A/N Good morning, everyone. Sorry to be updating so late and there's no point in lying. I didn't even start writing this until 15 days after posting the first chapter. And some of the times I did write it was a paragraph at most. Unfortunately, I did rewrite multiple parts of this chapter more than once as it didn't come out very well the first or second time.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited. It meant a lot.
I'm sorry for any mistakes I may have made in this chapter, I'm tired and have been editing for a while.
The Vizards, a group of eight former soul reapers who were exiled more than 100 years ago. Currently residing inside an old warehouse. Its windows broken and its roof partially caved in, giving the building a condemned look.
Looking past the beat-up exterior and through an invisible barrier, the warehouse didn't look that bad, structurally speaking. The inside was damp, the air was anything but fresh and nearly all the furniture had a layer of dust on it.
A dim lit hallway contained their rooms while a staircase led down to the basement. This half of the warehouse was entirely different than the rest. The place was dust free, the walls freshly painted, and the floor scrubbed. It looked inhabited.
The basement was an empty badlands landscape as far as the eye could see. Columns of rock littered the land. Its walls and roof painted like the midday sky. Near the entrance was a large couch and a couple of chairs not far from it. A nice place to regain your breath before ascending a million stairs back to the warehouse.
A single barrier stood not far off from the entrance. Two of the Vizards Lisa and Hiyori were inside clashing while the sweaty forms of Rose, Love, Kensei, and Mashiro were off to the side watching after finishing their own spars. The barrier being provide by Hachi, a large pink haired man with an equally pink mustache.
Lisa was wearing a sailor's suit with her dark hair braided behind her and a white hollow mask with a cross-shaped opening over her face. She blocked Hiyori's attack before grabbing ahold of the other girl and throwing her into the ground.
A moment later Hiyori was back in a fighting stance. The heavy-breathing blonde-haired short girl had a horned hollow mask over her face. She shook with absolute rage as she observed the new tear in her red tracksuit.
"Damnit" she growled, throwing her hands down in frustration.
Hiyori was only slightly mad about the tracksuit, it was to be expected, it was a spare after all. She also had plenty of tracksuits saved up over her years in the human world. What she was truly frustrated about was a crack in her hollow mask that ran down her left cheek.
She carefully ran her fingers over the cracked area before it chipped off, exposing part of her face. She then clawed her hand over the newly chipped area. A red glow emitted as the mask repaired itself.
Once done, Hiyori brought her zanpakutō up, about to attack Lisa when the barrier around them was removed.
Hiyori quickly glared at Hachi, who controlled the barriers then shouting in a distorted voice. "Hey! We weren't done! I was just about to -"
"It's over" Lisa's own distorted voice cut her off. She brought her hand over her mask and swiped it off. "You lost. You also might want to get started; it's going to take you all night to clean up Shinji's mess." She pointed out, walking past the other Vizards to any empty counch, manga already in hand.
Hiyori removed her own mask then stomped over to the rest of the Vizards. "That doesn't count, it was just a crack!"
Lisa lifted her eyes from her explicit manga. "You had to repair your mask; it counts. You really shouldn't have offered that bet."
Hiyori huffed, "Shinji should be the one cleaning, he made the mess. The jackass Can't cook, can't fight, can't lead!" she yelled, growing more aggravated by the second. Her hands twitched towards her sandals, ready to smack anyone and everyone. "Where is the pervert anyways?"
"He went to see the trio at the tourist trap… again." Kensei, the silver-haired man spoke.
Love stood up from the chair he sat in adjusted his sunglasses, his dark afro bounced with the movement. "We must be getting close. How many times have they met up in the last month? Six… Seven times?"
Kensei nodded before reminding everyone there. "We still have things to do before we're ready to go. Most importantly… check if Isshin's son is a Vizard and then train."
Mashiro bounced around the corner. "What happens if the berry isn't one of us, will he be coming with us?"
Rose was the first to speak, "I assume so, especially if what Yoruichi said about the soul society is true then we could use another Vizard… or at least another zanpakutō. " He turned his head looking at the gathered crowd. "But we really need another Vizard around here."
Some wanted to be offended statement but couldn't. One-hundred years with eight people in the same warehouse got old, fast. They were in desperate need of a new person around and when word reached them of Ichigo, they got their hopes up.
Once Ichigo got Rukia's powers Isshin had explicitly told everyone not to interact with Ichigo until he told him everything. They of course agreed, his father should be the one to tell Ichigo about all the exiles and have him deal with a mountain of questions.
Love sat down next to Lisa. Looking over her shoulder to read the title. "You got another one of those?" he requested.
Lisa pointed over to a crate filled with them. The man happily made his way over, grabbing the top three then returning to his seat.
Hiyori sulked past the duo, mumbling about going to kill Shinji once the man got back.
A landline phone not too far off from them began beeping. Kensei and Rose looked between each other mentally challenging the other. Even as the phone continued to ring, neither moved from their spot.
Mashiro, seeing that no one was going to get it, ran over and picked up the receiver.
"Get Hachi to open the barrier! And… I'm going to need some help. Ichigo's a little banged up."
Mashiro shot forward at an impressive pace and shouted. "Hachi, open the barrier. Ichi-berry's hurt."
On reflex Hachi opened his normal pathway in the warehouse barrier then quickly got to his feet.
This whole year, there wasn't very much that would get the Vizards sprinting up the stairs right after a spar. Which is exactly what all of them were doing after Mashiro shouted.
The poor manga had been unceremoniously thrown in the air when Love and Lisa jumped from the couch. Both love and Rose had stumbled multiple times on their way to the stairwell. Hiyori was the closest and furthest ahead.
They all arrived at the entrance to find Shinji dragging the bleeding Ichigo Inside. Hiyori rushed over, immediately at his side, but not in a helpful manner.
Perhaps she didn't know Ichigo was bleeding out or at the present time just didn't care because in one swift move she flicked her sandal off her foot, grasped it midair, and in the same swing smacked Shinji across the face.
The smack caused the blonde to lose grip on Ichigo, dropping him to the cold floor.
Kensei immediately rushed over and grabbed Ichigo's legs while Shinji quickly recovered and got his arms. Together they picked up the semi-conscious Ichigo and moved for the closest table which like everything else on this side of the warehouse was cluttered.
Rose picked up on what they were doing and dramatically swept his arm over the table, pushing everything on top to the floor with a loud crash.
As soon as Ichigo was placed on the table, Hachi was over him, his hands over the teen's main wound and emitting a green glow.
Shinji backed away from the table for a second giving time for the blonde to be questioned. "What happened to him?" Kensei questioned.
Shinji removed his black partially blood-stained cloak, "Soul society took the girl. It seems Ichigo was there when it happened and Gin well..." he pointed to Ichigo, "cut him up a little." Shinji gave a chuckle.
Hiyori went over to them, sandal still in hand. "Dumbass fought a captain."
Kensei gave a light snort, "I doubt it was a fight. Gin easily would've killed him." His forehead wrinkled with thought. "Why didn't he kill Ichigo?"
Shinji looked over Ichigo's wounds which were beginning to close. "Will he be alright?" he asked with a hint of worry. The blonde didn't know if to was more for Ichigo or himself. He didn't want to have to tell the teen's father that they failed to save his son's life.
All attention was on Hachi, waiting for the answer. "Ichigo should be fine in a day or two." Hachi stopped healing and looked over the scar the took the wound's place. "He's healing faster than I would have thought. Do we know if he heard his zanpakutō yet?" Hachi asked, inspecting the rest of Ichigo for any discoloration.
Shinji shrugged then responded. "I don't know. We'll have to wait tell he wakes up or go ask Isshin."
Hiyori huffed, "I can wake the baldy up right now!" She grabbed her sandal and was mid swing on the unconscious Ichigo's head when Lisa grabbed her arms and dragged her away.
Hiyori thrashed about in Lisa's arms. "Let go of me!" She screamed.
"Shut up, the adults are talking, so go play with your dolls." Lisa suggested kicking Hiyori into the closest room and slamming the door shut locking it in the process.
Hiyori loudly growled. "Maybe I'll just go and read your PORN!" she screamed through the door.
"Go right ahead! In fact, why don't you take notes for when a Chibi sized man comes along. What's that short captain's name again!" Lisa yelled back, smirking when the door rattled and nearly broke altogether.
Hiyori may not have been able to see Lisa, but she could hear the smirk in her voice, and it did nothing but make her more irritated. She waited until she heard Lisa's muffled footsteps and kicked at the door in the hope that it would swing open.
"Still here" Lisa called through the door, smirk clear as day on her face.
All non-participating Vizards cringed as they heard crashes from the room Hiyori was in. No doubt everything that was standing was now on its side. Someone was going to have to clean up the mess left behind by tornado Hiyori, hopefully the same person that would be cleaning Ichigo's blood stains that littered the floor.
Rose made his way to the table. "You said he would be fine in a day or two, but how is his blood. Because it looks like most of it is currently on our floor."
Hachi hummed his agreement before concealing a smile. "Yes, he has lost a tremendous amount of blood, but the lack of discoloration leads me to believe that not only his wound, but his blood is being regenerated at a much faster rate."
Rose shook his head and remarked. "Not just a hollow, but at least an adjuchas level."
"Alright, before we all get out hopes up and jump to conclusions, his healing could be from some form of quincy bullshit." Kensei pointed out, instantly bringing the people around him down.
The sound of Hiyori trashing the room began to slow. Hopefully her anger had come down to a manageable level.
Lisa left the locked door and returned to the rest of them. "So… who's going to tell Isshin that his only son is laying injured in the last place he wanted."
The group all looked at Shinji who crossed his arms and stomped his foot. "No way, I already had to lug his bleeding son here. Someone else has to do it."
Kensei frowned. "You're our leader and you were the one to bring him here. Take one for the team and go get pummeled by Isshin."
Shinji violently shook his head. "That was never voted on and what was I supposed to do, the candy shop was too far away, and he was bleeding out."
Kensei patted Shinji on the back. "You make sure to tell Isshin that when he stops punching you."
Shinji could tell that he was losing this argument and was looking around frantically, searching for anyone that would help. His eyes met with Love's who after a brief staring contest muttered curses then stalked back to the hallway and into his room, returning with a black cloak over his head and body.
Love stopped at Shinji's side and whispered in the blonde's ear. "If Isshin attacks me… you will hope that I club you to death."
Shinji gulped as he and everyone else watched Love open the metal warehouse door and leave before slamming it shut.
Love quickly left the barrier and flash stepped out of the warehouse district and over to the Kurosaki residence. It took a couple of minutes before he reached the house, but that time was valuable. He had to think of how to naturally bring up Ichigo's injury at near midnight.
He landed in the driveway and walked up, removing his sunglasses, and placing them down next to some bushes. Safer taking them off now than having them broken by a fist later.
In the few minutes Love had while flash stepping, the idea of just walking in and subduing Isshin before he could react was promising. Unfortunately, it was just not his day. Nearly all the lights inside were on. There was no turning back now.
Before Love could knock on the door it was already open with a menacing looking Isshin fixed in the doorway, blood staining his hands.
Behind Isshin was one bucket-hat wearing shopkeeper. With a blood-covered cane.
"Ah Love, to what do we owe the pleasure on this rainy-"
Isshin cut Kisuke off with a low growl. "Do you want to tell me where my son is and why his body is dead upstairs."
Love's eyes danced around as he tried to think of an answer and found a moving stuffed lion who's own dark eyes reflected the fear of God.
Love turned back to Isshin and only had one name for him. "Shinji."
As the light of the senkaimon died down, Rukia and Renji came face to face with her brother and captain of the sixth division. Both gave a quick bow to the captain.
Byakuya Kuchiki was once a rambunctious man who got into trouble often, but that man was no more. Becoming head of his noble clan and the death of his wife turned him into a cold and impassive man. His long black hair flowed onto the back of his captain's haori.
Byakuya walked up to the pair while Rukia suddenly found the patterns on the floor very interesting, not wanting to stare into the judgmental eyes of her brother. Instead of even glancing her way, the man strictly focused on his lieutenant.
"Captain, I've-"
Byakuya cut Renji off before the crimson-haired man could get any further. "Go to the fourth lieutenant Abarai"
Renji's hand went to his shallow wound, causing the clotted cut to start bleeding again. "Captain," he snarled, glancing at Rukia, then flash stepping away, leaving the two siblings alone.
Byakuya paid no attention to his lieutenant's tone and kept his gaze away from Rukia, refusing to look her way. Neither wanted to look at each other.
While on their way back from the living world Rukia's zanpakutō returned to her. The spirit mumbled in her head giving her the courage to raise her gaze.
Byakuya without saying a word, held out his hand, motioning for her zanpakutō. Rukia grabbed her sheathed blade and hesitantly gave it over. Byakuya then swiftly turned around. "Follow me" he commanded as he walked off back towards the sixth division.
Rukia fell in line behind her brother. A part of her was confused about why they were walking; her brother wasn't going to talk to her, and the streets were empty. Another part of her was glad as the longer it took them to reach the Sixth Division, the more time she spent outside of shackles.
With this extra time, she couldn't help but think of what her future held. She would spend years inside a prison. But then what? Would she be stripped of her seated position in the Thirteenth division. Could she even be a soul reaper again. If not, then what? Would she have to stay at the Kuchiki estate all day… would the Kuchiki clan banish her?
As they approached the sixth division barracks every step became heavy with anticipation. Her heartbeat was so loud she worried Byakuya would hear and judge her.
Loitering at the entrance was a small group of soul reapers eyeing the streets and looking for their target. These soul reapers clearly did not belong to the Sixth Division. For one, they were outside at night while not being on patrol. And second, they were openly disgracing the surrounding scenery, spitting on plants and shrubbery, kicking at the walls and chipping paint.
The three-strong group caught sight of the Byakuya. "Captain Kuchiki!" one of them approached the siblings.
Byakuya glared at them before questioning their presence. "You are not from this division, yet you trespass?"
The soul reaper began to enclose at a respectable distance from the siblings. "Captain Ichimaru has ordered us to take the prisoner into the Third Division's custody."
Byakuya took an intimidating step. "As my lieutenant brought back the prisoner she is in my custody."
The soul reaper stopped in his tracks. "Captain Kuchiki, surely you can see the conflict of interest considering the prisoner is your own sister."
Byakuya's glare switched to that of murderous intent causing all three soul reapers to uncomfortably shift. "Leave my division, or I will have you forcefully removed."
When no one moved Byakuya's hand grasped his zanpakutō in a clear warning. Two of the soul reapers grabbed their own blades while the third, and smarter one, backed off. Before a fight could break out the smarter soul reaper smacked the heads of his two companions getting them to cool down. The three turned to leave but not before one of them had spit on the ground.
Byakuya without looking back, walked through the entrance. The halls were deserted as they passed corner after corner and a set of stairs that led to a door.
Inside was a giant private cell were three walls and a tiny inescapable window. The entrance wall was opened with crossing metal bars, and in the middle was a large metal door. Although large, the cell was bare, only containing a futon shoved against the back corner.
With the swipe of Byakuya's hand an audible click was heard. The captain grasped the handle and pulled it open for Rukia, who obediently entered.
He swiped his hand over the door again then spoke like he was reading off a list. "This lock cannot be opened by anyone other than me. Your trial is tomorrow evening when central 46 meets; until then, no one else is allowed in this room. Food will be given in the morning. Captain Ukitake has requested to see you once your trial is over." The stoic noble said the older captain's name with disdain.
She nodded then furrowed her brow. Something didn't seem right here; she expected at least some type of cuff. "Why am I not shackled?" she asked.
Byakuya turned away from her. "Shackles are not necessary when in this cell. I don't believe you will escape… "
Byakuya reached the outer door before halting at Rukia's voice. "Brother… I'm sorry, but I had no choice giving over my power." She paused, thinking whether to tell him about someone placing a limiter on her. "If I didn't I… would have died." She added, leaving out some very important information.
"Very well." Was all he said before slamming the outer door shut and walking towards his office.
Rukia sat down on the futon questioning why she didn't tell him anything. But her resolve came quickly when the thought of her clan came to mind.
She had been in the Kuchiki clan for several decades now, and everyone still treated her like shit. Trash from the outer Rukongai, that is what all the elders thought of her. But that wouldn't have mattered if her brother accepted her.
Byakuya was anything but a sibling, avoiding her like the plague. Never showing any emotion and, at times, when in her presence, refusing to talk to her. Her time in the human world and seeing how Ichigo acted towards his sisters had shown her how a true brother acted.
She had tried to gain her brother's acceptance by climbing through the ranks of her division. But for decades even after training under a lieutenant, her captain denied her a seated position. It didn't make sense; there were open spots, and she was stronger than many of the current seated officers.
It didn't make sense, until asking captain Ukitake about it. The man had a face of guilt and looked like someone whose hands were tied. He may not have said anything, but she connected the dots. If there was one person that didn't want her to succeed, it was Byakuya.
That's why she was initially confused when a month later captain Ukitake offered her a seated position. Ever sense Byakuya had begun making comments about the older captain, giving away that Ukitake had defied the noble's wishes.
So yes, Rukia knew why she didn't tell Byakuya that someone was out to get her.
Was the seal even still in place? Captains and lieutenants had theirs automatically removed once returning to the soul society. To check, she would need a reflective surface. Unfortunately for her, nothing like that was in her cell.
Sighing and laying on her back, she retreated to her inner world. A pleasant chill ran down her spine when glancing at her zanpakutō.
The elegant woman was in total relief. She had finally made it back to her wielder and inner world.
Rukia couldn't stop a grin when watching the spirit's face. "Was being with Ichigo that bad?" she teased.
The elegant woman shook her head, letting her hair fly around. "Ichigo was not the problem I am relieved to get away from. One of the spirits in his inner world was… quite persistent."
Rukia's violet eyes quickly became saucers before sputtering. "W-what? Ichigo's a human; he wouldn't have…" Her face dropped. "Spirits… more than one?"
"Rukia, I'm afraid your friend is anything but a human."
As Ichigo gradually returned to consciousness a distant voice rang through his head. He blinked his eyes multiple times, and nothing changed. Surroundings so dark he couldn't see the hand he brought to his temple.
The freezing surface beneath his bare torso shot through his nerves causing him to roll to his side to avoid the uncomfortable sensation. Ichigo rolled right off the freezing table and onto the numbing floor.
The distant voice mumbled something before it stopped, and then as if someone had flipped a switch, the voice cut right through any of his previous thoughts.
"Ichigo… Ichigo!"
Ichigo clutched his head. "I hear you so stop yelling at me!" he hypocritically yelled back. The teen scowled when he felt more than one being smirk back at him.
Before he could even reflect on what that was, a blinding light interrupted the darkness around him. He shielded his eyes with his arm, while his other propped him up into a sitting position.
As Ichigo's eyes adjusted to the newfound light, it flickered multiple times grabbing his attention. He brought down the arm and saw Shinji. Sitting in what could only be described as a very uncomfortable chair with his legs on another. His hand gripped the light switch, continuously flicking it up and down.
"Who you talkin to Ichigo?"
"The voice in my head." He blurted out without thinking.
Shinji's gave a snicker as he let go of the light switch and gracefully smacked his legs against the arm of the chair eliciting a muffled yelp.
Shinji's yelp shook Ichigo's memory. He looked down to find his once opened wound closed and, in its place, the faintest of scars. He trailed his fingers over the mark, admiring the healing that was done. Whoever had healed him was on a completely different level than Rukia.
She had healed him once and while the wound had closed, and the pain had vanished there was still a noticeable scar in its place.
"You can thank me for that ki- " a voice began telling him but was cut off and became a distant mumble.
Ichigo froze upon hearing the new voice. His first thought was maybe he misheard, or that the man he believed to be his zanpakutō had a split personality. Or even more likely he was going crazy and none of this was real.
His thoughts were rudely interrupted when Shinji walked across the room and held out his hand helping Ichigo off the floor.
"Ichigo… by chance do you know who I am?" Shinji questioned taking a step back and holding his breath.
In Ichigo's mind there was only one answer. At this point any stranger that knew his name was at one point from the spirit world. "Another exile?" he guessed.
Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, so your father told you everything." He proceeded towards the door and opened it. "Come on, sense your no longer bleeding out or in pain, let's go get you your zanpakutō and see if your one of us."
Ichigo couldn't stop the smile that began to creep across his lips when Shinji said he was getting his own zanpakutō. However, his brow furrowed hearing the rest. "One of who?"
Shinji blinked taken aback by Ichigo's confusion. "One of the Vizards." He explained, pausing to make eye contact when Ichigo didn't budge. "Do you know what a Vizard is?" Shinji cautiously questioned.
Shinji knew that if Isshin hadn't said anything then he was currently walking on a minefield and his question had just set off a chain reaction.
Ichigo responded with a loud groan, "I don't even know your name" He frustratedly exclaimed growing tired of constantly being left in the dark.
Shinji facepalmed, "Your father didn't tell you shit, did he?" He hopefully asked. Ichigo shrugged and Shinji's hopes sank. "Okay, let's start with what your father did tell you."
"Well… he said that he was once a former captain and that my mother was a quincy. That he was now an exile and there were other exiles that he wanted me to meet once I lost Rukia's powers and gained my own." Ichigo paused for dramatic effect before finishing with a scowl, "Oh and that he had my power sealed."
Shinji sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Is… that… all… he… told you?" Shinji asked in between breaths.
"Yeah."
"Okay" Shinji said, as he looked up at an analog clock over the door.
He flipped a phone out of his pocket and taped it only once before a ringing sound went off and someone else answered.
"What do you want baldy?"
"Change of plans. Stall Isshin for as long as you can. Do anything necessary!"
For a few moments, silence remained before someone spoke again.
"Anything?" The voice questioned mischievously.
"Hiyori you cannot hurt… or threaten anyone."
Hiyori was mid growl when Shinji hung up the phone. His attention turned back to the orange-haired teen in front of him.
Shinji took a deep breath before speaking, "Well your father did technically tell you, so I don't see the harm in being the generous friend that I am and filling in the points that he missed." The blonde grew a grin, "Why don't we start over." he once again held out his hand. "Shinji Hirako, former captain of the fifth division and unofficial leader of the Vizards."
Ichigo shook his head along with the blonde's hand. Of course, he had to be another former captain. "Ichigo Kurosaki, absolutely no one." He paused as a thought came to the forefront of his mind that sought an answer. "How long have I been asleep." He looked towards the table in the middle of the cluttered filled room.
Shinji glanced back up at the clock before answering. "A few hours at most but that doesn't matter anymore." He then about-faced and walked through the open-door motioning for Ichigo to follow.
Ichigo stopped at the doorway and looked down both ways of the hallway just trying to figure out where the hell he was. Shinji meanwhile hurried down the hall forcing Ichigo to jog to catch up.
"Why are we rushing?" Ichigo inquired when they took a turn into a large room piled high with boxes.
"Your father didn't tell you everything. Not even half of it, which either means he was going to tell you the rest later or he was going to throw you to the wolves." Shinji explained, shimmying between large piles of boxes opening each in hope of what he was looking for.
Shinji spoke up again while tossing things around, "I can only imagine the rage he has right now with Hiyori over at your house." He raised his hand to stop the question that was on the tip of Ichigo's tongue. "She's there to help with the panic, don't know why considering she's would cause most of it." He rolled his eyes and smiled as he found a sheathed katana under a large box.
Ichigo tilted his head. "You said stall him by any means necessary?"
Shinji looked up, "Oh yeah, your house is probably burned down by now. It's a good thing nothing that important is there."
The teen raised his eyebrows. "Uh… my body and my sisters are there."
The blonde paled as he grabbed the asauchi from the floor and unceremoniously tossed it to the teen who fumbled with it before getting a good grip.
"Well, your sisters are fine and… " he paused thinking what was the best way to address this situation. "Your body is dead." Shinji calmly stated, just ripping the metaphoric band-aid off.
Ichigo's eyes widened to an impossible size. "W-what…? H-ho- " he vocally stumbled; barely able to string together a coherent word. He was dead… stuck in soul form.
It didn't matter anyways because Shinji cut him off. "Which brings me to my next question." He looked right into Ichigo's eyes, "Why are you alive? I mean Gin injured your soul form, but he didn't kill you and then went out of his way to go and kill your body."
Ichigo barely listened to a word the blonde said. He stood there like a statue not answering Shinji as the man tried to get his attention. He was dead and didn't even live past his teen years. No one would be able to see him, his sisters wouldn't be able to see him.
Ichigo took a long breath to try and compose himself from his spiral. It didn't work. "I- I don't know. I… remember him saying try not to die and then walking off." Ichigo pathetically replied. His mind once again racing with a million questions and no answer.
Shinji walked over to the katana holding teen. "What you're holding right now is an asauchi, "he said pointing to the katana. "All new soul reapers are given one to pour their reiatsu into over a couple of years resulting in a unique zanpakutō. Now we don't have that kind of time, so the goal is to release your seal and reflect your built up reiatsu into the asauchi."
Ichigo remained inattentive to anything Shinji said when going through more boxes. "So… my body is dead… and now I'm stuck in soul form." Ichigo hesitantly asked.
Shinji hummed. "But being in soul form isn't that bad, and hey, we can always get you a gigai." Shinji replied rummaging through a mountain of clothing. The statement somehow managed to help calm Ichigo.
"And Hiyori… is she -"
Shinji gave an answer before Ichigo could finish the question, "A Vizard… and a bitch." Mumbling the end.
The teen watched Shinji go through the clothes when he felt like he was forgetting something. He glanced down to find himself naked from the waist up. He shivered trying to get the freezing temperature of his exposed skin under control.
Shinji quickly tossed a shirt to Ichigo who grabbed it with his free hand and struggled to turn the article of clothing the right way.
"Put this on. You walk out there." he pointed at the door on the other end of the hallway, "shirtless and Lisa might kill you." He paused, thinking over what he just said for a moment. "Or… she might jump you." he pointed out clearly amused when Ichigo turned his head to avoid showing the bit of red that threatened his cheeks.
"I'm not sure this shirt will fit" Ichigo pointed out.
The response he got was another shirt thrown at him. This time one that fits. Ichigo quickly put it on and followed Shinji down the hallway to the door he pointed out before.
Shinji stopped right in front of the door and looked at Ichigo. Mentally checking things off a list before opening the door and coming face to face with five more people.
Ichigo paled when he saw the group staring at him while Shinji threw his arm around the teen's shoulder and forcefully dragged him inside the room.
The flooring was the same cold one that continued through the entire warehouse. A decently sized kitchen sat near the corner of the room. The walls were bare and the air damp. A large unused table was situated in the middle of the room and multiple couches sat near the walls.
"Berry! Finally, you're here everyone around here is so boring." Mashiro excitedly yelled while running up and latched to the teen's arm, practically hanging from it.
Shinji grinned. "Ichigo, this is Mashiro, Kensei, Lisa, Rose, and Hachi." He said pointing to each of the named people.
It took a moment for Ichigo to register that standing there like a shy idiot wasn't a good first impression. "Hey." He stupidly said.
There was no point in introducing himself sense everyone clearly already knew who he was. He looked down to find Mashiro's hazel eyes staring into his soul. Ichigo averted his gaze and found Rose and Hachi smiling at him. Kensei barely paid him attention and just watched over Mashiro with an impassive face. Lisa's only reaction was a raised eyebrow.
"The tangerine can talk?" Lisa smirked at his scowl.
"Better than you can see." Ichigo instinctively responded causing Shinji to snort and everyone to smirk.
Before Lisa could skin Ichigo, Shinji had ushered him into what was once a kitchen. Dishes piled on the counters and multiple charred cabinets were scattered around indicating that multiple fires had occurred.
Shinji followed the teens eyes and slightly paled. "That was Hiyori's fault. We got to get to the basement." he said, leading the teen to a dark staircase while the others followed them.
Ichigo stared at the staircase that seemed to go down forever. This reminded him of a nightmare he once had, he'd make it halfway down the stairs before being stabbed from all angles.
The bespectacled Lisa walked up behind the trio and in one swift move removed Shinji's arm from around Ichigo's neck and whispered into his ear. "What's wrong… is the big bad tangerine afraid of a little darkness. I guess it's for the best. I doubt your zanpakutō would have been anything worthwhile."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow before responding with a jab of his own, "If you need glasses to see in the light, I can only imagine how you'd stumble around in the dark. Be careful you don't miss a step; it seems like a long way down.
Lisa grinned then slapped the back of the teen's head. "Oh Ichigo… you should know that's not how you talk to a woman."
Ichigo let out a huff and started his descent, Mashiro still clinging to his free arm was being dragged backwards. His neck held a slight sting, but he considered it at least half a win when Lisa didn't kill him in that moment.
"Ichi-berry?" Mashiro called out to Ichigo.
He ignored her refusing to answer at that name.
"Berry… Ichi-berry?"
Shinji leaned in and gave him much needed advice. "She'll keep going until you answer her."
But Ichigo was being stubborn and decided to just ignore the blonde too. His thinking was that she would tire out eventually. Oh, was he wrong.
A couple of minutes later and not only are they still descending the dark stairwell, but Mashiro is still trying to get his attention. Stepping it up she started hitting his arm.
"Berry… answer me. Please…" When he still refused to look her down, she hit his arm much harder.
Ichigo broke his silence. "Don't call me that." He said not looking down at the girl whose feet continued to drag against the incline.
"Berry?" Everyone behind him snickered.
"What?"
Mashiro smiled. "Are you going back with us?"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow and looked to Shinji for clarification.
"After you get some training, we are going back to the soul society. We won't force you to go but wouldn't mind another zanpakutō."
"Another zanpakutō? What, you going to war?" Ichigo's playful question was met with complete silence.
Ichigo stopped and looked back at the bunched group. They waited for a moment looking at each other before Kensei spoke. "Maybe, depends if we get attacked on sight." Ichigo continued to watch the man's face, checking for any sign that it was a joke. None, the silver haired man was being serious.
The teen wanted to answer right there, saying that he would just get himself killed going with them. But then he thought of Rukia.
Could he leave her there to suffer for saveing him and his family? Would he have to make a deal to get her out of it or break her out of prison? If he didn't, could he live with himself and move on like nothing ever happened? That answer was easy, no, he could not.
Ichigo smirked. "Yeah, I'll go, I do owe you for saving me. Besides there's a certain midget I got to- "
He stopped talking once he reached the bottom step and witnessed the new world he just stepped into.
"What the hell is this place." Ichigo turned around to face everyone else. "Is there a wizard in your group." Ichigo looked down at the dangling Mashiro. "And would you please let go of my arm?"
Kensei walked forward to catch Mashiro as she finally let go of Ichigo's arm.
"None of us are wizards but Kisuke is cutting it close. He's another exile that you'll meet later."
A blaring noise brought everyone's attention to Shinji. Who pulled out his phone and answered. The device may not have been in speaker mode but that didn't stop everyone there from hearing the words loud and clear.
"The goat is on his way there."
"What happened to stalling him."
"You said I couldn't hurt or threaten anyone, and I ran out of things to break!" Hiyori yelled, then taking a brief pause before continuing. "When I started to break random things, he figured out that his baldy of a son must have woken up!"
Shinji without finishing hung up the phone and glared at the people around. "Haven't you heard its rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"
Rose stepped forward. "We need to at least start before Isshin gets here Shinji."
Shinji waved him off before turning towards the giant. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Hachi, your strongest barrier please."
Everyone quickly moved out of the way while Hachi clapped his hands together and an orange barrier surrounded Ichigo.
"Uh… what do I do?" Ichigo felt stupid asking but there had to be something better than just standing there. The barrier around him then shrunk while Hachi walked up.
"No need to worry Ichigo, the best thing for you to do is to sit down and stay still while I remove your seal." Hachi's comforting voice told him.
Ichigo sat down with his legs crossed and the asauchi laid across his lap waiting for what he assumed would become painful. Meanwhile Hachi got as close as he could to the barrier and brought his palms over the back of the teen's neck.
A soft glow emitted from the large man's hands as visible reiatsu escaped from his neck. Ichigo then closed his eyes and began waiting.
The sound of his own heartbeat pounding made it impossible to hear anything else. Fingers tightened around the asauchi's grip. He wasn't in pain like he expected, instead there was terrible pressure building within his body. His body started to limply sway as more and more reiatsu leaked out.
A slight sting of his neck and Ichigo exploded in a massive burst of reiatsu filling the barrier. The force of which knocked the teen unconscious. His reiatsu stuck the orange walls at a high speed and simply reflected towards its owner and the unnamed blade at his side.
Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a pair of golden irises set in a black sclera.
"Fuckin finally. You know how long I've been waiting? Years and as soon as you can hear the old man, that cold snow lady comes along and blocks us from talking with you." The being's eyes squinted as he grew mad just thinking about it.
It wasn't until Ichigo moved back that he saw himself… or well a bone white and inverted self. Dressed in a white shihakushō the spirit crouched and raked its sharp black fingernails over the large stones beneath him.
"Are you just going to sit there like an obedient horse?"
Ichigo rose the ground, eyes glued on the pale man. "I'd ask who you are but I'm pretty sure I already have an idea. Although I don't know your name."
The spirit looked slightly taken by surprise then grinned and pointed his thumb at himself. "Zangetsu."
"Zangetsu" Ichigo repeated the name, making sure not to forget before he stood up, as stupid smile plastered across his lips. An even stupider question on the tip of his tongue but to be sure he had to ask it. "So… are you my zanpakutō?"
Zangetsu smirked, "One of them."
The teen's brows drew dangerously close before following up, "One of them?" he asked.
"I am the other" A voice came from behind Ichigo that he immediately recognized. He may have only heard it once, but it was engraved into his mind.
The teen turned around to face the older man who was wearing one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen. His hair and cloak were as wild as the last time they had met. The man stepped forward; each step taken with a designated purpose.
"Hello Ichigo."
Ichigo stubborn smile grew. "Hey…" he trailed off, hoping for a name.
The older man looked amused before giving it, "Zangetsu."
Ichigo looked between the two, "You're both named Zangetsu, that won't be confusing." he sarcastically replied.
"I just call him old man."
The older spirit gave a quick frown while the younger just rolled his eyes. "If it would help avoid confusion when speaking between us, you can call me Tensa. The black-cloaked man offered.
Zangetsu walked over to Tensa before talking, "Alright kingy, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, we go a couple of things to talk about."
Ichigo scowled when hearing what he hoped wasn't a nickname, "Why are you calling me 'kingy'?" he questioned.
"Well, you are the king of this place." Zangetsu dramatically opened his arms to the surrounding area.
Surrounding the three of them was a small village of thatch-roofed wooden buildings. Weaving in between narrow cobblestone pathways. Behind them were impossibly tall trees, dwarfing the meadow and its deserted inhabitants.
A large open circle of precisely placed stones marked the center of the village. Small designs littered the edges, nothing too intricate, but enough that someone could see they were placed with a purpose.
The next thing caught Ichigo's eyes. Outside the detailed circle and next to the largest house was multiple stacked crates with apples inside. Without a second thought he started towards them removing the top crate and grabbing one.
Before the teen could bite into his apple Zangetsu had grabbed one in each hand, devouring the first in record time before moving on to the second. Ichigo looked on with slight concern as Zangetsu scarfed down multiple more apples.
Tensa walked up behind Ichigo before explaining. "In the time he's been here Zangetsu has grown a fondness for apples. It's also given him something to do other than try and… fuck the snow maiden." Tensa vulgarly told.
"Hey, I was getting close. A couple more months and she wouldn't have been able to resist me."
Tensa shook his head remembering how often he had to thaw out the younger spirit after one of his attempts and then apologize on the pale spirit's behalf.
The older spirit's attention shifted back towards his wielder. "Ichigo." The teen put back his apple then looked up at the older man.
"You are one of a kind, no one like you has existed. Your mother a quincy and father a soul reaper. As you know, only soul reapers have inner worlds and a physical manifestation of their powers or zanpakutō." Ichigo nodded and the spirit continued. "While we both might be your zanpakutō and hold your soul reaper power, that is not all we are. I hold your quincy power, while Zangetsu holds the power of a hollow, both being passed to you by your mother." The spirit calmly finished in a matter that showed that he had rehearsed this multiple times.
Ichigo whipped his head around so fast any normal person would have terrible whiplash. Everything made sense until he heard that he possessed the power of a hollow.
Power of a quincy? No big deal, he expected that considering his mother was one, but a hollow was an entirely different story. He concluded that this was something important that his father forgot to tell him.
"Sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say hollow… from my mother? Correct me if I'm wrong but hollows are poisonous to a quincy."
"Yes, under normal circumstances your soul would painfully disintegrate. But that doesn't factor in your soul reaper power. With it, no part of your soul is fighting for dominance over the others."
"Just stop worrying will ya, were fine. We're not some fragile little bitch." Zangetsu complained.
Ichigo rolled his eyes and exclaimed. "Were you not listening to anything he said because it sounds pretty fragile to me?" Zangetsu shrugged. "We're talking about my soul here, a soul which if you haven't noticed, we all share. I'd like not to 'painfully disintegrate' when something happens with the hollow."
Zangetsu furrowed his brow and in the blink of an eye was once again in the teens face. "You got a problem with me being a hollow? You haven't been grateful for what I helped with so far. That pink-haired clown just jumpstarted the healing process, I alone did the rest."
Ichigo took a moment to think before continuing his response. This hollow was obviously different than the ones he had encountered up to this point, not once had this spirit tried to devour him. There was also the matter of the spirit being his zanpakutō, so Ichigo theoretically couldn't be hurt by him.
Ichigo glared at Zangetsu, his eyes burning a hole through the pale spirits. "No, I don't have a problem it's just a little weird to learn that my soul contains a hollow. Creatures which up to this point have been trying to kill me. But thank you…" The teen tilted his head and gave a playful smile, "…for helping me."
Zangetsu crossed his arms and turned away. "No! We share the same soul, and we all die if you do. I was just looking out for me, that just so happens to start with keeping you alive."
Ichigo took a step forward, "Are you sure you weren't scared for me?" he teased.
Zangetsu had enough. Grabbing his hip, he searched for a blade that was not there. The spirit smirked, "I don't need a blade to hurt you." He pointed while red reiatsu formed around the end of the digit creating a Cero.
Ichigo's eyes widened at the new development while the older spirit grabbed the younger's hand, forcing the Cero blow up in the hollow's palm. Zangetsu cursed at the man as he yanked his burnt arm away and took a few steps back.
Tensa stepped forward. "I apologize for his behavior; hollows are creatures of instinct and can flip from peaceful to bloodthirsty very quickly. The same may happen once you begin using Zangetsu's hollow abilities."
Ichigo glanced towards the pale spirit with unease, "Wait I'll begin to act like that?" Pointing to Zangetsu who had another Cero in his hand. They both watched him release the red beam towards a nearby building, completely leveling it.
"In time and practice it will become manageable." The spirit took a long deep breath and glanced at the cloudy sky above them. "Ichigo, you may not realize it, but this is the first step towards a path of trouble and hardship. Difficult times will be ahead, and rain will surely fall once again. Just remember that as long as we are here, you will never fight alone. Tensa once again smiled at Ichigo.
Ichigo hardly managed his own smile, "Thank you Tensa, I'll make sure not to forget. You too Zangetsu and thank you for healing me." Ichigo called to the further away spirit.
The teen got a head nod from the older man and the younger gave a huff before his vision dissolved to black.
Before Ichigo's vision came back, the sound of both recognizable and unknown voices assaulted his ears.
The tense voice of his father was the first one. "I will ask you this one more time. Open this barrier before I break it!"
"No can do Isshin. The asauchi is already glowing and he's talking to his zanpakutō." Shinji made clear that the man wouldn't interfere.
"Shinji, why did you take Ichigo here instead of my shop, Tessai is much more proficient in healing? Then a couple of hours later try and give him his zanpakutō" An unrecognizable and much more relaxed voice inquired.
"First, Ichigo was basically bleeding out on our doorstep. And after a little boost Ichigo healed himself which leads us to the second point. WE needed to know if it was a quincy technique or if he is one of the Vizards." A couple of loud huffs were heard around the blonde when he implicated the rest of the Vizards.
A multitude of colors struck Ichigo's vision. He found himself exactly how his mind left him, sitting with the lightly glowing asauchi in his lap. His hands gripped at the hilt before unfolding his legs and silently rising to his feet.
Isshin's and Shinji's verbal talk was on hold as they silently started a glaring contest. A black cat stepped in between the two idiots and in the blink of an eye, clawed both their feet, sending them to their knees.
Hachi felt the slightest movement within the barrier and glanced in its direction then quickly took it down and alerted the closest person, Kensei.
Kensei slapped Shinji in the back of his head breaking the blonde from his ongoing glaring contest. "He's waking up." The blonde looked over at Ichigo then walked over to the black-haired goat, slapped, and pointed in the teen's direction.
Ichigo refocused his attention to the asauchi in his hand. A silent voice in the back of his mind telling him to pull with each hand. The blade then spit in half down the middle and reformed in each of his hands, each side mirroring the other.
The basic hilt was replaced by a black grip and a vibrant red diamond pattern. The rectangular guard shrank to become an oval, protecting his hand from the thin bright silver blade. The blade's edge was as thin as possible while the tip held the slightest of curves.
One by one each of the audience members held their breaths and comically began blinking rapidly, making sure they weren't hallucinating.
Ichigo himself didn't even look up to see their faces; his eyes entranced by his own zanpakutō until Tensa cut through his stunned mind. "Now, call us forth Ichigo!"
Despite never having been told the words it didn't stop him from easily finding them. Like they had been engraved into his skin at birth and have been repeating them ever since.
"Shroud the realm in eternal twilight, Zangetsu!"
Visible reiatsu quickly formed around the weapons then dripped off their razor sharpene edges revealing duel darkened blades. Both lengthened slightly and had a much more noticeable curve. The guard turned black and now featured an opening with four sections, bridging the outer ring with the inner portion. The grip stayed the same while a thin white cloth fell from the pommel.
For a moment nearly nothing happened. The stunned silence spoke more than anything Ichigo's audience could convey using words. The teen's reiatsu prickled against their skin setting off goosebumps and making them take a precautionary step back.
The artificial light from the training grounds roof flickered and slowly dimmed. Only stopping once, the light level was that of a pink-skyed sunset.
Love silently removed his sunglasses, the combination of them with Ichigo's new ability made it nearly impossible for the man to see.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Vizard."
"That is… not what I expected."
"If that's not a sign I don't know what is."
"Ichigo, sure is interesting child."
"Of course, he has two fucking blades, because why the hell not?"
"Captain's going to love this."
Outside the barrier the cat's enhanced vision pierced through the shrouded area. It blinked multiple more times before trotting over to Urahara and clawed its way up the shopkeeper's back creating blood stains on his clothing. The feline took its place on the man's shoulder.
"Kisuke, I might be going crazy, or I fell on some of your laboratory drug needles, but is Ichigo holding more than one zanpakutō?" It purred into the man's ear then crawled its way to the other shoulder, getting a better look at the blades.
He nodded, "I believe so my dear Yoruichi." The shopkeeper turned towards the silent kneeling Isshin.
The black-haired man hadn't moved. The feeling of Ichigo's reiatsu was entirely different than before. His release mixed in certain elements, one being very clear to him. It was distant almost non-existent, but that didn't stop the man from smiling. It felt like his late wife's own. Isshin's smile was a beacon of light for the shrouded area.
"My son is a dual wielder… my son… a dual wielder… two zanpakutō… I can't wait to tell Shunsui and Jūshirō!" He excitedly exclaimed, jumping to his feet before yelling out for everyone to hear. "THAT'S MY SON, FINALLY LIVING UP TO THE FAMILY GREATNESS!"
Ichigo clutched at his head, careful not to stab himself over his father's loud ramblings. He watched with clear vision as his father rolled around on the ground next to the unknown people.
More exiles he assumed. Some glanced at Isshin while most kept their squinted eyes on his still form.
"Hey… uh… Zangetsu, how do I turn this thing off?" Ichigo sheepishly asked his zanpakutō referring to the shrouded area around them.
The response he got back wasn't very helpful. "Unbelievable you really are useless. Just drop it."
"Drop what exactly? I'm only holding onto my zanpakutō and I would prefer not dropping these as soon as I get them."
"Not the zanpakutō, you dumbass, drop your reiatsu." When Ichigo tilted his head in confusion, Zangetsu continued to unhelpfully berate his wielder. "How are you this shit, I should've just let you-"
"He means for you pull in you reiatsu. When you release your zanpakutō , your reiatsu rises and blankets the surrounding area." Tensa cut in.
Ichigo responded with gratitude as he retracted his reiatsu as much as he could, lifting the darkness and allowing everyone to see clearly. "Thank you Tensa." A moment later Ichigo received a mental growl.
"Where's my 'thank you,' I said the exact same thing, it's not my fault your too dumb to understand."
Ichigo snorted, "No, you didn't. What you said wasn't at all helpful let alone possible to understand." Ichigo's face contorted and his ever-present scowl was deepening the longer this unintelligent argument went on.
While he continued to argue with the spirit, the cloth hanging off the end of his zanpakutō's pommel flowed with his reiatsu, idly wrapping around the blade.
Being lost in his argument, Ichigo didn't notice the approaching group. His father carefully stepped forward to see Ichigo's deeper than normal scowl, a clear sign that he was mentally communicating with his zanpakutō.
Normally It's not good to interrupt someone when they are communicating with their zanpakutō, and it didn't help when Isshin lightly flicked some of his own reiatsu at the occupied teen, knocking him off balance. Before Ichigo could recover Isshin had pulled him into a crushing hug.
"You were talking to your zanpakutō! What's his name? Or were you blessed like Kisuke over there and have a female zanpakutō!" Isshin squealed looking down at his son and wiggling his eyebrows.
Ichigo squirmed in his father's grip; he was getting close to freedom before being pulled back in. The teen then elbowed his father, knocking the wind out of the older man then escaping from the intrusive hug.
"He… Zangetsu." Ichigo paused when his father gave a high pitch gasp. "And one of them is a hollow," Ichigo smirked when Isshin became pale. "You wouldn't happen to know why… would you?"
The vizards not too far away celebrated by swatting at each other. Shinji on the other hand was much more daring. A pharaoh hollow mask over his face and a small Cero at his fingertips.
The subsequent blast at the ceiling created a fun new game, dodging the falling debris. When the blonde had a second Cero in his hand, Hiyori was already in his face, sandal mid-swing.
SMACK
The onlookers could only wince at the sound when the sandal connected with Shinji's face and the man hit the ground, hard. "You stupid jackass, why'd you do that?" Without waiting for an answer, she struck again.
SMACK
And one more for good measure.
SMACK
Shinji slowly curled into a fetal position before looking death in her brown eyes, "Celebratory cero?"
SMACK
The captain of squad eight, Shunsui Kyōraku was once again over at the thirteenth division visiting his longtime friend and captain, Jūshirō Ukitake. He visited almost daily, avoiding the tedious amount of paperwork, often handing his share to his lieutenant, Nanao Ise and any seated officer that was close by.
The vibrant pink and flower-patterned kimono wearing captain laid spread out on the large couch in Ukitake's office. His straw hat on his chest and a half-drunken glass of sake in his hand. A bottle of the same liquid was placed on the table situated between two couches.
Ukitake sat behind his desk mindlessly signing his name on every paper that passed. The friendly captain's white hair rolled off his shoulders when he signed another paper and placed it on top of the complete stack situated in the corner of his desk. Personally, he didn't mind this aspect of being a captain, unlike his friend in the room.
Kyōraku sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. Swirling his drink, the flamboyant man glanced upwards to check if his companion had finally stopped working. He frowned when Ukitake ignored it and grabbed another paper, so he did the only logical thing and dramatically sighed again.
Ukitake didn't need to ask what was wrong, he already knew. Everyone already knew but he'd humor the man anyways. He glanced at the time when carefully setting his brush down.
"Is there something on your mind Shunsui?"
"Have you chosen who will be your lieutenant yet?" the relaxed captain questioned.
Ukitake raised an eyebrow, he was expecting a far different question. "I have, but depending on how this evening goes I may have to continue my search."
Kyōraku emptied his glass of sake before stretching over and grabbing the bottle then pouring until his glass was nearly full. He may drink often but right now he could tell that shit was about to hit the fan.
"This whole thing with Rukia couldn't be happening at a worst time." The white-haired captain gave a nod, silently agreeing. "Everyone needs to have a clear mind before the central 46 meeting and this transferring powers to a human boy will only give the divisions something to pick sides over."
Ukitake gave a quick laugh, "And you drinking can't possibly be helping." He joked, getting up from his desk and crossing the room to another couch opposite the drinking man.
Said man chuckled, then pulled a second unused glass, and poured the remaining sake into it.
"Hey, I've yet to meet a problem that drinking can't solve. Relationships, hard work, and clear thinking, sake can do it all."
"Perhaps you should be handing it out to every division."
"Unfortunately, I don't have that much sake." Ukitake raised an accusing eyebrow. "…Not within the Seireitei. Besides, it's hard enough to sneak past my lovely Nanao normally and even worse now that her friend is on trial.
Ukitake stared at the filled glass in front of him. "Let's hope that central 46 can make the right decision for once. If not, I might actually drink this." He solemnly said raising the glass in a small toast.
Kyōraku followed, "I know what I'm hoping for." He said lightly clinking their glasses as two hell butterflies flew through an open window behind the desk.
They fluttered together then split off towards each captain, landing on their outstretched finger.
"All captains are to report to the Central 46 Compound for the scheduled meeting and subsequent trials." The voice of captain-commander Yamamoto came through before the winged creatures flew back out the window.
Ukitake set down his untouched glass when Kyōraku sat up and in one gulp drank the remaining sake within his glass. "Well better get this over with Jūshirō." He said picking up Ukitake's undrinked glass and downing it in one move. Then standing up he placed his signature hat on and shook out his numb limbs.
He walked to the door, slid it open and passed through like he owned the place. After hundreds of years of visiting this division, he could walk back to his own blindfolded if he wanted to. Once exiting the office, he shifted to let his friend properly walk beside him.
They opted to walk instead of flash step, they weren't in an immediate rush and wanted to enjoy the peaceful slow pace. While they walked past members of both the eighth and thirteenth each gave their respective captains a short bow.
Unlike many of the other divisions the eighth and thirteenth worked hand in hand. Their captains had always spent so much time together their respective divisions had intertwined. If one was in trouble the other would be there in a heartbeat.
They took their time reaching the Central 46 compound, enjoying the pink colored sunset sky and each other's company. Passing the guards and entering a small building they walked down brightly lit stairs the entered a long hallway. The doors at the end were wide open revealing a large round chamber, a couple of chairs in the middle and thirteen more placed further away. Above sat two levels of forty-six seats, a plaque in front of each with their own number.
Both split off and took their seats marked by their division number. Multiple other captains already sat in their own seats. Captain-commander and captain of Squad One, Yammamoto. An old frail looking man with a long white beard, a giant faded scar over his forehead and a cane in hand.
Other captains along with him sat in their numbered seats. Squad Four's Retsu Unohana, Squad Five's Sōsuke Aizen, Squad Six's Byakuya Kuchiki, Squad Seven's Sajin Komamura, Squad Nine's Kaname Tōsen, Squad Ten's Tōshirō Hitsugaya, and Squad Twelve's Mayuri kurotsuchi.
A few minutes passed of idle chatter from the members above them while they waited for the remaining captains.
Captain of Squad Two Soi-fon walked through the open door with a disgusted face. Behind her was a pink-haired girl and lieutenant of squad eleven Yachiru Kusajishi. She was here in place of her captain who would end up stabbing everyone in proximity.
Even further behind them was captain of Squad Three Gin Ichimaru, his ever-present grin plastered on his face when taking his seat and looking between everyone present.
With all captains there the doors finally closed when the sound of a gavel echoed through the chamber. "Now that all of the division's representatives have arrived, we may begin our meeting." The speaker said.
The next hour, as always for a normal central 46 meeting, was one of the most boring things each captain could go through. All captains other than the eleventh had to attend these pointless meetings. Nothing happened, new laws were proposed, and old ones disputed, each member continued to argue their point and by the end nothing had changed.
By this time most captains were slouching, some on the edge of sleep while the first, fourth, and fifth captains sat perfectly straight.
The heavy gavel struck once again causing all slouching captains to sit at attention.
"It's time we move onto the trials. The accused prisoners will be read their charges then plead their case. After all prisoners plead, an anonymous vote will commence. At the end each prisoner will be given their freedom or sentence."
The doors swung open and multiple guards flanked a dozen beaten soul reapers shackled together by their feet. Their arms constricted to their chests and a reiatsu blocking collar around their necks.
The captain of squad ten sat straighter than anyone else, an impassive look on his face but below his façade was a young man who at this time wanted nothing more than to brutally slaughter each chained soul reaper at the center of the chamber.
The concealed speaker's voice spoke again, reading from a paper in his hands. "Eleventh division patrol squad sixteen, you stand accused of breaking your designated patrol route, sneaking into the tenth division and ambushing tenth division patrol squad twenty-two, maiming and killing all but two members."
The captains stayed silent as the room broke out into murmurs before the gavel hit again, silencing them.
"Squad Ten's lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto has claimed witness to the fight and stopped it without further bloodshed. How do you plead?"
Chains raddled as their group leader moved to the forefront then spitting out. "Not guilty."
"Your plea is noted and will be discussed further."
The doors behind the group opened and the guards silently led the chained accused through it.
"Bring forth the next prisoner."
Rukia made her way to the center of the chamber, her resolve growing with every step until her gaze found Byakuya's. His impassive noble mask displayed a flicker of uncertainty.
"Rukia Kuchiki, you stand accused of interacting with humans, giving your powers to a human boy, teaching said boy basic soul reaper knowledge, and attacking a lieutenant when being placed into custody.
We have strict laws: under no circumstance can the dead and the living interact yet you pranced around for months like you were one of them!
You are sister to the Kuchiki clan head, as such you set an example to the peasants not only within the Rukongai but the seireitei!"
The speaker took a moment to catch his breath then finished. "Rukia Kuchiki, how do you plead?"
As the speaker read out the charges against her, Rukia's mind raced. The realization of how many charges there were and that they were right, she had pretended to be human, made her hesitate for a long moment when given the chance to plead.
"Do I not get to explain why I had to give them over?" she finally mustered the courage to ask.
"Why doesn't matter when you are guilty!" The speaker responded with disdain.
Rukia bit her lip, unable to change their minds. As the gavel struck, she was led away, chains clinking with each step, echoing through the chamber.
The chamber erupted in noise, each talking to one another and casting their individual votes. Ukitake glanced at Byakuya who had his hands in his lap, the impassive and cold face in full effect. But what caught the older man's eye was the minuscule fidget of Byakuya's fingers.
Ukitake's next glance was towards Kyōraku who looked to be bracing himself for the worst-case scenario.
After awhile the chatter slowly ceased, votes for each trial anonymously cast. The guards opened the chamber doors and in walked the group of accused soul reapers.
The gavel struck. "The witness, lieutenant Matsumoto has been deemed uncredible." Hitsugaya's eyes widened. "She has a reputation of drinking while on the job and is highly likely that she was intoxicated during the events. Because of that her report and all evidence that revolves around her are now disregarded."
Hitsugaya flung to his feet, biting his tongue to make sure he didn't yell. "I disagree, whether or not my lieutenant was drinking doesn't take away the fact my squad was brutally killed."
"Unfortunately, captain Hitsugaya, the evidence brought forth all comes from an intoxicated soul reaper therefore none of the evidence gathered is usable. A vote has taken place and as of right now eleventh division patrol squad sixteen is set free. Unchain them"
The guards moved with efficiency, removing each of their collars and unchaining their limbs.
Many of the chambers' occupants began to shiver when slick ice formed on the walls, a cause of Hitsugaya's barely contained rage.
The short captain bit his lip when the newly unchained soul reapers smirked his way, blood freely dripping down his chin as he switched to grinding his teeth. Every ounce of self-restraint was used to not decapitate them where they stood.
"Furthermore, lieutenant Matsumoto is under arrest for falsely claiming treason and contaminating evidence. Anyone who aids her will be punished alongside her."
That set Hitsugaya off, in one flash step he traveled across the room and out the door. If he stayed any longer, he would have ended up killing every member of central 46 where they sat. A trail of frozen tiles was left in his wake.
Ukitake lowered his head, things weren't going well so far and unfortunately, they were not going to get better.
"Ah, Shiro's leaving us…"
"Should you be talking Gin?
"Your blind Tōsen! You don't know the color of my hair!"
Yamamoto tapped his cane on the ground to get the Third and Ninth captains to stop talking as the group of formerly accused soul reapers exited the doors and Rukia was pushed back in.
Taking her place in the center she looked up at the plaques obscuring the members of central 46. Biting the inside of her cheek, she listened as the speaker took his place.
"Rukia Kuchiki, you are guilty of our strictest laws. Of course, these crimes have happened before, but we cannot let them happen again. We will make you our example of the punishment given to those who break it.
Rukia Kuchiki, by the rule of central 46 you are sentenced to death by the Sōkyoku and your soul removed from the cycle of reincarnation.
Your execution is set for the turn of the month, schedule to change if anyone attempts to impede justice."
Rukia's legs went numb. She would have yelled and screamed in that moment, kicked at the guards when they began to drag her back to her cell in the Sixth division, bit at them when they got to close but when she opened her mouth, nothing happened. With the shove of an impatient guard, she stumbled out of the chamber.
Byakuya sat there, watching his sister's departure in silence, his emotions hidden but betrayed by the subtle tremor of his fingers. The other captains exchanged uneasy glances, a collective shock settling in.
Each captain's reiatsu rose to silently battle against Byakuya's. Without a word the noble followed his condemned sister out the chamber.
Ukitake buried his face in his hands for a moment before rising and carefully walking over the ice trail through the door with Kyōraku right behind him.
Silently, every captain and member of central 46 rose from their seats one by one, exiting the chamber and leaving only two figures in the dimly lit room.
Gin stood in the doorway near the exit, staring back at an unmoved figure. "Capt'n, was killing those soul reapers really necessary?"
A moment of silence passed before the figure in the dark spoke. "I didn't kill anyone Gin, I just stoked the flames that have naturally ignited."
"And Kuchiki's sister?"
"Kisuke Urahara believes I need his Hōgyoku that's inside the young Kuchiki." The bespectacled captain calmly walked past Gin and into the hallway, not stopping to add. "Urahara will arrive and unknowingly be pouring oil all over the flames of the Seireitei."
Gin shook his head and followed the man out.
A/N So that's it. If I haven't made it clear yet, I'm changing things from the original bleach.