As soon as the others finally caught up, Inoue was the first to drop on her knees in front of her and look at her with a smile of relief once she realized she was truly looking at an ally this time. And of course, the first thing that came out of Katsuko's mouth was an apology to all of them.
"Again with the sorry." Ichigo reprimanded her with a light flick to her forehead, making her squint.
"It just came out–!" A big hand landed atop her head and ruffling her hair cut her off. It was Chad. His gesture was a silent dismissal, as well as his relief. She looked at him curiously but then let out a yelp when Renji all but grabbed her cheek with his fingers and tugged.
"Wha–! Hey!"
"Don't be stupid." He clicked his tongue, annoyed that she was apologizing. "If I hear you say that word again I will bonk you on the head."
Chisaki kneeled down next to Inoue after Katsuko batted Renji's hand away, and she easily brought the attention to her when she spoke the rescued girl's name.
"Are you okay? Are you in any pain?" Chisaki placed her hand on her chest to emphasize where it could possibly hurt. Then she tapped her temple and then her knee when she thought of anywhere else it could hurt. She didn't know if the syringe had any effects on her body.
But Katsuko shook her head and gave her a weak thumbs up with a sniffle. Her tears had stopped but her sniffs were still sticking around for a while longer. After everything that happened, the only pain she had left was in her heart from seeing others hurt because of her own chaotic mess but even that was already subsiding.
"No, I'm fine."
The brown haired noble smiled with relief. "Thank goodness."
She remembered thinking at some point during the last battle that perhaps she cursed Katsuko to repeat her nightmare because she chose her as her little refuge. As she thought of that, Chisaki was desperately praying and fighting for Katsuko to not repeat history. The last thing she wanted was for this child to have is to go through the same grief she went through. She couldn't burden her with the weight of her own life.
Rukia set down Katsuko's sword by her side and took a spot next to Chisaki, sitting on the back of her legs. "Do you know what happened to you?"
Katsuko's face expressed exasperation when she half-lidded her eyes and lightly shook her head. "Oh, yeah. Don't worry, I remember everything. I even learned something interesting during my time in this desert. I learned more than just a history lesson."
"And what is that?" Ichigo leaned over and reached behind Katsuko to take his sword.
"Well for starters, I was biased–"
"Can you hear me, intruders?"
The familiar voice suddenly invaded all their minds.
Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other when they realized who was speaking.
"First, allow me to compliment you for defeating so many Espadas. And now, I will go to the next stage where the invasion of the World of the Living has already been taking place."
"What?!" Ichigo looked up at the sky. "They're already there?!"
"I thought all the Espadas were here!" Ishida remembered what was relayed to them regarding the winter's war.
"We were supposed to launch a preemptive strike before they could start the war!" Renji was wondering why Aizen decided to divide his forces like this. It was defeating the purpose of their goal and it was confusing.
"Hiragi Katsuko is the successor of one of my first major experiments. With the Soul Society learning of her strange condition and the knowledge that my Espadas were battle ready, I had her taken to give the Soul Society a sense of crisis, prompting them to withdraw from defending the World of the Living."
Katsuko frowned when it sounded very much like she was bait. With Aizen being a schemer, the Soul Society couldn't take any chances and let him gain some kind of advantage over them through his experiments.
"Her condition was the last observation. She's an astonishing existence. She performed admirably and surmounted my expectations until the end. But the Substitute Soul Reaper and his allies that came to Hueco Mundo to save her, and the four Captains who came to help them have been successfully confined, thanks to my ploy."
Katsuko bit her lip and she clenched her fists. Damn it! She really was bait and just a lab rat for Aizen. She fought hard and made it this far only for him to crush any hopes she had to see tomorrow.
How humiliating.
"The great thing about the Thirteen Court Guard Squads is that all Thirteen Captains possess the powers of a major fighting force. But three have defected and four more are trapped in Hueco Mundo. It's safe to say that the Soul Society's strength has been reduced by half. It was simple, really. Now we will destroy Karakura Town, create the Oken, and bring down the Soul Society. Once that has been accomplished… we can deal with the rest of you at our leisure."
Katsuko grabbed her head and whimpered.
If only they didn't come here!
"And then I will give you a belated warm welcome, old friend."
Before anyone thought he would elaborate, the connection was cut off, signaling Aizen's departure for the World of the Living.
Ichigo took his sword with him when he started bolting off to who knows where.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
"Wait, Kurosaki-san! Don't be hasty!" Chisaki raised her voice to shackle him in place.
"What do you mean?! I have to find a way to Karakura Town!" He insisted. "I can't just stay here and do nothing!"
"Ichigo." Rukia spoke his name in a certain way to calm him down. "Remember what Aizen said? He said that the battle is currently taking place in Karakura Town. That means the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are defending the town as we speak. It's not defenseless."
"But Aizen is on his way there now…!"
"We'll find a way there." Chad said to reassure him.
Renji then pointed at everyone. "But we need to be ready for a new fight. There are some injured here, including you."
"Yes, have you forgotten the seal I placed on you?" Chisaki reminded him.
"You used a seal?" Ishida blinked. The memory of Katsuko collapsing in her own blood after having her seals undone immediately flashed in his mind. "How bad?"
"Nothing grave but It's not just a scratch I assure you."
Ishida looked at Ichigo pointedly. "Okay, yeah. Sit down."
His wounds after fighting Grimmjow and Nnoitra were still on him. He understood that and he knew they'd be a distraction if the seals came undone somehow. With a defeated sigh, he gave in and made his way back to his group.
Inoue felt relieved when Ichigo gave in to reason. She didn't want him getting hurt if the seals came undone by themselves. She wanted him to be free of pain, to take it away from him.
Inoue tore her eyes away from him and looked at Katsuko who was uncharacteristically quiet. Most of the time Katsuko was the one to help him either calm down or just stop him from being reckless, as seen during their time in the Soul Society. But right now, Katsuko was staring at the ground with her hands digging into the floor. There was no calmness coming from her but waves of anxiety.
"Hiragi-san, what's wrong?" Inoue asked her, concerned whether or not she was going through some after-effects from the vaccine.
The others looked at Katsuko just as she looked back up with a face full of panic. She still looked like herself. But...
"It would have been better if everyone focused on the winter war. I shouldn't have been your focus."
"Don't be ridiculous." Rukia scolded her but that didn't change the way she looked. Instead, she just winced when Aizen's message continued to echo in her mind. "Of course, we were coming for you. We couldn't let Aizen do as he pleased with you."
"But because of your choice, it created a chain reaction that resulted in this!" Katsuko parted her legs to sit on her rear instead of her legs and she furiously scratched her head. "You should have focused on protecting Karakura Town!" she snapped, upset about being the cause of it all and the potential reason for losing people she cared about if they lost to Aizen. There are Captains trapped in Hueco Mundo because of her!
She was so grateful that they came to get her but what was the point if the thing they wanted to protect was gone?
"What, so we could fight you in said town?" Ichigo shot back as he sat back down next to Katsuko. He saw the way she was stressing again. And again, for the wrong reason. "No thanks."
"But–"
"I'd feel terrible if we killed you," Inoue spoke up. The thought was cruel when she remembered how Katsuko was crying over her own actions. How worse would it be if she died while watching as a bystander? Inoue's heart would break if she learned the truth. And Ichigo… he'd probably blame himself if he didn't choose this path. It would have been a cruel game for Aizen to play. "I don't regret coming here even if things ended up the way they did."
"It's not your fault." Ishida reassured her. "Aizen is the ultimate reason for your capture. Don't forget that."
"No one regrets coming here so don't speak like this was a mistake because it wasn't." Rukia took her hand for a moment and held it to convey her sincerity. "Rescuing a friend is not a mistake."
Katsuko held her stare for a second and then looked away, pulling her hand away to give one final frustrated scratch to her head. The sincerity in her eyes wasn't something she could argue against since it was now starting to make her feel terrible for ignoring the way she felt. Rukia was someone who experienced captivity so she could relate to the desire for freedom, the loneliness and the joy of being rescued.
"Listen, you can't blame me for thinking like this after what Aizen just told us. He basically pointed his finger at me and said you fell for this."
Ichigo scratched the back of his head and let out an aggravated sigh. Yeah. Falling for Aizen's trap was almost too easy knowing how he was. But even if he chose to remain on standby and let the Captains do their thing, it would end up with Katsuko definitely dying as an enemy now that they knew they needed Urahara's vaccine to aid her.
It wasn't a possibility but a certainty.
To him, protecting both his town and the life of his friend was a priority.
So like Rukia said, this wasn't a mistake.
This was the right thing to do.
"I'd rather protect everything than protect one thing and lose another," Ichigo said with finality. Katsuko frowned when that signaled the end of her little rant. "I'll save you and protect Karakura Town."
Katsuko held his stare when he looked at her and dared her to argue against him. It would be futile.
"Fine. But I don't think prioritizing a girl over a whole town and thousands of souls was the Soul Society's focus." Katsuko shot back logically. "But let's not talk about that. Even if the Soul Society is there fighting against the Espadas, isn't the town literally baby powder right now?! What about the people there?!"
"That's… a good question." Chad realized just as Inoue began healing Ishida.
Katsuko chuckled softly and waved her hand dismissively. "Well, I would imagine that Captain Kurotsuchi or Urahara Kisuke figured out a way to avoid letting the town and people they are trying to protect get caught in the crossfire." Silence fell upon them as they stared at her. " How they did is what I am uncertain of. However, we should find out soon enough because Captain Kurotsuchi is here. He needs only time to figure a way out lest he be proven incompetent in comparison to Urahara Kisuke."
…
…
…
Katsuko blinked at the incredulous stares around her.
"What? Urahara Kisuke is the reason you got here in the first place, no?"
"What the hell?!" Ichigo snapped.
"What now?!" Renji followed suit.
Just now, Katsuko's voice became slightly more masculine and her eyes were glowing brighter when they became saturated, appearing almost crystal orange. But it all disappeared when she jolted in place, as if she felt static shock her, and appeared absolutely befuddled.
"What the hell?!" Katsuko shoved her fingers in her hair. "Are you serious?!"
She changed again. But this time, she was still herself. It felt like someone just decided to talk over her. It felt like someone was with her.
"Apparently." Katsuko's voice changed again. Her mouth freaking opened by itself!
"Oh hell no!" Katsuko grabbed her throat. There was definitely someone with her!
And I think I know who this is! Because who else would it be?!
"Please don't tell me it's not over…" Renji grimaced and got his sword ready.
Katsuko sighed tiredly. "No, it is... but it's complicated now. I don't know why though... But I think I know why."
Renji's eyes became half-lidded when her words didn't make sense. "Which one is it?"
"I'm okay though! I swear!" She insisted, releasing her throat. This time felt different!
"You sure?" Chad asked.
"Okay, wait! Let's start treatment first!" Chisaki decided to stop them before they trailed too far. "Before anything else, we need to begin treatment if you want to assist the Thirteen Court Guard Squads in the fight to protect Karakura Town." She told Ichigo as she scooted over to where he was and wasted no time undoing the seals. She wanted to get those wounds treated first so he can be all healed up.
Instant pain.
"Ugh!" Ichigo cried out and fell on his hands and knees. It startled Katsuko for a second and she grew concerned for him, hands pausing in the air when she tried to check on him.
"Yeah, hurts, doesn't it?" Katsuko grimaced when Ichigo suddenly started bleeding next to her. Inoue watched worriedly as Ichigo expressed pain in his face and body from the fresh wounds.
Katsuko could only remember the unpleasant pain of having her wounds unsealed by Chisaki that one time. Fortunately, Ichigo didn't suffer too many grave wounds like she did.
Ichig looked up and gritted his teeth. He could only relate this sudden unleash of wounds to a band aid being violently ripped off one's skin. However, unlike the fading pain of a removed band aid, this pain just stayed and seared into his skin like a burning brand.
"God, that freaking hurts…!" Ichigo hissed and pushed himself back into a sitting position so that Chisaki could treat him. "At least give me a warning!"
"I did." Chisaki said flatly.
"That wasn't a warning!"
"Do not complain."
Blinking twice, Katsuko looked towards Rukia when Chisaki got to work. With the knowledge she had, she could do more than just sit and wait. It was better than letting Inoue do most of the job and exhaust her. Without a word, Katsuko silently scooted towards Rukia when she wasn't paying attention and eyed her body to try and spot the places that still needed to be treated. It didn't look like she was too badly injured.
Still…
It wasn't until the Kido touched her body that Rukia finally noticed what Katsuko was doing.
"Katsuko?"
The sensation was familiar but she noticed how different it was compared to Squad Four's healing Kido. It was different from what she administered it as well. This most certainly was Kido… but it was not the same, yet it did the same job.
This was how Katsuko healed her after her fight with the Espada.
Chisaki was curious about the Kido being used right now. She was eying Katsuko from the side while keeping an eye on the wound she was trying to treat. "You're able to use healing Kido?" This question made everyone look towards her.
Katsuko shrugged nonchalantly. "I inherited some knowledge."
Rukia watched the wound slowly close itself. "But that's not Kaido. How did you learn this?"
"Kaido?" Katsuko repeated with a tilt of her head, confused. Did she mispronounce the name?
As if to correct her thoughts, Chisaki explained that Kaido was the type of Kido used to heal by restoring spiritual pressure. By doing so, the physical body could recover using the patient's restored spiritual pressure and the healer's external one.
"But what you are doing now is the bare minimum to bypass the initial phase and move on to restoring the body." Chisaki pointed to Rukia's body which was healing faster than Ichigo's. Chisaki's healing was performed with a green light while Katsuko's was blue, another sign of difference.
In simple but inaccurate terms, it could be described as first aid.
And Chisaki knew what she was doing, especially if what she was thinking of was true.
"That's dangerous," Chisaki warned her. Not many can do this since it was considered one of the harder ones to control. Any mistake could cause irreversible rewind, or it could be a voluntary act to do such damage. But that wasn't all because there were still other dangers when using this type of Kido.
Central 46 saw that as a massive threat and had to place a ban on it.
"I've had some practice…" Katsuko mumbled, trying to ignore the stares she was getting that were making her nervous. Logically, she thought of control when restoring Grimmjow's arm. She chose to visualize his arm coming back to focus only on rewinding the time on his arm. That gave her some sense of control. In addition, sensing how Noctter rejuvenated himself gave her some helpful pointers.
But she couldn't resist looking at Chisaki like a child that was caught red-handed. She didn't know what she was going to say now that she figured out what kind of Kido she was using. Aizen was the one who told her that such Kido was forbidden, and the memories of standing before Central 46 after Naogoma Shisugu used it were proof of it.
"And I assume you know how to control it somewhat thanks to Naogoma Shisugu, am I right?"
He was the only one she knew that could perform that kind of Kido without a problem with how precise he was in utilizing Kido.
Naogoma Shisugu…
The person I used to be…
Involuntarily, Katsuko took in a deep breath before she could answer and closed her eyes for a brief second. There was this odd sound that sounded like a small bell that rang in her head.
The sound felt almost like she was being called.
When the sound faded, she opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by darkness.
And yet she could clearly see the figure standing before her.
He was as tall as her Hollow Arashihoro and he looked exactly the same as him. However, his hair was ash blond and his eyes were like green crystal gems. He was grinning at her and set his hand on his hip. Like her, he wore the standard Shihakusho.
"Yo."
"... Hi."
He sauntered towards her spot and loomed over her when he stood in front of her. "Huh, so you're the new soul? You're such a small thing."
Katsuko's eye twitched. The hell? Her previous self takes a look at her and the first thing he had to say about her was her height?! People like Renji, Ichigo, Chad and freaking Naogoma Shisugu were just taller than average! Especially Chad, he was a freak of nature with that height!
"My height is average, thank you. I'm not short."
"Never said you were." Shisugu had the nerve to drop his hand on top of her head and pat it. "You're just smaller than me." He teased before ruffling her hair. His gesture didn't really provoke a reaction out of her. She was just confused when her dark brown eyes took in the way he carried himself as nonchalant and playful.
Even though she saw his memories and learned about him, she felt like she didn't know this guy at all. It felt like she was meeting a new person.
"So, you exist with me now?" Katsuko raised a brow.
Shisugu retracted his hand and gave her a shrug as he expelled a sigh from his body. "It seems like it." He started walking past her and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Looks like we're going to be partners from now on, Hiragi Katsuko."
Katsuko watched his back over her shoulder. It definitely seemed like that was the case now since he didn't feel like a threat to herself.
"Are you going to make me disappear?"
But it was better to be sure and be ready.
Shisugu reappeared behind her and draped his arm over her shoulders to hang off her. It made her stumble with a small gasp before she looked at him. He gestured his free hand nonchalantly and gave her a pout. Her eyes met his that carried faux hurt.
"That hurts my feelings. I was the one trying to keep you from fading. I could have let you drop but I kept holding on to you. I tried my best, you know? I should be praised."
Katsuko's eyes skittered away from his, abashed by the closeness, making him quirk a brow. He was in her personal space. He just met her so why was he being so touchy-feely? Why?
Well... because what was personal space?
"I'm trying to figure out if you're trying to kill me."
"Uwah, so serious." He faked gasped. "But I get it." He gently got off her and continued walking the way he was going previously. "Can never be too lax, not even with yourself. That's good. I like that."
Her eyes revealed themselves in the same colour as last time while continuing her task. Rukia noticed how the treatment hastened a little.
"Correct, cousin."
"And there he is…" Chisaki mumbled. "I cannot believe this."
The dead speaks.
"Cousin?" Inoue echoed, shocked. "Your relative?"
"Wait, what." Renji paused.
"Cousin?" Ichigo repeated. "Your cousin is inside Katsuko?" His tone fell flat. Instead of Katsuko becoming someone else… there was someone else with her now? Is that what was happening right now?
Katsuko gave Ichigo a raised brow. "That sounded very obscene, you know?" A shit-eating grin came on her face as she teased him and enjoyed the way his face turned red when he realized the innuendo. "I couldn't even if I tried."
"That's not what I meant!"
It was enough that Chisaki and Katsuko almost had the same face, that was its own head-scratcher. But now, Chisaki's cousin, Naogoma Shisugu, is inhabiting the soul of Hiragi Katsuko, the look alike of Chisaki?
"It better not get more complicated than this." Ichigo murmured to himself.
Katsuko laughed merrily and held up her hands and waved them in front of Rukia to signal that she was done. "I was surprised too."
"Naogoma Shisugu." Rukia identified when she remembered the man. He was someone she'd rarely seen but heard a lot about when he was alive. "You used illegal Kido and was considered the golden child of the Naogoma Clan because of your skills in Kido."
Katsuko gave her thumbs up and grinned like a fool. "Nice, Kuchiki-san! I'm glad I'm still getting recognition after death!"
Ishida reassured Inoue that he would be fine with her minimum treatment and allowed Chad to take his turn since his arm was in need of it. Ishida would administer first aid on his own to let others get a turn. "But you're somehow here even after death.."
"Yeah. I died, yet I am no less thrilled to be able to breathe life again. It makes me want to permanently stay like this." Katsuko leaned back on her hands and smiled.
"You better not." Ichigo said those words like rapid fire.
"I'm only kidding." Katsuko snickered and then looked at Ichigo with a playful look. "Geez, there's no need to be so serious. Pfft, look at your face~"
The orange haired teen's eyes narrowed in irritation.
This freaking…
"Yeah, well, after all the trouble we went through you can't blame me for being like this."
"That's fair."
"Urahara said that the Hollow that Katsuko has is composed of numerous Soul Reaper souls. With you being here now, I can only assume you are one of the souls that comprised the Hollow inside her." Chisaki cut to the chase with her used-to-be deceased relative. "It makes sense."
"Correct again, cousin!" Shisugu snapped his fingers and pointed at her with a grin.
Chisaki explained in detail what Urahara told her prior to coming to Hueco Mundo. The impossibility. The singularity. The purpose of the syringe. The last piece made Shisugu speak about the collapsing Inner World and his trying to keep Katsuko from falling into an abyss until Chisaki used the vaccine on her. It was supposed to separate Shisugu and Katsuko, but for some reason, they were now coexisting identities within the same soul.
Other than that, everything else was fine.
"But enough about that, I suggest we go speak to Captain Kurotsuchi about ways to catch up to Sousuke– er, I mean, Aizen." Jolting in place, Katsuko let out an exasperated exhale while dropping her face in her hand.
Switching back and forth was such an odd feeling. She could almost picture Shisugu sitting down on the floor and gesturing his hands towards her to show that she was back in control.
I would rather not let Captain Kurotsuchi know of my existence in case he chooses to prod at us with that long fingernail of his.
Great. She can hear him in her head too.
"You seem a little unfazed by this, Hiragi-san." Inoue realized when Katsuko didn't complain about this sudden revelation about another identity living inside her. She thought she'd have a little more reaction to this.
"I've had more than enough time to process this kind of problem. And right now, this is the least of my problems."
Seriously, the fact that a literal ghost was now coexisting with her didn't really give her much of a shock. This time, it didn't feel like a looming threat. No, it felt more like a pesky housefly just flying around or some kid sitting behind her on a bus and trying to coax a reaction out of her by kicking her seat. Annoying but harmless.
She was okay.
And with the information she got from Arashihoro, it wasn't just some phantom living with her now. In Aizen's words, she is him the same way he was her.
"I have more to say about it but now isn't the time for that."
"Yes. One of us should go see one of the Captains and await further orders." Chisaki agreed as she continued healing Ichigo. It was better to have at least one of them go down and check instead of waiting up here.
"I can go." Katsuko offered. She would rather show herself as an ally and get caught up as soon as possible about any plans to get to Karakura Town than sit here and remember she was the cause of their imprisonment in this world.
And unlike the others, she didn't need any treatment at all.
"Wait for me." Ichigo stopped her when she stood up. "I'll go with you." Much like her, he wanted to know if any of the Captains had any method to get to Karakura Town as soon as possible.
"Fine. Hurry up. You're taking forever to heal."
"Don't say that as if I had control over healing my injuries!"
"It was a joke." Katsuko chuckled and picked up her sword.
Ichigo squinted his eyes at her. "Good to know your sense of humour is still as great as ever."
…
…
…
"Your get-up is barely hanging." Katsuko realized, swatting the fabric that was just fluttering behind him. Everything but his right side was left, making him look like some shirtless guy with one sleeve and a pathetic excuse for a cape.
Ichigo was falling down with her by his side, watching the way she batted his clothes like some playful cat, somehow finding his shredded attire interesting. "I'll be fine. I don't need to look pretty right now."
She squinted her eyes. "What, you call yourself pretty in Bankai form?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Don't you know humour is great at making people feel better?"
Just before they left, Chisaki healed his wounds and restored some of his spiritual pressure, resulting in some of his Shihakusho coming back. After she did the minimum, she allowed Inoue to take over since Ichigo wanted to hurry and get some information. For some reason, Inoue was able to slowly restore his Shihakusho but quickly heal his wounds which was odd since she was usually able to repair the Shihakusho when she healed someone. That's when they learned she was slow at restoring spiritual pressure which was similar to how Katsuko was healing Rukia. That information reminded Katsuko of Hachigen and his healing methods. During her training with the Vizards, she would get injured and would need some healing. Depending on the injury and time, she would either be healed fast or slow. The slow method was how Chisaki healed Ichigo. The faster one was just like Inoue, focusing on the external part rather than the spiritual pressure.
As she stopped her batting and recalled all this information, Katsuko eyed his Shihakusho thoughtfully.
"We'll have to go back and let them fix your Shihakusho then if it relates to your spiritual pressure."
Ichigo eyed his only sleeve. "Yeah, I know. But I feel fine though."
They suddenly heard a thundering sound. The giant tower that they were approaching gave them a perfect landing spot to try and check their surroundings for whatever it was. Katsuko unsteadily landed and chose to get down on one knee to play it safe while Ichigo had a perfect landing on his feet while searching for where spiritual pressure was coming from.
It was somewhere on their left.
They could see some giant guy smashing the ground before he proceeded to roar angrily.
Katsuko squinted her eyes when she recognized the spiritual pressure. It was from that Hot-Head Arrancar that nearly made the earth her coffin.
"How'd he get so damn big?!" She exclaimed. "Did he take some boost juice or something?"
"I don't know. But it looks like a fight is going on. I sense Kenpachi and Byakuya over there. Come on." Ichigo took a giant leap off the tower. He wanted to see how Kenpachi was doing after he left him to fight Nnoitra. But knowing him, he probably got a kick out of that fight if he's fighting someone else.
Katsuko didn't jump off recklessly like him. Her body swung her legs over the edge before she fell forward and kicked back against the tower to give her a boost of speed heading down.
"Wait for me!"
She ran behind him as he bolted off.
Katsuko's eyes were making sure no one was making a tentative ambush on them on the way there. They needed to regroup with the Captains and get updated on their next move. They just needed to find a way to get to Karakura Town as soon as possible to join the war.
And as much as Katsuko hated the idea of her, a literal child in comparison to all the big shots, a teenager, going to war she was aware that she couldn't sit still as Aizen loomed over her town as a threat. She needed to go back and do her best to protect her life no matter what. Even if she didn't feel confident, she had to do something. Even if she was scared, she had to do something.
And the mere thought of seeing tomorrow with everyone, apologizing to Jun and Haru, telling the truth, maybe getting a hit or two from Shinji for teasing him, and living her life peacefully again had her smiling a little with hope and courage.
Man, this is going to be one hell of a story to tell everyone later.
They arrived at the spot and was just in time to witness Kenpachi knock Yammy on his back with ease. The ground shook underneath his fat body and Katsuko almost stumbled when she was caught off guard. Ichigo could how strong the Arrancar was and he quickly offered to help as he approached Kenpachi. His strength was nothing compared to the first day they showed up in Karakura Town! And it looked he wasn't going down no matter how many times he was getting cut of knocked down. Help was probably needed.
"Kenpachi!"
"Ah?" The Captain of Squad Eleven set his sword on his shoulder and looked back to find Ichigo running to him.
Katsuko jogged after her friend and couldn't help but look at the hair this Captain had.
It looked like a tree in the winter.
"What a pathetic sight!"
"ACK–!"
Blinking stupidly, Katsuko slowed down as Ichigo was promptly sent flying back past her and back the way they came, causing her hair to fly a bit, and went crashing into the sand from a swift kick. Her body slowed to a stop as she stared at the Captain who was putting down his leg. Her lips parted for a second when she registered what just happened. One second he was in front of her and the next he was already ten meters away.
She slowly turned around to see him just finish rolling in the sand. Judging from the muffled sound he made, he most likely ate sand as well. She was proven correct when she heard sputtering when he sat up.
"You okay?" she tried.
"The hell was that for?!" This was the second time he got kicked by this man!
Guess not.
"For looking like a disgrace!" Kenpachi Zaraki yelled at him, making Katsuko squint her eyes and stiffen at the volume. She was never fond of such loud noise. "You're an embarrassment to look at with that beat-to-hell look! I feel like I'm looking at shit!"
Ichigo scowled at the insult with a twitchy eye.
Katsuko's senses alerted her of movement just as the ground did the smallest rumble. Whipping around, she looked at Yammy's body that was still resting on its back after getting knocked back on his ass. But he moved just now, didn't he? He was going to get up again! This giant angry Arrancar was not going to lie down forever!
"Get the hell out of my sight!"
Katsuko looked back at the two and sweat dropped at Kenpachi's scowl.
Damn, he really doesn't want Ichigo over here.
She heard stories about Captain Zaraki from Ichigo when they were still in the Soul Society. He was apparently a battle-loving maniac who enjoyed fighting Ichigo in a death battle. He even wanted to fight Ichigo when he recovered and chased him all over the Soul Society which had her teasing him about a new admirer. But hearing that back then made her conjure up some eerie long haired man with a permanent grin on his face for some reason. Eerie was already crossed out. He looked far from it. Yeah, his hair was long but it looked like twigs. It wasn't so scary.
It's the absentee eyebrows. The fact that he had no eyebrows made him look so damn intimidating!
"What?! I'm not going walk away while this guy is still moving!" Ichigo pointed at Yammy who was starting to get back up again with loud groans. Sensing the massive Arrancar's flaring spiritual pressure forced him back on his feet. Yammy was a though opponent right now! He didn't want to leave him with the others when he looked like a problem.
With a silent gasp, Katsuko unsheathed her blade when Yammy started getting up on his eight kaiju legs. Good lord, he was massive! But the way he kept roaring angrily just reminded her of a hot tempered child, a big child. His hot-headed nature just made him look less menacing. There was nothing impressive nor scary about a man enraged. They just seem highly volatile and predictable.
She feared Kenpachi more than this big baby.
The girl noticed Byakuya standing somewhere nearby. The noble was watching the squabble from afar with no intention of getting involved in it. All he did was look over towards her as if to briefly acknowledge that she was safe.
... Or he probably just checked to see if Kurosaki Ichigo rescued Hiragi Katsuko.
She didn't know though.
Annoyed, Kenpachi clicked his tongue. "You idiot. Your job is to protect your town, isn't it? Why the hell would you wanna stick around here? You saved the girl now, get out of here and go back to your town." He turned around to look at Katsuko who was still eying Yammy with caution as he rumbled the ground with his movements.
"Hey! Girl!"
For a second, Katsuko didn't realize he was speaking to her until she asked herself who else would he be talking to?
"...?"
She innocently looked at Kenpachi with big round eyes.
"Put that blade away and move aside. Go home."
She didn't move.
Then she sheepishly pointed at Yammy.
"But–!"
"YOU HAVE SOME NERVE IGNORING ME–!"
"Kenpachi! Katsuko!"
"Okay, bye."
Katsuko flash stepped away just before his fist dropped on her. She slid to a stop next to Ichigo while bumping into his shoulder when she slipped and fell and stared at the giant Arrancar with widened eyes. Even if she didn't move, his fist never would have touched her since Kenpachi effortlessly sliced his fist in half when he leaped up in the air.
"You never learn, do you, pissant?!"
Yammy cried out in pain when his hand went limp. Suddenly, a barrage of pink flower petals came racing from the side to knock him off his feet and throw him back on the ground.
Okay, so maybe they don't need help. Kenpachi and Byakuya looked like they were doing fine.
Katsuko pushed herself back up on her feet. She had no intention of joining that fight because he didn't look like he was going anywhere anyway so there wasn't any need to stop him. With that in mind, she took hold of Ichigo's elbow and started tugging him lightly to tell him they move.
"Let's go find Captain Kurotsuchi."
But Ichigo wasn't too convinced about leaving just yet.
"We should be fighting this guy together!" He was concerned about Kenpachi and Byakuya fighting someone with such explosive spiritual power.
They didn't even notice him standing behind them. Byakuya past by Katsuko's side and walked forward without looking at either of them. "Listen to her. You are not needed here."
"Byakuya…"
"Do as Captain Zaraki says and go back to the World of the Living."
But that was their main problem.
"Even if we wanted to, we can't go back! There's no way back to the World of the Living!"
"My, my, I find that insulting. Did you never consider that I already have a way out prepared?"
What a creepy voice.
Katsuko slowly turned and saw… a clown. Well, that was the first thing that came to mind since he looked so out of place. This Captain was wearing the standard white haori over a black Shihakusho. His skin looked white and his face had some black paint on it. His teeth were gold, enhancing his alien appearance. And his blue hair looked like some weird scarf as it sloped down from the top of his head to frame his face. And behind him was a giant wagon trailing after him.
All he needed was a clown nose and he'd look like a clown that passed the average to own a small circus.
Katsuko's eyes spotted the long blue nail on his right hand.
Ah, okay so this is Captain Kurotsuchi.
What she imagined how he would look like was way off.
She didn't think he'd look like he came from an abnormal circus.
"Kurotsuchi Mayuri…!" Ichigo identified, surprised by his sudden appearance and shocked by his claim to have found a way out of Hueco Mundo.
Mayuri tipped his head eerily and gave Ichigo a stare. "What, no honorifics? From a half-Soul Reaper like you? Hmph. I suppose I shouldn't complain. At least you didn't address me by my given name like you did those two."
Oh my god, BLINK!
Ignoring the fighting coming from Kenpachi and Yammy, everyone focused on the wagon that was being pushed by Mayuri's Lieutenant, Kurotsuchi Nemu.
"You're awfully forgiving," Byakuya noted apathetically. "Is it because of what's in that wagon?"
"Exactly." Mayuri's grinned at Byakuya's guess. "I'm feeling very good right now. I've acquired some very valuable spoils of war. And… at that same location… I was able to analyze the Garganta's mechanisms. It was a thorough analysis as well! I can just see him now. He'll be crazy with envy! How can I not feel good! The cries of a disrespectful monkey can't bring me down!"
Who's he talking about?
She didn't know many people from Squad Twelve until now. Well, no, that would be a lie since she knew Urahara even though he was no longer part of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
Immediately, Katsuko bowed down respectfully. "Thank you so much, Captain Kurotsuchi."
I better show my respect and let him now I'm grateful just in case he—
"Oh? At least one of you was raised well." He said, his tone revealed that he was pleased with her show of respect. "Very well, I will give you, Hiragi Katsuko, the honour of being my first experiment for my Garganta."
...
...
...
Katsuko's face remained neutral she kept staring at the sand.
So, maybe it was a mistake to be grateful.
"Experiment?!" Ichigo repeated. He just realized that the Captain didn't actually guarantee them safe passage to Karakura Town. After all, he only just discovered how to open his own Garganta! "That's–"
"Silence, test subject number two! You have neither the right to refuse nor the authority to make any decisions here!"
Katsuko sighed through her nose when she could tell Ichigo wasn't happy about being an experiment for an unsure travel passage. She felt the same. The time she spent in the Garganta when Ulquiorra took her stuck in her mind. The pitch black darkness below, the abyss, oblivion. She didn't wanna know what would happen if she fell down there.
"We would be grateful to be your experiments."
"No, we wouldn't!" Ichigo snapped. "What are you saying?!"
Katsuko finally broke out of her apathetic façade to give Ichigo a scowl. "This guy is our ticket out of here and he's clearly someone who thinks highly of himself. I'm not losing this opportunity because you keep complaining!"
"Someone's got to complain because you're not!" Ichigo argued. No way was he going to keep his mouth shut! "At least Urahara-san knew what he was doing when he let us come here—"
Mayuri's narrowed his eyes at Ichigo at the name that just dared to utter in his presence. "How dare you assume I am incompetent in comparison to that man. Perhaps I should administer one of my drugs on you to see how well you move in my Garganta. Yes, you would be most useful as my lab rat instead."
Katsuko deadpanned at Ichigo when he shut his mouth after the Captain just threatened him with no safe travel. He started to sweat when he recalled Ishida's complaints about him as well.
She gave him that 'I-told-you-so' face while he looked away, annoyed.
But Ichigo wasn't going to pretend like he didn't have any concerns when the Captain basically admitted he didn't know if they'd make it through!
"See? What'd I tell you?" Katsuko whispered while Lieutenant Kurotsuchi started hauling giant pillars out of the wagon.
"Listen, I didn't realize the name was taboo." Ichigo defended when he whispered back. "I don't know their history!"
"Do not worry." A voice cut through their whispers like a knife. It was a familiar one. The two human Reapers turned back to find Captain Unohana and Lieutenant Kotetsu approaching them from above atop a piece of stone was shaped like a small cliff. She was looking at the two of them with a small reassuring smile. "I will accompany the both of you."
"Wait, now?" Katsuko realized when she saw Lieutenant Kurotsuchi do the preparations for the Garganta. She thought they'd have a bit more time. "Rukia and the others are still waiting for us to get them updated."
"Yeah, we thought we'd get information first and relay it." Ichigo explained to the friendlier Captain who hopped off the stone and started making her way to them.
"I understand. I will have Isane inform them. However, departure for the World of the Living is crucial now that Aizen has already left." Unohana said and stood with them on standby, waiting for the Garganta. The officers of Squad 12 were already in position atop their pillars with two dark spheres hovering in the air.
Time was of the essence.
"I see." Ichigo looked up and watched as thread-like light connected each person to the ball in the air. The Garganta was opening now. If the Garganta was opening now then he should really get going as soon as possible. There wasn't any time to waste to personally relay a message. "You're right."
Katsuko's breath hitched when all she could see in there was darkness. How the hell was she supposed to travel there? No one told her how to walk in there! Her last trip inside the Garganta was easy since all she had to do was trail after Ulquiorra. There was no solid ground there.
Oh shit.
Wait.
I'm definitely not ready!
Unohana glanced at Katsuko who was staring at the Garanta in silent panic, ignoring Captain Kurotsuchi talking. It almost looked like she was frozen in fear as well.
"Hiragi-san," Katsuko jumped at the sound of her name and looked at the woman. "Is something the matter?"
The teen gave Unohana a sheepish look and pointed at the Garganta. "Not really. Just that I realized I don't know how to travel in there. I think it's best if I stay behind if I'm just going to sink into the abyss…!"
Unohana merely smiled, nodding in understanding. "Don't worry. It's very simple. Inside the Garganta, there is an abundance of reishi. All you need to do is create a path out of it. It is similar to using flash step."
Flash step? That was parallel processing by now.
Okay, so maybe it wouldn't be that hard?
Still, she needed some reassurance.
"Is it okay If I run with you…? Just in case?" She felt shy just asking this nice woman for help.
"Feel free to."
Katsuko smiled in relief. "Thank you."
Yes, please. Be my safety net!
"YOU–!" Mayuri sudden screech had Katsuko jumping and looking around, confused. What happened now?! She was sharing a moment with this lovely Captain! Her eyes spotted orange leaping into the Garganta with a snicker.
Oh, he definitely said something to tick him off again!
"Shall we go?" Unohana looked at the smaller Soul Reaper next to her. Her response was just a simple nod, signaling that she was indeed ready. With a leap, they followed after Ichigo and already found a path of reishi being formed.
Albeit, it was very ugly.
His path was a mess, chapped in different sides, uneven, wobbly. It felt like walking inside a cave and stepping on all the uneven stones in the dark. She didn't know when he foot would slip and cause her to fall.
Katsuko's eyes widened when she saw a hole in her way.
That gives me all types of anxiety.
To avoid it, she simply slowed down a little to let Unohana move forward a bit so that she could follow her steps and then catch up to her. She was scared of jumping and possibly shattering the path as if it was glass. If she could, she would try jumping off to create her own path but the idea of jumping and falling down after failing was one she didn't want to entertain.
Her thoughts were disturbed when Unohana's voice rang. She was addressing both of them.
"Both you encountered Aizen atop the Sokyoku Hill, yes? What was it like?"
"What was it like?" Katsuko repeated with a frown. Why the sudden question about it? "I don't think there's anything to say."
"Yeah." Ichigo looked up as he recalled how the encounter started and ended within what felt like ten seconds. "He was super strong. We couldn't do anything at all. He kicked my butt just by touching my sword."
"And he cut me because Chisaki used my body to confront him. Just a simple blade. No Shikai or Bankai at all." Now that she thought about it, Aizen didn't even need to use Shikai or Bankai to take them down. He was too strong and enough in his base form.
"I see, that's good."
"How?" Katsuko immediately spoke after hearing such a contradiction. "It's great that we were helpless was good and that he didn't see any point in using his Zanpakuto's abilities on us?"
"Precisely. It's the wide disparity in power… the greatest stroke of good fortune. So, let me tell you now, Kurosaki-san, Hiragi-san, at this point, the only ones from the World of the Living, the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, or anywhere else who can confront Aizen Sousuke is probably you two."
...
...
...
I'm sorry, what?
Excuse me?
Pardon?
Katsuko blinked several times. The weight of her words suddenly weighing heavily on her legs, making it harder for her to run under such pressure. "What do you mean? I don't think I'm that strong enough to go against him. Aizen is a prodigy and he's surely reached heights that we aren't even close to!"
There it was again… the traces of Shisugu slipping out of her.
"Strength is important, yes. But that is not the reason why I said those words. You see, it relates to his Zanpakuto, Kyouka Suigetsu, and its abilities and conditions for its activation. His complete hypnosis is activated if the enemy has seen its Shikai."
"What?!" Ichigo exclaimed, shocked. Such a simple thing like that? "Wait, there's no deactivation? You're all still hypnotized?"
"Someone sees it once and they're done?" Katsuko guessed and hoped she was wrong.
"That's right." She answered all their questions. "We, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, as well as Urahara Kisuke's group, Aizen Sousuke's Arrancars and Espadas, and anybody who might conceivably become involved with the battle in the World of the Living have all seen Aizen's Shikai. But as you've told me before, Aizen has never used his Shikai in front of you on Soukyoku Hill. It brings me back to what I said earlier: at this point, the only ones who can face Aizen are probably you two."
Oh, so that's what she meant.
Their advantage was that.
And they couldn't lose it now. No matter what, they couldn't allow themselves to look at Aizen's Shikai.
"I didn't realize hypnosis was such a big deal," Ichigo admitted. Hypnosis doesn't exactly scream powerful like most Zanpakuto he's seen. "It's such a simple concept and yet he's got everyone fooled."
"It's part of what makes it so terrifying," Unohana remarked.
Katsuko fixed her gaze on his bare back without saying a word. It's true. Hypnosis alone doesn't sound very scary.
"A knife by itself is harmless but give it to a killer and it becomes a murder tool. That's basically it."
Exactly what I was thinking.
Saturday. July 15. Ichigo's birthday. I made it!
So the idea of Katsuko healing people as 'first aid' (which will be different from Kaido and Inoue) came from a video game I was playing sometime before I came up with Just A Soul. I was playing Tales of Xillia, and one of the characters, Leia, kept repeating "Energize, First Aid" during a Boss battle. She fights in the front lines while occasionally healing allies when they need it. Yeah. It came from that.
I'm tired and was getting sleepy while typing out the last 1000 words. I didn't want to end it here but I don't want to write 12-13k words either... so yeah. I'll fix some mistakes and slap on a new cover later.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day/night.