Thunderous Soul

by Primordial Vortex

Kurosaki Ichigo was a normal boy. Well, normal if you ignored the gangs trying to constantly beat him up, the ghosts that just would NOT leave him alone, and the God that lived in his soul and kept throwing a giant hammer at his face when he wasn't giving him mead. Heavy AU. harem. Different Zanpakutos.

4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Was happy to see you all liked the last chapter! Unfortunately, this one is the last of my backlog. I'm trying to work on chapter 5 right now, but I think you all know my whore muse by now.

Was really happy to see most of you were on board with Rangiku's changes! Had a few people who weren't into it, but C'est la vie. Also, had a couple comments about Bala being harder than Cero. I would like to gently direct your attention to the "AU" tag. Please, keep up.

guys, please make sure your "alerts" are turned ON. You know, so you don't miss the updates you already requested alerts for. And with that, on with the show.

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Chapter IV:

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"Wait… you're introducing me to your family already? Oh Berry-kun, you sly dog." Rangiku couldn't help but tease her 'substitute.' She tilted her head, "Hmm, what story are we going with then? Am I your girlfriend~?" She asked slyly.

"You know my entire family is spiritually aware too, right?" Ichigo asked dryly, making her miss a step, "Of course, I wouldn't exactly complain if you wanted to hide like that." He smirked back at her, getting a laugh. "But yeah, we're just coming clean with them."

"You sure that's a good idea?" She asked, "It's dangerous without powers of their own."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. In fact," His smirk widened, "I have a bit of a surprise for you at home."

"Hmm, sounds interesting. What's my present then, Berry-chan?"

"Oh, you'll see." Ichigo couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw his dad.

…

"CAPTAIN SHIBA?!" Rangiku shrieked, her eyes almost popping out of her skull.

"Yo, Rangiku-chan!" Isshin grinned, "Sorry for leaving you all my paperwork."

"Wha- but- wh-?!" Her brain had actually hard locked and was refusing to process anything.

Isshin laughed, "Ha! It isn't very often I make you totally speechless!"

"You-!" Rangiku growled, before charging at him, "WHAT THE FUCK, CAPTAIN?! WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" She shook him by his doctor's coat like she wanted to turn him into a bobblehead.

"I'm sowwyyyy!" Isshin moaned as his head bobbled back and forth, "Hey wait a second!" He stiffened his neck and stared at her, "…Since when do you have red hair?!"

"I was dyeing it, asshole!" She snarled at him, and would have gone on except Ichigo cut her off.

"Wait a second, you were hiding that hair?!" He asked incredulously, "That's illegal!"

Rangiku blushed, "It was a new thing I was trying from the human world." She looked away shiftily. "It didn't work anyway. It was supposed to be blonde, but it turned orangish instead. I did end up liking it, so I kept it for a while."

"Nah, your hair looks fantastic like that." Ichigo countered, and Isshin grinned.

"Oh, has this day truly come?! My son?! Flirting with a girl?!" He wailed happily.

And that brought Rangiku's attention back to him, "Wait a second! Stop distracting me! START GROVELING!" She went back to shaking him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "Good thing for Kidō sound barriers." Ichigo mumbled as he walked into the kitchen to let Rangiku continue interrogating his father. "Hey girls."

"Ichi…" Karin looked dumbfounded, "Wait, dad was actually serious about all that?! That wasn't just a joke?!"

"Nope!" Ichigo snickered, "If I hadn't been expecting it I would have just about died when I saw him in his Shinigami form last night." He showed her a 'V' and then started to arc his lightning between his fingers, "See?" Karin stared at him, totally dumbfounded.

"And we're going to learn that?" Yuzu looked pretty excited.

"Not like mine. Mine is unique to me. But there's definitely stuff you can learn." He brushed her hair a bit, "I'm sure you'd be the cutest little healer." She beamed at him.

"Yeah, but what about the monsters?!" Karin waved her hands, "I feel like those should be important!"

"That's why we're going to start your training. I've been able to handle hundreds of Hollows by myself with no formal training. At the very least, you two need to be able to protect yourselves." He lit up with Blut, "See these?"

"Wow! So pretty!" Yuzu gasped as she stared at him. Even Karin looked a little interested.

He bit back a chuckle, "Yeah, but it's functional too. You could stab me with a knife, and it would probably break with this technique active."

Karin's eyes narrowed, "That better not be a tested statement." She glared at her brother.

"…" They stared at one another, with Yuzu looking increasingly worried, "It wasn't a knife?" He broke, with more of a question than an answer.

"ICHI!" They both yelled, sounding scandalized. Thankfully, he was saved by Rangiku stomping in. Karin's eyes bugged out, "Oh my god!" She whirled to Ichigo, "What, was Orihime not big enough?!" She snarked at her brother, who bit back a snigger.

Rangiku didn't notice, "You little jerk! Why didn't you tell me?!"

Ichigo smirked, "Because that was funnier." She slugged him, "Ow! Violent woman!"

"Hmph!" She huffed, "Now that I know you're Captain Shiba's son, I know you need a firmer hand."

"Oh please," Ichigo rolled his eyes, "You only ever yelled at him so you could go drink." He chuckled, "Plus, he's not a lazy ass anymore."

"…Bull." Rangiku didn't believe that for a second.

"In fact, I think we'd all like him better if he was a lazy ass." Karin grumped, sipping at her water.

"Oh, these are my sisters." Ichigo introduced his family, "This is Karin, and this is Yuzu."

"Nice to meet you both! I'm Matsumoto Rangiku." Rangiku smiled at them cheerfully.

The girls couldn't respond, because Isshin leapt in for one of his surprise attacks. Ichigo ducked under the spinning kick and pushed him into the wall. "What the hell are you doing?! You could have hit Rangiku, you idiot!"

"Can you not stop for one day?!" Karin groaned. "Stupid goat chin!"

"Oh, my children are so mean!" Isshin got up and sprinted to Masaki's poster. "Oh mother, where did I go wrong?"

"…What the fuck?" Rangiku couldn't quite help the swear that escaped her.

"Told you." Ichigo deadpanned.

Isshin immediately bounced back, "Well, now that the meet and greet is over." He got serious, making Karin and Yuzu stiffen with shock. "I think it's time we all head for Urahara's."

"Yeah, I already gave Chad, Tats, and Hime the address. They're meeting us there." Ichigo said, having checked his phone and seen that they were already on the way.

"Good." Isshin smiled at his daughters, "Well girls, time for you to get the first taste of the world mommy and daddy were from. Do you want to walk or go there the fun way?"

"Sus." Karin said immediately.

Isshin recoiled, holding the metaphorical arrow in his heart. It was surprisingly Yuzu who said, "Fun!"

"Fun it is!" Isshin grinned, before scooping the both of them up into his arms.

"Gah! Dad, what are you-" Karin started to ask, but Isshin interrupted her.

"Hold on tight to daddy, girls!" He told them, before he flickered and vanished.

Rangiku's eye twitched, "So did he just forget that I currently can't Shunpo or is he just that dumb?"

"Jury's out on that." Ichigo mumbled.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Rangiku blinked cluelessly, unfamiliar with the modern colloquialism.

"Never mind." He then surprised her by picking her up in a bridal carry.

"Oh my, moving a bit fast, are we?" Rangiku fluttered her eyelids at him, "Just don't act like a pervert like your old man used to, or else."

"Him? A pervert? Now I've heard everything." With the buzz of Sonido, the two were gone from the house.

-]|[-

"Hoooo, that feels kind of strange when you're not in control…" Rangiku mumbled. Isshin was gone, having entered the Urahara Shōten.

Karin and Yuzu looked a little woozy as well, though they weren't quite stumbling about. "Hey, you okay?" He kneeled in front of his sisters.

"That felt weird." Karin mumbled.

"My tummy does too…" Yuzu moaned, looking just the slightest shade of green.

He chuckled as he started headpatting them, "Sorry, I have no point of reference. That was one of the first things I learned how to do. Always felt normal."

"You've never been taken in one. That was a first for me too, and I feel almost a little sick." Rangiku said, "And I'm used to that technique. Or my version of it, at least. You're far faster than I am." She leaned down too, getting both the younger girls to blush and fear her boobs popping out, "Deep breaths, and it should pass."

Karin blurted, "They're going to fall out! Aren't you embarrassed?!"

"Hmm?" She stood straight, "Of my girls? Why would I be?" She hefted them a little, getting blushes from all three of them, though Ichigo's was the smallest, "I'm not embarrassed of my body in the slightest, and I'm a warrior. Wardrobe malfunctions happen, and we have more important things to worry about. Plus…" She giggled, "I tried buttoning up at the school's insistence, and, well…"

Rangiku rolled her eyes as yet another teacher asked her to cover up. These humans were such prudes. "Fiiiiine." She whined, before starting to grunt and moan as she tried to close the button up. Finally, after a struggle, she did so, "Happy?" The shirt was stretched to the point you could still see cleavage from between the buttons.

'Extremely.' Ichigo thought to himself. It was almost even better seeing that button fight for its life.

"Nooo!" Chizuru wailed, "How could you, sensei?! They're too holy to hide!"

"They deserve to be freeee!" Keigo joined in on the wailing, getting Rangiku's attention and making her unconsciously turn slightly to him.

Ichigo had his elbow on his desk and his face in his hand, which hid his smirk. '3…2…1…'

The button she had done up tore from the strands, before launching forward like a gunshot. Keigo didn't even have time to react before it hit him in the forehead, knocking him backwards like Chad had punched him in the face and throwing him into Chizuru, again putting both of them on the floor on top of one another.

Ichigo was wheezing as he tried to contain his laughter, and for the first time, Rangiku had a bit of a blush, "Ah… well…" She mumbled, "That's why I don't bother."

Their sensei could only stare in disbelief.

Karin and even Yuzu were both nearly falling over with laughter, and both felt much better about the situation.

"What's so funny?" Tatsuki, Orihime, and Chad walked up to them, and the martial artist asked once they got close enough, grinning at the younger girls.

"Rangiku was telling them about her murdering Keigo today." Ichigo informed them.

"Pffft!" Orihime started to giggle as well, and Tatsuki's grin widened. It HAD been pretty dang funny.

"Well now, seems we have a party here." Urahara came out of the store with Isshin, "Well Kurosaki-san, you certainly can't seem to do anything normal, can you?" he asked flippantly, flipping open a paper fan in front of him.

"Normal is boring." Ichigo replied bluntly.

"I can't believe you had powers all along, Kurosaki-san!" Orihime bounced up to him excitedly, "Ichigo hasn't told us much! Are you strong?!" She asked him, getting a laugh from the older man.

Tatsuki groaned, "Man, you should have said something. Ichigo sucks as a teacher." She said bluntly.

A tic mark popped up on Ichigo's head, "Excuse me for not ever having been taught a fucking thing! I still taught you stuff, didn't I?!"

"And I'm rather intrigued to see how you went about learning a technique you had no business being able to learn." Urahara had heard some details from Isshin, among them being Blut. "So why don't we all come in and have some tea?" he clapped the fan shut, waving it at the door.

They all started walking in, before a boy with red hair turned from what he had been doing – pulling another girl's pigtails – and stared at them rudely, "Ehh? Who the hell are you guys?" And then Ichigo's hand clapped onto his head, a serene smile on his face as he lifted him off the ground with one hand, "What the hell?! Let go!" The boy kicked out at him.

"I'm sorry." Ichigo said, "But I didn't see you bullying that cute, little girl, did I?" His smile almost made the boy piss himself, while said little girl blushed brightly.

Karin rolled her eyes, "Put the older brother away, Ichi-nii." Ichigo harrumphed, but put the boy down. Karin walked up to him… and then immediately got in his face, grabbing his shirt and practically headbutting him, "Try that crap with me, and you're going to eat it!"

"What the! Let go of me, bitch!" Jinta glared right back.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu yelled, scandalized.

Rangiku started to laugh, "Feisty! Like brother, like sister, I guess!"

"Umm… it's okay…" The girl poked her fingers together, "Jinta-san is just…"

"Being a jerk." Karin let the redhead go and walked up to the other girl, throwing an arm around her shoulder, "Let's be friends." She said shortly, causing the girl to dip her head, "What's your name?"

"Ummm, Ururu." She wiggled a little bit, still extremely shy.

Yuzu popped up, "Nice name, Ururu-chan!" She said cheerfully, getting a small, little smile from her.

Urahara laughed, "Hmm, maybe I should have brought you all here sooner. Jinta-san has been needing that head of his popped for a while."

"Asshole!" Jinta stalked off, before running into the brick wall that was Tessai, who picked him up not unlike how Ichigo had, "Ack! Tessai!" he yelped, trembling a little.

"How many times do we have to tell you to leave Ururu-chan alone, Jinta?" He let out a sigh, before walking away with the redhead.

"Well, now that the entertainment is over…" Urahara was smiling from behind his fan again, "Why don't we get to business?"

…

"So, what does everyone know?" Urahara asked. Jinta was off cooling down, and so he was the only one missing. Ururu had tried to leave as well, but Yuzu and Karin had latched onto her.

Isshin answered, "Ichigo knows everything, and told me something I'll want to talk about with you later. I'm not sure what he filled in for his friends."

"Not much." Sado admitted, "We didn't have a whole lot of time at school, so we only knew what we already knew."

"Right, which was the basics of the afterlife: Shinigami, Hollows, etc." Tatsuki said, "Really just what his Zanpakutō and him had been able to guess at."

"Which means my sisters probably know the least." Ichigo concluded.

"I'm still struggling to believe any of this is real." Karin said bluntly, "We've been able to see ghosts for years, but Hollows and Shinigami…"

"It's a bit much." Yuzu said, quietly.

Isshin put his hands on both of their shoulders in support, "Ichigo convinced me to let you in too. We don't want you to be in danger without even knowing it. That's why we're going to be teaching you." He explained gently, getting slow nods from the girls. He put on his dad face, "Besides!" he said goofily, "You can learn magic! Like this!" He pointed a finger at Ichigo, "Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō!" His fingertip started to glow.

"Gack!" Ichigo gasped as six rods of light slammed into him. He found he couldn't move a muscle other than his mouth. "I can't move! What the hell, asshole?!"

"Captain Shiba!" Rangiku gasped, her eyes bulging at seeing such a high level Bakudō being used for a prank/demonstration.

"Moron!" Karin elbowed him in the side, "Stop being mean to Ichi-nii!" She glared at him, getting crocodile tears from him.

Isshin pouted, "Fiiine. Daddy will let Ichigo go."

"Like hell you will!" Ichigo growled, starting to strain.

Isshin, Rangiku, and Urahara twitched in alarm, "Kurosaki-san, stop! That's dange-" Urahara started to say, before Ichigo's grunting increased in volume.

And then his lightning started to crackle along his form, before spreading to the six rods of light. The Reiatsu coming from him climbed to a degree that Yuzu and Ururu flinched. And then the light started to crack, before shattering apart as the lightning surrounding him screamed. He flexed slightly as he broke it, opening and then clenching his fists once, before dropping his arms with a bit of tiredness.

The three experienced Shinigami stared in shock, "That… that was a Rikujōkōrō…" Rangiku couldn't contain her shock, "Granted, it was with no incantation… but it was still a Bakudō in the sixties… He broke it with brute force…"

"I take it that was impressive?" Sado asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Try unheard of." Urahara looked at Ichigo calculatingly, "And not even because he is a human. If a regular human tried that, even one with the ability to see spirits, their soul unraveling is a very distinct possibility. And that was with a basic, level one spell. For a spell in the sixties, it simply should not have been possible to break it like that. Only someone with equal experience with Kidō could have done it, via unraveling the spell while exerting their own power."

"Damn it Ichigo!" Tatsuki snarled, "Why the hell would you-"

"How was I supposed to know?" Ichigo glared, "Besides, I've been doing this on my own for so long. Just defaulted to it."

"Well, it was certainly informative." Tessai said dryly, "I do wonder if you have any talent for it yourself, or if that brute force of yours will keep you from learning, like so many others."

"Won't more power make it easier to cast spells? You can cast more of them and more powerful ones, right?" Orihime asked, looking confused. Was this not like an RPG?

"Hahaha!" Tessai started to rumble in laughter, "I'm afraid that's quite incorrect."

Rangiku smiled and patted the other busty girl on the shoulder, "It is true. Granted, it might lead to more powerful spells when mastered, but think of Kidō like a dinner you've been preparing with many different steps and ingredients. If you add too much salt, it will become inedible. And if you overpower Kidō without knowing what you are doing, it will just explode in your face."

"Yeah, doesn't sound like I'll be learning any anytime soon." Ichigo rubbed the back of his head with a small look of irritation. He was well aware that control was not his forte. Shame. Bakudō could have been useful.

"I see." Orihime looked disappointed. How was Ichigo going to slay a dragon Hollow with blasts of fire and lightning if he was bad at Kidō?

"Shame." Tessai looked disappointed, "Hopefully at least one of you has talent with it. A student after so many years sounds wonderful."

"That brings me to my next question…" Urahara looked at Ichigo's three friends, "Have any of you fought Hollows?" He got a trio of nods, "Fascinating. Kurosaki-san, do they purify them if they kill them, or do they fight, and you finish them off?"

"They do." Ichigo replied, smirking slightly, "They all worked hard."

"That's not what I'm getting at, and your response is fascinating." Urahara looked like Christmas had come early, "I'm told that your father informed you of the Quincy, and you informed him that you had taught your friends Blut, which is a Quincy ability. By all rights, they shouldn't be able to learn that ability at all. And even if it had been possible… Quincy don't purify Hollows. They annihilate them entirely, destroying every soul it consumed over its lifetime." His three friends, his sisters, and Rangiku gasped in shock, "So with that ability, they shouldn't be purifying any Hollows they kill."

Ichigo chuckled, "Let me correct you, Hat-n-Clogs." Isshin twitched, looking like he wanted to laugh, and Rangiku didn't bother holding her giggles in. "I didn't teach them Blut. I had no idea what Blut even was. I taught them whatever the hell it is that I use, and I learned everything either instinctively or from my Zanpakutō." Left unsaid was that some of his abilities were distinctly Hollow in nature, and those certainly didn't get taught.

Urahara's eyes gleamed with interest, "Meaning everything you taught them was from the perspective of a Shinigami. You converted a Quincy ability and made it your own." His fingers twitched in a slightly creepy manner by his side, unseen by the others, "Fascinating." He flipped his fan open, "I would be quite interested in studying how you managed that. I'm a bit of a scientist, after all."

"Don't experiment on my son." Isshin deadpanned, getting said son to snort.

"Maa, don't be like that." Urahara most certainly did not whine, "It won't be anything invasive. This is a unique opportunity to advance our knowledge, you know. Just think! Maybe we could teach Quincy abilities without that devastating drawback."

Ichigo mused this for a moment, "You've got a point." He drawled, drawing their attention to him, "And that could mean the girls could learn mom's arts without needing to feel guilty." He scratched his neck, "What the hell. You scratch our backs, we'll scratch yours." Urahara looked like every birthday for the next one hundred years had come early.

Isshin snorted this time, "If Ichigo wants to allow it, it's up to him. But for now, I'd say that's about it for the important details."

"Well then…" Urahara stood, "I think it's time we get a move on for your evaluations." He smirked impishly, waving his paper fan a little before snapping it closed.

"Before that," Ichigo stopped them, "Did dad talk to you about getting me an Asauchi?"

"He did indeed!" Urahara put up his dopey grin, "Though I don't exactly have any of those lying around, I will be able to acquire one. I've contacted a friend, and they will be able to sneak into Soul Society and the Academy to grab one. It'll merely take some time." He tilted his head to the side, "Though admittedly, I find it rather confounding that you need one when you already have a Zanpakutō spirit."

"I'm no happier about it than you are." Ichigo deadpanned.

"Hmmm…" Orihime tapped her chin cutely, "Urahara-san, should the three of us get them as well?"

Ichigo's eyes widened. Orihime had asked that question? He looked at her quizzically, "What are you up to, Hime? I never thought you would ask for a sword."

"Well, we can't send ghosts on without them, right?" She asked cutely.

"Oh yeah!" Karin gasped excitedly, "Get me one too! The ghosts are soooo annoying!" Isshin let out a laugh at his daughter's excitement.

"Mouuuu, they're not that bad, Karin-chan." Yuzu pouted. She didn't see what was so bad. Granted, she was the last to start seeing them.

Tatsuki laughed at their reactions, before looking at Orihime, "And here I was, thinking you were having another one of your daydreams." She shot at the other girl playfully, getting a bashful giggle. She cracked her neck, "She's got a point. Ghosts are annoying, even if I'd probably stick to hand-to-hand for combat."

Sado agreed, "I can't imagine myself with a sword, but it would be useful for that, at least."

"Ah, but who says your Zanpakutō have to be a sword?" Urahara asked slyly, getting blinks from all of them. "We don't have any example in the room, but there are many Zanpakutō that are not swords. Or even bladed weapons at all."

Rangiku giggled, "One of the other Lieutenants has a giant spiked ball, the 11th Division's third seat has a tri-section spear… hell, one of the oldest Captains has a manta ray as her Zanpakutō."

At that, even Ichigo and Sado sputtered, performing spit takes and spraying their drinks. Isshin burst into laughter at the reactions, "Oh hell, I forgot about Minazuki! It eats you, and then you get healed in its stomach."

"NO THANKS!" Tatsuki yelped, feeling a full-body shiver run through her.

Ichigo grew a shit-eating grin, "Ohoho, what's this?" He stared at his oldest friend slyly.

"YOU KNOW I HAVE THALASSOPHOBIA! YOU WANT TO GO, ASSHOLE?!" She lunged across the table at him, and Sado had to catch her and hold her back.

"Calm down, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime hugged the other girl tight.

Urahara let out a laugh, "Looks like you kids have energy to burn! Luckily, I have a nice little training ground to do just that."

…

"Oh wow!" Orihime gasped, "I had no idea such a huge space was underneath the store!" Tatsuki was beside her, ogling away, as were Yuzu and Karin. Even Rangiku looked a little dumbfounded at the sheer scale of the place. "It's like a secret base!"

Yuzu was sparkling, "It even has a sky! This is so cool!"

"Hmmm…" Tessai made a noise, drawing their attention. Ichigo blanched as he saw the huge man start crying, "What a sublime reaction! I'm so touched!" He had one of Orihime's hands in both of his.

"Hee, hee! Thanks!" She giggled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Always making friends, huh, Hime?" Tatsuki laughed, "Still, this is pretty cool."

Sado chuckled, "Can't imagine it's to building code, though."

"That's where you'd be wrong, my young friend!" Urahara smugly fanned himself, "This space does not truly exist in the realest sense of the word, and even were humans to dig around the shop, they would be unable to find it. All they would find is the regular and expected piping and ground."

"Huh. Pretty cool, Hat-n-Clogs." Karin took up her brother's nickname for the man with gleaming eyes, "Hey dad, can we get one of these?"

"Why thank you, Karin-chan!" Urahara snapped his fan shut and put it away, "And of course, though for a price."

Ichigo cracked his neck, "Hell yes. I'm eager to see how I stack up against a former Captain."

Rangiku smirked, 'This should be fun.' She took a seat on one of the nearby rocks to watch.

Isshin grinned, "Tessai, you said you were excited to teach some cute little students of your own, so why don't you get started on Kidō with Karin and Yuzu. And Ururu-chan, of course."

"Huh?" Yuzu looked to the side and up at her father, "Aren't you going to teach us, daddy?"

"Of course, I am!" he cooed at the little dirty blonde, "But we all have our strong suits, and comparing me and Tessai-san in Kidō is like comparing you and Ichigo in cooking." An angry tic mark appeared on Ichigo's head, "Yes, you can both do it, but you're waaaay better at it!" He tickled her, getting a couple giggles.

"Okay then. C'mon Yuzu, Ururu-chan." Karin grabbed both of their hands, leading them away with Tessai.

"So…" Ichigo and his friends were stretching out, "How are we going to do this?"

Isshin took a breath and left his Gigai for only the second time in many years. Already, he felt like he had started recovering faster than all the previous years combined. He gently lowered his body and placed it up against a rock, "Well, seeing as none of you have weapons, I'd say fighting with our Zanpakutō would be a waste." Orihime raised a finger and made to speak, but Isshin didn't see and spoke over her, "So I figure we could do one on one matches, or even two on one."

Urahara smiled, "My, it's been a while since I've had to use Hakuda. Should be fun." He said airily.

"Shouldn't you know what we can do first?" Orihime looked adorably confused.

"They probably think it doesn't matter if they do or not, and will use this spar to find out." Tatsuki told her, seemingly without an issue, though her eyes were narrowed slightly.

"It makes sense." Sado said without any worry, "They both were former Taichō, after all, and we're all self-taught."

"Correct." Urahara said plainly, smiling lightly, "That is not to say we think you aren't capable. Far from it. But we have more years of experience than you have years alive. Do not take it as a slight." His smile widened, "Of course, if you think you can make us take you seriously, you're free to try."

Ichigo snorted and cracked his neck and some of his joints, "Have fun with dad, guys. I want a shot a Taichō-san over here." He smirked at Urahara, "And I suggest you break out those fancy Kidō of yours too." He spread his arms, "Otherwise you might regret IT!" With the final word, he took a step forward and clapped.

Thunder might as well have rumbled in the basement, for a shockwave that cracked the ground raced at Urahara. The blonde's eyes widened, and he raised his hand to his hat to hold it down right as the shockwave struck him, forcing him back a few steps just out of sheer force. He smiled, completely intrigued, "My oh my, you're quite scary, aren't you Kurosaki-san?" He took the boy before him much more seriously, "I see now why Isshin said he could make you his Lieutenant and not have to worry about nepotism."

Ichigo grinned, before vanishing in Sonido. Urahara also vanished, taking his young opponent deeper into the basement so as to not interfere with the others during their spar.

"Hmph." Tatsuki snorted, "Rude."

"That's Ichigo for you." Orihime giggled, before focusing on the boy's father, "Are you okay with a three-on-one, Kurosaki-san?"

Isshin laughed, "I'm surprised Tatsuki-chan hasn't blown a gasket and demanded this be one-on-one."

Tatsuki growled, "I would, but even after he trained us to use our powers, I still can't beat Ichigo anymore." And it burned her to admit that. "Unless you prove otherwise, I'm assuming you're at least as strong as he is and treating you as a sensei."

"A good way of looking at it." Isshin drew his Zanpakutō out of his belt and went to go lay it next to his body, only to stop and look at Sado curiously as he called out.

"I suggest you keep that, Ichigo's dad." The air near Sado's arms warped, before armor started to appear on both of them. His right arm was engulfed with a black, matte substance with a magenta design over it. His right arm was encased in white, with red striping. Isshin gaped at the sight, and at the fact that the powers themselves had a Hollow feel to them. Sado's next words once more drew his attention, "We're tougher than we look."

"Hmm…" Still, Isshin hesitated.

"Oh, and you were incorrect, Kurosaki-san." Orihime smiled as her hairpins started to glow, "Not all of us lack weapons." Her hairpins burst into six golden lights which spun around her. She held her right hand out and one of them flew into it, forming into a golden sword. The second flew towards her left forearm, before turning into a larger-than-normal golden heater shield. Two others went behind her back, forming into some jagged-looking wings. The final two spun around her head, looking almost like a halo. All of the golden armaments were fully transparent.

Isshin and Rangiku's eyes were bulging, "What in the world?!"

Orihime smiled brightly, "How do you like my Shun Shun Rikka? Meet Shun'ō, Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, Tsubaki, and Lily!"

"Hiiiii!"Five excited voices, with one duller sixth voice, called out from her.

Isshin rubbed his eyes, "Seeing…. Still not believing." He mumbled, blinking rapidly. Rangiku couldn't believe it either. What in the world were these four teens?

Tatsuki laughed as she took a step forward, "Well, I don't have any of their fancy stuff." She raised her arms in the air to stretch, before taking a step forward and stomping on the ground as she took a basic stance. The ground beneath her cracked as her veins lit up, but unlike what Isshin had been expecting, her veins lit up red. Isshin's jaw practically unhinged as he recognized the technique, but didn't have a moment to say a word, "Mine's a bit more SUBTLE!" She vanished in Shunpo, and Isshin immediately had to block a pretty strong attack that forced him back half a dozen feet. His arm was smoking from the impact of her punch.

He started to laugh as he slipped his sword back on, "Where the hell did you kids come from?! You're breaking all sorts of supposed rules, you know?" He grinned sharply, "Well… lettuce begin." Tatsuki would have faceplanted at the joke if she hadn't known the man for over a decade at this point. Sado merely sweatdropped while Orihime giggled. Isshin grinned, "If you want to have fun, then let's see how you do! Hadō Number 4: Byakurai!" He shot a pretty large bolt of lightning at Tatsuki, who merely grinned as her red veins vanished and blue ones replaced them.

She held her breath for a bare moment right before the attack hit, and a loud, metallic-sounding clang rang through the air as she moved her forearm in the attack's path. Isshin blinked in shock as all the power of his technique instantly vanished, and his eyes widened as he realized some small, ethereal-looking flames were flickering on his son's friend's skin. She grinned madly, "Sorry Kurosaki-san!" She called out, "Ichigo's been throwing lightning bolts at us for over a year!"

He didn't get a chance to respond to her. Sado crashed down to his side. The protrusions on his right shoulder had split apart and were flaring with Reishi, "El Directo!" He yelled, punching forward with his right fist. A blue blast of pure spiritual power shot forward. It was massive! Bigger than Isshin's entire body!

Isshin leapt backwards to dodge, "Wait, shit!" He grunted as he realized Orihime had gotten right in the El Directo's path! His foot touched the ground right as he realized Orihime looked unconcerned. In fact, she had seemingly sheathed her 'blade' inside the shield. It turned from a heater shield into a much larger triangular prism shaped one, "Shiten Kōshun, I reject!" Sado's El Directo plowed into her, and couldn't force her back even an inch. Instead, the blast seemingly absorbed into the shield as she turned to face Isshin before a golden beam shot straight at him. It was much smaller and thinner than Sado's attack, but it was much faster and even stronger.

Isshin couldn't believe it, but they had actually forced him to draw Engetsu. With an Iaijutsu technique, he split the beam in half, not flinching as the two splits raced past his head. He sheathed his blade again. "Hooo boy, I'm impressed, kids! What do you call that technique, Tatsuki-chan?"

"I call it Royal Guard!" She answered, "But you have other things to worry about!"

Isshin grinned as Sado again landed in front of him, this time. "Do I?" The large boy started swinging for the fences, displaying impressive boxing technique. Isshin wasn't sweating as he easily parried and traded blows with the younger man. "Not bad Chad!" He yelled, using his son's nickname for the Mexican-Japanese young man, "You're a little slow though, and definitely need to start utilizing those legs more." He kicked one of said legs, making it buckle and getting a surprised grunt from the teen, before Isshin flicked the air in front of him.

"Bwah!" Chad spat some saliva as what felt like an air cannon hit him in the stomach, driving him back a hundred feet. He crashed on the ground and started to roll, before getting his feet behind him and halting his own momentum. He tried to stand, but wobbled a little and hunched over, holding the area in pain.

"Whoops! Bit too much! Sorry about that, Chad! Thought you could handle that much." Isshin rubbed the back of his head ruefully. "You okay there?" Sado got his feet under him and nodded, though he was still holding his front with a bit of a grimace.

"Shit!" Tatsuki gaped. She rapidly reevaluated what she knew of her friend's father. Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass indeed!

"Ayame. Shun'ō," Orihime said, and her halo broke apart and raced over the Sado, before forming another shield in front of his chest, "Sōten Kisshun, I reject!"

Sadly, Isshin didn't get to see what that did, because Tatsuki used Shunpo to get in front of him before unleashing a devastating roundhouse at his head from the air. Isshin raised a block, noting her red veins, but her attack had even more power than the first one. He slid a few feet, before he punched at her again as she was landing.

Once more, she clanged as she blocked his punch, which was making him extremely confused. But whatever she was doing, those ethereal flames were getting a bit brighter. She sped forward and unleashed a deadly-skillful combo attack, seemingly not caring if she was hit back. In fact, she seemed to relish it as she switched to blue. She missed a few blocks, and he was much stronger than her, so she grimaced from the impacts. But not to the degree he expected. He had rapidly dialed the strength back up after having toned things down post Sado's hit, because clearly she could handle it. But every time she was actually hit, those ethereal flames seemed to diminish a little. Every time she successfully blocked, they got brighter, and the entire impact was absorbed.

He had to bite back a grin as he formed a theory on what her unique ability must be. Time to test out if he was right. He kicked her with much higher power than he really needed to, but also slow enough that she could react to it. She raised her leg and blocked it, again absorbing all of the force. The flames around her were extremely visible now, after that one. "EXPLOSION!" She cried out as she attacked while he was 'off balance.'

He vanished in a Shunpo as her punch screamed through the air where he'd been. He whistled as he saw the devastation. It had hit a boulder a hundred feet away and disintegrated it.

"Shit!" She cried out, "I thought I had you!"

"Wahahaha!" Isshin laughed loudly, "Sorry Tatsuki-chan, but you're not fast enough to hit an opponent who was expecting it. Thanks for confirming my little theory. It's a very cool ability!" He gave her a thumbs up. And then they all stumbled as an earthquake rocked the 'little' training ground. They all turned and gaped at the source, seeing a blindingly bright indoor lightning storm raging in the distance. "Jeez, how strong is he?" Isshin whined, wondering just how much there would even be to teach his son.

"We don't really know." Orihime admitted, having regained her halo, and floating near them, "He's never gone all out that we know of."

Sado also looked fully healed, making Isshin raise an eyebrow, "He never wanted to go all out. And we never asked him to. Just what little he showed us was already so destructive."

Tatsuki nodded, "But he can take all three of us at the same time, without much of a bother." She groused, still irritated that no matter how strong she got, she just never could seem to catch up.

Isshin smiled, "Thanks, you three. Let's continue." He vanished, and this time decided to see how they would fight against opponents who wouldn't play the physical game with them. He appeared in front of Tatsuki, telegraphing a punch. She got into her block stance, but Isshin merely phased through her, making her stumble, and throwing off her rhythm. He back-kicked her in the back, knocking her down before vanishing again. He appeared right in Sado's face with a very silly look on his own, watching as Sado threw a surprised haymaker. He blocked it and grabbed the boy's arm, pivoting and executing a judo throw, directly into a surprised Orihime. She dropped the shield and sword, catching Sado and trying to get him back on his feet. But Isshin appeared in front of them, grinning and kicking Sado square in the belly.

Orihime and him both grunted as they were forced back, and only were prevented from both crashing into the ground due to Orihime's wings. "Oof, you're so heavy, Sado-kun." She shot at him playfully as she put him down. Her front was revealed to be covered in their Blut Vene facsimile.

Tatsuki had used Shunpo to get in close to Isshin, her fists blazing with what Masaki would have called Blut Arterie, though Isshin was well aware that it probably wasn't what they called it. She tried to punch him, but he merely redirected her blow, throwing her to the ground, which cratered under her force. Not a small crater either. A cone at least fifteen meters long had shattered in front of where she was currently buried shoulder-deep in the earth. He sensed danger and threw himself to the side, watching as what looked like a golden spear had flown at him. It pierced into the dirt and sprang back out five meters away, seemingly like it had drilled through all the earth beneath it without losing a lick of power.

His sharp eyes caught the little something inside the spear as it vanished and flew back to Orihime, where it turned into a sword once more. He noted she hadn't once really attacked him the way someone with her armaments probably should have. She was consistently being a ranged fighter and barely at that, settling into a more support role.

Tatsuki had managed to pull her arm out of the earth, and she called out to Sado, "Come on, Chad! Let's get him!" She vanished and appeared behind him, and Sado came from the front, this time clad in Blut Vene. Orihime raised her right arm, her sword once again changing into a spear. She was ready to attack the minute she saw an opening. But Isshin had seen enough, and wasn't about to give her one.

He pointed his index and middle fingers at both Tatsuki and Sado, "Bakudō #9. Hōrin!" Orange, spiraling tendrils of energy erupted towards his targets and encircled them.

"Wah! What the fuck!" Tatsuki cried out as she tried to block them, but her arms were bound tight to her sides and her legs snapped together. Sado suffered the same, and they both would have fallen over if Isshin hadn't jumped back to avoid Orihime's spear. He pulled both glowing orange ropes in a motion that had him crossing his arms, and they both let out surprised yells as they were sent hurtling towards one another!

"Oof!" They both grunted as they crashed into one another and the twin ropes started slithering over one another, binding the both of them tightly and making them both crash to the ground.

"Tatsuki-chan! Sado-kun!" Orihime yelled in shock. She called Tsubaki back to her hand, but before he could get there, Isshin had already appeared in front of her and grabbed her wrist. She squeaked as he sent her hurtling towards the other two teens.

"Alright kids, that's enough." Isshin called out, "You all did great!" He praised them.

Tatsuki groaned as she got up, cracking her neck. "Jeez! What the hell do you mean? You're so strong! We didn't even get one good hit in!"

Rangiku (who had been legitimately dumbfounded while watching and seeing all of the unique things they knew how to do) walked up to them with a smile, "Kids, Captain Shiba was a Captain. If any of you had been able to touch him, I'd eat my scarf. I probably couldn't beat him, and I have decades of experience." She patted Orihime on the shoulder, "You all did great! Any of the Divisions would be happy to have you as seated officers, minimum. And that's only after, what, a year or two of training?"

"One." Sado confirmed.

"One year." She deadpanned, "The Spiritual Arts Academy's curriculum spans six, and it is a rare event indeed to graduate faster than that. What's more, each Division only has twenty positions for seated officers, and of those twenty, only the bottom ten can be held by more than one person. In sheer prowess, I have little doubt that Tatsuki-chan could be top ten easily, though I didn't see overly much from Hime-chan and Sado-kun to judge them accurately."

Isshin clapped her on the shoulder, "Top ten easily. Maybe even top five. The big thing holding you all back is experience. You clearly show signs of few sparring partners and fighting only certain kinds of opponents. Tatsuki, you're definitely the most well rounded. Good offense. Good defense. Good speed. I think when Yoruichi gets back, you'll have a very eager sensei."

Tatsuki finally grinned, eager to meet this Yoruichi.

"You two on the other hand…" Isshin turned to Sado, "Chad, you're a very straightforward fighter, and clearly too used to getting ahead via your strength, and that just doesn't cut it against someone stronger or more experienced. You definitely could use more speed, and some formal training." Sado nodded at his evaluation, feeling some frustration as he felt he had done fairly poorly. "Orihime," He turned to the buxom girl, "For someone with a sword and shield, you sure didn't fight like it." She blushed. He wasn't wrong, "Your attack evidently has some potent power, and your ability to reflect attacks is very powerful. Can it only reflect energy attacks?"

"No, Kurosaki-san." Orihime shook her head, "Any damage that my shield takes is absorbed, and can be returned. Doesn't matter what it is." She tilted her head and held a finger to her lips, "At least I don't think it does."

"Hmm, that's even better then. Still, you very clearly were underutilizing your sword and shield, and you were fairly stationary despite the wings and flight. It was a very contradictory set of powers and utilization, which you'll need to fix. As you saw, there's a point where it just won't work, and I can assure you, Hollows get much stronger than the riffraff you've been likely dealing with. Some Kidō would be great as well."

"Okay!" She nodded, smiling. She still had some hang-ups about violence, but they were mostly in the past. As long as she could protect the ones she loved… as long as she never had to suffer from losing someone like she lost Sora-nii ever again… she would swallow that distaste.

"My, my, looks like we're all done." Urahara said airily as he clacked his way to them. He looked disheveled but entirely uninjured. That was very deceptive. He had at least one heavy bruise under his clothes, as well as some small Lichtenberg marks from an electrical burn. Ichigo had been far stronger than he had anticipated, and he'd even been forced to unleash Benihime.

Ichigo meanwhile was in nothing more than his shoes and jeans, as Urahara had sliced his shirt to ribbons. Some drying blood covered his torso, but he was uninjured due to his high-speed regeneration. Rangiku shamelessly ate the eye candy, and Ichigo smirked when he noticed it.

"Are you okay, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked him, ready to use her Shun Shun Rikka if needed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He glared at Urahara, "My shirt died though."

Tatsuki snickered, "Another one bites the dust."

"My, my, Kurosaki-san. If you liked that one so much, perhaps you should have left it at home." Urahara fanned himself, grinning.

Isshin laughed, "Looking a little disheveled there, son. Was a Captain a bit more than you were expecting?"

"No." Ichigo said bluntly, "The constant Kawarimi no Jutsu with fake copies of himself was annoying though."

Isshin sputtered, "What?!" He looked like he was drooling from it, "What the hell Kisuke?! You needed to use your Portable Gigai?!"

Urahara's grin widened, "I'll tell you, my friend… that's one scaaaaary son you have."

"Well, I'll be." Isshin mumbled, wiping his mouth, "Anyway, unless any of you have anything else that you want to show us, I think we should be done here."

"Oh, I do!" Orihime raised her hand like she was in class, getting grins from several of them from how cute she was, "Rangiku-chan," She turned to the only woman she'd ever met with bigger boobs than her, "Can you please get out of your… what was it called? Gigai?"

Rangiku, Isshin, and Urahara blinked. Rangiku scratched her chin, "Uhh, I'm healing in this thing. Why?"

Ichigo groaned, smacking himself in the face, "Why the hell didn't I think of that?" He mumbled through his hand, "Do it, Rangiku-chan."

Rangiku hesitated, so Isshin shrugged, "Might as well see what she wants to show us. A few minutes out of it won't hurt now that you've stabilized."

"Okay…" She grunted and struggled to phase out of the Gigai. After a moment, she managed it, appearing in that white robe while Ichigo caught her body and leaned it on one of the boulders. "What's this about, Hime-chan?"

Orihime smiled, "Sōten Kisshun, I reject!" Her hairpins glowed, and then two of her Shun Shun Rikka shot out and engulfed Rangiku.

A few minutes later, for one of the first and only times in his life, Urahara felt his jaw unhinge behind his fan in legitimate dumbfounded shock. Rangiku, back in her shihakushō and wearing Haineko on her proper place behind her back, was hugging the stuffing out of Orihime.

Isshin was doing nothing to hide his own, "Th-that-" He stammered as he pointed at the two women, "That. What?!"

"That's our Hime!" Tatsuki laughed out loud, "Secretly the biggest badass of all three of us!"

"Ehehehehe!" Orihime rubbed the back of her head bashfully.

Urahara opened his mouth, but clicked it shut as they all heard a cry of, "Daddy!" Yuzu came running excitedly over to them, with Karin following more sedately behind her. "Ichi-nii! We did it!" She said to them excitedly, "Look!" She turned around and took a deep breath, "Bright lights. Threads bound. The autumn is gathered! Bakudō #4: Hainawa!" She held her hands together, and a weakly crackling golden rope formed between her hands and wrists, which she threw at a boulder, wrapping it up tightly. Little tiny forks of electricity crackled along it, before Yuzu let the technique go.

"Nice job, Yuzu!" Ichigo scooped her up in a hug, spinning her around while she giggled in delight. All of them smiled at the love he clearly had for his sister. He turned and grinned at Karin, "How about you, Karin?"

Karin smirked, and took a deep breath as Ichigo put Yuzu down. She pointed her index and middle fingers at the same boulder, "Hadō #4: Byakurai!" Isshin and especially Ichigo's eyes lit up gleefully as they saw her fingers crackle with electricity for three seconds before it discharged, forming a very small and thin beam that struck the boulder and pierced three inches into it. "Ack!" She gasped as Ichigo also picked her up in a congratulatory hug, "Ichi-nii! Put me down!"

No one commented on her hugging him harder than he was hugging her, though Tatsuki and Rangiku both had, 'Such a tsundere!' run through their minds. "Great job too, Karin!" He kissed the top of her head after putting her down, making her flush in happy embarrassment.

And then Isshin swept the both of them up as well, "Ack! Damn it Goat-Chin! Put us down!" The young girl roared.

"Daddy, I'm going to get dizzy!" Yuzu whined until they were both put down. She looked up and gave him some doe eyes, "Daddy, do you think Ururu-chan could have a sleepover with us?" Said girl blushed sharply, wiggling from side to side in excited anxiety.

"You know, that's a wonderful idea." Isshin said, smiling brightly at his daughter, though only partially because he was elated at his two daughters not only making a friend, but one who was spiritually aware. He knew full well how strong Ururu was when threats were detected.

Tatsuki looked at her watch, "Yeah, I think we're done for the day too. It's date night!" She grinned as she grabbed Sado and Orihime's hands. Orihime blushed, though Sado only smiled a little.

Rangiku blinked, "Wait, the three of you are-"

"Correct." Sado rumbled, squeezing Tatsuki's hand.

"Huh." She looked to Ichigo, expecting to find some jealousy, but was surprised to see he was merely mumbling something with Urahara and his father without a care in the world. He clearly wasn't just avoiding the situation either, like she'd seen in some cases back in the Seireitei.

Isshin turned around, "Tatsuki-chan, Orihime-chan, Chad, where are you three going?"

"Hmm?" Tatsuki looked over at him, "My house, why?"

"Oh good! Do you think you can drop Karin, Yuzu, and Ururu off at the clinic on your way back? We," He waved his finger in a circle, indicating the adults, and Ichigo, "still have some things we need to discuss, and Kisuke needs to check over Rangiku to make sure she's fully healed." Isshin asked them, and Orihime immediately responded.

"Of course! You can count on us!" She smiled at the three children.

"Hey, Hat-n-Clogs," Tatsuki called out, and Urahara sweatdropped. That was just going to be a thing, wasn't it? "When do you think you'll be able to get your hands on those Asauchi?"

"Hmmm." Urahara took a moment to think, "Well, I have to call Yoruichi to change it to six of them now, seeing as you three and Karin and Yuzu all will need one too. So, I'm not sure. Week? Maybe a few weeks? Depends on how lazy Yoruichi feels."

"Gotcha." Tatsuki nodded, before holding her hand out to Yuzu, who took it happily. "Okay, we're out of here! Later Ichigo!" The group waved, before proceeding to head to the entrance of the hidden basement.

Rangiku sidled up to Ichigo, "Are you okay?" She asked him curiously.

He looked down at her. Though tall for many women, she was still pretty short compared to him, "Huh? Should I not be?" He asked cluelessly.

She jerked her head at the entrance, "Aren't you envious?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, legitimately confused.

She held back some exasperation, "You know, most situations with two guys and two girls with childhood friend subplots don't end up with one guy getting both girls." She said dryly.

He snorted, "Oh, that's what you meant. Nah, I'm happy for them. Not compatible romantically. Hime and I gave it a try like nine months ago, but it just ended up feeling awkward. We were better off as friends."

"Ah." Not much else to say, was there? "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." She giggled, "Got a similar situation back in the Seireitei. Poor Hisagi. He's one of my fellow Lieutenants. So obvious that he's into me, but no matter how many times I try to let him down gently, he just never takes a hint."

He winced, "Ooof." He raised an imaginary bottle of mead in the poor dude's honor.

"Well now!" Urahara smiled lazily as he walked up to them, "Now that they're safely away…" His gaze turned serious, making Rangiku stiffen, "We have…quite a bit to discuss."

"…What's this about?" Rangiku asked, worriedly.

"Not here. Let's go find some place to sit." Ichigo told her. Something Urahara agreed with. "It has to do with why dad left his post, among other things." He looked at her, reminding her that yes, she was still supposed to be on his case about that.

"And, for that matter," Isshin gave her a hard look, "What happened a hundred years ago."

Rangiku's spine went as stiff as could be, as they found themselves in a very shielded and well defended area even within the training ground. All five of them (with Tessai having rejoined them) sat at the table, and Rangiku took a fortifying breath. "Okay then." She said, "Speak."

"Very well then…" Urahara said. Ichigo closed his eyes and crossed his arms, listening stoically as Urahara spoke. As for Rangiku?

Stoic was the last word one could use.

…

"This is BULLSHIT!" Rangiku slapped her hands down on the table, getting the cups and plates to rattle on its surface.

"It's the truth." Urahara said evenly, "I know full well you were already at least in training during that time period. Surely you remember the Seireitei losing seven Captains and four Lieutenants in a single night."

"Of course, I do!" Rangiku said, "But what I just don't understand is how he could possibly have gotten AWAY with it!" She ground her teeth, "And…" She teared up slightly, "And…" The thought strayed through her mind, 'Gin, you bastard…' The worst part was… she could see that part being true, no matter how much she wished it wasn't. Her oldest friend had always been… shifty if she was putting it nicely. It was little wonder many in the Seireitei thought him a snake.

"He can get away with it because of his Zanpakutō." Isshin said gravely.

"But that makes no sense!" She protested, "Captain Aizen showed all of us his Zanpakutō! He gave all of the Lieutenants a demonstration! It's a flowing water type Zanpakutō! It utilizes fog and distorted reflections to confuse enemies and make them kill each other! How can that possibly help him do what you're claiming?!"

"That clever son of a bitch." Ichigo grumbled under his breath.

"Then all of the Lieutenants have already been ensnared." Urahara sighed, "Aizen's Zanpakutō is not what you think it is. Its power is complete hypnosis. You think that's what his Zanpakutō does because that's what he wants you to think. I don't know the specifics of how it functions. He didn't deign to explain that much while he was gloating to Hirako Shinji. But he did explainwhat it did."

"This is… madness." Rangiku barely got the word out, gripping her hair in a tight fist, "Why tell me this? Why now?"

"Because they're starting to move." Isshin said gravely.

"Did you not think it strange, Matsumoto-san, for six Hollows justshy of their evolution to Menos Grande to work together instead of eating one another?" Urahara asked dryly. Rangiku winced, "And not only that, but one of them could turn completely invisible, AND hide its Reiatsu to the point you couldn't detect it in the slightest until it attacked." He dipped his head, allowing his hat to shadow his face, "Even for the Jūreichi, that's beyond abnormal. We have a higher presence of Hollows here, true, but it's a higher presence of Hollows in general. Not a higher presence of strong Hollows. Menos Grande and just slightly weaker don't just waltz into the living world on a daily basis."

"And…" Isshin scoffed, "It just so happened to happen when a high-level Lieutenant not wearing her seal because of an unfortunate demotion arrived in the area. One who just so happened to personally know one of the Captains in exile living in the city." He said dryly.

Ichigo snorted, "Now I've smelled some bad fish at the market, but damn this one stinks…"

"Wait, you think I was framed for the fire that led to me being here?" Rangiku gawked, "Those dirty little- oooooh!" She growled, before taking a deep, calming breath, "Okay. Let's say I believe you. And at the very least, I admit that the situation is as suspicious as could be. What's the goal here? What's the endgame? Do you expect-" Here she looked at Ichigo, "And no offense here, but a kid, even one as strong as Berry-kun here, to take out Aizen?" She glared at Kisuke, "And unlike most of the current Lieutenants, I AM old enough to at least remember you. You even taught a class here or there at the academy! And most importantly, I remember you being a cagey bastard! Why are you being so forthcoming?"

"Because if he dragged my kids into this without their explicit agreement, he knows I would be ripping his head off. Friend or no." Isshin replied evenly for the exile, a look of boredom on his face.

"Maaa, that's a bit rude, Kurosaki-san." Urahara feigned a look of hurt. Isshin rolled his eyes, before giving him a look. "So mean!" A cloud appeared over the shopkeeper's head. The rest of them let out a few giggles. He let out a sigh, "Quite frankly, if you weren't Isshin's former Lieutenant, I wouldn't be bothering to tell you any of this at all."

"Oh, that just makes me feel so much better." Rangiku snarked, her eyebrow twitching.

"To put it bluntly, you being here is an unexpected parameter." He continued as if she hadn't spoken, "If things happened as I believe, then I'm honestly a little stumped. This doesn't seem like it fits Aizen's MO. An unranked, less visible, and obviously weaker target to send to Karakura would have been the more obvious play. That by itself makes me believe you being here has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Ichimaru."

Ichigo hummed, "Either a test of loyalty, or a punishment?" Urahara turned to him in surprise, making Ichigo snort, "Just because my hair makes idiots think I'm a delinquent doesn't make me one. I'm in the top ten in class."

Urahara smiled, "Exactly so, Kurosaki-san."

"Okay, but why would he need to send someone here in the first place?" She asked, "What's so special about this town? Besides the obvious, I mean?"

"We suspect that the Hollow that attacked me when I made my first unauthorized trip to Naruki City was another one of his experiments." Isshin said, before side-eyeing his son, "He'd want to see the results, and we've been hard at work keeping the city surveillance free. Though the sheer number of Hollows increasing in power that have been showing up tells us we probably didn't get all of them."

"The result-" She snapped her head to Ichigo, eyes wide in shock.

"Not me. My mom." Ichigo said, "Though with my power, I suppose I AM the ultimate end result of it. Not something he could or would have actually planned for."

"Exactly so, Kurosaki-san." Urahara opened his fan and started using it on himself, "Aizen would no doubt be very interested in you, even without seeing any of what you could do with his surveillance. If we did fail to counter all of them, he no doubt would have seen some of what you could do and would become even more interested in your potential. He is, after all, obsessed with becoming a 'perfect being,' if my read of him is correct. If he happened to think that you were stagnating with no Zanpakutō and no training, he would have sent someone to remedy that. And since you're already strong, it could not be a weak, no-name Shinigami, because you would run circles around them to start with. If his plan worked flawlessly, even an injured Lieutenant would be able to teach you more than an unseated officer."

"And so, he either framed me and my friends or spiked our drinks, leading to us doing something that could not be forgiven with a slap on the wrist, allowing him to send one of us down here with no seal on our power. But he knew that I couldn't do anything like getting him an Asauchi, so he had me injured to draw your attention." Rangiku caught onto the line of thought and clenched her fists angrily. "Damn them!" She punched the sitting table, making the empty cups fall over.

"Indeed." Urahara snapped his fan shut, "But for all Aizen is a master tactician, he is not omniscient. While it is likely that he chose you to either punish Ichimaru for something, or to test his loyalty, he likely believed that you were Isshin's Lieutenant for too short a time to have truly formed a good relationship with him. In addition, Isshin had not left his body in decades, and always made it seem as if he possessed no spiritual power any longer. Finally, our counter-surveillance was focused most heavily on certain areas, primarily anything in a three-kilometer radius around the Kurosaki household and the Shōten here. As such, he likely did not believe that Isshin would intervene once you were injured. You see, one of the reasons I was exiled from the Soul Society was that they discovered one of my inventions. All Gigai are constructed of highly concentrated Reishi in order to compensate for the power a Shinigami loses when possessing one. And consequently, all of the Gigai's actions can be tracked from the Soul Society, and it is inconceivable that a Shinigami in a Gigai could go missing,"

Rangiku swallowed heavily, "…Where are you going with this." She felt cold, and could guess. She hoped she was wrong. Ichigo was also frowning, but not quite glaring at Urahara.

"It is simple." Urahara said, putting his fan down, "Before I was Captain of the 12th Division, I was the Third Seat of the Onmitsukidō. The idea of the covert ops unit being unable to go truly undercover never sat well with us. And so, I attempted to create a Gigai that had no Reishi on its own, that could go truly off the grid, as it were. I am wearing one right now. As is Tessai. And as were you. But the prototype of that technology had a flaw. It would drain the Shinigami possessing it until they could never recover, leading to the soul losing all of its spiritual power."

"YOU PUT ME IN ONE?!" Rangiku shrieked, reaching behind her back to grab her Zanpakutō.

Ichigo's hand was like lightning as he grabbed her hand and kept her from drawing it, "Were you even listening?!" He asked, "Stop freaking out and pay attention. He said you were in the same model he was."

Rangiku paused, reviewed what had been actually said, and slumped, blushing, "S-Sorry."

Isshin snorted, "You haven't changed a bit."

Urahara coughed, "As I was saying," He drawled, a smirk on his face. "The prototype drained a Shinigami's power, turning them into a normal human. While unintended, this ended up being a potentially useful feature." He said, "After all, Aizen has been after one thing in particular since he became a Shinigami: Breaking the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow. His experiments were on Hollowfication, and Shinigamification. The Hollow that infected Ichigo's mother was likely created expressly for that purpose. The both of us had been researching it for over a hundred years… and I suspect we both independently arrived at the same answer. The only difference was, mine was more successful than his. When Hirako Shinji and his fellow captains and Lieutenants did not fully Hollowfy, Aizen would have been interested in how I managed it. And he would have been salivating at the thought of getting his hands on the device I used to save them: The Hōgyoku. Something I tried and failed to destroy, and have been keeping away from him for the past century." He tilted his head to the side, "So what if I were given an injured Shinigami on a silver platter, in need of a Gigai? And said Shinigami would be none the wiser as to the existence of said item, and could have it implanted inside of them. And then… they were put in an untraceable Gigai that drained their power until they were turned into a normal human…"

Rangiku's jaw dropped as Ichigo let out a shocked laugh, "Draining the Shinigami's power and the item along with it. You're a cold bastard, Urahara."

"I didn't do it though!" Urahara whined childishly.

"No, but Aizen correctly assumed you would. The only monkey wrench was the person he sent." Ichigo shot back at him.

"Correct!" He replied cheerfully, airing himself with his paper fan.

"Asshole!" Rangiku picked up her cup, beaning him in the head with it.

"Yow!" Urahara fell over.

Tessai shook his head, "You are much too forthcoming at times, Urahara-san." Isshin snickered beside him.

Rangiku crossed her arms, "Alright, so Aizen is going to assume I have this stupid Hōgyoku thing inside of me, right? What is his plan from there?"

Urahara shrugged his shoulders, "It's easy enough to deduce. It is forbidden to give Shinigami powers to a human due to a past incident with a Substitute Shinigami. You would be out of action for weeks, and maybe even months. You would have dropped off the radar. A human with Shinigami powers would have appeared. Case closed, you're under arrest."

"And then they collect the Hōgyoku from me." Rangiku closed her eyes.

"Not quite." Isshin said gravely, "We did say this is possibly a test of loyalty or a punishment for Ichimaru." He closed his eyes, not seeing Rangiku look at him, "Urahara invented a method of hiding an item inside a soul, but that meant he also needed a way to remove it if it ever became necessary. But that method is known only to him, and Aizen would need to reverse engineer it using his fragmented research. The far easier option would be to evaporate your soul and collect the unharmed Hōgyoku after." She blanched, staring at him in shock.

"Execution." Tessai rumbled, "Via the Sōkyoku."

Rangiku continued to stare at her former Captain, words failing her every time she opened her mouth. She trembled in place, looking down at her lap. Or what little she could see of it beyond her breasts. The words echoed in her head. Execution. And Gin would either have to allow it, or didn't care at all that it did. Her oldest friend. Either complicit or uncaring about her own death for something she would be framed for. And one of the kindest Captains in the whole of the Seireitei, eagerly using her and then disposing of her for his own ends.

Every person had a breaking point. Even someone strong and confident in themselves. Rangiku had just found hers.

Her bottom lip and chin quivered as she tried to speak, but all that came out was a sob as tears started leaking from her eyes. She didn't know who embraced her, but she latched onto him and buried her face in his neck and started to wail.

…

When she started calming down, she became aware of someone gently rubbing her back. With a shuddering breath, she pulled back, realizing it had been Ichigo who had been taking care of her during her breakdown. She blushed a little, "Sorry." She mumbled.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "If I minded some tears, do you think I would have hugged you?"

She laughed wetly, before taking an offered tissue and blowing her nose. She wiped her face with another, and when she had stopped hiding behind it, she revealed a very hard look on her face. Ichigo smiled as they both stood, exiting the room, where they had been left alone by the other three adults. She glared at Urahara, "What's the plan?"

"Oh?" He smiled slyly, "I take it that means you're in?"

"Like Hell I'm letting them get away with this." She declared, "So what's the damn plan?"

"Well, my dear," Urahara snapped his fan open to hide his smile, "I'm glad you asked!" He said airily.

-]|[-

"Rangiku-chan!" Orihime exclaimed, "I wasn't expecting to see you back."

"Yeah, what gives?" Tatsuki asked, "Didn't Hime manage to heal you yesterday?"

Rangiku winced, "Sorry Hime-chan, but apparently those kinds of injuries are a bit more stubborn than we thought. I reverted a few hours later. Though it's not as bad as it was when it first happened."

Sado narrowed his eyes behind his hair. Somehow, that explanation didn't sit too right with him. Orihime had, to this point, never failed to heal anything before. Even when Tatsuki got a chunk of her arm bitten off by a Hollow after getting a bit too cocky due to her powers, Orihime had her right as rain in seconds. And there never had been a case where something she healed reverted. "Ichigo…" He said softly, "What's going on?" He asked his best friend in low tones, so that his two girlfriends would not overhear.

Ichigo's voice was equally low, "Don't worry about it for now."

He looked over at the orange haired boy, and as always, simply gave him a nod. He always trusted Ichigo before. He would trust him now.

"Good. We can talk more at a later point." Ichigo told him, before Miss Ochi walked in to start homeroom.

-]|[-

"Whoooo! This is so much fun!" Orihime squealed as she dashed to and fro, vanishing in Shunpo with every step. They were secluded on the rooftop of an abandoned building, with Ichigo on 'catching' duty in case any of them accidentally ran off the roof.

"Holy shit, Ichigo." Tatsuki gaped, "You're such a bad teacher. It only took Rangiku three days to get Hime and Chad used to doing this." Sado himself had gotten it the slowest, and he was the slowest at it as well. But Orihime was surprisingly speedy. "Hell, I'm even better at it than I was! I couldn't do many steps without crashing before!"

A vein pulsed angrily on Ichigo's forehead, "Well excuse me for NEVER HAVING BEEN TAUGHT ANYTHING!"

"Pff, you can't just keep claiming 'instincts' for your failures!" She jeered at him.

"Mou, be nice, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime looked at her girlfriend reproachfully.

Tatsuki continued to jeer at Ichigo, smirking, "Nah, all he had to do was ask Goat-chin for some training! We could have been getting good training all year!"

Rangiku laughed as she watched, eyeing Ichigo as he started to look like he was about to blow a gasket, "Well, at least I'll never be bored! This is prime entertainment!"

"What was that?" Ichigo glared at Tatsuki, "Did you say, 'please kick my ass so hard I'll have to get sent to Soul Society and eaten by a manta ray?'" And now the shoe was on the other foot, as lightning sprang between their eyes as they practically headbutted one another, "Can do!"

The two started to fight, with Ichigo clearly the superior even with Tatsuki's improved speed. Rangiku called out, "Hey, watch it!" As she nervously watched a section of the roof crack, "We're on a roof, you idiots!" Thunder rumbled as Ichigo, legs encased in lightning, tried to kick Tatsuki into the sky, only for that CLANG to ring out as she barely managed a perfect block.

Orihime let out a sigh and sat in Sado's lap, feeling him wrap his arms around her waist, "It's like putting two wet cats in a box." She giggled, and felt her boyfriend jerk a little as he tried to smother a surprised chuckle himself.

Unbeknownst to them, they were not alone. High above them in the clouds, a spirit was watching. "Orihime…" He hissed out, feeling ice cold despair flood his body. On his chest was a chain, "Why have you forgotten me, Orihime?! WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED ME?!" He looked almost rabid, with some light foam at the edges of his mouth, feeling nothing but agony as the final link on his chain grew teeth and started biting into the plate anchoring it to his chest. He cried out as his body exploded.

"Huh?" Tatsuki and Ichigo stopped, "Did anyone else hear that?"

"I did…" Rangiku said, looking around but seeing nothing. She checked her Soul Pager, but also got nothing on it. "Strange."

Confused, the two shrugged and went back to fighting.

-]|[-

"Enraku!" Orihime gasped as her stuffed bear fell over. Sado and Tatsuki let her get up, eyes narrowed. They had both felt something, but it was well hidden. Sado grabbed his shirt and put it back on, while Tatsuki slipped her pants back up. Orihime was still wearing her skirt, but only her bra up top. She kneeled in front of her favorite bear, picking him up. "Oh no! How'd you get torn?" The bear had a slice in the right side of its face, with stuffing starting to fall out.

She then noticed red on her hand, and in an instant leapt back and let go of her bear as her hairpins flashed, her shield forming in front of her. A red arm erupted from Enraku, plowing into her shield, and making it flash before being rebuffed. The Hollow crawled out of her bear, staring menacingly at them.

Where before had been nothing, now the entire apartment reeked like Hollow, with its Reiatsu engulfing them. "Stealth?!" Tatsuki yelled in shock, "I couldn't sense it at all!"

"Orihime…" The Hollow growled out, making them stiffen up. There was only one reason for a Hollow to know one of them by name. Orihime's shield dissolved from her shock.

Sado took a step forward as his arms were covered in their armor, "Orihime, let me-"

Orihime held her arm out, stopping him from moving. Tears were leaking from her eyes as she dropped her arm, "Sora-nii…"

The Hollow recoiled a bit in intrigue, "Oh? So, you remember me, do you Orihime?!"

Orihime let out a choked sob, "Of course I do, big brother."

"THEN WHY DID YOU STOP PRAYING FOR ME?!" The Hollow roared, jerking its head forward and spraying something from between its two front buck teeth. Orihime hastily raised her shield again. The spray smashed into the shield and erupted outwards, but otherwise did nothing to it. The fluid itself started raining everywhere. Little droplets got on all of them, and started to burn. They all hissed and yelp as the acid ate away at their skin, and Orihime rapidly had to heal them with her other Shun Shun Rikka. It only took moments, before they were fine.

Sora hadn't been idle, and had experimentally cracked his tail on her shield. Again, the impact did nothing, and he howled madly, "THIS! THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! YOU PRAYED FOR ME EVERY DAY, ORIHIME! EVERY DAY! I WATCHED YOU! IT MADE ME HAPPY! YOUR PRAYERS ALWAYS MADE THINGS A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR ME! THEY EASED MY SUFFERING! AND THEN THESE THREE CAME INTO YOUR LIFE, AND YOU NEVER CARED FOR ME AGAIN! YOU PRAYED LESS AND LESS, AND AFTER THAT, ALL YOU EVER SPOKE ABOUT WAS THEM! YOU LET THESE THREE TEAR US APART! YOU LET ME FADE FROM YOUR HEART!"

"Where the hell do you get off saying that? HUH?!" Tatsuki snarled, stomping forward, and clenching her fists. She. Was. Furious. "Do you have any idea how many times-"

"Tatsuki." Orihime said, cutting her girlfriend off. Her eyes were shadowed by her hair, her head dipped slightly as she looked at the ground. "Go back to bed." Tatsuki and Sado both hesitated, "Please…" She asked them, brokenly.

Tatsuki ground her teeth together, shaking impotently in fury and despair over what Orihime was experiencing. Sado was no better, but he was more controlled than Tatsuki. He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at it, before reaching up and squeezing it, "It fucking hurts, Chad!"

"I know." He rumbled, staring at the Hollow like he wanted to vaporize it with his gaze alone.

"When you were born, you were like a daughter to me! You were more than a sister!" Sora hissed, "I raised you! Not those monsters that called themselves our parents! They beat you when you cried! I had to take care of you so that they wouldn't hear! And I took you from that cursed house the moment I could stand on my two feet! It was us against the world! Just the two of us! FOREVER!" Tatsuki and Sado felt ice in their veins as the Hollow spoke, hearing about Orihime's past for the first time. Tatsuki started to cry. How? How had their Orihime come out such a good soul raised in such a bad household?

Sado clenched his fist, knowing in his heart that the answer to her unspoken question was the very same person who had now lost his way, standing before them.

"I RAISED YOU! I PROTECTED YOU! NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE YOU!" Sora roared, charging at her.

Orihime dropped her shield, feeling her Blut activate. She spread her arms and allowed her brother to bite her. His teeth weren't strong enough to penetrate her as she sobbed, bringing him closer and hugging him. "I'm sorry." She sobbed, feeling the Hollow freeze entirely, "I'm sorry, Sora-nii. I…" Her voice wobbled as she squeezed his neck as best as she could. He was huge, after all. "All I ever did was let you watch me be sad. You died for me, and all I ever did was make you feel worse. Make you see how much it hurt that you were gone. That I was alone." Her sobs intensified, "So I hid it from you. I didn't want you to see how devastated I was. I started to share the fun things at school. The things that made me happy. The things I liked. The people that I liked. I just wanted you to see that I was happy, so you wouldn't suffer for me." She fell to her knees, from his limp mouth and stared up at him, "I…I didn't realize I had just made things worse. That I was making you lonely. That you hadn't seen that I was happy and safe and moved on to the Soul Society."

"Orihime…" Sora breathed out, and from underneath his mask, twin rivulets of blood started leaking out, "Orihime…!"

"I'm so sorry." She wept, looking down at her clenched fists, "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Sora-nii! I love you so much!" She reached up, trying to hide her face in shame behind her hands. And that drew his attention to her hair.

"Those hairpins!" He gasped, recoiling. "Y-you're wearing them?! But you hated them! You threw them away!"

She looked up at him, saying hoarsely, "Of course I do…" her lip trembled, "They're all I had left of you. The only gifts you ever gave me. They're my treasures! I…" Her face scrunched up, "I… I always regretted that day. I was such a brat. Yelling at you because of something so stupid. Eating dinner silently. Not saying another word to you when you left for work…" She inched forward on her knees, reaching out to him.

Sora reared back, letting out a roar, before smashing his face on the floor and rocking the entire house. "NO! STAY BACK! BEFORE I TRY TO HURT YOU AGAIN!" He turned away, looking to smash through the wall.

But he slithered to a stop. Orihime was in front of him once more, utilizing a simple Shunpo. "Sora-nii… I love you." She whispered, "But you know I can't let you remain a Hollow. You deserve rest, and peace. If you leave… you'll never have either. You'll attack others. Hurt them. Eat them. I… I can't let you do that. I have to save you." Her hairpin glowed and one of the petals flew into her hand, forming her sword.

"Orihime, please stop! I can-" Tatsuki tried to get up and go over to her, but Sado just held her hand.

Sora bowed his head to his sister, "I love you too… Orihime. I'm glad those hairpins can protect you now." His voice, once overlaid with a second, much more haunting voice, finally sounded human for the first time all night as Orihime slashed his mask in half, revealing his face. He started turning into spirit particles and evaporating.

"I love you Sora-nii…" Orihime said hoarsely, "And there's something I always wish I had said to you, that day."

"What was it?" More and more of his body had dispersed.

"'Have a good day at work, big brother.'" She choked out.

He smiled lovingly at his younger sister, "And you at school, little Hime. Goodbye." He vanished entirely.

"Goodbye." Orihime whispered, her sword returning to its place on her hairpin. She shuddered, bowing her head, "Goodbye." She sobbed, falling to her knees, and clapping her hands to her face. Her boyfriend and girlfriend both wrapped her up in the tightest hugs of her life, with Tatsuki sobbing along with her.

-]|[-

"Woah! What happened, Hime?!" Ichigo asked, seeing the normally bright and bubbly Orihime look morose and despondent. "Do I have to kick someone's ass?" Rangiku walked over and gave her fellow buxom babe a hug, growing even more surprised when Orihime teared up a bit and latched onto her.

Sado was the one who spoke, "Orihime's brother hadn't left for Soul Society." He said softly, getting Rangiku and Ichigo to stiffen. "Orihime wouldn't let either of us help her." He dipped his head, clenching his fists, "She insisted on doing it herself."

Ichigo cursed inside of his own head, "But how? We never saw him!" He walked over and embraced the two girls, squeezing them tight.

Tatsuki sighed, "He had this weird ability as a Hollow. He was hiding inside Enraku. Maybe he did that as a ghost, too? Or simply watched her from afar?"

"Are you going to be okay, Hime-chan?" Rangiku asked her new, much younger friend.

"I'll be fine." She wiped her tears with her arm and backed away, smiling bashfully, "Sorry, it was just, overwhelming, you know. All this time, I thought he was safe and happy and…" She trailed off, before looking fully in the other direction, "Chizuru-chan! What happened?! You're bleeding!"

Indeed, Chizuru was on the ground, twitching, blood all over her face.

Rangiku realized what her and Orihime's position must have looked like to the raging lesbian and started to laugh.

-]|[-

A few weeks had passed since the incident with Orihime's brother, and Sado was on one of his rare hangouts with friends that weren't his usual ones. "A cursed parakeet?" Sado asked, looking at the bird. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at it. It quite simply wasn't normal.

"Uh, huh." His friend Harutoki told him, "All of his previous owners up and died. No one really wants him, but he always finds someone anyway."

"What? And it ended up wit-" His other friend Gitano started to ask, but Sado interrupted.

"I'll take him." He said, with finality. He grabbed the cage, "What's your name?" He asked the bird. The bird's beak opened, but then a loud clang sounded above them. Gitano and Harutoki both yelped as a steel girder weighing a couple hundred pounds was hurtling towards them. Sado stood, sensing a Hollow, and held his hand up. The girder crashed into it and bent, not harming him in the slightest. Sado's eyes were narrowed even further. "So, that's what's going on." He murmured under his breath. He turned back to the parakeet, sensing that the Hollow run away. It had vanished from his senses.

"Thank you for saving me, Mister." The parakeet spoke. "My name is Shibata Yūichi. What's yours?" Or rather, the young boy's soul locked inside of it spoke. Already, Sado could feel his blood boil at the thought of what had been done to this poor child.

He put the girder down, "Yasutora Sado." He replied. Why did that name sound familiar? He felt like it was one he should have recognized. "Don't worry Yūichi. I'll keep you safe."

"Damn, Chad, you got attached quick, huh?" Gitano shook his head in exasperation, "Always falling for cute things."

"You're just salty his girlfriends are so cute." Harutoki snorted.

Sado rolled his eyes as they started to bicker, "I'll catch you guys later." He told them, standing, and taking Yūichi's birdcage.

-]|[-

"Shibata Yūichi?!" Ichigo said, sitting up straight.

"That…" Tatsuki's expression morphed, "Isn't that…"

"Hmm? Did I miss something?" Rangiku asked, with Orihime looking equally confused.

They were ignored, making them pout, "And you said there's a Hollow after him?"

"Yeah. It threw a steel girder at him yesterday." Sado confirmed, "It seems intelligent too. I think I spooked it because it hasn't shown back up at all."

Ichigo opened his mouth, only for an extremely loud voice to sound off behind him, "KUROSAKI!" He then got kicked in the back, not budging even a centimeter as the voice yelped, falling back, "It's like kicking a fucking wall!" The boy was in their uniform with the blazer open, but looked several years too old to be wearing it. He also had three earrings on his left ear and a ring on his lip.

"Oh, you're off suspension, ōshima-san?" Orihime questioned, before taking a sip of her juice.

"I ain't talkin' ta ya!" ōshima roared, glaring at Ichigo's back, "When are you going to dye that carrot-piss hair black, huh?! Why are you always tryin' ta look like me?!"

Ichigo turned around, and before the delinquent knew what had happened, Ichigo had his entire face in an iron grip, leaving only his eyes exposed. He even lifted him off his feet, "I'm not in the mood, Drag Queen." He stated, squeezing so tightly that the boy the boy started to let out a muffled scream. "Fuck off and leave us alone, or next time I'm going to kill you." He said, before negligently tossing the screaming delinquent across the roof. He skipped almost like a stone, before crashing into the roof entrance. He looked at the idiots friend, who was backing away with a wet stain in front of his pants. Ichigo gave him such an ice-cold look that he nearly passed out, "Scram." Ichigo hissed, and the boy yelped, before turning and running as fast as his legs would allow.

"Berry-kun…" Rangiku stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Kurosaki-kun, what was that?" Orihime was also looking shocked. Ichigo was normally never so… so… well, cold with the idiots who tried to fight him. Not anymore. Not when he could flick them in the chest and break a rib. She was honestly tempted to go check on the idiot.

"Shibata Yūichi." Tatsuki said, "Is the name of a young boy who was attacked by a serial killer five years ago."

'Oh.' Sado's spiritual power spiked, 'That's why he sounded familiar.'

Ichigo cracked his knuckles, "His mother was murdered, leaving the young boy traumatized and nearly catatonic. Three years passed, and then he was found dead, strangled." Orihime and Rangiku gasped, realizing what must have happened and why Ichigo and Tatsuki were so upset. He turned to look at the boy, "Isn't that right, Yūichi?"

The parakeet looked panicked, "N-No." He lied, "Y-You must be, th-thinking of someone el-"

"What did the Hollow promise you, Yūichi-chan?" Rangiku kneeled before him, reaching into the cage, and running her finger gently on his head.

The parakeet let out a few noises, "He… he said he would bring mom back to life." The bird made some noises that weren't human. The bird version of tears, perhaps. Other than Rangiku who was looking at him, everyone else relevant on the roof had their faces shadowed by sheer, blinding fury. Even the kind and normally peace-loving Orihime was ready to use her fists when she got her hands on this Hollow. "He-he was the one that killed mom. Th-the one who attacked us. He… he turned into that-that thing and came back for me, because I made him fall and he died too!" Rangiku only kept her own rage off her face with sheer discipline, "He told me that since he killed her, he c-could b-bring her back. I-if I could run from him for three months straight, he'd bring her back. But if I got caught, he would restart the timer each time." The young boy started to sob. "I just want my mommy back!" He covered his head with his wing.

"Oh, Yūichi…" Rangiku said, her heart breaking for the poor boy, "There's no force in the life or afterlife that can simply bring a human back to life." She told him, watching as the boy flinched, "Your mother is waiting for you, in the Soul Society. She would have been sent on years ago…"

Yuichi gasped, "Th-then?"

"I'm so sorry, little one. That monster has been fooling you all this time. The only way you'll be able to see your mommy again is to find her in the Soul Society…" Rangiku told him, her face sad, "Nothing that monster said is true. "

Sado stood, crunching through the solid steel of the fence as he did so, "I'll kill him." He said, eyes blazing with sheer rage.

"Get in line!" Tatsuki snarled, cracking her knuckles. "How are we going to find this sick fuck? Sado said he got spooked."

"I don't care how scared he is." Ichigo snarled, red bleeding slightly into his vision as he closed his eyes. He knew what Hollow Reiatsu felt like, possessing his own. So, unlike most Shinigami, when combined with one of his Hollow Techniques: Pesquisa, he could manifest Reiraku for Hollows as well. Hundreds of white ribbons manifested, and he searched for the black one. He knew the damn thing would be close by. Perhaps even hiding in the Realm Between Realms inside a Garganta, barely leaving it open so he could peek on the outside world. He found it and grabbed it, tasting the evil Reiatsu. This one was even worse than normal Hollows. It had an extra flavor of maliciousness.

Ichigo vanished in Sonido, soaring into the sky before any of his friends could even react. "RAH!" He roared, stabbing his clawed hand forward, flaring with Hollow Reiatsu. His hand pierced the air like it was solid, and he found purchase on something solid on the other side. His fingers stabbed down into it, and he yanked. With the sound of shattering glass, the large Hollow was pulled shrieking from the Realm Between Realms, leaving a tear in the air peering into a gaping void. With a mental command, the Garganta closed, as he rocketed off to a more secluded area: the Karakura Community Park. It was a forested area, so no chance of anyone unaware seeing something they shouldn't.

With the sound of thunder, Ichigo arrived in his landing zone and chucked the Hollow forward, forcing it to dig a trench in the dirt with its body. With the sound of swishing cloaks, he felt his friends arrive as well. "Is he the one, Yūichi?" Sado asked, letting Rangiku off his back and setting down Yūichi's cage.

"Yes…" Yūichi sounded completely awed by what he had just seen.

Tatsuki stomped over as the Hollow, still utterly bamboozled and shocked by what in the fuck had just happened to it, struggled to get up. "So, you like murdering women and children, huh?" She snarled, stomping down on its leg, and ripping it off at the knee.

The Hollow proved its namesake and shrieked. It scrambled to get away, opening its large wings and attempting to fly away. Orihime appeared in the air above it, her Shiten Kōshun forming in front of her. It hit the glowing shield, and shot back at the ground as though fired out of a canon. "You will not escape." The look of wrath on her face combined with her halo and wings made her look like an avenging angel.

Shrieker groaned, getting to his feet. He had a gorilla-like body despite those wings, with black fur around its neck and sides. "Who the fuck are all of you?!" He asked, trying to figure out how he was going to get away. He was using one of his arms to hold himself up. He had regeneration, but he would need to eat unlike other Hollows. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" It hunched over, spewing dozens of strange-looking bug-lizard things from his back. They all swarmed at the targets, spitting out hundreds of leeches.

All of them got hit by them. There were too many not to. "Agh, yuck!"

"Gotcha!" Shrieker stuck his green, tuning-fork-shaped tongue out of his mouth and whistled.

Immediately, every single leech exploded violently, engulfing Ichigo and his friends in explosions. "SADO-SAN!" Yūichi yelled in shock.

"WAHAHAHA!" Shrieker roared with laughter, "You've outdone yourself this time, boy! Such delicious souls! I might even evolve once I've eaten them!"

The smoke cleared, revealing them completely unharmed. Before Shrieker could even parse that, Ichigo had punched him in the teeth, grabbing onto his tongue, "I'm sorry, who were you going to eat, again?" He ripped his hand back, tearing the appendage clean off and shattering a few teeth.

Shrieker roared again, swinging with a wild, delirious haymaker at Ichigo. Tatsuki appeared in his path, and took the punch with her Royal Guard. The hit powered her up, and she immediately unleashed the stored energy in an absolutely savage punch to Shrieker's gut. The Hollow nearly folded in half as its feet slid backwards, tearing up the earth.

It slid right into Ichigo's waiting arms. He grabbed it by its midsection and roared his fury out as he threw it over his head with a German Suplex. He buried the Hollow all the way down to its hips in the dirt. It's legs almost looked hilarious sticking out of the huge crater he had just created. They were even twitching, desperately trying to get itself out.

"You're going overboard. We'll need to fix this later…" Rangiku let out a sigh. She couldn't honestly blame them though. Rare was the Hollow that you knew for a fact deserved every ounce of pain coming to it.

Sado didn't listen to her. He walked over as Ichigo walked away, clapping the dirt off his hands. His left arm was engulfed in the white-and-red armor of his Brazo Izquierda del Diablo. He grabbed the Hollow by the leg and yanked him out like a carrot

Shrieker tried to punch him, and it connected. And it did nothing. Even without Sado utilizing his Blut. He dropped the Hollow, and it twisted onto its knees. Shrieker finally realized what was going on, and defaulted to what all bullies who understood they'd gone too far did; begging, "No! Please! I'm sorry! I was wrong! I'll never do it again! I'll never hur-"

Sado's five fingers had been sparking, and he closed his fist, "La Muerte." He growled, punching it right below its Hollow Hole. Its body exploded, with the image of a skull forming behind it for a bare moment. Its mask started to crack as Shrieker screamed one last time. An unusual energy was emanating from the cracks. They felt all of the escaping souls moving away towards the Soul Society, but Shrieker wasn't dissolving. A white light went straight down and up high into the air, and then a huge purple door with various locking chains and two skeletons appeared behind it.

Orihime gasped, "So, it really was true." She bowed her head, "It's the first time any of us have seen it…"

"It's honestly incredibly rare." Rangiku let out a sigh, watching as a gigantic arm appeared as the door opened. A very evil-sounding laugh rang out, before Shrieker was stabbed by a huge knife. Its body hung in the air like a macabre statue before it and the knife drew back into the portal. The doors slammed shut, sealed, and dissipated.

Yūichi trembled inside the parakeet, "Th-that was the Soul Society? Mom was in that scary place?"

"Oh shit!" Ichigo cursed under his breath, mirrored by his other friends. How could they have been such idiots?! They had wanted him to see his tormentor be defeated, hoping it would help him heal. But it might have just backfired and traumatized him further.

"No!" Rangiku gasped, "Kami, no, Yūichi-chan. That was Hell. You see, those monsters aren't always bad people. The sins they commit as monsters can't be held against them. When a Shinigami purified their souls, they are allowed into the afterlife. But those who were evil while they were alive cannot have those sins forgiven. They go to Hell. I promise, your mommy is waiting for you somewhere on the other side, in the happy place. You just need to find her. You'll never even grow hungry unless you have potential as a Shinigami too."

"Oh." Yūichi sighed in relief, "Okay. C-Can I go see her now?"

"Of course." Rangiku smiled at him. "None of us can send you on, but we have a friend who can. We'll go there right away, right guys?"

"Yeah." Ichigo smiled, relieved they hadn't made things worse for the boy.

Sado walked over, "Come on, Yūichi. Let's go send you to your mom." He looked at Rangiku, "Urahara's?"

"Yeah." She replied, hopping into Ichigo's arms with a cheeky smile. Ichigo smirked at her, and they all vanished from the forest.

-]|[-

And that's a wrap!

Hope everyone enjoyed! I got a bit sad myself with Orihime's brother. Tried to make that one poignant, since, you know, it was never going to be much of a fight.

And Ichigo just straight up putting his fist through the air and yanking a Hollow straight out of a Garganta is very probably one of the best things I've ever written. LOL

Anyway, things are starting to heat up now! Rangiku and Ichigo are on board and all in on plan "fuck Aizen and his bullshit."

Also, yeah, that happened. I just sank your ship. I told you all right at the start of the story that neither Orihime nor Tatsuki were going to be with Ichigo, and yet I still had people asking for it.

Anyway, as always, if you're interested in getting early access to all of my content, just search "Primordial Vortex" and you'll find my P~A~T~R~E~O~N! I have the next chapter of both Emerald Phoenix and Supernova available, among other things.

Next month's update will be Emerald Phoenix.

Don't forget to review!