Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach Tite Kubo does. However, I do own my OC, under the name of Mai because Tite owns the name Kurosaki Masaki.
Feedback: Major thanks to all my reviewers and alert adders, your support truly means a lot and it has definitely kept me inspired! I think I've finally figured out what I'm doing with Aizen. Yay! Reviews keep me writing, so please keep on reviewing! However, flames aren't appreciated.
AN: I just have to warn you, language is going to be harsher in this chapter.
Edited formatting: 1/30/18
For a minute, the only sounds permeating the room were surprised gasps and the ragged breaths of the self-proclaimed Kurosaki Masaki as she continued to regulate her breathing. Among the Gotei 13, Jūshirō, Shunsui, and Tōshirō had stunned faces, while Mayuri seemed unimpressed, Kenpachi merely grunted, Byakuya's eyes had widened imperceptibly for a split second, Komamura and Suì-Fēng's eyes reflected distrust, and Unohana's face remained serene as usual.
Rukia's face had become as white as Sode No Shirayuki; her mouth hung wide open, gasping. Beside her, a stunned Orihime had her hands over her mouth. Sado's mocha colored eyes doubled in size while Uryū's sapphire orbs radiated comprehension.
That's why her Reiatsu despite being unique is similar to Kurosaki's, the Quincy thought, which means Kuchiki-san is her mother. Interesting, she's inherited both of her parent's most distinguishing features and even her Reiatsu is reflective of them. But how is this even possible?
Ichigo stood stock still, his eyes highly dilated, his mouth hanging wide open. "Wh-What th-the hell?" he stammered, his head shaking ever so slightly.
"You expect us to believe you're from the future, Ryoka?" Yamamoto boomed, unfazed by her words, his gaze boring down at the prostate girl before him."And that you're Kurosaki Ichigo's daughter? You may radiate Reiatsu that identifies you as his relation but do not take us for fools."
A pink flush blossomed on the substitute Shinigami's face while horror and confusion flashed in his eyes.
"Aizen Sōsuke may have created you to appear this way to attempt to distract Kurosaki Ichigo once again and to demonstrate to us the power of the Hōgyoku as it reaches its complete activation, but we will not be fooled by Aizen's treacherous tactics. Did he send you to destroy our ranks just like we destroyed his Espada?" Yamamoto demanded. "Is that why you attacked Iba Tetsuzaemon-fukutaichō?"
"Yamamoto-sōtaichō, I'm not working for Aizen Sōsuke. I really am the fukutaichō of the Seventh Division in the future and the daughter of Kurosaki Ichigo," the girl claiming to be Kurosaki Masaki spoke, meeting Yamamoto's gaze.
Blushing, Ichigo bristled uncomfortably, clenching his fists at his sides and furrowing his eyebrows. Suspicion filled his amber orbs.
"Why do you insist on telling us this lie?" the sōtaichō said angrily. "What you are saying is not possible; it's pointless to deny you are not associated with Aizen. Tell us the truth and perhaps we will make your death less painful that it can be."
"Yamamoto-sōtaichō, I know it sounds hard to believe," Masaki said continuing to speak in a cool, calm, emotionless tone. "I didn't even believe it myself at first but it's the truth. I didn't mean for this to happen. It was an accident." She lowered her head, her eyes briefly fluttering closed. "My taichō sent me on an errand to pick up something from Urahara Kisuke, except when I got there he didn't seem to be there. I called out his name, but he didn't come out. I decided to wait for him. While I waited, I started looking at the things he had laying around on a table when I came across the necklace I'm wearing," she said, pointing her chin downward to the black chain around her neck that fell into her robes.
"It was lying apart from all the things, and I picked it up just to look at it. As I was examining it, it began to glow, and a Senkaimon, only much larger than a normal one, appeared. It opened and drew me towards it with so much force that I couldn't do anything to stop it. When it opened, I found myself on top of a building. I thought I was in a simulation," she admitted.
"Urahara Kisuke in the future has created simulation devices for Shinigami and Academy students to train against Hollows so that there's no need for them to go to the Material World," Masaki explained. "He's very involved with the Soul Society in the future; he's been pardoned. I was going to quit what I thought was a simulation when Hollows appeared. I put on the necklace and killed them. Afterwards, I sensed my father's Reiatsu or at least I thought it was him. I hid my Reiatsu because I wanted to catch him off guard when I confronted him. I suspected he had volunteered me to help him test out Urahara's newest simulation device. Maybe even gotten my taichō to send me on a fake errand just to get me to come. I was going to tell him that I wasn't interested because unlike him I actually had work to do.
"But when I got there and watched the person I thought was my father fight the Hollows, I realized he looked different…his hair…well, he just looked younger. I saw him struggle with the Hollows and I released my Shikai to distract them, and he finished them off and left."
Ichigo reddened.
"I was confused. I wasn't even sure I had seen what I had seen. I decided to leave, but when I tried using the necklace, it wouldn't work. I spent twenty, thirty minutes trying to make it work when a door finally appeared except it wouldn't stabilize. It flickered, then faded away. I continued trying to make it work, for what seemed like hours, but the Senkaimon wouldn't appear. I decided to see if by any chance Urahara Kisuke was around."
"As I explored the area, I realized that this was supposed to be Karakura, but it looked nothing like the Karakura I knew. I came across areas that were damaged and I noticed that there were four pillars from which I could sense familiar Reiatsu. I didn't understand what they were doing there," she said, wrinkling her brow. "I went to ask them myself but when I got to one of the pillars, I realized the person there looked different, just like the person I thought had been my father, so I didn't approach him. I went to the other pillars, and it was the same thing."
"I didn't understand why if this was supposed to be a simulation why they seemed to be standing guard, why there weren't any Hollows, and more importantly why everyone looked different. I kept trying to make sense of what was going on when I remembered learning that during the Winter War four pillars were used to transport Karakura Town to the Soul Society while a replica of the real town was placed in the Material World.
"That was when the idea that I was in the past came into my mind. I immediately tried to make the necklace work and that time a door appeared, but just like before, it disappeared. By then it was already morning, and I watched as Shinigami started heading out in groups in the town. I assumed it was the Seventh Division since they were the first division called into action during the war to deal with the rising Hollow threat. I decided to take off my fukutaichō badge and suppress my Reiryoku to that of unseated officer to avoid arousing suspicion if I was seen. I knew I had to get help from the Gotei 13 and as I was trying to figure how I was going to do it, without resorting to joining a group in the Seventh Division, I came across Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends training.
"I watched them from a distance and noticed that they all looked young, fully confirming my suspicions that I was in the past. I had no intention of making contact with them or interfering, but when Hollows arrived and I noticed that Inoue Orihime needed help and nobody else could help her, I stepped in. I used my Shikai to avoid being seen and quickly dealt with the Hollows, but then Kurosaki Ichigo arrived preventing my departure.
"I lied about my name and answered the questions he and his friends asked me as best as I could. It was through them that I learned that the Seventh Division was not on Hollow duty as I thought they were, they were searching for me; my Senkaimon had been detected. I joined a group that happened to come by as I left them, to maintain the lie that I told them, that I had to return to my group. I told the group I joined I was a late arrival. My plan was to get in contact with a taichō as soon as possible…"
"Bullshit!" Ichigo suddenly shouted. His face had returned to its normal color. His eyebrows were deeply knitted over blazing eyes, and the knuckles of his clenched fists gleamed white.
Behind him, a pale Rukia and stunned Orihime jumped, Sado frowned, staring at his friend concerned, while Uryū awaited the orange haired teen's next words. The members of the Gotei 13 stared at the upset substitute Shinigami. Masaki, however, remained facing Yamamoto.
"You're a damn good actress, I'll give you that. You deserve an Oscar for the way one minute you can be this shy, sweet girl and the next you're this damn ice cube, and of course for the way you can lie. You're from the future? Puhlease. Did you really think we'd fall for that load of bullshit? There's no way in hell you're related to me and its absolute bullshit you wanted help from the Gotei 13. I mean, come on, you went through the trouble of begging and almost crying so that Renji wouldn't mention to Komamura-san that you supposedly snuck out to check out the town when I questioned you about the fact that you were there when the intruder arrived." Ichigo shook his head. "No you did that because you wanted to hide that fact, so that you'd have time to do whatever the hell Aizen sent you to do. So, tell me did you kill this Ita guy?
"Iba," Uryū corrected him.
"Whatever," Ichigo muttered. "Answer the god damn question Kuroda Mai or whoever the hell you are!"
"But I first had to perform the duties assigned to me," Masaki carried on as if Ichigo hadn't spoken, "and when we arrived to where Komamura-taichō was, it was the group leaders that had to give the reports to him and to Iba-fukutaichō. I…"
"Quit telling lies and just answer the damn question!" Ichigo yelled, furiously glaring at her back.
"The reason I didn't want Abarai-fukutaichō mentioning that I was spotted when the intruder arrived was because I wanted to be the one to personally tell Komamura-taichō or any taichō of my situation. Unfortunately, that proved more difficult than I thought since I couldn't separate myself long enough from my group to search for a taichō, and with so much Reiryoku in one building, it was hard to figure out where they were. Earlier today, though I had the chance but my team mate stopped me before I could make contact."
"I remember sensing you," Jūshirō suddenly said. "You were there when Kyōraku, Unohana-taichō, and I were by the stairs and elevators."
"Hai," Masaki said, turning her head to the right to meet Jūshirō's gaze. "I was waiting for you to stop talking so I could approach you."
She has Kuchiki's eyes, Jūshirō thought, fighting to keep from showing surprise. It's just as her Reiatsu indicates, she's Ichigo-kun's and Kuchiki's daughter.
"Oh yeah, I remember," Shunsui chimed in. "Figured it was somebody that was either lost or wanted to use the stairs but was too scared to approach us, or maybe a spy, but that wouldn't have worked, you were too far away, and you didn't even bother hiding your Reiryoku."
"That's right, I didn't hide it. I wanted you to know I was there," Masaki, turned her head to the left, to look at the Eighth Division taichō.
Byakuya stared at her briefly, before returning his gaze to across the room, where he caught Jūshirō's gaze, which seemed to say 'you see it too'. Out of the corner of their eyes, Suì-Fēng and Toshiro also took the opportunity to study her.
She definitely seems like she's Kurosaki Ichigo's and Byakuya's sister's daughter with that hair, those eyes, and the way her Reiatsu feels, but I'm not believing her story until Komamura's fukutaichō is found, Suì-Fēng, thought, eyes focused on the orange haired girl as if she expected her to make a sudden movement. She could be a well-trained liar just as Kurosaki Ichigo said. She managed to avoid being noticed this long… She could be waiting for us to drop our guard… possibly use that necklace she speaks of against us.
I know Aizen has an interest in Kurosaki and has used him since the beginning to make sure his plans worked, but why would he resort to something like this? Tōshiro wondered. Her story seems genuine and she appears to be real. Could she have really come from the future?
"My Fourth Seat reported that she was seen doing that during the time my fukutaichō was believed to be attacked," Komamura said.
"I never saw him during that time," Masaki said, turning to the Seventh Division taichō. "The whole time I was away from my group this morning was spent following the taichō I saw at the cafeteria, waiting for them to be alone, so I could approach them and tell them about my situation. All I want is for my necklace, this device, to work, so I could go back to my time."
"Yeah right," Ichigo said.
"That is all you want, Ryoka?" Yamamoto said in a voice that echoed Ichigo's disbelief.
"Excuse me, Yamamoto-sōtaichō," Jūshirō said. "Perhaps, she is telling the truth. She couldn't have possibly fabricated such a story, and it's not like time travel isn't entirely impossible. I mean there's forbidden Kidō…"
Yamamoto glared menacingly at his former student.
"You know what I'm talking about, Sōtaichō," Jūshirō said, meeting the older man's gaze steadily. "That Kidō can't allow a person to travel in time, but it can stop time. Urahara Kisuke is an intelligent and very capable inventor, if anybody could create such a device it would be him. Kurotsuchi-taichō, do you know if time travel is possible?" He turned to his fellow taichō.
"It's flimsy science, I myself, have never been interested in it," the Twelfth Division taichō responded. "However, I'm aware of the theories surrounding it. As far as I know, no one has ever been able to create such a device. The logistics behind such a device would entail an enormous amount of energy to be able to surpass the speed of light and…"
"So, it's possible then?" Shunsui interrupted Kurotsuchi before he could elaborate further.
"Hai," he said annoyed that his explanation had been cut short.
"You guys aren't seriously believing her?" Ichigo cried out incredulous. "A time travel device? This isn't a movie, this is real life. It's probably some kind of trap, who knows what that thing really does…She's probably an Arrancar like Gramps said…She probably doesn't even look the way she does…" His voice quivered slightly, he clenched his hands further, drawing blood. "It's probably an illusion… She isn't real… Aizen just wants to distract me… you guys… But, I'm not falling for it, not this time."
"Ichigo-kun," Jūshirō said, in a stern but sympathetic voice. "I know this is very surprising news, but there's a chance she's…."
"No, don't say it… This is all some kind of trick," Ichigo shouted angrily.
Jūshirō was about to say something when Byakuya suddenly said in his usual monotone. "Clearly, this was an attempt by Aizen Sōsuke to deceive us, except he failed. This can't be Kurosaki Ichigo's daughter, she has manners."
The members of the Gotei 13 stared at him in disbelief; Jūshirō in particular was frowning. Even, Ichigo's friends stared at him, except for Rukia who still seemed frozen and lost.
"Exactly!" Ichigo said, glad to hear someone was on his side, even if it was the Sixth Division taichō. "Wait, what?" Ichigo said, realizing what Byakuya had said.
"Why don't I just the beat the truth out of her?" Kenpachi suggested, bored with the discussion. "If she's an Arrancar, she's bound to show her true nature and if she's not, well, I'll just get to see if she's anything like her old man," he said, an excited grin appearing on his features.
A bewildered and blushing Ichigo stared at Kenpachi as if he were nuts.
"That won't be necessary, Zaraki-taichō," Jūshirō said. "I'm sure Unohana-taichō is capable of verifying whether she is an Arrancar or a Shinigami and whether she truly is Ichigo-kun's daughter."
"Stop calling her that!" Ichigo snapped, his blush deepening further. His body was visibly shaking, and his Reiatsu was fluctuating. "She's nothing… she's an illusion…"
"Calm down, Kurosaki," Uryū spoke. "Don't you see they're just trying to see if she's telling the truth or do you want to condemn an innocent person?"
"But if she's an illusion…" Ichigo protested.
"Even if she is an illusion, Unohana-taichō is capable of noticing the difference," Jūshirō reassured him. "She was able to notice that Aizen's corpse wasn't actually Aizen."
"I assure you, Kurosaki-san, I can do it," the Fourth Division taichō said, smiling her kind, but scary smile that seemed to say 'don't doubt me.'
"B-but, w-what about the Iba guy?" Ichigo said, continuing to look horrified and angry, looking very much the sixteen-year-old kid that he was.
"My Fourth Seat is searching for him at this very moment," Komamura admitted. "I instructed him to form a small search group after he informed me of her."
"So, what's it going to be, Yama-jii?" Shunsui asked. "Are you going to let Unohana-taichō see whether this young lady here is telling the truth or are you going to condemn an innocent person like Ishida-kun said?"
"Hmph," the sōtaichō said, furrowing his eyebrows as he considered everything he had heard.
"Very well, I will allow Unohana-taichō to validate the identity of this Ryoka and Kurotsuchi-taichō to analyze this time travel device she claims to have and repair it if it is found that she is telling the truth. However, she is to be guarded at all times by taichō in a room on this floor. I do not want to involve fukutaichō in this matter. Who wishes to stand guard?"
"I'll stand guard," Jūshirō immediately volunteered.
"Me too," Shunsui quickly said before Suì-Fēng could volunteer. "There's nothing else to do here."
Shaking his head angrily, Ichigo whirled around almost crashing into Rukia and Sado when the latter grabbed his shoulder.
"Where are you going, Ichigo?" he asked.
"Move it, Chado," he said, glaring at his friend, who looked genuinely concerned.
"You can't leave yet," Uryū said.
"Why the hell not?" the substitute Shinigami demanded.
"Because, Kurosaki-san," Unohana said gently. "We need a sample of your DNA in order to verify her identity."
"What?" Ichigo exclaimed then yelped as Uryū approached him and plucked a strand of hair from his head. Ichigo glared at him despite the fact his face was completely scarlet.
Unohana stepped away from her place, came towards the Quincy, and took the hair. "Arigatō, Ishida-san."
"You're welcome, Unohana-san," he said.
Ichigo roughly pushed Sado's hand away from his shoulder and brushed past him, violently opening the door, which hit Chōjirō, who had been standing guard in front of the door. Sado immediately went after him, Uryū, Orihime, and Rukia right behind him.
"Kuchiki-san, if you could please stay," Unohana said before the raven-haired girl reached the door.
Orihime, who was just past the doorway, half-turned hearing the Fourth Division taichō's words, her eyes briefly showing understanding and pain, then quickly ran out the door, following her other friends.
"O-Okay, U-Unohana-t-taichō," Rukia stammered, still looking completely lost and shocked.
"We will meet again once the results are determined," Yamamoto announced. "This information is to be kept within this room, is that understood?" He slammed his cane down, ending the meeting.
The taichō nodded their assent and started to leave the room except for Kurotsuchi, Jūshirō, Shunsui, Yamamoto, and Unohana, who had a comforting hand on Rukia's left shoulder, while in the other she held Ichigo's hair.
Byakuya walked past Rukia and Unohana without so much as a glance, his white haori, which he had recently received to replace the one he lost in Hueco Mundo, fluttering behind him.
"Kuchiki-san," Unohana began once all the taichō left. "I've asked you to stay because as you have probably noticed, her Reiatsu indicates she's your daughter. I would like to have a sample of your blood in order to be as thorough as possible in my analysis. I would have asked Kurosaki-san for his blood too but seeing as he's… agitated his hair will suffice. I will have to go to the Soul Society to retrieve the materials I need, but I'll return within an hour. If you could please wait for me in the room next door, I'd appreciate it."
Rukia didn't reply.
"Kuchiki-san?" Unohana asked. "Could you please…"
"H-Hai, Unohana-taichō," Rukia said, snapping out of her reverie.
"Very well, arigatō," Unohana said. "You're free to leave."
Rukia nodded and walked away.
Masaki, who had been staring at the ground, listening as her fate was being decided, glanced up when Jūshirō approached her.
"I'm going to take the necklace now," he said kindly, and she raised her head up, allowing him to grab the black chain. She lowered her head as he pulled it up and lifted it over her head, taking it from her.
Dangling at the end of the black chain was a medium sized Jigokuchō cast out of obsidian and covered in odd markings. Its tiny legs were wrapped around the bulb like end of an old-fashioned key also made from obsidian, which contained a dark circular object.
Holding the chain in the air, he, Shunsui, Yamamoto, and Kurotsuchi stared at it.
"This is what allowed her to…" Jūshirō commented, surprised at the simplicity of the device.
"Will you just give it to me?" Kurotsuchi demanded impatiently, his golden eyes glittering with eagerness to inspect it. He reached out as it if to snatch it, but the white haired taichō was already handing it to him.
Kurotsuchi narrowed his eyes as he held up the key in front of his face, noticing the kanji for numbers inscribed on each of the four rectangular blocks that made up the end of the key. It read 2001.
"What year are you from, girl?" Kurotsuchi asked.
"2141," Masaki said without hesitation.
"That's a 140 years from now," he murmured to himself as he proceeded to walk away.
"Remember just analyze it," Yamamoto said, as he followed him, carrying Masaki's Zanpakutō, which Suì-Fēng had given to him before she left.
Jūshirō and Shunsui exchanged a look that said, 'that man is so hard headed.'
"I know. I just wanted to see what year she's supposedly from in case it's actually a time travel device as she claims," Kurotsuchi said.
"Watch her closely," the old man warned Jūshirō and Shunsui as he left
"Don't you worry about a thing, Yama-jii," Shunsui reassured him, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Jūshirō and Shunsui went to stand on either side of Masaki, and they each placed a hand on her shoulders and helped her up. They watched as the sōtaichō stopped to talk to Unohana briefly and then left the room.
"I'm going to the Soul Society to obtain the materials I need. I'll be back within an hour at the most," Unohana informed them.
"Okay, arigatō, Unohana-taichō. We'll be here when you get back," Jūshirō said, and she left the room.
"Arigatō for convincing him to allow me a chance to prove that I'm speaking the truth," Masaki said, her eyes shining with gratitude, finally displaying emotion. "I don't blame him for doubting me, I know what I'm saying should be impossible, but it happened. I really did come from the future."
"You're welcome," Jūshirō said, studying her. "Incredible, I never would have imagined that time travel was possible, but you're actually here. Your Reiatsu…your appearance, you definitely are your parents' daughter."
"And I thought I'd seen everything," Shunsui commented, as he, too, observed her. "That Urahara Kisuke doesn't have anything else to do, does he?"
"Apparently not," she muttered, her expression darkening for a moment. "I know I probably shouldn't have touched anything but still I thought he had stopped making inventions that were dangerous, that aren't even a benefit to the Soul Society. So, you believe me then?" she asked, staring at the two taichō.
"If you aren't telling the truth then that's quite a tale," Shunsui said. "Besides, this doesn't sound like something Aizen would do. So, you're from a 140 years in the future, eh?"
Masaki nodded.
"He's right. I doubt Aizen would do something like this. He obviously has a much greater plan. You'll have to excuse Yamamoto-sōtaichō. He always prefers hard evidence, which is understandable considering Aizen has deceived us far too much. We just fought him and his Espada a couple of days ago. We managed to defeat his Espada, but unfortunately Aizen and his followers fled and we've been staying here ever since. And Ichigo-kun, well…"
"It's okay," she interrupted him. "He's just a kid… I don't blame him for reacting that way, for not believing me. I know it's a shock to meet your future child, which is why I was trying my best for him and my mother not to find out. Funny thing is it doesn't matter whether he's a kid or over a hundred years old, he still acts the same way whenever it's something he doesn't want to hear." There was an edge to her voice, but then it quickly faded as she added in a slightly lighter tone, "My mother has always told me that he didn't believe her that she was pregnant with me."
Shunsui laughed. "Pregnancy is always a shock to men, but I doubt he reacted the way he did today."
"He was probably surprised that's all," Jūshirō agreed, smiling, "but I'm sure he was happy with the news. Your mother just likes to tease him about his reaction. Oh, gomen, you can break the Kidō," he said, noticing that her arms were still tied behind her back.
Masaki first pulled her right hand away from her back, then her left, and stretched them.
"As if that low ranked Kidō could actually hold you back, even if it was placed on you by a fukutaichō," Shunsui observed.
"I would have told them to use stronger Kidō, but I was never planning on escaping. I let them capture me. I was actually on my way to the hospital since I managed to get away from my group but I guess I got discovered because I lost my badge during a Hollow attack. Anyway," she said, directing the conversation back to Ichigo. "I suppose the evidence was going against me which is why it made it even harder for him to believe me. I have a confession to make. The real reason why I didn't want Abarai-fukutaichō to tell Komamura-taichō about me was because I never intended to talk to any taichō except for you. My father has always said that you have always been the most reasonable of the taichō. He was right, you guys are still reasonable."
"So, you know us then? We're not just some taichō you saw in the cafeteria?" Shunsui asked grinning, throwing her words back at her.
"No," she said, the corners of her mouth quirking into a small smile. "I know you. I almost said your names—it's been hard pretending not to know anyone, to try and remember the stories I've been told—but I decided to say two taichō in the cafeteria just to make it seem like I really was looking for any taichō. You're Ukitake Jūshirō-taichō and you're Kyōraku Shunsui-taichō."
"Gomen, your name is?" Jūshirō asked.
"Kurosaki Masaki," she said
"Oh, that's right. Kurosaki Masaki. Well, nice to meet you," Jūshirō said.
"Mind if I call you Masaki-chan?" Shunsui asked.
She shook her head.
"How about we sit down and you tell us how someone as pretty as you managed to go unnoticed by Komamura-taichō," Shunsui suggested. "Well, I doubt he has good taste maybe that's why he missed you…. Anyways, looks like the Seventh Division has definitely made improvements in the future with you as the fukutaichō… I've always said the more women in my division the better. Speaking of which, I really miss my Nanao-chan."
Her cheeks became tinged with pink, but she did as he asked, sitting cross-legged across from the two taichō.
Chōjirō cried out as the door swung open, hitting him and slamming him straight into the wall.
"Ichigo!" Sado cried out.
"Kurosaki!" Uryū shouted.
"K K-urosaki-kun!" Orihime shouted, her voice wavering slightly.
Ichigo ignored them, turning right, and storming down the hallway. Izuru and Shūhei were nowhere in sight.
"Kurosaki, would you calm down! What the hell is wrong with you?" Uryū shouted, confused by the substitute Shinigami's behavior.
"Ichigo, stop! Uryū's right you need to calm down," Sado said.
"K-Kurosaki-kun, please calm down!" Orihime said, echoing her friends.
Ichigo kept walking at a hurried pace, anger radiating from his body.
"Would you stop and listen to us! I know this is…unexpected news, but why are you so dead set on believing this is a trick of Aizen's? It doesn't make any sense why he would do that…" Uryū said.
Ichigo abruptly stopped walking, causing his friends to stop short. He turned around. His scowl was etched in his face in a way they had never seen before, and his eyes looked livid, almost murderous.
"Does anything that bastard does make any fucking sense? First, he fucking uses us to distract the Gotei 13 while he planned on killing Rukia just so he could get that damn Hōgyoku… then he goes and fucking kidnaps Inoue because he supposedly wants to use her powers, turns out it's just a trap to lure us away from Karakura so he could come and destroy Karakura to make that damn Ōken and what does he fucking do when he arrives in this fake town? Fucking nothing…. He could have destroyed this damn town if he really wanted to and killed me but he didn't do it. Why? I have no fucking clue. The only thing I do know is he'll do whatever it takes to distract me….to keep me, everyone from finding out whatever he's trying to do."
Dust filled the air. He could feel the sharp edges of the cement blocks of the building he crashed into stabbing his back. His shoulder burned and throbbed; blood spilled from it bathing his torn Shihakushō. His breathing was ragged and in his right hand he gripped Tensa Zangetsu. Above him loomed a shadow. It was Aizen.
Ignoring the pain, he lifted his upper body causing the shattered pieces of his mask to slip down his chest and onto his lap.
"That was pathetic, Kurosaki Ichigo," Aizen said, staring down at him, disappointed. "I really thought you would have grown stronger by now, but I was wrong. You're still not strong enough… That's very disappointing indeed. No matter," he said, turning his head to the right. "Gin, Tōsen, Wonderweiss, let's go."
"Where the hell do you think you're going, Aizen? I'm not done yet!" Ichigo shouted. He had managed to get to his feet and was preparing to fly up to meet Aizen again.
Aizen turned his head to look down at him, smirking slightly. "There's no point in getting up Kurosaki Ichigo, you won't win."
Ichigo scowled, glaring at him defiantly. "We'll see about that!"
The ground beneath him shook, rocking him; he could hear the sound of a building crashing in the distance, followed by another.
The former Fifth Division taichō's smirk widened and then he began to leave.
"Wait, I thought you were gonna kill me?" Ichigo shouted, referring to the man's first words when they first saw each other before engaging in battle.
Aizen didn't turn around. He just said, "You shouldn't wish for death so soon… You're still so young. Sayonara, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Where the hell are you going? Come back!"
He disappeared just as the flames of Ryūjin Jakka burned through the spot where he had been an instant before leaving behind a confused Ichigo.
Uryū frowned, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "You're right. It's hard to figure out what goes through that man's mind. He's always manipulating people and situations to his advantage, and we still don't know why he just left, why he hasn't tried attacking the real Karakura …We just think it's probably because the Hōgyoku isn't ready, but I don't think this is a trick by Aizen this time."
"Not a trick? I bet this is some damn sick joke Aizen's trying to play on me….Bastard probably doesn't have nothing better to do…He's so damn cocky… She's an illusion that's all she—"
"She can't be an illusion," Uryū interrupted him. "We can see her; you're not the only one who's never seen Aizen's Shikai," the Quincy reminded him.
"He probably used the Hōgyoku to…"
"Ichigo, I don't think so," Sado spoke this time.
Ichigo shook his head. "Not you too."
"K-Kurosaki-kun, I don't think…" Orihime said, taken aback by his words, his demeanor.
"No, stop, Inoue, don't…" he snapped.
His eyes fell on the spot where he would have thought Rukia would have been. Orihime noticed and said, "She stayed behind with Unohana-san."
"Why?" he blurted out, his anger lessening for a second.
All three of his friends stared at him stunned. The sound of footsteps filled the hall, and Ichigo could see the taichō coming towards them.
He quickly turned, Shunpoeing away from his friends.
"Ichigo!"
"Kurosaki!"
"K-Kurosaki-kun!"
He ignored their cries, stopping only to make a sharp left.
Idiot, Uryū thought. Did he think he was the only one affected by this news? Or was he seriously so stupid that he didn't even realize who the mother of his future kid was? Even if he didn't analyze why her Reiatsu felt familiar, which he most likely didn't, how could he not know? She has Kuchiki's eyes for God's sake.
He was sure Kurosaki wasn't even aware that the only Reiatsu that was similar to other people's were those of people that were related. Although each individual had a unique Reiatsu, if one concentrated enough, one could detect who the person was related to. But with Kurosaki's terrible Reiatsu sensing abilities, he probably didn't do that.
It was akin to smelling a fragrance made up of two scents. If one smelled it and thought it was familiar, but was unable to identify, what the two underlying scents were then the information was meaningless.
He didn't understand why Kurosaki was so angry. He'd never seen him react this way. It was shocking news for sure, and he didn't blame him for being shocked, embarrassed, and skeptical. I mean who wouldn't be if they just met their future daughter? But all that aside, his reasoning was just wrong. Why would Aizen waste his time creating someone that was related to him just to distract him, to play a sick joke on him? That was just ridiculous… That man obviously had far greater plans than that if he was planning to destroy Karakura and reach the Royal Dimension. And, anyway, the Gotei 13 was taking care of checking whether she was who she said she was and that device she talked about, so there was no point in worrying about it or reacting the way he did. If she's his daughter so what? The Gotei 13 would fix her device and she'd go back to her time, and he'd never see her again not until she was born.
"I-I h-have to go," Orihime suddenly announced. Her composure seemed to be breaking. She was shaking, and her eyes were aimed at the ground.
"Inoue, where are you going?" Sado asked.
"Inoue-san!"
"S-See you," she managed to stammer and quickly ran down the hallway turning left as Ichigo had done.
Inoue-san. Damn, of course, she's affected by this news too. She has feelings for him.
There was absolutely no fucking way she was his…. Absolutely no fucking way she was related to him. She was a damn trick that's all she was. If his friends wanted to believe she was real… if the Gotei 13 wanted to believe her… fine whatever he could care less. Let them deal with her… They could waste their time believing her lies. He was done wasting time because of her.
Ever since he met her, all she's been doing is interrupting him, wasting his time with lies, preventing him from training. He was such an idiot… He should have trusted his instincts. He knew there was something odd about her.
I'm going to kill that bastard. How dare he make her look like his mother, have her name.
He had no idea how Aizen had done it, how he knew about her, but he made her look like his mother.
When he first met her, he'd been taken in by her violet eyes and her damn orange hair, that he hadn't realized why she looked familiar until today when she uttered his mother's name. His heart had skipped a beat at that moment, his ears were ringing so much that he almost didn't catch her next words. Her face despite her unusual features resembled his mom's. As if he'd name his kid after her like some damn Westerner.
In a remote corner of his mind, he knew Ishida, Sado, and Inoue were right that this probably wasn't a trick, that it didn't make any sense for Aizen to do this, but the raw anger coursing through his veins robbed him of any rationality.
He was just so sick of Aizen's damn games, and this was the last straw. Nobody messed with the memory of his mother. He was going to make that bastard pay. Somehow, someway he was going to be strong enough to beat him. If he thought this trick was going to distract him, Aizen was dead wrong. If anything, it only increased his desire and drive to become stronger.
Rukia opened the door of the room adjacent to the conference room and entered it, closing the door behind her. There were two chairs in front of an oak desk and behind it another chair and three empty bookcases. It appeared to be some kind of office.
She numbly walked across the room and sank into the nearest chair.
She couldn't believe what she had heard, what she had sensed from her. Her Reiatsu, it hadn't felt familiar just because of the iciness, it was because, it in fact, contained remnants of her own…. hers and Ichigo's.
It can't be true. She can't be my daughter…. She can't be mine and Ichigo's. That's just ridiculous were just nakama… I don't even like him like that.
Maybe Ichigo was right, maybe this was some kind of trick of Aizen's. Some sort of sick of joke…. a lie… to distract us….
But even as she thought this she didn't quite believe it despite the fact that she desperately wanted to—she just found it so mind boggling that she and Ichigo were together in the future. How in the world did that happen?
Deep in her heart, she knew the girl was speaking the truth no matter what the part of her mind that was in denial was saying. She knew it made no sense whatsoever for Aizen to do this, to create someone with her appearance, to have her infiltrate the Seventh Division, and already have this elaborate story planned when she would be captured.
Bottom line was someone would have eventually noticed that she didn't belong, and she'd eventually be arrested, even if she had never been accused of attacking Iba-fukutaichō—incredible her daughter was a fukutaichō—there was no way not to notice her. She stood out just like Ichigo with that same bright orange hair. How she managed to hide she didn't know.
And, earlier, when Mai no Masaki had no reason to lie, the things she had said about her parents, the story behind her crescent moon hair pin…
"It's one of a kind. It's made from the bone of the first Hollow I ever killed, well before I actually killed it. You see my dad was training me and he stopped me from delivering the final blow, using Kidō to keep the Hollow still, to give me a lecture about all the different ways I could kill it. I didn't realize he had taken a piece of the Hollow while he was lecturing me and made into a hair pin, not until he gave it to me when I graduated from the Academy."
"Your parents must be really proud of you now that you're a Shinigami. Your father was really involved in your training, wasn't he?"
"Well, he tried to be as much as he could, Kaa-san as well."
And there was the fact that Mai's…No Masaki's voice never wavered once, not even under Ichigo's outburst … Never. She talked like a true Kuchiki, keeping her cool, hiding all her emotions. Hell, she had even had her high school girl act down pat, fooling them into believing all the lies she told. She had her eyes, which she hadn't even thought about not until Inoue brought it up. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that she was related to her, which is why she never even bothered to focus on her Reiatsu or Reiryoku to see if she was related.
Masaki.
That named seemed familiar… Ichigo's mother. Hadn't she heard Kurosaki-san mention that name whenever he was near Ichigo's mother's poster…Yes, she was sure it was that name.
Her eyes widened. That's who Masaki's face reminded her of: Ichigo's mother.
Did he notice? Is that part of the reason why he was so upset?
His mother was a sensitive subject for him, but why would he even think that Aizen knew about her, that he would create someone with her face combined with their features? That was just ridiculous. He had told her after she had knocked some sense into him during his post-Aizen fight depression that he was going to make sure that he and his nakama didn't fall prey to Aizen's schemes.
But how could he think Masaki was a scheme by that traitor? Granted, he didn't know the information Masaki had told her and then there was the fact, that she went through the act of begging Renji not to tell Komamura-taichō of her supposed sneaking out, but didn't he see it was just so they wouldn't find out the truth about her identity?
Didn't he remember he was the one that kept insisting that Masaki stay so that they could find out how the search was going? She never wanted to stay. He was probably just as freaked out as she was with the news, but now that she was thinking about how he acted, he had been a complete idiot. A fool. As usual.
Her lungs burned. Feet hit step after step and walls flew by as she raced downstairs. She didn't even know where she was going. She didn't care. She just needed to get away to be alone. Her eyes stung. Her vision started to blur, but she kept on going. Inside her chest, she could feel her heart shattering, breaking into tiny pieces, filling her with a pain that was far stronger than what she had felt in the morning, stronger than she had ever felt.
"Hey!" she heard someone cry out as she found herself crashing into something large and soft.
Glancing up, she found herself staring into cerulean eyes. Rangiku's eyes.
"Oh, it's you, Orihime," the woman beamed.
Her eyes took in the orange-brown haired girl. Orihime's normally bright grey eyes looked like giant, storm clouds, ready to unleash a storm. Already, her eyes were wet, but it was obvious there was more to come.
"What's wrong, Orihime?" Rangiku immediately asked.
"Orihime-chan, what happened? Did the intruder hurt someone?" Momo asked worriedly. She was standing beside the blonde woman.
They had been in the middle of training with Tōshiro when they had heard the announcement concerning the intruder. They immediately went out to search, but then they heard the second announcement that she'd been captured and had tried to resume training while Tōshiro assisted the Gotei 13 meeting, but they couldn't concentrate, so they decided to return to the hospital.
Orihime's lower lip trembled and tears immediately started streaming down her face.
"What happened? What did that intruder do?" Rangiku asked, and Orihime just cried harder.
"Orihime-chan, what did she do?" Momo asked anxiously, horrified by Orihime's state.
She didn't reply, just kept crying. Concerned, the blonde woman pulled her close, and Orihime laid her head on her bosom, crying and mumbling. "S-S-he's t-their d-daughter."
"Orihime, gomen, but what did you say?" Rangiku asked, unable to make out the girl's muffled words.
Orihime kept crying.
Looking at Momo, Rangiku said, "Let me take care of her, Hinamori, okay?"
"B-B-ut," Momo protested.
"Please," Rangiku said, staring directly at the girl's chocolate brown orbs.
Momo reluctantly nodded and turned, heading downstairs. Rangiku gently pulled Orihime away from her chest, wrapped an arm around her, and led her towards the exit. They walked down the hall and entered the nearest room. Rangiku settled Orihime on a bed meant for patients and quickly shut the door.
"Orihime," Rangiku began gently, wrapping her arms around the girl and pulling her into her chest once more. "What happened?
"S-S-he's h-his daughter," she sobbed. "Hers and his."
"What are you talking about, Orihime?" Rangiku asked perplexed. "I don't understand."
"Mai-san, that girl…" she sobbed.
"Is that the intruder's name?" Rangiku asked, confused.
Orihime nodded then shook her head, confusing the blonde even more.
"S-S-he t-told u-s that was h-her name b-but it w-was a-a l-lie," she stammered. " H-Her r-real name is K-Kurosaki Ma-Ma-saki," she sobbed.
"Kurosaki Masaki," Rangiku repeated. "That's Ichigo's last name."
Orihime nodded, inhaling sharply. "S-She said she's h-his d-daughter and t-that's she's f-from the f-future, a-and t-that s-he's the f-fukutaichō o-f th-the S-Seventh Division."
"What!" Rangiku exclaimed, blue eyes widening, mouth open in shock."B-But h-how is this that even possible? I heard she had orange hair, but I didn't think she'd be related to Ichigo… She's a fukutaichō? Wait, how do you know this?
"I w-was there w-when she s-said it at the G-Gotei 13 meeting," Orihime explained. "The G-Gotei 13 a-rrested her b-because t-they t-thought she a-ttacked I-ba-san, but she s-said s-he didn't, t-that it w-was h-her b-badge t-that w-was f-found. I g-guess she l-lost it during the H-ollow attack e-earlier."
"Did the Gotei 13 believe her?" Rangiku asked, eyes gleaming with disbelief.
She had no idea that Iba had been attacked, or at least had been suspected of having been attacked. That had not been mentioned in the message. Of course, it wouldn't have been, they wouldn't have wanted to worry the division.
"T-They're g-going to check to s-see if s-he's r-real. They w-want t-to make sure it's not a t-trick by A-Aizen-san. K-Kurosaki-k-kun doesn't b-believe h-her, h-he t-think s A-Aizen-san c-created her."
Rangiku opened her mouth as if to say something but Orihime continued mumbling, "S-She i-s r-real, I k-know s-she is. She f-felt r-real, when I h-healed h-her. S-She's t-their daughter, K-Kuchiki-san's and K-Kurosaki-kun's."
Sobs wracked her body, as she buried her face further into Rangiku's chest.
"Orihime," Rangiku murmured, looking down at the girl sympathetically. "Did she say that? That she's their daughter?"
She didn't receive a reply, and she just patted the girl consolingly until Orihime turned her head and sobbed, "S-She d-didn't h-ave to. S-She h-has her eyes, her nose, s-similar hair except it's l-l-longer. S-She's b-beautiful."
"Maybe she's not even real. I mean, how could she have come from the future? That's not possible. Maybe Aizen does have something to do with this," Rangiku said, as she ran her fingers through the girl's hair.
"S-She said U-Urahara-s-san m-made s-some d-device that a-llowed her t-to c-come t-to the p-past."
"Urahara Kisuke," Rangiku echoed, her eyes widening again.
Orihime nodded.
"I t-think he d-did d-do it. H-He's s-such a g-good i-inventor. S-She's r-real, I j-just k-know it. H-Her R-Reiatsu f-felt s-so real, i-f I c-concentrated it-it f-felt l-like them, like K-Kurosaki-kun and K-Kuchiki-san."
"It did?" Rangiku said stunned.
Orihime nodded, crying while Rangiku continued to comfort her.
"I k-know it's awful, b-but w-why d-did she have to come?" Orihime sobbed.
"Orihime," Rangiku murmured. "Maybe, it's not true."
The teenage girl shook her head and continued crying.
"Let's go again," Lisa shouted, preparing to put on her mask once more. A shallow cut ran diagonally across her forehead, her right sleeve was torn, and her bow was torn.
Across from her stood Kensei, mask already on his face, he gave a curt nod and charged forward. Various cuts covered his right arm, and there was a tear across his shirt running from the top of his chest down to his belly button from which a thin line of blood was visible.
In the distance, Shinji sat cross-legged watching as Lisa and Kensei fought in a rectangular orange barrier. He shifted his eye to the right, spotting Mashiro, Love, and Rose also fighting against each other on the other side of the arid landscape that was their training ground. Hachi was sitting not too far off, getting ready to enact any additional barriers if requested. He had already finished his own training earlier.
His eyes returned to Lisa and Kensei's fight, following the swift and agile movements of the former Eight Division fukutaichō as she darted in and around Kensei, landing a kick in his face, while he reacted by grabbing her other leg, swinging her around and sending her flying. She flipped in mid air, planting her palms on the ground, as she landed hard on the ground, panting.
Shinji sighed, placing a hand underneath his chin, eyes switching to the other fight. A part of him kept expecting Hiyori to appear behind him, above him, or in front of him, and slam her sandal into his face, slap him, and call him a 'dickhead' like she always would. Of course, that never happened, no matter how much he craved to feel the soles of her sandals plastered on his face, to smell their scent, and have a large imprint of them on his face after she removed them.
His tongue longed to engage in petty arguments, his ears strained to hear her insults, and his eyes sought to see her petite form clad in that red tracksuit she always wore, her blonde pigtails, and her fang. But he knew he was never going to see her again. Maybe once this war over, he would attempt to locate her reincarnation. Maybe. He was no fool, he knew people changed when they were reborn, but all the same, that idea brought some joy in his pain-filled heart. It gave him something to look forward to. At least that's what he kept telling himself.
Ever since the day she had left their lives forever, he and the Visored had briefly mourned, and launched themselves into training knowing that she probably would have smacked each and everyone one of them if they had let her passing affect them. She had wanted Aizen dead, and that's what they were aiming to do when the time came to face him again.
Suddenly he felt strong Reiatsu in the area, and he turned his head to the right. Coming towards him was Ichigo, his eyebrows seemed to be so tightly furrowed, more so than he had ever seen, over unreadable eyes, his mouth was set in a thin tight line across his face. He noticed his singed Shihakushō.
Probably fought that intruder. Looks like it wasn't much of fight. Barely any damage.
He had purposely left the door open for him, knowing he'd be back after he dealt with that intruder. When he had sensed that Ichigo had abruptly left just as he opened the door, he had taken a walk to see what caused the orange-haired teen to leave so quickly, and he came across a group of Seventh Division members racing around, talking about how they were going to capture some intruder that had been hiding within their ranks.
He assumed it was the same intruder they'd been searching for yesterday when they had come to search upstairs. He'd felt that strong Reiatsu from whatever portal that was. He knew it hadn't been a Senkaimon or a Garganta. It was something different. What, he did not know. He had never felt anything like it, but he found it strange that this intruder came out of it and infiltrated the Seventh Division. Had Aizen found some new dimension? Is that why that Reiatsu had felt so different, why he hadn't made his move yet? He didn't understand why Aizen would send someone to run around and play spy. What would he gain from doing that? He had the impression Aizen wanted to personally finish them off, but he was biding his time, waiting for the Hōgyoku to finish activating.
"Hirako," Ichigo called to him, speaking in a cold serious voice he had never heard him use.
"Ichigo, what brings ya here?" Shinji asked, his lips quirking into a smile.
"I need your help," he replied, continuing to speak in that cold voice.
"So, what happened with that intruder?" Shinji asked, ignoring the substitute Shinigami's request.
Ichigo's jaw tightened, but deciding to keep it simple, he said, "She's been dealt with."
"Really? That was quick, Aizen must be getting sloppy. Don't get why he would bother sending someone to come out here just so they could get killed so easily? Any clue?"
"No," Ichigo said tersely, annoyance flashing in his eyes.
Shinji, however, paid him no mind and continued speaking, "Looks like he's so confident in his precious Hōgyoku that he has nothing to do but mess around with it and create stronger Hollows. There's been a lot of Hollows showing up within the last couple of hours, and I don't think it's just because of the amount of high Reiryoku in the area."
"Get up and help me suppress me my Hollow. I don't have time for chit chatting," Ichigo ordered.
Shinji narrowed his eyes. The Ichigo standing before him was not the same one he had helped trained not that long ago. There was no trace of fear, no cockiness. He wasn't asking, wasn't saying he was going to use them, he was straight out commanding him to help him.
"You need help to suppress your Hollow?" the blonde asked, eyeing him curiously.
"You aren't deaf, so get up and help me," Ichigo said.
"I can't," he replied.
"Don't tell me you can't, you're going to help me," Ichigo stated matter of fact.
The other Visored had ceased their training and were making their way towards them.
"Berry-tan what brings you here?" Mashiro wondered, as she and the other Visored came to stand on Shinji's right.
Ichigo didn't reply. His eyes were focused on the blonde Visored.
"Get up," he said coldly. "Or do I need to make you get up?" he said, reaching for Zangetsu.
"What's going on?" Love asked.
"Why are you so serious, Ichigo?" Lisa questioned him, taking in his rigid demeanor.
"Something happen, kid?" Kensei asked.
Ignoring them, Ichigo swung Zangetsu, forcing Shinji to Shunpo away from his position. He appeared a couple of feet behind him. Ichigo turned around and stared at him.
"Berry-tan, why are you acting like this?" Mashiro questioned him.
"Do your thing, Hirako, I'm done wasting time."
"I can't," he repeated, earning him a death glare. "Ya should have repressed your Hollow with the training we gave ya. What d'ya mean ya need help?"
"I did, but now my mask has changed, and I need to suppress him again," Ichigo said, continuing to speak in a clipped tone.
Surprise shone on the faces of the Visored, except for Shinji who hid his emotions.
His mask changed? Our masks have never changed since we became Visored. Interesting. Seems like his Hollow is different.
"Well, tough luck, kid, you need to figure it out on your own," Kensei said.
"Masks aren't supposed to change," Mashiro said, confused.
"What?" Ichigo said, surprise breaking through his formerly unreadable eyes.
"The training should have worked," Love stated. "We've had our Hollows under control for a long time. Of course, we needed to train in order to increase the time we could wear them. But our masks…"
"I'll help you," Shinji suddenly announced, cutting Love off.
"Alright then," Ichigo said.
"Shinji, you can't," Lisa said.
"She's right. It's only supposed to be done once," Kensei agreed.
"Come on, Ichigo, I'll help you," Shinji said, ignoring them, and walking towards the center of the training ground.
Ichigo followed him, slipping his Zanpakutō into its rightful place on his back.
"Ya better make sure ya get him this time. There's no guarantee this is gonna work," Shinji admitted. "It's like they said, it's only supposed to done once, but here it goes."
Ichigo just nodded, resolution showing in his face.
Shinji raised his hand to Ichigo's face, knocking him out with the spell he had used before. He then ordered Hachi to place barriers around them. Five minutes passed, and Ichigo did not stir, his body remained the same, no indication that he was transforming into a Hollow.
"See it's not going to work," Kensei shouted.
Frowning, Shinji bent down and opened one of Ichigo's eyelids. His normally amber eye was golden surrounded by black sclera, but it looked glazed and unfocused, nothing like the piercing look given off by them when they stared down an opponent.
I think it worked, Shinji thought.
"Why doesn't he move?" Mashiro asked.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Shinji turned to his fellow Visored.
Ichigo found himself under assault by thousands of water droplets, pounding into his head, flattening his usual spikes. He blinked, trying to see through the rain blinding him. He found himself standing on top of a building that was practically submerged by water. All around him, all he could see was water for miles on end. The skyscrapers he was so used to seeing were hidden beneath the depths of a massive ocean.
The sky above him was overcast, unleashing an endless torrent of rain.
This is my inner world? Zangetsu no ossan hates the rain. It's probably because of him…
"Yo, King, you're finally here, huh?"
He peered through the rain; in the distance, he could make out the blurry outline of his inner Hollow.
He came closer to him, and Ichigo could make out the outline of black horns protruding from his face.
Ichigo's eyes widened. In front of him was his inner Hollow clad in his Bankai Shihakushō, wearing a black mask with horns and white lines stretching vertically across his eyes.
"What's the look for?" his inner Hollow taunted. "Don't cha remember this mask?"
He then pulled it off his mask and tossed it towards Ichigo, who simply watched it as it fell into the dark ocean surrounding him.
That's the mask I used to fight Ulquiorra that Inoue and Ishida told me about.
Ichigo returned his gaze to his Hollow and pulled out Zangetsu and placed it in front of him calling out. "Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu."
AN: I was so happy to get started on this chapter, to finally write the stuff I wanna write and you guys wanna read, but guess what, just like the characters I suffered a bit in writing this chapter. Not because I didn't know what I wanted to write, I already knew what I wanted to write. Nope, because 3,000 words in (written in the course of several days, mind you) my file got erased. It was some weird Word Error that came up and said, I couldn't save my file. I figured it would still be saved because I had it in my USB, because I've had similar stuff like that happened in the past, but to my horror it didn't. It was erased completely. The good news, however, was that since I had read over it a thousand times, I practically memorized it and was able to rewrite it pretty quickly (I actually made more changes after that hehe). So, it wasn't that horrible of experience, but still I couldn't believe what the explanation for the error was when I looked it up online. Supposedly, it happened because USB aren't meant for constant use. Meaning you're not supposed to be working on a file, and constantly saving to your USB. I've always done that, so I find that that isn't a good excuse. I just think it was probably due to my USB being old, so I went and bought a new one. However, I'm still a bit freaked out about it and I just continued working on this chapter on my laptop.
I just have some quick things to say about Masaki. In Asian culture, it is not typical for parents to name their kids after their parents, since it's considered disrespectful to call out a parent's first name, hence Ichigo's comment about Westerners (Don't get offended my fellow Westerners, he's not in his right mind). Anyway, at the expense of being cliché, I have chosen to name Masaki after her grandmother, however, the name of Mai actually does play a role in her past. It means 'brightness.' Yes, she did receive that name due to her hair, rather than her personality. Why is her name Mai in the past? Well, you'll just have to be prepared to see what you can figure out from the flashbacks I'm planning to write. One of them is coming up soon, but it'll just be giving you a hint, you won't really get it until later, and even then it might not answer all your questions. It's okay, I'm planning on doing a sequel, but for now I obviously need to concentrate on telling this story. Bottom line is be prepared for lots of hints of things.
And, about Masaki resembling her grandmother. The story behind that is when drawing her, I couldn't quite come up with a design that resembled Rukia that I actually liked. And, I was concerned she would like Orihime because of her longer hair that I almost drew with grandmother's wavy hair, but in the end, I realized Masaki's face was angular as opposed to Rukia's heart shaped face, similar to her grandmother (Well, if you look at her in the poster. Her face looks slightly different during some scenes of the anime, in which I don't think she looks pretty.) Anyways, when you probably look at her you might not agree, (my drawing skills are rusty) but that's what I'm sticking to for the purposes of my story. By next chapter, I'll finally be done photoshopping my drawing of Masaki.
Quick Glossary
Shikakushō- Ichigo's bankai coat
Kaa-san- mom
Reiatsu- spiritual pressure
Reiryoku- spiritual power/ spirit energy
Shihakushō- Shinigami uniform
Zangetsu no ossan- Old Man Zangetsu
Don't forget to leave a review, they keep me writing!