Aaand Here we are with chapter 23! Opps, a day late, I'm honestly not going to freak about this but please be paitent as the summer is now over I don't have as much time now to write. I apologize and will get the chapters out as soon as I finish them. This story is getting to its end, but thankfully it still has some life in it to kick some ass! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint and I'm giving you a lot of plot points here! Yahoo! Let's get it started in here, after a few more messages! Thanks to AbsoluteReader1995, Kage Kurai, Dahalia'sdream, Phantom Claire, and KageNekoReborn for reviewing!
Now to the disclaimer and chapter
DISCLAIMER I ONLY OWN THE PLOT NOT BLEACH AND ONLY SOME OF THE OCs!
29 days since Ichigo went missing
It wasn't more than three hours after Toshiro had originally talked with Urahara when he got the message saying that he should gather his team and report to the twelfth division barracks. It took him all of thirty minutes to find his team. Most of them hadn't left their barracks. Making sure that they were in their best condition to take on whatever awaited them inside of that palace.
Arriving in the lab of the twelfth, most of the members feeling distinctly ill at ease about being in the lab. Urahara looked unaffected by it all. It had taken him a day to get everything up and working and to make sure that there was very little chance of anything going wrong while the shinigami were in the portal.
"This isn't like a garganta or like the Dangai. Its unstable and there will most likely be pitfalls. Try your hardest not to fall into them. I don't know what's going to be awaiting you on the other side. You also all be split up apparently, as this route keeps fluctuating. So in other words, good luck!"
Rukia blinked. "So we'll be alone in unknown territory known as the enemy base, with no way to contact each other because radios don't work in Hueco Mundo?"
"Admittedly it's not the best situation. But seeing as we don't know what these people are capable of, it seems we've entered a race against time in finding Ichigo." Urahara replied.
"But we may be able to gather information regarding the Neo-Gotei while there, which may give us an advantage." Ashido spoke up. He had discarded his furs in in exchange for a new uniform, as he was now reinstated as a member of the Gotei 13.
The group nodded in agreement. "And I might get to get that blue haired bitch back!" Ikkaku declared loudly.
Yumichika rolled his eyes but nodded all the same, anyone who betrays the eleventh division was unbeautiful and needed to be put down.
"I'm also going to suggest that we be as stealthy as possible and try not to get into any altercations that would alert the premiers that we've infiltrated their base. Also I have a feeling that they wouldn't keep Ichigo with his zanpakuto so look for that as well." Toshiro ordered, looking pointedly at those most likely to get into fights, Renji, Yumichika, and Ikkaku. He didn't know about Ashido but he looked like he had a good head on his shoulders.
Since three hours ago; Toshiro's determination had increased tenfold. He was going to find Ichigo and the moment that he could he'd inform Ichigo on everything and see what happens there. The way Urahara was talking made it sound like the bonds were unbreakable. Hyorinmaru made a strange sound and the young captain decided that he wasn't going to ask the dragon what was going on. The Ice dragon would explain himself in time.
"Let's get this started." Urahara spoke losing all prior enthusiasm, Toshiro figured that it was just to put the seven shinigami to ease when they went through this, whatever it was for the first time.
The other six nodded. Urahara went over to a massive console. Kurotshuchi was noticed for the first time. His hands rubbing together and his eyes glinting in the manner that said he didn't care about what happened to the shinigami, he just wanted the results to study. Renji visibly shuddered. Urahara started to flip switches and press buttons with the help of the mad scientist.
"Hey where do we meet up if we get separated?" Rukia piped up suddenly.
The others looked at her, surprised that they hadn't thought about this. That's' when Urahara stepped in to save the day yet again.
"This." He handed Toshiro a flip phone looking device.
"What is it?" The white haired captain asked eying the piece of technology in his hand.
"It's a one-time use, you hit the call button and all of you will be transported back here along with whatever you're holding.
"So it's a get out of jail button?" Rangiku asked trying to understand something that wasn't her area of expertise.
"More or less. Its keyed to your reiatsu signatures, but since your reiatsu transfers to whatever your touching that's why you can bring whatever you're holding."
The group nodded. It seemed like a good thing to have handy especially if they needed to make a quick escape. Urahara headed back over to the console to get the device ready and Toshiro put the phone one of his inner pockets.
Five minutes later and two pillars in the large lab started to crackle with energy. Bolts of what looked to be red lightning flashed between the two pillars. Slowly a reddish-purple rectangle was starting to for at the base of the pillars. The shinigami watched with interest. The lighting stopped when the rectangle hit seven feet tall.
"This is the doorway." Urahara motioned at the rectangle.
The seven shinigami that would be going through that looked at each other and then at the new captain, seeing if he was kidding. The door didn't look that inviting and it screamed of what terrible things it had hidden. But Urahara was looking just as grim.
"We can't keep it open for that long. Hurry and get to the other side." Urahara half ordered.
Toshiro nodded and walked towards the foreboding door. Wondering what was hidden behind it, knowing that this was the best way they had to get Ichigo back and possibly gaining information. Rangiku was right behind him, followed by Renji, Rukia, and Ashido. The two eleventh squad members shared on last look at the captain of the twelfth looking for any deceit, having inherited their captain's distrust of the man; then they walked through as well.
The inside of the door way was nothing they had ever seen before. It was almost what they picture hell to be like, those who hadn't been there before, and to those who had been there wondered if this wasn't one of the lower parts that they hadn't been to when they went.
They walked on a reiatsu path, one that had been there for a while judging by the decay it was going through. It was red in color. Below them looked like a black sea, but with one fierce eruption a pillar of the black sea had risen up giving the shinigami a clear view of the "water". It was in truth hundreds of millions, possibly more, of charred and blacked bones. They clattered together and made a noise most terrible. It was like the chattering of teeth except it wasn't only the skulls making the movement.
The bones could also animate themselves as when one of the skulls fell onto the bridge it attempted to bite Rangiku's ankles who screamed and kicked it. The seven of them sped up their pace doing the best they could to not look at the bone sea.
Out to the sides red rock spanned as far as the eye could see, sometimes it's touched the ceiling and other times it vanished into the sea, other times there were small cliffs in the middle of the sea, big enough to hold one person but no more. Occasionally on those rock cays a humanoid figure would be standing one it. They were never tall enough to allow the shinigami to see the figures faces but they knew that the humanoids weren't entirely all human, if judging by the ones that grew wings and flew off.
At one point they had to jump over a large gap, Ikkaku was barely hit by a large bone geyser when he leapt over the gap. A stream of curses left his mouth the moment that he landed and the bones had gone back to their resting place.
"This place is nuts." Renji stated watching as another winged humanoid took off.
That was before large winged creatures dropped down from the ceiling spiraling towards the group. The shinigami could make out bat like bodies, covered in a fire red leather skin that was lighter on its wings, they also had sharp fangs. As they drew closer, Renji noticed that instead off two wings they had four, which increased their speed. The two bat beasts pulled up at the last moment and flew off towards the ceiling once again.
"We should hurry." Toshiro said dryly not liking how random the bats acted. He also wanted to get out of the heat, the air was stagnant with the lack of air, unlike most caves which where cool and moist, this was hot and dry, the shinigami's breathing was becoming heavier and heavier by the minute.
There has to be something toxic in this air. Toshiro thought.
Increasing their speed they hurried to get to the other side. They had been making little progress as this cave or dimension was larger than it actually appeared to be. Toshiro was sure that they had been here an hour at the very least and they were only nearing the first quarter of the bridges length. The cliffs which they thought were attached to the wall turned out to be relatively free standing, attached to the bottom of the bone sea, which depths were unknown.
There seemed to be an endless amount of the cliffs, traveling this bridge was a more daunting task that he had originally thought.
It must've been another hour or two before they arrived at the halfway point. The gap between the two cliff walls was larger than the rest, and as far away as the naked eye could see there was a dark mass of red, turning to the other side, their faces were hit with a cold breeze, they could barely make out the white light glowing from the caverns.
Muttering an incantation under her breath Rukia extended the distance to which she could see clearly. One the red mass side there was what looked to be a… well she wasn't sure what to compare it to. It was huge, putting it mildly. She couldn't fathom anything its size. It looked to have a hard hide, the color of it was hard to place it was like a dark orange but not quite there was more black than orange, its legs ended up like a goats, cloven hooves and all. Its face was human, its eyes were shut, but she could imagine that they didn't look human. It had huge horns that went to the side of its head and the curled around to point foreword. It didn't look friendly.
The other one wasn't much better. It was white with a blue hue to it. It looked similar to the first one. Motionless, huge, and evil feeling.
"I have a bad feeling about those things." Rukia said after she returned her eyesight to its normal range.
"I agree, let's move on." Toshiro said. Those two shadows, he'd have Rukia tell him what they were later, gave him a real bad feeling.
No one complained and they continued their grueling walk. The rest of the journey was basically the same. Minus the giant shadows. Humanoids still flew off and had a few more bats swoop down at them.
Eventually they reached the end of the path. Which was more decayed at this end than at the other for some reason. Solid ground was a welcomed feeling after hours on that long bridge. A doorway lay ahead of them shining with a gray light.
"That must be the place." Ashido spoke.
Toshiro nodded. "Remember we could most likely be separated. So be on guard the moment you go through."
"Yes, sir!" was spoken from six different voices.
Toshiro was the first one to go through. Again he was followed by Rangiku, then Renji. Ikkaku and Yumichika, Ashido and finally Rukia who was looking back at the path which they just came from.
When the seven of them reemerged, they were all alone.
Toshiro found himself in a room that looked and smelled like a cell. He had to crinkle his nose at the foul odor. Looking around he found chains dangling from the wall. They hadn't been used in a while, judging by how dry the blood was on the wall and the cuffs. The looked down at the floor and saw blood, bile, vomit, and an assortment of other bodily fluids that he could, and didn't want to, put a name to.
Whoever had been kept in this cell was here for a while and tortured in the same room. Toshiro's military trained mind supplied.
There was a steel door, it was the only exit, and it was left ajar for some unknown reason. He guessed it was because this room was no longer in use. He pulled the rather heavy door open a little more so that he could squeeze through, wincing at the grating sound and dodging the sparks that the door sliding across the floor made.
Surprised to find that there weren't any guards or any other doors in the area he was at. He took on last look at the room, wondering who went through what there. He felt sorry for the person. Turning back around, he went up the slight incline, finding that there was a trail of blood. With no other clues, he decided to follow it. If it was someone that the Neo-Gotei didn't like, Toshiro knew that he could be a benefit to Soul Society.
Rangiku found herself in this odd little room, it looked like it was a broom cupboard. Looking around she saw that it was more of a weapon storage area. In the low light she saw that in the furthest corner away from the door was a crescent moon shaped blade wrapped in a cloth. There was no mistake that it was a zanpakuto, and whose it was. She walked over to it grunting with the effort it took to pick it up.
The blade was heavier than it would be when held in the hands of its wielder, but she would need to take it now in case she didn't remember how to get back to this area. For a shinigami losing their zanpakuto was a fate worse than death. She slung the beads around chest and let the blade hang on her back. She almost tilted backwards and tripped herself when walking. She quickly adjusted herself.
She moved towards the door carefully and then opened it a sliver. She found that outside was a long hallway with pictures of shadows and other odd markings she couldn't make out. Seeing that there was nobody else within eye sight. She slid out of the closet and leapt up to one of the beams running across the ceiling. She decided that she would head further down the hallway. She wasn't sure if she was going towards something of importance or away from someplace. Her jumps were still slightly awkward.
The third member of the party to go through the doorway, Renji, found himself stepping out onto a support beam in a room with only one source of light. The large wall window, the sun must've been manipulated somehow to shine through that window no matter what.
Looking down he saw thirteen markers littering the floor in a circular shape with a throne as one of them. He could make out crude drawings on each of the plates. Sensing that no one was near him at the moment he decided to take a closer look at the squares. Taking careful note of all of them. One looked like it was new compared to the other ones. Renji knew his captain would scold him severely if he missed something crucial. This looked like an important room.
After looking at the squares he walked over to a different corner of the room, he saw a pillar that had a pillow resting on it, empty. He took a step further but jumped back when he heard the sliding on metal on something hard. No enemies had appeared and he found himself looking around for the source of that noise. On the ground a foot or so in front of him he spotted and ornate looking dagger.
I must've kicked that. Renji thought as he knelt down to pick the dagger up. The ground around where the dagger must've been laying before he disturbed it had a brown color staining the floor, as if the owner of this room could care less about the blood. Reaching over to the dagger, he was careful to grasp it around the hilt, the red-head looked at the blade. It was covered in rust, it was odd considering that it was more of a decoration piece than anything.
He sniffed it. The blade smelled like blood and something else.
"Poison." He murmured. Sticking the blade into his belt, taking care not to nick himself, he continued his search around the room.
Ikkaku found himself in a heap in an apparently abandoned corridor. He checked everyplace that he could think of where an enemy could hide. Just in case he drew Hozukimaru. Walking carefully, for once, to avoid any traps. He knew how powerful his foes could be, and he didn't want to be injured when he faced that annoying kid from before. He wanted to go all out.
His warrior trained mind was ripping through the details presented to him. Every sound, scent, sight, and touch. He vaguely registered that the walls were covered in portraits of demonic looking beasts, even some of the bats that the team had encountered on that bridge. There was also scorch marks along the wall as if someone whose hand was on fire drug it carelessly across the wall paper.
Yumichika ended up landing behind a statue with no arms. He recognized it as a foreign art style. The hallway that he found himself was decorated in artwork and statues from a different place. Almost all of the artworks were of partially or fully nude beings. Something Yumichika enjoyed. It was all very beautiful, he'd have to look up on this art form to see who could've made such beautiful pieces.
Ashido found himself in an oddly decorated room. On one wall there was a one way mirror, which he could see a fully open door and someone's retreating shadow. It was completely dark and he could see a single chair that was left in the room. He could see an assortment of random tools that looked like they could be used for torture. Some of them even had blood on them.
Ashido figured that the room he was looking at was some sort of torture room. He could sense that evil powers ruled in this place. Not wanting to stay any longer, and there was nothing that he could possibly learn here, he headed out of the room and down a random way in the hallway that was just outside the door.
Rukia found herself in a small room or cell. There was a metallic table next to her. It had a dried blood stain on it, and bandages littered the floor. Along with sandals and socks associated with the shinigami uniform. She continued the investigation of the room. Something chirped and it caught her attention. Heading towards the sound she saw that it whatever it was had been underneath a random crate.
Kicking the crate off to the side, hoping that the sound wouldn't' alert anyone. She gasped at what she found. It was blinking, and the sound was familiar. She reached down to grab the device. Something pulled at her heart when she was fully able to accept what she was holding in her hand.
She pulled it close to her chest, silencing the chirping and sobbed slightly. What she had just found had confirmed her worst fears.
Ichigo's life was in danger, more so than they thought.
She tied the substitute shinigami badge to her waist and pulled on the slightly ajar door, wincing at the scraping sound. No one was around that she could see or sense. She hurried off down a random hallway. Her resolve for finding Ichigo strengthened now that she had proof that he had been brought here. That this wasn't the wrong lead they were following. Mainly she just wanted to get away from the large amount of blood, whose it was she didn't need to guess. She knew.
30 days since Ichigo went missing.
Tadashi, who didn't look like himself, was standing in front of the door. Today was the day he would be fulfilling his mission granted to him by the king himself. He looked at the doorway in front of him. Like most of the premiers who have traveled through this door way before he wasn't fond of it.
The King stood next to him. Waiting for the former red-head to depart. The King had forced the Scotsman to change his appearance. Tadashi had winced originally, not wanting to be berated for his slip up about letting his identity be found but instead he settled with doing as he was told.
His hair was flattened instead of being spiked in the front like usual, it was also black. All of his piercings had been removed and he wore brown contacts. Making him as unnoticeable as possible. Which was going to be hard considering he was going to be a six-foot tall fourth division member, who looked like a warrior.
"Remember the plan?" The King asked sternly.
"Yes, get into the fourth division, do a lot of bloodletting, causing the patients to bleed out reducing their forces slightly, then get the hell out. Don't have any contact with the other premiers." Tadashi repeated automatically.
"Remember what you're supposed to tell the other division members?"
"Tell them I got transferred." Came the mechanical reply.
"Go." Sachio growled.
Tadashi practically bolted through the doorway.
Sachio was about to walk out of the room when Yuna burst through the door way. She looked… amused. The King had to wonder what would give the half demon that level of amusement, unless she got a new plaything.
"Yes?" Sachio drawled out.
"The shinigami have infiltrated the castle." Yuna said as she bowed. "They attempted to sneak in by high jacking my gate. I sent them all off to different places in the castle."
"They don't know they know we are watching them?" Sachio arched an eyebrow.
"Nope." Yuna chirped. "My guards are monitoring them, but they can't sense them at all, because they've forgotten we aren't shinigami exclusive."
Sachio chuckled. "This is wonderful!"
Yuna grinned. "At your order I can have my people alerted. Some of the shinigami are in the premier wings. Only because I thought I'd give them a chew toy. I also allowed one in Premier Kage's wing, just to test her out."
Sachio had a manic glint in his eye. "Beat them down. Then bring them to me so that I may show them true power. Let the premiers decide who to fight. Tadashi has begun his travels, Soul Society is going to be severely weakened within the day!"
"Yes, sir." Yuna bowed and sent the crows out. The shinigami would be beaten within the hour.
She bowed once more and took her leave. After all she did have an old friend that she wanted to be reacquainted with.
The palace which was now silent would be soon filled with the sounds of battle and the stench of blood and death. Yuna couldn't think of anything more glorious!
Enyo who was sitting in front of her mirror adjusting her hair which was curled perfectly and in a side pony tail. She had just placed the silver circlet on her head when she received the hell crow. Curious about this description of her opponent she grabbed her katana and left her room. Heading in the direction the crow had gone.
Osamu was already walking towards his opponent when his premier gave him the O.K to engage. He smiled to himself, more than ready for a good fight. His premier was counting on him to give the King a good show, and perform he will. The doors he was looking for came into sight.
The newest Premier was sitting in her office, reading a novel having finished off her work already. The crow landed on her finger and she arched an eyebrow as she heard the message. She closed the book, which hadn't been that interesting but she found that it had important information about rebuilding a government's justice system so she decided that it was worth her attention. Her scythe was leaning against the wall. She grabbed it, and stepped into the shadows, already knowing where she was going.
An entire platoon of foot soldiers from the demon squad were roaring down the hallway, ready to fight to the death for their premier. They knew where they were going and didn't let idiotic notions of heroism get into their heads. They were serious. Daichi happened to be walking down the hallway watching after them. Not caring what happened to low level subordinates he was headed towards his own wing. He hadn't been ordered to do anything so it didn't need his attention.
Unknown to the Premiers there were two other shinigami loyalist that had escaped their radar.
Unknown to the Shinigami loyalist all hell was about to break lose.
Oooh! Fighting is about to break out! Can you guess who is going to fight whom? They're finally there. Ichigo's zanpakuto's been found! Next chapter you can imagine what's going to happen? Hmm the first official clash of Shinigami and Premier! I'm excited the war has begun!
And I went a little page break happy. Sorry, and unfortunately it won't be the last time I'll have a lot of page breaks, but this will probably be the only time that they're almost every other paragraph. Sorry once again...
Now here's the preview.
Urahara was panting, he had been fighting some unknown force for the latter part of the hour. He knew that it had taken them a day to get to through the tunnel. He had been up watching the little blips on the screen but the moment the first person stepped through to the other side he had lost control of the doorway. He had been hoping to get them a few rooms away from each other at the most but whatever had high jacked him had been skilled in manipulating the doorway the second person wasn't anywhere close to the other person. He didn't get control back until the last person went through.
Excitement is building, and I'm going to write this chapter so we can finally get this epic battle started! Oh and don't blame me if the chapters end up being ungodly in length…. They're battles! Alright I'm off! Later! ~IF