Bleach: Three Paths

by Getsuga Goon

What if Rukia arrived too late at the start of Bleach? You'd be surprised. The fates of the Kurosakis would be forever changed by this one event. Takes inspiration from the Bleach Fanfiction named "White" by Melkor's Mercy. [Cross-posted on Ao3.] Cover image by Chris-Jin on DeviantArt.

62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Internal Conflict

Arena Above Canopy, Las Noches

A large crowd of Arrancars, as well as the few humans and Shinigami in the palace, gather around the arena on top of Las Noches. Standing across from each other are two Arrancars—Espadas, who at this point might be considered rivals.

The first is a pale-white-skinned figure with long, bright orange hair ending just above his waist. Red tufts of fur are at his wrists, as well as a much larger red tuft bordering the collar of the white, weathered trench coat of his uniform. Black, 'X'-shaped bands constrict around his forearms while white 'X'-shaped bands connect his overcoat together, above his Hollow hole and the black Gi beneath. Lastly, and most prominently, his left eye is brown while his right is golden with black sclera, a mask fragment with a single forward-facing horn resting on the right side of his face. This is the Hollow King: Ichigo Kurosaki, or as his subjects call him, 'White'.

Across from him is a smirking man with feral blue eyes and small green tattoos bordering his bottom eyelids. He has wild, spikey bright blue hair of the same color, and a sharp-toothed mask fragment covering his right jaw. Further, his white uniform is fairly standard, excluding the upper half, which is a white, long-sleeved jacket that exposes his toned chest, where a large scar exists, inflicted during his previous clash with Ichigo. His lower back is also exposed, where the number '3' is tattooed. This man is known in Hueco Mundo as 'The Uncrowned King', Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

As the large gathering crowd of Hollows seems to register the panther's declaration, Ichigo sighs and closes his eyes, "No."

Grimmjow's eye twitches, still maintaining his smirk, "What? Afraid you'll lose?"

The single-horned orange-haired Arrancar frowns as he narrows his heterochromatic eyes at the blue-haired Espada, "No, I just don't want to fight you, Grimmjow."

The panther Arrancar doesn't give the King much of a choice as he suddenly lunges, raising his now glowing blue katana above his head. Ichigo blocks the blow with his own slim, blackened blade, creating a small shockwave of wind that blows across the arena due to the clash. The King grits his teeth and narrows his frustrated eyes as he attempts to force the other Arrancar back.

He suddenly widens his eyes, however, as the blue coating Grimmjow's blade suddenly splits into five parts, now Reishi blades. The panther finishes his sword stroke, passing the King before landing on the ground behind him in a slight squad, leaving the blades to all cut the other Hollow and make him bleed.

Grimmjow smirks as he rises to his full height as the wide-eyed, bleeding Ichigo staggers, "Desgarrón…"

The Hollow King scowls and narrows his eyes as the panther quickly pivots and swings his glowing katana once again, this time at the back of the King's head. The dragon manages a parry with his own blade, which prompts the other Hollow to drop low before kicking the King behind his knee, destabilizing his footing. The blue-haired Hollow follows up by punching the dragon in the face, sending him skidding back a distance as blood now spews from his mouth.

Grimmjow cackles and levels his katana at Ichigo, "C'mon! Fight back, White!"

The Hollow King, now growling at the panther, narrows his eyes as his wounds begin to close via his High-Speed Regeneration.

Tatsuki and Aizen, also standing in the arena, both frown as they look ready to intervene. Many of the Espadas as well as the members of the Escudo, the King's Fraccions, around the arena look ready to get involved too.

However, Ichigo suddenly shouts, "DON'T INTERFERE! He is my problem! Everyone else stay out of this!"

The old, gray-haired form of Barragan stands in the crowd, flanked by his Fraccions, and narrows his single, left eye, the other one forced shut as a nasty scar runs through it, "Is His Majesty truly going to grace this panther with yet another duel? Another shot at the throne…?"

Tatsuki, meanwhile, frowns as she looks unconvinced, which her friend notices, prompting him to look at her seriously across the arena, "Don't worry… I'll be fine…"

This makes the black-haired karate girl nod slowly before leaving the arena with Aizen. Shortly after, she joins Orihime and Sora in the stands, who both frown at the sight of the King engaging the panther. The brown-haired Shinigami, meanwhile, stands in the very back row, behind all of the Arrancars, now flanked by Tosen, Gin, and Szayel.

Nelliel frowns as she and the Picaro go into the stands as well, joining Pesche, Dondochakka, and Gantenbainne. Grimmjow's Fraccions naturally follow suit, standing in the front row to watch their King fight.

Ichigo sighs as it is now just him and the blue-haired Arrancar in the cracked and weathered arena, "Let me guess, you want to be King?"

Grimmjow grunts, "No shit, OF COURSE I DO! But that's not all—I WANT TO KILL YOU, WHITE!"

The King's eyes twitch as he asserts, "I don't have time for this, Grimmjow. Stand down!"

The panther cackles as he pulls the fingers on his left hand along his blade, drawing blood, "Make me!"

Ichigo flinches and widens his eyes before also running the fingers on his left hand along his own blade as his opponent suddenly holds a distorted blue blast in his hand, calling, "GRAN REY CERO!"

As Grimmjow releases the distorted Cero, the King's blade fuses with his blood, resulting in blackened purple energy coating it as he cries, "GETSUGA TENSHŌ!"

The blasts collide once again, creating an explosion that sends an intense shockwave across the stands of the arena, making the weaker Arrancars struggle somewhat to resist being launched into the distance.

As the explosion recedes, the panther cackles, "Alright, White! Let's do this! A fight to the death for the throne of Hueco Mundo!"

Across the arena, Ichigo glances at Orihime and Tatsuki in the stands, looking at the scene with frowns but otherwise not appearing too shaken up.

The Hollow sighs in mild relief, "Good… they're alright. I guess Tatsuki was right… her and Orihime really did toughen up…"

The panther across the arena notes his opponent glancing at the human girls before starting to scowl, angered by the dragon's lack of focus.

Interrupting the King's thoughts, Grimmjow barks, "HEY! Get your head out of your ass so we can kill each other!"

Ichigo's brown left eye twitches in irritation as shifts his gaze back to his opponent, retorting, "It's you who has your head up your ass, Grimmjow! I'll humor you with a fight, but I have absolutely no reason to kill you."

This makes the panther further seethe, "What…? WE'RE HOLLOWS! Killing each other is what we do, dumbass!"

The Hollow King maintains a frown as he is resolute in his stance, "Maybe so, but not me… not anymore."

Grimmjow's lip twitches as he quietly fumes before his eyes widen and he briefly glances at Orihime looking worriedly at Ichigo from the stands. A smirk returns to his face as a dark idea forms in his head.

A red Cero begins to form in the panther's left hand as he raises it toward the dragon, declaring, "In that case, I'll give you a reason!"

Ichigo's gaze is serious as he holds the black-bladed form of Zangetsu in front of him with both of his hands, his stance near flawless in allowing no exploitable openings.

Or so he thinks.

Faster than any of the Arrancars in the stands can react, Grimmjow suddenly redirects his left hand before launching the Cero directly at the auburn-haired girl. This makes Orihime freeze as the blood-lusted attack shoots directly at her, unable to do so much as dodge with Bringer's Light or even deploy her shield due to her shock.

An immediate, instinctual realization passes through her head, "I'm going to die."

Right as the reddened attack is about to hit, Ichigo appears in front of the girl with a buzz, immediately holding his arms out protectively as the attack explodes directly against his back. The human girls and most of the Arrancars in the stands right in front of the King are only now able to react to what the panther did, causing them to gasp. The horned, orange-haired Arrancar staggers forward slightly, gasping in pain as a trail of smoke forms on his back as a result of the attack.

The panther clicks his tongue in mild disappointment at seeing that Ichigo decided to take the attack. Simultaneously, Sora looks down at Grimmjow in immediate fury, partially drawing his sword, only stopped from lunging at the panther by Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, Apacci, and Cirucci.

The violet-haired woman warns, "He'll kill you if you fight him, idiot!"

The brown-haired serpent hisses, "THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! HE JUST TRIED TO KILL MY SISTER!"

As the female Arrancars continue to attempt to pacify Sora's bloodlust, Tatsuki also narrows her eyes and scowls at the panther, with equal levels of contempt, "If I could, I'd kick his ass…"

Meanwhile, the auburn-haired girl gawks at the wounded teenage Hollow in front of her. Tears form in her brown eyes as she hears the boy breathe heavy, somewhat labored breaths. This makes her also tremble slightly, the sight of the boy, the person ultimately responsible for reuniting her with her brother, getting hurt on her account being the same thing as driving a nail through her heart.

Ichigo gasps as he glances at the fearful, shaken, yet also worried expression on the girl's face, making him widen his eyes in a sort of realization, "That expression… Yuzu probably looked like that, too…"

He narrows his eyes and frowns slightly as he recalls Yuzu's smiling form before it suddenly turns to ashes, making something in him snap as he looks upon Orihime's face again, realizing, "Grimmjow… he almost killed Orihime… that's…"

His teeth grit together so intensely that it makes his gums bleed, clearly indicating the King's wrathful state, "…UNFORGIVEABLE!"

Before allowing himself to fully fall into his instincts, however, he decides to make sure of something.

His eyes are hidden beneath the orange bangs of his hair as he tilts his head up slightly to regard the trembling form of his friend, asking as he struggles to maintain his reason, "A-Are you alright… Orihime…?"

Her tearful eyes slowly widen, hearing her given name leave his lips rather than the distant 'Inoue' he recently has been referring to her as. After taking a moment to acknowledge that fact, she nods quietly, able to see the look on the King's face far better than anyone else at the moment.

What she sees unnerves her.

Despite that, her nod makes the Hollow perk up slightly, his expression more neutral as he notes ominously, "Good… now stay back… this is going to get ugly…"

The tearful form of Orihime flinches and she scrunches her brows as Ichigo turns to look at the panther.

Now, both of the Hollow King's eyes are piercing gold with haunting black sclera, narrowed in a death glare at his opponent as he starts, hatefully, "You want a fight to the death, do you? You'll regret that…"

Grimmjow perks up slightly as everyone in the stands tense while the dragon's intense, blood-lusted Reiatsu rains down.

The panther wears a toothy smirk as the other Hollow roars, in a manner very much the same as the blue-haired Hollow himself, "I'LL SCATTER YOUR BONES IN THE SANDS!"

The Hollow King holds his black blade in front of him and places his left hand on his right forearm as he cries, "HARM AND DESTROY, ZANGETSU!"

An intense shockwave is sent across the top of the palace as the Hollow's robes turn black before being covered by white armor. Deep red fur covers his thighs, further covered by the black robe on the lower half of his body as a narrow white tail sprouts from just above his waist with an orange tuft of fur at the end. Four crimson-red Reishi wings sprout from his back as his helmet becomes complete, making his face a white mask with black tribal markings while two twin forward-facing horns sprout from the sides of his head.

The King's Reiatsu is intense, making Grimmjow cackle as he holds his own Zanpakutō up and uses his left hand to claw at it, "GRIND, PANTERA!"

Another shockwave ensues, making the crowd buckle at this point. Grimmjow's blue hair is long once again as green furry ears now fuse with his hair. His green tattoos are elongated as well, while a small white fragment covers his upper forehead like a helmet. His black hands and feet are clawed as the rest of his body and new tail are covered in white segmented bone armor, just as was the case when he was a Vasto Lorde.

The panther cackles, his teeth now razor sharp, as he starts, "FINALLY! TIME FOR A REAL FIGHT—"

Before he can so much as finish his statement, there is a buzz followed immediately by a white-clawed hand striking the blue-haired Hollow's face with its palm, sending him flying into one of the massive nearby pillars. The force behind the attack was so great that cracks immediately form along the entirety of the pillar as Grimmjow's body becomes embedded in it.

The King is not finished, however, as he now, still standing in the arena below, charges a crimson Cero between his horns before promptly launching it at the pillar. Upon contact, the tower is completely destroyed, resulting in a brilliant crimson explosion.

The masked dragon Arrancar tilts his head skyward before releasing an eldritch roar that makes everyone in the stands watching wince and cover their ears. Of course, Orihime's tears continue to fall as she now sobs, recognizing that Ichigo's current state is because of her.

Slowly but surely, as the King's roars die down, they are replaced by a maddened cackle, which unnerves many in the crowd, most of which the auburn-haired girl, who widens her eyes in urgent shock and confusion. Tatsuki, similar to Orihime, wears a horrified look at the sight of Ichigo clearly laughing madly, enjoying brutalizing Grimmjow. Everyone else within the crowd slowly becomes shocked as well to the point of being speechless as the orange-haired Hollow's cackles echo across the palace canopy.

Barragan is currently wide-eyed as he manages to find his words, "How is this possible? His Majesty is significantly more powerful than when we fought over the throne!"

Further in the stands, Aizen and Tosen perk up, the blind Shinigami gasping, "W-What is this…?! Who is this?!"

The other renegade smirks as he narrows his brown eyes, humming, "Ah… so that's it. This is the form he used to defeat Captains Unohana and Kyoraku so easily. One of complete savagery and wrath whose sole desire is to slaughter…"

Behind him, Szayel similarly hums in a pleased manner, "If only His Majesty didn't insist on placing such unnecessary mental blocks on himself, most of all morality, he could indeed do whatever he wants. No one could stop him…"

Gin, on the other hand, uncharacteristically frowns and opens his eyes slightly, finding the Hollow King's sudden savage behavior beyond unsettling to the point that his true nature unconsciously shines through.

Sora, Nelliel, and their Fraccions frown as all of the Arrancars around them suddenly begin to cheer at the sight of the merciless carnage, egging the King on further. It is starting to become evident to his friends that Ichigo's mind has gone blank, completely allowing White to enjoy the bloodshed in his place.

The charred form of Grimmjow suddenly leaps from the smoking rubble, blue elongated claw blades shining over each of his fingers as he raises his left arm and throws the blades down at the King, shouting, "DESGARRÓN!"

White raises his right arm, shifting to a blackened blade fist, to block some of the blue claw blades, the remaining ones managing to slam down on him and cut him open, leaving blood to spurt from his wounds. The panther, still in the sky above, shifts to throw his remaining blades from his right hand; however, the dragon's wings flare up quickly before sending him launching toward the other Hollow with a shockwave, leaving a trail of flaming crimson energy to burn in the air behind him.

As Grimmjow is about to throw the claw blades, White, launching toward his opponent at nearly immeasurable speeds, charges a blackened Getsuga in over his blade fist before suddenly using it to cleave the panther's arm clean off right as the distance is closed. The other Hollow widens his eyes as his right arm, still with the claw blades on it, is sent flying into another nearby pillar, completely cutting it in half before the upper half crumbles and falls to the desert below. Grimmjow remains wide-eyed as blood seeps from the stump of his right arm, turning to face his opponent in what feels like slow motion to him.

White, while letting out a crazed laugh, suddenly rams his right, black blade arm into the left side of the panther's chest before brutally tearing it open. This makes the other Hollow howl in pain as blood pours vigorously from his chest, leaving the spectators to gasp at the savage sight. An evil look is held within the King's golden eyes as his sword arm once more ignites with blackened red flames before he mercilessly uses it to slam Grimmjow down to the arena below with a Getsuga, resulting in a brief, blackened eruption of power.

White continues cackling as, for the first time, he speaks with a distorted, crazed voice, "Whenever Ulquiorra comes back, I might actually see him smile, because HE'S ABOUT TO GET A PROMOTION TO TRES!"

Orihime, whose sobbing worsens, Tatsuki, and Sora all flinch upon hearing the King's voice, unable to recognize it as Ichigo.

Halibel's followers look in shock as well, while the woman herself narrows her green eyes, "That isn't His Majesty… W-Who is that?!"

Further in the stands, Ashido scowls as he witnesses the carnage, affirming his belief that Hollows are the main threat. Stark, next to him, notices this, making him frown. Lilynette, on the other hand, has her eyes only on the King, completely in shock.

Loly, Menoly, Ggio, and Roka frown at the sight as well, the spider mentally noting, "Something is off with His Majesty…"

Grimmjow's Fraccions, still in the front row, are in utter disbelief, realizing just how out of his league their King was as Shawlong laments with narrowed eyes, "At this rate… there isn't going to be anything of Grimmjow left when King White is done with him…"

White lands on the ground in front of the panther, raising his blade arm to deal a death blow. The smoking form of Grimmjow, however, suddenly opens his eyes before throwing a red Cero at the dragon's face at point-blank range, making the King stagger.

With a desperate, feral look in his eyes, the panther charges another set of blue claw blades over his left fingers before slashing them across the other Hollow's stomach, cutting it open and leaving blood to spew everywhere. White vomits blood, which spews from the crevices of his mask as he continues to stagger, now instinctually holding his wounded stomach with his left hand.

The blue-haired Hollow does a flip in the air before raising his left foot to slam down on his opponent, whose right blade fists returns to a normal clawed hand, which is raised to block. As the panther's attack lands, another shockwave is sent across the arena.

Grimmjow widens his eyes as it is revealed that White managed to catch the kick, leaving the dragon to smirk evilly under his mask as his clawed hand tightens harshly around the other Hollow's ankle. Without mercy, the Hollow King brutally slams the panther against the arena against his back before repeatedly slamming him back and forth against the ground while maintaining a vice grip on the other predator's ankle. The force of the slams alone produces small shockwaves, a testament to the power behind them. After about ten times of swinging the Hollow through the air and slamming him against the arena, something finally gives.

As White slams Grimmjow to the ground once more, the panther's body is sent flying by the sheer force as his foot is brutally torn off, still in the King's grasp. The blue-haired Hollow flops across the arena, a trail of blood following from the stump on his left leg, staining the arena as he skids to a halt, face down and motionless in the dirt. The Hollow King looks at the panther's foot before throwing it behind him and discarding it.

As he now approaches the downed panther, another crimson Cero begins to form between his horns while he laughs darkly, intent on ending this. Before he launches the Cero, however, his eyes can't help but glance at his friends, Orihime and Tatsuki, in the crowd, as they just so happen to be in his line of sight. Tatsuki has a look of shocked horror on her face, while Orihime's eyes are puffy as tears continue to fall, a particular look of dread, or perhaps trauma, held in them. The current sight of the Hollow King reminds her so much of the moment when he held her neck in a vice-grip, showing her, even the girl who saved his life, no mercy.

Ichigo's voice lingers in White's head, beside himself with alarmed confusion, "W-Why are you still crying…?! STOP! Don't look at me like that! You're going to be safe… you're going to be alright… can't you see that…? He won't be able to hurt you… I'm going to kill him—!"

The Hollow widens his eyes at the thought of murdering Grimmjow, making his Cero dissipate somewhat as he looks in the stands, finding many of the spectating Hollows cheer at the bloodshed. The ones who aren't cheering, however, either look away in disgust or regard him with disappointment.

The sight of Orihime's traumatized and fearful face acts to remind Ichigo of when he was choking her, the sight of her fear and hurt evident. Further, the sight of Tatsuki makes him recall their recent conversation about the people he's killed.

"If you truly regret it, you should carry those you killed with you as a reminder to never lose control again…", the girl's words linger in his mind, striking him to his core.

The King's golden eyes widen as he hears many of the Hollows in the arena chant, "KILL, KILL, KILL!"

It is just like when they cheered for him to kill Barragan and Grimmjow before, except for one damning detail. It was Ichigo who fought Barragan and Grimmjow, not White. The one currently holding the reigns of the horse, the King seated in the saddle, is not Ichigo Kurosaki. It is the Hollow, who came to be feared across the sands of the vast desert. The one the Soul Society wants to kill… the Hollow known merely as 'White'.

Despite this fact, Ichigo's humanity fights for control as he looks down at his blood-soaked hands, hearing his Zanpakutō's voice linger, "You enjoy killing!"

His eyes switch rapidly between brown with white sclera and gold with black sclera as his body trembles while looking at Grimmjow's brutalized form, "NO! This… this isn't me…!"

The Hollow King shakes his head as he looks at the ground, visibly indecisive. Barragan and Aizen both frown as they notice the young Hollow's plight. Across the stands, Stark widens his eyes as he is one of the only ones currently looking at Grimmjow's form, which slowly starts to get up.

The only other Espada watching the panther, Nelliel, urgently calls, "ICHIGO! LOOK OUT!"

The dragon flinches as Grimmjow suddenly plunges his left and only remaining clawed hand deeply into his still-wounded stomach. The panther savagely twists his claws through the King's innards, making him violently vomit more blood. After another moment of this, Grimmjow retracts his hand, leaving Ichigo to fall on his back in a pool of his own blood.

Both of the King's eyes are their normal brown color at this point, his power fading as his opponent forms five more flickering blue blades along the claws of his hand. It is clear that Grimmjow is also near death due to the instability of his attack. The panther hisses, his eyes filled with killing intent as he is about to deal the death blow.

Grimmjow pauses briefly, however, as most of Ichigo's mask suddenly shatters, revealing the look of utter defeat on his face as he mutters through blood-soaked lips, almost in a beginning tone, "Finish me…"

The panther roars as he brings his attack down with the remainder of his power, striking the area directly behind the King's head, scarring the very arena itself—leaving claw marks behind. Everyone, without exception, is wide-eyed and confused at this, fully having expected the panther to strike the dragon down without mercy.

Grimmjow grunts before starting to limp away from the other Hollow's down form on his right and only foot as his Resurreccion disappears, returning to its Zanpakutō state. Ichigo's Resurreccion disappears as he returns to his sealed state as well, his right eye returning to its usual state: gold with black sclera.

The King, however, hisses violently, wincing as he forces himself to sit up, still soaked in blood, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KILL ME!"

The panther grits his teeth before barking at the other Espada, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Ichigo flinches as Grimmjow hisses at him quietly so only the two of them hear it, "You of all people do not have the right to ask for no mercy from me! You humiliated me by sparing me twice before!"

The King is wide-eyed and confused, making the panther grunt as he looks away, thinking, "With anyone else, I'd slaughter them without a second thought… but killing White like this, when he's given up… that's no way to become King…"

By this point, most of the spectators have recovered from their momentary shock as Ichigo's friends and Fraccions, as well as Grimmjow's Fraccions, enter the arena with haste.

The Hollow King's consciousness fades as the still-tearful Orihime begins to heal his wounds, using his last conscious thoughts to issue an order as his eyes close, "Heal him… Roka…"

A golden thread flickers in the air behind him, causing the spider Arrancar, also within the arena, to perk up, her left eye widened. After a moment, her gaze softens before she approaches Grimmjow as he loses his balance and collapses to the ground, surrounded by his Fraccions.

As Roka's threads begin to repair the panther's arm and leg, he growls at her, "I don't want your pity, wench!"

The girl narrows her left eye slightly before explaining, "I am merely following His Majesty's orders. This is the second time he has ordered me to heal you. I would not push your luck with a third."

"Bitch…", Grimmjow hisses lowly, yet doesn't lash out at her as she kneels down and continues to tend to his wounds.

Nelliel, a distance away and flanked by her Fraccions, narrows her eyes thoughtfully as she looks at the panther, "He didn't kill Ichigo when he had a clear shot… but at the same time he wanted to kill Orihime to goad Ichigo into a fight…"

The woman frowns deeply as her expression becomes troubled, "You're such a confusing person…"

Meanwhile, Orihime uses her powers to create a triangular barrier, which she uses to carry Ichigo away, walking toward the hallway next to the arena and intent on heading to the nearest infirmary for further healing. Tatsuki, as well as some of the Espadas and Fraccions, follow after the auburn-haired girl, wanting to see the King whenever he wakes up.

Still in the stands, Barragan wears a troubled expression, musing, "That wasn't the same fighter I fought for the throne previously. The weaker ones might not have seen it, but is clear that White gave up…"

As the old Hollow continues to consider Ichigo, Aizen, further up in the stands, quietly observes the Hollow King being carried out of the arena with a slight frown, "It seems our conversation will be put on hold, then…"

Roughly 50 Years Ago, Rukongai

We will not stop walking…

Though the path may eventually fork…

A girl with black hair tied into twin tails and a tiny boy with spiky white hair and green eyes stand in front of a modest wooden shack in the Rukongai. The girl wears a white uniform with red stripes along the arms and with the lower half being completely red—the uniform that the female students attending the Shino Academy wear. The boy, on the other hand, wears a simple dark blue sleeveless Gi.

She smiles as she ruffles the much smaller boy's hair affectionately with her left hand, "I'm going now. See you later, little Shiro. ~"

The boy, the much younger form of Toshiro Hitsugaya, grumbles at his sister continuing to pat his head, "Quit calling me 'little Shiro' and don't pat me on the head, either!"

The girl, the younger version of Momo Hinamori, widens her smile as she places her hands on her hips, "When you finally go to the same grown-up school as I do, I'll use your real name."

Toshiro scowls as he crosses his arms, "Forget that! Why would I go to some stupid school for Shinigami?"

His sister seemingly ignores his comment as she waves and starts running off, "I'll be living in the dorms from now on, but I'll come see you soon, ok little Shiro?"

The boy calls after her as he casually scratches his stomach under his Gi, "Alright! Thanks for the warning! Don't hurry back, you bed-wetter!"

Gravesite, Outskirts, Noble District, Seireitei

Standing within a forest in the outskirts of the Noble District is a young blonde teenage-looking man wearing a striped blue and white Gi—the uniform the males attending the Shino Academy wear. He clasps his hands together and begins to pray to the stone grave in front of him, smiling faintly as he does.

The young man, Izuru Kira, concludes his prayer, opening his eyes as he speaks, "Goodbye, Mother and Father. I'll come visit again soon."

It turns without stopping.

Meanwhile, Street, Rukongai

A man with spiky red hair tied back in a ponytail and a shorter, raven-haired girl run hastily through the dirty streets of the Rukongai, both wearing their respective Gi marking them as a student of the Shino Academy.

The man, Renji Abarai, grunts as he runs, "Great! Now we're going to be late for our first day!"

The girl next to him, Rukia, who later inherits her old brother Byakuya's last name, snaps at him, "Don't you blame this on me! What were you doing sleepin' in a tree?! I was looking everywhere for you!"

Renji growls back at her, "I'll do whatever I want to! It's none of your business where I sleep, anyway!"

The two continue to bicker as they run, Rukia groaning in frustration, "Ugh! I should've just left without you! It would've served you right!"

And we never stop either.

Classroom 1, Shino Academy

But when the time comes, when we learn to fear and look back…

…would we call that fate?

The bespectacled, bald form of Onabara stands at the front of the lecture hall, shouting as he addresses the students within, "Allow me to introduce myself, students! My name is Gengoro Onabara! I'm pleased to be your instructor! I am also pleased to inform you that out of all the incoming freshmen, your test scores on the entrance exam were the highest!"

Sitting among the students is the steeled form of Izuru, the bored form of Renji, and the nervous form of Momo, listening as the teacher continues, "In other words, welcome to the advanced class! Congratulations. Of course, this means that expectations for you are higher as well. You must train hard and strive to not merely serve your future squad, but to excel in each of your various pursuits!"

And we begin to walk the same path.

Meanwhile, Classroom 2

The teacher of the 2nd classroom addresses the students, "Just because you're not in the advanced class, it doesn't mean you have less chance of excelling. In the end, what matters is hard work…"

As the teacher continues to speak, Rukia places her head on her palm as a look of disappointment is on her face, "Stupid Renji… I should be in the advanced class, not him…"

Hadō Spell Training Area, Shino Academy

The sun shines down on a multitude of students lined up on a wooden platform next to the grassy range. At the end of the range are multiple wooden targets, which the students use as target practice for their spells.

The Kidō instructor calls, "Alright! First group line up and demonstrate mastery of Hadō!"

A group of students steps forward, aiming their right hands at the signs in the distance.

Included in this group is the twin-tailed Momo Hinamori, who begins to chant, "Ruler. The mask of blood and flesh, all things of the universe fly, that which names all! Gathering of heat and war, beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south! Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"

A crimson-red fiery blast is sent at the target, striking it directly and partially shattering it.

The girl gasps as she notes she was one of the only ones who managed to even get close to the target, prompting the instructor to congratulate, "Very good! Next group, you're up."

Momo smiles happily and runs to sit next to her friend as the next group steps up.

Her friend asks with a smile, "That was a great shot! How'd you do it?"

The black-haired girl admits humbly as she takes a seat, "I just hit the corner. Probably just luck."

The other girl maintains a smile as she reiterates, "Well, I'm still impressed! Most of them didn't even reach their targets!"

Momo giggles before she and her friend hear another target shatter, making them look over in curiosity.

They find the target across from the standing blonde form of Izuru Kira completely destroyed, making the black-haired girl question with slightly widened eyes, "Was that the blonde kid? That's an amazing shot! I think he hit a perfect bullseye!"

Renji, on the other hand, sits with a frown on his face as he watches the blonde walk past him, returning back to the platform.

The redhead's eyes narrow slightly, "Huh… that guy's pretty good. I guess now I know my competition…"

The instructor interrupts his thoughts, calling, "Group 3, get in line!"

This prompts Renji to rise to his feet before walking toward the edge of the platform and raising his hands, thinking in arrogance, "Well, whoever he is, I'm not about to let him show me up. If he destroyed the target, then I will too!"

The young redhead chants aggressively, "Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"

The Kidō spell immediately erupts around him, exploding in his face and working to frighten many of the nearby students.

Momo gasps as she takes in the sight, "H-He could've killed us all!"

Izuru, meanwhile, grunts in frustration as he looks at the other smoking Shinigami, "The fool! What was he thinking trying to use a Hadō spell like that at his level without a proper incantation?!"

The instructor speaks sternly at the smoking, baffled form of Renji from across the platform, "You! Special instruction after class."

This makes some of the other students laugh as the still baffled redhead nods, "Y-yes sir…"

Later, Nearby Dojo

The other students watch in interest as Renji and Izuru are now locked in a sparring match using wooden training swords. The redhead roars aggressively as he swings his blade down in a relentless manner at his opponent. All Izuru can do is backstep and defend against the much more physically able form of Renji, who possesses a clear talent for Zanjutsu. After a few more exchanges, the red-haired student makes an opening, which he capitalizes on by thrusting his practice sword harshly into the other boy's right shoulder, sending him falling to the floor on his back.

"Match, Abarai!", the Zanjutsu instructor calls as Renji breathes somewhat heavily.

Many of the girls among the students help Izuru to his feet, one of them glaring at the red-haired boy, "You didn't have to be so rough!"

As the blonde holds his hurting shoulder, the instructor asks in concern, "Izuru, are you alright?"

Izuru nods, still holding his shoulder, "Yes, sir."

The other boy's obvious lie makes Renji look to the side and grunt as a tick mark forms on his head in frustration.

About an Hour Later, Courtyard, Shino Academy

Renji rests under a tree in the courtyard on the academy grounds, listening to the birds chirping around him in tranquility.

He perks up as he hears footsteps approaching, prompting him to look back at the form of Izuru, wearing a friendly smile, "Ah, resting I see. Do you mind if I join you?"

The red-haired student blinks before answering with a stutter, clearly caught off guard by his peer's friendly behavior, "U-uh… s-sure, I guess…"

The blonde nods before taking a seat next to the other boy, joining him in the tranquility.

As they both sit under the tree, Izuru takes a moment to appreciate the silence before starting as he rubs his left wrist, "Gotta admit, you really let me have it in class. I was so overwhelmed by your strength that I couldn't even counterattack. My whole arm is still numb."

Renji wears a guilty look on his face as he apologizes, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean anything by it. But I kind of messed up at target practice earlier, so I felt like I needed to make up for that."

The blonde maintains a smile as he looks up thoughtfully, "Zanjutsu (Swordsmanship), Hakuda (Hand to Hand Combat), Shunpo (Flash Step), and Kidō (Spell Casting). They say one needs to learn and master all four of these disciplines before one can become a Shinigami. We've definitely got our work cut out for us if that's truly the case."

The red-haired boy glances at his classmate with a neutral look, "Well, yeah, I guess so."

Izuru suddenly offers a hand to the other boy, introducing himself with a smile, "Name's Izuru Kira. Hi. It's a pleasure to meet you, fellow freshman."

Renji looks between the blonde's hand and smiling face before briefly glancing away, "Introduction and a handshake, eh? Your family must be well-off…"

The other student raises a brow in confusion as the redhead looks back at him with a smile of his own, "Manners aren't something people have where I'm from, so they aren't my style. But the name's Renji Abarai, and nice to meet you, too."

Izuru perks up, his smile returning, "Ah, thank you, Renji."

After a moment, the two students scrunch their brows as they look across the courtyard at a growing crowd, hearing excited voices coming from it.

The blonde questions, "What's going on…?"

Both of them walk over to investigate as the massive crowd flanks the front gate, seemingly creating a path for someone.

Momo currently stands in front of the two boys, frowning as her smaller form can't see through the crowd, "Hey, what is everybody looking at?"

One of the taller boys in front of her answers, "Oh, one of the captains is supposed to be coming here any minute to teach a class. I also heard he's interested in reviewing the new freshmen, too."

The twin-tailed girl gawks, "Really?! A captain?!"

The crowd suddenly reorganizes, pushing the girl forward and able to see the forms of two Shinigami walking through the entrance. She looks curiously at the form of a brown-haired, bespectacled man wearing a white Haori. He is flanked by a silver-haired Shinigami with slitted eyes wearing a badge over his left arm.

Momo looks with widened eyes at the younger form of Sosuke Aizen as he passes, "A real captain…"

Some Time Later, Rukongai

Momo, now wearing a modest sleeveless Gi, brags to her younger brother as they eat watermelon on the porch of their home, "I wish you could've seen him, little Shiro! His Reiatsu surrounding him was different from anything I've ever felt!"

The boy continues to devour the melon with an uninterested look on his face, prompting the girl to frown in disappointment, "Hey… it feels like you're not even listening to me…"

Toshiro grunts as he looks up at her while still chewing on the melon in his mouth, "I told you to quit calling me 'little Shiro'!"

The older girl suddenly raises her hand in defense as her brother shoots the watermelon seeds in his mouth at her, an act clearly fueled by his annoyance with the nickname.

Toshiro then proceeds to ask with a frown, "Why do you always have to come home on your days off, anyway? If the academy's so great, you should just want to stay there!"

Momo furrows her brows as she explains sadly, "I've come home to visit you, little Shiro…"

The boy grunts as he devours another piece of melon, "Well, I didn't ask you to!"

After a moment of eating more watermelon, the girl perks up and smiles with a light blush on her face, "I know one thing for sure. Someday I'll be in Squad 5 with Captain Aizen!"

Toshiro looks away, still uninterested, which prompts his sister to frown again, "Hey… I'm really serious…"

2 Months Later, Hallway, Shino Academy

Rukia walks through the academy halls, a distant frown on her face. She pauses to look out of one of the windows, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Suddenly, she is kicked in the butt, the one responsible grunting, "Hey."

The girl blushes and has comical, angry tears in her eyes as she holds her butt and barks at the redhead behind her, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR, RENJI?!"

Renji frowns, casually regarding him, "What're you standing out here for? It's been 2 months already! Haven't you gotten with the program yet?"

Rukia snaps, "WHAT?! WELL, WHAT ABOUT YOU?!"

The raven-haired girl suddenly blinks as she just now notices the group of male students, including Izuru, standing behind Renji as they all carry bags on their backs.

Rukia is wide-eyed as she frowns, "You're all carrying a lot of bags… is there a training exercise today…?"

The redhead smirks confidently as he starts to walk away with his blonde friend, "Yeah! We're going to the world of the living to perform Konsō!"

The girl's frown deepens before she suddenly barks, "WHAT?! THAT'S NOT FAIR! WHY JUST YOUR CLASS?!"

Renji scowls as he answers, "Of course, it's fair! We're the elite…"

He then continues to walk off with Izuru as he casually waves his hand at his childhood friend, "We'll be way ahead of you when we get back! See ya!"

Rukia snaps once more, shouting down the hallway, "OH, YEAH?! I'M THE ONE WHO'LL BE…"

Her words trail off as she weakly finishes, "…ahead…"

Rukia's gaze becomes saddened as she is now quiet, seeing the distance from her lifelong friend and family starting to grow to the point where she no longer can ignore it.

Rooftop, Shino Academy

On top of the roof of the academy, the group of students from Class 1 have gathered. In front of them are three older students, all carrying blades on their backs, standing in front of the sliding doors of the Senkaimon floating in the air. The older students include a girl with brown hair tied at the upper right side of her head as well as a taller young man with chiseled features and a pompadour hairstyle.

In front of the other two older students is a young man with spiky black hair and a '69' tattoo under his left eye, who introduces himself with a no-nonsense tone and expression, "First, some introductions. I'm the 6th year Shuhei Hisagi. The short one behind me is Kanisawa. The big one's Aoga. We'll be your instructors today."

The freshman gasp and immediately start talking amongst themselves upon learning this information, prompting Shuhei to bark, "QUIET! Or we'll leave you behind!"

Most of the class becomes silent at this, excluding Renji, who whispers curiously to Izuru standing in front of him, "Hey… are these guys famous or something?"

His blonde friend frowns, "Huh?! You mean you don't know? The other two aren't famous but the guy in the front is Shuhei Hisagi. He's the first one to be accepted into the Gotei 13 before graduating! They say he'll be a ranked officer before long…"

Renji looks at the older tattooed student curiously, "Is that so…?"

Izuru suddenly wears an arrogant smirk as he cups his chin in his hand, "He also failed the entrance exam twice. I, however, passed on my first attempt with the highest score, so I might already be better than him."

The redhead grunts, looking unimpressed as he eyes his friend, "Really…?"

The friends perk up and pay attention as the senior girl, Kanisawa, begins to explain to the group, "You'll be in groups of three. Check the slips you drew earlier. See that symbol on them? Find the others with the same symbol and partner up with them."

Renji and Izuru look at their slips, noting that they seem to match, leaving the Rukongai boy to grunt once again, "I knew that's what these were for."

The blonde boy looks around curiously, "So then, who's our third?"

After a moment, a voice calls behind the pair, "Um…"

The boys turn around to find the form of Momo approach, "I-I think I'm with you two."

Renji regards the girl casually, "Oh, hey Momo. Yeah, come on. Let's get in line."

Izuru, on the other hand, sweats nervously as he blushes and wears a weak smile at the sight of the girl, "M-Momo! Y-yeah, let's d-do our best!"

Momo returns the smile as she nods, "Sounds good to me!"

The Rukongai boy glances at his friend's now even more flustered face for a moment before kicking him in the shin, "Don't blow it with her, man."

Izuru gasps in pain at his friend's 'support', leaving the black-haired girl to tilt her head slightly in confusion, oblivious to the blonde's crush on her.

Shuhei suddenly barks as he sees the groups have all formed, "Let's move out! Everyone, remember to take a Hell Butterfly!"

Following the older students, the freshmen all walk through the Senkaimon leading to the world of the living.

Night, World of the Living

The students walk through one of the cities in Japan, looking for any stray Wholes who are in the area to perform Konsō on.

Shuhei observes a student perform Konsō on the roof of a particular building, noting, "Not bad, kid…"

Upon the student removing the pommel of their katana on a Konpaku's forehead, it begins to scream in pain as it turns to light.

The student gasps and looks at his senior in confusion, "Whoa! The Konpaku's in pain!"

Shuhei sighs, "You pushed a little too hard. Go easier next time."

Renji, standing a distance away on the same rooftop, grunts as he rests his katana on his shoulder, "Well, that was easy…"

Izuru, standing next to him, still blushes nervously as he absentmindedly and repeatedly sheathes and unsheathes his katana, "Y-yeah…"

The redhead's eye twitches and an irritated tick mark forms on his head before he suddenly punches his friend in the back, sending him skidding forward slightly in pain as he barks, "STOP THAT! It's bugging me!"

Momo, standing with the two, pleads with a frown, "Stop it, guys! We're not supposed to fight!"

As the younger trio continues to bicker, Shuhei glances at the notebook in his hand, "That was the last of them. Thirty students, each doing it twice… not bad for their first time out…"

He promptly closes the book and barks at the surrounding freshmen, "Alright! Gather around! That's it for practice—!"

The black-haired Shinigami widens his eyes as a voice calls, "HISAGI!"

Shuhei looks in horror as he looks at the bloodied form of Kanisawa, impaled on a pair of beastly claws, "KANISAWA!"

The students all stare in greater amounts of horror as Renji sweats nervously, "W-what… WHAT IS THAT THING?!"

Hovering in the air in front of the students is a massive bipedal winged Hollow that possesses mantis-like claws for arms. Shuhei continues to look in terror as the corpse of his female classmate is savagely flung to the ground by the Hollow.

The form of Aoga draws his blade in fury as he rushes at the beast to cut it down, "It killed Kanisawa!"

The black-haired senior calls uselessly at his other classmate, "Wait, AOGA!"

Just as his words reach his peer, the Hollow cuts him down as well with impressive speed.

The sight makes Shuhei draw his blade before barking at the younger students, "You freshmen get out of here! Get far away as fast as you can!"

Not hesitating further, the freshmen flee fearfully, wanting to avoid being killed no matter what.

The senior begins to rush toward the Hollow, his thoughts confused, "A Huge Hollow?! That's impossible! How did it get so close without me noticing it?!"

Shuhei presses a button on the choker he's wearing, beginning to send a message to his superiors, "Soul Society, requesting assistance! This is 6th year group leader Shuhei Hisagi. We're being attacked by a Huge Hollow at point 1026, northwest 2128…"

The senior's body seizes as a second massive, bug-like Hollow appears to his right, "Another one?!

As Momo, Renji, and Izuru continue to run away, the sound of flesh being cut open causes the girl to stop and turn to look at her senior and the Hollows with a slight frown.

Izuru shouts at her while continuing to retreat with Renji, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! KEEP RUNNING!"

Momo's gaze is troubled as she looks intently at the wounded form of Shuhei continuing to fight the Hollows across the roof, "Why? What are we running for?"

The blonde boy urgently argues, "B-BECAUSE HE TOLD US TOO! THE GROUP LEADER'S ORDERS ARE ABSOLUTE!"

Renji's tone is less urgent as he warns, "Don't even think about helping him! You saw what it did! It killed those 6th years like they were ants!"

The girl gulps as the redhead finishes, "None of us can handle those things!"

Without warning and despite the boys' words, Momo leaps toward the Hollows to assist, making Izuru call after her, "WAIT! MOMO!"

The pair frown in frustration as they chase after her, desperate to prevent her from being cut down similar to their seniors.

Meanwhile, the right side of Shuhei's face bleeds profusely, having been cut open by one of the Hollows, as he growls and balances himself on his katana, "They can cloak their Reiatsu! No wonder I didn't sense them!"

As the pair of Hollows lunge again, the wounded future vice-captain does the same, crying, "I'm not beaten yet, Hollows!"

Before Shuhei can be cut down by the beasts, Momo, Renji, and Izuru block the Hollows' claws with their katanas.

The older Shinigami's right eye is forced shut from all the blood and his left eye is wide as he gasps in shock, "Y-You lot?!"

Izuru formally apologizes, "Forgive us, sir… for disobeying orders!"

Renji grunts, "We came back to save you, so you'll overlook this, won't you?"

Momo, on the other hand, glares at the bug-like Hollow in front of them and immediately starts to chant as she raises her hands, "Ruler! The mask of blood and flesh, all things of the universe fly, that which names all! Gathering of heat and war, beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south! Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"

A crimson red blast crashes against the beast's head, sending it staggering backward slightly as the blonde boy cheers, "Yes!"

Shuhei, however, scowls even more deeply as the smoke begins to clear, "No…"

Suddenly, without warning, several more massive Hollows appear, seemingly attracted by the girl's attack.

All three of the freshmen begin to tremble in fear as Izuru utters, feeling as though he is looking death in the face, "N… No… I don't want to die like this…!"

As soon as the blonde begins to scream in fear, an extremely long katana blade shoots through the air past the young Shinigami before stabbing the first Hollow through the head. The large beast quickly turns into particles of light as the blade retracts equally as quickly as it elongated, leaving the now stunned and quiet group of four students to turn around and look at its source.

A pair of individuals approach, one of them speaking in a gentle voice, "Sorry we're late. We're here to rescue you."

Shuhei widens his left eye in recognition, "Captain Aizen?!"

The students stare in awe at the form of Aizen, flanked by his silver-haired vice-captain, Gin Ichimaru, as he approaches.

Aizen smiles softly as he looks at the freshman before patting Momo's head, the girl's tears beginning to dry, "You all did well. You must have been scared. Everything's under control now."

The captain removes his hand from the girl's head before approaching the Hollows with Gin, who waves jovially at the students, "We'll take care of them. So, you all get some rest."

Later

Upon the last of the Hollows being killed and reuniting with the rest of their class, the trio walks side-by-side as they approach the Senkaimon.

Izuru asks, recalling how quickly the Hollows were dispatched, "Weren't they amazing?"

Renji raises a brow as he grunts, "Huh? Oh, you mean those two."

Momo chuckles as she asserts, "Well, they are a captain and vice-captain, after all."

The blonde smiles, "Yes. But they were still amazing."

Perking up with a smile and slight blush, the black-haired girl asks, "Do you think we could ever be like them?"

This question makes the ill-mannered redhead snort, "Gimme a break! Captains and vice-captains are beasts! No way!"

Momo frowns as she shouts at the boy, "Renji!"

Izuru maintains his smile as he suddenly nods, earning the attention of the other two, "I will. I'll be like them."

The girl's gaze softens as she agrees, "Me too."

Renji, despite his friends both agreeing on their goals of becoming strong Shinigami in the future, remains quiet with a slight frown on his face.

Shuhei, who stands in front of the Senkaimon and now wears a bandage over the right side of his face, barks at the younger trio, "Hey! You freshman! We're waiting for you! Get over here or we'll leave you behind!"

The trio of freshmen eagerly enter the portal at their senior's behest, having found newfound motivations to continue becoming stronger.

Yes.

That is why we won't stop walking…

Though the road may eventually fork.

We won't stop walking…

Even though…

The road may eventually end.

Present, Outside, Squad 4 Barracks

The forms of Toshiro, Rangiku, Momo, Renji, and Rukia are gathered at the gate of the Squad 4 Barracks, reminiscing on their mutual friends.

The black-haired girl, whose hair is styled in a bun as opposed to the twin tails she wore in the past, chokes up as sobs, "I-I can still vividly remember that day, Renji… Izuru he… h-he looked so excited when he thought of becoming a strong Shinigami. We all trained intensely and when he was appointed as vice-captain of Squad 3, that's the happiest I've ever seen him…"

Her tears continue to stream down her face as she looks up at her red-haired friend, "It's not fair! We both lost our captains, but now he's also fighting for his life! I-I should've been there to help him against that Hollow!"

Renji's gaze softens as he considers his dying friend, muttering with a certain level of guilt, "Me too…"

The others have somber gazes as they look at the duo, Rangiku going to far as to embrace Momo, allowing the other girl to cry into her Gi. The girl has bags under her eyes and her cheeks are puffy and tear-stained, overall looking like an emotional wreck.

Rukia looks down somewhat, reminding them, "At least Vice-Captain Hisagi is set to make a full recovery thanks to us. As far as Vice-Captain Kira, all we can do now is trust in the technology of Squad 12 to complete his operation."

The others nod before the head-banded form of Toshiro looks up at his former vice-captain, still comforting his sister, "Rangiku. We must return to the Rukongai with the others."

Momo suddenly breaks from Rangiku, once more settling her tearful gaze on her red-haired friend, "Renji… if Izuru wakes up…"

Renji smiles slightly and nods in understanding, "Don't worry. We'll let you know right away."

The black-haired girl weakly returns the smile, "Thank you…"

After a moment, the white-haired boy turns to leave, quietly flanked by his sister and the much taller blonde woman. This leaves Rukia and Renji alone at the gate, watching their friends leave briefly before exchanging a look.

The raven-haired woman asserts with a hopeful look in her purple eyes, "Speaking of which, brother should be waking up soon…"

The red-haired man nods before they both walk back into the barracks.

Captain's Office, Squad 4 Barracks

"Given your complicity and accompanying the Hollow White, your actions can't be overlooked… do you understand, 7th seat Hanataro Yamada?", Unohana states in a stern tone as she looks down at the black-haired boy in question.

Hanataro sweats nervously as he finds the courage to talk back to her, "C-Captain Unohana, p-please d-don't call m-me the 7th seat a-anymore… I-I… I left my post if y-you'll recall…"

The woman's scolding frown deepens as she raises a brow at the boy's trembling form, "Calm yourself, young man, I am not going to harm you… and as for leaving, why would you want to come back? Surely you were expecting to be reprimanded in some way…"

The boy gulps, still sweating nervously despite the intent, resolute look in his eyes, "B-because there were lives that needed saving… as a healer, the desire to save lives shouldn't change even if we aren't exactly allies."

He pauses, considering his words before remaining outwardly nervous as he points out, "C-couldn't the same be s-said of you taking in Kensei Muguruma and Mashiro Kuna for healing, C-Captain Unohana…?"

The woman widens her eyes slightly, in momentary silent shock at the boy's words. He shifts nervously as the silence between them seems to drag on, the captain taking her time to process his statement.

After another moment of this, she softens her gaze and smiles slightly, "I suppose you have a point there, former 7th seat Yamada…"

Hanataro blinks in confusion, "W-what…? Why isn't she punishing me in some way…? It almost feels like she's not even angry anymore…"

The woman, capable of being exceedingly scary and brutal when she needs to, maintains a smile as she bows slightly, further increasing the boy's confusion, "Thank you for assisting with Vice-Captain Kira. It is thanks to our combined efforts that he even has a chance to survive at all. As always, your Kaidō is some of the most potent I've ever seen."

The boy blushes at being praised, making him bashfully wave his hands, "N-no, it was nothing! I-If anything, I should be thanking you for letting me help at all, Captain Unohana!"

Unohana rises to her full height, her gaze still softened as she remains smiling at him, "Either way, we were fortunate to have you. Can I take your not leaving with the others that you are intent on remaining in the Seireitei to continue assisting in the relief efforts?"

Hanataro nods, "Of course. Whenever that monster comes back, there should be as many people who can treat the wounded as possible. It would be downright selfish of me to turn my back on the Shinigami in the Seireitei just because I'm not in the Gotei 13 anymore…"

The woman's smile deepens, very pleased the boy feels that way, silently considering, "Despite their differences, the boy is just like his brother. If someone needs to be healed, then he will heal them. How very straightforward you Yamadas are…"

Unohana raises a slight brow as she notices the boy in front of her shift nervously again, making her question, "Please speak your mind, young man."

Hanataro bites his lip before looking up slightly at his former captain with an almost pleading look in his gaze, "Captain Unohana… why did Yuzu Kurosaki need to die?"

The captain widens her eyes briefly, processing the question, before her expression drops, now wearing a slight frown, "The choice was not mine, child. What I can say is that due to our ancient, shared history, the feud between the Shinigami and Quincies runs just as deeply, if not more so, than our feud with Hollows. Our feud with the Quincies is not something the Soul Society can ever truly forget…"

The boy frowns and scrunches his brows, troubled, "But why? What did they do to earn such hate from us?"

Unohana opens her mouth to answer, but before she can, Kirinji walks through the doors of her office, responding instead with disdain in his tone, "Because the Quincies are a stain on this world! Their very existence is something that threatens the balance between the realms. Instead of purifying Hollows, the Quincies completely destroy them, including all of the spiritual matter associated with them."

The captain and boy look at the royal guard, the latter wide-eyed, as he finishes, "It might not sound appealing to you, but the truth is that a Quincy has no place in this world we live in, kid. Remember that."

Hanataro looks down dejectedly as Unohana nods, confirming, "I'm afraid he's right… the only thing the Quincies can do without threatening the realms is to live as normal humans…"

The boy's gaze remains downcast as he gives the captain a short bow, "A-Alright… I'll be off then…"

Kirinji and Unohana quietly watch the boy leave the office and accompany Rikichi, Rukia, and Renji, who are all standing in the grassy courtyard.

The royal guard promptly levels his gaze on the captain, raising a brow as he starts, "The way you spoke about it makes it sound like you regret bathing in the blood of the countless of those wretches you killed, Yachiru Unohana…"

Unohana wears a cold look of death as she regards the man before her, "A naïve boy who couldn't hurt a fly like him doesn't need to know about my past."

Kirinji narrows his eyes and frowns before looking to the side, "I think with all the dangerous enemies the Gotei 13 has on their plate, you oughta take that gentle mask you wear off. You should also properly train that kid running around with your title… Don't you think?"

The woman scowls, instantly knowing who he is talking about, "Unless the Head Captain orders me to do so, I will not fight Captain Zaraki in a duel…"

"Then what of the other one...?", the royal guard asks with a scowl as he recalls Azashiro.

Unohana's gaze is now much more distant, "I… I'm not sure…"

Kirinji raises a brow, prompting her to elaborate, "I don't know how I feel about him holding the title of Kenpachi. I hardly know anything about him, but…"

She narrows her eyes and smirks darkly as she finishes, considering how Azashiro sought to destroy Arturo, "…at least he has the killer intent of a Kenpachi..."

Throne Room, Silbern

Within the darkness of the Wandenreich, the Quincy King stirs from his slumber. Seated on his throne, his regal gaze is distant as his eyes slowly open, seemingly considering something.

Yhwach hums in thought, "The Soul Society has failed to re-seal Arturo Plateado…"

A dark smirk slowly spreads across his face, although the look in his eyes relays disappointment, "There might not be anything of the Soul Society left when the time for invasion arrives… it will be unfortunate if I am unable to kill Yamamoto with my own hands…"

He starts to close his eyes and drift back into slumber as he notes with a slight smile, "Anyway… Kurosaki's training is proceeding as planned…"

Training Grounds, Silbern

Lille Barro frowns as he looks over the grassy training area within the cold palace, where most of the other Sternritters are currently paired against each other in single combat sparring using their bows, swords, and other weapons.

Keigo, standing near two of the Sternritters currently sparring, flinches as he feels the glare of the Schutzstaffel leader, "He's looking at us…"

After a moment, the brown-haired boy looks a distance across the training grounds, finding Bambietta and Candice locked in a casual spar using blue Reishi swords. He then looks down at his hands, currently holding a white cape, hat, button-up shirt, and a black and gold sheath housing a katana with yellow fur in place of a guard—the Zanpakutō: Kōgetsu.

He sighs in mild dejection as he settles his gaze on the Sternritters nearest to him, "That gun guy, Lille Barro, insisted that EVERY Sternritter not in the Schutzstaffel has to spar just because these two did… they've been going at it for a while now…"

In front of the boy and standing across from each other are the sweating forms of Cang Du and Yuzu. Cang Du wears his typical white sleeveless uniform and holds a blue Reishi lance, which quickly turns to a solid steel lance in his hands as his gaze hardens, regarding his sparring partner more seriously than the moment prior. Evidently, he has opted to use the lance instead of the claws on his iron gauntlets, currently retracted and resting on his forearms. Yuzu likewise holds a lance made entirely of blue Reishi and wears her usual white gloves, boots, and skirt, held up with her belt with a blue, heart-shaped buckle. However, the girl currently has discarded most of her upper uniform, including her hat, leaving her only with a white, sleeveless undershirt with a blue cross pattern stitched onto it, making her appear similar to her sparring partner. Her white thunderbolt handkerchief, usually tied around her neck, is now tied around the upper half of her left arm as her blonde ponytail flows in the wind, her hair as ever held back above her left ear by her strawberry hairpin, worn in honor of her brother.

Keigo frowns as he looks at the lance in the scarred Sternritter's grasp, recalling, "He just used that power of his on his lance to reinforce it and turn it to solid steel… this means he's going to stop holding back on her…"

The boy gulps, fearing this bodes poorly for his younger friend. However, the girl herself overall looks more than ready to re-engage the scarred, black-haired man in combat given the serious look on her face.

Before she can, a hardy voice calls over to them, "Look, James! It's the rookie!"

Cang and Yuzu perk up and look at the burly, somewhat scorched form of Mask De Masculine, flanked by a tiny, bespectacled bald man wearing overalls.

Rather than regarding Mask himself, the martial artist glances at the small man, "What do you want, James? I thought you and Bazz-B were sparring."

The small man, James, purses his lips, asserting in a high-pitched voice, "Bazz B isn't a superstar at all…"

The appearance of the bald man makes Yuzu and Keigo wear curious expressions, the girl wondering, "James…? I think I remember Bambi and Candy mentioning him when I was watching wrestling on TV once…"

The masked Sternritter releases a hardy laugh as he crosses his arms, agreeing, "You've got that right, James! He's clearly in too much of a bad mood to put on a good show!"

Yuzu's eyes light up slightly before she looks up at the scarred, black-haired Sternritter somewhat apologetically, "Do you mind if we continue this later? I think I want to try the lance techniques you taught me against another Sternritter."

Cang Du looks between the girl and the larger, muscular Sternritter before settling a wary gaze on her as he stabs his lance into the ground, "Don't underestimate him."

Yuzu smiles in appreciation before turning toward the mustache man, "How about you fight me then?"

Mask widens his eyes slightly, "Huh? Are you sure you want to do that, little lady?"

The dirty blonde girl holds her blue Reishi lance in her right hand behind her as she slightly outstretches her left arm, balancing herself before declaring with a friendly smile, "I'm ready whenever you are."

The larger Sternritter smiles widely before looking at the small bald man, "James! Do the thing!"

James suddenly splits into about 10 different versions of himself, which all chant, "Go get her, MISTER!"

Yuzu and Keigo both flinch at the sight of the multitude of Jameses, which makes the girl open to an attack.

Mask lunges across the battlefield and reels back a punch before slamming it into the girl's gut, calling, "Star Rocket Punch!"

The young blonde Quincy gasps, the air being pushed from her lungs. She is sent flying back a distance before managing to stab her Reishi lance into the ground to slow her momentum. Little respite is offered to her, however, as the masked Quincy lunges at her again, applying further pressure.

Yuzu's eyes contract as she watches the much larger man approach, fully dialing in her focus. Mask makes to punch her again; however, he completely misses as she easily sidesteps, now properly able to react. She then sweeps the blue light lance at his legs, causing him to trip and fall face-first on the ground. Before he can recover, she spins her entire body around on her heel and adjusts her hold on the Reishi lance before thrusting it at the masked Quincy's chest, promptly launching him back a distance with a small blue explosion.

Yuzu glances over at Cang Du, who nods in approval with a slight smirk on his face, clearly proud to see her pick up his teachings of lance-faire so quickly. She smiles slightly as well before her gaze becomes focused again as she lunges at the still-staggering Sternritter, her lance raised overhead and poised to deal a decisive, winning blow.

Before she can land the attack, the Jameses suddenly cry with all of their might, "DON'T LOSE! MISTEERRRR!"

Mask's eyes briefly glow a golden color before he grabs the approaching Yuzu's lance with a burst of speed and strength. The girl widens her eyes as she finds herself unable to pull the lance from the grasp of his red-gloved hand.

The mustache Quincy smirks before pulling the girl in close and kneeing her brutally in the chest, "Star Eagle Kick!"

Yuzu vomits up saliva as she is sent into the air, her lance quickly fading away.

Mask jumps after her before grabbing her head and delivering a vicious headbutt, calling, "Star Headbutt!"

The girl gets sent crashing into the ground, blood now spewing from her forehead due to the intensity of the blow, just like with Gerard.

Keigo, watching from the sidelines while still holding Yuzu's stuff, frowns, "We need to stop this…"

Cang Du, standing next to him, snorts as he glances at the Jameses, "Good luck with that when James is cheering him on…"

Meanwhile, Lille scowls as he watches from the edge of the training area, "It'll be a setback if Kurosaki is sent to the infirmary for another day or two. She needs to awaken her Schrift before any of her real training can begin, and she can't do that if she's too hurt…"

He suddenly materializes his rifle before leveling it at the masked Sternritter, "It's time to put an end to this farce."

Before the dark-skinned, hatted Quincy pulls the trigger, he hears a sudden hiss from behind him. This prompts him to turn around, finding the short, cloaked form of Pernida Parnkgjas, still hissing at him as their golden eyes glare into his very soul. The sniper narrows his eyes, returning the glare for a moment to see if his peer will back off.

After another moment, it becomes clear that the cloaked figure will not back down, prompting Lille to sigh as he points his gun toward the ceiling, away from the other Quincies, "So you wish to monitor their training instead, do you, Parnkgjas?"

Pernida nods quietly, making the other Schutzstaffel dematerialize his rifle, reducing it back to particles of light.

Not needing any further convincing, Lille starts walking away from the training area, intent on heading elsewhere in the palace as he regards the shorter figure, "I am going to attend His Majesty alongside Valkyrie. Given Haschwalth's absence, you can never be too sure who might try something…"

The Schutzstaffel sends a brief glare at Bazz-B, standing a distance away with a bored look on his face, before proceeding further into the darkness of the palace.

As Lille disappears from sight, his thoughts linger on Yuzu, "I don't trust Kurosaki… she's a heathen who needs to learn respect… however, I can't deny that based on raw talent, she is by far the most promising recruit we've gotten since Askin…"

Back on the battlefield, Mask flexes his arms as he roars to the sky, "HAHA, I'M THE SUPERSTAR! I'M UNBEATABLE!"

Keigo and Cang perk up as they notice Yuzu slowly picking herself up from the ground, blood continuing to leak from her forehead as she oddly smiles ferally, "You're awfully proud about beating down on a girl literally half your size..."

The wrestling Sternritter frowns slightly as he looks at the girl use her Quincy Cross to materialize a microphone.

Keigo widens his eyes in realization, "Wait… is she going to cut a promo?"

One of the Jameses listens in interest as Cang Du raises a brow, "Excuse me?"

The boy glances at the Sternritter, explaining, "It's when wrestlers on TV trash talk at each other to build hype for a match."

The Quincy still looks confused, making Keigo look at the bleeding dirty blonde intently, "Just watch…"

Yuzu begins to speak into the microphone she created, which somehow amplifies her voice as she continues, "But you know what? I don't care! Even if you're bigger, stronger, or faster than me, I'll still kick your sorry butt... I won't lose to a jabroni like you!"

Mask as well as the Jameses are completely speechless as they look at the young Quincy in shock.

The bleeding blonde girl smirks, still speaking into her microphone, gesturing at the crowd of Jameses, "See, I'm what you call relentless... No matter how much you beat me down, I'll keep getting back up! These people came to see a fight, and that's what I'm going to give them!"

The masked burly man starts, "Well, I think..."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!", the girl harshly interrupts as she screams into the microphone.

Pretty much everyone within earshot looks over at the girl in momentary shock and confusion.

Yuzu, whose face is pretty much covered with blood from her forehead at this point, points her finger at Mask De Masculine as she finishes her 'promo' in her microphone, a bit of her sanity slipping at the moment due to a potential concussion, "The Strawberry doesn't back down from a fight! You want some of the Strawberry, then your candy ass can come get some!"

There is a long silence after the girl quickly discards the microphone and takes a fighting pose.

The Jameses gawk at the sight of Yuzu before one of them speaks up, "She's pretty cool…"

This statement makes Mask flinch, having a bad feeling before the rest of the Jameses catch on, now cheering in unison, "Strawberry! Strawberry!"

Cang widens his eyes at the sight, "She's turned James against Mask?!"

Keigo, after placing Yuzu's belongings neatly on the ground, smirks slightly as he notes the black-haired man's confusion, "Don't underestimate the power of a good promo…"

As the Quincy girl and muscular masked man lunge at each other, the Jameses continue to chant, "Strawberry! Strawberry!"

Yuzu jumps up and kicks the masked man's head, making him stagger slightly. She then creates a blue Reishi lance and throws it such that it stabs the ground a short distance away. She rushes toward the blue lance before jumping and planting her feet on it, using it as a spring to launch herself back at the superstar. The Quincy girl quickly tackles the staggering man, using her head, covered by Blut Vene, to crash into his stomach, resulting in him staggering even further as his eyes bulge slightly from his head.

"SPEAR!", Keigo suddenly shouts, making the Sternritter next to him flinch.

After a moment, Cang Du perks up in interest as Yuzu runs a distance away from the larger man again before looking at the Jameses and pausing.

She raises her hands to get the crowd further hyped, making the chants even louder, "STRAWBERRY! STRAWBERRY!"

The Quincy girl giggles as she is thoroughly enjoying this, before running toward the superstar again.

As Yuzu runs, she builds a significant amount of momentum. She then jumps into the air and wraps her legs around the larger man's head, her built-up momentum giving her enough force that he is sent back just enough for her to be able to twist her body and touch the ground with her much shorter arms. She then orients her body to send the man flying through the air before slamming on his back.

This makes the Jameses all audibly cringe before immediately cheering once again, "GO! STRAWBERRY!"

Yuzu briefly materializes her bow to launch a blue arrow as she runs around the field again. The arrow was sent at just the right trajectory and timing that she is able to jump on it mid-sprint before leaping backward off of it. This converts all of her momentum into a somersault through the air, leaving her to crash directly against Mask's stomach, making his eyes pop comically out of his head in a dramatic manner.

The Jameses keep cheering for Yuzu, Keigo now cheering with them as he is caught up in their hype as the girl lays on the superstar, "FINISH IT, SISTEERRR!"

The crowd calls simultaneously as one of the Jameses now wears a white and black striped shirt and hits the ground three times, "1, 2, 3!"

The crowd immediately roars in excitement as another one of the Jameses rings his bell and declares, "Your new Wandenreich Champion, The Strawberry!"

The brown-haired human boy pumps his fist into the air, screaming, "God damn, she did it! SHE DID IT! SHE'S THE CHAMPION! ARE YOU SEEING THIS, DUDE?!"

Cang Du sweat drops as he covers his ears at the boy's screams, "Yes, I have eyes…"

He then looks seriously at Yuzu, "It's beyond impressive that she got James to cheer for her, though. Not to mention, the way she finished that demonstrated impeccable physicality."

Keigo, still flowing with hyped-up adrenaline, screams, "I KNOW, RIGHT?!"

This earns him a glare from Cang Du, however, the Sternritter is ignored as the boy rushes off to join the Jameses approaching Yuzu and Mask.

The larger superstar sulks that he feels betrayed, which makes one of the Jameses rub him on the back, "Mister is still the greatest superstar, but Strawberry cut such a good promo, we couldn't help but cheer for her today."

Mask gets up, reinvigorated as he declares, "In that case, I too shall master the art of cutting these so-called promos! Haha!"

The wrestling Sternritter regards Yuzu with a hardy laugh as a golden belt materializes in his hands, a prominent 'S' engraved on it, "You are a true superstar, rival! You deserve this!"

The still-bleeding blonde girl is wide-eyed and slightly confused as she is handed a championship belt out of seemingly nowhere. Before she can question it, however, the larger man suddenly picks her up and sits her on his shoulders, so she is raised above everyone else in the room.

Yuzu looks at the crowd of Jameses, joined by Keigo, as they chant with great vigor, "STRAWBERRY! STRAWBERRY!"

After a moment, she gives into the vibes and starts giggling as she raises the belt in the air, causing the crowd around her to roar even more loudly. Meanwhile, most of the Sternritters have completely stopped their sparring at this point, now gawking in utter shock and disbelief at the sight of the sweating, sleeveless form of Yuzu sitting on Mask's shoulders and parading the new 'title' with the Jameses and Keigo cheering her on.

The blonde girl holds her bloodied forehead after a moment further of giggling, looking a degree paler, "Aw fudge! I'm starting to get dizzy!"

Meanwhile, Bambietta and Candice, a distance away, look over as well.

Like most of her peers, the black-haired Quincy woman gawks, "I-I can't believe someone turned James against Mask! That should be impossible, right?!"

The lime blonde smirks, "Well if someone was going to, it was gonna be Yui. She's just the type to grow on you, whether you like it or not!"

Liltotto and Meninas, who were in the middle of a spar as well, look at the scene in interest as the former notes, "Y'know, Meni, Yui is sure getting more and more popular around here every day."

The much taller, pink-haired woman nods, "We should spend more time with her, too. She seems like a pleasant girl."

The short-haired blonde's eyes are thoughtful, recalling that Yuzu mentioned she was a good cook, "Maybe you're right…"

A distance away from them is Giselle, sitting lazily in the frosted-over grass as she looks intently at Yuzu across the field.

Suddenly, Askin, standing behind her with his bow drawn, sweat drops, "Hey… Lille said we have to spar until one of us gives up or is unable to fight."

The cockroach woman shrugs casually, "Well then, I lose… I can't fight and I much prefer to let my minions do the work for me. Besides, we both know you don't want to lay your hands on me, Asky… ~"

The man's eye twitches in irritation as he mutters, "Could you stop being lazy and cringe for five minutes?"

Meanwhile, at the edge of the training area, Bazz-B scowls, "She might be strong, but at the end of the day, she's just a dumb kid…"

He shifts his gaze over at Pernida, who seems to be watching the young girl with particular interest.

After a moment, the pink-haired mohawk man turns on his heel and stomps off, growling in frustration, "Things are fucked without you here, Jugo. Where the hell did His Majesty send you, anyway…?"

Meanwhile, Ishida Estate

Haschwalth, hidden from sight or sense within the shadows of the Ishida mansion, frowns slightly and sweat drops as he observes the scene within the mansion, "Now this is interesting..."

Within the main foyer of the Ishida mansion are several individuals led in by one of the maids. There is a large chandelier overhead and a large stairway leading up to a balcony overseeing the rest of the room. The balcony has a few doors leading further into the mansion and possesses a wooden guardrail, but otherwise, it is fairly plain. Next to the stairway leading to the second floor is a hallway, which also leads deeper into the mansion. Hung on the walls are expensive-looking pieces of artwork, each seeming to be from a different time period.

At the front of the group entering is a small black-haired boy wearing jeans and a white and blue t-shirt, Mizuiro Kojima, who looks around the room somewhat curiously. Behind him are the group of Fullbringers he met earlier, Jackie Tristan, Moe Shishigawara, and Giriko Kutsuzawa, also glancing around the mansion curiously.

The old, eye-patched man muses, "This is certainly more welcoming the Master Yukio's mansion…"

The mohawk kid agrees with a nod, further noting, "And bigger than Mr. Tsukishima's…"

Uryu, still wearing his white Quincy clothes, states after walking past the group before stopping in the middle of the room, "Yeah, well don't get too comfortable. I only brought you all here so we can meet with Ryuken whenever he gets back…"

The Quincy's refusal to look directly at them makes his shorter, black-haired friend frown slightly as his eyes soften, "I see… it must be hard for him to be courteous at all with what happened to his cousin…"

Despite the bespectacled boy's words, an amber-eyed teenage-looking girl with purple hair tied back with a yellow ribbon rushes across the room and curiously looks at one of the paintings. Currently, she wears a light-brown suit jacket, a white collared shirt underneath with a red tie around her neck, and a brown skirt.

The girl, Senna, suddenly turns to look at one of the butlers as she points at the painting, "Hey, what era is this from?"

Uryu's brow twitches in annoyance at having his comment about not getting comfortable completely ignored.

This makes Mizuiro, still standing behind the other teen, sweat drop, "Oof… so much for that…"

After speaking with the butler, Senna, with stars in her eyes, energetically runs up the stars and gazes at the chandelier upon reaching the top.

Her voice echoes through the foyer as she loudly states in awe, "WOW! This place is HUGE! And the decorations are all cool and sparkly, especially that one! I've never been to a place like this before!"

The bespectacled teen, who still is standing on the lower floor, notes passive-aggressively as his brow continues to twitch, "That's great. From the bottom of my heart, I am so happy that you're able to enjoy my house."

Senna once more ignores the boy as she eyes something below, prompting her to run down the stairs again.

She walks across the room and reaches toward an expensive-looking vase sitting on a table, asking, "This looks nice too! Y'know part of me wants to get into pottery at some point."

As the girl picks up the vase and begins to casually inspect it, Uryu decides he finally has had enough, growling, "Don't touch that!"

Senna blinks and briefly looks at the boy in quiet confusion before placing the vase back down on the table.

She turns around fully to regard the boy, pursing her lips and crossing her arms to outwardly give him attitude as she does, "You're such a party pooper. I don't get how you can be so grumpy with me after I saved you. You know, a lot of people would be on their hands and knees thanking me in your shoes."

The Quincy hisses with a certain level of wrath, "I'd NEVER grovel before a damned Shinigami like you!"

Senna flinches somewhat, briefly caught off guard by the disdain in his voice, before furrowing her brows, "What's your beef with Shinigami?"

Uryu looks away, a deep scowl now on his face, "It's none of your business…"

The purple-haired girl, still with her arms crossed, raises a brow, "Uh-huh. It sounds to me like you might just be jealous that Shinigami are more awesome than Quincies."

Her comment makes the Quincy send her a death glare before lunging, "That's it!"

Senna widens her eyes as the boy suddenly tackles her to the ground.

The girl cries, "H-Hey! Get off me, jerk!"

Mizuiro, the Fullbringers, and the servants all look nervous as some of them start to approach the pair on the floor, considering attempting to break them up. They pause and sigh in relief, however, as the front door opens and a bespectacled white-haired man wearing a white suit enters the mansion.

As Ryuken enters his home, he raises his brow at the sight of his son and a purple-haired girl on the floor, currently pulling at each other's faces and hair, "Uryu, who is that young lady, and why are you on the floor fighting her like a child?"

Uryu and Senna both blink, realizing that the mansion's owner is here. They simultaneously break off from each other, averting their frowning faces from looking at the other as they rise to their feet.

The teenage Quincy looks away from his father as he answers the question, "She's just another disrespectful Shinigami…"

Senna glares at the boy before looking at the older Quincy, "Yeah, one who saved his butt…"

The bespectacled boy turns to hiss at her, but is suddenly stopped as his father shouts sternly, "URYU, ENOUGH!"

His father's words make the younger Quincy begrudgingly back off.

Ryuken sighs before he looks at the girl again, giving a short bow, "My name is Ryuken Ishida, Uryu's father. I apologize for being late, as well as for his rudeness."

Senna blinks as she momentarily stares in mild surprise at the older Quincy before shifting to a friendly smile as she rubs the back of her head, "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad to help out!"

The white-haired man rises to his full height before addressing everyone, "At the moment, all we know of these creatures is that they only seem to become hostile around other beings with spiritual powers. As such, I suggest that we stick together in case of another attack, at least until our allies from the Soul Society arrive."

Senna, Mizuiro, and the Fullbringers all nod in agreement before Jackie asks with a raised brow, "Does that mean Ginjo and the others are coming back?"

Shishigawara perks up slightly hopeful at this as the white-haired Quincy adjusts his glasses, "Given that they are staying in the Rukongai, I was able to contact Yoruichi Shihoin's spirit phone on my way here without any interference to inform her of the situation. I'm afraid that a critical situation has occurred in the Soul Society as well, so I don't yet know who exactly will be coming."

The Fullbringers slump slightly at this, disappointed and anxious, yet accepting as the dark-skinned woman nods, "I understand."

Uryu, on the other hand, raises a worried brow, "What's going on? Is Karin ok?"

Ryuken gives his son a nod, "Our allies will be fine. Apparently, with the destruction of the Sōkyoku, an ancient Hollow prisoner escaped from their prison and nearly succeeded in subduing the entire Gotei 13 single-handedly."

The younger Quincy, as well as everyone else in the room, gawks in disbelief, excluding Mizuiro, who looks troubled as he doesn't fully understand the meaning of the man's words.

Giriko asks, stunned, "Such a being truly exists…?"

The white-haired Quincy sighs, "Apparently so… but, the Shinigami in the Seireitei have made it clear that it is, at least at the moment, an internal problem. It looks like our allies are the only ones available for this job."

The room is quiet for a long moment as everyone has time to process the new information about the ancient Hollow.

Ryuken looks at his servants, prompting them to quietly walk over as he explains, "In the meantime, you can follow them to the guest rooms you all will be staying in…"

Mizuiro and the Fullbringers all nod before following a couple of the maids down the main hallway next to the stairs, leading to the guest rooms.

Senna, meanwhile, continues to gawk at the house, "Wow… I didn't think I'd ever get to stay somewhere so fancy…"

Uryu smirks at her words before remarking, "It doesn't surprise me that a simple Shinigami couldn't have a house this large. See, us Quincies have more refined standards than you…"

The purple-haired girl frowns before sending the bespectacled boy a glare, prompting Ryuken to adjust his glasses, asserting, "Enough."

Both Uryu and Senna look away from each other again as the white-haired Quincy motions toward a butler standing at the hallway entrance, "Ms. Senna, my butler, Jon, will lead you to your room."

The girl nods and walks around Ryuken to accompany this 'Jon'. As she does so, she turns around and, hidden from the white-haired Quincy's sight, comically sticks her tongue out and pulls at her eyelid, making a dumb face at the younger Quincy.

Uryu scowls deeply before his father cuts him off in a stern voice, "Uryu… you will need to get along with our new guests. As far as we know, the situation with these wraiths could be catastrophic. If we are unwilling to work together, it will only cause more trouble for everyone."

The boy looks away, his hands balling into fists as he hisses, "I will never 'get along' with a Shinigami for as long as I live after what they did to grandfather and her…"

Ryuken wears a somewhat troubled look before sighing, "Well, then at least cut back on the aggressive antagonization of that Senna girl. In case you don't recall, she saved your life, much like how Isshin once saved Masaki's."

Uryu hisses, looking disgusted, "That's hardly the same at all! I have NO interest in making a child with her or any other Shinigami!"

The bespectacled young Quincy promptly stomps off, visibly fuming by this point. His father softens his gaze as he watches his son leave, feeling like nothing he says will change the disdain he currently has for the Shinigami.

This leaves Haschwalth, still hidden from sight or sense in the shadows, to smirk slightly as he reiterates something that Yhwach once said, "They will come to justify his hatred for them... fools… you have set yourselves up to fail..."

?

A bright blue moon stands above a seemingly tranquil lake, which is surrounded by a dark forest. The water is still for a moment before ripples begin to form. The ripples quickly turn into violently bubbling waves before something leaps out from the depths and lands on the small, grassy shore bordering the lake.

What jumped from the water is a girl wearing a white headband with long, straight black hair and wearing a black Gi. The girl's eyes are black and seem quite puffy, suggesting that she was crying. Further, three diagonal scars run across her face as she coughs from seemingly choking on the water, heaving somewhat as she pushes it from her lunges. After doing this for a few moments, the girl steadies her breathing before, for the first time, consciously taking in the sight of the lone body of water and surrounding forest.

Karin frowns in mild confusion at the sight, causing her to comment, "This place is my inner world… but it's different…"

Indeed, what the girl was used to seeing was a massive tree on a small island surrounded by a vast ocean. What she sees before her now, however, is somewhat inverted from that.

Karin perks up as she hears footsteps approach, followed by a rough voice, "That place you recall still exists within this inner world… it is merely at a separate location."

The girl turns to find the shaded old man wearing a tattered cloak approaching her.

As he does, she quickly fires questions at him, "Why didn't I get summoned there like usual, then? And why did I feel like I was drowning in there? Isn't this my world?!"

Karin narrows her eyes as she points at the lake, thoroughly unamused.

The man remains ever stoic as he responds, vaguely answering her questions, "This place represents one side of your powers… that other area represented another. It is because of your recent battles that you appear here instead and felt a drowning sensation."

The girl's scowl remains as she furrows her brows, not fully satisfied with the response. She remains quiet as she glances around the area intently, looking for something, or rather, someone.

Her gaze then lands on the old man once more as she fails to find what she is looking for, "Where is she?"

The bearded man states, "You mean your Shinigami side…"

Karin's frown remains as she nods, "She's not here."

The old man shakes his head, "No. She will always be here, as I will."

The girl grits her teeth, beginning to have a sinking feeling about what this is about, "Then why can't I see her? Is that also because of my recent battles?"

The man doesn't respond this time, allowing the silence between him and the girl to speak for itself. This causes Karin's expression to become even more troubled as she begins to recall what she can from facing Ulquiorra, Aaroniero, and Yamamoto. With what she recalls from the fights with Ulquiorra and Yamamoto, nothing seems too out of place. Admittedly, when she fought the Head Captain alongside her siblings, it's something that only appears as a blur to her as she acted almost entirely on instinct in that battle.

The girl widens her eyes, "Instinct… but that's…"

Her frown deepens as she realizes she remembers the closing of her fight with Aaroniero was almost exactly like when she fought Yamamoto—she was fueled on instinct and adrenaline. That alone would not cause concern, but the fact that something seems to be completely missing from her memory is more than alarming.

Karin's lips quiver as she hesitantly utters, "I-I was defeated by Aaroniero… but something happened, didn't it…?"

The old man remains silent, allowing her to continue considering what happened with rising horror. After another moment, she is assaulted by visions she can't at all remember—being in a location similar to this lake, but with everything crimson red. She recalls sinking in a lake of blood before grasping the hand of her Zanpakutō—the blue woman, Aoigetsu. Karin's eyes are filled with complete horror now as she clearly sees within the vision of Aoigetsu's usually deep green right eye replaced by a piercing golden one with black sclera, identical to Ichigo's.

Her lips quiver as she questions, "Am I… a Hollow…?"

The old man closes his eyes and walks back into the forest, disappearing from sight.

Karin frowns and starts to follow, "Wait—!"

"You were looking for me…?", a woman's voice calls from behind the girl.

Karin halts her stride and turns around to look at a woman in a blue kimono, finally making her appearance. The woman's usual dark blue kimono tied at the waist by a white sash remains, as well as the green emeralds worn in her blue hair as ornaments. Her hands, like the girl's own, are also wrapped in white bandages as she wears her usual slight smirk. The woman's left eye is its normal green color, however, upon looking elsewhere on her face, the differences become striking. A large white forward-facing horn protrudes from the right side of her head and her right eye is golden with black sclera with a branch-like tattoo running through it.

The Shinigami girl's eyes widen in shock and horror at taking in the new appearance of the woman, starting, "How is this…?"

As the girl's words trail off, the Zanpakutō hums as she wears a neutral expression, "Don't act so surprised. It was you who demanded this change. Your carnal killer instincts as you lay dying demanded to slaughter that Arrancar. This side of me emerging was a result of you wanting to kill another being…"

Karin hisses, a desperate look in her eyes, "B-But this is impossible… I shouldn't have Hollow powers…"

As she finishes saying this, though, her eyes widen as she recalls something her father once told her, "She was attacked by the Hollow White… …it invaded her soul and began to transform her into a Hollow… …I gave up my powers to keep the Hollow at bay…"

"Mom still had Hollow parts in her…", Karin realizes in shock.

This makes Aoigetsu touch her tattoo under her right golden eye with black sclera, now wearing a distant smile, "Yes… it would seem that you inherited some of the Hollow genes remaining in Mother… that is why you were able to defeat that Hollow in a pinch."

The headbanded Shinigami blinks, still experiencing a certain level of disbelief.

The spirit sighs as her hand falls to her side, "But I am disappointed that the extent of Hollow power I received pales in comparison to the raw savagery of your brother…"

Karin scowls at the mention of Ichigo, snapping her back into reality, "That is NOTHING to be disappointed about! Ichigo being a Hollow is a curse, not a blessing! The same thing applies to my so-called 'Hollow' powers!"

Aoigetsu frowns slightly as her wielder trembles and grits her teeth, explaining as she looks down and balls her hands into fists, "All my big brother ever wanted to do was help and protect the weak… I can't even imagine how much he's suffering in an existence that has forced him to kill and devour just to survive… it's changed him…"

Her eyes start to water in frustration, prompting rain to start falling from the sky as she recalls her interaction with Ichigo alone in the streets of the Seireitei, seeing nothing but hurt in his eyes, "…all I saw in big brother's eyes were the desire to die! He wanted to throw himself at Yamamoto to save everyone! That isn't the type of afterlife he deserves after already sacrificing his mortal life to save our family!"

The blue woman's gaze softens as Karin begins to weep slightly, now gripping the sides of her arms, "His suffering can only end after I purify him… the Hollows will scatter without their King… so, Dad and I can look for Ichigo in the Rukongai without having to worry about the Hollow invasion… we'll make sure he gets the afterlife he deserves…"

The Zanpakutō spirit allows her wielder to cry slightly longer, the rain briefly increasing in intensity with her tears.

Aoigetsu suddenly states with a huff as she places her hands on her hips, "That's a fine plan, but you are not at the level where you can defeat him, Karin…"

The girl flinches as she looks at the woman, "What…?"

The noble-looking spirit smiles tauntingly as she points at her right, golden eye with black sclera, "You reject the Hollow side of yourself, yet we both know deep down you'll resort to using it—me, as a tool. That's not how this works, buttercup. I am not simply a blade for you to swing around, I am your partner… unless, of course, you reject that idea, too…"

Karin frowns and she crosses her arms, her tears drying, "Yeah, I get that. So then, all I need to do is accept that part of me and then I can use Hollow powers, right? Then I can beat Ichigo…?"

"Wrong again… ~", Aoigetsu hums with a smirk, wagging her index finger to emphasize the girl being incorrect.

A tick mark forms on the girl's head, now growling, "Huh?! Why not?!"

The Zanpakutō places her hands on her hips again, "You called me 'Aoigetsu'… I take issue with that."

Karin purses her lips and scrunches her brows in confusion, "Why? Isn't that your name?"

The woman hums thoughtfully, "You could say it is… in my current state, anyway…"

The girl's eyes twitch as she is thoughtful for a moment before she gasps in realization, "You can't mean that you'll only let me use Hollow powers after unlocking Bankai?!"

Aoigetsu chuckles, "Why shouldn't I? See, you've hurt my feelings with how you reacted to my new look. You think your Hollow side is a curse. So, I'll make it as mandatory as I see fit for you to need to subdue me in battle and force me to teach you Hollow powers along with Bankai… ~ It could've been so much easier if you didn't have a deep hatred for Hollows, but alas, that's not something I can fault you for…"

Karin growls, complaining, "Then why don't you just teach me how to use them now?"

The blade spirit smirks, shamelessly admitting, "Because I'm petty."

The girl, having heard enough, furiously grabs for the blade strapped to her back, "Enough of this—?!"

She suddenly widens her eyes in shock as the long blade on her back is not there and, instead, its sheathed form is now held in Aoigetsu's right hand. The girl narrows her eyes as she instead unsheathes, in a reverse grip with her left hand, the small knife strapped to the left side of her waist.

The woman frowns as she extends her left hand from across the lake toward her wielder, "There is also another reason. If you can't even force me into submission, then you don't have a prayer against Ichigo, Yamamoto, or even that Sosuke Aizen…"

Karin furrows her brows, sweat dripping from her forehead as she stands with her black knife Zanpakutō in her left hand, poised to parry any potential strikes.

Aoigetsu, however, merely holds her left hand before her as she reveals, "You wanted to learn, yes? Well, I'll show you just how little you understand what your powers can truly do…"

The Shinigami girl seizes as the falling rain around her begins to glow with blue light as the woman closes her hand into a fist, calling, "Getsuga Tenshō."

From several of the droplets of rain, blue beams of energy are suddenly sent toward Karin, trapping her as they crash together and create a blue explosion. Aoigetsu narrows her eyes as, after a moment, her wielder's now smoking form flies out from the explosion and skids against the ground at the lakeside briefly.

As the scorched girl regains her bearings, she flips the short black blade in her left hand into a normal grip as it ignites with light-blue light, beginning to call in turn, "GETSUGA—!"

Before she can release the attack, a hand grabs her wrist from behind, halting her mid-swing. She immediately glares behind her at the form of the old, bearded man wearing sunglasses and a black weathered coat, holding back her arm with a scowl.

Karin hisses as her eyes narrow, "You too, old man…?"

The old, Quincy side of Aoigetsu grunts, "You have only just unlocked your Shikai. There is much you still need to learn about your powers as it is before you are ready to even think about forcing both of us to submit and teach you Bankai…"

Karin continues to growl at the man as the blue woman stands passively on the water of the lake, observing in silence.

The man declares, "Use your new Shikai—master it and learn more about what our true natures are... the meaning behind 'Aoigetsu'… Once you have done that, then I am willing to talk about Bankai…"

Karin hisses, about to snap at the man before she suddenly starts staggering, her eyes forcibly closing on their own.

She hears the old man utter distantly as her consciousness fades, "Now, it is time for you to wake up…"

As Karin's form fades from her inner world, the female Aoigetsu huffs as she complains, "I was ready to throw down and teach her Bankai, and you just had to butt in and stop the fun, didn't you?!"

The old man grunts, "First off, that's almost comical coming from someone who won't even correct her on what our true name is."

The female Aoigetsu frowns at this, muttering, "The name is close enough for now, you old geezer…"

The bearded man ignores her comment as he continues, "And more importantly, there will be a dangerous foe in the future, who will kill her if she continues to so viciously pursue this path as a Shinigami… as long as I can delay that, I will. You know this…"

The woman's eyes twitch, now frowning, "And preventing her from learning Bankai is going to help with that how exactly…?"

The older male Aoigetsu sighs as he looks down intently, distantly stating, "Because if she remains weaker than she should be, then there is less of a chance that she will die by 'my' hand…"

The blue-haired Aoigetsu narrows her eyes yet remains quiet as the somber tranquility of the inner world returns.

Her counterpart looks up at the blue moon in the sky as rain continues to fall, a somber look in his eyes, "But there is another reason I do not wish for her to learn Bankai…"

After a momentary pause, the bearded man speaks in a distant tone, "Karin… Do you know how I hate the rain? When your heart is troubled, it will rain ever so easily… The feeling of being rained on in this lonely world is more unbearable than anything else…"

The woman across from him is quiet, also now with a somber expression on her face as the old man closes his eyes, "However, because of the path you have chosen to follow, this rain will never truly go away… the rain has become a part of who you are…"

The man suddenly holds his hand out, causing the rain to stop and every single droplet of water to stand still in the air within the inner world, "For as long as I am able, I will delay your inevitable realization of this cruel truth…"

Night, Shiba Residence, Rukongai

Karin's eyes shoot open as she suddenly sits up from her futon, finding herself alone in the darkness of Kaien's old room.

After a moment, the girl frowns as she rubs her tired eyes, muttering in irritation, "Stupid swords, always holding me back…"

As her hands fall to her side, she glances intently at the two sheathed blades lying on the ground next to her. Her eyes narrow slightly at the sight of them before, after a moment, she sighs. The girl rises from the sheets on the futon, revealing her current appearance. Now, without a headband and wearing a white night robe, leaving her feet and worn slightly scarred hands, a result of her excessive Zanjutsu training in the past, bare.

The girl opens the sliding door of her room, leaving her blades behind and hair to hang freely, as she muses quietly with a troubled expression on her face, "I need some fresh air…"

Karin widens her eyes slightly as she quickly finds Toshiro and Nozomi sleeping outside of the room, slouched and flanking each side of the door.

She can't help it as her eyes soften upon looking at them, finding their apparent unyielding loyalty endearing, as opposed to off-putting as she usually would, "Well at least I know who I can count on…"

Karin then proceeds with walking through the halls, returning to a troubled expression as she's intent on clearing her mind and thinking through what just happened with her Zanpakutōs.

Toshiro suddenly cracks his eyes open, quietly watching as the girl walks off and musing while the green-haired Shinigami next to him remains sleeping, "It was subtle, so the others not right next to her probably couldn't tell... her Reiatsu was fluctuating in her sleep... something's on her mind..."

The white-haired boy remains quiet and closes his eyes, asserting, "I shouldn't startle her… besides… there are others outside she can talk with if she wishes…"

As Karin continues to walk through the residence, she frowns as she notes Rangiku's sleeping drunken form slumped over a table, as well as Ginjo and Tsukishima, sleeping quietly in the corner of one of the rooms, "This is less than I expected… where—?"

She pauses suddenly as she hears the distant strum of guitars, making her look down the hallway curiously. The girl slowly proceeds, ascending some stares before standing within the shadow of the doorframe leading outside.

Remaining quiet and shrouded by the darkness, Karin looks out at the grassy field in front of the residence, partially lit by the light of the moon as several forms sit around a campfire a distance away, although within earshot. The source of the noise is Chad and Rose, sitting next to each other while both casually strumming the guitars in their hands. To Rose's left is the huddled form of Yukio, hugging his legs dejectedly. Seated a slight distance to Chad's right is the similarly huddled form of Momo, whose cheeks are stained by tears, clearly unable to sleep as she still frets over Aizen's betrayal and Izuru's condition. Further, the large, suited form of Hachi sits slumped over the large fire, directly to Yukio's left.

Lastly is Urahara's form, between Hachi and Momo, who gazes at the flames of the fire intently from under his hat. Lying on the ground, huddled up to the man and laying their heads on his lap are Ururu and Jinta, whose cheeks are both tear-stained as well, both seemingly to having cried extensively as well, likely responding in such a way at finding out Tessai had fallen. Indeed, held within a wooden coffin shortly behind the shopkeeper is the former commander's corpse, wrapped in the black tarp and prepared for his send-off.

The black-haired former vice-captain purses her lips and furrows her brows as she looks at the two Visoreds with a level of confliction and sorrow, "I can't believe Captain Aizen would do that to people… experiment on them and turn them into Hollows before throwing them out like trash. That's not the Captain Aizen I know… there has to be more to the story than that, THERE HAS TO BE!"

Momo trembles slightly as she buries her head in her legs, still in denial about her former captain's betrayal, a natural response given he had manipulated her for multiple decades.

Karin, meanwhile, remains silent within the darkness and decides, "I'll just watch for a bit… I don't want to interrupt."

The shopkeeper, aware of the girl's presence but respecting her decision to remain where she is, sighs as he eyes the flames of the fire intently, "We'll be sending him off in the morning..."

The others are quiet, allowing the man's words to linger in the air for a moment.

Rose's face is somber as he gazes at the fire as well, "The young Yuzu Kurosaki and now the wise Tessai Tsukabishi... potentially more of our friends as well... will the death ever cease...?"

The individuals around the campfire circle are quiet, listening to the calm, quiet crackling of the fire.

Chad perks up and asks, holding up the guitar in his hands slightly, "You were saying you wanted to make a ballad for them?"

The blonde nods, a slight smile on his face, "You wish to join me, perhaps?"

The boy returns the nod before both begin to freestyle a sad, somber melody, which simultaneously for some reason evokes a feeling of hope and curiosity.

Urahara looks to the ground, his sad eyes hidden under his hat, while Momo and Yukio begin to quietly cry again. The large pink-haired Visored, meanwhile, closes his eyes and shifts his face toward the ground, allowing himself to become consumed by the music.

Karin widens her eyes as tears unconsciously begin to fall, the melody reminding her of her sister. She starts instinctually walking toward the fire, drawn in by the music. The others perk up slightly, noting her approach, however, the two guitarists continue playing, uninterrupted as the girl takes a seat to the large Latino boy's right.

As the song finishes, Chad and Rose give somber looks to the scarred girl, the blonde musician sighing, "I didn't know her personally, so if our song didn't do your sister justice, then I can play another."

Karin sniffles as she wipes her eyes and shakes her head, "No... it was perfect... thank you, Rose... and you too, Chad..."

Both the blonde man and Latino boy nod their heads, somber gazes still held in their eyes.

The young blonde Fullbringer, meanwhile, suddenly speaks as he looks at the flames, "Yuzu always saw the positives in a situation... and she was inspiring for it... I only knew her for a little over a year... but still. The time with her made me think that maybe life wasn't so cynical... maybe such a thing as hope wasn't foolish..."

His tears continue as he explains with a slight smile, "She said I should smile more once, that my smile was one of the prettiest she ever saw. I thought that was ridiculous since she looked in the mirror every day... H-her smile was like the sun... warm and all-encompassing... love like that wasn't something even my own parents gave me..."

Karin widens her eyes slightly, realizing, "He... he loved Yuzu, didn't he... and not as a friend..."

His tears increase as he starts to sob, "...b-but now she's gone..."

Hachi and Rose, sitting on each side of the boy, place supportive hands on his shoulders as he continues to sob. The scarred girl looks down slightly, her eyes still wet with tears as well.

After a minute or so, Karin glances at Momo sitting next to her, still quiet and looking at the fire, still considering, but now with a slightly desperate look in her eyes, "Izuru would probably disagree that Gin Ichimaru manipulating Captain Aizen into turning traitor… so… if he isn't manipulating him, then the captain must have a good reason for betraying us all! That's gotta be it… right…?"

Her gaze becomes even more conflicted and confused at the thought, desperately trying to piece together an explanation for Aizen's treachery that she can cope with.

The scarred girl suddenly starts, a question on her mind, "You seem pretty close to Toshiro..."

This makes the older black-haired Shinigami widen her eyes and perk up slightly, being brought away from her conflicted and confused thoughts as she nods slightly, "Shiro and I grew up together. We're like siblings..."

Karin's mouth opens slightly, having no idea that was the case as she is quiet for a moment before asking, "Do... do you know why he's so loyal to me? I get he used to serve under Dad or whatever, but acting like my bodyguard and even sleeping protectively outside of my room while I'm sleeping seem a bit excessive for someone, he's just met..."

Momo widens her eyes, shocked, "He... he did what?!"

The scarred girl scrunches her brows as the other, older girl starts to fume, puffing, "Shiro, you can't do that around a lady! It's improper!"

From within the house, Toshiro suddenly sneezes at being talked about out of earshot, which wakes and startles Nozomi.

Back outsides, Momo huffs, angry with her little brother for acting in such a way, making the others sitting around the fire sweat drop.

After a moment, the black-haired girl sighs before looking at Karin with a serious look, "That's something you'll need to ask Shiro himself, Lady Shiba..."

The younger, scarred girl nods, a slight look of disappointment in her gaze, "Fair enough... but also, one more thing..."

Momo raises a curious brow, "Yes?"

Karin frowns as she leans back and lays on her bare hands, her white robe shifting in the wind, "Please call me Karin. 'Lady Shiba' sounds too weird..."

The older girl widens her eyes briefly before her gaze softens and she nods with an understanding smile, "Very well, Karin... but I will also ask that you call me Momo."

The scarred girl returns the smile, asserting, "That makes us friends now, Momo..."

The former vice-captain giggles, "I suppose it does, doesn't it?"

As Momo's laughter dies down, the group once more sits in silent tranquility, Rose beginning to casually strum his guitar again.

After another moment of silence, Chad looks at Karin and asks, "So you couldn't sleep either?"

The girl nods before she then looks at the two Visoreds thoughtfully, starting, "I had a dream with my Zanpakutōs in it... I have Hollow powers..."

Everyone present flinches in surprise. Rose and Hachi have particular shock written on their faces as they gawk.

Urahara is unfazed, however, as he remarks, "I see... so you received parts of the Hollow left in your mother, didn't you...?"

Karin nods, "Yeah. My Zanpakutōs just showed up and pretty much told me they are actively holding back their Hollow side. They also refuse to fight me so I can learn Bankai… So, I figured I might as well ask you guys, since you're the experts on Hollowfication and all."

The shopkeeper frowns, the look in his eyes holding interest as Hachi explains with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Miss Shiba, but I don't think we'll be of very much help. From the sounds of it, your Zanpakutō and inner Hollow is one and the same. For Rose and me, our inner Hollows are something completely separate from our swords. We had to subdue it in order to so much as survive the Hollowfication."

The scarred girl looks down slightly in disappointment as Rose encourages, "You are an exceptionally talented girl, Miss Shiba. You are so young and already you were able to participate in a battle against the Head Captain and hold your own. I'm certain you will be able to figure this out."

Karin smiles slightly, appreciating the encouragement as she nods quietly. The group, becoming quiet once again, continues to gaze at the crackling fire for a while.

Suddenly, a figure suddenly appears with a flash, regarding the shopkeeper in a monotone, "Greetings, Kisuke Urahara. I must request that you accompany me to the world of the living."

Everyone around the circle flinches, startled by the sudden appearance of the figure. Before them is a slender woman with green eyes and black hair worn in a long braid. Her black Shihakushō has been modified to be shorter, appearing as a skirt on the lower half, and she wears long, white finger-less gloves, tied around her middle fingers. Lastly, she wears a badge around her left arm, the symbol on it very familiar to the shopkeeper.

As everyone else is startled and confused by the sight of Vice-Captain Nemu Kurotsuchi, Urahara remains calm as he gently places his right hand on Ururu's head and his left on Jinta's, "What do you—?"

Before he can fully get the question out, Yoruichi suddenly appears behind him with a flash, making the others further surprised. The shopkeeper tilts his head up slightly to regard his close friend, a curious look in his eyes.

The dark-skinned ninja woman whisper in his ear, starting, "I just got a call from Ryuken..."

Urahara nods as he listens to her full report while the vice-captain waits patiently, and the others look between them in confusion.

After Yoruichi is done, the shopkeeper and former captain looks back at Nemu with a serious gaze, "Is this about the Blanks?"

Karin and most of the others sitting around the fire raise a brow at this, unfamiliar with the creatures.

The green-eyed, black-haired woman nods, "Yes. I have been ordered to request your assistance in dealing with them."

Urahara sighs as he looks down at the children resting on his lap with a somber gaze, "Can this wait until morning…? We are set to send off Tessai Tsukabishi at dawn… I am not going to be absent for that…"

Nemu looks at the corpse of Tessi behind the shopkeeper and then at the children laying on his lap with tear-stained cheeks. She seemingly considers something as she remains quiet.

After a moment the woman's eyes soften ever so slightly, her instinctual kinship with the children growing as she nods, "Very well. We shall leave in the morning..."

The shopkeeper then rubs the back of his neck as mutters while glancing at Karin, Chad, and Yukio; who all look especially concerned about the world of the living, "I sure hope Isshin is alright with this..."

Author's Note

Karin's Hollow side is milder than Ichigo's was since in this story she and Yuzu inherited fall less Hollow genes than he did. So, while Visored training can still happen for her, it's not something that is prompted because, unlike White/Zangetsu, blue Aoigetsu doesn't present herself in the same manner that a feral inner-Hollow vying for control would. Again, this is due to the Hollow aspects being diluted.

Speaking of Aoigetsu, as far as I understand, that's not a word that can exist in Kanji. So, given that Ichibe most definitely names everything WITH KANJI, I've decided that it makes sense that 'Aoigetsu' is not actually the true name of Karin's Zanpakutō. But, like the blade itself suggested, it is close enough to the true name in intent, but not quite right. With this is a further level of nerf to Karin's powers that she will amend later in the story once she finds out she's been calling her swords' names wrong.