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Recap: "Ha, you really don't know, do you? The only reason I've wanted to fight you is so that I can get stronger. Strong enough to manifest myself into the outer world, and destroy and kill to my heart's content! Just like the old days, before you turned into a mushy coward!" He snarled.
"But that's- that's impossible!"
"Not for me it isn't. And you have no idea who I'm going to kill first," Satsujin smirked, and he vanished.
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Head Captain Yamamoto looked up from his desk full of paperwork as a hell butterfly flew into his office overlooking the Seireitei. He felt slightly annoyed. Who was bothering him, the Head Captain, with a seemingly trivial matter and no warning whatsoever? If it was Yachiru asking for extra candy funds again... he hmphed silently as the hell butterfly landed on his shoulder, but the little bit of irritation he felt was forgotten when the butterfly started to deliver its message. Yamamoto's eyes cracked open. Interesting.
"Lieutenant Sasikibe!" he called.
"Yes sir."
"Issue an immediate request for a captains' meeting. There is a dilemma that requires attention."
"Yes sir, I'm on it.
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"Well kids, we're here!" Isshin spread his arms wide with a flutter of his cape as he jumped out of the senkaimon and presented the whole of the Seireitei. "Hm, it's changed a little since I was last here," he stroked his beard in thought before slowly closing his eyes and tuning out the upcoming family drama.
"Woooow," Yuzu's eyes started sparkling as she clasped her hands in front of her, "so this is the Soul Society!" The brunette peered up at the sky, and the monuments, and the hill, and the buildings, and tried to take it all in in one go.
"Sure is," Ichigo grinned a little at his little sister's enthusiasm. He'd started fighting as soon as he'd invaded the Seireitei the first time, so, unlike his sister, Ichigo hadn't had time to marvel at its beauty until much later.
"It's so grand. You know, I'd love to take a tour!"
"It just looks like bunch of fancy roofs, walls, and old fashioned buildings to me."
"How could you say that, Karin? This is the place where big brother had all his adventures, and it's where Rukia lives!"
"Oh yeah, that's great," the raven-haired girl said, showing her enthusiasm by picking her nose. Karin wasn't uninterested, the Seireitei did look pretty grand. She just took less time than her sister to take it all in. Besides, the booger had been nagging her for a while now, half in and half out, and annoying her when she breathed. Ah yes, and then there was that sweet picking sensation...
"Come on, at least be a little excited-"
"I found her," Isshin interrupted, his eyes snapping open and looking straight down one of the many aisles between the white Seireitei walls. No one had to ask what he meant. That same feeling came back again as Yuzu started sniffling, and as Karin and Ichigo tried to hide their grief in their eyes by looking at the ground. The uncertainty and pain at finally meeting Mom after so long. But there was an irrational fear too. Since it had been so long, what would the encounter be like?
What if she didn't remember them, like all the other souls who arrive in the Soul Society with the majority of their memories wiped clean? What would she say? Again, it was incomprehensible, so Isshin, Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu shoved the feeling aside for the time being. They counted their steps as they ran as fast as they could in the direction that Isshin had pointed out.
They counted the steps it took to get to the heart of their family.
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Unohana's watch over her patient was interrupted as a kneeling messenger entered the room and muttered a quick message, gulping as he did so. He remembered what had changed in this "kind" captain when he had shouted his message and accidentally disrupted the sickly patients under her care the last time a captain's meeting alert had to be delivered.
"Very well, I will be there in just a minute. Tatsuo, could you please watch over Goro here while I am out?"
"Yes Captain Unohana, it'll be my pleasure!" the fourth division officer said happily. He rushed over to the now unoccupied seat by Goro's side and stared at the unconscious, sweaty, trembling man with the silver, spiritual wisps of energy rising from his body while his captain exited the room.
Unohana spared a glance at the only person in the waiting room once more (Shunsui and Jushiro had already been summoned) as she hurried out. The woman would sadly smile or her eyes would go wide as she read the biography on the substitute soul reaper. Then in a moment of woman's intuition, the captain smiled as the identity of the tan-haired lady was made clear to her.
"You know," Unohana started as the woman glanced up, "I have been sensing the spiritual pressures of the Kurosaki family for some time now. They are heading right towards the barracks, in fact. I don't know what the outcome of the captains' meeting will be, so I think it would be wise of you to greet them while you can." The mother looked up, surprised, and there was a moment of silence.
"...thank you," she said finally, her eyes shining. And then she ran, ran as fast as her legs could take her.
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The feeling was getting stronger, it had to be her. The four ran, and Isshin even slipped into flash step...
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Just one more corner to round... BANG! A blur came out of nowhere and knocked her over. It hastily mumbled apologies and Masaki hastily replied reassurances, but that stopped when they looked at each other. He took in her appearance, which looked exactly the same after eight long years. Her long tan hair framing her beautiful face and eyes.
"Masaki..." he said, reaching a hand out to cup her cheek and make sure it wasn't a dream.
"Isshin..." she replied, laying her hand over his.
"You... you're really here..."
"Shh, I know, and more importantly so are you," she said, leaning into his rough, familiar hand.
"I'm so sorry," he said with a quiver in his voice. "I should have been there with you and Ichigo that night, I still regret my absence to this day."
"Don't blame yourself dear, it's no one's fault, least of all yours."
"You should tell that to Ichigo, he feels more guilt than I do. He still blames himself for the fact that you were killed and taken away from us."
"He shouldn't! I'll talk to him about it for sure, my Ichigo can't be having a burden of guilt that isn't his to take," she said. Then Masaki gasped as something occurred to her.
"That's right! Did you bring the kids with you?"
"Of course I did! What kind of idiot father would I be if I hadn't? They'll be overjoyed when they see you."
"Then let's go surprise them, shall we?" she said, with her beautiful smile that was, and was still very much missed. Isshin shook his head slowly with the impossibility of what was happening, and a single tear fell down his cheek and landed in his scruffy beard. Masaki didn't fail to notice both.
"You need to shave, dear. And was I really gone for that long?"
"Yes, but it won't matter in a minute. You're here now, and the kids are waiting for their mother to return," He smiled, imagining the overflowing happiness in the Kurosaki family that was to come.
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Tatsuo suddenly screamed as he was impaled by a sword in his gut. The sword flicked to the right of the being carrying it and the once-healer slid off the end, leaving a dark streak of blood on the blade. He crumpled to a lifeless heap on the ground as the being walked towards the door, relishing his first kill in so long, and looking forward to more. Though his original form was more terrifying than a basket hat wearing simpleton... But it doesn't matter, Satsujin decided. In some ways, vanishing behind Goro, knocking him out, and taking over his body instead of manifesting as I originally planned will be more unpredictable to my prey, and that's all the more enjoyable for me. Besides, this way he'll stay out of my way. The zanpakuto ignored the faint cries of his master in the depths of their soul and strode forward out of the fourth division barracks. Satsujin smiled, imagining the overflowing happiness and satisfaction for himself that was to come.
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As the captain of Squad Four arrived at the grand meeting hall, she felt that something was amiss, but she didn't know what. Unohana forced down the feeling though when the Head Captain started to make his announcement.
"Attention, captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I have summoned you here because of an anomaly that Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake discovered at the Squad Four barracks. The mother of Ichigo Kurosaki has been found as a soul, and she has entered the Seireitei with a companion from the Rukongai."
"What!?"
"Fascinating."
"Tch."
"Oh no."
"This is gonna be a problem."
"That kid..."
"Who cares?"
"SILENCE!" the Head Captain roared, thumping his cane on the floor for emphasis. When it got quiet again, he continued. "You can see that this might create a problem since the substitute soul reaper has ties and access to the Soul Society, as does his family. They may wish to bring Mrs. Kurosaki back with them or visit her often, but returning souls to their past families is against the law, even if the memories of their previous lives are intact."
"So we were gathered here to find a solution to this 'problem?'" spoke up Captain Unohana.
"Correct," stated Yamamoto.
"Well," Captain Kurotsuchi started, "I see a very simple solution to this problem. Why not just eradicate this troublesome soul? It would save a lot of-"
"WE MUST NOT," came the reply, accompanied by shouts of agreement and a cane thump.
"The Head Captain is right. Mayuri, we owe Ichigo Kurosaki a debt of gratitude for his efforts during the Winter War. Destroying his mother's soul would not be a proper repayment of this debt," Captain Ukitake reasoned.
"Oh very well," the scientist hmphed. "But don't come running to me when this causes a load of trouble for us later on."
"And I think it would be a wise idea to keep this from Central 46 for the time being," Captain Mugurama said. "Their judgement can be... questionable at times. But more importantly, we don't have enough of them to make a ruling. Until there are enough members, the law falls to us anyway, so there's no reason to share this situation with them." The assembled captains nodded and grunted their agreement.
"So, what should we do?"
Unohana cleared her throat. "May I suggest letting the scenario play out?"
Kyoraku narrowed his eyes while the captain of Squad 10 looked out of the window thoughtfully. "And just what do you mean by that?" asked Kyoraku.
"Well, since the Kurosaki family has just arrived and is probably meeting the woman right now, I'd say that is what the Captain means," said Toshiro. "We've been so preoccupied, it's truly a wonder we only noticed it now. I had to really search for them and concentrate."
"HMM?" the Head Captain raised an eyebrow and opened an eye. "You are right. But I should've been able to feel their presences long before now. A powerful concealing spell or ability must be nearby. Captains stay here, but captains Unohana and Kyoraku, I want you to go and investigate who is using the concealing ability. We may have an enemy in our midst, and if so, that takes priority. I'm sending you two because whoever could fool me even for a second is someone dangerous. Report back with this person immediately. Now GO!"
"YES SIR!"
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