"For what it's worth, I cast my lot with yours.
If you need a push, I'll be right there behind you; if you lose control, I'll do my best to stop you.
So─let us be about it, hero." – Ardbert to Shugo
.....
(Bleach OP1: Asterisk – Cutscene Sequence)
The view on the sky pans upwards. Then it transitions immediately into Ichigo seemingly jumping, while looking in a shade of orange and wearing goggles. Next to him was a chain-link fence with letters spelling out BLEACH were each on their own square white paper, spinning.
Then, the behind of a woman who appears to be standing in front of blocks of concrete wall segways into the scene, making the transition for the next scene. Her belt also has the words BLEACH on it.
The next scene has Isshin standing on the left in an outfit reminiscent of those romanticized Spanish clothing men wore, while on the right was Inoue who was holding her hair that appears to be blown by a wind from her right side. The two then was panned out of the scene as Karin and Yuzu was slided into the scene, wearing little angel outfits.
The scene transitioned as Ichigo appeared again, wearing a long-sleeved hoodie that has fur on the hood. He was holding the goggles while wearing a glove with his left hand, while his right was in the hoodie's pocket. The camera pans to above, with Ichigo only having his upper torso and head still in the scene, with Rukia whose back was facing the camera in a distance behind Ichigo, wearing a rather casual outfit. Then Ichigo's friends appears in two rows of three between the orange head and Rukia. Chad was the first one then to leave the scene, with Keigo following suit, and then Uryu, followed by Tatsuki, Mizuiro and lastly Orihime. After that, the titular BLEACH word appeared in the space they were in, right in between Ichigo and Rukia.
The scene transitioned into another, as Ichigo and Rukia appears to be leaning on their backs, with Ichigo's background being in red while Rukia's blue, while they themselves were in shade of white, before the two backgrounds turned vertical and became stripes, as sequences of Ichigo's friends appear in the middle of it. The two then became visible, wearing outfits that has a pattern color of white, blue and red.
The two then made way as the picture sequence then alternate between themselves and the cast VA for them. The background became orange, with the words BLEACH appearing in black for the top left and white for the bottom right side of the scene. The pictures pop before the same red and blue transition appeared again, transitioning the scene into another, as they became squares that looked like film reels, with the middle of the scene being white and the titular title BLEACH showing up. After that, the left and right reels reached their end as the background changed to a rocky one, with the title following the same color, before another scene transition occurs, with it appearing as squares being drawn back and revealing the next scene.
The scene shows Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, and Uryu all appear to be in a parking lot of sorts in the night, all of them wearing rather fashionable clothes. The trio men were pocketing their hands, while Rukia was folding her arms. The camera then pans to each one of them, before stopping at Rukia, with the wall of bricks near Uryu's having some graffiti, spelling the name of the music director and planning designer.
The scene transitions with Rukia at the top, holding one hand over her left arm, appearing to be injured. Below said scene was the showing of the names of the art director and director of photography. Said part then went upwards as the bottom part changed into another scene, showing Urahara alongside Ururu and Jinta, who appears to be observing.
The scene changes again as the previous scene was flicked upwards and a closeup of Urahara became the new top scene, while the middle was showing the name of the Series Supervisor, with the below scene showing Yoruichi in her cat form. The scene transitioned upwards as the middle part became the top, while the new middle part had Byakuya in it, with the titular BLEACH being the new bottom part.
The scene transitioned again as the previous one was flicked upwards, bringing the BLEACH word upwards to be the top part, while another BLEACH word being the bottom one. The top part had black in background, while having white as its font color. The bottom part is basically the reverse of it. Before the scene transitions into the next one, there was a momentary instance, showing Shugo, who was wearing his disguise in the Human World, his back facing the camera while his hands were in his pocket.
The scene changed as the background became red in color, with silhouettes of Ichigo and Rukia appearing, seemingly having a spat before separating and walking their own ways, as the scene flicked a bit upwards, with their bottom half on the top part, while their upper half being on the bottom part, with the middle part of the scene showing the name of the one who was in charge of Character Design. Later on, Kon stumbled into the place where said name was placed, as below him was shown the names for the Key Animator and the one in charge of Color Design. And the Mod Soul was unfortunately stomped by Ichigo and his gang, with the scene later turning into full color, with said lion doll's face being featured, clearly screaming in anger while on the ground after getting stomped unceremoniously.
The scene then briefly showed Ichigo, Rukia, Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki and Orihime each standing on arranged wooden stumps, with Rukia trying to walk to the stump in front of hers while trying to maintain balance, while the others watched her attempt.
The scene then changed to Ichigo running while wearing Shihakushō, being chased by several Shinigamis. Though he fended them off with his oversized Zanpakutō rather deftly. This was in monochrome.
Another transition as the scene became colorful once more, with the gang seemingly painting some graffiti on a wall, which apparently spells "King O N.Y.". Tatsuki and Orihime then appeared from below the camera's view, as they sprayed red paint onto the camera's lens, with the name of the song appearing in white, alongside the details of the song which includes the singer's name.
The scene abruptly changed into the view of a floor as the gang stepped onto the floor that was in the view of the camera, with paint seemingly on the soles of their shoes, leaving footprints of various colors on the floor.
The scene changed yet again as Ichigo then appeared standing in a parking lot, while the camera rotates around him in full view of him in a speedy fashion. A swirl of green then marked the next transition before both Ichigo and Rukia appeared on the bottom right and top left of the swirls respectively, with the name of the director being shown below Rukia while above Ichigo was the titular BLEACH title. A blue swirl slowly appears in the same shape of the green one as it slowly rotates to assume a horizontal position, while the two were slowly looking the way of the camera.
Their appearance slowly changes as the background too changed. Both Rukia and Ichigo were wearing their Shihakushō, replacing their initial casual outfit. Then they seemed to be in a portrait, with Ichigo moving upwards and Rukia moving downwards. The camera slowly zooms out as others were also shown to be in portrait as well, such as Kon, Urahara and his employees, Chad, Uryu, and Orihime. Kon being top left, Urahara and co. being next to him (Ichigo was next to Urahara), Chad next to Ichigo while Uryu was below Chad. Below Kon was Orihime, while Rukia was next to Orihime, placing her directly between the airhead and the Quincy. In the middle of it all, was a white space that had "TV Tokyo", "Dentsu Inc.", and "Studio Pierrot".
For a brief moment, said white space had another flash of Shugo, his back still facing the camera. However, this time it had Gurenbana, Fray and Ardbert who were watching at the camera's way with various expressions (or lack thereof in the case of Fray). The scene then fades to black with another white writing, spelling the following: "Written by Keywielder.", with below it a disclaimer statement, saying: "Bleach and Final Fantasy XIV belongs to their respective holders. All rights, aside from the character of Kurenai Shugo and Gurenbana, are reserved."
(OP End)
…..
The light of the sun shone on the lids of Shugo's eyes, waking him from his slumber. Sitting back up from his futon, he pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing his face with the palm of his hand. As he slowly gathers himself, he stood up after some time, before opening the door to his balcony and walking to said balcony.
"Seven years, is it…" He muttered to himself, while staring at the sky.
Seven years had passed since then. Masaki's presence has ever been kept a secret from most of Soul Society, except for a select few that includes the Head Captain and those who are aware of his true history. Looking at his denreishinki, he sighed. The clock was still at around 7 AM, quite early in the morning, really.
Leaning on the rail of the balcony, he sighed as he willed a cup of hot chamomile tea onto his hand from his inventory. Taking a sip, he mused as he spent the next hour musing, enjoying the chill of the morning with a cup of hot tea on hand and exhaling after several sips. Yet again, he was reminded that he has spent seventeen cycles on this star.
Speaking of Masaki, she'd picked up a lot from his cooking, which makes her quite the cook in comparison to how she was when she was still alive. Aside from that, she also has been learning combat from him. Given that she only retains basics of her powers as a Quincy since the loss of most of her powers on that rainy day, he'd figure that it would be negligent of him if he simply let this be.
As a result, he had been instructing her in combat. Given her experience as something that's closer to an Archer, however, it made it difficult for him, since he never picked up the Archer class. In lieu of that, he taught her a combination of swordsmanship and the ways of the machinist. Yes, in a sense, he skipped archery and went directly for firearms. Though it should be noted that while Machinist does imply the usage of firearms, it's not limited to only firearms.
Crossbows, Chain Launchers (literally launches chain shots to immobilize the opponent), and even Laser Satellite Cannons. Such are the few examples of what Machinists utilize in their arsenal, though the last one is reserved as a trump card. They're also known to be quite familiar with machines in general, thus making them quite proficient in dealing with matters regarding to such subject.
However, for this case, Shugo focused more on the firearms and crossbow aspects of Machinist. But of course, the basics of the basics must needs be taught beforehand: which was related to how to utilize reishi more like Shinigami than Quincy, albeit instead of fully like a Shinigami, it would be like how he, as an Ancient, manipulate aether (or for this case, reishi).
For the first three years, she struggled. Training non-stop under his stern and steady watch, she slowly grasped on the better reishi manipulation method. Frankly, by her words, he's a "hellish" teacher who's relentless. He wouldn't take simply achieving something before she truly masters his instructions. Thanks to that, she felt like she was still under training by her family and the Ishida's in the World of the Living. In comparison, however, he doesn't press her on other matters unrelated to the training.
In fact, her taking up lessons on cooking from him was entirely of her own initiative.
"When I meet them again, I want to surprise them with better cooking than they last remembered!" She answered with a smile when he asked her for the reason.
Shrugging his shoulders when recalling that memory, he finished the tea, sipping the last remaining of the tea. Taking another look at his denreishinki, he saw the date for the day.
It was May 14th. The year? 2001 AD.
'Ah.' He then remembered something as he saw the date.
This was the day that Rukia will begin her patrol in the World of the Living, replacing one of his subordinates that had taken his role since he stopped patrolling there one year after the incident with Masaki. Granted, this was rather sudden, as it was an order that came from C46. But he digress.
As to keep Ichigo and the sisters from asking (nagging) Isshin of where he went, he spent time with them a bit more before he concluded his duties.
…..
(BGM: FFXIV SHADOBRINGERS – Forever At Your Side)
Sometime in 1995 AD.
On his "departure" day, he went by the Kurosaki Household one last time. As usual, Ichigo was the first to welcome him into the household. When observed closely, however, one would notice his behavior for the past year since his mother's passing is utterly different compared to his previous known behavior. More distant, more… Alone. He'd oft hear of him getting chided for wandering near the river where it all happened, skipping school in the process.
Ichigo went upstairs after guiding him to the living room, while Yuzu at the kitchen near the living room, while Karin was sitting in the living room. The changes were not limited to only Ichigo. Both of his younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu, were also affected.
And it showed in their own way. Yuzu started to learn on how to cook, since she paid more attention to those cooking shows on TV, and on occasion asking Shugo on how to cook, while also doing chores of the household and helping her father in the clinic as a nurse. Karin, in the meantime, never cried. To be precise, she tries to not be a worry for the family, and thus she never shed any tears since then.
This was, to Shugo, ever the stark reminder of how cruel of a mistress Fate was.
"Uncle Kurenai!" Yuzu greeted him with a smile.
"Uncle." Karin also greeted; excitement absent in her voice.
"Girls." He greeted them with a smile.
Or at least, the best one he could plaster on his face.
He'd spend the day with them, until it was almost time for his final duty here. He had just finished instructing Yuzu on how to chop and sauté properly, when he saw the clock on the wall. It was almost time for his patrol.
"Karin, Yuzu." He called the two of them, catching their attention. "I want you two to listen."
He began to explain as the two listened in. "Uncle will be away on duty for a long time from tomorrow onwards. Mayhap 'twould not permit me to visit the family."
The two girls looked at each other, before nodding and then Karin broke the silence.
"You're telling us this so that we and Ichi-nii won't nag dad about you later, right?" She immediately guessed.
Shugo froze before bursting into laughter, and subsequently went over to pat Karin's head. "As expected of Karin-chan! How sharp!"
"Aw, c'mon Uncle! Stop it with the headpats! I'm not a brat!" The black-haired girl grumbled, yet her cheeks blushed as she removed his hand from her head.
"For me, you'll always be a child, Karin-chan." He shook his head with a smile.
Karin held her head as her face continued to sport a shade of red. She wouldn't say it, but she was actually quite fond of him. Shugo shrugged, a smile still on his face. How they have grown, despite being only five years old for the twins and ten for their brother. Shoving down the pang of pain within his heart, he slowly walked to the house's door, intent on leaving now that he had said his goodbyes.
But before he could leave through the house's door, Ichigo appeared behind him, tugging his jacket.
"Uncle…?" The young boy called him out while tugging his jacket.
Shugo's mind almost crashed. For all his strength, he still felt guilty for allowing this to continue. This…this farce that fate had decided upon this young boy. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and kneeled onto the strawberry's level.
"What is it, little strawberry?" He deliberately called Ichigo that, causing the orange head to puff in anger.
"I told you to don't call me that, Uncle!" Ichigo pouted. "You know that my name doesn't mean that!"
The lieutenant smiled before putting his two hands on the young boy's shoulders. They were still tiny now, but when the time comes, it'll grow bigger.
"I know." He shook his head with a smile. "However, be a good child and listen well, Ichigo."
Staring at the orange head who was now paying attention, he essentially said the same thing to the young boy. However, instead of just ending it after saying his words, he added a parting message for the boy. A word of encouragement? Who knows? Be the judge after you witness and hear his words.
"Count not the things you've lost. But the things you still have." He said, staring at the young boy in the eye, who met his gaze in equal seriousness.
Seeing the young lad in contemplation filled him with great pride as he gave him his parting words. "Live like your namesake. For those you've lost. For those you can yet save."
Ichigo nodded furiously as he took in those words. Shugo smiled as he then stood up, taking his hands off young Ichigo's shoulders.
"Now, I really must leave." He slowly walked outside. "Though, mayhap we shall meet again."
Closing the door, Shugo glanced at Ichigo as the door slowly covered his appearance.
"Fare you well, little protector." He said as the door then closed, cutting him from Ichigo's view.
Shugo then proceeded to start his last patrol. To be precise, his official capacity of presence on the World of the Living. He would still pop up from time to time, to interact with Aura. But as mentioned prior, he had no chance of being absent for more than two days at most each time. Hence, this was truly the last time he'll spend on this realm for such an extended period, anyroads. It will change once a certain time has come to pass.
The young orange head, meanwhile, saw something different from this uncle of his for a split second. His usually kind, caring demeanor changing into something akin to someone who shouldered the world's burdens. It seemed that he knew the weight of it all, and that he had carried it once before. But it quickly turned back into the view of the normal sight of his uncle that he was familiar with.
Even after the door closed and the man's back view was no longer within eyesight, that impression never faded. He clenched his small fist, bent on doing just that: being the number one protector.
"For those I've lost. For those I can still save, huh…" He muttered to himself.
…..
Recalling that memory, he shrugs to himself. How time passed by quickly indeed. Being an immortal being truly does distort one's sense of time. Initially, he still noticed the passage of time, somewhat. However, the second decade of living here, he somehow lost track of time. Or rather, he felt like it passed in an instant. This was especially so whenever he was in Soul Society. He was only becoming aware of it when he goes patrolling in the World of the Living.
Unlike the stagnant Soul Society (which is not really for some time now, but still relatively in comparison), the World of the Living was still developing. By his final patrol there before he completely withdrew his usual voluntary patrolling, he saw the development of mobile communications there had reached the levels that was in track of what the Gotei now had.
If the memory of the other Earth serves him right, it should be around six years or so before the first thing that resembles the Tomestone he had would be introduced in the World of the Living.
While this shows the difference between the two realms, it also reminded him of the passage of time. Then, and only then, he finally realized how much time truly passed. He chuckled rather ruefully at the thought. His hair became long after some time, but since Masaki came to reside as his guest, she offered to cut his hair. He humored her and allowed this one concession.
Getting himself ready, he brought the remainders of his Shihakushō along with him, as he left the bedroom and went downstairs, before going towards the hallway connecting the Main House and the Bath House, intending to take a bath in the latter. Masaki was about to wake up, from what he recalls of her habits (by his observation for the past seven years), so he intends to do this before the lady decides to take her turn.
The Bath House was quite big. It was enough to have three sections for gender separation, and still have enough space for a shower section and toilet section (both are separate of course). Yes, he's familiar with the concept of showers and toilets. It's just that it's rarely seen in public, since most that would have it are either of nobility, or adventurers who knows how to craft them. Even in his old manor in Shirogane, he had a bath pool. Though, he never got to own a toilet and sink due to circumstances outside of his control.
After taking a brief shower, he then dipped into the bath and spent another hour soaking in, enjoying the warmth of the water. He got out just in time as Masaki was heading for the Bath House. The two greeted each other with a friendly smile and a nod, before they went on their ways. It was a bit awkward, because Masaki had stumbled upon the Hall of Remembrance, located under the building behind the Main House that serves as its entrance some time ago.
It was rather awkward explaining everything to her. She kept on asking on who was who, what happened and such. Even though she was no longer a young girl, she was still that inquisitive, much to his own chagrin. He spent almost an entire day that time doing that. Thanks to that, she now looks at him with quite a perspective. And he has no idea on what to make of it.
Because it all manifested in her wrestling daily chores, despite his insistence it wasn't necessary. You're asking for proof? It's right in front of him, as he entered the Main House once again. Food was already set on the table, for him.
"….." He blinked, before shrugging helplessly.
'A headstrong woman indeed.' He thought as he sat down and proceeded to have his meal.
It was what Masaki called the average "Japanese Breakfast". Though, it should be said that it was very much like the one he got when he was still in the Relief Station. Still, it was all the same for him. He was still grateful, even if he didn't ask for it. He muttered his thanks and prayers and proceeded to eat the food in front of him.
Several chewing of the solid food and slurping of the miso soup later…
"Thanks for the food." He muttered, clasping his hand together.
Sighing, he stood up just in time as Masaki entered the Main House again, looking rather refreshed herself. She smiled, looking at the empty plates and bowl on the table. Well, rather she had a triumphant look on her, if her smile, nay, smirk was anything to go by.
"You do realize this was unnecessary?" He deadpanned at her.
"You still ate it anyways." She replied chirpily, with a hidden smug to boot.
He shrugged helplessly yet again. "Regardless, I will be off."
She kept smiling. "Have a nice day!"
Shaking his head, he waved his hand, left the Main House and then the compound. Soon, he left for the Division barracks. Masaki, who remained, her face finally showed her worry for him. Even to this day, she still couldn't believe the sight of what she had seen, of the burden he had shouldered. She held her hand in a small prayer, to whoever would listen anyways. It was almost a routine since that day.
"Please." She muttered. "Keep him away from further harm."
She owed him for his actions, even technically bending some rules and getting the higher ups involved, not to mention allowing her to keep in contact with her husband, albeit having to keep it a secret from their children, which pained her and Isshin both. Still, for the lengths he had gone through, she hoped that he'd be spared of any further burden that he'll more than likely shoulder, consciously or not.
…..
In the quarters of the 13th Division's barracks, the two 3rd Seats of the division arrived to give Kuchiki Rukia a certain news, which was enough to surprise her.
"A transfer…" Rukia looked back in shock after she heard the words from Kiyone. "…order!?"
"No, no, no!" Kiyone waved her hand. "It's only a mission in the Human World. You did it once before when you just came here and were my assistant! Only that!"
"..." Rukia was silent in confusion. "Ehh…"
She really didn't remember about that.
"How can you not remember!?" Kiyone was shocked.
"Maybe it was so disgusting that she decided to forget about it!!" Sentaro laughed and mocked his fellow 3rd Seat. "Right, Kuchiki!?"
"What!?" Kiyone felt indignant at her Co-3rd Seat. "Shut up!! Just get out of here and plant yourself on the garden or something!!"
The two were shouting at each other, while Rukia laughed nervously. This was to be her first patrol mission in the World of the Living, in solo to be precise. She was rather nervous about it, fidgeting her fingers, but before it took too long.
"You two." The trio could hear a sigh coming from the far back. "Do stop arguing, would you? By the Twelve, I could hear you two arguing from as far as the Barrack's entrance!"
Both Kiyone and Sentaro felt a shiver before they turn to look at the source of the voice. It was their Lieutenant, Shugo, approaching the quarters.
"Ah, Lieutenant!" Rukia looked surprised.
"Rukia." He nods at her, before glancing at the comical duo of the division. "Kiyone. Sentaro."
They immediately stood up in attention, before seeing the Lieutenant suddenly giving a salute. They were confused before they saw why.
"…the place you will be deployed to is a spiritual area in the center of a town named Karakura…" Ukitake began. "With your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult at all, Rukia-chan." He said with a smile.
"Captain Ukitake!" Rukia immediately got into a salute as well.
"Ca-ca-ca-captain!!" Sentaro was surprised.
Kiyone was initially about to remind the captain of his health, but then recalled that he was no longer that fragile for the past several years now. She calmed herself down and saluted the captain.
"Shugo-kun." The captain smiled at his Lieutenant's arrival.
"Sir." Shugo lets his hand down. "Rukia's mission is a patrol in Karakura Town?"
"Indeed." Ukitake nodded. "Like yours had been, it would be a one-month mission for her."
The captain then turned towards the raven-haired Shinigami with a smile.
"Although it'll only last one month, I thought Kuchiki might be worried." He explained to the duo. "So, I came here to send her myself."
"Oh…" Rukia got into a dogeza. "Thank you very much!"
"You don't have to be so formal." Ukitake laughed.
Shugo sighed as he approached the group. On closer inspection, he could see Rukia being nervous, more so than necessary. Shaking his head, he pats her head.
"Listen well, Rukia." He reprimanded her. "Do not belittle your efforts by being so…timid."
The captain and duo were silent as they listened into Shugo's reprimanding of Rukia. He paused as he lets his initial words sink into her first.
"Putting aside your status as a noble, you are first and foremost a Shinigami." He continued. "It is our duty to ensure the balance between the living and the dead remains at an equilibrium. And belittling oneself does not help in our endeavors, no?"
"I've also seen how much you've grown all these years." He smiled. "And as such, I will not suffer to see you belittle yourself so, not when I've witnessed your own capabilities, which has improved beyond imagining. No charge of mine shall be so demeaning of themselves when they're so much more."
She looked up at him, his smile ever gracing her with reassurance. To the side, though, Kiyone and Sentaro were already reduced to sobs, while Ukitake gave a thumbs up.
"So…" He breathed. "Chin up, okay?"
"Yes!" She had fire burning in her eyes, determined and no longer being a mess.
"Hmm, well said, Shugo-kun!" Ukitake nodded in approval.
"Anyway, Rukia-chan." The captain then changed the topic. "Have you told Byakuya?"
"Ah!" She looked up. "No, not yet…"
She paused as she looked down, recalling her brother's attitude. She then felt down again.
"…Hmm…" She was a bit hesitant before saying it. "-no…"
"I think that if I did, Captain Kuchiki would tell me to not inform him of such insignificant things…" She gazed down. "So, I'd rather go…without telling him…"
Ukitake's eyes softened at this subordinate of his. Shugo only shook his head, somewhat aware of the behavior of the 6th Division's captain. Even during times outside of his working hours, Byakuya was not fond of talking much, not even on mundane topics unless it was with his inner circle, he suspects, if the man had any.
"…well," Ukitake knelt on the floor, staring directly on Rukia's eyes. "It's ok."
"If that's what you want," He smiled. "Then it's alright."
"Let me tell Byakuya instead." He reassured her. "Don't worry about it!"
Rukia looked happy, while the duo 3rd Seats looked in approval, nodding at their captain's words.
"And if need be…" Shugo chimed in. "I too, shall bring this up if we were to meet later."
"Yes!" She smiled.
She felt blessed, with great superiors and friends. It felt like everything will go right.
…..
Meanwhile, at one of the quarters in the barracks of the 11th Division, around the same time…
Two Lieutenants, Hinamori Momo and Kira Izuru from divisions 5th and 3rd were present. They brought with them a letter. The recipient of said letter was sitting in front of them. The current 6th Seat of the 11th Division, Abarai Renji. The trio were friends ever since they were in the academy. The aforementioned letter was an Assignation Letter. They were already in a conversation, with the two Lieutenants bearing the news and was conveying it to Renji.
"…from now on, 6th Seat of the 11th Division," Momo ended. "Abarai Renji, you are promoted to the Lieutenant of the 6th Division."
The girl then gazed on Renji, who looked nervous, and broke into a smile. "Congratulations, Abarai-kun!"
"Ah… Yes!" Renji, whose face was frozen, finally responded. "Eh, I mean…"
He went into dogeza to express his gratitude, which was a bit of an overkill. "I understand and gladly accept your words, Lieutenant Hinamori!" Not to mention being overtly formal.
"Don't do that, you don't need to be so uptight…" Momo sweated a bit in reminding him.
"…even so…" At the back, a voice chimed in. "It's good news. Now, you're a step closer towards Kuchiki Byakuya."
Renji looked back in surprise to see someone leaning on the support pillar. "…Ikkaku-san."
The famous bald 3rd Seat of the 11th Division looked at his junior.
"I think it's about time… You should talk to Rukia-chan." He reminded Renji. "Even if your rival is from a noble family, a Lieutenant ain't that low in the ranks."
"Your will has been strong for 40 years." He continued. "It's time for you two to have the relationship you used to have."
Renji looked down in memory of his childhood, where Rukia was still Rukia, and not yet a Kuchiki.
"You must hurry then." Kira then chimed in. "Kuchiki-san is about to leave on a mission to the Human World this afternoon."
"Oh no!" Momo then stood up in fluster, recalling that single detail she forgotten. "Hurry, Abarai-kun!"
"-no." Renji shook his head, to Momo's shock. "It won't be official until after the promotion ceremony in a month."
"When she comes back," He smiled a bit. "I will scare her, saying: "I'm a Lieutenant!""
Meanwhile, Rukia was already on her way, walking towards the official Senkaimon, which was near the 1st Division's Barracks. After bidding her goodbyes with her Captain, Lieutenant and the duo 3rd Seats earlier, with a Hell Butterfly to guide her, she walked into the blinding light of the Senkaimon, and soon left the Seireitei and Soul Society.
…..
In a place where select few would ever be aware of, let alone access, the sounds of gear began cranking. The dust on them were blown off as everything began to operate at a breakneck speed. The sound of clock ticking could be heard, as the hour's hand slowly moves closer to the number 12.
Tick. Tock.
The pendulum swings, as the invisible threads of fate began to play their roles. Even with some being altered, it would still move on, since the most important parts were not too distorted.
Everything converges on this day. For the players who are aware, they have begun to move their peons forward, while those in the unknown have yet to realize what was happening, and what will happen. On the morrow, history would play its course, and it all centers around a certain boy. And let the following words be the opening for this chapter of history.
We tremble in awe of that which cannot be seen. And we worship that which cannot be seen.
And thus the blade is wielded.
…..
The sky was orange. It was in the evening of May 15th, 2001. At a certain intersection in Karakura Town, a small group of five was squaring off against one person. One member of the group was already on the ground, face on the ground, clearly knocked out.
"What the hell?" One of them said. "First, you kicked Yamacchan down, and now you want us to get out of your way?!"
The one KO-ed was called Yamacchan. Another was kneeling on the ground, tending to their group member while looking angered at the one person who was the culprit. The others of the group were equally as angered at the sight of their comrade being flattened just like that.
All of that, because of one orange-headed teenager.
"Uh…" That orange-headed teenager scratched his head, sounding rather nonplussed.
"Say something you- "The earlier one was getting ready to punch the teenager, before he got a foot planted on his face as he was about to deliver the punch.
The man fell onto the street as the teen proceeds to stomp his back with his foot without any reservation.
"Oh, Toshirin's getting- "Another member who was near Yamacchan exclaimed in shock, and fear.
The trio that remained near Yamacchan were quaking in fear. "This is bad!" One exclaimed.
"How unreasonable!" Another exclaimed.
Toshirin, who barely kept his own face above the street's asphalt, got stomped in the back of the head by the teenager's foot repeatedly, so much so that the asphalt cracked and Toshirin's face was stuck in the crevice that was shaped of his face.
"Gya, gya, just shut up!" The teenager shouted in annoyance.
Clenching his fist, the orange head looked at them in anger. "All of you… Look at that!" Pointing at the vase behind him.
A few steps behind the teenager were a vase that seemed to fell onto the street. The water in the vase spilt outside, while the top of the vase was destroyed. The three white flowers within the vase also looked flattened.
"First question:" The teenager began. "What is that?" He glanced at one of the members. "Alright, you in the middle!"
"Huh?" The middle guy pointed at himself and answered in confusion. "Uh, well…flowers for the kid who died the other day?" His face was twitching, a drip of sweat was visible on it as well.
"YOU'RE CORRECT!" The man was rewarded with an uppercut kick from the teenager.
"Mitchan!" The one next to the middle guy, Mitchan, exclaimed in shock.
"Then tell me…" The teenager then glared at that guy. "Why is that vase on its side?"
The two members continued to shake in fear as the other guy answered. "Well…we were skateboarding and knocked…it…over…" His voice trailed a bit off near the end.
They were rewarded with multiple kicks from the orange head, which made them flew back and landed with their face on the ground and their feet on the air.
"If you ever do it again…" The teenager had a vein popping up on his head, quite furious at them with the illusion of fire burning behind him being visible to them. "I'll make it so someone will have to offer flowers up for your souls too!"
The duo joined their hands in terror and had a comical look on their face, while also screaming in terror.
"WE'RE SO SORRY!" The duo said as the others also got up and ran away, leaving the teenager, who was folding his arms, behind.
"Whew…" He sighed. "They probably won't be back, now that I put the fear of god in them."
Turning around, he looked at the vase on the ground. Well, to be more precise, the space above the vase.
"I'll bring you some fresh flowers tomorrow." He said, seemingly talking to no one, though to him, he could see the ghost of a little girl slowly appearing.
"Thank you for getting rid of them." She thanked him. "Now I should be able to rest in peace, Onii-chan."
The girl had a black twin tail hair, with green eyes and wearing a sleeveless shirt, pair of red shoes and a short pants. The odd thing, though, was the cut chain on her chest. If not for that particular detail, she would be more like a living being.
The teenager walked over and picked up the vase, placing it proper on the side street once more.
"You're welcome." He replied, waving off as he walked away. "I hope you get to rest in peace and pass over soon."
The girl disappeared as he walked away.
…..
"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, 15 y.o., tenth grader." The scene changed as the skies darkened and showing the front of a clinic. "My family runs a clinic."
The plaque on the clinic's entrance reads "Kurosaki Clinic".
"We save some, and we lose some." He narrated, while the scene shows he's walking to the side of the clinic, to the entrance of the house connected to the clinic. "Maybe it's because of that, but ever since I can remember, I've been able to see ghosts."
"I'm home…" He said, with a typical frown on his face as he opened the door and entered the house.
"YOU'RE LATE!" A voice yelled as Ichigo was suddenly kicked in the face, uppercut diagonally to the right.
KA-BLAM!
He landed with a grunt onto the house's floor upside down. The one responsible did not look happy.
"You delinquent of a son!" The father of Ichigo sounded indignant. "You know that dinnertime here is always at 7 PM!"
That got a vein pop up on Ichigo. "Hey man! Is this any way to treat your son, who just laid his life on the line to help a ghost rest in peace?!" He glared at his father.
"Shut up! I don't care what your excuse is." The old man was not losing out. "Anyone who disturbs the peace and happiness in our household will be punished!"
The two were, in the most literal sense, butting their heads and punched against each other. Meanwhile, the two sisters that were sitting on the dinner table were subjected to such scene, yet again.
BRRRRRRRRRR~
"Or what?" The father taunted as the dad and son duo were having a literal physical spat, punching at each other. "Are you gloating over the fact that only you can touch or talk to ghosts?!"
The two splits from each other before jumping upwards and continued their struggle against each other.
WHIP! BLAM BLAM BLAM!
"Shut up! I didn't ask to be born like this!" Ichigo countered.
One of the sisters tried to stop them. "Will you stop it, you two? Dinner's getting cold!" She looked at their brother and father with concerned look.
"Leave them alone, Yuzu." The other sister snorted. "Seconds, please." She shoved the bowl on her hand to her sister, Yuzu.
"But Karin-chan…" Yuzu was hesitant.
"WOOOOAHHH!" The old man was coming in with a punch, before getting punched in the face and rolled on the floor, eventually crashing into the wall with his face.
WHOOSH! BLAM!
"Anyways…" Ichigo countered again. "Making a healthy male high school student come home every night at 7 PM is…" Not noticing a small flame-like thing appearing near him.
"Ichi-nii, you have a new one on you." Karin reminded Ichigo without even looking, while seemingly ready to shove some rice into her mouth after Yuzu refilled her bowl.
This contradicts the father's proclamation somewhat, of Ichigo being the only one in the family being able to see ghosts.
"Huh?" Said brother then looked over his shoulder, as he saw the small flame turning into what can be described as a floating salaryman with a cut chain on his chest. "This guy…since when did he get there?!"
Ichigo hopelessly tried to chase off the ghost from him, but to no avail, as the ghost evaded his every attempt. "No matter how hard I try to get rid of them, they just won't get away goddammit!" He was fuming, with the heat being somewhat visible on the top of his head.
"Thanks for the dinner." Karin said, before turning to see Ichigo's predicament. "Poor Ichi-nii… He's so popular since he's high-spec."
"But I sort of envy him." Yuzu added, sounding as what she said, envious. "I can sense their presence, but I rarely see anything."
"Well, I don't believe in ghosts and stuff." Karin said, glancing at Yuzu.
"What? But you see them too, don't you, Karin?" Yuzu was surprised. "Dad's the only one who can't see them." She pointed out.
Karin turned back to look at Yuzu with a deadpan. "Whether I see them or not, if I don't believe in them, they don't exist."
"Oh…" Yuzu felt Karin was being rather blunt, while the ghost that haunted Ichigo looked like it was frozen by the sheer coldness of Karin's statement. "So cold!" It exclaimed.
"Dinner…" Ichigo sighed, before he got slide tackled by Isshin. "GWAHHH!!"
SLIDEEEE THWACK!
"You're wide open, hehehe!" Dropping onto the floor, Isshin locked Ichigo's left arm and pressed his upper body, preventing Ichigo from retaliating.
FWHOOP! WHIRLLLL!
However, that didn't stop Ichigo from whooping Isshin off him, making the old man swirling in the air. "DAAHHH!" The orange head had a vein popping, looking rather pissed.
The two punched each other again, with Ichigo's fists landing on Isshin's face, while Isshin got his onto Ichigo's side. The old man finally lost as he dropped onto the floor, as Ichigo wiped the bruise on his cheek.
"Never mind! I'm going to bed." He turned away and went upstairs, having lost his appetite because of Isshin's attitude.
"Ah, Onii-chan!" Yuzu stood up and exclaimed.
"Hunyuu…" Isshin looked up from the floor, while Karin sighed. "It's your fault, Dad." She pointed.
"But why?!" Isshin stood up and look aversive.
This pretty much summed up what could be assumed to be the daily happenings of the Kurosaki Household. Little did they know that things were about to change within the next hour.
…..
Entering his room, Ichigo threw the bag he had onto the seat near his desk, before plopping onto the bed. He was still in his school uniform, mind you. Staring at the roof of his room, he mused in thought.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the trio had their conversation.
"Onii-chan's having a rough time for a while now." Yuzu remarked.
"Now that you mention it…" Karin nods in agreement after pondering. "…he said he's seeing more of them than before."
"What?!"That shocked Isshin. "You mean he talks to you about things like that?" Though the shock was for a completely different reason. "He doesn't tell me about it though…"
The man sweats bullets while making the shocked face. How could his son not speak of such things to him?! Granted, he never spoke about his past, but still, the least he could do was listen, and yet Ichigo didn't do so! He was shocked!
"Of course not. You're over 40, and your communication skills are immature." Karin said as if it was an obvious fact. "Who'd want to tell you anything?"
That certainly stabbed Isshin in the heart quite deeply. Granted, he's much older than a mere 40 years, but still, being called out like that hurts! Shambling towards the picture of Masaki he put up on a nearby wall, he leaned on it indignantly.
"Oh Mother!" He sounded victimized. "I don't know if it's because they're going through puberty, but our daughters have been so cold towards me! What should I do?"
Karin turned to look at her utterly embarrassing excuse for a father, who was sobbing all over her mother's giant poster on the wall before dropping onto the floor.
"First of all, get rid of that stupid memorial poster." She deadpanned at him.
…..
(The next day…)
Night turned into day as time passed by. The sun shone as the family got up and was prepping for their breakfast. Karin turned on the TV whilst waiting for the first meal of the day on the dinner table, with Yuzu being the one on the kitchen. The news was covering an incident that occurred sometime in the morning.
"Mysterious Explosion at a Building Near the Train Station." This was the news' headline.
"The incident occurred one block away from the main street outside Karakura Station." The news anchor reported. "According to local residents, at about 7:30 AM, the ground shook with a loud crash, and the walls of many buildings exploded."
The scene showed was of police lines, with people surrounding the affected area. Emergency services such as the police, ambulances and the firefighters were seen handling the situation.
"Urgh…" Ichigo groaned as he entered the dining/living room.
"Good morning, Onii-chan!" Yuzu greeted him.
Closing the door, he greeted back before he looked around. "'Morning… Where's the old man?" He asked.
"He's at a meeting. He won't be home tonight." Karin replied for Yuzu, while Ichigo picked up a piece of toast from the toaster.
"I see…" He nodded before looking at the TV. "Huh?" He raised a brow.
"Investigators and explosive experts are currently working to discover the cause." The news continued.
Yuzu walked up to Ichigo. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"That's near here." Ichigo, who had a toast on his mouth, replied with a frown.
A bad feeling was surging in his stomach. But he ignored it for the time being.
…..
The police lines were still there, ensuring that no one other than the government services would be able to enter the premises. The police were still trying to get a handle on what had transpired, with Crime Scene Investigators also present to collect the necessary samples to determine the cause.
Ichigo passed by one of the cordoned off areas, which was an alleyway of sorts. A couple of junior high students, elementary schoolers and a salaryman were observing that alleyway, remaining outside the police lines. He was carrying the replacement vase for the ghost girl from yesterday in his bag.
He then got to the intersection from yesterday. Looking around, he saw the vase from yesterday's already gone, probably got picked up by the local Waste Management since it was already broken.
"Hey!" He called out for the ghost girl. "Hm?" He looked around, confused as why the girl wasn't appearing.
"KYAAAAAA!!!" A sudden scream from the distance snapped him back into reality.
He immediately recognized the voice. It was the ghost girl. Gritting his teeth, he went towards the direction where the scream came from.
…..
A couple passerby on a busy intersection heard the scream, or rather, the woman who was one of the passersby.
"What was that sound?" She asked.
The guy who was her companion looked around in confusion. "I didn't hear anything though…" He replied, before an explosion several steps behind them took their attention.
BOOOOOM!!!
Claw marks were made on some buildings. People were running in fear, away from the danger area, while Ichigo was going for that place instead. Panting, he stopped before the smoke from a nearby building that was heavily impacted engulfed him. After the smoke was cleared a bit, however, came an eerie roar. As the smoke dissipated, however, he saw an inhumane sight.
A giant creature with a white mask, green lenses, and an open mouth appeared. It looked like a mix of mantis and caterpillar of sorts. This shocked him, as he never saw these things before.
"W-What is that?" He muttered.
The girl's voice then called him out. "Onii-chan!"
He saw her running away from the monster. "Run!" He said as he followed behind her.
The monster then turned to look at the two preys who were running away from it. It then proceeded to pursue them.
"What is that?!" She asked in panic. "I don't know!" He replied while still running.
The girl tripped and fell onto the ground. Ichigo stopped and immediately went back to help her.
"Eh, Hey!" He yelled as he tried to get her up as fast as he could. "Hurry!"
The monster was quickly approaching, each time its legs were stomping the ground, slight tremors were made. Ichigo widened his eyes as the monster opened its mouth and was about to feast on them.
Until he saw a black butterfly. And after that, a girl in black kimono, with a katana strapped to her left. He saw her drew her sword and slashed at the monster's mask horizontally.
SPLURCH!
Blood was drawn from the cut, as the girl landed on her two straw sandals and proceeded to leap in high speed. The monster roared as it was bleeding between its mouth.
GRRROOOOAARRR!!!
She held her sword up, as she was falling down onto the monster, ready to slash it vertically downwards.
"Eeeiiiiii!!!" She yelled, as the sword cut the monster into perfect halves, from the head down and subsequently disappear.
She sheathed her sword after she landed on the ground, with Ichigo and the ghost girl being the witness of the raven-haired girl's deeds just now.
"H-Hey…" He stuttered, calling her out.
The girl turned and glanced at him for a moment before walking away. Suddenly, as if everything was over, the air felt normal again.
"Hey, you?" He was about to get to her before she just went away.
He felt baffled as the surrounding people finally came back, also in confusion as well.
"What was that?" A guy asked.
"Another explosion?" A lady said in askance.
"What's going on?" Another girl said in confusion.
Ichigo looked back before turning again towards where that girl was earlier. He was speechless as to what had just transpired, not to mention the ghost girl also disappeared. The sirens of the emergency services and the police could be heard approaching, as he then left for school, bewildered over what just happened.
…..
That night, Ichigo had came back and was in his room. He was lying on his bed, thinking of what happened earlier in the day. But to his misfortune, he was nowhere closer to figuring out what exactly went down earlier. His mind failing to grasp on any logic of what had transpired.
'I can't figure it out…' He frowned. 'Just who was that girl…?'
He raised a brow as he saw that same black butterfly coming into his room, despite that the window was closed.
"Huh?" He muttered.
He sat up as he saw a foot literally stepping through the wall of his house and onto his desk, revealing to be the girl from earlier. She was still donning the black kimono, with the same straw sandals and still had the katana strapped to her left. But weirdly, she didn't bother to look at him.
"Who…are you?" He asked almost quietly.
The girl didn't even respond to his question, which made him more confused. She only looked like she was looking ahead, somewhat. She gripped the katana to her left, which made him shocked and back off to near the window.
"Just who the hell are you?!" He asked with trepidation. "What the hell do you want?!"
She didn't answer him as she stepped off the desk and onto the floor of the room.
"Hey!" He was getting annoyed by her ignoring him.
She looked around as she narrowed her eyes. "It's close…" She muttered.
And that's before she got a kick to her back by Ichigo, who finally snapped after being ignored by her for a few minutes now.
"It's close… Like HELL, you idiot!! What are you even talking about?!" He yelled.
THUMP!
She dropped onto the ground, finally noticing him noticing her. Meanwhile, he turned on the lights in his room.
"First, you scared the fuck outta me, then you ignore me?" He was not happy to say the least, while she was still on the ground, utterly baffled on how a human could even touch her. "I'm asking who the fuck are you!?"
"Y-You… You can see me?" She said after she turned around and looked at him. "But wait…you just kicked me…"
"Huh? What are you babbling on?" He raised a brow. "Of course, I can fucking see you!"
"You were the one from the town earlier, weren't you?" She asked after looking up at him.
He was certainly towers over her.
"You just noticed that NOW?" He pocketed his hands.
She brought her hand up and inspected him, well, more like his face at this point. "Strange… People usually can't see me…" She muttered.
He slapped her hand away from his face and glared down on her. "Quit talking bullshit…" He was about to kick her again before she used his feet as boost and jumped onto his head, causing him to fall down.
"Why you little…" He was grinding his teeth.
"Very well, I shall tell you." She said as she turned around and looked at him. "I am…a Shinigami."
…..
Elsewhere, in the town, sounds of heavy rumblings of footsteps could be heard (albeit only by those who are spiritually aware). Meanwhile, the ghost girl from earlier was running through the town, running away from something that's chasing her. She ran and hid behind the streetlight's pole.
DURRR…. DURRR… DURR….
"Again… But where is it?" He quietly muttered.
An invisible presence was pushing through a nearby electrical cable, causing it to snap. The electricity from the snapped cable reflected the invisible presence, revealing it to be another one of those monsters, similar to the one from earlier. Though, said presence once again became invisible to the naked eye. She stepped back in fear before continuing her escape from her pursuer.
DURRR…. DURRR… DURR…. DURRR…. DURRRR!!!
Behind her, the monster gave chase, leaving behind footprints that scarred the asphalt.
...
Ichigo was already sitting down, and had been listening to her explanations of what she was, her duties, and what the monster from earlier that day was.
"I see…" He nods. "So, you're a Shinigami…"
Rukia nods as he continued with his summary. "And you've come all the way from this Soul Society place in order to exorcise evil demons."
"So that means that that monster was a demon…" She continued nodding at him. "…and it attacked that girl."
"Okay, I'll believe you…" He nods, before a vein popped on his head, and subsequently he flipped the table in front of him, literally. "LIKE HELL I'D BELIEVE THAT YOU IDIOT!!!"
She was baffled by how he had been taking in her explanation, before almost immediately rebuking it. It doesn't even make sense!
"You're saying that even though you can see ghosts, you don't believe in the existence of Shinigami?" She was guffawed, placing a fist onto the floor.
"Of fucking course." He snorted. "Unfortunately for you, I've never seen a Shinigami before, not even once. I don't believe in shit that I can't see."
She stood up and countered. "But you are seeing me right now."
"I'll admit that you're no human." He sighed. "But don't play the Shinigami card around here." He glared, before forcefully patting her head. "Got that, you damn pipsqueak!?" He mocked.
Oh, that got Rukia to snap as well. "You dare to call me a pipsqueak?!"
"Bakudo #1: Sai!" She chanted and casted on him.
His hands were suddenly forced onto his back, making him unable to stand still and causing him to drop onto the floor, since his stance wasn't stable to support him.
"Ouch! What the hell did you do to me?!" He yelled at her.
"You can't move, can you?" She sneered at him. "This is something called Kidō, a high-level incantation that only a Shinigami can use."
"I may not look like it," She looked down on him, albeit trying play it tough while actually being nervous herself. "-but I've lived nearly ten times longer than you. And you actually called me a pipsqueak!"
"In any other situation, I'd kill you on the spot." He looked up at her. "But I'm not permitted to execute anyone not named in my orders. Be grateful for that, you damn brat."
He grits his teeth hard. "You little bastard…"
"And so…" She unsheathed her sword from its scabbard and swung down, causing him to gasp in surprise. He closed his eyes, thinking that she was about to kill him. But…
SWISH! POMF!
He opened his eyes. His head was still there. Though, instead, another one got it from her.
"Oh…" He could hear that familiar voice next to him.
"Uh…" He then looked to the side, the source of that familiar 'Oh…' earlier.
It was that salaryman ghost that Karin mentioned from yesterday, of being the latest to haunt him. "Y-You're the one from yesterday…"
That salaryman ghost's forehead was being stamped, for the lack of better words, by that raven-haired chick with the pommel of her katana.
"N-No… I don't wanna go to hell!" The ghost pleaded, scared for his life and of damnation.
"Fear not. Your destination is not Hell. It is Soul Society." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Unlike Hell, it is a peaceful place."
Light shone as the salaryman felt at peace, clasping his hands together in a prayer as he soon disappears into the pool of blue light on the floor. After the pool of light dissipated, a black butterfly appeared, flying away from the center. This scene baffled Ichigo as he turned to look at her.
"What happened…to that guy?" He asked in confusion.
Sheathing her sword, she turned towards him. "I sent him to Soul Society." She gave a short summary. "In your language, I guess it's called passing over, I guess. It's one of the jobs of Shinigami."
She looked down on him. "I'll explain it simply so that even an impatient brat like you can understand." She said as she reached into her kimono.
He raised a brow as she pulled out a sketchbook and a marker. "Now listen…" She began to explain.
"There are two kinds of spirits in this world." She puts down the katana she held, opened the sketchbook and drew with the marker before showing it to him, which elicited a gasp of horror from him.
"The first are normal spirits called Pluses…" The picture on the right side had a bunny in the middle, with hearts surrounding it and making it look like it was some sort of positive side of sorts, with the words "Pluses" and "Good Spirits/Ghosts" below said bunny. "…They're the typical ghosts' you've seen all this time."
"The second are called Hollows. They attack people, living or dead, to devour their souls." Ichigo was made to look at the second part, which was the left part of the picture that explains the other spectrum of her explanation. "In other words, they're evil spirits." Said left part had a bunny as well, albeit it failed in projecting the horror of an actual Hollow. Though, the thunder drawings around the bunny, accompanied by the black background and the words "Hollows" and "Bad Spirits/Ghosts" under said bunny were enough to give an idea of its difference.
And with that, she finished her explanation. Ichigo's brains failed to compute on her explanation thanks to her illustration. "Do you have any questions so far?" She then asked.
'I kinda get it, but… What in the actual fuck is with her drawing?! It's pretty much useless compared to her own words!' He groaned mentally.
"Well…first off, tell me why your drawings are so shitty." He answered.
He earned a moustache made from markers thanks to that.
"Hey!" He exclaimed in horror. "What the hell did you do?!" He yelled at Rukia, who was by the window, handling the marker in glee over her latest masterpiece.
"I'll continue my explanation, Lord Baron." She replied sarcastically.
"Baron??" He was guffawed.
"We Shinigami have two jobs." She turned back to look at him, and then continued with her explanation, lifting two fingers to signify the two jobs as she sat down and drew again on the sketchbook, before showing it to Ichigo again for illustration.
"The first is to lead the Pluses to Soul Society with a sendoff, Konsō, just as I did earlier." She said, with the first picture showing the Plus bunny with an arrow that has the words "Konsō" pointing to the left, signifying the send-off, to the supposed Soul Society which was drawn to have flowers for some reason, while having the space between the Earth and Soul Society colored purple.
"And the second is to cut and purify the Hollows." The Hollow bunny was shown with the words "Cut it!" to its left, and then was crossed with a purple marker.
Ichigo then interrupted her. "Then why was that Hollow going after that girl?" He asked.
…..
At the same time…
The ghost girl was seen running by the streetside, as the distortion behind her was coming after her. As she ran further, the distortion began to look clearer and finally the form of the Hollow was visible, at least to her or anyone else who's spiritually aware. The shadow of the Hollow would appear and disappear from view, though like mentioned before, most humans wouldn't even be able to see its shadow, let alone seeing its full form.
The girl fell down after running for some time. The Hollow was about to grasp the girl, who was already shaking in fear, before it stopped and sniffed. Something else had attracted its attention.
"I smell it…" It spoke. "It's the smell of an especially tasty soul."
It stood upright as it smelled the surrounding. "It's nearby…along with the smell of a Shinigami." It muttered with excitement.
It then walked away, leaving the girl in a daze, and a sense of relief that she wasn't consumed. It howled as it walked towards a certain direction, while letting out its eerie howl. The nearby windows of a building shattered as it passed by.
…..
"That I do not know." Rukia answered, shaking her head. "We have yet to grasp everything about them."
Unbeknownst to her, however, this only applies to Shinigami that aren't seated officers, since those who are of seated would more than likely have deduced the reason, albeit to a few possibilities before reaching the core of the truth. This has more to do with experience in dealing with Hollows. So, it's a given she had this kind of thinking since she never really patrolled in the World of the Living.
Ichigo then felt a shiver as he heard that eerie howl. "Hey! What was that just now?!" He asked her in a panic.
Rukia, however, did not notice what he just sensed. "In any case, there's another one wandering around here."
"Then hurry up and get rid of it!" He yelled.
"No, well…" She sighed as she looked down. "For some reason, I haven't been able to sense its presence at all. It's as though some strong force is obstructing my senses."
"What the fuck are you saying?! Can't you hear that creepy howl?!" He snapped. "Isn't that the Hollow you're after?!"
"Creepy howl?" She raised a brow. "I haven't… "
Before she could finish her words, the eerie howl could be heard. She immediately snapped to attention when she heard it.
"I heard that!" She thought as she stood up and looked outside. "That's definitely the cry of a Hollow!" She yelled.
"See?! I told you!" He pointed.
BOOM! CRASH!
"KYAAAAAA!!!" A voice screamed from downstairs, one that was all too familiar for Ichigo.
"YUZU!" His heart almost stopped, hearing her little sister's scream.
…..
Rukia immediately went outside of Ichigo's room. After she opened the room's door and stepped outside, she instantly felt the surge of the reiatsu from the Hollow. It was nothing short of powerful.
'Such strong reiatsu! How could I have not noticed this whole time?!' She thought in shock. 'I…'
She was about to reproach herself before she heard footsteps coming up. "Onii…chan…" A weak voice called out for Ichigo.
Yuzu limped, stumbling at the nearby wall before continuing to limp towards Ichigo's room, not noticing Rukia who moved away. The poor girl collapsed onto the floor with injuries and blood seeping from said injuries.
"Yuzu!" He exclaimed as the little sister tried to get up, coughing and inevitably more blood came from the fit.
"Karin-chan was… Onii-chan…" He looked in horror as his little sister was begging for him. "Please…save Karin…"
She was already weak by that point, but before he could say anything, she dropped unconscious. Her blood loss finally taking out any energy she had. He clenched his teeth, hard, at the sight of her sister pleading for him and passing out.
"Hey, you!" He was already shaking in rage, desperately trying to break whatever this spell was and go to her sister's aid.
Rukia knelt down, checking on the little sister. 'She's merely unconscious. Her injuries are not fatal, thankfully.' She noted.
"HYAAAHHH!!" Another scream was heard from downstairs, prompting Rukia to dash downstairs.
"Hey!" He yelled at Rukia who already left. "Dammit!" He cursed.
He pushed himself to stand up, despite his arms still being restrained by that Kidō or whatever. Rukia, in the meantime, leapt over from the stairs and reached the first level of the house. In the still lit corridor of the house, however, she saw through the opened door to the dining/living room of the house.
The Hollow had clearly broken through the wall, and it was currently grasping the other sister in its hand.
"Stop it! Stop it…!" Karin pleaded as she was being crushed by its grip. "GWAAHHH!!" She screamed as the grip tightened.
Rukia grits her teeth, as she unsheathed her Zanpakutō and prepared to engage the Hollow. A sudden sound from the stairs distracted her.
"Guekk!" Ichigo exclaimed as he fell down the stairs and hit the wall, his arms still held by the Bakudo.
"Stay back!" Rukia yelled at him.
Ichigo ignored her as he tried to get up. "Karin!" He muttered under breath.
"Dammit!" He slowly got up, which astonished Rukia. "He's moving…even after I put that Kidō on him!" She uttered in disbelief.
"You'll get in the way! Stay back!" She tried to stop him. "Shut up!" He rebuked her.
His eyes widened as he saw Karin in that Hollow's grasp, with it smiling over her screaming. "Karin!" He yelled.
He roared as he tries to break the spell. Rukia, who saw this, attempted to dissuade him. "Stop! No human strength can break it!"
"If you try to force it, your soul will…" As she said this, she could see the spell surrounding him being forcefully dispelled.
And it was all by his sheer willpower. The bindings, one by one, dispelled at a rapid rate. He roared as he continues to break through the spell. His mind recalled his uncle's parting words. 'Live like your namesake. For those you've lost. For those you can yet save.'
Rukia's eyes widened as he broke through the spell within the next few moments. The spell was being undone in front of her two eyes. 'A human breaking the spell with his own power?'
"HUUUUURAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!" He roared as the bindings were completely undone, resulting in a flash of light before it dissipated into reiatsu and off the naked eye.
He panted before he ran towards the Hollow, picking up a nearby folded steel chair.
"Wait!" Rukia yelled yet failing to deter him.
The Hollow stopped and turned, looking at the coming human who had a folded steel chair in hand, clearly seeing it.
"HOOOOOAAAAAARRGGHHHHH!!!" Ichigo roared as he ran towards the Hollow.
"Ichi-nii! Run!" Karin tried to warn him, but it was too late.
"DOOOOORYAAHHHH!!" He roared as he jumped into the air, preparing to smash the chair at the Hollow.
However, he got blindsided by the Hollow's free arm, causing him to crash onto the ground and lose his grip on the folded chair. It then gazed on him as he tried to get up, clearly injured by that attack.
"Karin!" He yelled, stuttering a bit as he stood up.
"I found you." It said as it pulled back its free arm, preparing to punch at the orange head.
As its fist hit, Ichigo rolled out of the way. The opening caused by Ichigo's actions was not wasted by Rukia, who jumped and proceeded to slash at the Hollow's arm that held Karin. It roared as its grip loosened, dropping Karin onto the ground. Ichigo sprinted and slided as he caught Karin on his arms.
The Hollow pulled back as its arm was injured by the Shinigami. Ichigo cradled Karin in his arms, her eyes closed.
"Karin! Hey!" He was panicking.
"Do not panic!" Rukia sternly commanded as she got into position. "That Hollow has not devoured your sister's soul yet."
He looked up at her with hope. "Are you sure?"
"Yes…" She affirmed. "It is seeking a soul with a higher concentration of reiryoku."
"I see." Realization then hit her, and she felt grim at it. "That Hollow this afternoon wasn't after that girl, either."
…..
"What do you mean?" His eyes widened at her words.
"For some reason, your reiryoku was almost completely suppressed until just now." She explained. "That's why I didn't sense anything from you, and you were never attacked by a Hollow until now."
"It's just a conjecture, but…" She slanted her sword. "…perhaps the reiryoku that was sealed up within your body began to pour out due to the contact you had with the ghost of that young girl."
He tensed up as she continued. "In other words, those two Hollows sensed the density of your soul through that girl."
She turned to gaze on him as she gave him her conclusion. "Their true aim was you!"
That shook him to his core. "They're…after…me…?"
The Hollow reared its head again, as it emerged from whatever dimension it hid in earlier.
"It's here! You stay…" Before she could finish her words, he interrupted her. "Shut up!" He yelled.
"Are you telling me that girl was attacked because of me?" He asked, his voice was low.
She glanced at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Is it my fault…" He looked at her straight, his gaze shaking. "…that Karin and Yuzu's lives are in danger?!"
His mind flashed back to when Yuzu just reached his room, and Karin was still in that Hollow's grasp, trying to tell him off.
"RAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!" He roared as he ran forward, of the mind to take away the Hollow's attention from them.
"Hey!" She yelled at him.
"Hey…" He glared at the Hollow. "You want my soul, don't you?"
Its interest was piqued. "In that case, then come fight me one on one!" He yelled at it.
It howled in amusement, before it stretched its head, intending to chomp the cheeky human brat. His eyes widened as he witnessed it coming straight at him, and Rukia jumping in front of him.
SPLURCH!!!
Blood splurged from her left shoulder, as she held it off from biting her in half with her Zanpakutō. She slashed its upper mouth, causing one of its upper teeth to come off and pull back from her, howling in pain.
She dropped onto her knees, her Shihakushō drenched in her blood. For all intents and purposes, she was not fit for combat at her current state. She fell onto the ground, her body felt weak, gasping for air.
"Shinigami!" He called out, as he ran towards her.
"You bloody fool!" She scolded, though her voice was weak. "You should've known…that you were no match for it!"
"Or did you seriously think that everything would be over if you offer up your soul to it?" She said, as she tries to get up. "At this rate, we will all simply become food for him."
Pools of blood gathered under her, though most was soaked by her Shihakushō. She shakily got up to a crouch position. From there, she crawled to a nearby streetlight pole.
"Do you want…" She said weakly as she crawled and leaned onto the pole. "…to save your family?"
The Hollow that had been covering its face in pain had stopped howling, showing its face was now no longer injured.
"Of course!" He answered firmly. "Is there a way?"
"There's just one way…" She weakly said as she grasped her sword. "You must become a Shinigami!" She exclaimed as she lifted her sword up.
"What?!" He was dumbfounded.
"Run the point of this Zanpakutō through the center of your being and I will pour my power into you." She explained.
The Hollow howled at this sight. It was preparing to close in and finish this off.
"I don't know if this would work or not." She admits her doubt. "But there's nothing else we can do." She affirmed of the solution.
The situation was simply that dire. The Hollow slowly got closer. Ichigo, in the meantime, made his mind up. Even if the chances were sketchy, he's determined in going through this.
"Give me that sword, Shinigami." He had a nervous but determined look on him.
"My name is not Shinigami." She smirked. "I am Kuchiki Rukia."
The Hollow sped up, knowing something was about to happen and it will not do it any favor. Ichigo grasped the blade of the sword, pointing it at his center.
"I'm…" He said, as the Hollow was about to punch. "Kurosaki Ichigo!"
She pushed the sword; he pulled the blade. On this day forth, fate shall have its hero.
STAB!
…..
(BGM: Bleach OST 1 - #21 Number One)
A bright blue light shone as it exploded in its brightness, stopping even the Hollow in its steps. As it tried to close in with its punch, its left arm was severed by a sudden slash.
SWISH!
Its severed arm crashed on the asphalt, as Ichigo, now clad in Shihakushō, could be seen. As to his Zanpakutō, it was…oversized, along with its scabbard strapped to his back. Shouldering the giant sword, he gazed menacingly at the Hollow.
'How could it be?' Rukia thought, dumbfounded as she witnessed this. 'I only meant to give him half of my reiryoku, but he took it all…' She looked downwards and saw that she was now wearing a white kimono only, no longer her Shihakushō.
"Hey!" Ichigo yelled.
'Just who is he?' She looked as he confronts the Hollow. 'I have never seen a human with enough reiryoku…to confuse a Shinigami.'
'I have never seen a human with strength enough to break a spell on his own…' She continued this train of thought as he ran towards the Hollow, sword in hand.
'And…' He held up the sword with two hands. 'I've never seen a Shinigami's Zanpakutō…become so large!'
The Hollow raised its foot, about to stomp at this whelp of a Shinigami. But it missed, as Ichigo jumped into the air, and severed that raised foot.
SLASH!
As it fell down, Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "You're gonna pay for fucking with my family! You fishface!" He yelled as he raised his sword, and completely cut the Hollow vertically in half.
The Hollow howled as it dissipated, leaving only smoke in the wake of Ichigo's slash.
Ichigo Kurosaki – 15 Years Old
Hair Color: Orange
Eye Color: Brown
Occupation: High School Student and…
SHINIGAMI.
…..
All eyes are now looking at this event. The Zero Division, or rather, Ichibei watched in silence up in the Soul King Palace. Aizen, who was observing from within the chambers of the Central 46, smirked, while surrounded by the dead bodies of the Central 46 members. The Sternritters, alongside Yhwach, observed in the shadows.
Shugo, in the meantime, noticed the threads of fate between Ichigo and Rukia that had finally intersected with each other. He opened his eyes while gazing upon the moon sky in the Seireitei, gleaming while in full of thought.
'The hour has come.' He affirmed the feeling he got from Gurenbana.