received. A few of them were completely lost and some had managed to keep up, just barely. "So then. This matter is even more serious than we thought?" The 7th squad Taichou thought aloud.
"No it's just what you thought." A group walked through the large double doors "It's just a little more delicate than you thought. Sorry to interrupt."
"You don't need to apologies. The Royal Guard is always welcomed here, Kirio Hikifune." Kyoraku was not surprised by the arrival of the Royal Guard. Nor to the fact that they already knew everything they had just been told. He was just a little annoyed that he wasn't informed about this earlier.
~Los Noches~
"How are you feeling today?" Aizen was leaning against a wall in the infirmary.
"Not bad. My head doesn't hurt anymore. I can dress myself Mist!" A grey haired Espada walk out from behind a curtain and bowed to Aizen then left.
"I thought we could go for a walk. Maybe see what's going on with that brother of yours." Aizen had made sure to tell his newest Espada all about the red haired shinigami.
"That sounds like fun." An Espada with red hair pulled into an intricate ponytail walked out in her new uniform. A cruel smile was spread across her lips. "I'm sure he's missing his Onee-chan."
"Moth. Open a rift to Soul Society. Blood wants to see how her brother is doing." Aizen lead a Hollowfied Rini toward an open rift.
"Time to make the blood sing!" Blood wanted to see how well her Voice worked on the Visoreds. Aizen wanted to show off his new Espada, and he wasn't planning anything subtle this time.
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