WARNING!

This chapter includes: implied/referenced suicidal ideation, implied/referenced cannibalism, implied/referenced rape/non-con.

The implied/referenced suicidal ideation is in the flashback and lightly implied.

The implied/referenced rape/non-con is very minor, and only mentioned vaguely and only as a possible outcome of a situation. It does not happen, but a warning is still needed.

You have been warned!

"We are all someone's monster."

— Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

"Onīchan, do you have everythin' you'll need? Food? A first-aid kit? Matches? A knife? Rope?" Yuzu messes with Ichigo's bag she had prepared for him. "Hold on. Do you want me to go get a gun from Shin-san? He owes me a favor. Or–or I can go to Tayama-kun? He has a rifle. Oh! Maybe just–"

"Mah, mah. Yu-Yu, ya checked my bag–and everyone else's–three times already. And no need to go get me a gun, or a rifle. I think I can handle a military organization with jus' my fists and a sword," Ichigo says as he places his hands on top of Yuzu's shoulders. Yuzu's cheeks puff out in her pouting expression before she lightly shoves Ichigo away.

"I thought you wouldn't call me that anymore! An' let me worry! You're 'bout to invade a territory you have no knowledge of! Again!" Yuzu crosses her arms and looks away. Ichigo chuckles softly and crouches down so he could be lower than eye level.

He tilts his head with his arms crossed on top of his knees and smiles up at his little sister. "Imōto shouldn't go worryin' about Onīchan, ya know. That's Onīchan's job to worry about his siblings."

Yuzu snorts and rolls her eyes, showing the attitude she usually keeps to herself. She glances at Ichigo's eyes before stubbornly keeping her head turned. She sniffs and finally faces forward again.

"But when Onīchan doesn't take care of himself, Imōto can't help but worry! An'–an' this is... this is different..." Yuzu keeps her eyes pointed towards her fidgeting hands.

Ichigo sighs quietly and reaches a hand up to grab one of her hands before she starts to pick at her skin. Yuzu glances up, eyes shiny with unshed tears.

"Onīchan will be back. And he'll be back with Rukia-nēsan. He'll even bring a souvenir home, hm? Will that make Yu-Yu happy?" Ichigo reassures the blonde girl with a smile. Yuzu stares at tawny eyes before her shoulders relax in reluctant acceptance.

She places her hands on her hips and furrows her eyebrows. "Onīchan has to bring home two souvenirs! For me an' Rin-Rin!"

"Yes, yes." Ichigo stands up, still smiling and places a hand on top of Yuzu's head. "Now, go say goodbye to the others."

Yuzu beams up at her big brother before racing off to give her final goodbyes to the rest of Ichigo's group before they leave to invade an unknown society in the afterlife to save one of their own from execution. Ichigo crosses his arms and turns around, watching Karin desperately try to keep her pouting off of her face as she glares down at the ground.

"You'll get wrinkles if you continue poutin' like that," Ichigo points out, poking at one of Karin's puffed cheeks. Karin swats his hand away with a glare before she turns around and crosses her arms.

"I'm not poutin'!"

Ichigo smiles softly and lowers his hands. Time flew by faster than any of them expected to. He couldn't blame his sisters for their worry. Despite all of his reassurances, Ichigo might not come back. Not alive, at least.

"Mm... I think Rin-Rin is tryin' not to pout, but can't stop herself," Ichigo teases, making Karin point another glare at him.

"Stop callin' me that! I ain't a little kid anymore!" Karin exclaims before facing the other direction once more. Ichigo laughs quietly and places a hand on top of Karin's head. Karin jumps at the sudden touch and snaps her head back towards her brother.

"Rin-Rin worries too much, like Yu-Yu. Onīchan will be back and will have Rukia-nēsan with 'im. Maybe not whole, but alive." Ichigo lowers his hand from Karin's head and holds out his pinky finger. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle 'n my eye."

Karin stares at the pinky before her cheeks slowly flush red. She turns her head and wraps her own pinky around Ichigo's.

"Silly Onīchan..." Karin mumbles under her breath before running after her twin sister. Ichigo watches the black haired girl leave with a soft smile. His sisters were too adorable.

"They're very cute." Ichigo doesn't react to the deep voice of Yoruichi. He smiles just a bit wider in pride and nods his head.

"Cutest in the world. Ain't no one in the world that can withstand it," Ichigo states as he watches his little sisters tackle Uryū to the ground in a combined hug attack.

"Are you sure you should be promising such a hopeful return?" Yoruichi questions, not in disbelief but more in neutral curiosity.

Ichigo chuckles and crosses his arms, finally glancing down at the black cat. "I don't make promises easily. We'll be back with Rukia, alive and kickin'. We're only invadin' a society mostly ruled by a military organization. I've run into worse danger than that many times before."

Yoruichi's tail flicks back and forth, gold eyes peering into tawny brown. Ichigo doesn't look away as Yoruichi searches for whatever it he needed to see.

"Your skewed perception of dangerous situations worries me greatly." Yoruichi seemingly sags in exasperation, making Ichigo grin.

"Nah. I've jus' been in enough o' these situations that they don't scare me anymore," Ichigo retorts with a shrug.

"Yes." Yoruichi turns to watch the twin sisters almost choke Chad to death with their hugs. "And it worries me greatly."

"Mah, don't worry so much. You'll be with us. An' I've a feelin' that Soul Society won't know what hit 'em. The gang don't fight clean, ya know. Not even 'hime and she's our pacifist."

"...Orihime... are you sure you want to bring her with you? Soul Society doesn't show mercy, at least not at first–and especially not to invaders," Yoruichi asks slowly.

Ichigo scoffs loudly and rolls his eyes. "Wouldn't even think of leavin' her here for even a moment! 'hime refuses to kill, but that don't mean she ain't willin' to fight. Some things are worse than gettin' killed, ya know."

Orihime is a pacifist through and through, and if she were somehow separated and has to fight against someone stronger... she won't kill that person, even if her life depended on it. That doesn't mean she'll die from that person or that she'll go down easily. Orihime has her own ways to work around her morals that even make Ichigo wary during days where she's pissed.

She wasn't Tatsuki's best friend for shits and giggles after all.

"...alright." Yoruichi lets go of the topic easily enough, slowly walking towards the rest of the gang scattered around. "Kisuke, it's almost time."

"Yes, yes. I know!" Ichigo twitches at the cheerful voice behind him and turns around with a frown.

"Creepy-ass Geta-bōshi. What're you doin'?" Ichigo asks while placing his hands on his hips.

"Just waiting patiently for the doorway to almost finish charging!" Kisuke waves his fan towards the ginger before hiding his wide smile behind it. Ichigo raises an eyebrow at the emphasis on "patiently".

"This is as patient as you're gonna get from me. I don't like waitin'," Ichigo retorts, making Kisuke hum.

"Mah, is that why you decided to spend the night here with your friends?"

"Fuckin' 'course. Where else we'd go? Waitin' 'til one in the fuckin' mornin' to even get here's jus'a waste of time. We could at least get some form of a game plan goin' in that time. I'm impulsive, not sui–well, actually... eh–I'm a dumbass, not stupid." Ichigo rolls his eyes like it was the most obvious thing. He gets twitchy when he wastes time on the best of days and has put someone in a coma one time for it on the worst days. Wasting time can lead to someone dying. It almost has, once.

"Rukia. We're comin' for you or we'll die tryin'." Ichigo sighs quietly and looks up at the painted blue sky. They're gonna take some names and kick a bunch of ass, and Rukia better be grateful for it.

"Have you ever wondered how you'd die?" Ichigo's question makes Rukia start. She looks to her left and stares at the ginger with wide eyes. Ichigo doesn't look at her and continues to gaze up at the star-filled sky.

It was the day after Ichigo's mother's death anniversary. It was a hard day for everyone, but not necessarily bad.

Rukia stays quiet and stares at Ichigo's solemn expression with a carefully blank mask. A soft sigh leaves her before her head faces upwards to gaze at the stars with Ichigo.

"I've lost count... but I hadn't thought about it in a few decades," Rukia eventually answers after the silence stretches on for three minutes.

"Inuzuri isn't kind, especially to girls. But, for everyone that lives there... dying is just an everyday thing." Rukia messes with the hem of the skirt Yuzu had lent to her. "Dying by a Hollow was the best outcome, and I hoped that that would be how I died if I had stayed there for the rest of my life."

"And now?"

Rukia stares up at the waxing gibbous moon. She stops messing with her skirt and brings her hands up to her stomach to rest there.

"...like I said, I haven't thought about it in decades... but I think I would die the same way–only I would be protecting someone for as long as I could. Shinigami don't retire," Rukia speaks quietly into the warm summer air.

Ichigo hums in acknowledgement before moving his hands to rest behind his head. "Have you ever wondered how you'd live?"

"Live?" Rukia asks for clarification, caught off guard by the odd question. She finally turns her head and pauses when her eyes meet Ichigo's.

"Yeah. Have you ever wondered?" Ichigo repeats the question calmly. Rukia blinks before her eyes trail away. Has she?

Living in Inuzuri... that wasn't living; Rukia wouldn't even consider it surviving. Shin'ō Academy, that was just learning to be a functional being that had the capabilities of living. And the Kuchiki Clan, the 13th Division...

"...I've never thought I'd be able to survive long enough to think about living. But..." Rukia bites the inside of her lip.

But what? How can she live? Living is a luxury that most take for granted.

"I know," Ichigo speaks again, sounding almost longing for something. "I wish I had an answer too."

Glowing violet eyes stare into tawny eyes, glittering like gold in the moonlight. "I want to live, and maybe at some point I will, but I think just taking a step at a time to that goal is enough for me."

A smile, ghostly and almost demented in its heart wrenching sadness, stretches across Ichigo's face while he faces the night sky once more. He chuckles and nods his head; not in agreement, but in acknowledgement.

"I wonder what it's like to want that. Eventually, maybe... eventually..." Rukia ignores the icy dread that falls to the bottom of her stomach. Her body pauses all movement before her mind makes its decision and reaches a hand over towards Ichigo.

Rukia ignores the heavy flinch that shocks through Ichigo as she rests the palm of her hand over Ichigo's chest, right over his heartbeat. She smiles, heartbreaking and accepting and knowing.

"And I'll be here when you do want to live. I'll always be here, Ichigo." Even if he never does, Rukia will always be there for him. How can she not?

Ichigo is her brother just as she is his sister. She would fight for him to the ends of the Earth and to the end of time and she knows he would do the same for her.

Rukia doesn't startle awake from her dreams of soft memories. She just blinks her eyes open and stares down at her hands from the awkward angle of her neck.

"Ichigo..." Rukia takes a deep breath and straightens her posture, head raising to stare straight ahead. She pushes the memories down and locks them in a box, even though it was almost completely futile.

Any time she slept, she always dreamt of the cherished memories she had lovingly created while in the living world. Rukia didn't want them to stop... but she can't keep giving herself false hope of being saved.

Rukia sighs heavily and closes her eyes. She swallows back the burning in her throat and relaxes against the back of her chair. A soft breath leaves her nose before she takes in a deeper one.

A soft, damning, beautiful tune begins to resonate out from Rukia's chest and into the cell she was caged in. It raises the hair on her own arms even though she is the one who is humming the tune.

Her thoughts scatter likely hastily falling snow; they always scatter when she hums. But, it's been quite a few years since Rukia last sang this tune... the one that reaped any and all souls that accidentally fell into its beauty. A few because of her, but mostly because of Renji.

Back when surviving was the dream and living was impossible. Back when Rukia was known as the lethal Lady of Ice. Back when Inuzuri had filled her veins with ice and death and a numbness that only violence could quell. Rukia never missed it. The insanity that always had ruled Inuzuri was a parasite that Rukia will eternally be grateful had been sterilized and banished from her mind and soul the moment she had a chance to escape.

Run. Kill. Eat. Run. Kill. Drink. Run. Kill. Kill. Kill. Run. Starve. Kill. Kill. Kill. Run. Drink. Eat. Kill. Kill. Run. Run. Kill. Starve. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

Run if you don't want to be killed–or worse, so much worse. Kill if you don't want to be used like some sex toy or like a slave. Eat whatever you can find–even a corpse–or die giving into Inuzuri's sadistic curse. Drink if the starvation is reaching a level that makes the very food you need to survive look repulsive.

For a century–or almost one. Rukia still can't figure out how much time has truly passed there–Rukia and Renji had that ingrained in their brain. It wasn't living. It wasn't survival. But, it kept them alive.

Shin'ō Academy became their route for escape and their first introduction into what life actually was. They weren't living just yet–and still aren't, and sometimes... Rukia doesn't really know if they'll ever be able to live–but they were able to survive. They were able to learn, and grow, and become some form of a sentient being with morals and a conscience.

The Kuchiki Clan... and the 13th Division... Both... it was so, so, so lonely. But... it gave Rukia something more than survival. It wasn't living–nowhere near it–but it was something that raised Rukia to new heights. It gave Rukia happiness. Not a gratitude to be alive when she was with Renji and their old–dead, gone, killed, murdered–friends, but actually happiness. A joy in life to experience and live through.

But then Kaien-dono came in... Kaien-dono showed Rukia what living could be capable of. He gave her the tools and the advice no one else had given her. She wasn't ready for it; she wasn't ready to begin living instead of surviving or simply being alive, but she had the beginnings of a start.

Kaien-dono, and Miyako-dono, died. Everything paused and stagnated. Rukia wasn't surviving; she wasn't even alive. She was back in Inuzuri, only there was no death, no murder, no insanity. Just her going through the motions of her new life and watching it all pass over her.

She hadn't talked–she hadn't even seen–Renji in almost two decades. Her brother doesn't even want her as a sister. There wasn't anyone else, other than the co-3rd Seats and her captain, in her division that treated her like a normal person, and even though she was a member of the Shinigami Women's Association, she was more like an invisible ghost to everyone there. It was lonely, but it was a life.

Then the Living World mission. Then, Ichigo and his little family of misfits and broken teenagers. Oh, it wasn't at first sight, but Rukia fell in love with every person, even the arrogant Quincy.

Orihime and her bizarre cooking and pure heart. Tatsuki's lessons in karate and her spitfire and protective nature. Chad's calm presence and cute hobbies and collections of stuffed animals. Uryū's sewing and amazing capability to make anyone, including Rukia, into a mannequin when in his fashion moods. Keigo and his spontaneity that makes every day different and new and wonderful. Mizuiro and his quiet presence and his patience even with Rukia and her inability to get a handle on Human technology. Ichigo and his acceptance and his stubbornness and his loyalty and his strong will.

Ichigo and his warmth and his easy declaration that Rukia was his sister since forever. Ichigo and his unfaltering love for his sisters and his friends and his possessive overprotection to keep them safe and cared for when everyone else ignores them or breaks them. Just, Ichigo.

Rukia opens her eyes. Has she ever wondered how she would live?

Surviving was the impossible dream in Inuzuri. Being able to have a life was the goal in Shin'ō Academy, and then in the 13th Division, even with Kaien-dono there. How she would live–and not living. This was different than living. This was more than living–had never been a conceivable thought. Never a dream, or a wonder, or a goal. It just was never there.

But, for one moment–just to simply think... Just for one moment, Rukia thinks about how she would want to live.

"...I want to live with you, Ichigo. I want to live with you or I will die with you..." Rukia speaks out loud, soft and mourning and happy.

"Fuck. Do I have kids now? I think I have kids now. That fuckin' pop. Jesus Christ!" Ichigo presses a hand to his lower back as the aftermath of falling down right onto his upper back continues to course through his entire spine. Fuck, that hurt!

"Yuzu an' Karin don't need any new siblings right now," Tatsuki states tightly, kicking out her leg that she landed harshly on.

"Nice thinkin' Orihime." Ichigo slowly stands up, wincing at the cracking of his spine. "You hurt?"

"Oh! No, I'm all good–" Yoruichi slams his head into Orihime's, making her cry out in pain.

"Hey! Don't hit Orihime!" Ichigo, Keigo, and Chad converge on the cat, only for him to dodge them all by jumping on Ichigo's head and leaping away.

"You think that was "nice thinking"?! You're lucky that it was only the shield that was touched by the Kōtotsu! If it was the main body of Rokka, you would have been dead by now!" Yoruichi scolds loudly.

"Well, what was she supposed t'do?! We were gonna die anyway by the Koko, or whatever ya called it!" Tatsuki exclaims before she grabs Yoruichi by the scruff of his neck.

Yoruichi yowls loudly and tries to scratch at Tatsuki, only for the teenager to lift him higher. "Let go of me, brat!"

"Tell 'hime you're sorry!" Keigo demands with his arms crossed and a glare directed towards the black cat. Yoruichi growls loudly before hanging limply in Tatsuki's grip when the teenager expertly keeps her hand out of his reach.

"I'm sorry for disciplining you for your absolutely idiotic decision." Yoruichi glares at the teary-eyed ginger. Orihime sniffs before forcing a smile on her face.

"It-it's okay! I... I understand, but... um–just scolding works for me..." Orihime stutters out brightly, lowering her trembling hand.

"Look! The smoke's clearing," Uryū points out as he lowers a hand towards the still sitting ginger. Tatsuki unceremoniously drops Yoruichi before looking around.

"Are you sure this is Soul Society? It looks like that one neighborhood after it had to be evacuated," Mizuiro asks as he takes a few pictures.

"You brought your camera?" Ichigo asks while Yoruichi steps to stand beside Orihime and Uryū.

"It's not abandoned. This is just the outskirts. The Rukongai. The place where souls live when they first come to Soul Society. It's located around Seireitei," Yoruichi informs solemnly. "Rukongai is the poorest and most free area, but at the same time holding the most souls."

"'course! You think I'm just gonna fight without taking selfies with my enemies?" Mizuiro states as if Ichigo was the idiot for asking such a question.

"Fuckin' rich people. I still say we eat them all," Tatsuki sneers before spitting on the ground.

"It would solve world hunger!" Orihime smiles brightly at the thought before she turns towards the nicer looking houses. "Oh! Those look so nice! And clean!"

Ichigo looks up at the exclamation and blinks at the clear difference of cleanliness across from them. He scowls before scoffing with a hand scratching his temple.

"I guess that's where this Seireitei is. Let's get goin'." Ichigo starts running towards the nicer side.

"Are you all idiots?! You'll get killed!" Yoruichi shouts loudly.

"KUROSAKI ICHIGO!" Orihime screeches in her shock and horror. Ichigo stumbles at the sudden screech and whips his head around.

"Fuck!" Ichigo hits the back of his heel on his shin and falls backwards. He rolls once with a squawk before landing on his back. He stares up at the rapidly falling black bar towards his face. Rapidly falling black bar... rapidly falling black bar!

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck–" Ichigo rolls three times before his body is absolutely vaulted into the air by the tsunami-inducing earthquake that makes the ground shake like a fucking leaf. Dust forces itself into Ichigo's lungs and makes him hack loudly and attempt to wave away the billowing clouds.

"It's been so long... someone wants to go through Hakutōmon without a pass..." An absolute behemoth of a man starts while glancing down at the ground. "I finally have something to do. I'll treat you well... kid?"

There was no one in front of him.

Ichigo almost hacks up a lung as he continues to have a battle with the dust. He rapidly waves a hand to get the attention of the behemoth, leaning against the even bigger gate with his other hand for support.

"Give–give–hack–cough–hack–hack–me a mo–hack–hack–gak–cough–moment!" Ichigo gags at the amount of coughing before spitting out the excess saliva in his mouth.

"Er... no problem... kid..." The giant speaks awkwardly, scratching the side of his head with the back of his large axe.

"Ichigo?! Ichigo are you okay?" Orihime asks worriedly, racing forward with the rest behind her and Yoruichi running next to her. Ichigo waves her off as his coughing slowly eases into wheezes for breath once the dust dissipates.

"Jus' tryin' to cough up a lung here! Nothin' special!" Ichigo speaks in a choked tone. He takes a deep breath and calms his wheezes before snapping right up.

He sighs loudly and turns around with a clap of his hands. "Alright! Big guy, whatchu sayin' again?"

"We're going to duel! As the Seireimon Gate Guardian, I refuse to let you pass!" The behemoth booms loudly with a swing of his axe. Ichigo covers his face as the swing causes the land to surge up in a straight line.

"Ichigo!" Orihime exclaims, barely even covering her face as she tries to continue forward.

"'m fine Orihime! Y'all sit tight over there! It's jus' a simple fight!" Ichigo reassures his fellow ginger once he's able to uncover his face. Orihime stops next to the land surge, eyes wide in her worry. She takes a deep breath and nods her head with her hands clenched to her chest.

"How are you so idiotic, Ichigo?! No one has been able to pass Jidanbō for 300 years! Retreat now, so we can come up with a plan!" Yoruichi yowls in his anger and incredulity.

Ichigo rolls his eyes with a huff and grabs the hilt of his longer zanpakutō. "You're name's Jidanbō? Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Oh? What a lovely name!" Jidanbō exclaims with a grin, lifting his axe again. Ichigo's eyebrow twitches as he unsheathes one of his zanpakutō, grinning himself.

"It's by no means a lovely name, but thanks. Oh an'," Ichigo bends his knees, his grin turning sharper, "sorry 'bout the axe."

Ichigo rushes forward, dodging the massive swing of the axe and grabs the hilt of his unsheathed sword with both hands. He bends his knees and leaps high into the air, lifting his sword above his head. He continues grinning as he swings down against the butt of the axe.

It slides in by a foot before cracks start to form in the axe from the zanpakutō's forced stop. Ichigo cackles loudly and uses the leverage to lift his leg up in front of him, swinging it down.

The axe cracks further before shattering from the force. Jidanbō tries to pull back, only for the handle of the axe to come with him and causes him to fly back into the gate.

Ichigo falls with the remaining pieces of the axe and flips in the air before landing in a slight crouch. He stretches his arms before resting his zanpakutō against his shoulder.

Jidanbō stays laying against the gate with wide eyes before he rapidly blinks. He sits up with a booming laugh and rubs his head.

"Puah! That–that was really dangerous! Just got distracted for a second and found myself completely knocked back!" Jidanbō exclaims with a smile.

He stares down at Ichigo's slightly perturbed expression before he points at him. "Ah? What an expression! Did you really think you had defeated me so easily? Ahahaha! Don't be silly! There's no chance that I would be defeated by a guy like you!"

Jidanbō grins as he holds up a second, surprise, axe and his broken handle. He holds them in front of himself with a wide grin.

"I'll just have to use my–my–my–my axe!" Jidanbō stares at the broken handle with wide eyes. "A-axe? My axe? Where is my axe?"

Jidanbō snaps his head around before spotting the shattered pieces of his axe blade. Tears fill in his eyes before he glances back down at his handle.

"...my... axe..."

Ichigo startles back like a cat when Jidanbō slams his hands into the ground with a loud cry. He glances over at his friends with wide eyes, only to see disappointment heavy in Orihime's and Mizuiro's eyes with Tatsuki, Chad, and Keigo looking at him expectantly and Uryū recording him.

"It's... It's broken?! It's broken! You bastard! My axe–it's all your fault!" Jidanbō sobs even louder, making Ichigo wince heavily while turning to face him again. He ignores his own reddening ears and scratches the back of his head.

"Ah... Sorry, Jidanbō... I guess I got... carried away... I shouldn't have broken your axe... but, you have another one!" Ichigo speaks awkwardly, unsure how to comfort the behemoth.

"You–you are such... You are such a good guy! I am your foe–I lost the battle, but you still care about me!" Ichigo tenses his entire back and legs to stop himself from backing away from the shoulder pat Jidanbō gives him. "You are such a great guy! You have such a generous personality!"

"Eheh... thanks?" Ichigo sighs quietly in relief when the giant finger is taken off of his shoulder.

Jidanbō looks back down at the ground with another sob. "On the contrary, what am I doing? Crying like a baby only because of a broken axe! You're right! I have another one!"

Jidanbō sits up with a loud sniff, wiping away his tears. He looks down at Ichigo and smiles.

"I have been the gatekeeper of the Hakutōmon for 300 years... and you are the first I lost a battle to..."

"It really wasn't much of a battle though..." Ichigo keeps his thoughts to himself and just smiles awkwardly.

"...grant you my permission to pass through the Hakutōmon!" Jidanbō finishes, making Ichigo startle.

"Oh... really?!" Ichigo asks excitedly while Orihime cheers in the background.

"Are you sure you can allow passage?" Uryū asks loudly in his shock, walking after Orihime as she skips over to Ichigo.

"Yay! Yay! You're amazing, Ichigo!" Orihime gives her fellow ginger a quick hug, not lasting more than two seconds.

"Yes... your boss defeated me! A loser like me will not be able to stand in your way!" Jidanbō answers.

"Ah, you're no loser, Jidanbō! You just got the short end of the stick! The day someone beats Ichigo in a duel is the day when whales fly!" Keigo exclaims cheerfully, slapping Ichigo on the shoulder.

"I think it's when pigs fly, Keigo," Mizuiro retorts while he types away at something on his phone.

"No. It's when whales fly!"

"I'm pretty sure it's not."

"Why you–"

"Anyways!" Tatsuki slams both of her fists into the back of Keigo and Mizuiro's heads. "Thanks for lettin' us through, big guy!"

"Take care of yourself, Ichigo! I don't know the reason why you want to go through... but the warriors inside are all powerful guys!" Jidanbō warns solemnly.

"We know!" Ichigo states with a nod towards the behemoth. Both continue to stare at each other before Jidanbō nods back.

"...I see. Then, you better be prepared. Alright. I'm opening the gate now." Jidanbō slides his fingers underneath the gate and lifts up with a booming shout.

Ichigo and his gang blink at the sheer amount of strength being showcased. Why didn't he try and just punch Ichigo?

Ichigo watches as Jidanbō freezes and tenses, something heavy sinking in his stomach. "What's wrong? Why aren't you goin' in? Is somethin' wrong?"

Ichigo walks forward when Jidanbō starts to laugh; not in amusement, but in terror. He waves his hand towards Orihime, making her frown in determination as she quickly follows after him.

A lithe man with silver hair and slitted eyes stood on the other side wearing a wide smile that makes Ichigo's skin crawl. Ichigo instinctively reaches back and gently pulls Orihime to be behind on his left in case he needs to push her out of the way. This man was incredibly dangerous.

"Who the fuck is this?" Ichigo asks calmly, a hand reaching for his longer zanpakutō once more.

"The Captain of the 3rd Division... Ichimaru Gin..." Jidanbō answers in trembling terror.

"Ah, this is not allowed," Gin states, still smiling. Ichigo feels something warm splash onto his face before he snaps his head up towards Jidanbō. He watches as the behemoth's arm is sliced completely off and thrown back by the force.

"That's too bad... You are a gatekeeper. Opening the door is not your duty," Gin continues almost cheerfully. Orihime screams loudly before covering her mouth.

Ichigo feels something pulse inside at the scream and twitches. He unsheathes his zanpakutō and snarls.

"Orihime!"

Orihime snaps her head towards the captain with her hands over her hairpins. "Tsubaki! K-Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

A single petal of a hairpin glows before shooting out. Gin flinches back and unsheathes his own zanpakutō.

"Shoot 'em, Shinsō!" The blade elongates and shoots towards Jidanbō.

Ichigo barely jumps up in time to use his own body to block the sword before he's forced back into Jidanbō, causing them both to fly back from the force.

Tsubaki slices through Gin's free arm, making it fly towards the gate and next to Orihime. He zooms back into place right before the gate slams closed.

"Ichigo! Jidanbō-san!" Orihime raises her hands towards her hairpins again as she sprints towards where the two had fallen. Ichigo sits up with a groan, grabbing his bleeding side.

"Shun'ō, Ayame! Sōten Kisshun, I reject!" Orihime exclaims before she stops before Jidanbō's sliced off arm. "Someone give me a hand here!"

Uryū kicks over the other cut off arm from the captain and makes it land next to Orihime once more.

She turns a fiery glare on the Quincy and scowls. "I meant a metaphorical hand! But thank you!"

"Got it! C'mon Chad!" Tatsuki lightly hits Chad's shoulder before she sprints over to help with the arm.

"Ichigo, this better not be some new habit! Repeatedly getting stabbed is not healthy for you," Uryū states in his own scolding way, making the ginger glare at him through the healing shield.

"Says the one who taunted those gangsters when they each had a knife," He snarks with a heavy scowl. Uryū pushes up his glasses and covers his embarrassment with a cough.

"I wasn't stabbed. Just sliced!"

"Sure, sure. Now, go help Orihime with that arm," Ichigo orders with a thumb pointed at Tatsuki futilely attempting to roll the arm over by trying to pull its thumb while she stands on top of the palm and Chad ramming his shoulder into the bicep to try and move it closer to Jidanbō's shoulder.

Uryū sweatdrops at the scene before nodding his head. He rushes over and begins to try and push at the bicep as well. Ichigo doesn't say anything when he watches Mizuiro taking a picture of the hilarious scene.

Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! Woo! It's been a long time! Sorry about that! But, it's out!

I don't think Gin expected Tsubaki... I wonder how Aizen will react? Probably not good... hmm... I don't know! We'll see in the next chapter! Maybe.

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye!

WhovianWhoudini