Kisuke arrived at his shop, panting for breath as he was tired and opened the door. Almost immediately, the former captain felt a sense of unease as he stepped into his shop. It was dark and silent, and there was no sign that anyone had been in the shop ever since the Winter War started. "Yoruichi! Tessai! Anyone home?" He called out, and breathed a sigh of relief when someone replied back to him.
"Yes sir! I am in Yoruichi-sama's room!" Tessai's deep voice echoed from the back of the shop, and Kisuke knew that it was the real Tessai because not only did he sense his reiatsu, but also Yoruichi's reiatsu, which indicated that she was currently unconscious. "The children are in that special room you created." Kisuke knew the room he was talking about, which solidified that the Tessai he was talking to was the real one and not an enemy. A couple of years ago, there had been a discussion between the three exiles about what to do with Jinta and Ururu when the Central 46 ordered the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to find and execute them. Kisuke came up with an idea; he was going to create a room large enough for the kids to stay in until everything blows over. It was going to be undetectable by the naked eye and there were going to be seals all around it created by Tessai so that not even Yamamoto himself could sense the kids' reiatsu. When he pitched the idea, his friends quickly agreed and he began to work on the room. It was harder than he anticipated but with Yoruichi helping him, the room was quickly built and the former Kidō Corps Commander put all the seals he knew everywhere in the room.
Kisuke went into his room and got an extra white and green bucket, putting it on his head. He did not know why, but even though his friends and children were safe and alive, he could not shake off the uneasy feeling that was increasing as time went by. It was beginning to make him feel worried. "Meet me down below at the underground chamber in 5 minutes!"
"Yes, boss!" came the response as the scientist made his trek down the ladder.
( Underground Chamber, a couple of minutes later)
Tessai reached the bottom ladder and turned, seeing Kisuke standing near the middle of the vast environment. Using Shunpō, he quickly reached his boss's location in no time. Upon seeing Tessai, Kisuke pulled out the Hōgyoku from his pocket.
"I'm sure you know what this is, right Tessai?"
The tall man nodded. "The Hōgyoku."
"That's right. This is the Hōgyoku. Can you tell me what this does?"
Tessai stared at his boss for a few moments before answering, "According to what you told me years ago, it is supposed to break the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollows."
Kisuke nodded. "I thought so as well, but it seems I was wrong."
"What do you mean by that, boss?"
Kisuke sighed. "According to Aizen, not only is it supposed to break the barriers between Soul Reapers and Hollows, its true ability is materializing the inner desires of the people who use it." He put it down on the ground and created a barrier to contain it. "Aizen desired to transcend the barriers of Shinigami and Hollows and to take the place of the Reio, because he could not stand serving under an 'abomination' as he called the Reio. Now imagine if someone got a hold of this and their inner desire was more on the bad side of this. A person who knows the Hōgyoku's capabilities, wanted to be the most powerful being in existence and/or destroy everything in the process."
Tessai thought about it for a few moments, realizing that if what Kisuke said was true, then it meant that whoever came along, had ill intentions in their hearts and managed to get the Hōgyoku, then they could do a lot worse than Aizen. "That... is very troublesome." He finally responded.
Kisuke nodded seriously. "It is, that's why we must immediately seal it away for now until we can find a way to permanently destroy it."
"Yes, boss," Tessai responded as they began to work on sealing it.
( Minutes later)
"And that's it. That took longer than expected! I need to take my beauty sleep after this." Kisuke joked, his sense of humour returning as the two men finished sealing the Hōgyoku. Kisuke knew from personal experience that the Hōgyoku could not be destroyed, so the both of them decided to add as many seals as they possibly could one atop another, the next seal being longer to unlock than the last so that whoever managed to get their hands on it would have a very hard time unsealing the Hōgyoku and give Kisuke and the others enough time to find it, defeat the person who had it, and get it back. For now, even though the solution was temporary at best, it meant one less problem for Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living and the Soul Society.
"Boss?" Tessai asked, making Kisuke hum in acknowledgment. "How is the boy? Is he alright?"
"He's fine," Kisuke responded tiredly. "However, he no longer has his powers."
Tessai slightly bowed his head when he heard this, having newly found respect for Ichigo for saving their lives. He spoke, "That is unfortunate. I am sure he must be devastated about the loss of his powers."
The candy shop owner looked at Tessai with a serious expression that Tessai rarely saw unless the situation called for it. "You see, that is where the problem lies Tessai; he did not appear to be devastated at all about the loss of his powers. He told me that he knew what would happen if he used the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho, which I am assuming is the technique that he used on Aizen that caused him to lose his powers, and yet he did not regret using it. He even said he would gladly do it over and over again. That kid did something even the Soutaicho himself could not accomplish." Kisuke sighed. "Ichigo has grown up from the kid he was, and it is all my fault."
"There is no use in feeling regret for your past actions, Urahara." Tessai bellowed. "You made the choices you made in the past, and nothing you do now will change what happened back then. You having regrets is unprofessional and useless at this point in time. Kurosaki Ichigo used his technique to defeat Aizen at the cost of his powers, and does not regret it. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, focus on doing something for the boy for his role in the war. It is the least we could do for him." The former captain stared at Tessai and in that moment he did not see the cleaner of his shop, he saw his mentor staring back at him. As he processed what Tessai said, he realized that his mentor was right. He did what he did in the past, and he could not go back in time and change his decisions. Tessai was right; he was going to do something for Ichigo, perhaps find a way to give Ichigo his powers back.
"Thank you for your advice, Tessai-san. I'll find a way to give Ichigo his powers back. To be honest, you've called me boss for so long it's honestly jarring to hear you call me like you used to." Instead of answering, the big man merely chuckled.
"You gentlemen seem to having fun." A female voice made itself known. Kisuke and Tessai looked at the ladder and saw a beautiful dark-skinned woman with purple hair approach them. Shihōin Yoruichi, the former Captain of the Second Division and 22nd head of the Shihōin family had a mischievous smile on her face as she stood in front of the two exiles. She briefly glanced at the sealed orb between the two men. "So Ichigo beat Aizen."
Kisuke looked at his long-time friend and smiled. 'She seems to be doing way better than a couple of minutes ago.' When they fought Aizen, she was badly injured but thanks to some Kaidō from Tessai, most of her wounds were healed. She now wore her former Stealth Force uniform, but her entire body was covered in bandages.
"Yoruichi." Kisuke greeted his friend. "Ichigo did what the Gotei 13, Yamamoto-soutaicho, you, I and Isshin could not do. But I feel like something was bothering Isshin's kid." When Yoruichi and Tessai looked at him with confused expressions, he spoke, "After Aizen was sealed Ichigo almost immediately stared at the seal with an expression mixed with pity and sympathy, if I were to guess." Yoruichi and Tessai looked at each other. They were not surprised by this statement, considering who Ichigo is. The were-cat opened his mouth to speak but unfortunately didn't get a chance to as a huge amount of reiatsu hit them like a car, making them sweat lightly. When it finally subsided and eventually began to disappear, Yoruichi shouted, "What the fuck was that?!"
"Hollows."
The exiled captains turned around to look for the voice and what they found were the Captains, lieutenants and seated officers coming out of the Senkaimon and standing at the entrance of the underground chamber. It was their stances that the three former captains what they were doing there. They were not just standing near the entrance; they were guarding it.
"I figured that was the case, but why are there so many? And if that's the case, why are all of you guys here? Shouldn't you guys go and take care of them, and where's Ichigo?" Yoruichi asked as she stared at the many hands resting on the hilts of their Zanpakutō.
"No, Shihōin Yoruichi." The ancient Shinigami grunted as he gestured for the 4th Division lieutenant to heal some of his injuries. The rest would be dealt with by Unohana and some of the 4th Division members back in Sereitei. "The reason why there are many Hollows is because I brought all of those Hollows here using Hollow bait." This shocked the two former captains as it was not known for the Soutaicho to willingly summon Hollows when he spent literal centuries preaching about Hollows staying in Hueco Mundo and purifying them once they entered either the World of the Living or Soul Society.
Kisuke, on the other hand, was confused and very suspicious as to what was happening. As he looked at each member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, he realized a very crucial detail right then and there. Ichigo was not with them and the large amount of reiatsu came from the direction where Ichigo and Aizen fought. It instantly clicked. "I would ask you if you are joking, but you are not one to make jokes," Kisuke said, removing his hat to look at the leader of the Shinigami dead in the eyes.
"You killed Ichigo, didn't you Yamamoto-soutaicho?"
The Goddess of Flash and the former Captain of the Kidō Corporation stared worryingly at their friend while Yamamoto felt a faint sense of goose bumps for the first time in centuries as Kisuke slowly became surrounded by a crimson aura.
"What do you mean by that, boss?" Tessai asked, almost wishing he hadn't as Kisuke looked at him with an expression that was full of barely contained anger, but the big man knew that it was not directed towards him.
"Yoruichi, what do you feel in the air? Aside from the Hollows, I mean." The were-cat shot Kisuke a confusing look before closing her eyes and focusing on the reiatsu around her. After a few moments, she didn't feel Ichigo or Aizen's reiatsu, which was puzzling to her. What was even more puzzling to her was the fact that she still hadn't seen Ichigo, although he beat Aizen. As she concentrated, she felt the Hollows creating a circle, gathered around something.
"You killed him, didn't you Yamamoto-soutaicho?"
Yoruichi immediately opened her eyes as she understood what Kisuke was implying. She tried to go to Ichigo's aid by using her fastest Shunpo. However, an invisible force pushed her back and made her fly backward. She did a backflip mid-air and landed on her feet next to Tessai, looking confused. "What the hell was that?" she muttered to herself, but Tessai heard her. He walked past her and put his hand on the invisible barrier. He then effortlessly enforced a small portion of his reiatsu and a green light began to surround him, revealing a translucent barrier.
"This, Yoruichi-sama, is a time and containment barrier." He boomed. "This was created and taught by the Kidō Corps to the lower ranking and unseated Shinigami who had low reiatsu and/or power and wanted to create a trap for their enemies, whether it was a Hollow or rogue Shinigami." He removed his hand and stared at a certain captain when he realized who this spiritual pressure belonged to. "It is easy to create, and a Shinigami can hold it or reinforce it, based on how much reiatsu they have. I only have one question: When did you set it up, Unohana-taicho?"
The motherly captain looked hesitant to answer but she did. "When I was here to visit Yoruichi. It was to keep you from going to Kurosaki's aid."
The former Shihōin clan head took a step back and her eyes widened in shock and betrayal as she vividly remembered that particular visit. Unohana had randomly shown up at the shop and said that she was there to visit Yoruichi. Kisuke was a little suspicious and warned Yoruichi but that feeling died when he was reassured by the werecat. Unohana then asked for a place to train, saying that it had been so long since she did so and wanted to shake off the rust. One thing that did strike her as odd was the fact that she requested that all of the underground cameras be removed. Again, Kisuke was suspicious, but the combination of Unohana's scary sweet smile, threats, and his friend punching his head and telling him that he was being paranoid made him eventually relent, albeit hesitantly.
"You lied to me." She whispered. "So that visit where you wanted to catch up. It was all lies, wasn't it?" Yoruichi bitterly asked herself, feeling stupid for not listening at her friend.
"Yoruichi-san, I was not…"
"You were not what Unohana-taicho?" She coldly interrupted, not caring that this was one of the most dangerous people she knew could defeat her, even when she was going all out. "You lied to me. Kisuke warned me about your suspicious visit, but I told him not to worry about it. I told him that he was looking too much into that and that it was nothing. Kisuke was right all along." Unohana just stayed quiet. The dark-skinned woman then turned his attention to her former student, who had blood on her hand. "Suì-Fēng, is that his blood?" When the petite woman refused to answer and look at her, Yoruichi shook her head in disbelief that she would do that to her fellow pupil. "Ichigo did nothing to you. Why didn't you do anything to stop this or better yet, why did you take part in this?" Suì-Fēng had no response and merely stared at the ground, knowing that she was a part of her personal goddess's pain.
"So when you told me to come here and seal the Hōgyoku, it was to get me away from the man who saved all of you, and if he proved too hard to kill, you summoned Hollows to finish him off." Kisuke calmly spoke, but his eyes told a different story. He then turned his attention towards Rukia, who looked like she was on the verge of crying but was barely holding it back together. "And I assume that you were a part of this assassination?" he asked the petite woman.
"Yes." The response was hoarse and quiet, but Kisuke heard it. Byakuya, who was next to her, looked at her, wondering what his sister felt. As the scientist stared at her, he noticed that there was blood on her face, furthering the confirmation that she had been the one to finish Ichigo off, however he could tell by the body language and the refusal to look at anyone, especially the Soutaicho, made the former captain think of two scenarios: either she did this on her own and she was now feeling guilt and shame, or she was forced to strike him down, which he believed was the more probable conclusion.
"I see," Tessai responded. It saddened him to see the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, an organization that he has worked for, be corrupted like this. As he stared at the Shinigami, he slowly and subtly weakened the barrier from the inside, making sure that Unohana and the others didn't know and got caught off guard because of what was about to happen.
"Why did you do it?" Kisuke asked as he drew his Zanpakutō from his cane, seeing what his former mentor was doing.
Yamamoto, seeing the scientist unsheathe his Zanpakutō, tapped the ground with his cane and most of the Shinigami unsheathed their swords and got into their stances. "Kurosaki Ichigo had grown too strong, in a very short amount of time." He grumbled. "If not stopped, he could have become power-hungry and attempted to put the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living at risk of being destroyed. It was decided that he was to be put down after he defeated Aizen." It became quiet as the old Shinigami waited for a response and perhaps a surprise attack. To his inward irritation, the crimson aura around Kisuke increased instead of disappearing and the scientist uttered a single phrase.
"Scream, Benihime!" He called out and slashed at the weakened barrier, causing it to shatter. Yoruichi stood up and wordlessly activated her Shunkō, glaring at the two people who betrayed her trust. Tessai stood up as well and got into a battle stance. Before anyone could do anything, a small tornado of pink blossoms appeared between the two parties. When it shrunk and disappeared, it revealed Byakuya Kuchiki standing alongside Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku, who had their zanpakutō drawn, confusing everyone.
"What is the meaning of this?" Yamamoto barked.
"Let me redirect that question back to you, Yama-jii: What is the meaning of this?" Kyōraku asked with an impassive expression on his face. "You know as well as I do that there is no reason to fight here."
Yamamoto growled, "Move, boy."
"No Yamamoto-dono," Ukitake answered back. "We will not move. We have done your objective. Let us return to the Sereitei."
"Who are you to tell me what to do, Ukitake Jūshirō?" His former mentor snarled.
"Ukitake Jūshirō is the captain of the 13th Division, Kyōraku Shunsui is the captain of the 8th Division and I, Kuchiki Byakuya, am the captain of the 6th Division." The noble coolly replied. "As such, we are saying that we have done enough. Forcing my sister to attend Kurosaki's assassination is one thing, but ordering Rukia to take part in it, at the very last minute when it was not the original plan, is unforgivable."
Many people blinked at what the Kuchiki noble was saying. Yamamoto simply increased his reiatsu and growled as the fire began to surround him. "You do realize that fighting me, your Captain Commander is treason, and if you truly had a problem with this plan, why did you not make your complaint known? As a matter of fact, why did you raise your hand when we voted to eliminate Kurosaki?"
"It was because my duty as a captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and as a protector of the Soul Society overpowered my pride as the head of the Kuchiki clan and the enormous debt I owed Kurosaki." Byakuya smoothly replied. "After the boy defeated me and saved Rukia from me, I vowed to never again go into a situation where my duty overrides my reasoning, but I broke that promise the moment I raised my hand. I will never be able to forgive myself for that, Captain Commander."
"Also, this is not the Blood War from a thousand years ago where you could just end an innocent life and not give a damn, Yama-jii." Kyōraku sighed as he lowered Katen Kyokotsu. "These innocent lives are what helped us defeat Aizen and helped us through every obstacle we faced."
"Please be reasonable for once, Yamamoto-dono." The gentle captain pleaded. "We do not need to make any more reckless decisions. Just think about the enemies we have created by killing the boy." He gestured behind him. "The founder of the Research and Development Institute Urahara Kisuke, the Goddess of Flash Shihōin Yoruichi, the former Commander of the Kidō Corporation Tsukabishi Tessai, the wrongfully banished group that calls themselves the Vizards, Shiba Isshin who is the boy's father, Inoue Orihime, who can reject anything and anyone if she chose to be a fighter, a spiritually empowered human in Sado Yasutora and a Quincy in Ishida Uryū! If you attack the three behind me you are, without a shadow of a doubt, going to start a war we cannot win. Please, let us return to the Soul Society and leave them be."
The silence that followed after that speech was deafening. Everyone was shocked to see the three most loyal captains call out the Soutaicho. Yamamoto himself was surprised that his two former students and one of his most loyal captains were defying him and challenging him like this. Now he had two options; he could fight them right then and there, but he would evidently kill one of all of them if he was to go all out or he could simply charge them with insubordination, and they would leave. After this war, he needed his captains now more than ever. If he killed them, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would lose some of its strength that could possibly never be regained, so he quickly made his decision. The fire that swirled around him vanished into thin air and he scoffed. "You will all be punished for your insubordination." They all bowed their heads. They didn't mind at all, they were just thankful that they stopped any more blood from being shed on that day.
Yamamoto nodded. "Very well. Sasakibe, open the Senkaimon." The lieutenant of the 1st Division unsheathed his Zanpakutō and stabbed the air and when the top half disappeared he twisted it, revealing a gate that appeared out of nowhere. Yamamoto was the first to enter and everyone began to follow. When everyone went inside and Ukitake was the last one, he turned around and deeply bowed at the three still-stunned former captains. "I deeply apologize for everything that has happened today." He then entered the Senkaimon and closed it behind him, leaving Tessai, Kisuke, and Yoruichi who had deactivated her Shunkō.
"Tessai?" The shop owner spoke after a few moments.
"Yes, boss."
Kisuke's expression hardened. "Except for Isshin and his daughters, no Shinigami is allowed in my shop. And make sure that you contact Isshin and his daughters. And bring Ichigo's friends here so that they can know of his death. I don't think it is a good idea to keep them all in the dark. Understood?"
"Yes, boss. But where are you going?" Tessai asked as his former student walked past them and towards the ladder. Kisuke turned to look at Yoruichi, who just walked past him and went up the ladder. He knew that Yoruichi adored Ichigo, even though she would tease him sometimes. 'To have the knowledge that your student killed her fellow student must be devastating for her.' He thought. "As for where I am going, I'm going to prepare myself for being beaten half to death by Isshin."
"Yes, boss."
X
( Kurosaki Household)
Isshin entered his house to find his daughters sleeping on the couch. He smiled a bit when he saw that they were safe. 'I wonder if Ichigo's done fighting Aizen?' he thought to himself. Right then the phone rang, which confused him as he thought everyone, aside from a couple of people, was unconscious. Curiosity got the better of him as he answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon, Shiba Isshin." Tessai's deep voice boomed from the other side. "Urahara has summoned you to the Urahara Shoten, and bring your daughters with you. It's very important." Tessai hung up the phone before Isshin could even ask.
That set off a lot of red flags for the man. The fact that one; Tessai called him by his real name, two; he was summoned by Kisuke, not invited, and three; he was told to bring his daughters meant that it had to be important. Wasting no time, he hurled both Karin and Yuzu on his shoulders and used Shunpo to go to the shop, not shaking off the gut feeling that something terrible had happened.
( Urahara Shoten, a couple of minutes later)
When the father of three arrived at the shop of his friend, he was expecting a tense atmosphere and being told that his son had lost his powers, with said son sitting with his teachers in the living room. What he didn't expect to see, was Kisuke sitting without his trademark hat and cloak and staring at him with a deadly serious expression on his face, was very jarring to him, especially since he was used to seeing the sandy blonde-haired man wearing that trademark attire and having that stupid grin on his face. The shopkeeper had some serious moments before, like that day he met him, but nothing like this. His fan was also absent from his face, laying neatly on the small table.
"Please sit down, Isshin." His tone was serious as well, and that made him begin to fear for his son's safety. 'Please no. Not Ichigo.' He thought as he sat down cross-legged across from Kisuke. "What's going on, Kisuke? Why did Tessai to bring my daughters along? More importantly: Where. Is. My. Son?" He growled.
Kisuke sighed. He really did not want to be the bearer of bad news, but he knew that the man deserved to know about Ichigo's death, even if it would result in him becoming a punching bag. "Please wake your daughters up, Isshin. I think it's time they knew about the truth about the supernatural world."
Isshin's anxiety quickly turned into confusion at the former scientist's request. He also noticed that Kisuke avoided his questions. "Why?" He asked in suspicion and apprehension.
"Just do it. Please." Still suspicious, Isshin slowly moved towards his daughters and gently shook them awake. Yuzu was the first to wake up, quickly being followed by Karin.
"Dad?" She asked drowsily as she rubbed her eyes. "What's going on?" She then took a closer look at her father. "Wait, you look a bit…fuzzy? And why are you wearing that black robe?" She asked. Karin was about to add on to the pile of questions that her twin sister just asked, she was interrupted by a cough. She and Yuzu turned to look at the source of the sound. They saw a man with blonde hair sitting there, staring at them with a serious look on his face.
"Dad, who is that?" Karin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Hello, Karin and Yuzu. I am Urahara Kisuke, a friend of your brother and dad's." Kisuke replied with a slight smile before quickly putting up a hand to silence the questions before they came out of the twins' mouths. "I know you have a lot of questions to ask me, but I would like for you to hold them off until I tell you everything you need to know."
"What do you mean?" Yuzu asked. It was then that Kisuke began to tell them about reiatsu, reiryoku, Hollows, Shinigami, Quincy (Isshin had glared at him for that, but the scientist just shrugged it off), the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and Ichigo's adventures. After that, it was silent in the shop as the Kurosaki twins processed all of the information. As they continued to digest it, it did fill in some of the gaps and cleared up some of the confusion in their lives, especially for Karin. Ever since that night with the truck (Urahara told her the truth about what happened), she had begun to notice some changes in her brother, mainly him being more muscular and always carrying around an oversized kitchen knife. But that did bring up a question she wanted to ask.
"Ok…that…explains a lot." She spoke. "What does this have to do with me and Yuzu, though?"
Kisuke frowned. "I will tell you but first, I need to your dad in the basement about something very important." Without another word, he gestured to Isshin to follow. With a statement to his daughters to stay put and not go anywhere, he then followed the shopkeeper down to the basement, where he would receive the most shocking, devastating, and heart-breaking news since his wife's death.
X
( Orihime's House)
Uryū, Chad, and Orihime sat down on the cool floor, extremely exhausted after exorcising all of the Hollows that had shown up after they followed the captains to the World of the Living. They were already tired after the events in Las Noches, but now? They could barely move a muscle. It was a miracle that they even managed to walk to Orihime's house. Orihime would have healed them, but she was exhausted from trying to dodge and run away from the Hollows, occasionally using Tsubaki when she was backed into a corner.
"I'm so...tired." Uryū managed to get out while the others just nodded. Something else was bothering him though. He knew that Hollow bait was used, but he thought he was the only one who used it since his father no longer involved himself in the spiritual world anymore. And he knew that it had to be a considerable amount to even summon so many Hollows. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the telephone rang. Chad, having regained some of his strength, painfully got up and went to pick up the phone.
"Orihime's phone. How may I help you?" He asked.
"Good afternoon to you, Yasutora Sado." Tessai's voice boomed on the other side. "Gather Inoue-san and Ishida-san and come to the shop. There is something very important that you all need to know." He hung up immediately, leaving Chad to look at the telephone in confusion. After they had recovered their strength, the three teens entered the shop after Uryū grabbed both of them and used Hirenkyaku to travel faster. They were surprised to see the Kurosaki twins there.
"Yuzu? Karin? What are you doing here?" Orihime asked.
Karin shrugged. "Beats me. We just woke up in this shop when a man wearing a bucket hat told us to wait here while he talked to Dad. They both went down to the basement.'' Seconds after finishing that statement, the two men entered the room. Everyone noticed that Kisuke was holding his left eye while Isshin was visibly fuming.
"Uh, Dad? What's going on, and you still haven't told us why you're wearing that black robe?" Yuzu asked. Isshin didn't answer, instead looking at the shopkeeper with a look that clearly said one thing.
"You brought them here, you speak to them."
Kisuke sighed as he sat down, gesturing everyone to do the same.
"Okay, since everyone is here, I'll cut to the chase."
He removed his bucket hat and looked at everyone in the eyes as he said the four words that caused Isshin to look away in sadness, guilt, and anger, Chad and Uryū's eyes to widen, and Orihime and the twins to put their hands in their mouths in shock and disbelief.
"Kurosaki-san is dead."
X
( Sereitei, Midnight)
The moment Yamamoto-soutaicho and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads exited the Senkaimon and stepped foot in the Sereitei, everyone who was patrolling in the general area stopped what they were doing and started cheering, making everyone else come to see the commotion and cheer, and soon the entire area, as far as the eye could see, was filled with low ranking seated and non-seated officers, cheering for them. "Everyone back to their barracks immediately!" Yamamoto commanded with full authority in his voice, and less than ten seconds later, not a single Shinigami was seen. A moment later, he felt a couple of signatures moving past him faster than the eye could see, however thanks to his centuries of experience in sensing fast Shunpo and Hirenkyaku users from a millennium ago, he was able to deduce that Kuchiki Rukia was the first one who blew past him, followed by Jūshirō and Byakuya. She probably left to grieve for the boy while the two followed her to make sure she was alright. "All the people who are injured, make your way towards the 4th Division and get your wounds healed. All those who are not injured may do whatever they wish." With a silent nod, everyone disappeared leaving Unohana, Sasakibe, and Yamamoto. They decided to walk their way towards the Fourth Division.
"Don't you think that might have been too much, Yamamoto-soutaicho?" Unohana spoke with a slight edge in her voice as they continued to walk.
"What do you mean by that, Unohana-taicho?" The old man grunted, noticing the edge.
"I mean ordering Jūshirō's 3rd Seat to eliminate someone she knows very well and who saved this place multiple times, without telling any of us beforehand. That was a bit too harsh, even for your standards." She replied.
Yamamoto scoffed. "It matters not. Kurosaki is dead and two very dangerous threats have been neutralized. That is enough."
The Captain of the 4th Division shook her head, knowing that her comrade was avoiding the question.
"Yamamoto-soutaicho-"
"I stand by my decision, Retsu." The old man grumbled as they stopped outside the door of the barracks. "That boy sacrificed his life for the Soul Society multiple times and I will always be grateful to him for doing that, but it was best for the peace of the Soul Society to quickly fix a problem before it became too big for us to handle. I do not regret my decision." He finished as he entered the barracks, leaving the female captain with one question as she entered the barracks.
'You may not regret your decision, but was it the correct one?' She thought. 'Forcing that girl to kill someone she cared for?' She thought as she remembered Rukia immediately using Shunpo to get away from the group once they entered the Sereitei, with Ukitake and Byakuya following her. 'I'm going to have to talk to Kuchiki-taicho about this, see what he thinks about this situation.'
X
( Kuchiki Manor)
"Rukia, please let us in. We need to talk to you." Ukitake pleaded for the hundredth time as he and the stoic noble stood outside Rukia's room, and so far she had refused to open the door or talk to anyone.
Byakuya then put his hand on the gentle captain's shoulder and said, "That is enough, Ukitake-taicho. Let her grieve for the boy. You can come back tomorrow. Come, I will show you out." Ukitake seemed reluctant to do so, but eventually relented and followed Kuchiki to the gates.
'I truly hope she is alright.'
X
"Why did you do this to me? Rukia!"
Ichigo's words echoed throughout her head over and over as tears flowed freely down her face, the petite woman not bothering to wipe them. She was curled up in the fedal position on her bed, the sheet getting soiled by her tears as she thought about her involvement in the assassination of the man who had saved the entirety of the Soul Society multiple times.
"After everything we've been through, you're going to turn your back on me?" She could hear the pain and sadness in his voice as he asked that question. He was broken about her betrayal and wanted to know why she was turning her back on him. Even though the Captain Commander said it was for the peace and prosperity of the Sereitei, guilt was wearing her down like Captain Commander's reiatsu when he was angry.
"Goodbye, Kurosaki Ichigo."
She tried, so hard, to be a stone-cold killer and she was barely able to keep it together long enough for all of them to reach the Sereitei. It didn't matter though, because one thing will never change.
She was actively involved in the assassination of the man she had feelings for.
She continued to cry throughout the night.
X
"What do you mean, Kurosaki is dead?!" Uryū exclaimed, not believing that Ichigo was dead. "You're telling me Aizen killed him?!" At the side, Chad was still in shock while Orihime and the twins had tears in their eyes.
Urahara sighed. "Yes and no to both your questions, Uryū."
"I don't understand."
The shopkeeper sighed again and removed his hat, putting it on his chest. "Ichigo is dead, but he was not killed by Aizen. At least Aizen would have had the decency to make it quick."
"Then who was it, Urahara-san?" The dark skinned man asked.
A flash of anger appeared on Urahara's face and he let it stay there. "It was the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." Almost everyone's eyes went wide at the news.
"It can't be." Orihime whispered with tears flowing down her face. "I don't believe it."
"Inoue-san, I know that-"
"I said I don't believe it!" She shouted as she stood up. "I refuse to believe that the Gotei 13 killed Ichigo! Why didn't Renji or Rukia stop it if that's true!?"
"She didn't stop it," Isshin spoke with a grim expression on his face, making everyone look at him. "No, that's not right. Let me rephrase: She couldn't stop it."
Chad had a bad feeling that he knew where this was headed. "Why do you say that, Kurosaki-san?"
Isshin closed his eyes, took his breath, and opened them, looking at everyone but Kisuke. Tessai and had entered the room as quietly as possible, but he ignored them.
"The reason Kuchiki Rukia couldn't stop the assassination is very simple: she is the person who was forced to kill my son."
X
(?)
In the Soul Society, countless kilometres in the air, there is a place, a building that is surrounded by five giant floating cities that belong to the Zero Division, also known as the Royal Palace. Contrary to what people might think, the Royal Palace does not reside in the Soul Society. It is in another dimension, protected by seventy-two barriers. In one of the many large and elegant rooms, there was a large crystal that was dangling off the ground, being held by ropes. Inside this crystal was a trapped humanoid creature with very bizarre features. It was a man with slicked black hair and limbs that were floating uselessly in the crystal and his eyes had four pupils in each eye. His arms and legs were so thin it seemed that they were going to break with any movement this man made, if he could make any movements at all. This was the Reio, the closest thing to a god in the Soul Society. The reason he was trapped in this crystal was because of the very same Shinigami he was watching who imprisoned him.
He slowly opened his multi-pupil eyes as he remembered the glimpse into the future, and stared around the room he had stayed in for hundreds of years, eventually landing on a man standing in front of the crystal staring up at him with big red eyes. He was a big bald man with a thick beard and wore a black shihakushō, a Captain's Haori, and big red beads hanging around his neck. He also had a big upbeat smile on his face that totally did not look suspicious and creepy. This was the leader of the Zero Division and the Royal Guard, Hyōsube Ichibēi, otherwise known as 'Osho' by those who knew him. The reason why people called him 'Osho' was because whoever said his name quite carelessly would lose their voice until Ichibēi himself restored it.
"Your Majesty." He greeted as he bowed deeply.
"Rise, Hyōsube." However, the Reio was the only one who could say his name and not lose his voice. The god still had no idea as to how he was able to say his name and was still trying to figure it out. He suspected that either the Monk was allowing him to say his name, or it was because he had immeasurable reiatsu, higher than all of the Shinigami combined. "Since you are here, I'm assuming that the boy has been recovered."
Ichibēi nodded. "Indeed, however, I have bad news."
The Soul King raised a very thin eyebrow. "What is it?"
"The boy died shortly after arriving here. He lost too much blood." The Monk replied as he stroked his chin.
He closed his eyes and inwardly sighed in frustration at the bad news. He had hoped to rescue the boy in time, heal him, educate him, and turn him against the entire Sereitei before eventually freeing him from this prison, but now he was dead. Now the only choice he had was to resurrect him from the dead, but doing that while in the crystal was impossible as the crystal was made to withstand his immeasurable reiatsu which, in of itself, was a feat on its own. The god-like being inwardly sighed. He would do anything to get out of this crystal, even sacrifice himself to... His eyes widened in realization. That's it! That, would definitely work, and since he was not a regular soul like all of the Shinigami below and had an immeasurable amount of reiatsu, he could give the boy his power without the risk of him dying. He would have slapped himself if his hands were still able to function, why did he not think about that idea in the first place?! There were downsides to this, but they would only happen when he had already done the ritual.
"Is there something wrong, Your Majesty?" Ichibēi asked as he saw the Reio widen his eyes in the realization of something.
"Yes, Hyōsube. Everything is fine." He replied in that smooth, deep tone that exposed none of his excitement. "However, I may have figured out a way to resurrect Kurosaki Ichigo after all."
Ichibēi blinked. "You can resurrect people?"
"Yes, I do. I found out when I used the Perfect Almighty to see the past." He replied as he tilted his small head. 'Of course I do, you fool. We may have met over a million years ago, but I have lived eons way longer than you. The Ōken grants you eternal life, that's why you and Nimaiya have lived for so long and still look the same after a million years. My eyes see everything; the past, the present, the far future... and a special forbidden Kidō that was forgotten a long time ago. Pretending to have memory loss does have its perks after all.' The Reiō smugly thought to himself. "However, I need you and the rest of the Royal Guard to get ready."
"Oh?" Ichibēi's interest was piqued. "Are we going to the Sereitei Your Majesty?"
"Indeed. I am summoning the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It is about time I got some answers."