Sea of Souls

by Black' Victor Cachat

The Straw Hats failed and died, somehow passing over to another universe where they became 'Hollows.' Quickly bored of the endless wastes of Hueco Mundo, they try and figure out what to do next, much to the detriment of the peace and sanity of Aizen, Urahara, Soul Society, and the rest of the worlds.

6. The Seireitei Regroups

I do not own either One Piece or Bleach.

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Beta read by the wonderful lincoln time, mellra, and MasterQwertster, whose own stories and art you should definitely check out! Also thanks to other readers who have given incredible help, like scl04 and Creation Teller.

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Guest Review answers :-D

Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

It honestly varies in regards to who is physically stronger between Bleach and One Piece. I mean, Kenpachi was pulling off feats near the end that would make Kaidou jealous I think. That said, the One Piece guys and were reborn, so they are working within Bleach laws of physics now.

As for Haki, in relation to the above bit, they have similar abilities. Pesquisa and Hierro are essentially Observation and Armament Haki respectively, and the effect of using one's Reiatsu on others is similar to Conqueror's Haki.

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

Glad the reactions were down well :-) And the Straw Hats will be interacting with others more, no worries on that front ;-)

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musizlover2008

Hmm, while that is indeed a surprising coincidence, the Straw Hats' memories are still pretty vague, and Caesar Clown I feel is not someone who would have made a strong enough impact to be remembered. Or at least certainly not more than others.

Wait and see on the outfits ;-)

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HUNTER202002

Glad you like the comedy scenes, and yeah, never underestimate Luffy's luck!

There *may* be an omake on that. And yeah, 'Hueco Mundo.'

The *true* Soul King has yet to make his return (the guy up in that other dimension is just a fraud, honest).

Wait and see on the sisters ;-)

LOL yes, very important! To answer your question, yes there will be some pairings. Which ones? My lips are sealed. Although I will say I may be correcting some issues I took with some canon relationships.

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

LOL I like that idea with Wade. Makes me wish that I was more familiar with Fate/Zero so I could read that! Unfortunately that will not be Aizen's fate, if only because I am not touching the Fourth Wall. You might find "Uninvited Guests" interesting though. It is a Bleach fic that touches on similar stuff as it progresses. Regardless, it is my favourite fic period for a good reason.

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

LOL I had not thought about that between Lilynette and Nelliel!

Alas, both Menoly and Loly are still fanatical fangirls for Aizen. Just because he has suffered a setback does nothing to diminish either his power, or how he is (apparently) without fear.

Hmm, I had honestly not considered Zoro/Unohana. If he was aware of her bloodlust I admit that might, scarily(?)/creepily(?) work out. Although I would say that he would have to first prove himself a superior swordsman to full-power Kenpachi.

Also in terms of original ideas (please keep it up), I had been considering skipping that Zanpakuto arc, but the idea of some joining the Straw Hats is indeed intriguing!

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

The Bleach cast has some abilities that One Piece would be frankly envious of, and they did not just pass over with all their living abilities; they had to start over from scratch basically as Souls. But yeah arguably I have still held them back a lot. My reasoning for doing so though is that it would be a boring story if they could just casually overpower the entirety of the Bleach cast.

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HatethePlayer-NevertheGame

Awesome to hear mine is the best One Piece x Bleach crossover! :-D As for Aizen, yeah I have seen him been written off too easily in other fics. This is him in his horrifying glory. As for Gin . . . I think I will be surprising you wonderful readers ;-)

For the Straw Hats . . . yes I very much love the canon misconceptions of Luffy and Co., and enjoy playing it up in my other fics as well. And yeah, Urahara will be finding out more, although trick will be finding a feasible manner for him to discover all the details.

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Legianreader2003

Awesome to hear I have the best! :-D Note at the end of the Author Notes I think you will like too ;-)

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RED

LOL yeah, while I am acknowledging Aizen's power and genius, and I am not going to make it easy for him! ;-D As for the Visoreds . . . they deserve some pity ;-P

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

Have a good day/night whatever the time is in your place yourself, and thank you for your Review and Support! :-D

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Power Levels

You may want to go back and read that Author Note again. I said that Luffy was weaker than the two strongest guys in canon at this point, and would still have a chance of winning. Moreover for them to win, they would most likely be forced to use power that they never felt forced to pre-Thousand Year Blood arc. He is definitely no pebble. He never fought in Las Noches because frankly it was beneath him, in a way that his nakama respected as both from their time as pirates, and as Hollows.

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

LOL yes, the Vizards are definitely going to be yelling at Kisuke. Just not this chapter.

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125b

I like to think so! X-D

Here is the newest chapter, and I hope it was worth it! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D

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Guest (please choose name/nickname next time ^^)

Sorry for the delay, but been pretty busy with my other stories and real life. Appreciate hearing about the potential of this story though! :-D

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Seas of Souls

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Chapter 6: The Seireitei Regroups

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A day had passed since Aizen Sousuke's dramatic, bloody departure from the Seireitei.

In total, three Taichou had defected, leaving nine of the remaining Taichou requiring emergency medical attention, the civilian government slaughtered, and the Gotei 13's hub of advanced technology and research obliterated. Worst of all for the overly-conservative Shinigami, there was no way to keep a lid on this, with uncomfortably accurate rumours already spreading through the rank and file, and even to the Rukongai. The sight of massive Hollow-like giants peering through a giant tear in the sky, was the sort of thing that could be seen from dozens of kilometers away, and raised awkward questions.

In summary, it was easily one of the worst days in the Gotei 13's history.

For now though, the best they could do was focus on recovery. The loyal Taichou, and most of the Ryoka, were all currently resting in the hospital, with the exception of Unohana-taichou, who was busy keeping them all alive. Nevertheless, the largest and most powerful nation state in three worlds remained a bustling hive of activity. It was essential to keep the military and general instruments of government functioning as smoothly as possible, otherwise the whole society's infrastructure would be thrown into disarray. At best that would cost lives, at worse it could cause the whole organization to collapse.

It was times like this, when the topmost hierarchy had been effectively, if however temporarily, decapitated, that you truly knew the quality of the rest of the officers. Would they rise to the occasion, keeping their subordinates focused upon their duties? Or would they panic, be paralyzed, or even merely plod along through their usual routine, pretending nothing was wrong?

This was the occasion when the Taichou themselves would be judged on whether or not they had indeed appointed the proper people to their positions.

The results surprised many.

For instance, on more than one occasion, it had been commented that one harbinger of the apocalypse was the Fukutaichou of the 10th Division willingly doing her paperwork, without her Taichou badgering her into doing it.

Or screaming at her to do it.

Or throwing her paperwork back onto her desk after she tried (again) to slip it into his own large Pile of Bureaucracy.

So when people caught Matsumoto Rangiku-fukutaichou actually doing her job, with the previously mentioned catastrophes that had sent her Taichou among others into surgery for near-mortal wounds, a rather sad and depressing number of people concluded that said doomsday predictions were true.

Their acting-boss then glared at them in a way that made their spines shiver, and told them they were still expected to fulfill their appointed tasks. Or else.

Wisely they obeyed and left her in peace and quiet.

Groaning, Rangiku scribbled off her signature once again, and strongly resisted the urge to take a break, and drink from one of the caches of sake she had hidden around the office for whenever a certain slave-driver stepped out.

It was two in the afternoon, and she was dying of thirst without her alcohol!

Mentally slapping herself, she focused on the next sheet before her. She was not only handling the routine, if essential, administration, repairs, medical reports, etcetera; as the second-in-command of the Tenth Division, she was preparing herself and her subordinates for war.

The first war any of them had ever fought in.

Back as students in the Academy, the history texts had waxed poetic about the righteousness and assurance of the Gotei 13's victories in previous wars. Conflicts that had been swift, brutal, and overwhelmingly in their favour. Similar accounts could be found in other records throughout the Seireitei. After attaining her present rank however, she had been both entitled and obligated to know certain other facts of life. Such as how beyond the usual, obvious reasons associated with Human conflicts, short wars were in fact a necessity for the Seireitei.

A Shinigami's purpose was to maintain the Balance of souls. Something they could not do while they were out fighting and dying on a distant battlefield. Especially since every Soul they failed to purify, would in all likelihood either become a Hollow, or be devoured by a pre-existing one for power. Without their natural predators, the number of those monsters would swell. So each 'no-name lackey' killed, meant there was one more sector of the Living World unprotected.

Which of course meant that despite how weak the other Shinigami were in comparison to the Fukutaichou and Taichou, their lives were of important strategic value—so of course they remained priority targets for the enemy.

It was simple logistics really.

There were 6,000 Shinigami in the Gotei 13. Only 6,000, responsible for overseeing the spiritual balance of two worlds. Literally billions of Souls. Based on what Aizen had already proven capable of, Rangiku was chillingly aware that in the months to come, that number would be drastically reduced. Well, more than it had already been after what he did to the 12th Division.

If they lost too many of the rank and file, then the Seireitei may become incapable of maintaining that essential balance . . .

In layman's terms, despite having the only army of supernatural soldiers in all three worlds, the Gotei 13 could not afford to deploy most of them in the war. For the same reasons, they could not risk a protracted war that endangered them, lest the Balance be disrupted beyond repair, and/or the ranks of Hollows swelled beyond even the ability of the Taichou to successfully cull. However, at the same time, if Aizen managed to marshal a large enough horde of Hollows, including Gillians, those same troops would be required to manage the flanks and support the elites, who regrettably could not be everywhere at once. Especially since so many Taichou-class fighters had injuries that not even Unohana-taichou could fully heal.

With those cheery thoughts in mind, Rangiku pulled up a list detailing several of her subordinates, mentally reviewing all her recollections of them. Ever since she had started being the one to go trawling for graduates from the Academy, a 'surprising' number of their new recruits had been men. Or a few women who had seen similar 'benefits' to joining the 10th Division. Regardless, she and Hitsugaya-Taichou –Yes, she was quite capable of regarding him respectfully in her head— knew them all by heart. Her little prodigy of a Taichou had memorized all knew their Academy grades, talents, Kido development, and every report they had ever written off the top of his head, while she knew who they were as actual people. It made for surprisingly good teamwork.

When she was actually working.

Ruthlessly she stabbed that insignificant piece of guilt. It was not her fault that Taichou had been nearly killed. That Gin had deceived—

—Seas of Souls—

[Flashback]

Running as fast as she could along with the other remaining Fukutaichou, working in tandem. Hisagi was a friend, Tetsuzaemon more of a friend of a friend, while Omaeda was kinda pathetic. However, as grating as the fatso was, like her and the others, he possessed an unswerving devotion to his Taichou—even if she really needed to get laid.

A part of her knew Hisagi was tearing up inside at what Tousen was doing, yet all of them stayed professional about this. Remembering their oaths and responsibilities. They were too weak to fight directly, so they would find other ways to be useful; particularly getting medical aid.

Without a word they split up to search for members of the 4th Division, even as the Taichou began to fall.

. . .

Racing full tilt, she found a Relief Squad, and she flared her Reiatsu to alert the others. Hah! Knowing how to sense for and identify the various doctors was always handy, be it to find help on the battlefield, or to woo an awkward guy into curing your hangover.

No time to waste, she tucked one of the healers under one arm, only for something to make her look up. Soi Fong-Taichou was flailing at nothing in the air –Aizen's real Shikai! Does this mean he has to focus on who sees his illusions or not!?— when a flash of quicksilver impaled the diminutive woman.

Sunlight reflected off the long, thin blade, before retracting back into the hands of—

—Seas of Souls—

Present

A knock on her door blessedly jolted Rangiku out of her memories.

"Enter!" she called, trying to appear as serious as possible. When she saw who it was though, she relaxed to be friendlier.

"Uhm, Sasakibe-fukutaichou wanted you to have this," Kira Izuru-fukutaichou softly said, despite addressing a peer. "I got it while handing in my own stuff."

With all the Taichou out of commission, and the Soutaichou on strict bed rest, the Fukutaichou of the 1st Division had assumed command. Old as dirt, and intimately familiar with the inner workings of the system, he was a natural choice.

"Do you mean work from the 3rd Division, or the 5th as well?" she pleasantly asked, only for him to look away. He obviously had not slept in a while —probably not since he had been imprisoned the other day— and was paler than she remembered.

When I beat him until he couldn't get up again, she acknowledged, with mix feelings.

Both of them had been tricked into fighting, with her wanting to aid her Taichou, while he had been trying to protect one of his two closest friends.

Who had then been impaled by the man she idolized above all others. A man he had, however unintentionally and insignificantly, been an accomplice to.

"I'm sure when Momo wakes up, she'll be happy to hear you've been helping run her Division," she reassured him.

"It's nothing," he said, still not looking at her.

"Mmhmm~. You're sweeter than you want people to think." Finally facing her, his utter confusion was written over his face. Inwardly sighing, she tried a different route. "Izuru, there was nothing you could have done," she assured him. "We were all played for fools."

Now if only I could accept that as well.

When Izuru had first met Ichimaru Gin, the man had been his saviour. In time, his superior and mentor, someone he had trusted explicitly. He had that weird way about him, and the rest of the 3rd Division would have charged into Hueco Mundo itself at their Taichou's command. They had stood up for him, even while the rest of the Gotei 13 found him creepy. As for herself . . . No.

While the 12th Division was physically the worst off, the 5th was arguably just as bad. In painful retrospect, the respect they had shown Aizen had in reality been borderline worship, with Hinamori Momo-fukutaichou as high priestess. The revelation of his true colours, and attempted murder of the sweet girl, had thrown them all into dark despair. Morale had been gutted, leaving them nearly listless. Despite it being only a day since the disaster, and his own injuries, Izuru had thrown himself into helping them as best he could, while simultaneously trying to handle his own confused and horrified subordinates. Somehow, he was successfully handling the paperwork of two Fukutaichou and two Taichou at once.

(She had an uncomfortable suspicion Sasakibe-fukutaichou was allowing it, because he figured overstraining one Fukutaichou, was worth the price of keeping both divisions from collapsing.)

"Just you wait," she promised. "She'll be up and about before you know it, thanking you for handling things when she couldn't, and throwing herself into becoming stronger."

" . . . Stronger to fight Aizen," he emotionlessly said. Given how the younger woman had reacted when the man had faked his death, he was obviously afraid for how she would cope with trying to think of him as an enemy. Even after impaling her.

Unfortunately, Rangiku knew his concerns were not baseless. Would love or duty win over?

". . . Then become stronger yourself so she doesn't have to," she scolded, making his eyes sharpen. "Oh, sure, I beat you," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "but I'm me, and I'll be training too. Or do you think you can't keep up?" she challenged.

He looked at her for another long moment, before giving a firm nod in turn. There, see? She did know people! With a few simple words, the events of yesterday were put aside and forgiven, and her friend could begin recovering.

Moreover, she would get stronger. For the Gotei 13. For her Taichou. And to beat Gin to death for leaving like that, and then start beating him some more until she dislodged some answers!

—Seas of Souls—

With a groan of pain, and one hand pressed against the thick bandages wrapped around his torso, Abarai Renji-fukutaichou started to work himself upright to get out of the hospital bed.

Rukia had been by earlier to wish him better, although too passively for his peace of mind. So he had insulted her, making her snap back with her familiar fire from the good old days, and he felt much better. He further appreciated the lack of being punched while recovering.

Except he was fine! Sure, he had been told to rest for a few more days, but there was too much to do! So he would get up, and make his way to the 6th Division to get a handle on how things were going.

Sure, Iba Tetsuzaemon was already handling as much of that as possible —nice of an old friend from the 11th— except he had his own division to manage. Not to mention a Taichou of his own who was doubtless feeling pretty awful right about now.

He was mentally steeling himself for moving his legs off the bed, when his plans were interrupted by someone barging right in without even knocking. Of course, said intruder did not hold to that particular type of etiquette. His version of manners were all related to two people hacking each other apart.

"Hey," said Madarame Ikkaku, holding up two trays of food. "Figured you'd could use the company."

With a weak grin, Renji managed, "Aww, look'it you, being all motherly."

"Only because you're so pathetic," the bald man shot back.

Unfortunately both insults were lacking their regular energy, and they knew it. At least Ikkaku was silent as Renji laboriously adjusted himself so he was sitting upright. He stayed in bed though, since it would be uncool to risk collapsing in front of his buddy and former mentor.

"Not that I'm complaining," he finally said, reaching for the food, "but aren't you managing the 11th Division?"

"Tch, nah."

"Huh?"

Whatever Ikkaku's faults, he was devoted to Zaraki Kenpachi-taichou. While the same could be said for the rest of the battle-hungry division, they were a rowdy bunch who tended to need a firm hand when their leader was preoccupied elsewhere. Renji figured those who were mobile right now were likely prowling about restlessly for a fight, needing something to distract them from what had happened over the last few days. As for the rest . . .

"Would've thought Unohana'd be too busy to keep the hospitalized ones in line."

Smirking with some of his old fire, Ikkaku shook his head. "She's too busy keeping all the Taichou alive, and keeping the Soutaichou from overstraining himself I hear."

Despite how they were talking more than they usually did without alcohol, both men were mowing through their food at a quick pace. A trait shared by many others who had survived the more impoverished districts of the Rukongai.

"Yeah," nodded Renji. "Way I heard it, Sasakibe's giving him the occasional report, except he still wants to get out of bed and start planning out hunting down Aizen."

"Man's a monster, no question."

"Nope."

". . . You do know I'm talking about Yamamoto, right?"

"Obviously, idiot. So if you're not running heard on 'em, then who is?"

Of all the possible answers, this one was honestly one of the last Renji would have expected.

"Yachiru."

". . . Huuuuuuh!?"

Kenpachi and his adoptive daughter had an interesting dynamic. He was tall, coarse, and terrifying in an obvious manner you could appreciate at first glance. While the 11th Division Fukutaichou was a small child with pink hair, chirpy, and utterly adorable until she started cheering on death and mayhem, and managed to somehow be even more irresponsible than the rest of those sword-happy lunatics.

Like Kenpachi though, no one questioned her right to rank. In the Seireitei, strength was all.

"Yep," now Ikkaku's grin was all teeth. "Making her rounds, and anybody acting out is either scared out of their minds, or slugged unconscious. Asked her, and she said it's time for her to start acting like a Fukutaichou. At least until Taichou is up and about again."

A shadow fell over his eyes though, at how the man he respected above all others, had been crippled. Dishonoured.

While Kenpachi remained more dangerous than all (or possibly almost all) his subordinates combined, would he ever be able to regain his pride? Would he truly be able to lead the Seireitei's heavy combat, front-line division?

Recovering himself, Ikkaku continued, "Part of why I'm here to be honest. Figured you deserved better than dealing with her popping in to manage you too. Anyways, Yumichika's handling the paperwork and junk back home. I put the rest of the uninjured to running drills, yelling at 'em for doing so pathetic against a bunch of baby Ryoka. Then headed over here."

Renji stared at him in silence for a whole minute before, "Yachiru's actually acting responsible?"

"Yes! Seriously, she is!"

". . . Scary."

". . . Yeah, okay, it is."

They were mostly done with their lunch when Renji finally broached what duty required of him, even though he knew his friend and mentor would hate to hear it. "Ikkaku, with everything that's happened, we need your—"

Raising an authoritative palm, the man silenced his supposed superior. "I don't want to hear it," he said with an uncharacteristic iciness. "I will serve and die under Zaraki Kenpachi, and none other." Eyes narrowing, "You of all people should understand. That's why I taught you how to find your Bankai."

Despite knowing this was deeply personal, in light of circumstances Renji had to ask, "Why did you learn it then? If not to use it against a man who loves battle."

Snorting, Ikkaku looked away. "It isn't about power. It was to better master myself."

Bluntly, he changed the subject. "Have you heard how the rest of the Fukutaichou doing?"

Sighing, Renji accepted the other's wishes, and chose to be honest. "Bad. You know what it's like with the 12th of course, and the 4th's a nightmare right now. Hisagi's shouldering through probably, and the rest will manage. I'm probably going to owe Tetsuzaemon a drink after this, even if he is butting in on the 6th." Generally speaking, Renji figured warriors should handle their burdens on their own. Right now though, he figured a little teamwork might be of use.

"Uh huh," grunted Ikkaku. Despite Tetsuzaemon being as much a 'traitor' as Renji for leaving the 11th behind, they had kept in touch. Plus of course, their series of battles yesterday. "Surprised Rangiku and the others aren't also helping him and blondie with helping out the other divisions."

"It's not necessary," growled Renji in defense of Izuru, before the anger drained away. "'Sides, they've got their own work cut out for 'em. It's not just the Fukutaichou doing our work and the Taichou's right now." Not that Ikkaku would know, since Kenpachi skipped over being an Academy graduate, and remained illiterate. So whatever paperwork he could not ignore, he handed off for 5th seat Ayasegawa to manage. "The rest've got to get the Seireitei mobilized for full-scale war. Provisions, fortifications, strategies, that sort of junk. Once that's outta the way, next they're going to be trying to coordinate things with the Shinigami in the Human World."

"What?" blinked Ikkaku. "Oh. Oooh. Without the 12th Division we can't communicate with our guys in the field." Wincing in distaste, "Wonder how many'll be dead because they couldn't call for help, or for measures to protect the Konpaku around them?"

Grimacing, Renji briefly distracted himself scooping up the last few grains of rice. "It'll be slow going once we can get it up and running again."

Ikkaku worked his jaw as he uncharacteristically thought out his next words, before reverting to his customary blunt tactics. "What about you stepping up to be a Taichou?" Ikkaku asked with mixed emotions.

Scowling, Renji shook his head and looked away. "You know what happened. I fought Kuchiki-taichou, and he literally beat me without a scratch. I'm not at that level yet."

Not to mention how helpless he had been against not only Aizen, but the rest of those vipers as well.

"Well, you'll get there." With that reassurance out of the way, Ikkaku stood up with the empty trays. "I'd better get back to make sure those idiots are doing it right, and you've got to rest more if you don't want Yachiru making you. Let's get a drink though, when the Taichou are back on their feet."

"Sure. And thanks."

Turning away, Ikkaku waved a dismissive hand. "Don't sweat it."

—Seas of Souls—

Scowling, Shiba Kukaku, Clan Head of the Shiba (all two of whom were left), prowled down the hallways of the 4th Division. She had just checked up on Yoruichi to make sure her friend was alright, and was now eager to get back home. The Seireitei was stifling.

While some of the functioning Fukutaichou has expressed their thanks to her for defeating the brainwashed Gatekeepers, everyone else was pretending not to see her. For the majority, it was because of her clan's disgrace, while others had figured out she was the one who helped the Ryoka penetrate the 'impenetrable' barrier. Not to mention how she had gone on to subvert the only remaining loyal Gatekeeper (hopefully the others would recover from whatever Aizen had done to them), and get him help her break into Soul Society in turn. Probably a few more major felonies, if she bothered to think about it. For all she knew, since she had been here last, laws had been passed to outlaw fireworks.

Not that she had been expecting a "Thank you."

Ganju was still here, however she was in no rush to drag him home by the ear. From what she had wrangled out of Yoruichi, he had been the least productive brat of all the brats, which was a disgrace. The only reason she was not taking him back right now for remedial training was because Yoruichi, and her little minions, needed all the help they could get. Including moral support, and you could always count on a Shiba to lighten things up. Besides, it would be a gesture to her friend, telling her the Shiba's still had her back.

'Sides, even if her idiot little brother had failed to realize Aizen's role in Kaien's death, given the state of the Seireitei right now, it looked like the Shinigami were going to need every scrap of assistance they could get. Even shifting rubble around should burn some of the fat off of him.

(Although when she got her hands on Ganju, she would still be whipping him into a proper one-man army, no matter how many times she had to kick him.)

Rounding a corner, she caught sight of a certain someone disappearing around the right corner at an intersection up ahead. Kukaku paused to wait until they had enough of a lead, before continuing, having planned to turn left anyways. She was in no mood for another conversation with Kuchiki Rukia any time soon.

Not because of what she had done, only the memories associated with her.

She had been there to overhear –along with a bunch of busybodies, which meant the gossip and ever embellishing tales of it would be all over the Seireitei by now— about the kid's life, as Kuchiki Byakuya gave his (overdue) confession. Abandoned by her sister as a baby, she somehow had survived and thrived to become a Shinigami. Given what Kukaku remembered of the girl's adoptive brother/brother-in-law's cold fish attitude though, becoming a member of the Kuchiki Clan had probably not been a blessing, and that was not even getting into the whole 'trying to kill you' thing.

Her contempt for such behaviour was beyond words.

Family protects family, she swore. If you can't do that, then you don't deserve to have her. Even taking a blow from Ichimaru for her does nothing to excuse that! Nothing can redeem what you tried to do!

Not that it was any of her business or concern. She had other issues.

Heck, aside from the whole noble adoption thing, this kid's life-story is all too common in the farther Rukongai districts.

Although I am pretty curious as to how this 'Hisana' went from nothing, to marrying the most stuck-up noble of all.

Not that she had let it affect her, when the girl had given her apology for her supposed role in Kaien's death. Or that Kukaku had eased up on hitting her when the dolt kept saying "sorry" for no real reason. It was done, and like she had said, she had already known the little Kuchki was not truly at fault, and forgave her.

Of course thinking of her own older brother, made her reflect further on a certain orange haired Ryoka boy. No matter how she struggled, she could not continue ignoring his resemblance to her departed brother. And by 'resemblance,' she meant, 'dye his hair black, and they're basically twins.' Except, it was not just his features, but his power and character as well. Scowls aside. No, if there were some sort of connection between us, Yoruichi would've told me.

A dark little voice in her head, whispered though, Not if Kisuke gave her reasons not to.

—Seas of Souls—

The futures of some hospital residents were better than others.

While Kenpachi had no more hands, there was no question how with his feet alone, he could beat to death pretty much any of the Fukutaichou. Good odds he could do it while facing them all at once too.

Hitsugaya-taichou's only serious injury was (relatively) simple chest trauma, and Unohana-taichou had been close at hand, so he was expected to be back to full health within the week.

Kuchiki-taichou's condition had been touch-and-go at times, particularly as his injuries had been aggravated by all the roiling Reiatsu from the battle with Aizen, and from how it had also kept medics away longer than they would have been regularly. Even if he became too injured to serve as an officer though, certainly he would continue to be relevant to the war as Clan Head of the Kuchiki. In that role, he could divert his family's impressive resources to help crush the man who had the impertinence to kill off their civilian government, and try and kill his adoptive sister.

Regrettably, things were murkier for one particular ex-Taichou and ex-Clan Head, with three remaining limbs.

With a sigh, Shihoin Yoruichi thought back to how everything had changed. About 110 years ago she had pushed Urahara Kisuke into becoming a Taichou —Yes, without asking him first, so what?— because she had known change was necessary. While she knew she was not as brilliant as him (not that she would ever admit it), she had already begun to see the writing on the wall. That something was coming. Some shift that would tear down 900 years of tradition and order. The only question was from which quarter it would appear. So she had pressured her best friend into becoming Taichou of the 12th Division, so he would be in a position of power and authority to help.

Now it was uncomfortably certain that whatever Great Changes were in store for the three worlds, Aizen was the one who would trigger them. Given how events were starting out, she was not particularly looking forward to what he did next. As matters stood, the man clearly held the advantage in this now-open conflict. Indeed, even if –when!— Seireitei won this war, she knew the lingering price would be astronomical for centuries to come.

Mentally grimacing, Yoruichi instinctively knew that when it came to shouldering the burden of the war, an unfortunate amount of it would rest solely upon the shoulders of Ichigo, and the rest of those kids, who had not seen the madman's Shikai. Those bright, impossible kids.

She had gotten cocky, she knew that now. Time and arrogance had left her complacent and rusty, not even training herself against Kisuke and the others. Indeed, she was more than a little bit afraid he, Tessai, and the Visoreds were as bad if not worse off than her. Isshin was definitely well-below par, for all that he fought with his son.

Not that the current crop of Taichou were much better, as the events from a century ago meant most of them were promoted to their current ranks too early. The burdens of their new duties dampening their true potential before they could truly bring it out.

Nevertheless, those new punks were not that weak. Not in comparison to a bunch of Human teenagers. Right?

Right?

After all, a Taichou of the Gotei 13 was a monster in human flesh, conditioned to be the ultimate killing machine. Little Byakuya had been perfecting his swordsmanship and Shunpo, while studying under recognized masters, for well over a century. He had spent decade after decade hunting soul-eating monsters, honing himself in battle after battle.

(One scary and sobering truth that was not widely advertised, was that only Yamamoto, Unohana, Kyoraku, and Ukitake had successfully held their ranks for over a century. In the last two to three generations of Taichou, only one had been promoted to 0 Division, while the rest had retired due to the stress of their rank, been exiled . . . or died in battle.)

Except . . .

Except Kurosaki Ichigo had beaten Byakuya in terms of speed and swordsmanship with only a few months under his belt. Even then, only his training against Kisuke and Zangetsu, really counted as anything truly serious, so less than a week! Before that, all he had was his childhood training at karate, and spending his teenage years in endless street fights.

If anything, he more closely resembled a younger, more sane and stable Zaraki Kenpachi. Both of them relied heavily upon their overwhelming Reiryoku, instincts, keen observations, and strength and speed against those with vastly more experience and skill. Throwing everything at their enemies until they were overwhelmed by sheer power. What made Ichigo a superior fighter to the barbarian though, was that he learned at a frankly absurd rate. Even with Kisuke helping him along, achieving Shikai so quickly, followed by reaching the state where it was feasible to even consider it safe for using that special doll to bulldoze through Bankai training, was setting a pace which was ridiculous and frankly a little terrifying.

In all honestly, she had no idea if the reason for his insane potential was because of his parents' respective heritages, making him the first true hybrid; because he was alive yet with the powers of the dead, and the living grow faster or something philosophical like that; or if it was merely an innate part of Ichigo, and he would have been this incredible regardless.

Whatever. How he did it was less important right now than the fact he was doing it.

Although, her overly-uptight student was not the only one she was both proud of, and worried for.

While it had come at the cost of his powers, Ishida Uryuu's own victory over Kurotsuchi-taichou had been nearly equally astounding. Some would even argue that defeating a Taichou at the cost of all your power was worth the price. Hopefully as a now former Quincy, he would go overlooked by the Gotei 13.

Even Chad and Orihime had continued to totally embarrass the oldest and most elite military organization in existence, with only minimal difficulty. At not even twenty years old, Chad was a shoe-in for being a Fukutaichou, even if one of the weaker ones, and Orihime would be snapped up by the 4th Division if given half the chance. Moreover, both of them wielded powers that for all her centuries of experience, she neither recognized, nor truly understood.

So yes, even Yoruichi found their collective potential more than a little worrying . . . and was utterly terrified how other Shinigami might regard those kids. Her students.

Fortunately they were too invaluable to the Gotei 13 right now, what with the looming war, horrible initial losses, and that it had been driven gruesomely home that all their preferred warriors were too helpless before Aizen's Shikai. So right now the children were a valuable war asset.

So it's up to me to ensure Yamamoto and the rest continue to appreciate having them as allies, and don't break them through abuse or neglect.

—Seas of Souls—

With a groan, Ichigo dragged himself to consciousness. Memory instantly returned, recalling how he had started to fade back on the execution hill thingy, while the 4th Division ran around.

Movement to the side caught his attention, and he looked up to see a very tall woman with silvery hair, smiling down on him. Although he caught a hint of wariness in her eyes. A little shamefully he remembered her as one of the three Fukutaichou he had taken down while saving Rukia. He shifted his body, and realized he was neither restrained, nor in pain. Huh, guess I'm in a hospital.

"Did you sleep well?" asked the kindly woman.

For an instant an image in his mind –a dream?— flashed by of a white version of himself, with black and gold eyes, before it went away. "Huh?" he croaked, before clearing his throat to sound a little clearer. "I guess so."

She smiled again, gently helped him sit himself upright, and handed him a cup of water. As he sipped it, she told him, "Your friends are outside if you're up to it."

An honest grin slipped through a face that usually only scowled, and she quickly spun around to go to the door to open it up. A part of him thought he had caught her flushing though.

Shrugging it off, he looked around, and found the equivalent of a hospital shirt to pull over his bare chest and wrappings, just before Orihime, Chad, Ganju, and Ishida walked in. Thankfully the guys were free of bandages now, and Orihime was as chipper as ever.

Or at least tried to be.

She was clearly as exhausted as the others, with hints of stress and shadows in their expressions. He would also bet they had not slept since—huh. Alright, maybe they had gotten some sleep after all, depending how long it took him to recover.

"How're you guys doing?" he asked anyways. Since he figured it would help reassure them.

"Better than you," Ishida drawled, while the others also gave reassurances.

"How long was I out?" With injuries like that, he would bet at least a week or two. Although Hats-an'-Clogs had fixed him up pretty fast too.

"Just one day," chirped Orihime. "They've got lots of awesome doctors here! Oooooh, unless they didn't heal you, but cloned you, and put your brain in a rapidly grown body!? Or maybe an android!"

While she was acting like her usual bubbly, air-headed self, there was something . . . off, which made him suspect it was forced.

"I think I'm me," Ichigo uneasily reassured her. "But yeah, wow, glad to know I'm gonna be okay." Unfortunately, this meant his friends had likely been working non-stop without sleep since . . . since probably that night at the Shiba household.

"By some miracle!" a happily familiar voice calls out. Rukia barged into the room, reading through a clipboard. "Ichigo you moron! Do you even realize what you're still recovering from!? Too many injuries to name, and how'd you even manage to put pressure on every bone in your body!? According to Kotetsu-fukutaichou, you're lucky they didn't all snap!"

"Oh!" gasped Orihime. "Kurosaki-kun, I'm sorry, I was too exhausted to finish healing you! Let me do some more!"

"No worries, Inoue," he reassured her. "You took care of the worst of it." He turned a glare onto Rukia. "Don't complain about what it took to save your life. And none of that nonsense about not wanting it either!"

Scowling, she was about throw another insult at him, when she noticed Ganju. Ichigo was shocked as the usually overly self-confident woman flinched, only for the boisterous man to quickly boast, "Yeah! Seireitei would've been toast if we hadn't come knocking in your door! Traitorous Taichou and all! Embarrassing!"

Sucking in a deep breath, Rukia visibly accepted what he was doing, and became a dignified noblewoman once more, and gave a short bow. "That is correct. The Gotei 13 owes you a debt of gratitude." She pulled a sheaf of papers out from under one arm. "We'd appreciate it if you'd also write out any additional observations you might have. The smallest detail may be invaluable."

A moment of strained silence fell across the room, with Ichigo awkwardly rubbing his head and finally breaking it. "So they've already put you to work?"

"Yes," she nodded as if it were natural, yet there was a slight tension about her shoulders. If he did not know her as well as he did —and should he be grateful Byakuya did not know she had been living in his closet?— he may have missed it. "Ukitake-taichou regularly becomes ill, so the 13th Division is used to operating in his absence."

"Interesting," noted Ishida. "Well, glad you Shinigami are on top of that."

While he did not fully get what the Quincy's problem was, believing he was over his issues with Rukia, Ichigo figured it was best to change the topic. Surprisingly, it was Orihime who spoke up next. "By the way, Rukia, we never heard what it was Aizen blew up. The huge explosion I mean. How important was it?"

"It was their Research and Development Institute," answered Ishida, a glimmer of gleeful malice flickering through his eyes, before his iron self-control reasserted itself. Evidently he had taken the effort to learn what had happened. "Basically he took out their most advanced technology in one shot."

Well that was weird, thought Ichigo about that reaction. He knew better than to pry though, as it would get him nowhere. By the sound of it, Aizen wanted to cripple the Seireitei. He wasn't planning on doing so originally, so whatever happened with that portal of his, and fighting off all the Taichou, must've really shaken him. So he wanted to make it harder for the Gotei 13 to counter-strike. Except, why not just finish off the Taichou?

Briefly he thought about it some more, before shaking off that line of speculation. Dude was clearly just nuts.

Still, for all that Soul Society looks all feudal, the Shinigami seem to have some pretty advanced technology to help them function. Like those phones. For all that he complained to Rukia about how that her Denreishi-whatever was too unreliable about detecting Hollows, deep down he knew that it was pretty impressive. To say nothing about being able to communicate across dimensions. "You guys can still get by, right?"

Shaking her head in frustration, their resident Shinigami explained the problem. "Stuff like our Denreishinki—"

That's the word!

"—were all stored there. And we lost our ability to monitor our sensors in the World of the Living. Until Division 12 pulls itself back together, we're back to how we were doing things over a century ago."

"Well," beamed Orihime, "I'm sure you'll manage."

Nodding, Rukia solemnly declared, "The Gotei 13 will protect the peace and prosperity of the Seireitei, and the World of the Living, no matter the cost."

—Seas of Souls—

Ishida Uryu resisted the urge to either roll his eyes, or shout at his gullible frie—companions. Honestly, it was not really their fault. Inoue saw the best in everyone, and Kurosaki was too thickheaded to think about what was important.

His eyes glanced to the side, seeing Ganju was predictably sullen, no surprise there. He had seen what life was like in the Rukongai.

Kuchiki should know that too, as she apparently grew up there. Denial? Or maybe living here in the gleaming white city makes you want to forget what life's like for everyone else? To help fit in by forgetting your past?

The Shinigami bluster on about how their work is essential, that they are sending lost Souls on to a peaceful place. That it is better than the World of the Living. Now we know every single one of them is a liar. A liar, and unwilling to make the afterlife a place worth being in.

Next Uryu's gaze flitted over to Sado, and while the young giant stayed still, his own eyes seemed to sparkle with grim acknowledgement for a moment. That the Shinigami were no longer trying to kill them all, and were acting friendly, did not mean the Quincy –Former Quincy! You saw to that! snapped a bitter part of himself— was willing to forget his earlier encounters with them. Seems like Sado also understood, possibly in relation to how he had ended up in prison himself. Alas, the other teen was too entrenched in following Kurosaki's lead.

So it fell to him to be the voice of reason.

Kurosaki was a power now, and he knew the Shinigami would never let him simply go about his merry way. Especially given how desperate they were now.

"How well do you think your war will go, given what Aizen's capable of?" he cynically demanded.

The older woman flushed, yet did not snap out any prideful Shinigami propaganda like a part of him expected. Instead she said, "There are only three of them, and next time we will not be taken by surprise.

"Besides, it's obvious things are not as perfect between him and the Hollows, as he wanted to pretend. It's quite possible we'll find out later that when he went to confront them, a mob of them overwhelmed and ate him."

"Which means said mob will be more powerful than ever," he retorted, adjusting his glasses. "But yes, you are right that it was very strange what happened."

Grimacing, Kurosaki nodded. "Even if it was by surprise, that attack was the first time I saw him actually struggling. I was useless against Aizen."

"Well that's only because you were already so tired and beaten up!" gushed Inoue.

Giving the slightest grunt, Kurosaki looked away. Yet Uryu still caught that haunted look. Good. Hopefully this means he understands what we're getting involved in.

Personally, given his training as a Quincy, he had long been desensitized to death. Dealing with Hollows invariably involved corpses to one degree or another, to say nothing of his Sensei . . . That said, the tension, violence, and sacrifices involved in this rescue mission had pushed him beyond his limits. Moreover, he knew Orihime had endured the same, her gentle spirit being unsuited for this sort of invasion.

"Well personally, I do not really care," he claimed. A lie. He did very much care about what was happening with someone so ridiculously powerful. It was only that he was now too weak to contribute in any way at all. "This is Shinigami business, and I daresay I've accomplished my goal in coming here and proving my strength."

Kurosaki was practically blind when it came to sensing Reiatsu, likely Ganju too, Sado and Inoue were too untrained, and Kuchiki was still recovering. They would not know the truth.

"This is no longer my concern. Or any of ours really."

To keep them safe.

—Seas of Souls—

Despite what they might think, Ichigo had still caught the look between Chad and Ishida, and had a pretty good idea what they were thinking. Honestly, he probably agreed with most of it.

His first encounter with Shinigami other than Rukia involved getting stabbed twice through the chest, all because she had risked everything to save his sisters. Oh, and saving him and Goat-Face, but mostly his sisters. He pitied the Hollow that ate Goat-Face actually.

Little had improved his opinion of them, aside from exceptions like Hanataro. So yeah, out of all the Shinigami he had met, the only ones he had not had issues with from the get-go were a medic whose comrades treated him like a wet rag, and his trigger-happy, violence prone, midget roommate.

Everyone else . . . had not painted an overall positive picture. Like the people living in what were –to his modern sensibilities— the equivalent of shacks next to the towering, gleaming splendor of the city. How all the residents there regarded Shinigami as bullies, which was all kinds of wrong.

And frankly, any organization where the members accepted someone like Kenpachi in a position of authority, any authority, had some serious screws loose.

The difference between him and his friends though, was that he was not going to fixate over it even after the fighting was over, because it was simply not his problem. He could agonize over fixing up the afterlife when he was dead. Literally.

Besides, once you got to know some of the people here better, they were actually pretty okay. Like Renji. He had only had to cut the guy up a bunch for him to get better.

Regardless, right now Ichigo was more worried about getting back home to make sure his family was doing alright, getting Rukia out of here if it was still necessary, and making sure Kon had not ruined his reputation while using his Human body.

Maybe catch a break for a while.

Unconsciously his hand flew to his gut where there should be a mark after feeling a blade cut straight through his flesh and just miss his spine. Ishida and Rukia missed it because of their pride-stuffed talk, with Orihime and Ganju watching, yet he knew Chad caught it. Chad would keep quiet though. He would understand the utter sense of powerless Ichigo had felt up against Aizen, even worse than the night Rukia was taken away, because he had gotten so much stronger, and it had meant nothing.

Even seeing how effortlessly the rest of the Taichou were decimated, did nothing to alleviate the shame of defeat.

Fortunately it was all water under the bridge now.

After all, while there may be bigger monsters than Hollows out there, including even those Menos Grande, I should be more than able to protect my town now. Not like I'm going to be meeting any stronger Hollows, and Aizen'll be fixated on Soul Society.

Speaking of which . . .

He tuned back into the conversation, only for Ishida to bring up another reference to how badly he fared against Aizen. Idiot did that on purpose, he knew. He managed to blurt something out, before turning away in embarrassment. The stupid Quincy then went on about how what happened next with Aizen and the Shinigami was no longer his business, which was the perfect segue for him.

"Rukia, when we go back home, do you want to come with us?"

She gaped at him in shock for some reason. Which was weird, because that was what the whole 'Invade the Afterlife and Fight an Army' bit had been about. It was her choice to stay or not.

"I . . ." her eyes flicked with uncertainty until she cleared her throat, regained her usual poise. "Ichigo," she said, "I would very much love to go with you. Back to Karakura. Except, I'm staying here. I have a duty here, and I swore an oath to serve in the Gotei 13."

A part of him was surprised that she would want to remain, while a greater part was sad that they would be parting ways. Despite this, his smile –another actual smile from Kurosaki Ichigo— was sincere. "Okay. That's good."

"What?"

His other friends were even more stunned, yet the world seemed to only be these two friends talking.

"I mean . . . if that's what you want. If," the memory of the tears trying to escape her, as she was being lead back to the Seireitei for punishment, flashed across his mind, "you really want to stay here . . . then, you should stay."

Sure, there had been that whole attempt to have her executed, except not all the Shinigami had tried to do it. Moreover, if Rukia thought it was water under the bridge, that she was safe and wanted to be here, then it was no longer his concern.

She gave him a small, relieved smile.

"So I guess you're planning on helping to go after Aizen then?" Ichigo bluntly added, ruining the moment.

"Of course!" snapped Rukia, showing no hesitation. "That traitor's going to pay!" She blew out a breath before continuing, "Not that it's going to be easy, I admit. You saw how strong he was. Still!" Eyes flashing, she swore, "The Seireitei will bring him to Justice!"

"Sounds good," he nodded. "Just keep it out of Karakura."

She gave him a level look of understanding. "You're staying out of it."

"'He which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made,'" he quoted.

Scoffing, she shook her head. "Let me guess, more of that Shakespeare nonsense?"

"Yeah."

"First quote of his which actually makes any sort of sense."

A part of him felt like asking if the Bard was in 'the Undiscovered Country,' before deciding a part of him really did not want to know. At the very least, the man's legendary work had not continued on in the afterlife.

"You do know he may come after you," she warned.

"Why would he?" Ishida asked. "He only saw us as pawns of Urahara, and not threats at all."

"Never mind that!" exploded Ganju. "Ichigo! What about him framing Kuchiki!? Or nearly cutting you in half!?"

Shrugging, Ichigo just glanced away briefly. "Hey, I'm alive and that's what counts. Besides, not like he was the only one causing trouble for Rukia."

Chad said nothing, yet he felt his friend's approval. Ishida was pushing back his glasses, looking elsewhere. Probably pretending to ignore the conversation since it was 'no longer his business.' Inoue beamed. "You really don't hold a grudge, do you Kurosaki-kun?" she cheerfully observed.

While Ganju was shaking his head in disbelief, it looked like there was a glimmer of appreciation there as well.

Rukia merely groaned and rubbed her face in her palms. "You're going to get yourself killed before you're twenty, and then I'll be stuck with you around here for centuries."

Ignoring her nonsense, because there was no way he was going to let himself die any time soon, he stayed fixed on the important subject. "C'mon Rukia," he said with a grin that was probably weaker than intended. "It's not like Aizen's gonna care about Karakura, right?"

With a huff, she crossed her arms. "No, you're right. If he does do anything with the World of the Living, he'll fixate on the bigger cities, where more Konpaku are vulnerable. You should be fine."

"I must admit, I'm surprised," Ishida coldly said, adjusting his glasses. "I would have assumed that after recent events, the Gotei 13 would be eager for another Taichou-class fighter's assistance against Aizen.

Briefly she hesitated at that possibility, before shaking her head in denial. "No. Ichigo's still alive, and frankly only a child."

"Hey!"

Ignoring said child, "I'm sure brother and the others are already planning how they will take care of Aizen without you guys. The Taichou are the strongest and wisest for a reason after all."

Rukia paid careful attention to the reactions of her friends and saviours, to be sure they knew she was telling the truth, and it was going to be okay. Ishida appeared skeptical, which was understandable given his experience with Shinigami. Orihime was relieved, while Chad . . . was Chad. As for her former roommate, he also seemed more relaxed now that he did not have to worry about people trying to pressure him into a war—he had better things to do.

"Besides," she smirked, "it's not like you'd be much use, Ichigo. You'd just rush in blindly like an idiot!"

"Why you—!"

With that, the conversation degeneration into an oddly comforting exchanging of insults.

—Seas of Souls—

Author Notes:

Personally I find it very interesting that while Kisuke is the guy viewed as the shadowy, mastermind in the present day, in the past it was Yoruichi who got things moving. Was maneuvering her best friend and former subordinate into such an exalted rank, without even asking him, originally part of some grander scheme by the Shihoin Head?

Oh, and her little thought about Yamamoto damaging the kids, was inspired by Schlock Mercenary.

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The detail on how few Taichou have lasted over a century, is something I find easily overlooked, but really drives home how hazardous life in the Gotei 13 really is. While the Shinigami get a lot of (deserved) flak for the all the numerous failings of the Seireitei, there is no denying that they are putting their lives on the line by signing up.

And yes, that little, easily forgotten fact, helps emphasize that yes, Yamamoto, Unohana, Ukitake, and Kyoraku, are dangerous, dangerous people.

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For those of you who are disappointed to see Ganju has not already been pushed aside as irrelevant (as he was in canon), I understand. Personally I see him as another one of Kubo's characters who had such potential, and yet failed to live up to it. Even if he had not decided that Ichigo was a Shiba at that point, and Ganju was overly similar to Ishida with his hatred of Shinigami, and fighting style of using various unique weapons, we have a guy here who fought with swords and explosives (fireworks)! Swords and explosives people! What's not to like!?

But yeah, he is small fry by this point. Imagine him versus Zoro? X-D

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Apparently canon Ichigo is a big fan of Shakespeare . . .

Honestly, that is one detail I kind of wish was explored more in the manga. Sure, I personally usually have trouble understanding what the Bard is saying, but it would have added some nice extra depth to his character.

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The reflections on Soul Society by Ichigo and Co. were inspired by "Protégé," by black. , and Akaluan's "Flight of the Dragon" series. Ironic given how both authors have opposite approaches to portraying the Gotei 13 :-P

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So yeah, even with the Seireitei cut off from everybody else, things are already starting to go AU as they realize killing Aizen is going to be more difficult than they thought in canon.

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Next Chapter: "[Spoilers]"

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Please Review, and I will get back to you!