"This Emergency Captain's Meeting will come to order!" General Yamamoto declared to the eleven Captains before him. Standing off to the side was Isshin and Kaichou who, despite being retired Captains, still had permission to sit in on Captain's meetings and provide their input. Only Karin and Kenpachi were absent. Karin was absent due to being stripped of her rank while Kenpachi simply blew off the meeting.
"We have attained identification as to the identities of the Ryoka that recently appeared in the Soul Society and currently remain at large. Captain Soi Fon, step forward!" General Yamamoto commanded as Soi Fon approached with the surveillance bug, placing it on a podium in the center between the General and the row of Captains. Instantly the image of the "Ryoka" appeared, startling several by the images before them, shocking them all.
"Is that-…no, it can't be! He's dead!" Renji exclaimed in disbelief.
"And how are there two of him?! And what's that bastard Ichimaru doing here? I thought he was in the World of the Living under Kisuke Urahara's control!" Toshiro said in equal disbelief.
"That Arrancar, I recognize. That's Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, one of Aizen's former Espada!" Renji added.
"And isn't that the human girl, Orihime Inoue?" Shunsui asked. Naturally he was the one to spot her.
"And that last one…that can't be my former Lieutenant, Lieutenant Kaien Shiba, can it?" Jushiro asked, his skin turning pale (-er) as if he'd seen a ghost.
"The only ones who are as they appear are ex-Captain Gin Ichimaru and the Espada Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." Byakuya said, earning the attention of the other Captains, including Yamamoto. Meanwhile Kaichou and Isshin had been exchanging looks that were mixtures of confusion, frustration, and worry. They knew exactly who four of the Ryoka were.
"Captain Kuchiki, what do you know of these Ryoka?" Yamamoto asked.
"I can answer that, General." Kaichou said, stepping forward.
"Please inform us Captain Wrangler." General Yamamoto said, himself and the other Captains looking her way. Kaichou sighed in frustration before answering.
"The two that look like Aizen, and the one that resembles Orihime Inoue, are in truth the descendants of both. They are the grandchildren of Aizen and the children of Orihime Inoue. They are the sons and daughter of Hanashiro and Orihime Kurosaki…Sosuke, Sora, and Tatsuki Kurosaki…my grandchildren." Kaichou answered, earning surprised looks from the other Captains, including Yamamoto.
"Captain Wrangler, do you mean to tell us that your grandchildren, humans in the World of the Living, have received Soul Reaper powers against the laws of the Soul Society?" Yamamoto asked, his eyes open and staring at her.
"It would appear that way, General, as this is the first I've heard of it. I know for a fact it's them. Although I take no pleasure in having to inform you of it as I know what the consequences are should they be caught." Kaichou said, somberly.
"You did not know that they received Soul Reaper abilities?" Yamamoto asked.
"None whatsoever sir. They must have received them without my knowledge, although I highly suspect their father of knowing and not reporting the matter. It's simple parental instinct to protect their children from whatever danger may come their way and, as much as it pains me to say, I'd've done the exact same thing." Kaichou said.
"The Ryoka in white eludes me, but the other one…him I recognize." Yamashi said, pointing at Kaien's image.
"It couldn't be Kaien Shiba. He's dead." Jushiro said, trying to make since of it. They then heard the door open, causing them all to turn towards the door.
"It's because it's not Kaien Shiba." Karin said as she entered, wearing the Soul Reaper uniform but without the haori.
"Captain Kurosaki, you were dismissed by Central 46! Explain yourself!" Yamamoto commanded as Karin dropped to her hands and knees in a humble bow.
"Forgive my intrusion General, but I had to speak. While I have been dismissed temporarily, I've been aware of the Ryoka alert since it was issued. But please give me a chance to say my piece and I will leave without hesitation." Karin pleaded, her head bowed the entire time.
"Very well but make it quick." Yamamoto ordered as Karin climbed to her feet and stood at her spot in the row of Captains.
"Captains, the Ryoka that resembles Kaien Shiba, is in truth my nephew, Kaien Kurosaki, the son of Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki. I'd recognize him anywhere." Karin said. She could feel Byakuya's Spiritual Pressure tense up as if he were grimacing on the inside. Yamashi however…
"Ah so you did know the human, Captain Kuchiki! He's your nephew as well as hers!" Yamashi said, Karin, Kaichou, Toshiro, and Isshin's heads all spinning towards Byakuya in shock. Byakuya retained his stoic grace, not even reacting in the slightest.
"Wait, you mean…Kaien was the human whose powers were-…" Karin stammered, stunned that Byakuya, a man whose nephew virtually idolized him, had sealed away the powers of his own kin.
"Kaien violated the rules of the Soul Society. I did as required by the law. The sealing of his powers was for his own protection and it appears he has found a way to remove the seal. As per the laws of the Soul Society, this matter now falls within the authority of the Kurosaki and Kuchiki clans. The capture of Kaien, Sosuke, Sora, and Tatsuki Kurosaki is now a clan matter and is now off-limits to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The capture of the other three Ryoka however is still a matter to be dealt with." Byakuya explained, Karin and the other Kurosakis in the room, even Toshiro and Renji turning towards Yamamoto, waiting for his judgment on the matter.
"The law is as you say, Captain Kuchiki. The capture of the four Kurosaki clansmen is indeed a matter of the Kurosaki and Kuchiki clans, but as only one of them is of blood relation to the Kuchiki clan, I am putting Captain Kurosaki in charge of arresting all four of them." Yamamoto said, looking at Karin who blinked curiously.
"General, Captain Kurosaki was dismissed by Central 46 so she cannot legally command even so much as one Soul Reaper." Captain Yamashi said but Yamamoto and each of the Kurosakis present, along with Hitsugaya and Renji, glared at him.
"I am aware of the law, Captain Yamashi, but there is a way to temporarily reinstate Captain Kurosaki to her post as Captain of Squad Five. During moments of crisis and when the Commanding officer of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads can find nothing keeping a dismissed Soul Reaper Officer from doing their duty as a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the commanding officer is allowed to offer temporary reinstatement to the dismissed officer for the duration of the crisis. As such I am hereby granting such temporary reinstatement to Captain Karin Kurosaki of Squad Five so that she may personally take charge of apprehending her renegade clansmen." Yamamoto said, stunning most of the Captains present, including Karin.
"And what of the other Ryoka?" Soi Fon asked.
"The focus of those not assigned to capturing the Kurosaki renegades, will be to capture the remaining Ryoka and bring them in for trial and sentencing." Yamamoto said.
"General, shouldn't we also inform Ichigo that his son is here? He might be able to assist in stopping him." Jushiro asked as Yamamoto nodded.
"An excellent idea, Captain Ukitake." Yamamoto said but Captain Kurotsuchi cleared his throat.
"Unfortunately I'm afraid that is impossible at the present time. When the Ryoka alert went out, Captain Kurosaki in the World of the Living was automatically sent an alert to the situation but we've received no response. It seems that the equipment in the World of the Living that allows for communication between worlds is malfunctioning. Not surprising since it's hardly been used for the entirety of nearly two decades." Mayuri explained.
"Then we shall send a messenger to Captain Kurosaki once Kaien Kurosaki and the other three renegade Kurosakis have been apprehended." Yamamoto said, the Captains nodding understandingly but Yamamoto wasn't finished.
"There is but one more matter to discuss. Before the Ryoka alert was issued, Central 46 had just announced their decision on the matter of Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi of Squad Eleven. They have found her guilty on all charges and is to be executed upon Sokyoku Hill at noon tomorrow!"
Meanwhile…
"Rise and shine you piece-o-crap Soul Reapers!" a voice yelled into a room in the Shiba clan homestead. The people inside instantly sat up and glared towards the source of the voice, Ganju Shiba. Ganju however wasn't expecting two Sosuke Aizen lookalikes, Gin Ichimaru, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, and someone who was the spitting image of his late older brother to glare at him. Gin however had his usual foxlike smile which, as they discovered during the night, remained firmly planted on his face even when asleep, causing them to wonder if he wasn't a victim of the old parental adage "your face will stick that way." Soken however was merely lying stationary, his fingers interlocked together as if patiently waiting while Tatsuki and Ametsuchi pulled the pillows over their heads in an effort to drown out the noise. Yoruichi was nowhere to be found.
"Looks like someone's got a death wish." Grimmjow said, clinching his fist which crackled with red spirit energy, just itching to fire a Bala at the offending Shiba.
"Now-now let's not go killin' our host first thing in the mornin'." Gin said as he picked up Shinso.
"What about severely injuring him?" Sosuke asked with a twitchy eyed Kurosaki scowl.
"Ah now that, I think, might be allowed." Gin said towards Ganju who was sweating buckets since he first noticed who was in the room.
"Ganju! What did I tell you about disturbing the Soul Reapers?!" Kukaku yelled, driving a fist into the top of Ganju's head.
"I-I-I didn't know sis!" Ganju whimpered but it only got him another blow to the top of the head.
"Shut up and bring in their breakfast! As for you lot, you better scarf that food down in a hurry!" Kukaku yelled to the group inside.
"What's the rush?" Kaien asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Now everyone was sitting up in bed.
"Bad news I'm afraid." Yoruichi said as she walked in. She was still in cat form.
"Where were you last night?" Sora asked as he took his glasses out of a case that he had lying next to him.
"First off, it's just two hours past midnight and second, I've been spying on the Soul Reapers that have been searching for us. Apparently, our arrival in the Soul Society was well timed although we'll be still be cutting it very close." Yoruichi said.
"Cutting it close to what?" Tatsuki asked, grumpily.
"Cutting it close to avert the execution of Lieutenant Kusajishi." Yoruichi said, stunning Kaien.
"What?" Kaien exclaimed in shock.
"Just prior to our arrival, Central 46 came back with their ruling in Yachiru's case. Guilty on all charges and her execution is sentenced to noon today." Yoruichi said. Kaien processed the information for a second before leaping to his feet, grabbing the spherical Reishukaku that had been lying next to him all night and turned towards Kukaku.
"Well what are we waiting for? We need to get in there now!" Kaien said as the others quickly leapt out of bed as well.
"I suspected you might need to move out at a moment's notice so I had a special something standing by to get all of you awake and ready to go." Kukaku said as the twin guards came in with trays of steaming cups of tea and plates of rice balls.
"Tea and rice balls this early in the morning?" Sosuke asked, surprised.
"Ha! Those are old Shiba clan recipes! The rice cakes are packed with a secret ingredient that'll give you as much energy as a good night's rest while the tea will give you the boost to fight off the grogginess that comes from a good night's sleep." Kukaku explained as they quickly devoured the food. Ametsuchi quickly reverted to their sword forms on Kaien's back.
"Ya not eatin' Shihoin?" Gin asked curiously.
"I already ate, thank you." Yoruichi replied. They were soon finished and were out the door, heading straight for the base of the Flower Crane Cannon.
"Alright, we need to make this quick. Get inside." Kukaku ordered as they quickly piled inside the barrel of the massive cannon.
"Okay, so we all still remember how to use this right?" Sora asked as they each put their hands on the Reishukaku. Yoruichi was standing atop it however.
"We just learned last night, although one of us exploded." Sosuke said, glaring at Tatsuki who scowled back at him. They could hear Kukaku saying the incantation outside, an orange glow appearing beneath them.
"Shut up." Tatsuki said, the spherical shield appearing around them as the orange glow intensified before suddenly they were shot straight up into the air. Yoruichi's eyes narrowed in concentration. She was controlling their trajectory as they flew towards the Seireitei. As they flew, they suddenly hit an invisible barrier, passing through it and into the Seireitei, but as soon as they had passed inside, the shield suddenly started to fizzle and crackle.
"Damn it, we're losing it!" Grimmjow yelled as Tatsuki struggled hard to concentrate.
"I think now might be a bad time to mention Tatsuki sucks at controlling her Spirit Energy!" Sosuke said before the core of the sphere started glowing brighter.
"Then I think this is our stop." Gin said, taking his hands off the sphere which suddenly enveloped them all in a bright light before exploding, sending them all flying in different directions towards the ground. Kaien, Gin, Grimmjow, Yoruichi, and Soken were sent flying in different directions while Sora and Sosuke had been grabbed by Tatsuki at the last minute and were flying off in their own direction.
"And your plan for us surviving is?!" Sora freaked as Tatsuki swung him around to where Sosuke had hold of him on her left, allowing her to draw her Zanpakuto.
"Tremble! Chi Genkotsu! Noroshi PANCHI!" Tatsuki yelled, the armored fist of her Zanpakuto appearing and suddenly launching them towards the ground. Sora and Sosuke held each other fearfully mere seconds before they impacted in a mushroom cloud of smoke and dust. Meanwhile Gin pointed at himself with his index and middle fingers on his right hand as he drew closer to the ground.
"Hado one, Sho." Gin said before suddenly being hit with a blast of kinetic energy, slowing him down enough to simply flop onto his chest upon landing, unharmed. Grimmjow quickly tucked into a ball and let his Hierro protect him, causing a massive explosion upon impact. Soken however summoned a platform of blue spirit energy beneath his feet, allowing him to slow himself down in midair before reaching the ground. Kaien however…
"Getsuga TENSHO!" Kaien yelled, firing a Getsuga at the ground mere seconds before impact, the kinetic force of the resulting blast, slowing him down and allowing him to land without injury. Back with the triplets, Sora and Sosuke were stunned to see that they were completely unscathed while sitting in the middle of a large crater in the middle of an empty courtyard.
"What happened?" Sosuke asked, looking themselves over.
"You idiots." Tatsuki mumbled as she approached, sheathing her now sealed Zanpakuto.
"You knew we'd survive?" Sosuke asked curiously, Sora wiping dust off his glasses with a handkerchief.
"I figured it out the moment she released her Zanpakuto." Sora stated, calmly.
"You what?!" Sosuke asked, not believing him.
"Allow me to explain. During our many bouts with one another, I've noticed that whenever Tatsuki uses her Noroshi Panchi attack, she always emerges unscathed. The reason for this is simple. Whenever she uses the move, the jets that propel her also emit a cone of hardened spiritual pressure, thus protecting anyone within that cone from the force of impact." Sora explained, earning a blank look from Sosuke and an annoyed one from Tatsuki.
"And yet you still screamed like a girl." Sosuke said, plainly.
"If you're through having a social meeting, can we get our butts in gear and find Kaien and the others?" Tatsuki said as the two quickly leapt to their feet and they started running towards Sokyoku Hill. They hadn't been running long when they rounded a corner and nearly ran into Kaien and Ametsuchi.
"Whoa! There you guys are!" Kaien exclaimed.
"I could've sworn we'd have been found by the Soul Reapers first. But at least it's someone familiar." Sosuke said as Sora pushed up his glasses.
"Indeed." Sora commented.
"Yeah, I haven't run into anyone else yet either. I guess they were all out in the Rukongai Districts looking for us so I think we have the advantage." Kaien said as they turned and started towards the center again when…
"I wouldn't be too quick to say that Kurosaki!" a familiar voice called from nearby. They started looking around frantically for the source of the voice until finally they saw it. Standing atop a nearby wall was Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa along with several Squad Eleven members.
"Madarame." Kaien scowled as the Soul Reapers leapt off the wall and into their path.
"I'm glad we were the ones to find you first, Kurosaki. From what we hear, the capture of you four has been left in the hands of your Aunt and she's organizing a special task group to catch you guys. As for us, we're supposed to just let you get caught by them, but until then, we decided we'd get first crack at ya." Ikkaku said with a grin.
"Get out of our way, Ikkaku. We don't have time for this." Kaien ordered but Ikkaku grinned.
"Not so fast, Kurosaki. Back when we first fought in the World of the Living, you had me at a distinct disadvantage. I had limits placed on my abilities so I wasn't at my strongest. But now that you're here, we're on an even playing field and since you're considered a Ryoka, I have no choice but to stop you." Ikkaku said as Kaien scowled in annoyance.
"You'll have to go through us first, chrome dome!" Tatsuki threatened, drawing her Zanpakuto, annoying Ikkaku immensely.
"What did you just say?" Ikkaku hissed.
"Tatsuki we don't have time to fight all these guys." Sora said as Kaien nodded.
"You guys go on ahead if you can. Ikkaku and I have had this fight coming for a while." Kaien said, earning confused looks from his three cousins.
"Are you sure you can take him?" Tatsuki asked, Kaien nodding.
"There's more at stake here than just Yachiru's life." Kaien said softly so that only the four of them could hear it. The three looked at each other for a moment then nodded in agreement.
"Alright but first we need to get past them." Sora said before feeling a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave that to me." Sosuke said as he stepped forward, calmly brushing his hair slightly with his hand before giving the Squad Eleven members before them a calm yet dark smile.
"Good morning, my dear Soul Reapers." Sosuke said in a tone reminiscent of his grandfather. Several of the Soul Reapers before them, except for Ikkaku and Yumichika, began cowering in fear.
"Is-…is he-…" one of them asked fearfully.
"You are in my way. If you wish to remain unharmed, you would do well to stand aside." Sosuke said, reaching for his Zanpakuto.
"An impressive performance so far, Kurosaki, and you may have these men fooled but not all of us are so easily persuaded." Yumichika said but Sosuke continued smiling.
"Yeah, he's not Aizen, so go get him!" Ikkaku said with a grin as the Eleventh Division members behind him and Yumichika quickly drew their swords and charged Sosuke. Sosuke merely drew his Zanpakuto and with one hand, cut down each of the attacking Soul Reapers with one hit each and without getting a scratch on him. The Soul Reapers weren't killed, only incapacitated or rendered unconscious and Sosuke intended it that way. Ikkaku and Yumichika were both visibly stunned by Sosuke's skill.
"The path is clear. Come." Sosuke said before he and his siblings blew past Ikkaku and Yumichika, the only two Squad Eleven members still standing, leaving Kaien alone.
"Impossible!" Ikkaku stammered.
"Should I go after them, Ikkaku?" Yumichika asked.
"No. Let them go. The Captains can handle them. I want someone to witness me and Kurosaki fight." Ikkaku said with a grin as he turned back towards Kaien.
"Very well." Yumichika said with a smile.
End Chapter 42.
The Bleach Quiz.
Today's Host: Captain/Dr. Isshin Kurosaki, Eleventh Division Retired.
"Yes! It's time for a quiz on a figure that represents ultimate manliness!" Isshin declared before being interrupted by Ichigo buzzing in.
"You're wearing black so you're a Yakuza." Ichigo said before a buzzer rang and a trap door opened beneath him, sending Ichigo screaming into the unknown while he was replaced by Ryuken Ishida. Karin then rang in.
"You act like a total jackass so you're a jackass." Karin said, a bell ringing, startling Isshin.
"That's correct?!" Isshin said as Yuzu buzzed in.
"You used to wear a lab coat so you're a mad scientist!" Yuzu said with a cheery smile but a buzzer rang instead.
"That was the guy before me." Isshin said as Ryuken rang in, pushing his glasses up simultaneously.
"You are wearing black so you are a Soul Reaper." Ryuken said, a bell ringing.
"Finally someone gets an answer corre-GAH." Isshin yelped as a Reishi arrow came perilously close to hitting his head. He looked back to see Ryuken with his Quincy bow in hand.
"Sorry. My finger slipped." Ryuken stated calmly.
"Slipped, my ass!" Isshin argued back.
End.