Chapter 0: The Fool

Well, Ichigo thought, maybe he was losing his mind or it was just too damn hot to think straight.

What the hell was he thinking anyway? Sitting in class, enduring Ms. Ochi's lectures as the sun blazed outside — it was certainly not part of his summer break plans, nearing as it was.

The sweat trickling down his back was maddening, and Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if it might just be worth deliberately annoying Toshiro just to experience the refreshing chill of Hyourinmaru's ice. Rangiku had mentioned something about how refreshing the cold could be, and that Toshiro's shedding of ice crystals during summer was the secret behind the Tenth Division's productivity. Cool, ice crystals (she downright emphasized) which Ichigo was sure would be his saving grace in future sweltering seasons now that he's aware of it. He's not even shy to admit that he was a bit tempted to volunteer as Toshiro's practice target if that meant he'd be freezing his ass to the end of their summer vacation.

And that's really saying something, considering he'd already been sliced open like sashimi by the likes of Senbonzakura and an unnamed, jagged blade from a battle-hungry Captain.

Ichigo thinks Rukia would be proud of him for surviving all those fatal injuries since two of them came from Byakuya and Kenpachi respectively, who are monsters in their own right (and both almost killed him. Twice. Or is it thrice? He's not sure how many times, but it does not matter). It really was a wonder how he was still alive after battling glorified samurai ghosts who had years of battle experience over him, but then again, he could always put the blame on his father's genetics since the man was clearly a shinigami Captain before Ichigo and his sisters were even born — and thus his abnormal spiritual pressure.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready." Isshin had told him. And Ichigo can wait, he supposed, for the explanation. He'd gone 15 years without knowing, a few more added years to that doesn't really matter. He hoped it wouldn't take too long though, as his curiosity was burning hotter than the summer sun, and he was tempted to find someone in the Soul Society who could spill the beans about his father.

What division did he lead? Was he even a competent Captain? These thoughts were terrifying because Ichigo couldn't picture Isshin looking serious for even a minute. He pushed those thoughts aside, knowing they would lead to more questions, and instead focused on Ms. Ochi's lecture, and the pressing heat problem. He needed to find a solution soon — one that did not involve exploiting child prodigies, or conveniently traveling through dimensions.

Twiddling with his pen, Ichigo unceremoniously remembered the strain between him and Ishida. He had snapped (numerously) at the Quincy for the past week due to the weather and the resulting consequence that was his state of mind. He'd been on edge, perhaps on the very teetering edge, since even he knows he's not being very productive. Ishida had even commented on his easily souring mood as though Ichigo personally offended him in that short time frame.

Well… okay, perhaps the Quincy's comment had some merit, considering Ichigo had been feeling restless because exams were coming up and he still hadn't reviewed enough to feel ready to answer them — but no, that's not the real issue.

Call him mad or something, but Ichigo just couldn't stay still.

There was an unsettling feeling that something was amiss, a persistent prickling sensation on his neck that wouldn't go away. He couldn't put a finger on it, but he had noticed the decrease in hollow activity in Karakura for a while now, as he hadn't been running himself ragged going from place to place. For once, he wasn't procrastinating his homework, and he was honestly on time with his lessons. And while it was a welcome change from the normal bustle of his shinigami life, it just didn't sit right with him. It felt too normal and the calm that settled was unnerving instead of comforting.

As if there was something… wrong.

Ichigo hadn't asked Urahara though, nor discussed it with his friends since it seemed unacceptable to question such a positive thing and he might jinx it, but it still bothered him enough that he couldn't concentrate on his studies.

—"AH!" Those near the windows shrieked when a hard swish of wind suddenly battered against the windowsill of their classroom and forcefully tried to slide open the frames.

Ichigo straightened up as the atmosphere dramatically shifted, he could feel the hairs on his skin stand on end. The wind was cool on his skin as he turned his head along with everyone in the room who instinctively peered out to witness the brewing storm even if it was just sunny a second ago.

They watched in astonishment as a bird went under after hitting the only closed window.

Ichigo flinched. Hard. And stared dead ahead for a minute.

"Holy! That freaked me out!" Keigo cried out, sounding really frightened, while the rest of the class unanimously agreed with him and proceeded to run the gossip mill. "Did the news mention an oncoming storm?" "No, no. Hadn't heard of it. Could be paranormal activity though." "Oh, my cousin told me the other day that he had been hearing screeching screams—"

Ichigo ignored their chatter by twiddling with his pen again and also tried to disregard the anomaly that was the weather (and consider it some kind of bad luck on the bird's part) when Tatsuki's voice made him stop in attention.

"Hey, Orihime," she called out, pointing to something outside. "What's that?" And Ichigo knew that it was something of the metaphysical kind because no one else had mentioned it.

Inoue's sharp intake of breath was the icing on the cake.

With a sigh, Ichigo deliberately tilted his head upward to the sky above them as if he'd been forced to do so and—

What. the. actual. fuck?

He sprang to his feet, (and his classmates recoiled away, stunned at his sudden movement and the odd expression on his face) eyes wide open and unable to contain his shock. Ichigo's neck was a drizzling sea of sweat that had nothing to do with the heat. He shared a look with Ishida and Chad after sensing the disturbing spiritual pressure swirling around them. It was dark, heavy, and suffocating. Ichigo (no matter how bad he was at sensing) couldn't possibly ignore this one which was breathing down their necks and wrapping around his body like a rope.

Above the sky loomed a massive door with two embedded skeletons… adorned with a bandaged head and torso each. It was a sight Ichigo hadn't seen for a long while, he had honestly forgotten such a thing even existed. The last time he saw that door, Rukia was still stationed in Karakura Town, and Shinigami's business wasn't yet in any of his priorities.

"Kurosaki, is that…?" Ishida began, but the words hung in the air as the ginger-haired teen rushed out of the classroom, ignoring the protests of his teacher and classmates (who were jealous that he could suddenly leave).

He was drawn towards the familiar reiatsu that had just arrived, calling him.

Akon startled from his seat and almost dropped his tea, quite shamelessly (as he hadn't done that in a long time), when the Twelfth Division alarm bells echoed relentlessly through their halls like a thousand crying birds asking to be fed. He set aside his cup and trudged through the flashing set of monitors, asking everyone he passed about the situation.

"It's in the world of the Living, Akon-san." One of the members mentioned and pointed towards the ominous reading. Akon narrowed his eyes as he focused on the disturbing singular red dot and data flashing in front of him. The disbelief that crossed his face after he deciphered what he was seeing was something worth printing in the Seireitei magazine.

"Captain Kurotsuchi!" Akon called out, a bit concerned for his taste, and cut through Mayuri's ongoing experiment in the other room. He hoped he'd be forgiven for bothering the man, because this really was a pressing predicament, and it cannot possibly wait.

"What is it, Akon?" Mayuri snapped, clearly annoyed at the interruption, and cocked his head slightly as he peered through the small crack that separated his personal laboratory from the rest of his men.

Akon didn't dare dilly-dallied in case his Captain grew bored of him. "The Gates of Hell, sir, they've manifested in the world of the living."

Mayuri arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "That's unsurprising when Hell comes calling for a sinner."

"Sir…there is no sinner…"

In an instant, as if someone had breathed life into a corpse, Mayuri's entire demeanor shifted and his eyes glinted darkly. He strode purposefully to the monitoring station and peered at the screens to see for himself. Sure enough, it was an enigma.

"Nemu! Prepare a hell butterfly," Akon could feel his Captain's excitement pulsing through his veins as he ordered Lieutenant Kurotsuchi. It felt like he had finally found something worth researching after years of being in stagnation. "Dispatch it to the Commander at once. This anomaly demands the attention of the Gotei 13. And Akon, have a detailed report ready. We might be witnessing something truly extraordinary."

Akon scrambled for a paper and pen and started framing the report in his head.

Byakuya and Renji emerged from the Senkaimon, accompanied by other officers from the Sixth Division. They weren't normally dispatched to the Living World as the Sixth was often relegated to Seireitei and Rukongai patrol, but when they were, an investigation was mostly enacted, and second only was the threat of hollows to them. Sui-Feng and the onmitsukido were currently dispatched on an assassination mission somewhere in the Rukongai, so it was the sixth who was sent instead.

"Oh, Urahara-san," Renji said flippantly as they hovered over the sky, a bit surprised to find Urahara Kisuke already present. The same could be said of Byakuya despite being the epitome of stoicism.

Observing intently, it seemed like Urahara had started the investigation without needing to be notified and acted accordingly. The former head and founder of the research and development institute clearly had the same mind as Kurotsuchi Mayuri and was intrigued by the mysteries of the Gates.

"Ah…" it sounded like a resigned sigh. Quite rare from someone like Urahara Kisuke. "This is quite unexpected," the scientist muttered under his breath and made a face, the one he usually does when trying to make sense of things, and scratched his head in a futile attempt to ignore his new company. It was not very respectful in Byakuya's honest opinion (though he cares very little about what the man thinks he's doing) to be ignored just like that, but it was clear that Urahara was talking about the gate as the unexpected one instead of their unlikely arrival because the man was not looking at Byakuya.

The nobleman was not perturbed by this and shot the shopkeeper a leveled stare as he approached him. "This matter falls under the jurisdiction of Gotei 13, Urahara Kisuke."

Finally, Urahara tilted his bucket hat to hide the amusement in his eyes before he turned to look at the Captain. He was simply undeterred by the protocol questioning that the noble was following. "Oh, Captain Kuchiki, always so serious. I just happened to be in the area, and you know how curious I am."

"Curiosity doesn't excuse your meddling," Byakuya stated drily, obviously unimpressed by the scientist's antics. But even he understands how the knowledge and intelligence of this man (although vexing) will be of great help to the Gotei 13. "Report what you've found immediately."

At that, Urahara held up the device he had been using. "Well, I just got here, and the readings are inconclusive at the moment. It's going to take some time before I can gather some results. I could relay them to you afterward."

"Hn."

"It's strange, isn't it?" Urahara cocked his head towards the towering gate beside them. Byakuya was inclined to agree.

"The gate is closed," Byakuya observed, quite literally, because it was staring at them in the face. But it needed to be said for further prompting. It was a perplexing sight nonetheless; the Gates of Hell usually open to engulf sinners before disappearing immediately, but this time they remained still, an anomaly as Kurotsuchi had put it.

"Yes, I am still trying to understand why though. Even its sudden appearance was a mystery."

"Captain…" Renji interjected, sensing Ichigo's spiritual pressure. "Ichigo and his friends are nearby."

Byakuya was already aware of their presence, what with the wild and unpredictable stirring the substitute shinigami's spirit energy was constantly emitting. Even without focusing, he could feel the unfathomable power closing on them.

Sure enough, when Ichigo and the others arrived, looking exhausted after sprinting all the way from their school, Byakuya wasn't at all that surprised.

"Byakuya! Renji! Urahara-san! What's happening? We saw those gates in the sky!"

"This is no place for humans, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya said before Urahara could open his mouth in a greeting. "Do not interfere with our work and get back to your studies."

There was a collective groan from everyone present.

"What?!" Ichigo scowled at the dismissal. He had expected it when he realized the reiatsu belonged to the noble, but it still irritated him that he was being shooed off the scene when he'd just arrived in record time. "Byakuya, come on, we're friends! We want to help! Plus, isn't this the Gates of Hell?"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, surprised by how much the boy knew. Regardless, he had no intention of involving the Substitute Shinigami in this matter. Not if he could help it. "We do not need your meddling, Kurosaki Ichigo. Leave at once."

Renji, getting tired of the back and forth, added, "What the Captain means is that we can handle this for now. We'll call you if we need help, okay?"

Ichigo huffed, crossing his arms in his chest petulantly. It felt as if he was being deceived. "Fine… but call me as soon as you need me!"

"Yeah, yeah," Renji mumbled, hoping they wouldn't need to involve Ichigo.

With that, Ichigo sagged a sigh and turned to the noble with a scowl. "You better keep your word, Byakuya."

Said Noble almost rolled his eyes at how impertinent the brat was being. Couldn't this man stay still for once? Always heading headfirst into the fray without so much as batting an eye… how ludicrous.

"Just go."

With that, Ichigo reluctantly left the scene, and Byakuya and his team resumed their investigation by searching nearby sights where previous anomalous readings were caught. He had tried using the devices Mayuri had sent with them, however, no matter how hard or long they tried to search, the truth of the matter was that there wasn't anything on the scene at all. There wasn't any indication of a lead, and if this continues, they will no doubt be returning to Soul Society empty-handed.

A complete waste of time, as he would call it.

It wasn't a surprise either that, a while later, Urahara left for his lab for further research on the phenomenon.

As evening fell and the gate remained closed, Byakuya reluctantly decided to call it a night for half of his officers. There wasn't anything interesting to note, not even a single hollow disturbed the eerie silence as if they were afraid of the gate. Because of this stillness, resting in intervals while the others maintained their vigilance was the best choice to not overly tax his officers. They never knew when things might become hectic and when they would be asked to return to Soul Society.

Byakuya, himself, took the first watch, while Renji and the others were resting. He busied himself intently studying the carvings on the gate, trying to discern where else he had seen such a design. He was sure he saw some of them in one of the books in the Kuchiki Archive, with a detailed explanation, but he'd need to check again to make sure since he didn't want to make an inaccurate conclusion.

He's halfway from turning around, barely opening his mouth to call Renji to switch with him when—faster than his eyes could follow—the Gates of Hell swung open with terrifying speed.

Byakuya turned around viciously like he was in a death match against Zaraki, and seized Senbonzakura's hilt with adamantine fingers. He crimped his shoulder with that, so hard, he could feel the strain on his nerves bursting into bruises under his skin. But before he could react (pull his blade and block the oncoming strike), a blade impaled itself through his abdomen, and then terrifyingly unsealed itself inside him so that he'd choke from the blood that boiled up his throat.

The screams of alarm around him sounded funny in his ears, he couldn't understand a word they were saying. But there was only so much his subordinates could holler but a cry for help from someone else who wasn't gutted like a fish.

Byakuya suddenly froze, all over, as if he still was relishing the shock of his body getting impaled straight to his back. He gasped in pain, and his vision doubled as the darkness threatened to swallow him. He could taste the blood pooling at his throat as he slowly lowered his head to assess the damage he had taken. His limbs were shaking as if something was draining them, and it took all of his energy to raise his hands and clutch at the weapon still sheathed inside him.

Raising his head once again, he tried to glimpse the assailant's face, and his features paled in recognition at the sight that greeted him.

"You…" But before he could say anything more, the stranger pulled him forcefully into the gates, the blade still lodged in his body.

Renji, now sensing his Captain's sudden drop in spiritual pressure, flash stepped towards the gate in alarm, but it was too late. Byakuya vanished into the darkness, and the gates closed thereafter sealing the entry towards Hell and leaving everyone bewildered and shaken.

And that was just the start of a disaster.