Hello, I'm finally back! I barely have any time to type anymore. This chapter took FOREVER to type. Hopefully you will like it.
Thank you Reviewers: Umbra8191, RasenShuriken92, ZxZ Fic Hunter, Impstar, Silvdra-zero, Crystalzap, v, Winged Wolfie Chibi, bostafu, X- Death-x, Silent1, I, Xtian, ShaDowEmpIre, Kaomoun, kyubii's shinigami, Frostfire613, EternalLoveHitsuHina, and kenegi.
I'm sorry this took so fricken' long!
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Ichigo looked at Urahara and then Toshiro. The tent felt cramped. Uryuu, Sado, Rukia, Shinji, Hiyori, Lisa, Love, Rose, Hachigen, Kensei, Mashiro, Urahara, Yoruichi, Shunsui, Jushiro, Izuru, Retsu and Byakuya were all in the medium sized tent. Everyone wanted to know what was going on. The orange-haired shinigami sighed and rubbed the back his neck. "I'm guessing you want to know everything." Everyone nodded. Ichigo felt like he shouldn't tell them, but he knew they would be relentless until they got their answers. Ichigo knew that there would be some sort of effect of telling them. Urahara could tell he was unsure about telling the group anything.
"Ichigo, we aren't going to tell the council." Urahara stated giving a small grin, "That is something that only hinder everyone. Most likely getting us in some deep trouble." Urahara crossed his arms. Hiyori growled. Yes, the council was very good at causing grief. Urahara wondered if the council should even be allowed to pull the ropes or anything. The last council wasn't as bad as the one now. Everyone was just paranoid.
"Real deep shit there." Hiyori frowned.
"What I want to know is why did Naruto come looking for you in the first place?" Shinji said looking at Ichigo expectantly. "If you say you don't know, then you're lying. I know you have more knowledge on this than anyone else here." Shinji eyes bore into Ichigo's. Ichigo knew this was going to happen at some point, so he sighed.
"Let me start from the beginning." Ichigo closed his eyes. "First thing you know is that Naruto is from a different world."
"Different world?" Everyone seemed to repeat Ichigo in their own manner. He felt a bit annoyed. No wonder Toshiro hated being interrupted.
"As in a literal differentworld?" Renji asked. Ichigo knew it was a rather big concept. Ichigo had questions of his own. Why did Naruto end up here of all places? Though, asking himself questions would only add more to amount of confusion.
"Yes." The substitute shinigami answered. "He appeared in the Soul Society years ago, as you all know."
"Is there a reason why Naruto came to this world?" Uryuu disrupted Ichigo, bringing up his previous thoughts.
"I don't know why Naruto came to this world." Ichigo confirmed with the group. This was the truth. It bothered him that Naruto just randomly came to this world. He felt as if there was something else that brought him here. Then it brought up the possibility that there was an entire different universe. It was humbling to say the least. The world that Ichigo lived in wasn't the only one. Clearing his mind, he began to explain. "Now, the world where Naruto comes from, they most likely don't have hollows or shinigami. When Naruto first appeared he had no idea what a hollow was."
"From what Naruto told me, they didn't have anything like that. He told me that he lived in a village of shinobi." Toshiro added.
"That would explain why he excels in the strange ninja technique." Yoruichi said bringing her hand to her chin in a thought-filled manner.
"Then why did he turn into a hollow?" Retsu asked finding no connection between the worlds. "If they don't exist in his own world, why would he be a hollow?" Ichigo paused. Would he really want to explain that is was because of him? Izuru sensed Ichigo's discomfort.
"Ichigo." Izuru said, "What is the reason?" Ichigo felt like he couldn't tell them. Maybe it was guilt. It bothered him to know Naruto was dealing with darkness that truly belong to Ichigo. It brought up the question, was it entirely Ichigo's fault that Naruto was corrupted by darkness. Others in the room felt his discomfort and began to wonder what exactly was the reason.
"You see," Ichigo took in a deep breath, "As I said he didn't belong to this world. When he came to this world, in order to keep balance, he took something of similar value and gave something of similar value. Since Naruto died in his world…and came with regret…" Ichigo stopped, and took in another breath of air. "He took in darkness, because of his regret…and gave away light."
"…It was your darkness he received, wasn't it?" Shunsui looked at Ichigo in the eye. He connected the dots. Most people thought Shunsui was an unobservant person. Shunsui just liked to enjoy his time, rather than be serious. He liked when other people were relaxed. Being serious all the time was stressful. The orange-haired teen looked like a scolded child. Shunsui saw the guilt in his eyes. Ichigo hated the fact that he caused someone else misery.
"…yes…" Ichigo saw a couple of people's expressions. They looked a little shocked. Guilt rose in his chest, and swelled in his heart. "I never wanted that to happen. I feel like it's all my damn fault he is the way he is now!" he clenched his hands into fists. He kept his hardened gaze on the floor, he couldn't deal with the guilt of looking at his friends. People seemed to suffer around him. His life someone was harmed by him, conscious or not. People found ways to twist their life around his own, his fear becoming others fears, his hurt becoming others hurt, and his pain becoming others pain. It was too much. He didn't want others to have to share his burdens. They would only end up like Naruto, unsure, broken, and lost. Hearing the shuffling of feet, he flinched. Ichigo felt a hand slip onto his shoulder. He looked up slowly. Rukia had upset expression.
"No one blames you." Rukia said with a quiet voice. Ichigo's eyes searched the room to see that no one had a judgmental look. His heart eased to see her words were true. Rukia smiled at him, "Geez, such a nice guy under that tough exterior." Taking her hand, which was placed on his shoulder, She very lightly punched his arm in playful manner, but it was rather harsh. "Don't get too soft or you might melt like butter." She added with a small glare "You would only make yourself a bigger idiot." Ichigo sighed, feeling a little more light-hearted. Rukia backed away to allow Ichigo more space. Ichigo was still gracious for his friends. Sometimes they were annoying, maybe a little stubborn, and stupid. He stilled cared for them.
"So Naruto turned into a hollow because of the darkness?" Kensei asked.
"No exactly. It was Naruto's decision to go as far as he is…but I can't blame him." Ichigo stated.
"I'm sure that's how everyone feels…after all he has been manipulated…" Jushiro frowned, "It must have dealt a great amount of pain on him to be used like a puppet..." Jushiro wished he had been more involved with Naruto. He could have helped prevent this. He snapped himself out of his negative thoughts; it wouldn't help in this situation. Iruka was counting on him.
"In a way we are all to blame…for letting this happen…" Lisa brought up.
"I guess…" Hachigen began to speak.
"You have more to tell Mr. Ichigo?" Mashiro interrupted and looked at Ichigo with big eyes. The group looked at Ichigo, he hesitated and then nodded.
"Because of the darkness from me, he has a darker self." Ichigo sensed shock around him, "I've seen it…and the darker self took form of me rather than Naruto." Ichigo remembered the energy that surrounded the hollow. It was thick and it made him feel ill. The killer intent was an extremely high level. If looks could kill Ichigo would have been dead. The one thing that really bothered Ichigo was that it reached out to him, as if it knew him. "He's been dealing with the same problems as me…"
"That isn't the only thing." Toshiro spoke from the bed he was sitting on. "He has a demon sealed inside of him…"
"T-two?" Renji blinked surprised, "A demon and a hollow? That's harsh."
"A demon?" Uryuu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What type of demon is this? What exactly-"
"It's the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Toshiro cut off the Qunicy. Everyone looked blown away. "Naruto has had it sealed inside of him for over one hundred years. It's been his curse while living…and even now." Toshiro felt as if some one was staring at him. He looked to see Byakuya staring at him. It was odd. Byakuya didn't shift his gaze away from Toshiro. The captain's eyes connected. Something inside Toshiro wanted to go punch Byakuya but he ignored the feeling.
"Kyuubi no Kitsune? I've read stories about the demon, but I never thought that it would be real…" Sado remembered several books he read about the Kyuubi.
"He is from another world. I wonder what type world it is…" Rose pondered, "It almost sounds like there would be endless war."
"He lives with a demon and a hollow much like Ichigo's…this explains much about his character." Hachigen spoke.
"I would go insane having just dealing with the hollow let alone a demon." Shinji frowned. "Well if you don't count Hiyori-"
"Shut up dickhead!" Hiyori punched his head into the ground. She growled, and Shinji tried to stand up but she kept her foot on his head. Ichigo looked at the two. "Are you going to continue or just stand and stare?" Ichigo blinked.
"Uh, yeah." Ichigo paused, "So like I said, Naruto is dealing with two others…and they appear to fight all the time. That's why he has so many headaches." Ichigo grew quiet. How was he supposed to tell people of Naruto's friends. From what he discovered and heard, most of the people he was with were reincarnations. It would be difficult to explain fully.
"I remember we had a discussion about these names. All of them given to people who Naruto picks out. It was odd, but not everyone has these names." Love said almost like he was reading Ichigo's mind, "Is this relevant?" Ichigo nodded his head.
"Naruto gives names to those who remind him of people he once knew." Ichigo remembered how memories of some one else flashed through his mind when he tried to help Ukitake. "They were like family to him." Thoughts whirled in his head.
"Family…so wait certain people remind him of friends he cared about?" Kensei looked at Shinji, Hiyori, Yoruichi, and Urahara. Specifically he looked at Shinji. "His friends must have been messed up…" he shook his head.
"Kankuro. That's what Naruto called me." Shinji said, "I don't even know who he is, yet I felt like I have met him…the time I became unconscious…I heard a voice."
"Same here. That lady wouldn't stop bitchin' to me about Naruto." Hiyori snorted and rolled her eyes. "Tsunade must have been some sort of nagging motherly figure." Shinji resisted the urge to laugh. How could Hiyori remind some one of a motherly figure. Dwelling on the thought he came to a conclusion. Naruto had one hell of a scary motherly figure in his life.
"He often called me Jiraiya." Shunsui smiled a bit, and Hiyori felt a little unnerved when he announced this. Hiyori felt as if she should be beating the shit out of him for something. She ignored the feeling. Crossing her arms and shifted her gaze to the floor.
"Sasuke Uchiha." Toshiro looked at the people around him, "I met him, if you were given a name then most likely these people will meet you. He told me to keep moving on."
"That is what happened to me as well." Byakuya added, specifically not stating who it was in relation to. Toshiro became even more suspicious of him.
"Kakashi, the guy told me not to give up." Urahara closed his eyes for a brief second, "I had doubt about myself."
"So these people randomly show up whenever you guys feel like giving up?" Izuru said, "I hear this voice but I haven't doubted myself."
"Well maybe they appear when they want to." Mashiro added her two cents in.
"That doesn't make any sense…" Uryuu folded his arms.
"Well one thing is for sure…they don't want us to give up on Naruto." Yoruichi stated. They all became quiet. Ichigo wondered how so many people could have come from a different world. What was the cause?
"Excuse me!" A shinigami came in interrupting the meeting. All of them turned to see a rather small and young girl. "Yamamoto-soutaichou would like to see you all." She stated. The members of the Gotei 13 sighed. "It is of great importance!" she added with a little flush of embarrassment. Everyone began to empty the crowded tent. Ichigo saw that Only Toshiro and Byakuya were left. Byakuya gave him a look telling him to leave. Ichigo nodded. For some reason he felt that it had to do with the people Naruto knew.
"Is there something the matter Byakuya? You have been staring at me the entire they were talking." Toshiro felt something deep within him stir. He gave Byakuya a weary look feeling that he wasn't actually there. "What-"
"I'm not here to talk with you." Byakuya said in a toneless voice, "I know you are there."
"What are you-" Toshiro was cut off and he felt the presence of someone else other than Byakuya. It was similar to Sasuke's, but different at the same time. Toshiro gave a dark look to Byakuya, "Who are you?" he asked.
"I'm not here to kill you." Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "Simply here to talk…brother…"
"What?" Toshiro then felt Sasuke's presence come out. Toshiro closed his eyes
'Ineedtotalktohim..' Toshiro blinked and was surrounded by darkness.
"Itachi." 'Sasuke' said with a quiet voice. He could hear Toshiro's thoughts echo through his mind. Toshiro's eyes opened, but were completely different. Instead of the blue that were usually, they were more like coal black mixed with red.
"Sasuke, it has been quite some time since I last saw you…" 'Itachi' stated with a little bit of regret. It was quiet, neither brother spoke. The area had an awkward air. 'Sasuke' broke the silence.
"I apologize." 'Sasuke' said quickly, "What happened…" he stopped, bearing the images in his mind. "I didn't…"
"Brother, what happened was my doing. Everything I did had a purpose." 'Itachi' spoke in a monotone manner. 'Sasuke' gave a weak glare to his brother.
"Everything you did had a purpose?" 'Sasuke' repeated with anger, "That purpose ruined your life!"
"Mine did not matter at the time."
"Really? To me it did!" It became silent. 'Sasuke' curled his hands into fists and fumed to himself. 'Itachi' did not say anything. 'Sasuke' felt the pain and the guilt of killing his brother reappearing. "Why? That's all I want to know. Why did you let me kill you!" 'Itachi' did not speak. "Tell me!"
"It was my only choice. That or let the Konoha go into another war." 'Itachi' answered.
"Why didn't you just let it happen?" 'Sasuke' asked, "Everyone wouldn't be dead and you…"
"You know I couldn't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because it would be selfish."
"What you did was selfish! To me it ruined my life!"
"…"
"I really wanted to kill you…and.."
"Sasuke."
"Then I discovered the truth." 'Sasuke' shook his head, "Then I realized, I just killed my brother. You really just wanted to protect me…"
"I-"
"You know how much I hated myself for that?"
"I wanted to hate me…not yourself." There was a small pause in tense conversation.
"You didn't plan for it…did you?"
"Plan for what?" 'Itachi' asked with a little guilt in his voice. 'Sasuke' took a deep breath.
"For me to…forgive you." 'Sasuke' said looking his brother in the eye. To say the least 'Itachi' was surprised. "When Madara told me what really happened, I forgave you. Then directed my hate to Konoha. I wanted to destroy it."
"You didn't get to."
"No…that baka, Naruto, saved the day." 'Sasuke' had a bit of humor in his voice. A small smile graced his lips. It was odd, 'Sasuke' hadn't smiled since the day he died.
"You want to save him?"
"Of course, he gave me a second chance."
"Does he really deserve it?"
"Did I?" 'Sasuke' asked with a hint of anger, but it faded. 'Itachi' understood his brother's words. "I think everyone does…maybe even Madara…and you." 'Itachi' was grateful that his brother change, he didn't know Naruto that well. Other than not giving up on saving his brother, and fighting against, and with Naruto; 'Itachi' thought Naruto had gone too deep in the darkness to be saved.
"To tell the truth, I don't care what happens to Naruto." 'Itachi' stated, "I believe he needs to be stopped."
"Itachi-" 'Sasuke's' eyes narrowed.
"But, from what I have seen from this person eyes and memories," 'Itachi' looked at his hands. He wasn't Itachi anymore but reincarnated into Byakuya, "I have seen him…he helped Byakuya. Naruto helped him." 'Sasuke' could tell 'Itachi' was as upset as himself. They no longer existed as people, just ghosts from the past, another world.
"So you will help?"
"I am helping, but you are more important to me, brother." Itachi looked back to 'Sasuke', "I lost my family a long time ago. I will not lose what I have left, again." His eyes flashed into a red, then faded to a silver color. 'Sasuke' smiled a small amount. For once, he managed to make something of the shattered pieces of his life. Even though he wasn't Sasuke anymore, he made amends with his brother.
"Byakuya-taichou!" The girl came back, both turned to see her at the entrance. "You are needed!"
"Hai, Hai." 'Itachi' waved her off. She bowed and ran back out. He gave his brother one last look. 'Sasuke' smiled at his brother for the first time in ages.
"Onii-san, you have to go. " 'Sasuke' said "Maybe next time we could practice fighting? Your skills must be rusty after 100 plus years." He said, reminiscing on the old days. 'Itachi' walked over to 'Sasuke'. 'Itachi' lightly flicked his forehead. 'Sasuke' blinked with a little surprise.
Justliketheolddays… 'Sasuke' remembered.
"Later." 'Itachi' said before walking to the exit. Sasuke closed his eyes.
'So…Itachi was your brother.' Toshiro asked, 'Who is now Byakuya…' Toshiro found it a bit strange that Byakuya and himself were once related.
'Yes, but that was the past.'
'I'm glad you two finally spoke.' Toshiro said with a blank face, 'Next time don't just take over my body randomly.' He gave a small glare.
'Sure.' Sasuke smirked.
Toshiro was back in his own body. It was a comforting thought he had family in his last life even though the relations no longer existed. He sighed reflecting back on Sasuke's answer. "That wasn't very reassuring answer." He only wished that Sasuke didn't randomly take over again. It was strange being locked in his own mind.
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"What do you mean?" Ichigo growled.
"We are not permitted to let you go Hueco Mundo." Captain Yamamoto said with a calm voice. "The council will not allow it. That even means you Ichigo, even though you are not a shinigami. The council will have you detained if you try anything."
"What about Naruto, Inoue, and aren't there shinigami missing?" Ichigo eyes narrowed sharply, his hand instinctively balling into fists.
"Some of the shinigami came from my division." Retsu added with a little frustration, "Hanatarou is part of my division and is just as important as the rest of my division." Ichigo felt even more determined to help, he didn't know Hanatarou was captured.
"We have lost many shinigami already, the council doesn't want to lose even more to the mess we already have." The old man retorted, "I am not the one making the rules."
"This is your entire commanding force, you don't even have a say in what happens?" Ichigo challenged Yamamoto.
"I would be careful what you say boy." Yamamoto warned. His eyes held an irritated look. The Gotei 13 did not look too thrilled with the council's decision. "We must be careful from what we do from now on…" He gave Ichigo one last look before walking away. "Don't get into too much trouble, Ichigo." It almost seemed like a suggestion. Ichigo hid his smile; the old man knew he wouldn't just wait around. Ichigo never did.
"The last council wasn't nearly as bad as this one…" Jushiro sighed and shook his head.
"Why do you think Aizen killed them all?" Shunsui stated, "This is strategic move. Now the new council is just paranoid." Everyone knew that the new council was all too afraid of the enemy, after the last council was murdered. Their constant paranoia got the shinigami wanting to just kill the council themselves. Of course, no one would ever do that, but it sounded like a good idea. Then again, not everyone on the council feared Aizen. Some of them actually did their job.
"Buncha' pansies." Hiyori grumbled.
"Well maybe it was a good thing we left the Soul Society. I wouldn't want to completely caught up in this mess." Shinji added.
"What are you talking about? You've been caught up in their mess from the very beginning." Urahara reminded, "You are Visored because of events from the Soul Society are you not?"
"Yeah, don't remind me." Shinji frowned. He never liked the Soul Society much after the events that transformed his life. Shinji noticed Ichigo gave Kisuke a look and Urahara nodded. Shinji could tell that something was going to happen. He deliberately looked the other way, "You better not get yourself in trouble." He muttered, "I might be obliged to save you…"
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"Let me guess." Urahara started, "You want me to get you to Hueco Mundo?" Kisuke smirked a little seeing that Ichigo didn't respond. "Did I get it right?" They were walking to a secluded area.
"I have to go save Inoue." Ichigo stated with firm stubborn look. He wasn't going to wait for someone to give him orders. Typical Ichigo. This council wasn't going to do anything about it. Ichigo had a sad look reflect in his eyes, "I have to stop Naruto…"
"You know going alone won't get you there very fast." Kisuke crossed his arms, one hand reaching up to rub his chin. "Doing this alone-"
"I don't want anyone else getting hurt." Ichigo cut off Kisuke, "If I do this alone, then I only have to deal with the consequences."
"Well, that's too bad." Ichigo eyes widened in surprise, "You aren't going alone." Uryuu pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Don't try to convince us otherwise." Chad added. Ichigo sighed and shook his head.
"It would be pointless wouldn't it?" Ichigo grinned. Kisuke took out his sword.
"Well…" Urahara looked past all three of them, "We have a straggler." All three of them laid their eyes on the limping captain. Toshiro Hitsugaya. "Don't mean to be unappreciative…but you won't be able to fight."
"I'm going." Toshiro announced, "Whether you let me or not. This is my fault. I'm the one who is to started it…" He paused and took a breath, "And if I have to finish it…" he placed his hand on the sling holding his zanpakuto. His eyes were weary thinking of it. Ichigo knew very well what he meant. Toshiro's hand gripped the sling harshly, "Even if this against my orders…I am obliged to end what I started." He restated.
"Orders?" Chad repeated.
"The entire Soul Society is under lock down. If I am to leave, I am considered to be violating the rule and able to go under immediate punishment. In this case, most likely house arrest." Toshiro explained, "The Council decided that it would be best to keep everyone at the Soul Society, fearing another attack…"
"Toshiro, you are in no condition to fight." Uryuu pointed out, "You will only slow us down."
"Then I will run to keep up." Toshiro stubborn attitude came off as an irritated and cold. "I am not a child. I know what I am doing." He stood straight, "I will do what I want." Ichigo could tell that the captain was determined to go. Toshiro's eyes explained everything to Ichigo. The small captain didn't want to be left behind feeling he was part of the problem originally. He didn't want to be seen as incapable of fending for himself or what he believed. There was sadness, anger, and hurt beneath his cold unemotional eyes. Ichigo saw it for a brief moment having had a discussion with Toshiro not to long ago. "Even if you think me inadequate to fight, I-"
"I say let him come with us." Ichigo saw Uryuu react with surprised look. Toshiro seemed quite bewildered as well. Chad kept quiet, he understood Ichigo.
"You can't be serious?" Uryuu knew Ichigo was serious, but he just thought of this as a waste time. "He's injured! He couldn't possibly fight or keep up!" Uryuu received a glare from the small captain. Uryuu saw Ichigo's eyes knowing it was pointless to argue. Ichigo was stubborn when it came to decisions. He didn't change his mind. It could be helpful and disastrous at the same time.
"You guys are coming, why not Toshiro?" Ichigo told Uryuu, "I wanted to do this alone, but that isn't going to happen." Uryuu scoffed not approving of Ichigo's decision. "If I can't hold you back, then why can you hold Toshiro back?" Uryuu crossed his arms acknowledging his point, but disagreed entirely. He stayed quiet for a moment.
"I'm not going to babysit." Uryuu declared, "If you get yourself in trouble…"
"You won't have to." Toshiro affirmed with an icy and sharp tone. Hitsugaya glared at Uryuu, who only sent back his own glare. Ichigo rolled his eyes. He knew the two of them would be difficult to deal with.
"Is that all? Anymore people want to volunteer to Hueco Mundo?" Urahara asked with a grin. The four of them looked to Kisuke. "Well, then here we go. Garganta." He used his sword to cut through the dimension. A black line appeared and expanded. Uryuu and Chad were the first to enter. Toshiro walked as quickly as he could and got in. Ichigo nodded to Urahara.
"Thanks." Ichigo said before going through garganta.
"Yep." Kisuke then looked to his left with a small glare. He felt someone watching them. Their spiritual energy was rather small, but he could still sense it unlike the others. He used his eyes to search around the area. "Look, I know you are there." Kisuke declared, "The others might have not sensed you, but I do." He didn't receive a response. He heard footsteps and a person came into sight. Whoever it is was hiding behind a piece of rubble.
"You are more intelligent than you appear." The person said. The voice was more of a loud whisper. Maybe the person didn't want Kisuke to recognize who they are. A large cloak hid anything that would help distinguish the person. The cloak was old and tattered, but still held on to its purpose.
"I'll just take that as a complement." Urahara's eyebrow raised, "I've never seen you around here before, who are you?" He was suspicious of this person. He had a right to be. Naruto gone, the Espada planning their next move, Hollows had just torn the Soul Society apart, and now this person appears in a cloak and wants to go after Ichigo.
"It does not matter; I must go to Hueco Mundo."
"For what reason?" a light breeze came through the two. The cloak blew softly as they stood in debris.
"That…is my own business." The person walked over to the garganta. Kisuke kept a wary eye on him. His hand held a tighter grip on his zanpakuto. The person stopped in front of the dimension tear. In a swift movement, Urahara swept his sword upwards. The person reaction was slow. It tore through the cloak's hood and what he saw shocked him. The person stood a moment then charged at Kisuke. Urahara was ready to fight. However, Garganta began to close. The person stopped and gave one glance at Kisuke. Urahara watched the stranger quickly jump into the dimension tear before it closed.
"It couldn't…" Kisuke shook his head and noticed something on his hand. It was yellow; in sudden realization, he swore. An electric pulse went through his body. He collapsed on the ground. "Damn…I should have been more careful…" he lay on the dirt unable to move. "How am I supposed to get up? Hello? Anyone there?" he called. Hearing nothing, he sighed. "Shouldn't have walked so far away from camp…"
XXXX
"Toshiro-kun!" Momo yelled into the tent. She suddenly blushed, "What if he is sleeping?" she said to herself. She walked into the medical tent. She carried a small flower, as a sign to get well. She slowly moved in. Upon seeing the bed, she was greeted with an empty room. Her eyes widened. The bed's blankets were wrinkled and tossed aside, a sign that he had left in a hurry. She looked around the room hastily. He wasn't there. She began to panic, "Where could he have run off too!" she ran out of the tent. Trying to find the only woman who knew where Toshiro was when Momo did not. Rangiku Matsumoto. Looking around the temporary camp, she spotted the orange-haired woman standing next to some shinigami from the tenth regiment. Momo ran over and Rangiku gave her a small smile.
"Momo-chan, what are-"
"Rangiku!" Momo shouted. Matsumoto recognized her panic, "He's gone!" Rangiku was silent for a moment. Then she understood completely. Rangiku nodded and said her goodbyes to the people she was talking to. She couldn't believe what Toshiro was doing. Automatically knowing what he was up to. "I don't know where he could have gone!" Momo felt tears well up in her eyes.
"I know what he's doing." Matsumoto's face was serious. Her eyes were stony and intimidating. She walked over one of the messenger boy's wandering around. He looked bored, eager to do something. Matsumoto Momo followed unsure what to do. "Oi!" she waved a hand at the messenger, he nodded and ran over.
"What is it, Matsumoto-fukutaichou?" he asked politely.
"I need to report Hitsugaya-taichou's absence to Yamamoto-soutaichou, he has done something foolish." Rangiku sighed. The boy nodded eagerly ready to relay the information. Rangiku was hesitant but she knew it had to be done. "Hitsugaya-taichou has gone off to fight Naruto." The boy blinked a little amazed by how direct she was. Rangiku, after all, did hold a reputation for being an unserious woman. Everyone had a story about her and sake was always involved. "Are you just going to keep standing there?" her eyebrow raised.
"H-Hai! I'm off!" The boy jumped and ran. He was pretty quick on his feet, for not more than a few moments later he was out of sight. Momo closed her eyes, upset with Toshiro running off to fight Naruto in his condition. Momo really cared about Toshiro. If he died, Momo would blame herself. Rangiku hugged the girl sensing her need for comfort. Momo hugged the woman tightly.
"You better know what you're doing out there Toshiro. If you don't come back, I'll find you and kick your sorry ass." She mumbled to herself, an empty threat. Her anger subsided and eyes became soft. She knew that she could never forgive herself if the captain ever died. It would be Rangiku's fault. She didn't do her duty, she slacked off, and now her captain left. She sighed and whispered a quiet prayer. "Be safe."
XXXX
Aizen frowned and he sighed. "So they have already come?" He closed his eyes. "Such thorns in my side." Aizen shook his head. He thought of what he should do. Sending Naruto would be a bad idea, only recently deciding to become an Arrancar. The process would be much more difficult to deal with. Yet he couldn't expend too many of his soldiers. They were necessary for the survival against shinigami. His Espada were needed for Naruto's transition into an Arrancar. However, he was absolute that Naruto would make sure he didn't kill anyone without Aizen's consent. Naruto was incredibly trusting, his greatest fault. It worked to Aizen's advantage, Naruto was the easiest to manipulate. A puppet in Aizen's hand. Making his job much more simple. Aizen thought for a moment and came upon a decision. "Gin."
"Yes, Aizen-sama?" Gin replied.
"Make sure Runuganga greets our guests. I have other matters to take care of." He sat in his throne with a small smirk.
"Of course…" Gin gave a slow nod.
XXXX
Things are about to get interesting…
Hopefully I will be able to finish the next chapter within a month. Cross your fingers!
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(Trust me I almost gave up on writing this twice). Your wonderful reviews kept me going! THANK YOU!