《Rebirth in Bleach》 1 Prologue Soul Society North Rukongai, District 64 The sun was setting as the citizens of rukongai retreated to their humble abodes after a day of work while the vile of the district slowly crept out of the shadows. In a deserted area surrounded by dead trees, a young boy that looked around the age of 13 could be seen lying on his back seemingly unconscious. His silky, snow white hair arranged in a chaotic manner covering the upper half of his face. The lower half of his face consisted of a partially revealed cute but straight chiselled nose that sat atop his beautiful lips akin to a budding strawberry. Donning a tattered kimono and normal straw sandals had no effect on hiding the boys slender yet fair white arms and his partially revealed ankles that could even put ladies to shame. This picturesque scene could have anyone marvelling at its beauty for days, unfortunately the one who stumbled upon this scenery couldn''t be bothered to appreciate it. The intruder was another young boy whose head was covered in unusual silver hair and sky-blue eyes narrowed into slits, making it difficult to discern his thoughts. He appeared unusually tall for someone his age and was quite thin with sharp features giving him a skeletal appearance. He was wearing a ragged black kimono which indicated his modest status and was carrying a handful of persimmon seeds. Just as he was about to nudge the boy awake, a grumble was heard, presumably due to hunger, and the unconscious boy voiced out a groan slowly opening his eyes. Azure blue eyes with a red/pinkish circle was what came into view of the silver haired boy sending chills throughout his body as his blood froze twice over. Those beautiful yet indifferent eyes scanned over his body as if death itself was breathing down his neck. After a short silence which felt like hours for the silver haired boy, the young boy slowly sat up voicing his thoughts out. "Who are..." A childish yet icy voice rang out as he interrogated the silver haired boy only to be stopped by an expression of pain as the boy once again collapsed and fell unconscious only this time with a sliver amount of pain appearing on his face. As the silver haired boy watched all this occur, a myriad of emotions masked his face unsure of what to make of this situation feeling a hint of d¨¦j¨¤ vu though not completely. He then just released a defeated sigh, proceeded to place the persimmon seeds into a pouch he was carrying and went forward to pick up the collapsed boy and carry his surprisingly light body home. ''How should I explain this to her'' Thought the boy leading to another sigh escaping his lips and slowly retreated into the distance. "Gin!" 2 Waking up As his house came into view, a melodious shout was heard as a young girl exited the house anticipating his return. She had wavy blond hair that reached her shoulders, blue eyes and a beauty mark located under the right side of her mouth. She was wearing a tattered and torn green kimono that showed bits of skin, and although she was still growing up her nascent curvaceous figure and modest chest indicated that she would be a head turner in the future. "Gin! Who is that?" The young girl questioned, noticing the extra baggage Gin was carrying. "Someone I found Rangiku" Replied Gin seemingly short of breath. It was only then she noticed the tired expression that adorned his face and rushed over to help fearing the worst case possible. As the two carried the boy into their own home, they gently placed the unconscious boy onto a makeshift bed. Rangiku got a better look at the boy as a small yet subtle blush crept onto her face gazing at the boy''s immature yet immaculate features. Rangiku wasn''t used to being in close proximity with another boy her age. As it was only her and Gin that lived together for as long as she can remember. This didn''t go unnoticed by Gin as he loudly cleared his throat bringing Rangiku back from her daze, turning her head away while blushing deeply. Noticing the mockery on her best friend''s face, she was able to clear up her thoughts and started to reprimand him "What happened and why did you leave once again without telling me?" "Nothing happened, I just went to get some food and found him unconscious on the road" Gin smiled as he took out some staple bread and a handful of persimmon seeds. Rangiku wanted to smack the smirk off Gin''s face seeing that he always left without telling her but held back as her face lit up when she noticed the dried persimmon seeds. These seeds were her favourite due to it being what her best friend fed her when she had collapsed from starvation. They have been living together since. As she was about to dig in, she heard Gin adding, "He seemed hungry" This revelation shocked Rangiku as this meant that the unconscious boy was in possession of spiritual energy, in other words reiatsu. "You mean..." "Yep, I think he possesses reiatsu" Still shocked by what she heard, they continued eating the stale bread and then proceeded off to a peaceful sleep, unknown to them, the mind of the young unconscious boy was anything but peaceful. Rewinding time when the boy just fell unconscious for the second time. ''AAAAAAGGGGGGHHH'' A soul rendering scream could be heard in his head as he felt indescribable pain. Accompanying this pain were visions of his past life from the moment he first set sight on his previous world to his completely random and spontaneous death after answering a harmless looking questionnaire. An above average life you could say, as it wasn''t anything special. Above average looks and with above average grades and finally going to an above average university. Being an introvert, he had no girlfriend, but he did watch anime, read manga and light novels. You couldn''t call him an otaku, but he did spend quite some time with engrossed in them. One day, whilst browsing the internet a pop-up questionnaire appeared, with nothing better to do, he completed it. Who knew that the submit button would be the harbinger for his death. As the young boy cleared up his thoughts, innumerable curses went through his head as he organised his thoughts. ''Where am¡­'' Another shot of pain went through his brain as he could feel his brain splitting in two, creating another ''room'' where a whole different set of thoughts were being processed. Once again, he came to his senses and realised he had the ability to accelerate his thoughts to twice the speed than normal. Partitioning and accelerating his thoughts he tried to understand the situation he was currently in, which resulted in a single word. ''Sh*t'' Remembering the first face he saw when he woke up briefly, he concluded that he was in the world of bleach as that was undoubtedly Ichimaru Gin, former 3rd division captain of the Gotei 13 and a traitor of soul society. However, that was the least of his worries as he could vividly remember seeing lines cluttered across the body of the future traitor. Seeing this he tried recalling what he last did, faintly remembering completing some sort of questionnaire. Slowly the memories started coming back to him. *If you had a choice, what anime would you like to be reincarnated into? * He remembered he answered ''Bleach'' as he was extremely dissatisfied with the end, feeling that it was unjustly rushed with many unanswered questions. *What powers would you like your zanpakuto to possess then? * - ^&*%&$¡ê$"¡ê$% For some reason he couldn''t remember what he had typed as he felt the question strangely interactive. Feeling that he won''t get an answer anytime soon, he tried remembering the last question. * ... ¡­ . .. . 3 wishes .... ¡­ . .* Having difficulties remembering the last question he recollected the answers he gave. - Mystic Eyes of Death Perception - Memory partition paired with thought acceleration - Hiten mitsurugi-ryu After pressing the submit button he was immediately blinded by what seemed a pair of headlights while a faint horn of a truck passed into his ears. Still confused by what was happening he never got a chance to adjust to the sudden light before he felt something impact his body followed by a painful spreading across his body and immediately blacking out. ''An instant death, huh, but what was that noise. How did a truck get there?'' Knowing he wouldn''t get an answer anytime soon, he pushed aside these thoughts for now as he noticed that he had received the first two wishes but there were no signs of the third one. He tried focusing on this aspect which ended up causing a tremendous amount of information to be planted into his brain. He saw how to train in Hiten mitsurugi-ryu along with the experience of the technique''s predecessors. Although, this time, there was no pain, the sheer amount of information caused him to black out. As his brain tried to process this information, unknowingly his reiatsu slowly increased and he partitioned a third room allowing him to have 128 different thoughts, all trying to work towards a single goal, sorting out the information in his head. Once all the information was sorted out, he finally tried to wake up. 3 Current situation His mystical eyes once again greeted the world as he slowly woke up. What welcomed his view was a worn-out wooden roof with little cracks where one can peek at the sky. Noticing the blaring sun that lit up the sky through the openings on the roof, he determined that it was currently noon. Looking around he noticed that he was alone, and the owners of this place were barely hanging on. There was a small place where wooden utensils were kept, including a couple of dirty plates in what could be a kitchen. On the other side, two makeshift beds like the one he is currently laying on were planted on the ground. In the middle of this tiny hut was a small area for firewood to keep the cold out providing warmth to the residents. It was a simple place which rarely got any visitors, however, for him it was unnerving. This was because no matter where he looked, he could see lines everywhere and, in his heart, he knew that these were conceptual lines of death. He was able to notice that the more lines one object had the closer it was to the end of its lifespan. His mystic eyes seemed different to Shiki Tohno''s, who sees jagged lines and points of death as his eyes specialised in killing living things. They, in fact, seemed similar to the other user, Shiki Ryougi, whose eyes specialised in killing concepts. The mystic eyes of death perception differ with each individual in the way they perceive death and their experience. This can be seen as Shiki Tohno''s eyes are several ranks lower than those of Shiki Ryougi. As he was lost in his thoughts Rangiku entered the hut carrying a bucket of water and immediately saw him awake. As his back was turned towards her, she never got a proper look at his eyes and instead called out. "So, you''re finally awake?" This drew his attention causing him to turn around and get a proper look at the person who called out his name. Identifying her as Matsumoto Rangiku, future lieutenant of the 10th division of the Gotei 13, clear excitement appeared on his face. Fortunately, it went unnoticed due to it being strange if a stranger randomly gets excited seeing you, especially in soul society where someone loses their memories once they enter soul society. Unfortunately, for Rangiku, she was too scared to notice. For her, she just entered and called out to the unconscious boy Gin brought yesterday seeing he had finally woken up. She saw him turn around anticipating to once again see his beautiful face as her expression turned red but was immediately replaced by shear fear when she saw his eyes. She felt like death itself was grasping her heart and one move would be all it takes for it to kill her. You couldn''t blame her due to the fact that as soon as our main character looked at her, his attention was immediately grasped by the lines of death on Rangiku. Realising the complexion of Rangiku becoming pale white and the increasing fear in her eyes, he quickly closed his eyes to stop scaring her further. As soon as he closed his eyes, Rangiku seemed to have woken up from a daze and fell backwards. Realising the cold sweat flowing on her back she once again looked at the boy only to notice he had closed his eyes and the sensation of death gone. Before she could escape, she heard a voice riddled with guilt and apology. "Sorry" A small voice sounded out, but it was heard clearly by Rangiku as she saw him bowing his head, his figure conveying his apologies. Still shocked by the previous matter, she absent-mindedly replied "It''s okay" and continued to observe the boy from a distance. After a few moments of silence, she was unable to take it and questioned "Who are you?" The boy was taken aback with the question but remembered her personality from the anime being an easy-going one. He replied with a faint smile, "I don''t remember much but all I know is that my name is Minamoto, Minamoto Itsuki" Once again, she fell into a daze but this time seeing his smile. With the previous incident pushed to the back of her head she started to ask more questions becoming increasingly more active although there were still some traces of fear in her voice whenever she talked to him. Itsuki just sighed to this as there was nothing that he can do and just needed to learn to control his eyes properly, so he won''t start frightening everyone he looks at. As they continuously conversed, slowly the fear in Rangiku started to subside as she got to know him more. She realised that he was just a new soul unaware of where he was and the current situation. That''s what Itsuki wanted her to think as he technically was a new soul but just had his memories from before his death. As the conversation slowly went towards his eyes, Itsuki replied that he didn''t know or just evaded the topic altogether. Remembering back to her encounter with his eyes, fear appeared on her face but was quickly replaced by determination to help this new friend of hers to come to terms with his situation. This was interrupted by the sound of a growl coming from the boy''s stomach as a faint shade of red appeared on his face. Noticing his embarrassment, reduced more of her fear as this further indicated that he was just another soul just like her. Taking out some leftover stale bread, she handed it to him and found some cloth to help cover his eyes just like Itsuki requested. As Itsuki ate the stale bread, she started to explain to him about soul society. Although Itsuki knew the general situation of soul society, he didn''t know everything. Slowly listening to Rangiku''s explanation he got a better understanding of soul society learning that he was in District 64 of North Rukongai. Part of soul society, Rukongai was the most populated area was divided into 320 districts, which can further be divided into 4 parts, North, East, South and West with each containing 80 districts. They are then each numbered in descending order starting from 1 which is the closest to the centre and Seireitei (which will be introduced further on in the story). The number then increases the further they are from the centre, this results in the higher-numbered and farther districts decaying into slums. Thus, while District 1 is peaceful and lawful, much like the antiseptic lifestyle of early-Edo era Kyoto, District 80 is a hardscrabble, violent, crime-infested area that more depicts the Heian era Kyoto. As he listened to her explanation, footsteps could be heard walking towards the hut. Gin was returning from collecting some firewood and more dried persimmon seeds. As soon as Gin entered, Rangiku sprung up and rushed to Gin for her persimmon seeds she craved for. Just as she was about to dig in, she looked up as if remembering an important matter that she had forgotten. "Ah, I never introduced myself. My name is Matsumoto Rangiku, and this here is my best friend Ichimaru Gin" "Pleased to meet you, Ichimaru-san, Matsumoto-san. I''m Minamoto Itsuki" 4 Goals As Gin looked at the boy, a hint of fear showed on his face, but he quickly took it back returning to his usual smirk. Rangiku saw this and immediately knew that Gin had seen Itsuki''s eyes. She gave Gin a rundown on the boy''s situation as she saw his fear subside. At first Gin wanted to let the boy go on his own way but after much pleading from Rangiku he finally relented in allowing Itsuki to stay with them. As he approached the boy, he looked at his blindfold and started speaking. "Minamoto-san..." he barely started to speak when Itsuki interrupted him. "Please call me by my first name" "Then, Itsuki-san, would you like to stay with us?" A noticeable smile appeared on Itsuki''s face as he heard the question. He knew that Ichimaru Gin was doing this all for the sake of Rangiku. But he wasn''t upset, he quite liked Gin''s character, as whatever he did in the anime was all for Rangiku. Seeing him smile bought a hint of surprise to Gin as he remembered the indifferent look Itsuki gave when they first met, but this went unnoticed by the rest as one was too busy eating while the other was blindfolded. - 1 Week Later - A week has gone by since Itsuki arrived and has continuously trained his eyes to not focus on the lines of death, finding a way to turn them off similar to how Shiki Ryougi turns them off. With the help of memory partition and thoughts acceleration he got results exceedingly fast and was able to shift his focal point to not see these lines. He became more proficient in using memory partition and thought acceleration but showed no active progress in them. He couldn''t train in Hiten mitsurugi-ryu due to being blindfolded and not having access to any kind of sword. As Itsuki was blindfolded he was also able to train his other senses as they got more sensitive than his eyes. This then led to him being able to sense the surrounding reiatsu and the reiatsu of a person. It was like how Ichigo was able to once again sense reiatsu due to being blinded by Ginjo after he lost his Shinigami powers. As he was able to turn his mystic eyes off, he was able to remove his blindfold and see the world in all its glory. He found a lake to use as a mirror and was finally able to see his appearance. He couldn''t see before as he always kept his blindfold on and only took it off when training. After looking into the lake, what entered his vision was a remarkably handsome yet immature young man. He had put his hair into a high ponytail with a blue ribbon, courtesy of Rangiku, and had deep azure, gem like eyes. It seemed that his eyes only lost the inner red/pinkish ring and its glow. His face looked quite cold and apathetic with his gaze being extremely cold. This didn''t go unnoticed by him as he concluded that his mystic eyes had, in one way or another, dampened his emotions to some extent. Although he was able to smile and show emotions when he was with Rangiku and Gin, he was told that any other time his face showed no emotions. His clothes were pretty much the same as before as they never had enough capital to buy another piece of clothing. Also, his relationship with Gin and Rangiku had improved as the former talks more with Itsuki and treats him like a genuine friend while the latter doesn''t blush anymore whenever she sees him. Gin also told him about reiatsu and that all three of them possessed it. After turning his mystic eyes on and off and making sure he could control them proper, he began to contemplate about what he should do from now on. He knows that there will be massive wars in the future and to survive in this world he has no choice but to become stronger. As he doesn''t know how to train his reiatsu currently he would try to meditate and see if that brings any results. He can see both Gin and Rangiku have reiatsu but due to the lower proficiency in sensing reiatsu, he currently can''t gauge the amount they have. While training he made a discovery that due to the strengthening off his soul and the effects of memory partition allowed him to be ambidextrous. Although it seems like a no-brainer being ambidextrous with memory partition, it is actually not that simple. Memory partition is the ability to partition a user''s thoughts to form multiple independent thought processes. While normal people can only have a single ''room'' in their brain and focus on one thought, partitioning adds partitions to the one room to create multiple rooms. It is different than having multiple independent machines because, while there are multiple processes, they only work towards one goal. They manage different problem sets but work together to generate one overall solution. Pulling his thoughts back he decided to do some physical training first, the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu manual didn''t come with just the sword techniques, it also came with a proper training routine to help build up the user''s body to handle the strain the sword style possessed. Although his body now was just a soul, it didn''t stop him from training as his intuition told him that it will help him in the long run. He would probably start to train the basics movements of the sword when he got his hands on a stick of some sort before he could get an actual practice sword. First, he done some stretches and started to jog to increase his stamina. He never thought of the distance and just continued jogging until he ran out of breath and couldn''t continue. He barely ran for 10 minutes before he was on the floor panting as his kimono was drenched with sweat. After a few minutes of rest, he was back on his feet when he noticed Rangiku and Gin returning from the market. They were talking about something before he called out and grabbed their attention. "Gin! Rangiku!" They both noticed Itsuki standing there drenched in sweat, Rangiku was about to scold him for dirtying his clothes when she noticed that he had taken his blindfold off. Gin also noticed this astonishing the two of them as they could see his eyes perfectly without any repercussions. "Itsuki, your eyes" exclaimed Rangiku as she started running towards Itsuki clearly happy for her friend, "I know, I was finally able to turn them off" answered Itsuki with a small smile. They perceived that it was a genuine smile from the bottom of his heart. Although, they worried about Itsuki''s face showing no emotions, they liked the fact that with them he was capable of expressing more emotions. That night, the hut was filled with a merry atmosphere. 5 Gins change It has been a month since Itsuki was finally able to turn his mystic eyes off and was now currently finishing off today''s training session. The ground was littered with snow as winter had arrived. Rangiku could be seen sitting down wearing an overcoat over her green kimono at she gazed at Itsuki as he trained, unsure of what she was feeling in her heart. It always happened when Itsuki smiled at her or when she watched him train. Gin glanced at him training and then at Rangiku before giving a knowing smirk and started to leave. By the time Rangiku realised, he was already gone, a faint glimmer of worry passed through her eyes but then her attention was immediately gathered by Itsuki. At first both Gin and Rangiku were surprised at him training, wondering for what reason he was doing it for. Itsuki was caught off-guard when they asked him as he never did prepare a response, so he just gave a childish and clich¨¦ reply of him feeling useless and wanting to help them. Although he really did want to help them in the near future, they didn''t need to know about the future which was full of thorns. Although there will be tiny moments of happiness, just experiencing these relaxing yet fulfilling days was enough for him as he knew it would soon come to an end. Itsuki noticed Rangiku''s subtle glances at him but chose to ignore it. It left him with complex feelings as entering a relationship this early on didn''t even cross his mind. Nobody can say about the future but for now he would rather act oblivious to it as it could be attributed to him being her crush. Although he wasn''t an otaku, it was every man''s dream to have a harem. Especially in this world as there was Yoruichi Shihouin, Kuchiki Rukia and many others. He never knew if he would create a harem or only have one woman and keep her happy but he would cross the bridge when he got there, right now all he needs to do is increase his strength so he could help his friends and try to prevent Gin''s death in the future. As he finished his training he went into the hut, where a warm towel was prepared, to wash off his sweat. Looking at his body, faint signs of muscle started to show on his body, although not much but compared to his previous scrawny body it was a good change. His ragged black kimono was already there accompanied by a small coat. After drying himself with the towel he wore his kimono and tied up his hair into a high pony tail whilst coming out, leaving a few strands cascading down the sides of his face. He tried to remember the timeline he was currently in but couldn''t come to a conclusion. It wasn''t stated when Rangiku and Gin met but he knew that it was in summer or spring and that they joined shin''o academy 111 years prior to the main plot. He also knew that Gin wanted to join the academy because of his desire to kill Aizen. Finally noticing the absence of Gin, Itsuki turned to Rangiku "Rangiku, have you seen Gin?" Itsuki asked the still dazed harpy who was leaning on her arm Shocked by the sudden question, her hand slipped as she fell backward rather comically. Surprised at what happened, Itsuki couldn''t stop himself from bringing out a small giggle mesmerising the opposite party She replied getting back up while collecting her thoughts and archiving this moment into her deepest memories as a small blush appeared on her face "I don''t know, he never tells us where he is going whenever he leaves. It''s been like that even before we met you" Her complexion started to look downcast and a gloomy air surrounded her. A rare moment of panic could be seen in Itsuki''s eyes as he tried to cheer her up by changing the subject. "¡­" Failing to find a subject to change to, Itsuki was just left there with an open mouth unsure of how to proceed. Seeing the antiques of her friend, Rangiku burst out laughing, her previous gloomy air being washed away. Realising he was being laughed at, Itsuki closed his mouth as he returned to his apathetic self with a hint of red appearing on his face. As the red receded a small smile then crept onto his face as Rangiku was now back to normal. However, a faint glimmer of worry passed both their eyes at the same time. The day passed on as normal as Itsuki went to gather some firewood, seeing that Gin wasn''t coming back anytime soon, while Rangiku stayed and took care of the hut. No matter how small, home was home for the three of them. As the sun was starting to set, Itsuki returned home carrying a sizeable amount of firewood unfit for someone that looked the age of 13. Itsuki realised that possessing reiatsu gave a boost to his body''s capabilities. Even Rangiku could lift more than the average man. However, for Itsuki he could lift more than both Rangiku and even Gin possessing more reiatsu than normal and he trained his body. His reiatsu also felt a bit more denser than Rangiku''s or Gin''s as he always emptied his reiatsu to push himself in training. "I''m home" uttered Itsuki as he entered with the pile of firewood. He placed them on the side and grabbed a couple to light up a fire in the middle of the room. As the sun finally set and the darkness slowly engulfed soul society, there was still no sign of Gin returning home. A worried voice travelled to his ear "Is Gin here yet?" Rangiku asked while handing him some rice and egg. The three''s living condition became much better as Itsuki always went out to do miscellaneous tasks for a small amount of kan. Kan being the currency of soul society. So, every now and then the three are able to have a proper meal. He was also able to buy more comfortable beds, although second hand, for the three and get better utensils and plates to eat out of. Overall, you could say that there living condition had improved. Seeing the worried look on Rangiku''s face, Itsuki reassured her as he ushered her off to bed after enjoying a meal together. Although Rangiku may have feelings for him, both Gin and Itsuki thought of her as someone that they need to protect. As Rangiku drifted off to sleep, Itsuki started meditating while lying down as he slowly increased his reiatsu and made progress in getting his fourth partition which will allow a total of 256 thoughts processes. Time gradually passed by and there were still no sign of Gin and as soon as Itsuki thought that he wasn''t coming, a faint sound of footsteps travelled to his ears. There was a certain heaviness to these footsteps, but they were undoubtedly Gin''s. As Gin entered the hut, he gently placed his collected firewood with the others and walked towards his bed. No change could be seen on his face apart from the lack of a smile but Itsuki can feel a trace of killing intent being emitted from Gin. ''He must''ve seen Aizen'' Itsuki said nothing and continued to pretend to be asleep as Gin laid down and drifted off to sleep with Itsuki following not long after. The following days, this situation repeated itself and although Rangiku didn''t show it, Itsuki could tell that she was worried. There were times when Gin never came home at all and only arrived in the morning and sometimes, he came home smelling of blood. Although he tried to hide it, Itsuki with his heightened senses was still able to perceive it. Finally, Itsuki could take it no more and decided to do something. So, one night, after Rangiku fell asleep, Itsuki stayed up and waited outside the hut for Gin to come home. He didn''t wait long as he saw Gin coming out of the forest. 6 A talk with Gin Gin noticed a figure standing outside the hut, waiting for something. As he got closer he came across a familiar face as a small breeze hit his face. Piercing ice cold eyes bore into him while he felt the atmosphere becoming colder as he came to a halt waiting for the opposite party speak. "Where have you been?" Interrogated Itsuki as he tried to discern Gin''s thoughts. "Out" was the only reply he got, not continuing any further as Gin returned to his usual smiling face. Irked by the response, a small twitch found its way to Itsuki''s mouth as the silent stare-off resumed. "We''ve been worried, especially Rangiku" Continued Itsuki, "Is there something you''re not telling us?" He tried to get Gin to speak but alas failed to do so. Unknowingly, Itsuki had come to see Gin as a brother and best friend explaining his worry alongside Rangiku. Although he had a good impression of him before, that was only to a character in the anime and manga. The same could be said for Rangiku as he now thought of her as someone that he needs to protect. Him being an introvert in the past and his distaste of crowds, preferring to be alone in a quiet place, made it difficult for him to make friends. Along with his new mystic eyes, there was a slight fear he may harm another being. All of this resulted in him building a subconscious wall around his heart, keeping everyone at arm''s length. This was shown when he went to do miscellaneous tasks for some Kan, his cold look kept many people from approaching him and those that did converse with him were quickly thrown off by his short responses. However, in just the short span of a month, both Rangiku and Gin had somehow burrowed themselves behind the said wall, safely taking some place in his heart. Now back to the situation at hand. Gin finally showed some change on his face when Rangiku''s name was mentioned as his narrowed eyes slightly opened. Itsuki let out a mental sigh when he finally got some response from Gin, his gaze slightly softening. "Can you at least tell me why you have been arriving late?" Itsuki was once again met with silence as Gin slowly opened his eyes and deeply looked into his best friends eyes. Although Gin has only known him for a month, he had eventually come to like this ice block seeing him as his little brother similar to how he sees Rangiku as his little sister. He saw worry for himself and some other inexplicable emotions, but mainly worry, slowly letting out a gentle smile. This genuinely shocked Itsuki, his eyes slightly widening with no further changes to his face. This was the first time he had seen a genuine smile on Gin as his eyes radiated warmth. He felt like his big brother was telling him not to worry. This only lasted until he saw Gin making his way towards the hut. As Gin passed him, he heard him speak, "As long as I can get back what was taken from her" This was the first and only time where he initiatively spoke in this whole conversation. Unknown to Gin, Itsuki knew what Gin was talking about. Itsuki knew that a few days ago he must''ve encountered Aizen receiving a small ball of energy from three Shinigami, placing it into a glass container that contained the H¨­gyoku. The same three Shinigami that left the area where he later found Rangiku collapsed, holding a small ball of energy. After concluding that Aizen must be the leader, Gin set a resolve to kill Aizen and retrieve what was taken. After remembering the original story line, Itsuki turned around and saw Gin entering the hut and laying down. He soon did the same, but instead of falling asleep he started meditating as he felt his imminent breakthrough of memory partition. Time slowly passed by as Itsuki was meditating when suddenly a click was heard and a whole new set of thoughts gushed in like a tsunami. Taking some time to get used to this Itsuki had finally broken through and achieved his fourth partition. Now there were a total of 256 thoughts or processes working towards one goal. Apart from that he realised that he was now able to accelerate his thoughts by two folds, three times than normal. That night he had a rare blissful sleep knowing that these peaceful days were soon going to be over. Since then a couple of days have gone by and life continued as normal. However, Rangiku got increasingly worried until she finally couldn''t take it anymore. Itsuki was practicing the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu with a couple of bamboo sticks he found, when he noticed Rangiku preparing to leave. "Where are you going, Rangiku" Questioned Itsuki as he came to a standstill. "To find Gin" Came the short reply putting on her sandals as started walking in the general direction where Gin always went towards. Knowing he cant stop her, Itsuki quickly dressed up to ward off the cold and quickly followed after. He knew that this must be when Gin decides to join Shin''¨­ academy. After a few hours Rangiku and Itsuki stumbled upon Gin draping a Shinigami''s shihakuso, with some blood smeared on his face. "Gin! What are you doing? Why are you wearing that?" Questioned a shocked Rangiku. Itsuki just kept quiet in the background and watched the scene play out. None of them found this weird as he was never one that talked a lot, only talking when needed to do or when wanting to know something. Apart from that he stayed silent and only gave short yet concise words. With his back facing Rangiku, Gin stated "I''m gonna become a Shinigami" Stunned by his response, Rangiku''s eyes grew wider, "I''m gonna become a Shinigami and change everything" A small gasp escaped Rangiku''s mouth, as Gin continued "So that you never have to cry again, Rangiku" The young boy declared as if making a promise to himself. 7 Preparation and First Figh Preparation and First Fight Itsuki then interjected and asked, "You sure?" "Yes" Gin replied with determination Before Gin could continue, he was interrupted by Rangiku "Then I will become one as well" This time it was Gin''s turn to be surprised, "Me too" Itsuki added on. A surprised look could be seen on Gin''s face hearing his friend''s declaration as he let out a defeated sigh. On the way back home he informed his friends, "The entrance exam to the Shinigami academy is in a week''s time and is held in District 1. We should gather some supplies for the trip and leave by tomorrow." The two friends just nodded in response as they reached home and drifted off to sleep. - The next day - All three woke up early to start their preparations for their journey. Itsuki went to the nearest town to earn a few more Kan while Rangiku went to gather some food and water for their trip. Gin was tasked in procuring some sort of transport. As the journey was quite a distant one, according to Gin, it would at least take a month if they wanted to walk it there. Looking at their young bodies and short legs, it would probably take longer. They all met up at noon with Itsuki bagging around 3000 Kan which was around 3000 Japanese yen. Rangiku could be seen holding a rucksack that had stale bread, a couple of rice boxes and three small containers of water. It also contained a change of clothes for each of them and some other necessities. This was all she was able to round up in a short amount of time, but the food and water was enough. Their bodies still young and as they possessed reiatsu, they only ate small portions every so often. What Rangiku packed was enough to last them a few days. Gin had luckily found a caravan that was heading to the first district. It seemed some merchants saw the entrance exam as an opportunity to profit as they started creating caravans for people who wanted to take part in the exams. There was no age restriction in submitting an application as it was quite open, this meant that virtually anyone could sign up. Due to this, these caravans were mostly full by the time they arrived at the first district. When they reached the area where the caravans were, what greeted their view was a long line of caravans and 100s of people camping around them. Itsuki could only roughly make out around 500 people but that was not the limit. They were still on the outer reaches of Rukongai, so they expected more to come soon. You could tell who came from what district just by looking at their clothing with the people from the higher-numbered districts wearing completely worn out clothes with patches of cloth here and there to block out the holes. Now, with this many people there were bound to be many shady characters here. This could be seen with the occasional brawls breaking out here and there for the pettiest of reasons. Another prime example was the three potatoes currently blocking Rangiku and Itsuki''s path as Gin had went off to pay the fees for the caravan, leaving the two alone. Three bald heads greeted their view, completely covering them with their shadow as they towered over them. They wore dirtied vest and simple cotton trousers. Itsuki believed them to be brothers as their facial features were alike. Not knowing their names, Itsuki just called them Ichi, Ni and San with Ichi the one that looked the oldest and San looking the youngest. They were clearly attracted to Rangiku as they completely ignored Itsuki''s presence. This wasn''t his fault as Rangiku was extremely beautiful and he had pretty much covered his face up. A cynical bamboo hat lay on top of his head while he wore a red mask that covered his mouth and nose. The reason Itsuki covered his face was because, the first time he went into town without hiding his features, he immediately became the centre of attention. Among the predatory gazes of women and the jealous ones from most of the men, Itsuki realised that his looks may land him in trouble one day. For example, he could catch the interest of someone and immediately becoming someone''s plaything or even sold off. Although he had his cheats, he was still pitifully weak as he had just learned how to get his mystic eyes in control. This also resulted in him keeping a distance from strangers and including the vile acts he sometimes witnessed, he slowly lost his trust in people. Understanding once again that he was not in a peaceful society increased the iciness on his face as he slowly developed an unapproachable aura. When Rangiku looked up, she saw their lust filled eyes sitting on top of a pig like nose while a disgusting smirk was plastered across their face. As they sized her up, fear and disgust immediately filled Rangiku''s eyes as she slowly backed up hiding behind Itsuki. It was only then when they noticed the presence of Itsuki, however, apart from his unapproachable aura, he seemed nothing special. As their attention was once again on Rangiku, the one who was leading them, Ichi opened his mouth as a bad smell wafted out and a set of yellow teeth were exposed. "Hey, ojou-chan, wanna ''av some fun" As the two behind him silently sniggered, he continued "I am pretty sure we would provide better company than this stick here" Itsuki was all bundled up as he wore loose clothing, giving others the impression that he was just another malnourished young lad. Feeling Rangiku shaking behind his back, Itsuki was silently enraged as he heard what the man said. As his rage grew, his mind became clearer as his memory partition and thought acceleration started looking for ways in defeating the three men in front of him. He looked around, noticing that it was only the three of them and they had no back up, Itsuki lunged at Ichi as he was closest, sending his hat flying backwards exposing his silky white hair done up in a high ponytail. A right hook approached the opposite party''s face astonishingly fast as Ichi dodged out of pure reflex. You could see that this was Itsuki''s first ever fight as he chose to hit the face rather than his chest which could have increased his chances of hitting. Seeing Itsuki punching his older brother, Ni immediately sent a punch to Itsuki''s face as San proceeded to capture Rangiku. Realising his blunder, Itsuki tried to retreat, however was too late as a punch landed on him. This instantly destroyed the confidence Itsuki had built up over training as his thoughts fell into disarray. After quickly calming down he noticed San''s movements as he started to panic. Pushing his mental abilities to the maximum, he thought up a whole new strategy in defeating the three while also calculating the possible ways of them retaliating. As Ichi was slowly getting up, enraged by the fact that a kid caused him to fall over, Itsuki quickly got up and this time ran towards the unsuspecting San. It only took him a split second into creating tens of strategy''s as he slowly got used using his mental abilities in the midst of battle. He coated his fist up with reiatsu, a little trick he learned whilst training, and instantly appeared next to San as he once again went for the head but this time landing his hit. Thinking that his second brother had taken care of the kid, San would never have expected to be hit from behind as he felt a sharp pain and immediately fell unconscious. Ni was still there standing there, mouth wide opened trying to figure out how a kid survived his punch and come out virtually unscathed. He only came back from his thoughts as he noticed the kid running towards him after dealing with his brother. This time instead of punching the kid, Ni went to grab him, however having predicted this move, Itsuki instantly dodged it and landed a strong punch on Ni''s stomach instantly knocking him out cold. Finally, Ichi got up, "Damn, bra¡­" Ichi instantly shut up as his blood ran cold. He saw his two brothers knocked out cold and the so-called brat staring down at him with incredible iciness. Ichi could swear he had never been frightened this much in his life as he saw absolutely no emotion what so ever in those azure blue eyes. Just as he opened his mouth to plead for mercy, Itsuki disappeared from his vision and reappeared with an outstretched leg rocketing towards him. Before Ichi''s pitiful brain could process this, a sudden surge of pain interrupted his thoughts as a heart wrenching screech was heard escaping his mouth. Mr Ichi had become miss Ichi, if he was married then Mrs Ichi, not that it mattered now. Attracted by the sudden shriek of pain, many people looked over only to once again look away seeing a tiny blood stain between Ichi''s legs as it slowly expanded. The men dreadfully glanced at Itsuki''s retreating back who was making his way back to Rangiku. As they subconsciously released a sigh of relief, Itsuki suddenly looked back, all the men unconsciously clenched their legs as they felt a cold breeze pass through. At that moment, only one thought crossed their minds ''Demon!'' Seeing Itsuki once again turn around and leaving the area with Rangiku, they let out another sigh of relief and went back to what they were doing, taking sneaky glances in the direction Itsuki had left. 8 Arrival They soon met up with Gin as he had secured seats for them in the caravan. Noticing the glances they were receiving, Gin realised that something must''ve happened when he left them alone. After hearing what had happened, Gin started to openly swear while he thanked Itsuki for being there. Who knew what would''ve happened if he wasn''t there. Gin shuddered just thinking about it. Itsuki had noted that his presence had finally started to have an effect in this universe. As compared to the original, Gin was more open to him and Rangiku while with others he would return to the Gin form the anime. Narrowed eyes into slits, a mocking grin never leaving his face and always speaking in a sarcastic tone. After blowing off his steam, Gin questioned Itsuki, who was cleaning his hat, as Rangiku leaned in to hear the answer "So, how did you defeat them?" "Luck, I suppose" Replied Itsuki, while putting on his bamboo hat, not willing to let the beans out the bag. This was related to his biggest secret and, although, he didn''t like lying to his friends he had no other choice. Maybe there will be a chance for him to tell them in the future. Seeing the look on Gin''s face, Itsuki knew that he didn''t buy his explanation, but kept quite regardless. However, the same could not be said for Rangiku. This na?ve little lass, fully believed what Itsuki had said as he could see her eyes had glazed over and a blush had surfaced. The same could be said for some of the other young maidens whohad witnessed the fight. Even though his mask was still hiding half of his features, you could still tell that he was extremely handsome. The mask just increased his charm by adding a point of mysteriousness onto him. And the way he stood forward was, for them, like a Shinigami protecting a noble of soul society from the clutches of evil. Elegantly defeating them before taking her hand and reassuring her. Seriously, his crude fighting skills had somehow become an elegant dance. Even the soul king would be stumped into how the thoughts of these maidens in love worked. Now back to the topic on hand. The three weren''t charged on what had happened as they were the victims and due to the fact that the person who told them this was constantly looking at Itsuki in fear while sitting in such a posture that protected his family jewels. Fortunately, the rest of the journey went on without any hitches as they progressed to District 1, the environment getting cleaner and well maintained. They stopped every so often to resupply and pick up any more applicants wishing to join the academy. The population of the caravan exceeded 1,000 people by the time they reached District 1. The caravan wasn''t able to go to all of the districts due to lack of manpower and it would simply take too much time. So when they arrived, they spotted another 6 caravans already there as people pitched tents, to work as temporary shelter, until the day of the exam. It never crossed Itsuki''s mind that so many people had come for the admission into the academy. With a rough estimate of around 6,000 applicants, this was just North Rukongai alone. IF the other areas had similar numbers then there would be a grand total of 24,000 applicants. He wondered how the Shinigami would manage as he made his way with Rangiku and Gin to a cheap inn to finally get some rest. - The Next Day - The three got up extra early knowing it would be quite a wait if they went late. The exams were taking place next to the walls of Seireitei, these were humungous walls that surrounded Seireitei, made out of material called sekkiseki, a material that could absorb spiritual energy. Once they reached the designated exam area, they realised that they weren''t the only ones who had thought of arriving early. They joined the people already queuing, spotting some servants setting up a platform and around 5 large tents. The exams would start at sunrise and it would test the amount of reiatsu they had, its potential and the chances of awakening a zanpakuto. As the sun began to rise, they noticed a group of Shinigami coming towards the platform, leading them was a tall and youthful man. He had aqua green eyes and spiky raven black hair. He wore the standard Shinigami shihakuso consisting of a black kimono and white undergarment with a katana strapped to his obi sash. The katana was most likely his zanpakuto. He made his way to the top of the platform and waited for the applicants to gather round. Once he saw everyone had gathered he started making his speech, "Welcome, everyone, to the entrance exam of Shin''o academy. My name is Shiba Kaien and I will be overseeing your exams¡­" Itsuki finally realised why the man seemed familiar. Shiba Kaien was a Shinigami that was part of the 13th division, under Ukitake Jushiro. He would later become the lieutenant of the 13th division around the time when Gin graduates. Kaien was a very ethical and down-to-earth man with a strong sense of duty. He treated his fellow comrades indiscriminately, earning him the adoration of his fellow division, aristocrats and commoners alike. Itsuki quite admired him for his beliefs. Kaien believed that one''s ''heart'' was determined based on the prospects of fighting and protecting. He was a firm believer in Captain Ukitake''s philosophy on fighting, which consists of two types of combat: the fight to protect life, and the fight to protect honor. Kaien took it a step further and believed that they both ended up being the same thing: ''Heart.'' He believed that one''s ''heart'' exists in others, and that it remains with his or her comrades even after death. Having held such views, he believed that people should never die alone. The speech finally ended as Kaien stepped down and moved into the tent. The people were then grouped into 50 rows each containing 120 people. The ones on the back sat down as it would be quite the wait. Unfortunately the three friends were separated during all the chaos and were part of different rows. People were then called in one by one into the tents where they would be tested. Itsuki came to the concluded that each tent contained 10 rooms in which the examination would be held. People were called in and were quickly shown the way out showing that the failure rate was extremely high. After waiting for around an hour, his turn finally came up, and to his surprise it was also Gin''s and Rangiku''s turn. He came into the tent was shown to a servant where they took his information down "Name?" "Minamoto Itsuki" "Age?" "14" That was all they asked, reason being that if they passed then the Seireitei will become their home otherwise they will be sent back. He then pointed Itsuki to the direction of a room where he will be tested. 9 Entrance exam As he walked in to the examination room, he noticed a Shinigami waiting for him. To his disappointment, it was an unknown character that wasn''t even shown in the manga or the anime. He then noticed three pedestals, each holding a crystal ball on top. "First, place your hand on top of the left crystal and pour in all of your reiatsu. This will determine the amount of reiatsu you have. You need an average amount of reiatsu to past." The amount of reiatsu a being possessed was categorised into 5 levels: Basic, Average, High, Great and Immense. Basic amount of reiatsu is the common level of power of a regular human as they possess the bare minimum (Below average Class). Average amount of reiatsu is the common level of power among non-seated and low ranked seated officers (Average Class). High amount of reiatsu is the common level of power among high ranked seated and average lieutenant ranked officers (Lieutenant Class). Great amount of reiatsu is the common level of power amongst those of an average captain rank. (Captain Class) Lastly, Immense amount of Reiatsu. This level of spiritual power is reflected in its ability to enhance a user during combat as well as its ability to affect the surrounding environment on a controlled level, allowing the wielder to use it in combat to startling degrees (Advanced Captain-Class). They are then categorised into Upper and Lower. Furthermore, they can also be categorised into ''Orderly'' and ''Chaotic'' which corresponds to how well the Shinigami can control his Reiatsu. Orderly being very well controlled and chaotic being having no control at all. Itsuki placed his hand on the crystal ball and poured in all his reiatsu without holding back. The crystal ball started to shine lightly for a few moments before words were plastered across the surface | Upper Average/Lower High | This raised an eyebrow of the Shinigami as he was mildly shocked before continuing "Now place your hand on the one in the middle as it will test your willpower which will measure your potential." Reiryoku is a power aligned with the spiritual sensitivity and willpower of the user. This meant that those with a higher willpower have the ability of possessing more Reiryoku allowing them to utilise more reiatsu. For recruits there, were six stages ranging from 1 to 6 with 1 being the weakest. The crystal ball tested on how long one can last and just measured the potential of the applicant. It wasn''t the final result, as willpower can be improved. As Itsuki placed his hand onto the ball he felt some pain in his head. Although, compared to when he received his memories, it was only a walk in the park. The pain started to increase, from like a poke, to a sharp needle like pain. It didn''t stop there however; a painful expression now masked his face replacing Itsuki''s apathetic one as the pain amplified once again. After a couple of minutes, which seemed like hours for Itsuki, he finally removed his hand as he gasped for air, with sweat falling down his face. He looked towards the crystal ball and the results were shown | Stage 6 | He waited for the Shinigami to carry on but never heard anything. Confused, he turned around only to see the Shinigami staring at the ball with bloodshot eyes and a disbelieving expression. The Shinigami realised that no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes. The results wouldn''t change. "S-s-stage 6 potential" The Shinigami stated, clearly flustered. After a few moments to calm himself down, he then proceeded to start the third test, however, you could still see the shock in his eyes looking at Itsuki as if he was a monster. Itsuki didn''t mind this gaze and continued to listen "Now, once again place your hand on the last crystal ball. This will show if you can awaken your zanpakuto" This was very nerve-wrecking for Itsuki as this decided if he could have a one and he really wanted it. Although he knew that he would still be accepted into the academy due to the results of the first two tests, a zanpakuto was a must have. Zanpakuto, known as the soul-cutter sword, is the trademark weapon used by the Shinigami to combat spiritual beings, being one of the few types of weapon that can go against hollows, Each Shinigami carries a Zanpakuto, and each zanpakuto is unique: the swords are reflections of a Shinigami''s power and soul, and sentient beings unto themselves. The zanpakuto''s name is the name of the living spirit which empowers the sword and lends its strength to the Shinigami who wields it. A zanpakuto''s shape and abilities are based on their Shinigami''s soul. Once a Shinigami learns his/her zanpakuto''s name, they can communicate with one another and grow stronger together. zanpakuto are born with their Shinigami, and they die along with their Shinigami. As Itsuki placed his hand on the last crystal ball, clear anticipation drowned his eyes as he waited for the results. After a few moments no results were shown. The Shinigami noticed this, and a bit of disappointment flashed through his eyes. Just as he was about to record the result, a blinding flash of light poured out of the crystal ball accompanied by the sound of wind and crackling of thunder. Watching this, the Shinigami nearly fainted and used reiatsu to keep himself from falling back. This continued until the flash of light stopped and the ball disintegrated to pieces. What the Shinigami never told its participants was that this crystal ball showed a rough estimate on the powers a Shinigami''s zanpakuto possessed. Still reeling from the shock, the door burst open as Shiba Kaien darted into the room, "What happened?!" After the receiving the gist of the situation, Kaien looked at the boy and then back to the Shinigami "I understand, finish of his report and carry on the examination. Another crystal ball will be provided" He then turned to the boy "Congratulations, Itsuki-kun, you''ve passed with perfect marks. Now if you will follow me to the waiting area where your photographic I.D will be taken. You will later be escorted to the academy" After a final look at the disintegrated ball, Kaien led Itsuki to the waiting area. Along the way, Kaien talked a lot while Itsuki just replied with nods and short words. When they arrived in the waiting area, Itsuki saw around 20 people with Gin and Rangiku already here, having clearly passed earlier. Itsuki turned around, did a small bow and thanked Kaien. Clearly surprised by the thanks from the silent boy Kaien replied "Don''t mind it. You should talk more often otherwise it will be hard making friends" Itsuki didn''t reply as he returned to his usual ice-cold self before making his way towards Gin and Rangiku. 10 Rangiku Kaien watched the silent boy as the boy''s eyes showed a hint of warmth when he approached his two friends. His curiosity kicking in, he really wanted to see what Itsuki looked like because he kept his facial features hidden, so he stayed behind and waited for Itsuki''s picture to be taken. A decision he would later come to regret. There was an old-fashioned camera to the side where another recruit was having his picture taken. When Rangiku''s turn came up, the males were deeply attracted to her as they tried to get closer to her. Just as one approached Rangiku, Gin hurriedly walked in front of him as an ''amiable'', yet dangerous smile came up in his face. The intruding party looked at the slight opening in Gin''s eyes, feeling some killing intent, cold sweat appeared on his back as he gave up on the idea of approaching her along with the others. Unfortunately, one slipped through Gin''s defence as he made his way towards Rangiku. This time it was Itsuki who stopped him. But he wasn''t nice like Gin, so as the intruder number 2 try bypass him, he tripped him and quickly kneed his stomach. As the others were occupied by Gin, they suddenly heard a yelp and turned towards that direction. Their attention was immediately drawn by the man on the floor. One could see that he was knocked out cold with some foam coming out of his mouth. They then saw the reason for his unconsciousness and a couple people recognised him turning completely pale. Knowing that the girl had two scary guardians, they immediately backed down. Rangiku just went on and acted like normal, it wasn''t the first time this happened, and she knew her two friends would protect her. However, she hated this feeling of uselessness. One of the reasons she wanted to become a Shinigami was because she wanted to fight back herself and not rely on the two until one day it would her that protected them. Another reason was simply, Itsuki. She had come to terms with her feelings and knew that if she wanted to be by his side then she had to get stronger, a lot stronger. To her, there was always a fog around Itsuki ever since she knew him. Remembering those eyes and the training he did, her and Gin knew he was hiding something, but both decided to keep quiet about it. If he wanted to tell them then he will tell them. Still for her it wasn''t enough, she wanted to penetrate that fog and she wanted him to trust her. So that one day they would stand beside each other and go against anything the world threw at them, because as long as he was by her side, she would be content. There were still some thoughts plaguing her mind, as deep inside her heart, she knew that she won''t be the only one. Call it a woman''s intuition if you want, but with his future prospects and looks, she was bound to have a few rivals. She knew that although she had a head start, no one can say anything about the future, she just had to continue fighting. Gin noticed Rangiku lost in thoughts while looking at Itsuki and knew the gist of what she was thinking. He couldn''t help her, but he silently pushed her on. After Rangiku, it was Gin''s turn and a few more people took their pictures until it was finally Itsuki''s turn. Kaien kept quiet throughout the whole ordeal and started looking forward to what Itsuki looked like. For some reason, the others were also curious to what this ''demon'' looked like. As Itsuki sat down, he proceeded to take his hat off showing of his snow-white hair which was done up in a high pony tail, while a few strands fell down the sides of his face. They shuddered when they saw his eyes, not because of fear but due to the indifference present in them. Itsuki then moved towards his mask. Time seemed to slow as his face was uncovered, the female recruits were instantly struck into a daze as their face got a deep shade of red, while an intense depressive aura was released from the males. Once his picture was taken, he turned around only to see the reactions of the room, for them it was like seeing an ice sculpture, beautiful from afar yet the closer you got the colder it was. You could only view it from afar as it was untouchable. Itsuki quickly covered his face and the room returned to normal, not quite though, as Rangiku was protecting Itsuki from the females while Gin was protecting him for the questionable males. Kaien just left the room, complex emotions coming from his face ''Shouldn''t have stayed. WTF how is he so good looking.'' As the day progressed more and more recruits came and had their pictures taken. At first, they were confused with the atmosphere but understood when the others told them. So now there were three types of looks that Itsuki was garnering, first was the ones filled with infatuation, the females that had seen his face (including some males), envious ones from the males, and lastly, the curious ones, this was from the ones that came into the room after. Once all the recruits were finished, they were finally escorted into Seireitei. As they passed the northern gate, they met with another group of people waiting for them. They consisted of 3 boys and 2 girls and were not Shinigami nor were they servants, they seemed like students. The wore the Shin''o academy uniform which consisted of a blue shitagi (undershirt), a white kosode (shirt) with blue stripes and blue hakama (trousers) with white socks and sandals. This colour scheme was for the males, where the female''s version had the blue replaced with the red. An emblem could be seen printed in on either side of the outer shirt, presumably of the academy. They also had swords strapped to their back, Itsuki couldn''t tell if they were asauchi or named zanpakutos Asauchi were zanpakutos that didn''t have a name. Once all the recruits were grouped, he saw Kaien talk with a girl who seemed to be the head of the group of students. They were quite familiar with each other and talked for quite a bit before Kaien handed her some pieces of paper and left with the examiners. The girl then looked around, introduced herself as Shiba Aiko and led them to the academy. The academy was quite a distance away as it took an hours'' worth of walk to reach it. What greeted their view was a massive multi-story building with eaves jutting out. A three-layered roof could be seen in the middle with the bottom floor extending out of either side. The building was surrounded by walls about 10 feet high with the emblem of the school littered across it. Once they had crossed the gate, they made their way to an auditorium where people were already waiting. Upon entering, Itsuki noticed the people being divided by where they come from. The ones with cleaner clothes with bits of noble air could be seen of to one side, most likely residents of Seireitei, whereas the members of Rukongai were on another side. You could tell the difference with just the clothes as the former were wearing luxurious and expensive clothes while the latter were wearing tattered and simple ones. Itsuki''s group were the last ones to arrive because as soon as they entered all the recruits were gathered and a group of teachers walked out. 11 Shinso academy The group of teachers had a similar dress code like students but wore a grey outer shirt, black trouser and had a black robe draped over it. Leading them was a slightly tanned, stout man with a bald head and small eyes who gave a rather fearsome expression. He had a small gold necklace and wore a pair of thin glasses. Different stands were set up with a board next to them. Each was respectively called Class 1, Class 2 and so on. There were four of them each holding a list of around 100 names. The teachers went to stand behind the stands and a voice rang out "Find your names and line up in front of the stands. You will get your I.D cards along with the dormitory you will be assigned to" As soon as that was said all the recruits started moving, most of them went to the Class 1, hoping to get in. Class 1 was known as the elite while class 2 and 3 were known as the average class and class 4 was the lowest. Amidst disappointed sighs, Itsuki and his friends pushed their way through and found their names. Class 1 Minamoto Itsuki ¨C 100% Ichimaru Gin ¨C 98% ¡­ ¡­ Matsumoto Rangiku ¨C 95 % "Wow, Itsuki you got perfect marks" Rangiku was clearly excited for her friend as Itsuki replied "You guys did well too" Gin just carried on looking lost as they lined up. They waited for a bit before there turn finally came. Gin and Itsuki were assigned a room together and Rangiku was with another girl. Although they could meet in class, they weren''t able to meet in each other''s dormitories as males and females were separate and the opposite gender not being allowed in. They could still hang out, but it would be different as they had barely left each other''s company in the past month. After getting their I.D cards they were then sent to a room so the academy can collect their measurements for the uniform. Itsuki made a special request to see if he could get a mask joined to his undershirt, similar to Hatake Kakashi''s undershirt but in white. His hat wasn''t allowed. His request was accepted but he had to pay his last remaining Kan for the undershirt. He didn''t need the Kan as everything would be provided by the academy. Itsuki, however, didn''t like covering up his face as he thought it was a waste but had no choice because it would just attract too much attention. Once all this was completed, they were shown the directions to the dorms. Rangiku''s mood was noticeably down but Itsuki and Gin knew that she would return to her usual cheery self tomorrow. The male dormitories were towards the east side of the school just next to the Zanjutsu hall. They could hear people training their swords in the hall but refrained from going in as they were too tired. There were six floors in the dormitory with each floor representing a year. Itsuki and Gin found their rooms just as the sun was about to set and instantly went to sleep. - The next morning- Itsuki woke up to an unfamiliar roof, remembering that he was now at the academy, he got up only to notice Gin was already awake and putting his uniform on. This was when he got a good look at the room they were given. It was a simple room, two beds, a desk that had two chairs, two wardrobes and a small bookcase. Itsuki then noticed a small parcel at the end of his bed, taking a look he realised it contained two pieces of uniform and a piece of paper. Donning the uniform, Itsuki looked at the piece of paper and found his timetable for the day on it. Day 1 ¨C Introductory lessons 7-7:55 ¨C General Knowledge in Room ## 8-9:55 ¨C Application of Reiatsu in Hall ## 9:55-10:05 ¨C Break 10:05-11:25 ¨C Hakuda in Hakuda Training Hall ## 11:30-12:50 ¨C Hoho in Hoho Training Field ## 12:50-13:50 ¨C Lunch 13:55-14:15 ¨C Kido in Kido Training Field ## 14:20-16:00 ¨C Zanjutsu in the Zanjutsu Training Hall You weekly timetables will be given at the end of the day Itsuki looked at the clock and realised it was already 6:15. Technology in soul society was unusual. Although the lifestyle and culture of Soul Society can be comparable to feudal Japan, they possess technology of a level exceeding that time period. Things such as touch-screens and databases are in use for files and historical documentation storage, so it is normal for things like clocks to exist. Gin then called for Itsuki "Itsuki, let''s leave now and familiarise with the academy. We would be able to find the room by asking fellow students." After clearing his thoughts, Itsuki nodded in acknowledgement and followed Gin out of the dormitories. Only the first years could be seen as all the lessons of the other students had been called off for the day. This was because the academy wanted all the facilities available for the first years. Although they could visit certain areas to train, the main teaching areas were closed off. After having a brief tour of the academy, they then looked for the room they had their general knowledge class in. They had found out that the Zanjutsu training hall was located next to the male dormitories while the Kido hall was behind the academy. The library was located in the middle of the whole school, but they weren''t able to enter it yet. Due to the immensity of the school it was quite easy to get lost, however after receiving a few directions from the seniors they were able to reach the classroom. Only half an hour had passed before they arrived at the classroom. Although it was just 6:45, half the class was already filled. This was less of a classroom and more of a lecture hall. A blackboard was at the front along with a podium. Three columns of rows could be seen with two flight of stairs between them. They noticed Rangiku already here alongside her new roommate furiously waving at them. 12 The first day Part 1 Although they didn''t show it, Itsuki and Gin both sighed in relief seeing Rangiku back to her usual self. They both made their way to the seats Rangiku had saved them amidst the stares of others. There were 13 seats on each row with 4 in the side column and 5 in the middle. Rangiku was at the front row in the middle column. "Hey Itsuki, Gin meet my new roommate. Her name is Isazaka Yuroe" "Pleased t-to meet you, Minamoto-san, Ichimaru-sa¡­" She bit her tongue. Her voice was small and quiet, if Itsuki and Gin weren''t sitting near her then they probably wouldn''t have heard her. She was a petite young woman who wore the typical academy uniform. Her black hair was done up with a bun and her fringe went over her right eye blocking it from view. Her remaining brown eye kept darting about as if looking for a hole to hide in for the earlier slip up. Tears were threatening to come out of her eye as Rangiku tried to console her. "Nice to meet you, Isazaka-san" Gin replied with his usual expression and Itsuki nodded in return. Feeling no ill will from the two, she noticeably calm down but still looked as if she was trying to hide herself. The group of four continued to talk to each other as the class grew in size until the room was mostly full. No one sat on the seat next to Itsuki due to the aura he gave out. Many girls tried but gave up due to feeling the temperature drop and the dangerous look Rangiku gave them. Gin just acted like normal and paid no heed. Yuroe was quite surprised at Rangiku''s change as she felt Rangiku was someone easy-going and approachable. Finally it was 7:00 and the room quieted down. The same stout teacher appeared and came and stood in front of the podium. His voice resounded throughout the room "Welcome to Shin''o academy and congratulation for making it into Class 1. My name is Gengoro Onabara and I am the head teacher for the first year, class 1" A short paused followed, as he looked around, "You will all be trained to become great Shinigamis over here. We only have one commandment ''Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect...slice the enemy you must defeat from behind.'' ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­" A speech of the rules and regulations followed before he got to the task at hand. "Now. General Knowledge. This module will be go over the things a Shinigami must know. Although it won''t increases you battle capabilities, knowledge itself can be utilised as a weapon. You would also go over tactics, what to do in certain situations, what things can be done and what you must avoid in Seireitei." The class went on until time was up and he told us the directions for out next class. The next class was the application of Reiatsu. Reiatsu is the physical pressure that a person''s reiryoku (Spiritual energy) creates when it is released. So all this time, Itsuki wasn''t increasing his Reiatsu but his Reiryoku while his Reiatsu increased in result. The difference between spiritual pressure and spiritual energy is simple: Reiryoku is the amount of energy a being has stored within their body or soul, whereas Reiatsu is the pressure that a person''s Reiryoku exerts. In other words, Reiryoku is potential while Reiatsu is energy in use and can be sensed by other spiritually aware beings. In general, those with high levels of Reiryoku will often have the highest levels of Reiatsu also. A skilled warrior can overcome a person possessing greater Reiryoku by possessing greater Reiatsu. This is achieved by having greater control over their own spirit energy. Reiatsu has many colours and forms in which they are portrayed and each depends on the user. It can be used either defensively, psychologically or offensively. Defensively because someone with a greater amount of reiatsu can effectively harden their skin, adding an extra layer of protection. This results in someone with a lower reiatsu unable to cut through. Psychologically, there are four ways it can be used: fear, stun, paralysis and phantom pain. Fear - Reiatsu at its most basic level can instil fear in others when it is very high. Stun - A high level of reiatsu can cause those of a lower power to be stunned just be being in the presence of one Paralysis - When someone of a high reiatsu focuses on an opponent with low reiatsu they can paralyse them by focusing their reiatsu onto them Phantom pain - Someone of a higher reiatsu can make an opponent feel as though they are being attacked though nothing is happening to them Though there are no techniques to offensively use reiatsu, there are ways into using it. Sometimes, just releasing reiatsu in all its glory can cause damage to the environment. So, overall, a Shinigami''s fight heavily depends on the amount of reiatsu a being possesses. Next came break. The group of four decided to get to know each other better. Yuroe was from Seireitei and was the daughter of a pair of Shinigami who worked for the Gotei 13. They were just low ranked Shinigami who didn''t even know the names of their zanpakuto. Due to her personality she had no friends and Rangiku was her first. Once break was over they went to the Hakudo training hall. The teacher was already there. Hakudo was basically hand to hand combat. The Onmitsukido (Special Forces) are the best trained in this. Being one of the four basic fighting styles of the Shinigami, it is divided into five stages: Untrained, Practitioner, Combatant, Expert Hakudo Combatant and Master Hakudo Combatant. Untrained - The user hasn''t learnt it or has just started it. Practitioner - Casual users of this art that can take on average armed opponents. Those of this level are among the seated and unseated officers of the Gotei 13. Combatant - Average users of this art can take on average armed opponents and put up a decent effort against those many times their size. Those of this level are among the seated and unseated officers of the Gotei 13. Expert Hakudo Combatant - Experts of this art can take on average armed opponents and those many times their size easily. Those of this level are among the seated officers of the Gotei 13. Master Hakudo Combatant - Masters of this art can take on heavy armed opponents and those many times their size easily, and, as mentioned before, the Onmitsukido are the best-trained Shinigami in Hakudo. The 2nd Division captain and their 3rd seat, or head of the Detention Unit, are most often the premier masters. After that it was the introduction to Hoho. The group of four went to the Hoho training field and immediately saw various courses with some students working hard to complete them in the fastest time possible. Hoho is a defensive style of fighting which relates to footwork, it is one of the four basic combat skills of the Shinigami. Hoho is an important skill for most Shinigami, which incorporates speed and agility. The skill level of Hoho can be enhanced and improved through concentration, training, and mastery of it. The foremost practitioners of this technique are those assigned to the Onmitsukido. Shunpo (Flash Steps) is the greatest expression of the Hoho technique; however there are variations even within Shunpo, which only master Hoho practitioners can use. Shunpo is a movement technique which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point which determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main factor of the technique, the method is best characterised by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps. Shunpo can be categorised into four stages: Untrained - Those in this category, possess no skill for Hoho and instead, rely on walking to get where they need to be, or have trained extensively to enhance their natural speed to a level allowing them to move considerably fast, though decidedly under that of Shunpo. Shunpo practitioners ¨C Practitioners of the technique can maintain fast movements for a short period of time, by seemingly taking only a few steps to bridge what would normally be a large distances. Those who are practitioners commonly use their knowledge of Hoho while engaging in combat. Shunpo Experts ¨C Experts of the technique are considerably fast, and can maintain high speed movements for extended periods of time. While not as fast as a master, they can keep up quite effectively. Some holding the title are faster than others, but, nonetheless, their application of the technique is highly advanced. Shunpo Masters ¨C Shunpo masters are capable of maintaining high speed movements for extended periods of time while using the least amount of steps to achieve those movements. Once the introduction was complete, the teacher then went on to complete a few exercises showing the recruits a few Hoho examples 13 The first day Part 2 By the time the examples were finished, a few grumbles of the stomach was heard throughout the field with one extremely loud one next to Itsuki. Itsuki and the others hadn''t ate anything since yesterday. As the teacher heard this she dismissed the class and got one of their seniors to take the recruits to the cafeteria. Amidst, the excited look of the fellow recruits and a flushed Isazaka, Itsuki started contemplating in what stage he was with Hakudo and Hoho. Although there were some hand to hand combat techniques in the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu manual, it was ultimately a sword style, even though he did train in them. In the end, he probably was in the untrained category. Itsuki felt quite confident in Hoho though. This was because Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was a sword style that focuses on a combination of immense speed and agility, achieving ''Ichi no tachi'' or striking in a single blow. Due to this, he believed he would have some ease in learning Hoho and then Shunpo, though, he still thinks he would be categorised in untrained. He had only been training his body and some basic movements for a month, and, although he has reiatsu, he would still need some time to reach the threshold for Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu''s tremendous physical demands. After filling their stomachs they were then led to the Kido training field. Once they arrived, a massive open field was what greeted their view. Training dummies could be seen in the distance, some brand new while the others had faint marks on them. This time the teacher wasn''t there so they had to wait quite a bit. Sometime later the teacher arrived and started its explanation. Kido (Demon Arts) is a form of Shinigami combat based on advanced spells. These spells are produced with strong Reiryoku and fall into two categories: Hado for direct attacks, and Bakudo for battle support. It is one of the four basic fighting styles of the Shinigami. Kido spells are triggered by an incantation. Experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the effectiveness of the spell may be diminished. Most spells are graded on a scale from 1 to 99, spells of the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. To use Kido, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak. There are three main types of Kido: binding spells, destruction spells, and healing spells. Bakudo (Binding Spell): Supplementary spells which can immobilize an enemy or have an effect besides a direct strike. - Barriers (Kekkai): Focused spiritual energy formed into a solid form of energy. This energy can take on many shapes or colours as determined by the user. Barriers are protective in nature, and can be as simple as a barrier only protecting one direction or encompassing all sides of an area. Barriers can be used for containment, and some barriers can be used offensively. Barriers can mask spiritual pressure and can make one spiritually and physically invisible. - Seals (F¨±): Somewhat similar to barriers, but far more powerful and require far more preparation to create. Seals can only be used by those of sufficient spiritual power, and are meant to hold the most powerful and/or dangerous artifacts or beings. Seals are usually hard to break. Hado (Path of Destruction): Offensive spells which inflict direct damage to the enemy. Their effectiveness differs depending on the user. It is said the effectiveness of the higher-ranked spells are beyond imagination. - Gisei Hado (Sacrifice Path of Destruction): A particular offensive spell like Itt¨­ Kas¨­ that requires the user to sacrifice a certain portion of themselves in order to use it. Kaido (Turn Way): Also known as chiryoyo kido (Healing Spiritual Arts). These spells do not have known names, numbers, or incantations to cast, and simply heal the target. When one heals with regular healing kido, they perform Reiatsu restoration first. By doing so, one can attempt to recover the physical body using the patient''s restored Reiatsu and the healer''s external Reiatsu. Therefore, restoring the Reiatsu when the physical body is in a fully healed state is no trouble at all. This teacher also started showing various examples of kido and honestly Itsuki felt quite overwhelmed from all of the knowledge he received from the introduction of kido. From all the four basic combat techniques of a Shinigami, kido was the one he didn''t know how good he was. After this it was Zanjutsu, what everyone was waiting for. Arriving at the hall they entered to what seemed like a dojo. The floor was laminated while pieces of equipment were neatly places to the side. Two teachers were standing waiting for them with one being Onabara Gengoro and an unfamiliar man. Once everyone had settled down, the unfamiliar man started introducing zanjutsu. Zanjutsu (Art of sword) was just kendo but for zanpakuto''s and is one of the four basic fighting styles of the Shinigami. It is shameful for a Shinigami to not master at least this technique. Its primarily This can also be categorised into four stages: Beginner ¨C someone that has just started learning the sword Swordsmen ¨C someone that specializes in the use of Zanpakuto during combat. Someone of this level has to have basic skills in swordsmanship as well. All seated officers of the Gotei 13 have to possess, at the very least, this level of skill. Expert swordsman ¨C someone who is highly skilled in using their Zanpakuto while sealed or in its Shikai. Most lieutenants are experts, since they must know Shikai and have mastered it to a degree, in order to be promoted. This applies to some higher seated officers as well and, in some cases, to captains who, though possibly having attained their Bankai, do not commonly engage in swordsmanship as their desired form of combat. Master swordsman ¨C Master swordsmen vary greatly by power and technique. The criteria for a master is simple; one must have masterful skill in swordsmanship above all else. Most Shinigami captains are masters, since, as the heads of their divisions, they are the true military power of Soul Society. As use of the Zanpakuto is the Shinigami''s primary form of combat, it is preferable to have mastered the skill in order to achieve the rank of captain, though mastery is not excluded to them or even to Shinigami. Once all the introductions were done, a few servants started to bring in a few boxes. Gengoro went on to open them and they were filled to the brim with standard katanas. They had a simple black handle and a black circular sheath with the blade being 70 cm long and 3.2 cm wide. Gengoro picked one up and started to explain. "This is an Asauchi, a zanpakuto without a name. This will now be given to you and hopefully you will awaken it. Meditate with it by placing the sword on your lap, try to connect with your spirit and learn the name of your zanpakuto. Grab the sword on the way out, your timetables would be sent to you later today" After saying his piece he dismissed the class and an Asauchi was handed to Itsuki as he left. As they were leaving Rangiku turned around, "Itsuki, Gin. Watcha going to do now?" "Probably try and meditate with the sword" Gin replied as he looked towards Itsuki "Training" A short word left Itsuki''s mouth before he turned around and left for the training grounds. Rangiku looked visibly downcast as she looked at Itsuki''s back. Yuroe, seeing this tried to cheer her up "Rangiku-san, want to go do some shopping, I need to buy some things for our room" Hearing the word shopping, Rangiku''s mood did a 180 and a smile formed on her face. "Let''s go!" An excited voice left her mouth and she dragged Yuroe towards the market. Gin just sighed seeing Rangiku and prayed for her success in moving that ice block. 14 Days at the academy 1 Itsuki could be seen entering an empty field. He kept his sword strapped to his side as he felt that it would be best to get accustomed to it. He then put on a few weights he grabbed on the way here as he started his training regime. Immediately, Itsuki could feel the difference from having no weights at all to having around 10 kg strapped to each arm. He could also feel his reiatsu being used up in an even faster speed than before. When he started to train in the basics of the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu, he could feel the difference as his stances were less perfected than before. Although he couldn''t train in the core techniques of the sword style, he could still practice the basic techniques which helped increase his physical capabilities. Also, practicing with a sword was different than practicing with sticks. The weight felt different than usual and Itsuki had to keep changing his stance just so he could find one that he is comfortable with. Once he had completed his training regime he sat down and placed his sword on his lap. He tried to connect to his inner world but, ultimately, failed to do so. Coming out of his session, he started to feel a faint connection with him and the sword as the sword started to show signs of changes. He saw that a mixture of white and a deep black appeared on his sword handle. Feeling he made some improvements he made his way back to the dormitory in a joyful mood. Entering into his room he noticed that Gin had already went to bed and had placed his zanpakuto on the side. The blade seemed shorter than usual with hints of white and silver appearing on the handle. On the desk there was a sheet of paper that depicted Itsuki''s timetable. Looking at Gin''s timetable it seemed that they will have all their classes together. After looking thorough the timetable, Itsuki got out of his school uniform, put on his pyjamas, laid down and started his daily meditation while hugging his sword. It wasn''t until midnight he fell asleep. - The next morning - Itsuki woke up to the sun shining in his eyes and saw that Gin had just woken up himself. After getting up and washing himself Itsuki put on his uniform, placed his zanpakuto on his waist and left for the cafeteria for breakfast. First class was Hoho and it was in the same training hall with the same teacher from yesterday. He started showing simple movements of Hoho and allowed the class to copy his movements while correcting them on their mistakes. The class only had around 25 people and, unfortunately, Rangiku and Yuroe weren''t with them. Itsuki found the training easy and completed the movements first time with no mistakes earning him the praise of the teacher. He was then led to the side and an assistant teacher came with a practice sword in hand and Itsuki was given one goal, dodge the incoming strikes without retaliating. Then started a session of beating, at first he was hit left and right, but he started to show signs of improvement immediately. Itsuki had started to dodge randomly, then systematically in the fastest and most efficient way possible. When Gin joined them he saw Itsuki dodging in ways that were never seen before. The assistant teacher, seeing Itsuki still dodge no matter how much faster he swung his sword, he notified the main teacher, who then left the group that were still learning the first basic movements. He came up to Itsuki and started to show him ways to increase his speed and run faster while using less energy. He showed him ways to breathe to reduce energy consumption and then left Itsuki to his own devices. Seeing Itsuki ahead of them, Gin clenched his fists and vowed to become stronger. Hearing the teacher call him he got up to a round of thrashing. In the end, only Itsuki and Gin completed the first task of knowing the basic Hoho movements. What followed was lunch, Itsuki and Gin made their way to the cafeteria and saw Rangiku already there alongside Yuroe. The group of four reunited, they proceeded to get their meals and sit in the corner. Many girls were eyeing Itsuki as he took down his mask to eat, only to hear a massive noise to the side instantly attracting their attention. Everyone turned only to see a boy had fallen down and his food was all over the place, the noise was of his plate impacting the ground. While some people moved to help him and some servants started to clean up, the ones eyeing suddenly remembered Itsuki only to see him with his mask back on and an empty dish in front of him. ''Fast'' Was all that went through the girl''s heads. Declaring to themselves that they would see his face sooner or later they went back to eating their foods. After a tiring and long rant from Rangiku with the academy being too hard, Itsuki and Gin made their way towards their next class, Zanjutsu and Hakuda. They were the first to arrive and it was Onabara Gengoro teaching them. Noticing the changed swords with the two, he gave the two an approving look and went back to waiting for the class to arrive. Once everyone had arrived he noticed that nearly all of the zanpakutos had a slight change to them. This showed that the students at least had some faint connection with them. Gengoro started to demonstrate the various forms of hand to hand combat from things like simple punches, jabs and kicks to things that seemed a little more complicated. He then said that everyone would have their own way of fighting before he told everyone to place their zanpakutos to the side and start to practice the basics. Although Gengoro pointed out a few mistakes of Itsuki, he realised that Itsuki wouldn''t make the same mistake twice and was ahead of his peers. Afterwards, Gengoro then told them to pick up a practice sword. Once he demonstrated the basic sword moves, he moved on to assessing how the class did it. His attention was immediately drawn to Itsuki once again as he completed the sets flawlessly. His posture was correct and the force he put into his swing was correct. "Itsuki, stay behind" Once class had ended Gengoro called for Itsuki, "Yes, sensei" Gengoro didn''t reply and just handed him a practice sword as he got into the chudan stance with his practice sword in front of him. Itsuki immediately understood his intentions and went in front of him and also got into a similar stance. It was silent as the two opponents eyed each other. The silence was suddenly broken as Gengoro shouted "Attack!" As soon as the signal was given Itsuki rushed forward. 15 Days at the academy 2 Gengoro stayed in the same spot as Itsuki ran towards him. A clear sound of impact occurred when the swords clashed and before Itsuki could make a second move Gengoro attacked and hit him on the chest. "Too many openings. Once more" Itsuki got up, went into the chudan stance and once again rushed at Gengoro. After the hit, Gengoro tried the same attack but it was blocked by Itsuki. Pushing his memory partition and thought acceleration to the limit, Itsuki was able to hang for a few minutes before being taken down. Seeing Itsuki improving at a visible pace only one thought was in Gengoro''s head ''Extremely talented in the sword'' This continued on for an hour before Gengoro dismissed him. Itsuki didn''t immediately go to the dormitory but instead headed to the training grounds even though he was still tired. After a round of training he immediately went to his room and, without greeting Gin or even having dinner, he immediately fell asleep. - The next morning - Waking up to the sound of his stomach growling, Itsuki got up, washed and went to the cafeteria. As the sun was yet to rise, there was no one in the cafeteria so Itsuki was finally able to eat in peace. Some moments later, Gin finally joined him. "You couldn''t have gotten ready any quieter" asked Gin in an irritated voice as he sat down next to him Not expecting a reply he continued "Rangiku and Isazaka-san are in the same Kido class so we''ll wait for them" Itsuki had just eaten when people started pouring into the canteen. They were later joined by Rangiku and Yuroe before they left for Kido classes. The training field was larger than the one they went to before. It was a long stretch of grass where cardboard target practices were placed at the other end. The teacher and her assistant were already there waiting. Once all the students had arrived, she started her lesson. First she demonstrated on the assistant teacher by pointing at him "Bakudo #1. Sai" She swung her pointing arm to the side as the chant was called out causing the assistant teacher to have both his hands restrained behind him. Everyone looked on in awe as they saw the kido being performed. She then explained the principle behind it and repeated the incantation, then, just like the others, asked the students to start practicing while correcting their mistakes. Fortunately for Itsuki, his time spent meditating and emptying his reiatsu has helped increase his control of it. Along with his mental abilities, it wasn''t hard for him to quickly learn the kido, even taking it a step further and using it without a chant. Astonishing another teacher, he was told to visit the library to learn more kidos. The class ended and its was lunch After having a satisfying lunch, it was time for general knowledge. Nothing happened in that class apart from the teacher talking about Soul society. He explained that the government of Soul society consisted of the Soul King, Nobility and the Judiciary, also known as the central 46. There are four armed forces in soul society: Gotei 13 ¨C This is the largest organisation most Shinigami join and is their main military branch. Royal guards ¨C These are the personal guards of the Soul king and consists of former captains of the Gotei 13 Kido corps ¨C A group of people who specialise in kido and preside over the spiritual law. The operate in absolute secrecy Onmitsukido ¨C This is the second largest organisation that a Shinigami can join and are in charge of from things like assassinations, intelligence gathering, transmitting messages to things like imprisoning and supervising criminals. The lecture carried on as Itsuki got a better understanding of Soul society. Once the lecture was over Itsuki said bye to his friends and went over to start his training regime. - Four months later - Itsuki could be seen taking his weights off as a gleeful smile was plastered on his face. His top was slowly removed, showing off his perfect muscles clearly indicating the explosive power hidden inside them. Over these four months Itsuki had made great improvements overall. He was able to learn 30 bakudo and hido kidos, and had perfected hoho, moving onto learning Shunpo. With Hakuda he was on top of the class as he prioritised speed above all else, however, he showed most improvements in his swordsmanship. He was well above his peers and with the occasional spar with Gengoro he showed astonishing results. Surprisingly, even though he showed drastic improvements in the attainments of the sword, he had hit a bottleneck with his zanpakuto. It was still the similar black and white handle with the colours being more prominent. Whenever he tried connecting to his inner world it seemed to always be covered by a fog, it was like he was missing something. Realising that he wont get an answer soon, he fully concentrated on his swordsmanship as he barely attained the swordsmen level. He also trained his mystic eyes of death perception by slashing at them without concentrating on them and his mental capabilities rose as well. He can accelerate his thoughts to a faster degree but there has been no changes to his memory partition. The reason for todays happiness was one thing, he had finally attained the physical requirements to practice the proper Hiten mitsurugi-ryu not just the basics. With the help of reiatsu and regular weight training, Itsuki was finally able to bring up his physical capabilities to the required level. Also known as the Flying Heavenly Sword Style, Hiten mitsurugi-ryu id an ancient kenjutsu from the warring states period. It was developed to allow a single samurai to defeat numerous foes single-handedly using a combination of immense speed and agility, battojutsu, and acquired, observation-based pseudo-clairvoyance that permits a practitioner to anticipate an opponent''s movements. Both offensive and defensive manoeuvres are executed with minimal movement to increase a practitioner''s ability to counter-attack and to conserve energy. The style commonly has the user keep one hand on the sheath at all times and stresses two-step attacks to ensure that the practitioner is never off guard while executing said attacks and allows the user to use the sheath as a shield to block attacks. Arguably, its most well-known trait is the surreal speed practitioners of this style use in battle (known as Shinsoku, or Godspeed), allowing the user to accelerate, manoeuvre, and strike at speeds most eyes are unable to properly follow. This allows the user to close considerable distance in seconds and strike down enemies before they can react. A user can only bring out the techniques true potential if he has the body fit for it, in which Itsuki has just achieved the minimal needed. Itsuki finished todays training with practicing two step battojutsu while continuously sheathing and unsheathing his sword trying to get the proper rhythm. Finally achieving on of his goals he decided to take the day off tomorrow. 16 Rangikus pligh When Itsuki was returning home he noticed a commotion happening at the back of the Zanjutsu Hall. Walking towards the source of the noise he saw Rangiku being confronted by a group of boys as he used Shunpo to get onto a nearby tree. ''Who are they?'' His thoughts were soon answered as he saw a group of boys make a move and try to capture Rangiku. Rewinding the clock a little. Rangiku had just finished classes and was just heading home when she noticed a letter among her belongings. It seemed to be just a normal letter until she opened it. ''Another love letter'' Giving out a mental sigh she just kept it and started making her way towards the Zanjutsu Hall. Rangiku was really beautiful and this became more prominent due to the constant training she had to do in the academy. This naturally attracted the opposite gender as she received a lot of confessions and love letters. She was a kind person at heart so she just rejected them politely. This was supposed to be the same when she arrived at the back of the Zanjutsu hall and saw a group of boys already there. "Hey, Rangiku you came" Their leader seemed to be the one that called Rangiku. He looked around 17 had short trimmed hair and overall, an average face. He wore the typical academy uniform and had his zanpakuto strapped to his back. The others, which seemed to be his lackeys, were typical thugs with big lips, big nose and generally looked like delinquents. "So what is your answer?" Rangiku looked at the three delinquents then at the boy in front and disgust went through her eyes. This person had been different, although she had rejected him before but he never gave up. It would have been nice but she hated the way he looked at her. Rangiku knew he wanted her as some sort of trophy to show off to other people and he never really liked her. If she was useless then he would just use her and throw her away like trach. Besides, she already had someone in her heart. "Sasaki-senpai, don''t call me with such familiarity and my answer was and will always be, no" She said with determination Anger slowly surfaced on Sasaki-senpai''s face while a possessive glint flashed through his eyes. This didn''t go unnoticed by Rangiku as a bad feeling slowly crept into her heart. Just as she was about to leave a voice rung out behind her, "Get her" This genuinely shocked Rangiku as she never expected the opposite party would do this. She quickly turned around shouting, "What are you doing?!" "I''ve been pursuing you for the past two months, yet you have continuously ignored me. Time and time again you''ve ignored my advances, but no more" A maniacal grin surfaced on his face as he spouted his ''grievances''. "Don''t worry about the academy finding out. This place has been cleared out and I doubt you would say anything once we''ve finished with you" A look of despair flashed through her eyes which was then replaced by determination ''Itsuki wouldn''t want to see me like this'' Looking at the lackeys charging at her, she put both of her hand forward "Restrain my enemy, Bakudo #1 Sai" Two of the lackeys found their hands behind their back, while the third one was able to evade by hiding behind the other two. Rangiku was quickly overwhelmed as the restrained ones threw themselves at her. Although she was able to dodge them, the final one lunged at her mid-dodge, fully intent on capturing her. Hopelessness filled her body as a streak of tear threatened to fall out. ''I''m sorry, Itsuki'' She closed her eyes waiting for her impending doom, but all she heard was an impact, a grunt and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Slowly opening her eyes she saw an all too familiar back, white hair adorned into a high ponytail and a back that gave her a sense of security. Happiness flashed through her eyes as a meek voice came out but got no response "Itsuki" Itsuki was really angry as his eyes slowly activated and reiatsu increased. Luckily he was there otherwise who knows what would''ve happened. "He¡­." Sasaki-senpai tried saying a few things but he was immediately struck by fear as he started shivering uncontrollably. The world turned black and all he could see was two gigantic eyes staring down at him, judging whether to kill him or not as he slowly fell back. Itsuki just looked at the sorry mess in front of him before he reigned in his reiatsu and turned around deactivating his eyes. Just as he turned around he felt a pair of arms wrap around him as Rangiku buried her head in his chest. "Thank you" Itsuki could feel her voice and arms trembling as he hugged her back. Itsuki said nothing as a disgusting smell slowly wafted through the air. Turning around it seemed Sasaki-senpai had wet himself as he was stuck in a daze with a frightened expression. "Let''s leave" Itsuki finally talked as he led Rangiku away from the situation. Settling her down he asked "What happened?" Rangiku started explaining what happened amidst the occasional sobs as Itsuki''s eyes grew colder and colder. Sighing lightly, Itsuki got a good look at Rangiku and came to a conclusion. "Come train with me" Itsuki wanted Rangiku to be stronger so he decided to invite her to train with him. In the anime she wasn''t able to achieve Bankai and now Itsuki would like for her to achieve it. Rangiku was shocked by Itsuki''s declaration as he was always secretive with his training, choosing to just do it all alone. Apart from that, she was feeling quite blissful as she felt she just took a huge step in getting closer with Itsuki. After dropping Rangiku off he told her to meet the day after for training and went off home. 17 Day off Arriving home he found out that Gin wasn''t home and realised that he came home earlier than normal. Usually when he arrived back from training, it was already night and Gin was already off to sleep. Thinking that Gin was off training he decided to meditate on his mental abilities as he had made no active progress on it. Although his thought acceleration was slowly speeding up and was achieving a faster acceleration speed, there was absolutely no sign of another memory partition. Itsuki just decided to carry on meditating, slowly improving as there was no point in rushing things. A few hours later Gin came back only to see Itsuki meditating, although he was surprised, he decided to leave him alone and also started meditating on his sword. The night passed with both of them falling asleep after a session of meditating. - The next day - Itsuki woke up around noon, Gin never woke him up as it was their day off. He decided to spend his time leisurely and just relax. Dressing up he went for a walk only to be approached by a group of people wearing a black armband with the academy''s crest imprinted on top. Their leader spoke up "Are you Minamoto Itsuki-san?" Itsuki just gave a cold nod as he observed the group of people. The leader''s mouth twitched at the cold reception as he continued, "We would like you to please come with us to the disciplinary office, it''s about an incident yesterday concerning yourself and a couple others." Realising what he was talking about, Itsuki complied and started to follow them to the disciplinary office. Along the way they did attract some attention as people saw the genius of the first year surrounded by a group of disciplinary officers. The disciplinary officers still kept some distance to Itsuki though, remembering Sasaki-senpai''s state and Itsuki''s current frosty look caused some fear to appear on their expressions. As the disciplinary office came into view, their fear slowly resided and confidence started appearing, a feeling of safety wafting through them. Inside Rangiku was already here with Yuroe whose face was full of worry. Reassuring her with a small nod, Itsuki was taken to an interrogation room where he was asked about yesterday. Itsuki just told them that he overpowered Sasaki-senpai with his reiatsu and nothing else as he had some malicious intentions for Rangiku. After getting Itsuki''s account he was told to wait on the side as a judgement would be passed through. Waiting for around an hour, Itsuki was called in a room alongside Rangiku and the now deranged Sasaki-senpai. It was judged that Sasaki-senpai had untoward intentions to Rangiku and was proved guilty, he had surprisingly confessed it himself. It seemed he really feared Itsuki wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. Leaving the place, the three met up and the girls decided to accompany Itsuki on his walk. As the three were walking a Jigokucho (Hell''s butterfly) appeared and brought them a message. It was about practicing Soul Burial, otherwise known as konso, in the real world. It seemed that the practice would take place in two months. Yuroe and Rangiku shared a look before the former excused herself leaving Itsuki alone with Rangiku. Knowing she had to say something, they found a bench to sit and Itsuki waited for her to speak. With a red face and continuously fidgeting, Rangiku sat there twiddling he thumbs as she found it hard to speak. "Um¡­ Itsuki¡­uno¡­um¡­" She kept on glancing in Itsuki''s direction while unable to complete any of her sentences. Knowing what she wanted to say Itsuki took the lead. "Rangiku, I know what you want to say" This caused a sudden jolt in Rangiku as she felt her heart skip a beat. "You do?" "Yes, you want me to start your training today but you''re just embarrassed to ask" "eh?!" ''I haven''t fallen for a blockhead, have I?'' Rangiku looked dumbfounded as she looked at Itsuki who seemed really sure of himself. "We will properly start tomorrow as its getting quite late, I''ll drop you off to your dormitory" The walk back was quiet with Itsuki not being a talker and Rangiku looking despondent, with her arms flailing about and a hunched back. "We''re here, I''ll see you tomorrow, come to training ground ## after class" Rangiku just gave a grunt as a response as she started making her way towards her dorm "Rangiku" Hearing her name she turned around only to feel a soft sensation on her forehead, but before she could think Itsuki was back in his position, putting his mask back on to cover his blush and a smirk. The only change you could see were his ears which had turned red. "We will see what the future holds" After saying these words Itsuki seemingly disappeared as he shunpoed away. Rangiku could be seen gob smacked as her mouth was left wide open, enough to fit a whole egg inside. Remembering what happened, she straightened her back as her face flushed red and a smile crept on her face. She ran to her room and jumped on her bed squealing in delight. Yuroe already there, realised that it must''ve gone well and felt happy for a friend. But before she could ask her anything her friend shot up as if she realised something. ''He played me. He was capable of that. That son of a¡­'' As Rangiku was slowly pulled into her own thoughts a dark baleful aura surrounded her scaring her roommate. Itsuki was oblivious to this as he merrily made his way home. Gin was surprised at his sudden jolly mood and started questioning him but Itsuki just smiled in response. Irritated by his friend''s attitude Gin went off to meditate with the intent on later finding out. Itsuki did the same as he thought about what happened today. He didn''t want to go in a relationship this early on as he still felt he was too weak. He just wanted to get strong enough to protect his close ones, that''s when he will think about it. 18 Real world Two months easily went by since Itsuki''s episode with Rangiku. At first it was a bit awkward but was shrugged off by Itsuki''s determination to get stronger. Training with Rangiku consisted of the occasional spars and him directing her on her kido. With the sparring it helped develop her Hoho, Hakuda and Zanjutsu as her zanpakuto''s handle started to take on a dark red shade with her tsuba slowly morphing into the shape of a cat. Training in Kido helped develop her control of reiatsu and helped her have a stronger connection to her zanpakuto. - Zanjutsu Hall - In one of the training dojos two people can be seen crossing swords, well one of them was purely attacking while the other was defending. It was mainly Itsuki attacking as he wanted Rangiku to know how to properly defend herself, and, he was, by no means, gentle to the opposite sex. Whenever he saw an opening he would strike immediately but he still gave her a chance to block and then counter attack. This carried for a few more bouts until Itsuki moved back and stopped attacking once he noticed Rangiku about to collapse. "Do.. huff¡­you always¡­huff¡­have to¡­huff¡­hit so hard¡­huff" You could see that Rangiku was close to collapsing. Itsuki let her rest as he started packing up. "Get some rest, tomorrow is the trip to the real world" After helping Rangiku to her dorm. Itsuki made his way back confused by his circumstances. He has made no progress at all with his Zanpakuto. He had even asked Onabara Gengoro but he was also stumped into what the issue was. Although he had a faint idea to what it was, he wasn''t sure if it was right because it was really rare if that was the case. In the past two months, apart from his futile attempts to connect to his inner world, he mainly focused on Hiten mitsurugi-ryu and showed immense improvements in it. If you wanted to rank his swordsmanship, he could now be considered a fully fledged swordsman getting closer and closer to expert swordsman. As they were leaving they met up with Gin, his zanpakuto now looked like a wakizashi with a light blue handle and an ''S'' shaped tsuba. Gin had his own way of training and would sometimes join them in their spars. This would then result in a 2 v 1 situation against Itsuki. After saying their goodbyes, they went their separate ways to start preparing for the event. Itsuki had a feeling that he will have a breakthrough with his zanpakuto during this time''s journey to the real world. - The next day - The next morning, all the first years were gathered for their real world experience. They were told to meet up in the assembly hall and were then led to the senkaimon. The senkaimon was a giant white gateway in the middle of what seemed like a large courtyard on top of a large tower. Members of the kido corps were already there. They wore black garments, sandals and had a large white mask covering their face excluding their eyes. They stood outside the senkaimon, each on wither side of the gate. The kido corps were similar to the Onmitsukido, extremely secretive. The kido corps, however, are experts in the use of kido and not much is known about their activities. As the two kido corps member did their chants, the gateway started glowing as they prepared a passage to the real world. They were designated a place where only weak hollows appear and was the perfect practice ground for Konso. A senior student was in charge of around 20 students and Itsuki''s group was being led by Shiba Aiko, the same girl that appeared to collect them when they first entered academy. "Just walk into the gate, following my lead. Don''t leave the group until I say so. Remember, you will get lost, as only a Jigokucho can navigate you to and from soul society." After saying her piece, she started running towards the gate and through it. Unfortunately, the four friends were separated into different groups. Itsuki, being the loner he was, stayed alone and never talked to the people around him. Unlike before, people never tried to approach him, choosing to keep some distance with him. This was partly due to what happened coming to the academy and theincident with Sasaki-senpai. Both of these things had a further impact on increasing his mysteriousness. Among the shy glances of the girls and the fearful one from the boys, Itsuki jumped in straight after Aiko. After a bright flash of light, what came into view was a small town. It was around midday and Itsuki could see people going about their day. It seemed it was when Japan was still in its Meiji period, going from their previous isolated state to what we know today. Itsuki could see people in both Japanese traditional clothing, similar to what they wear in soul society, and the typical western suit consisting of a suit jacket, trousers and smart shoes. At this point in time there were many conflicting ideas to which path Japan could take and Itsuki could feel the slight tension in the air. However, the members of soul society didn''t care much as they just came to do their job. Once everyone was out, they made their way to a hospital near them. The first-years constantly looked around as if to absorb everything the world had to offer. Once arriving, they immediately came across a few souls wandering around. These were plus souls in which hollows liked to feed on. Apart from plus souls which can wander around anywhere, there are Jibakurei (earth-bound spirit), who are bound to a place and Tsukirei (possessive spirit) who are bound to a person. Each of these souls have a chain bound to there chest called the chains of fate. Shiba Aiko approached one and started to console it. It was a mother in her mid-forties and she seemed to regret leaving her children behind. Itsuki could see a chain connected to her chest. Consoling her, she proceeded to take out her zanpakuto and lightly touch the mother''s forehead with the handle of the sword. The woman then slowly disappeared as she was sent off to soul society. Amongst the marvelled gazes of the first-years Shiba Aiko did the same to a few other souls before the area was cleared out. It seemed that each group was designated one area each. After this we were then introduced to hollows. Hollows could be categorised in these ways Demi-Hollows: These are ones who are in the midst of transforming into a hollow after their chain of fate has partially corroded Low class hollow: A just transformed hollow Mid-High class hollow: The hollow has gotten stronger due to how many souls they''ve eaten. After that comes the menos, which are basically the evolution of a hollow when human souls are not enough to sustain them. So hollows then resolve to cannibalism where a massive inter-devouring follows which then creates a Gillian Gillian are huge creatures that are a few stories tall and have beast like intellect. They have their own abilities and are far stronger than normal hollows but are the weakest of menos. After that come the Adjuchas who are like Gillian''s but have a higher level of strength and hogh levels of intellect. Lastly, there are Vasto Lorde who are the third classification of menos and, by far, the strongest. They are extremely rare and they never really leave Hueco Mundo. 19 Demi-hollow training Once the explanation was over they then moved to an abandoned building. As they were walking Shiba Aiko started speaking, "Now, as members of class 1 you will now take part in a dummy hollow training programme. The other classes will return to Soul Society while you guys will stay here and take care of hollows. Don''t worry they aren''t too strong. I''d recommend you guys search in groups. We sixth years will see how you take care of them and grade you at the end. Scatter." She shunpoed away right when she finished. The members of class 1 were taken aback but quickly came to their senses and started forming groups. They were elites for a reason. Once everyone formed their group they realised that they were missing a person. "Where''s Itsuki-san" a random girl called out, "He''s probably gone off on his own, that stuck up" a male classmate called out of spite, "Maybe you can do the same, if you had his talents" the same girl defended. This shut them up as what she said was true. No matter what class it was, Itsuki always came first. They even found out that the head teacher of class 1 Gengoro Onabara himself sparred against him with swords. When they thought about this it dulled there spirits. Oblivious to his classmates talking, Itsuki was quite excited about this times training. He can finally put all he learnt in active battle, although they were only dummy hollows, not proper ones. Looking around he came across a building. It wasn''t an old building and looked fairly new, however, it was burned all over. He could see a spirit chained to the building, realising it was an earthbound spirit he came close to try and perform konso on it. Although he hadn''t awakened his zanpakuto, he was still able to perform it. Coming close, he finally could see the spirit. It was a middle aged man dressed in an expensive looking yukata. It was screaming around nonsense, "This business is mine!" "The girls at the red light district all mine!" However as soon as Itsuki came close, the chain connected to the spirit suddenly corroded instantly and cracks started to show on the man''s face. "Aaaaaggggghhhhh" A hollow like scream poured out of his mouth as his reiatsu just spiked up. A white mask slowly appeared on his face as his clothes fell off. His whole body grew as it turned blue as he lost all his human features. Wisp like eyes appeared as the hollow''s natural instinct to devour souls took over. All rationality gone, it lunged towards Itsuki as he was the nearest soul. Without panic, Itsuki quickly bought his hands up and started drawing symbols in the air while red energy appeared around him as he shouted "Bakudo #9 Geki" The hollow suddenly stopped in its track and fell down causing a crater to appear. Luckily, this was an abandoned place in town so there were no humans in the vicinity. As the dust cleared up, the Hollow could be seen engulfed in the same red energy with its whole body paralysed. Isuki slowly walked towards it and activated his eyes. He wanted to see how the lines of death looked on a hollow. He knew this wasn''t a dummy hollow but a genuine one due to the amount of reiatsu released from it. What Itsuki saw genuinely shocked him. He saw the standard lines of death on the hollow and knew that if he cut through them he would purify it. But he also saw one dot right in the middle of its forehead. Itsuki was immediately captivated by it. Staring at it Itsuki just got an urge to stab it however he restrained himself. He knew that if he stabbed that dot, it would wipe out the existence of that hollow. He didn''t want that. Last thing he needed was the whole of soul society to chase him for his ability to completely wipe out hollows. Hollows should be purified, not wiped out as it would disturb the balance of the realms, one of the reasons the Quincy were wiped out. Drawing his sword, Itsuki just slashed at the Hollow''s mask as he carried on his journey. Shiba Aiko could be seen looking at Itsuki''s back as her peer came to her. "What do you think Shiba-dono" "He is a talent, that''s for sure" Aiko turned to her peer "Tell me Horisada Segoro, why was a genuine hollow here" Horisada Segoro started sweating at the girl''s question as he also didn''t know. There were supposed to be only dummy hollows yet a real one slipped through the net. In the end, it was low fry like him that took the blame. Cursing in his mind he replied, "Ill look into it, Shiba-dono" Shiba Aiko gave a nod of consent before turning her back and looked towards Itsuki. Knowing he shouldn''t be here Horisada Segoro left, looking to somehow vent his pent up grievances. Returning to his guard post he realised it was too quiet. "Shuzuki. Hotoko. Hiroyashi-san. Where are you guys" As he continued searching he came across a horrifying sight. Limbs were strewn about while the heads of his fellow student could be seen lying around, immense shock and disbelieving expressions on their face. Gasping in shock, Segoro walked forward as tears started to pour out of his eyes. Looking around the room he realised that everyone stationed at this guard post was here. Reeling in his sadness, he quickly tried to sent out a distress signal but before he could, he lost all sensation on his right arm. Looking in that direction he noticed blood gushing out of his arm as a feeling of immense pain took over his mind. "Aaaaggggghhhhh!!!!!!" Segoro collapsed to his knees as he held his wound. Screaming in pain he heard crunching noises behind him causing him to look back. "Aaaggghhh!!!!" Another scream left his mouth, but this time not of pain but of pure fear. He could see a grotesque humanoid creature feasting on his now missing arm. This, however, was not the end of his suffering. Three claws suddenly pierced through his chest, avoiding his vitals and lifted him up as the creature slowly bit into him. Faint screams could be heard as they slowly died out. The sound of something being eaten could be heard outside the designated guard post. Shiba Aiko could still be seen looking towards Itsuki, not as a lovestruck girl, but with a hint of fear. Not knowing why, when Itsuki confronted that hollow she felt as if she was looking at a blade of death. A cold feeling appeared in her heart for a short moment before it left, leaving no trace. As she was occupied by her thoughts she failed to notice a few of her peers missing, and one masked reiatsu entering the chosen training area. 20 Shikai Itsuki carried on hunting hollows. Although he had a faint feeling of something not being right, he brushed off this feeling and got back what he was doing. Each time he fought he tried out many ideas which he couldn''t do at the academy as he slowly got used to a hollow''s fighting pattern. Each hollow was unique, but they all had a similar trait in fighting. They took advantage of their body, if they were small, they were fast or if they were big then they were tough. Although this was a vague concept it was quite close to the truth. However, there were still some hollows that had some sort of special ability. Like the one Itsuki was facing now. Acid could be seen dripping from his fingers as Itsuki confronted the Hollow. Dodging his attacks, Itsuki looked for ways to take it down in the most efficient manner. There was only one. Dodging an attack, Itsuki quickly drew his sword as he activated his eyes. Seeing the death lines, Itsuki slashed at the Hollow, only to completely end up missing the intended target. His sword instead slashed across his chest, not digging to deep. Although he had trained his eyes, it was either on idle targets or small projectiles, not on anything too big or on an active target. There were too many things to take into consideration when attacking a living target. Itsuki, however, did not lose composure as he continued looking for chances. Noticing the hollow about to retaliate he quickly backed up and waited for a chance to counter attack only to see the hollow backing up. A gruesome slash wound could be seen on the hollows chest as it prepared something big. Gurgling sound came from its throat while a bad feeling crept into Itsuki''s heart. Itsuki immediately dodged to the side as a massive acidic spit landed where he was previously standing. The acidic spit started to dissolve the ground at a considerable rate as the hollow turned towards Itsuki. Noticing the hollow charging at him, Itsuki quickly got into the Iaido stance. This time Itsuki concentrated on the hollow''s line of death rather than just glancing at it. Doing this proved to be quite effective as the Hollow suddenly stopped with fear flashing through its eyes "Hiten mitsurugi-ryu, Soryusen (Twin Dragon Flash)" Itsuki quickly drew his sword and slashed through its line of death, his scabbard followed after, landing squarely on its chest pushing its back. The hollow gave one last scream before collapsing and disappearing into a myriad of particles. It wasn''t a hard fight, it was just getting accustomed to fighting Hollows and learning how to use Hiten mitsurugi-ryu with non-human creatures The sword style, in the end was made to battle other humans not hollows. Itsuki needed the sword style to suit him more so he was still adjusting it, so it was comfortable to use. ''Still, how did a mid-class hollow get into the designated training area'' This was the second genuine hollow Itsuki had encountered and something wasn''t right. Shiba Aiko, who was watching Itsuki, also felt quite suspicious. Trying to sense her peer''s reiatsu, she came to a shocking discovery. Using Shunpo, she quickly made her way to the nearest guard post. Searching around she found nothing, apart from blood on the walls and pieces of the school uniform here and there. Looking through a few guard posts, she found the same thing. While she was searching, an extremely loud hollow scream was heard accompanied with the scream of the first years. Quickly making her way towards the scream, she came across a group of first years running away while some of her peers confronted a gigantic hollow while more were showing up. Bodies could be seen blanketing the ground as more piled up. Itsuki arrived some time later and saw Gin confronting a mid-class hollow while Rangiku and Yuroe tag teaming another one. It seemed as if the former could handle it while the latter were starting to lose ground. Itsuki immediately fired off a kido to support them, "Bakudo #4. Hainawa" A golden rope created by reiatsu was discharged from Itsuki''s hand as it tied around the hollow''s limbs. Rangiku took this chance to stab the mask of the hollow, effectively purifying it. While this was happening, more and more hollows were surrounding the area. Shiba Aiko noticed this and immediately tried to send a distress signal to Soul Society however, for some reason, never worked. Noticing that they were trapped, Shiba Aiko, quickly ordered the retreat of the first years while her peers stayed behind. Sadly, there were only around 5 of them that survived the sneak attack and were currently holding off a few hollows. The situation was dire. Itsuki joined the front lines and easily took care of a few mid-grade hollows. This time he went in just for the kill and with his speed, he racked up quite a few kills. He restrained from using kido as it would use up too much reiatsu in the long run. He continuously killed hollows as they flocked towards him like moths to a flame. Slowly his mastery of Hiten mitsurugi-ryu progressed to higher levels. This was, in a way, the sword style''s home, where it was meant to be and the situation where it should be used. One against many enemies. Itsuki never stopped killing as he started to take only one strike to kill one mid-class hollow. A smile slowly started to appear on his face at this one-sided slaughter. His blood started boiling as he got more and more excited with the feeling of battle. This went on for quite a while until there were only him, Gin, Shiba Aiko and another sixth year left standing. All the other first years had retreated while the group was confronting the attacking hollows. The group of four could be seen surrounded on all four sides as they panted for breath. "Still no response from soul society?" Questioned the sixth year, "No" responded Shiba Aiko as she surveyed the surroundings. "Wha¡­" The sixth year was suddenly cut off as his head flew through the air. The other three quickly backed off as Itsuki turned his mystic eyes on. From the reactions of the three, it could be seen that they didn''t sense the attacking party in any way. Looking around, Itsuki could see a group of lines of death getting closer to them as light distorted behind them. Realising it is a hollow, Itsuki immediately thrust his sword into that direction hoping to hit the hollow. Feeling his sword entering something, the space in front of Itsuki distorted and a hollow appeared before disappearing. Seeing this as some sort of signal, the other hollow rushed at them before another round of chaotic fighting ensued. Shiba Aiko then slipped up as an opening appeared, which the confronting hollow noticed. Taking advantage of this the hollow punched her causing her to fly towards another group of hollows. Before the group could attack a voice was heard. "Shoot to kill, Shinso" A flash of white was seen, as the hollows were cut in half. Itsuki took this chance to quickly catch Shiba Aiko and bring her to the shelter where the first years were. Noticing Itsuki enter, the first years regained some hope which quickly diminished once they saw Shiba Aiko''s injured form. Itsuki quickly put her down and turned around to leave once more when he felt someone tug his sleeve It was Rangiku and Itsuki could see the worry evident in her eyes. Itsuki just gave her a small smile before he gave a reassuring nod. Turning back around he left a shocked group of students. "So that''s what he looks like" "Ye..." A sudden grunt was heard as their attention was once again on the newly injured. They quickly moved her to where the injured were before someone came and started to treat her. Returning to the place, Gin could be seen struggling against a few hollows. Once Itsuki joined in, it laid off a load on Gin before they wiped out the remaining hollows. Taking a breather Itsuki started speaking, "Awakened your Shikai, huh?" "Just did. Seems like I one upped you in this aspect" They started laughing as they slowly regained stamina. While resting, Itsuki suddenly stopped what he was doing and started to look in a direction. A single hollow could be seen there. It looked completely normal, but alarm bells were ringing inside Itsuki''s head. Seeing the serious look on Itsuki''s face, Gin also got up and pointed his sword at the other party. This stalemate lasted for some time before Gin made the first move, "Shinso" Once again, a flash of white appeared as his blade expanded to the intended target. Seeing this Itsuki made his way to the hollow appearing right behind it. Just as he was about to swing his sword three sharp claws came flying out impaling Itsuki thorough his torso. "Itsuki!!!!" A worried shout came from Gin, trying to once again attack the hollow. A smile could be seen on the hollows mask as it suddenly appeared behind Gin and backhanded him. Gin continued to struggle with the hollow while the other party continued playing with his prey. Back to Itsuki, he could be seen lying there with three gruesome holes in his torso. His right hand was still holding a zanpakuto as he refused to let go. Perhaps due to fate, another asauchi could be seen next to him peacefully lying there, having clearly lost its previous author. For some reason, Itsuki got the sudden urge to grasp the sword. Struggling to move his hand, Itsuki was able to grasp the sword albeit with difficulty. Holding the sword, Itsuki felt complete. As if his soul was now one. All traces of fog had vanished in his inner spirit world as he finally entered it. Itsuki was there standing, on the top of a mountain while wearing a tattered school uniform and traces of blood here and there. Feeling two pairs of eye baring into him, he turned around and was immediately shocked. Two monstrosities were behind him. One was hidden in a cluster of thunder clouds, and with the faint scales that appeared, Itsuki could tell it was a dragon. The other was a massive white tiger majestically looking down at him as it sported the symbol of wind on its forehead. They slowly moved forward as they came in front of him, both having an apathetic look masking their expressions. Something they must''ve got from Itsuki. Three apathetic faces confronted each other while faint voices were heard in Itsuki''s ears. A smile appeared as he started disappearing. Opening his eyes, Itsuki slowly got up as he stared into Gin''s direction. It seemed only an instant had passed when he was inside his spirit world. Itsuki''s reiatsu just spiked up as he instantly attracted the attention of Gin and the Hollow. There was only one reason in why he hadn''t made progress on his zanpakuto. It was one simple reason, how could one asauchi hold two zanpakuto spirits. Itsuki stood sideways while holding one sword in a backhand grip behind him and holding one properly in front of him. His reiatsu continuously grew stronger until it broke through to the lower great amount of reiatsu. While this was happening, a faint voice left his mouth "Reign from above¡­" "Shred to pieces¡­" 21 Figh "Reign from above, Ryurai" "Shred to pieces, Byakko" Blue and grey reiatsu covered Itsuki as the sword''s Shikai was released. The wind died down and all you could hear was the crackling of lightning. Gin was just there on the ground smiling at his friend''s success as he slowly lost conscious with relief. Continuously fighting a hoard of hollows and meeting with this anomaly took quite a toll both physically and mentally. The hollow could no longer be bothered with Gin as it stared directly at Itsuki. What shocked Itsuki was that the hollow started to take out a sword as its reiatsu also spiked up. The burst of reiatsu slowly died down around with Itsuki''s form finally coming into view. He was still wearing the same tattered and destroyed clothes, but a pair of blue and grey gauntlets appeared covering the back of his hand and reaching to his elbows. The sword behind him, now known as Byakko, was still a katana but had lost its blade and the only things that was left was a grey tsuba that had tiger''s roaring head as its handguard. The tiger looked really lifelike with the occasional gleam crossing its eyes. Where the blade was, you could see faint grey lines flashing here and there. Itsuki knew that the blade was still there but it was now made out of wind. Keeping the sword behind him in a backhand grip, he now inspected the sword in front of him. Ryurai looked normal but had lighting constantly streaking across its blade. Its handguard was a blue coiling dragon while its tsuba was also blue. Itsuki activated his eyes as the two opponents continued there stare down. The sun was slowly setting behind them and once it retreated fully, they both moved. Pushing his mental abilities to the limit, he realised that they had upgraded a fold. He had now got his fifth partition and could accelerate his thoughts three-fold. Only taking a second to think of the possibilities, Itsuki immediately crouched slightly as he put his left foot behind him bringing Ryurai level to his head. Bending his arm, he bought the sword close to his face with the tip of the sword pointing at the hollow and immediately charged up reiatsu. He did a one handed ''Te ura gasumi no kamae'' sword stance. Unleashing it, Itsuki extended his arm and felt a surge of reiatsu before immediately turning into lightning and being propelled forward. The hollow also moved at this moment and they both disappeared, appearing behind each other. The hollow''s sword was cut in half before it slowly started disintegrating. Itsuki had cut through the sword''s line of death. Before it could full disintegrate, the hollow turned around and unleashed a blade of reishi towards Itsuki. Bringing Byakko up Itsuki defended against the strike by placing the sword in the path of reishi. Upon contact, the blade of reishi immediately disappeared leaving no trace of it ever being unleashed. These were the sword abilities that Itsuki could currently use. Ryurai could use lightning to pierce an enemy at lightning fast speeds reaching up to 1 km, depending on how much reiatsu is used. Byakko''s wind was unique as it had the ability to nullify reiatsu/reishi while also being able to create wind blades. Ryurai was a pure attacking elemental zanpakuto, having barely any defensive properties apart from it physically being there so he can defend physical attacks. Byakko was purely defensive in nature but only to attacks made of reiatsu and reishi while having little attacking capabilities. As the blade was made of wind, there was little to no physical defence. Both however increased his speed to unnatural lengths as he got the lightning property of instantly moving and the versatility of wind. After nullifying the reishi blade, Itsuki once again got into a stance as he looked at the now point of deaths on the Hollow. Awakening his Shikai and an upgrade to his mental capabilities wasn''t the only benefit he got, somehow his eyes had evolved, and he was now able to see points of death. He doesn''t know if this is forever or just in his Shikai form, but it seems like seeing death in front of him has evolved his eyes. Itsuki saw the points of death and knew the perfect technique. He wanted to try it out on the hollow and see if he could get at least one point. Bringing his sword in front of him, Itsuki unleashed his move, "Hiten mitsurugi-ryu, Kuzuryusen" The hollow launched itself onto Itsuki but only came across the illusion of nine separate blades attacking nine different places on his body. Knowing that he couldn''t let even one hit, it tried dodging but immediately failed and was stabbed through. Thinking of counterattacking was the last thing the hollow thought off before collapsing. It never disappeared like the other hollows but stayed there. Knowing that at least one point of death was stabbed through, Itsuki was sure of the hollow''s death. Sighing in relief Itsuki looked around, seeing the destruction caused by the fight with the hoard of hollows another sigh escaped his mouth. Suddenly there was a flash of light above him and a pair of shoji doors appeared, similar to the ones used for waiting rooms. Realising that soul society must''ve acted, he fell unconscious once he realised that it was safe. - A few day later - Opening his eyes, a white ceiling entered his view while a certain heaviness was felt on his left arm. Moving his right arm to rub his eyes he surveyed his surroundings. It seemed that he was in some sort of recovery room with all the other students who took part in the demi-hollow training. It was around night time and everyone was asleep around him. He then noticed Rangiku sleeping on a chair next to him while leaning over his arm. Dark circles could be seen under her eyes indicating that she didn''t have much sleep. Perceiving that it''s still dark outside, Itsuki decided to see his Zanpakuto spirits and get to know them more. Closing his eyes to meditate, Itsuki''s consciousness was slowly pulled into his inner world. Opening his eyes, he was back at the same place he was before, on top of the mountain and the same two monstrosities could be seen. They looked calmly backed at him as they continued their staring contest for a few short breaths. The tiger and dragon slowly moved forwards and morphed into a more humanoid body. Byakko became a short petite girl with white cat ears and tail. She wore a white kimono with the symbol of wind patterned across it. She had blue cat eyes and silver hair cascading down her back. She wore no slippers and kept walking barefooted while her kimono sleeves hid her hands. Ryurai became a well-endowed woman wearing a black kimono with the symbol of lightning streaking across. She had black hair, purple reptilian eyes, elf like ears and two horns jutting out on either side of her head pointing to the heavens taking the shape of a crown. Both had an apathetic look on their face as they never spoke. Suddenly two swords appeared in Itsuki''s hand as he got into stance while a sword appeared on each of the zanpakuto''s hand. No words were needed to be said. Being part of Itsuki''s soul, they both had an idea of what was going on in his head. A stone appeared out of near and landed, starting the fight 22 Aftermath Itsuki could be seen lying down on the ground with sweat covering his body. Next to him were his zanpakuto''s in a similar situation. The confrontation allowed Itsuki to better grasp their abilities as he felt closer and more connected with them. Noticing his zanpakuto sitting up, he also sat up, only to see his zanpakutos sitting either side of him. Byakko started speaking with Ryurai following after, "I will be your shield" "While, I shall be your sword" "You should have realised the abilities you used were just the tip of the iceberg" Suddenly, Ryurai came quite close and hugged his arm, "We have many things to show you" teased Ryurai. Getting no response from Itsuki slightly disappointed her. Although they were part of Itsuki''s soul, they were ultimately their own entity and were capable of having their own thoughts. Byakko seemed to have a similar personality to Itsuki, a cold, apathetic one while Ryurai had a teasing one. She tried teasing Itsuki in many ways but eventually failed garnering any response for him. Itsuki thought of them as partners and sisters, not as girls of the opposite gender while they thought of him as their master. Getting up, Itsuki saw Ryurai''s expression become apathetic once again as she and Byakko changed back to their animal forms and headed off to rest. Itsuki just stayed there for a while and started meditating, reviewing all the moves and thinking if there were better ways to combat them than what he did. After this session, Itsuki left his inner space and drifted off to sleep. - The next morning - Itsuki woke up to realise Rangiku was gone and everyone else in the recovery room were having their breakfast. He also saw Gin in the bed next him digging in. A nurse who was nursing him noticed his now opened eyes and quickly ran out of the room. Presumably to bring someone. Noticing the commotion, the nearby students turned over to see Itsuki awake and the ones that could stand started making their way over to his bed. Some of them were on crutches while some had a broken arm, but they all came around to give their gratitude. One student came out of the crowd and started speaking for everyone "On behalf of everyone, thank you, Itsuki-san, thank you for saving all of us" Everyone bowed their heads "Thank you!!!" Itsuki was surprised by this commotion and didn''t know how to respond. Luckily, he came back to his senses and replied with a small smile, "I did what I had to" All the students were suddenly dazed by his smile as the boys previous negativity in their hearts vanished. One boy in particular came forward and said "I''m sorry for calling you a stuck up" He was a big lad, with an honest expression masking his face. Itsuki could see he was a simple guy with a goofy smile and a face that screamed all brawn no brain. Itsuki forgave him as he never really cared what his classmates called him. Returning to his usual expression, his classmates never left his side. Itsuki couldn''t say anything because they were expressing their goodwill to him, but he never really liked attracting attention and started to get irritated by the crowd. It seemed his cold look was not enough to drive them away as Gin started to gloat on his misfortune. Fortunately, a voice interrupted his classmates, "Ara, ara, everyone seems very energetic" Abruptly everyone stopped speaking as a few students started sweating. "Why have you guys left your beds, you''ve not fully healed have you" Some injured classmates started shaking as they returned to their recovery beds, allowing Itsuki to get a clear view at the one who spoke. A youthful woman came into view as she walked towards Itsuki. She had black hair braided in the front of her and carried a gentle yet kind demeanour. She wore the standard Shinigami captain uniform, using an obi instead of a sash and having her zanpakuto tied over her shoulder with a string instead of the waist. Currently she had narrowed her eyes as she addressed her patients, slowly opening them revealing her blue eyes. Arriving next to Itsuki she started asking him in a soft yet polite voice, "How are you feeling?" Itsuki looked at her as she looked back. He started feeling pressure when he looked at her, not because she was a captain or the first kenpachi, but simply because of the question. Itsuki finally realised why many captains feared her, it was somehow her gentle and kind manners that let the others know that she shouldn''t be taken lightly. Itsuki replied, "Energetic" "That''s good then" Even though she said that, she still took some extra precautions and made further checks on him. In the middle of the checks, the door to the room was opened fiercely as a shadow darted him. "Itsuki, huff... I¡­huff¡­heard you¡­huff¡­are¡­huff¡­finally awake" Barely brining out a sentence Rangiku realised that everyone was looking at her. Her thick skin prevented her from getting embarrassed as she continued to look at Itsuki. However, she seemed to have neglected someone "Matsumoto-san, can you please not run in the hospital. You can get hurt or hurt someone" Finally noticing why everyone was on their best behaviour she realised that she was being disrespectful, quickly bowing her head, "Sorry for my impudence, Unohana-taichou" Yes, the one who had been treating Itsuki was Unohana Retsu, 4th division captain and the best healer in soul society. She is also one of the oldest captains currently serving in the Gotei 13. She had been specially requested to help heal Itsuki due to his talents and the fact that he would be a great asset to soul society in the future. While Itsuki was calmly recuperating, it was not so calm in the 8th division of the Gotei 13. People were bustling around as they tried to get any clues to what happened during this year''s demi-hollow training. This year''s training took part in a town in their jurisdiction and they needed to find answers to give to the central 46 In the captain''s room a middle-aged man could be seen sleeping on his desk. He had long brown wavy hair tied into a long ponytail and was donning a pink flowered female''s kimono. A sugegusa straw hat laid next to him including a bottle of emptied sake while a smile was plastered on his face. He had high cheekbones and facial hair present on his upper mouth. The was the current 8th division captain and future 1st division captain, Kyoraku Shunsui. Suddenly a hand interrupted his sleep "Lisa-chan, what are you doing" "Waking you up" "Yeah, but why are you touching me there" "I wanted to wake you up" Sighing at the antics of his lieutenant, he removed her hand and got up. He looked towards his lieutenant, a young woman sporting red squared glasses and two braided pig tails with straight bangs. She was wearing an altered version of the Shinigami attire with a shortened hakama resembling a skirt. This was Lisa Yadomaru. "So, what are the reports, Lisa-chan" "Apart from Shiba Aiko and the ones that were injured earlier on, all the other sixth years are dead. From the first years, a few dead while a dozen more injured or are currently in critical condition. The fourth division are taking care of them. It seemed this year''s two geniuses did the most fighting. Judging from the reports it seems that Ichimaru Gin has awakened his Shikai while Minamoto Itsuki has awakened it already." Remembering back to when they arrived at the human world They encountered a devastated area with craters and marks everywhere. Bodies of sixth years were sprawled everywhere in pieces while an unconscious student could be felt some distance away. What attracted his attention was the student in front. His top was ruined revealing his perfectly sculpted muscles complimenting his divine face. Itsuki had deactivated his eyes so Shinsui never saw it, but he could see his zanpakuto released in its Shikai form, and just like him and Ukitake Jushiro, captain of the 13th division, he had dual zanpakutos. Coming back from his thoughts he continued, "What about the hollow" "It''s been taken by the fifth division, it seems like Lieutenant Aizen knows something about it" While talking, a Jigokucho came in with news "It seems the old man has called for me, probably wants a report or something. Lisa continue investigating as I go meet the old man" "Yes, captain" Shunsui shunpoed towards the 1st division HQ as Lisa returned to her duties. **************************** - Author''s note - Reaching the end of the academy arc. Lastly, currently, his zanpakuto is not based on the four divine beasts because the dragon is known as seiryuu and controls water while mine is ryurai and controls lightning. Meh, might change my mind and do that later on. I never wanted MC to be extremely OP right off the bat and I prefer being OP similar to how madara destroyed the allied nation''s army using pure taijutsu rather than Itsuki swinging his sword and cutting soul society in half. Well, may have that in the future but not now. If you have ideas then I don''t mind you sharing them, it may turn out to be better then what I have thought off. Shall I create auxillary chapters for things like stages I mentioned in the hateful info dump Damn author''s note limit 23 Studen Shunsui could be seen standing in what seemed like a big hall. An old man sat there, in front of a desk, while listening to his report. He had a bald head and really long eyebrows and beard. Two scars were criss-crossed above his right eye which were red. He wore the standard captain''s Shinigami uniform with the number 1 written at the back. This was the current captain-commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni. Next to him was his lieutenant, Sasakibe Chojiro. Chojiro had pupil less gold eyes and short silver hair with tan skin. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a white robe draped over. "That is it, old man" finished Shunsui, Yamamoto could be seen closing his eyes in contemplation as Chojiro next to him kept his silence and let his captain think. After taking his time contemplating, Yamamoto dismissed Shunsui, who left leaving the two members of the 1st division alone. "What do you think, Chojiro" "I think someone was behind this, Eijisai-dono" Yamamoto opened his eyes before asking another question, "What about the boy?" "Which boy" "Minamoto Itsuki" "I think he has potential. It was because of his burst of reiatsu that we were able to notice something wrong, plus, he does have extremely rare dual zanpakuto''s. Apart from Kyoraku-dono and Ukitake-dono he is the third person to have dual zanpakuto''s" Hearing his response, Yamamoto once again sunk into contemplation as he indicated for Chojiro to leave. Seeing Chojiro leave he leaned back onto his chair, his thoughts unknown. 4th division HQ, Hospital Wing It''s been a week since Itsuki woke up and was currently leaving the hospital. Upon learning that he was unconscious for a few days, Itsuki wanted to get back to training as soon as possible. With his recent experience Itsuki realised that he was still weak in this world. All the training he done and the cheats he had, boosted his ego which came crashing down with the last fight. There were many people currently stronger than him and will be in the future. Realising this he decided to quickly get back to training and try learning how to control his Shikai and its many other forms. Arriving at the training grounds, Itsuki immediately got to work in controlling his now captain class reiatsu. He didn''t notice two shadows observing him from the outskirts as he continued getting used to his new-found powers. Firstly, he tried narrowing down the leakage of reiatsu. Calling his reiatsu, he found out that his reiatsu had changed colours to a mixture of blue and grey and had its own property. If he wanted to, he could decrease the presence his reiatsu had, making it completely untraceable. He could enter and leave places without people knowing, just like the wind. Apart from that, he concluded that his overall speed had gone up a notch, including his reaction speed and how fast he perceived moving targets. As Itsuki continued training, one of the shadows started speaking "Are you sure about this, Eijisai-dono?" Grunting in response the second shadow replied, "It is about time I groomed a successor" The first shadow stopped speaking as he believed that it wasn''t his position to continue questioning his superior, the one he had sworn to follow. Sometime later, Itsuki finished his training and wiped off his sweat. Noticing a couple of figures entering his peripheral vision he immediately entered a quick draw stance with both his swords. Awakening his zanpakuto had bought a change in how the swords looked. Byakko had a black handle and scabbard. It had a square hand guard with a gold sakura tree design printed on. Ryurai had a handle and scabbard that was white in colour, in which the scabbard had hints of gold appearing as the light reflected on it. It had a black circular handguard with a gold coiling dragon imprinted on it. With the previous training, he realised that his zanpakutos each came with a trick up their sleeves. Byakko, no matter how hard you swung it, you couldn''t hear the sword being drawn or swung. The sound that came with the sword cutting through the air was non-existent. Only when the sword clashed with an object would something be heard. Ryurai had a mirror like thing on the butt of the handle, where, once infused with reiatsu, would there be a flash of light, blinding the opposite party. As Itsuki got a better look, he was instantly gobsmacked as his eyes widened. The two people in front were, 1st division captain and captain commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryusai and his lieutenant Sasakibe Chojiro. What confused Itsuki was that they seemed to be here for him, but he pushed aside these thoughts as he kneeled on one knee and said respectfully, "Student Minamoto Itsuki greets the Captain Commander" An approving look flashed thorough Yamamoto''s eyes as he looked at Itsuki. Yamamoto was a man that followed the rules and laws of soul society to the letter. His loyalty speaks for itself as he is willing to sacrifice anything, even himself, for soul society. Yamamoto had one eye open and the other closed as he observed Itsuki before speaking, "Minamoto Itsuki, Stand up" Yamamoto once again looked at Itsuki''s poker face before asking, "Would you like to become my student?" Another wave of shock passed through Itsuki hearing this revelation as he stood up. He never expected to be asked to become the student of the captain commander himself. The monster in front of him had easily lived for over 2,000 years and was the most respected among Shinigami. He was the one that founded the academy and one of the founders of the Gotei 13, playing a major role in bringing it up to what it is today. Apart from shock, Itsuki felt excited that he immediately did a 90 degree bow and accepted. "It would be my honour, Sensei" Happy that Itsuki had accepted, Yamamoto continued, "You would be my third student apart form Shunsui and Jushiro. I heard that you applied for an early graduation at the end of this year. I will teach you till then, and you can decide where you want to join." Yamamoto continued with his dos and don''ts before he dismissed Itsuki. Watching the boy leave Chojiro, who never spoke a word finally spoke, "I thought you wanted to make him your successor" "He doesn''t need to know, plus, these six months I will see if his character is suitable and if he has what it takes." Finishing his words, he shunpoed away with Chojiro following after. 24 Training "Did you hear, the captain commander took Minamoto as his student" "Really!" "The captain commander..." These were the talks Rangiku could hear around the academy. It was all about Itsuki becoming Yamamoto''s student. It''s been a month since the incident in the real world and Itsuki had completely healed. Rangiku could barely see him unless it was during class or he came to meet their group of friends. At first Yamamoto used to come to Itsuki to train him as it was relatively quiet place and no other student came to train in that particular area. One day, however, a student passing by noticed them and the news got out. Itsuki wondered how the student escaped Yamamoto''s senses but realised that he never cared in the first place. So, from then on, more and more students came to see until it became a hassle for Itsuki to train there. Realising that they won''t get any piece of quiet, Itsuki was transferred to the 1st division HQ where he could continue to train. Although he was still required to attend classes, Itsuki came in late and left the earliest to avoid the pestering students. He did, however, try to spend time with his friends. Being transferred to the 1st division meant that Gin didn''t have a roommate, so the academy assigned a new roommate to him. Surprisingly it was the big lad that called him a ''stuck up''. His name was Amamaki Ketaro. He was very nervous as all the students knew the small group of friends, especially because of Itsuki and Rangiku. What surprised him though was that everyone in the group was very welcoming. Very quickly he became part of the group, mainly due to Gin and Rangiku being more outgoing. Yuroe was shy like always and Itsuki was rarely with them, most likely training, but if he was, then he would barely talk. Rangiku was worried for Itsuki because sometimes, when she was with him, he would be really exhausted. Although he didn''t show it, his eyes gave it away. She knew that she couldn''t currently help him, all she could do was just pray for him. She hated this feeling of uselessness. ''I know I can''t catch up to you, but I at least want to provide some sort of support'' Gin and Itsuki had both applied for an early graduation and she didn''t want to lose out. She picked up her wooden sword and got back to sparring with her fellow students. While this was happening, Gin was in his own training grounds doing his own training. "Shoot to kill, Shinso" Skewering targets, Gin started to slash with the blade extended creating havoc. ''I will get stronger'' Looking at the destruction around Gin, students passing by retreated in fear while silently muttering, "Hyapponzashi" Gin got up tired, his narrowed eyes covering his intentions 1st Division HQ, Training Grounds Rangiku''s worries were not unfounded as, currently, Itsuki was surrounded by a dozen Shinigami. Not students, actual Shinigami. They were members of the 1st division and were currently training Itsuki. Itsuki had two wooden swords either side of him, holding one in a back handed grip with his left hand, while the Shinigamis had the same wooden sword holding different stances. There was currently a deadlock as Itsuki analysed his opponents. Hundreds of situations played out in his head all depending on who made the first move. One Shinigami behind him suddenly moved with an overhead strike causing Itsuki to turn around and block with his right sword. This was some sort of signal as all the other Shinigami moved to attack. Moving back, he dodged another sword strike and swept his left sword attacking the guts of the attacker. Using pure Hoho and swordsmanship he interlaced thorough the Shinigami, taking them down using the two-step method. Using one step to attack taking down one Shinigami, he was already in his second step in the midst of attacking as he prepared for his next victim. Down the line, Hiten mitsurugi-ryu allowed its wielders to achieve Godspeed, with the opponents unable to see the sword strike caused by the practitioner. This, in the end, was from human standards. Itsuki had already achieved that and even surpassed it considerably moving at that speed but still had not fully mastered the technique. Only a couple practitioners had surpassed the Godspeed limit, but they had years of experience and mastered the technique, they, however, were ultimately human. The training session ended quickly as Itsuki was collapsed on the ground with only a quarter of the previous Shinigami surrounding him. Sweat dripped down their faces as they looked at the new student the captain commander had taken. What they didn''t know that it was not Itsuki using all his strength. He was limited to this degree by pure weights. Weights in his arms and legs were hidden beneath the training clothes. Suddenly, Yamamoto appeared with some more Shinigami and instructed them to carry out the injured, only leaving Itsuki. As the two were left alone, Chojiro appeared with a bucket of cold water and poured all of it on Itsuki getting him up. Itsuki quickly got up and started running. He never liked this part, but it was still his training. He had to use Shunpo, only Shunpo. No retaliating. To dodge and retreat as a wave of projectiles were thrown at him. Sensing one approaching, he quickly dodged and was already in line of the next one. The stones thrown were not to be joked around with him as they caused craters here and there while disintegrating on impact. The stones were not the only issue as sometimes a regular weapon was mixed in, ranging from a small dagger to a cavalry spear. Sometimes for this he had to take the hit of the stones. This did break a few bones in his body. Itsuki could swear he saw a playful look on the two attackers. Though it did hurt, it helps train his senses and intuition while also improving his Shunpo. The only problem was that it went on until he couldn''t take it anymore, this time, Itsuki just fell unconscious with a spear coming straight for him. Just as it was about to impale him an elderly hand quickly caught it and threw it to the side. Chojiro also came a second later and picked the unconscious Itsuki up taking him to the herbal bath they prepared. They were in a massive closed off space, similar to how Urahara has under his shop, or the one Yoruichi has in soul society where Ichigo got his Bankai. This one, however, was much larger than them. Another day came as Itsuki got his rest and it was time for kido practice. This one, he could only learn by himself, nevertheless, he had gotten access to a lot of notes on experience and detailed Kidos not found in the academy library. For training purposes, actual hollows were brought and let loose attacking Itsuki. Chojiro was there on standby if anything went wrong as Itsuki was only allowed to use Kido. He still had the weights on as he took hollows down one by one. For the first part of the training session he was only allowed to use Bakudo spells as he tried to bind all the attacking hollows. The second part was using Hado to take down the attacking hollows. Itsuki wanted to let loose but wasn''t able to as he had to conserve Reiatsu and not quickly run out. The weights increased his reiatsu consumption and when he did let loose the first time he was here, he was quickly overwhelmed by the hollows causing Chojiro to save him. Since then he had always tried to minimally use reiatsu and abandoning the incantation. Although, compared to saying the incantation, it is less powerful, continuously using it had caused Itsuki to be efficient in using it achieving the same power without the incantation. Lastly, the third part was barriers and seals. Itsuki was tasked to create a series of barriers and seal to protect him from attacking Shinigami. The Shinigami had to use their abilities to try and break these barriers. First it was him having a set amount of time to erect a series of barriers and seal around him. The Shinigami would attack it and try to break it. Once it was broken, he had to stop strikes coming at him by creating barriers to defend quickly. After this was a small break where he would meet his friends before coming back and meditates on his sword. This training would be over a 2-day period where he wouldn''t have any classes. Three days of classes, then two days of training followed by a day of rest. During this time Itsuki was strictly prohibited from taking off his weights. Taking off his weights came on the last day. A spar with Yamamoto. **************************************** Author''s note Although I did say a brief overview but once you start writing, ideas start pouring out. Any suggestions on Itsuki''s possible moves with his zanpakuto? There is a 50 year gap between the hollowfication incident to another part of the timeline so shall I - send him somewhere, i.e to another anime - give a huge timeskip to that point - create an incident up, purely original - Tackle an incident that may happen in the future, like non-canon If something does happen in bleach in that span of time please let me know either here or on discord 25 Spar Itsuki removed his weights and threw them do the side gently, which still caused a crater to form due to sheer weight. Yamamoto took the upper half of his uniform off, showing his muscular body littered with scars. His previous frail look gone as he stood upright like a sword that had been unsheathed. His walking stick floated in front of him as its outer layer peeled off revealing a katana. It had a purple handle and sheath with a circular hand guard. "Let''s start this beating, kid, make the first move" Itsuki got into his Iaido stance as he disappeared and reappeared next to Yamamoto. Drawing both his swords he initiated Hiten mitsurugi-ryu, Soryusen (Twin Dragon Flash) but this time with two swords. Yamamoto blocked the strike and pushed him back before Itsuki could land the second sword. As Itsuki landed, he didn''t stop there as he was still pushed back gathering dust in the air. He looked up only to see Yamamoto missing. The dust clearing around him, he realised that Yamamoto was already next to him slashing down with incomparable might. Dodging the sword Itsuki saw the sword hit the ground creating a crack in the ground. A soon as Itsuki''s foot touched the ground he immediately pushed off to attack with his memory partition and thoughts acceleration coming into play. Coming into contact with Yamamoto, a series of clashes and strike followed with both entering a stalemate. They both were currently using pure swordsmanship with Yamamoto relying on his years of experience and Itsuki relying on pure speed and his mental capabilities. The stalemate was broken with Yamamoto getting the upper hand as he slashed through Itsuki''s protective reiatsu and created a wound on his shoulders causing him to fly back and land in a formation of rocks. Getting back up, Itsuki held his wound only to see Yamamoto losing the sword and punching him. As the punch was coming towards him, he realised that it wasn''t as normal as it seemed. Alarm bells were ringing for Armageddon in his brain as he quickly dodged to the side. "Ikkotsu" Left Yamamoto''s mouth as his fist landed creating a massive depression ahead of him. Although Itsuki dodged it, he was still blown back from the impact. Also dropping his sword, he entered a hand to hand combat situation with Yamamoto but was immediately thrashed. Itsuki quickly found an opening and put his hands in a blocking motion "Bakudo #39, Enkosen" A circular dish of rotating energy appeared in front of him as Yamamoto''s fist landed on it causing him to be launched back. Falling back to his sword he immediately picked it up and immediately got ready. Yamamoto also got to his sword and picked it up. Both of them looked at each other as both their reiatsu spiked up. Yamamoto''s reiatsu had reached unprecedented heights as he released it while, although, Itsuki''s was a whole level lower, could still be felt rising. The training ground could not hold both their reiatsu as everyone in soul society felt it. 8th Division HQ Shunsui immediately turned back and shed an imaginary tear, "What happened taichou" "It seems yama-no-jiisan is not holding back on the kid" ''My prayers are with you, kouhai'' 13th Division HQ A sickly man could be seen laying down on a futon as he was tended to by a maid. He had a head full of white hair put into a low ponytail and black eyebrows with an emaciated appearance. His face was relatively handsome. Feeling his master''s reiatsu a gentle smile crept onto his face remembering him. His eyebrows suddenly twitched as long forgotten memories came back. ''Take care of yourself, Kouhai'' Everyone felt the captain commanders reiatsu flaring up and a tiny one confronting it. While some Shinigami went into alert, there captains calmed them down while giving a silent prayer for the new students. Well most of them, some of them didn''t even care. 1st Division HQ If people outside could feel the nullified version of Yamamoto''s reiatsu, imagine the brunt of it falling on Itsuki. Sweat started pouring down Itsuki, but he still kept his stand. "All things of this world, turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka" "Reign from above, Ryurai" "Shred to pieces, Byakko" Both of them released their Shikai as flames started to spread towards Itsuki. Placing Byakko in front, it negated the flames of Ryujin, but the heat was still there. Bringing Ryurai upwards Itsuki went into the same stance he was in when he fought the hollow as Yamamoto waited for his student''s move. Thrusting the sword forward he shouted, "Shashitosu" The same technique came out as Itsuki was thrust forward towards Yamamoto. Trusting his instincts, Yamamoto surprisingly dodged the strike as a cut was left on his chest. Itsuki wasn''t scot free as he had mild burns around his right arm which held Ryurai. Calling out to Byakko he muttered, "Kokyu, Byakko" Suddenly the sword disappeared and turned into wind surrounding Itsuki. Faint shadows of tigers could be seen appearing in the now formed shield. No matter where the flames approached him from the shield worked its magic and nullified it. Now holding Ryurai with two hands he attacked Yamamoto, finally showing the essence of Hiten mitsurugi-ryu. Coming in contact with Ryujin Jakka, Ryurai didn''t lose out. With the fires negated by Byakko, the only thing Ryurai was hitting was a really hot blade. This however didn''t impede Ryurai as it also heated itself up with electricity reaching similar levels of heat. Once again, the spar became reliant on their swordsmanship with the same outcome, but this time it took longer, showing Itsuki''s progress in swordsmanship. This lasted for a while before Itsuki was blown back, inches from falling unconscious. Resealing his zanpakuto, Yamamoto ended the spar as Itsuki also resealed his. Being dismissed he dragged his beaten-up body and got into the herbal bath as he fell asleep. After some time Chojiro came and found him sleeping. Smiling a little he picked him up, made him wear his nightgown and put him in his room. Luckily Itsuki was still wearing pants. 26 Five months 1st Division HQ, Training Grounds Itsuki was currently meditating on his sword deepening his bond with his zanpakutos and looking for ways to achieve Bankai, which was proving to be futile. It''s been 5 months since that spar and his graduation day was nearing. Yesterday was his last ''beating'' with Yamamoto. Itsuki then remembered what happened two months ago where he was asked a question he had been expecting. "So kid, your eyes have an ability, don''t they" Itsuki wasn''t surprised by this question as he had been expecting this question for some time. Whenever he trained his eye''s ability, certain evidence would be left which, Itsuki, knew, wouldn''t escape his teacher''s eyes. "Took you long enough, sensei" This earned a twitch on the captain commander''s eyebrows as he revelled at the casual speech. Itsuki was at first extremely respectful in what he did, but that casually changed to what it is now. Although he acted respectfully, his eyes didn''t show it as he now looked at him like he was just another old man. This couldn''t be blamed on Itsuki as the man wasn''t like a captain commander all the time. His traits of being old showed here and there as he randomly took naps when they were training. Especially in Shunpo training, where he would just let Chojiro do the throwing as he dozed off elsewhere. At times when they were together, he would start rambling on and on about the good old days. This showed Itsuki, not to believe whatever the anime or manga portrays, apart from the stern captain commander he was still an old man. Strictly speaking, for everyone else he was the stern captain commander but for the ones closer to him he was like a grandfather teaching little kids how to walk. Whenever they sparred, he would say "Lets start this beating" or he would go to the local hot springs, frightening the living daylights out of the common Shinigami who were also there. Returning to the topic in hand Itsuki looked at the old man as he activated his eyes. Although he was taken aback, Yamamoto had no change in expression. He was quite familiar with the concept of death, so him feeling it again was nothing new. Chojiro, who was next to him, was astonished at the change in Itsuki''s eyes. He never knew that Itsuki had this kind of ability but his reaction seemed to be the same as Yamamoto''s but with a bit of wariness. "I felt a weird reiatsu coming off your eyes, I was suspicious at first but looking at you train with them when they were activated, confused me." Looking at those crystal-clear eyes gave Yamamoto the thought of death being beautiful. This wasn''t the first time he had felt this, but it still left him marvelling at this feeling. Chojiro looked at his captain with more respect as he himself couldn''t notice the difference. Itsuki then asked for a kitchen knife and a block of sekkiseki stone bringing the two out of their thoughts. Chojiro went to get them as Itsuki kept his eyes activated. He never really wanted to hide it but thought that it would be better to be kept as a trump card. Chojiro came back with the required materials before handing it to Itsuki. Returning to his position behind Yamamoto he watched as Itsuki demonstrated his eye''s ability. The stone given to Itsuki was fairly big, being the size of relatively large bowl. He held the piece of stone and cut through it like a hot knife through butter. Once it was cut through Itsuki dropped the cut stone as it disintegrated into dust upon landing. "It crumbled into pieces!" Muttered a shocked Chojiro as he looked at the position where the stone landed. Yamamoto was also shocked as both his eyes had opened up. What really shocked the two was that they felt nothing from Itsuki. No Reiatsu nothing, there wasn''t even a bit of tenseness or even some strain in his expression. A normal kitchen knife was able to cut through a material that protected the Seireitei from all sides and his expression was calm and unperturbed as if painting on a canvas throughout the whole process. "To correct you, it''s dead" This further shocked the two because the stone was an inanimate object so how could it die. Itsuki continued, "These are my eyes, I see the death of things, not just living things, if I believe that something can be killed, I will see lines on that certain object. Tracing through the lines I can end its ''life'', bringing it death" A short moment of silence followed as the two needed time to digest the information. It was just too shocking that an ability like this existed. Yamamoto came out his thoughts first and deeply looked at Itsuki. He knew what dangers this ability possessed and knew, if used for the wrong intentions, it could cause the destruction of soul society itself. Chojiro was also thinking the same thing as he also looked at Itsuki. For a second, Yamamoto contemplated on killing him but held himself back as he remembered the student of his and his personality. Although he had an unapproachable aura surrounding him, he had a caring heart. The three months he spent with him allowed the old monster to know Itsuki''s thoughts. He wanted to protect the ones closest to him, and whenever he was with his friends, a warm look would surface. He hated crowds and preferred to do things alone. Also, it seemed the old man had got a soft spot for this student as a stern look plastered his face. "Itsuki, Chojiro, whatever that has happened in this room, stays in this room. This is highly classified information, and no one should know." Chojiro was shocked by this declaration, but a smile surfaced on his face while looking at his captain. Over the years he had definitely changed as he stopped causing heedless sacrifices to achieve his goals and becoming more lenient, hesitating at sacrifices ever since defeating the Quincy. Itsuki also smiled as he looked at his master, with a warm feeling flowing through his heart. Noticing the two people smiling, an irritated look surfaced on Yamamoto''s face as he declared, "It seems I''ve been idle to long. Chojiro, Itsuki, you guys have earned yourself a beating." The two''s smiling face instantly crumbled as Yamamoto''s voice rang out "All things of this world, turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka" "Aaaaggggghhhhhh" "Aaaaggggghhhhhh" Two pitiful screams rang out as soul society once again felt their captain commander''s reiatsu. Since then another training regime was added into Itsuki''s already hellish training. It was killing and increasing his mastery of his eyes. Yamamoto had a few life sentenced prisoners brought to the training room as he overlooked it. A prisoner was kneeling in front of him as Itsuki grasped a sword looking into the pleading eyes of the prisoner. It was a white Caucasian man that had his hands cuffed with sekkiseki stone. His hands trembling, Itsuki never activated his eyes as he ran a blade through the prisoner''s heart. Itsuki continued looking at the prisoner''s eyes as it lost its light. Yamamoto watched it unfold without expression, observing his student''s reaction. There was no change on his face but that couldn''t be said for his conflicting eyes. His dampened emotions worked its wonder as he felt normal after taking a life, it was too easy. Ideologies from his past life was thoroughly destroyed knowing that this was no place for mercy. This was the first time he took a life apart from hollows, but he felt no different. Calming his emotions down he just stood there looking at the dead body in front of him. He felt fortunate for having dampened emotions because he knew that if they weren''t there, he would be puking all over the place. Yamamoto stood there surprised by the small show emotions on Itsuki''s first kill but brushed it off, attributing it to his eyes. This was a sort of rite of passage for Itsuki. After this, the prisoners won''t be bound and Itsuki would have real life and death battles in place of his spars with Yamamoto. Yamamoto never intervened as Itsuki piled up more kill counts. He didn''t want to raise a greenhorn, but a true warrior. A week passed by as Itsuki got more and more used to killing before he started using his eyes. At first, he found it harder to hit the lines of death but about a day later could hit it no matter what. What also surprised Itsuki was two dots of appearing on the prisoners. He saw them on Yamamoto and Chojiro but never thought too deeply about it. Now noticing them to be common, Itsuki came to the conclusion that they were a Shinigami''s Saketsu (Chain of fate) and Hakusui (Soul Sleep). Both were vital parts of a Shinigami, with the former being a sort of boost of reiatsu and the latter being the source of it. Sealing these two points can make a Shinigami lose their power. Looking at the two points Itsuki could feel if he struck there, a Shinigami would permanently lose their powers. Testing out his theory, Itsuki struck the two points of his opponent causing him to fall down. Yamamoto, who was watching, was shocked by the change as he felt the prisoner''s reiatsu decreasing. Arriving next to him he felt the reiatsu returning to a level similar to a normal soul. Looking carefully, he noticed the Saketsu and Hakusui of the prisoner non-existent. Sighing at this, he turned over to Itsuki who looked back at him before leaving the vicinity. Looking at Itsuki finishing the prisoner off he once again marvelled at the abilities Itsuki''s eyes possessed. Itsuki stopped reminiscing as he sensed a Shinigami approaching him to notify that his graduation exam was tomorrow. There was another student taking it with him and Itsuki concluded that it was Gin. Seeing the Shinigami leave Itsuki went over his abilities he had achieved in the time he spent at the academy. He had achieved expert levels in the four techniques of the Shinigami with Shunpo and Zanjutsu reaching the border between expert and master. He had achieved his fifth partition and can accelerate his thoughts by four times, achieving this level during his training with Yamamoto. He could now see point and lines of death with his mystic eyes and use them proficiently in battle. 27 Graduation Itsuki went into meditation trying to figure out a way to achieve Bankai. Whenever he went all out fighting, his connection with his zanpakutos became deeper and deeper. However, during training encountered an issue. It was his eyes. Itsuki had never used it for long periods of time so he never knew that there was a drawback in using his eyes. Once, Yamamoto wanted to see how far his eyes can go, so he put Itsuki to fight non-stop, forbidding him for deactivating his eyes. At first, it was all good, 15 minutes later he started feeling tired and realised that his eyes were using reiatsu, although it was only miniscule amount. This however was an issue in of itself, no matter how small, after some time, the used up reiatsu was substantial. This was not the end though, about 30 minutes later he started feeling pain in his head. No sane person can look at death for long periods of time no matter how dampened Itsuki''s emotions were. 45 minutes later he started feeling pain in the depths of his soul promptly turning it off. Although 45 minutes is an extremely long time for one battle, it still showed that his eyes had limits. In his Shikai mode, the time was extended. So, from then on, Itsuki started training his eyes by constantly keeping them activated long enough. With another failure in finding way to achieve Bankai, he came out of meditation. Leaving the 1st division HQ, Itsuki arrived at the academy once again. He now looked like a 15-year-old with his hair tied up to a high pony tail. He was relatively tall for his age, though by soul society standards, he was just over a year old. As Itsuki was training, he never got to celebrate his birthday, well if a ''special beating'' was a way of celebrating then he did. He was donning his academy uniform, this time without a mask. His zanpakutos could be seen placed on the left side of his waist, overlapping each other. His azure blue eyes surveyed the students entering and leaving grounds as he made his way towards the exam hall. Making his way, he became the centre of attention, where ever he went. Not just because of his looks but seeing the two zanpakutos hanging on the side of his waist told everyone of his identity. White hair, blue eyes, bishounen, glacier like look, unapproachable aura and one of the only three people with dual zanpakutos. Student of the captain commander and the genius of the first year, Minamoto Itsuki. Itsuki ignored the looks as he got used to it, but his footsteps hastened as it still felt weird with people ogling at you while pointing. Reaching the exam hall, he breathed a sigh of relief before hearing a shout come from behind. "Itsuki!!!" Turning around he saw his friends make their way towards him. Gin was also with them and it was clear they came to wish their friends good luck in the exam. Yuroe could surprisingly be seen blushing as she looked at Gin, giving Itsuki a bit of a shock. He hadn''t seen them for months, so he never knew what the friends went through. Before he could ask anything Rangiku dropped a bombshell, trying to distract Itsuki, "Itsuki, I''m tired" Upon getting his attention "My breasts, they''ve become too heavy" This broke his icy exterior as he was too gobsmacked to say anything. The rest of the friends just ignored the girl''s antics as Itsuki gave up asking any questions and followed Gin into the hall. Once they entered it, they came across a teacher taking the attendance of the exam takers. The procedure was similar to the entrance exam where, having reported their arrival, they will be put into a group. A written theory test will be taken, where things like Shinigami duties, knowledge on the history of soul society etc will be asked. After that, their name will be called out for an individual examination where they will be tested on Zankensoki. ''Zan'' being Zanjutsu, ''Ken'' for Hakuda, ''So'' for Hoho/Shunpo and ''Ki'' for Kido. However, before taking the test they will be asked what division they wanted to join. This means that specific choices will alter the marking scheme. For example, if one chose the 4th division, the test would emphasise on healing tasks, contrary, if one wanted to join the 11th division they would be assessed on their skills in combat. If one wanted to join the Kido corps, they will be assessed on their mastery on Kido and so on. Itsuki was given a task from Yamamoto and to carry it out, he had to join a specific corps, The Onmitsukido. The written exam was a piece of cake while the practical was even easier. In Zanjutsu, he beat the examiner, he drew with the Hakuda examiner, set a record time for the given obstacle course and passed the kido examination with Hado #58 Tenran while also abandoning its incantation. As the 2nd division and the Onmitsukido were one in the same, he had to take a special examination to get into the Onmitsukido. If he failed this then he would have to join another division of the Gotei 13. Although he knew that he would become a seated member or even a lieutenant in another division, Itsuki needed to join this particular division. The test had more stringent requirements on Hakuda, especially to get into the detention unit and become a warden at the nest of maggots. Itsuki was less accomplished in Hakuda than the rest and to improve, what better way than going to a place where no zanpakuto were allowed and the only way of combat inside was hand to hand combat. Yamamoto believed that it was the best place for Itsuki to train his Hakuda. The task for Itsuki was to become the corps commander in the Onmitsukido, no matter which, while also automatically becoming a seated member. Although he did well on the exam, he first decided to become more proficient in Hakuda at the Detention Unit, before requesting for a transfer and becoming part of the other corps before joining the executive militia, the main unit of Onmitsukido. Knowing that the hollowfication incident is going to happen nine years later, and with Shihouin Yoruichi betraying soul society, why not become the leader of the whole Onmitsukido. Passing the exam, Itsuki was told to report to the 2nd division HQ the next morning where he would be briefed in his role. Waiting outside were his friends and Gin, who had already passed. Gin had gotten into the 5th division, the one where Aizen Sosuke was the lieutenant of, similar to the storyline. After celebrating Itsuki''s and Gin''s graduation, they went their separate ways with Itsuki coming back to the 1st division to rest for the night. Before reaching his room, he decided to report to his teacher as he was leaving his tutelage. Arriving next to his office, Itsuki knocked on the door and waited for his teacher''s permission to enter. Upon entering, Itsuki saw the old man looking at papers as he quickly got on his knees and bowed to Yamamoto, catching him off guard. "What are you doing Itsuki?" "Sensei, I just want to express my gratitude for all you have done for me the past six months" "Get up, it seems you have graduated if you are talking like that" Silently getting up, he saw that Yamamoto had also gotten up as he moved towards the open area next to his office. "Itsuki, what do you see as justice¡­" 28 Omake 1 – Waiting for Gin @@ Finally, Itsuki could take it no more and decided to do something. So, one night, after Rangiku fell asleep, Itsuki stayed up and waited outside the hut for Gin to come home. He waited, and waited, waited even more, A wind suddenly blew past him causing Itsuki to shiver, ''Where is he?'' Meanwhile in the forest near the hut, Gin was there walking back, clearly distressed. ''Which way was it again?''@@ 29 Detention Corps The next day Itsuki could be seen standing on attention with a few others in the 2nd division HQ. All his stuff had been unpacked in the room he will be sharing with a few others, all who were part of the detention unit. He was currently wearing the standard Onmitsukido uniform which was a full black ninja like clothes that covered the bottom of his face, the sleeves and trouser were strapped to the body by bands to prevent the clothes from moving too much and instead of sandals he wore long Jika-tabi. His zanpakutos were with him, Byakko placed over his shoulder and Ryurai on his waist In front was a man in a similar attire but the whole of his face was covered minus the eyes. "You are now the new guards for Prison A. Prison A hosts criminals of a violent nature. Most of them are members of the rukongai while the special few are Shinigami with the powers of seated and unseated individuals. The people that have committed crimes akin to thievery and small crimes are placed in the outer area. Ones who have committed crimes of a dangerous nature akin to murder and **** are in the inner area, while ones that have Shinigami powers are in the core area." "You as members of the Detention unit will take turns in guarding the outer perimeters of the prison while catching ones who try to escape. If they retaliate, take them down, but don''t kill them. Unless its someone that have powers, then DO NOT KILL THEM. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!" ""Hai"" As the briefing was over Itsuki got assigned the position at the north of the Prison during the night. Knowing that he had some time, he decided to look over the surrounding area of where he would be patrolling. He was assigned to Prison A before being assigned to the Nest of Maggots because he never had experience. Nest of Maggots was not full of criminals, but Shinigami of considerable power that, in one way or another, proved harmful to Soul Society, whether they had committed a crime or not. So rather than sending some greenhorn to the place, they would rather send someone experienced. At least that''s what Itsuki thought. Overlooking the briefing area, two females could be seen looking in the direction of Itsuki. The one in front was a beautiful dark skin woman that had purple hair and golden irises. Her hair was cut short to her neck and covered her well-endowed body with a sleeveless and backless Onmitsukido executive uniform with long black wrist guards and a black ribbon tied round her neck. The one behind her was a petite woman that had light skin, dark grey eyes and black hair. She had soft shoulder length hair and wore the standard Onmitsukido uniform albeit without the mask. "Oho, although I can''t see it, he seems really handsome, doesn''t he, Soi Fon" A playful smirk plastered her face as she addressed the girl behind "Who Yoruichi-Sama?" Soi Fon questioned her superior. The girl in front was the 22nd head of the noble Shihouin clan, current captain of the 2nd division, Commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukido, the correction corps commander and the Executive corps commander, Shihouin Yoruichi. The one behind her was her personal guard, member of the Executive corps and the current Sui-Feng, Soi Fon. "Minamoto Itsuki" "The one that the captain commander took as his disciple" "Yes" "Where is he?" Looking at the confused look on the girls face she gave out a sigh of defeat before turning around to leave. Soi Fon, still confused, spoke to herself, "Why is he assigned to Prison A. He should be strong if the captain commander was his teacher¡­" Yoruichi smiled to herself as she overheard this. ''It seems that it''s going to be lively around here'' Sadly, for Itsuki it wasn''t lively. It was dull and boring. Continuously he had to overlook the prison and watch out for any intruders.There never was one but he had to do it. When he was off duty, he had to remain on stand-by just in case something happened so this meant that he couldn''t do any vigorous training. The only relief of this boredom was his day off where he would try meeting his friends at the academy. Gin was not available as he had duties of his own, so it was mostly him, Rangiku, Yuroe and Ketaro. Well only him and Rangiku because, for some reason, they always forgot to do something leaving the two alone. So, all they did was talk and hang around until it was time for them to leave, allowing their relationship to get progressively closer. Sometimes, when they were out, a black cat would appear in which only Itsuki could pet it. If someone else approached it, the cat would run away. Itsuki knew this was Yoruichi but chose to stay silent. Six months went by with no events happening, but it allowed Itsuki to increase his patience. Constantly being alert helped train his senses as he was now able sense reiatsu at a further distance. While he was on guard, he trained in himself staying in one place for extended periods of times making the tiniest amount of movement possible. Currently, he was out with Rangiku grabbing a bite to eat. With Seireitei having a lot of facilities needed for a Shinigami to relax, a small restaurant wasn''t unusual. They were just chatting about their daily lives, well mostly Rangiku, when a Jigokucho entered and flew towards Itsuki. Hearing the message, Itsuki shot up and looked back at Rangiku. "Sorry, Rangiku, something came up" Nodding back, Rangiku watched as Itsuki disappeared from her view. Arriving at the HQ, Itsuki dressed up and joined the lines of guards receiving orders. "There has been a prison break. All the escapees are people that have Shinigami powers. You will all be divided in groups in where you were stationed. Members of the north of the prison will go north and look for the escapees. Get to your posts before you receive a paper that has the details of the escapees." It wasn''t a major problem but the Onmitsukido would like to have the escapees back before news got out. Itsuki was the first to arrive at the north post where he received the details and the order to kill. Remembering all the possible routes that the escapees could have used he quickly left, even before the next guard arrived. 30 Interception The sun could be seen drowning into the horizon as its last rays of light graced soul society. A dozen or so people were currently running through a myriad of trees at speeds unimaginable by a normal soul. "Hey, how far we left till we reach the hideout" called out escapee number one "Not long, according to my calculations, they should have just started looking for us" replied the leader. "I don''t want to meddle in things, but how did you know that. With our positions, we shouldn''t even know this kind of information" The leader just stayed silent as he remembered who came to visit him. - The leader''s flashback - - A week ago - It was the day when Itsuki was off duty, a mysterious man came to visit him. He was just idling around when it happened, "Want to escape" The mysterious man suddenly called out, "Wha¡­" Shocked by the sudden voice he fell backwards trying to make out the intruder in his cell. "Want to escape this hellhole" The mysterious man asked of him The leader''s eyes suddenly became blank as he repeated the words "I want to escape this hellhole" "Good" These were the last words before the mysterious man disappeared. The leader came out of his blank state only to notice a pile of papers in front of him. It had all the information, from the guard''s rotation times to the detention corps rotation times. Places they are vigilant about and spots where there is a small window that will be overlooked allowing them to escape. However, there is no information about Itsuki on it and all the ways of escaping, naturally lead them to the north. - The present - Remembering the mysterious man, he didn''t know how he looked but all he could remember was a pair of normal eyes behind, what seemed to be, a pair of glasses. What shocked him was the eyes, it seemed that the owner of them was just taking a walk in their backyard. Of all the people that were powerful enough to infiltrate and wear glasses only one came to mind. But he still didn''t know the reason of why that person would do what he did on the first place. Before he could think deeper into this, they reached a small clearing only to notice a member of the Onmitsukido in front of them. Looking at the half-covered mask and the head full of white hair, the leader realised that there was no information about the person in front of him. Itsuki had already arrived and moved in front just to intercept them. He had to follow procedures. Before the leader could react, a freezing voice came from the opposing force, "Prisoner''s #004, #007, #012, #015¡­" Before he could finish, one of the escapees attacked him. Appearing behind Itsuki, the escapee went for a jab at Itsuki''s back where the heart was located. Hitting him, he realised he felt nothing as ''Itsuki'' slowly faded out. Grasping that it was just an afterimage he quickly retracted his hand only to feel a cold object entering his body from behind. Looking down, he saw the front end of a sword covered with a layer of blood dripping onto the floor. Slowly turning around, he stumbled upon a pair of terrifying azure eyes with a pink circle in the middle. Itsuki withdrew his sword as the escapee collapsed in front of him. Noticing their colleague being brutally killed sent a shiver down their hearts. Their enemy was armed, while they themselves were unarmed. Itsuki looked on as the prisoners slowly backed away. As they had retaliated, Itsuki was now able to kill them. He could see the lines of death littered on them with one point on their forehead, similar to the hollows, and two more on their bodies. At first glance, he could see who the leader was, and their previous talk confirmed his suspicions. Noting that the others were useless he disappeared from their views. This triggered an expected reaction, they scattered in different directions while also abandoning each other. However, this was not a problem for Itsuki. He reappeared next to one escapee, cut his body in half and moved on to the next. This time it was a she, noticing Itsuki appear behind her, she quickly turned around and threw a punch, trying to retaliate in some way. She may have had some hope in her heart, but that came crushing down as she realised that there was no hand to throw the punch. Before the pain even registered in her brain, she flew up in the air only to see a familiar headless body and blacking out. This wasn''t the end, one after another, each crueller than the other, it was like he was harvesting crops except it was lives and only a few breaths later, was he finished. Dismembered body parts lay everywhere in a picturesque scene of blood and gore. One thing that was similar was the eyes of the dead, all of them had panic and fear written across dictating the cruelty they experienced. This didn''t invite any change in expression for Itsuki as he looked towards the direction of where the leader ran, ''Quite fast'' As he thought this, he quickly made his way towards the leader only to find him collapsed, face down on the floor. Moving next to him, Itsuki sheathed his sword keeping his arm ready in case of an ambush. This was a habit all practitioners of the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu had, keep their arm over the sword in case of an ambush, allowing them to quickly draw their sword if there was one. as he turned him around, making contact with a pair of lifeless eyes. A wound could be seen where his heart was, and a disbelieving expression masked his face. "Tch" Displeasure was present in Itsuki''s eyes as he knew the conspirer had left no loose ends. He knew that people of this level couldn''t have escaped on their own and concluded that they must''ve had outside help. Glancing around he tried to make use of his eyes but to no avail. His eyes all depended on Itsuki''s perspective of the target''s ''death''. Realising that there was no point of looking around he decided to send up a flair notifying the others. A while later another member of the detention corps arrived and Itsuki directed him to the other escapees. Itsuki still had to report so he waited for his superiors to arrive. More and more members arrived to clean up what was left and to see if there was any evidence on their bodies, isolating the surrounding area. While some looked towards Itsuki with fear, some were filled with wariness and some with complete indifference. Slowly, members of the executive militia arrived before the corps commander, Shihouin Yoruichi, arrived along with her personal guards. She read the report as everyone, including Itsuki, kneeled there with their heads lowered. The one in charge of the prison was sweating buckets as he waited for Yoruichi to speak. Yoruichi finished reading the report and glanced towards the one in charge. Before she even opened her mouth the one in charge started speaking, "Captain, it was all my fault for neglecting my duties, I should be punished for my error" "No, it was mine, I suddenly fell asleep, so I should be punished" Itsuki just stayed where he was with his eyes closed. A defeated sigh left Yoruichi''s mouth as she looked at the ones taking responsibility confronting each other. This went on for some time before she glanced in the direction of Itsuki, looked back and spoke out "Ma, ma, no need to brood over whose fault it was. Minamoto Itsuki, you stay behind, the rest are dismissed" ""Hai, we thank the captain for her leniency"" As everyone left, Itsuki stayed in his place, not moving a single bit. Yoruichi then dismissed her guards only leaving Soi Fon, her and Itsuki in the room. The room slowly descended into silence as none of the three spoke. Soi Fon was okay with this silence, Itsuki seemed okay with it but there was one person that couldn''t stop fidgeting. Making her way towards Itsuki, Yoruichi called out "Minamoto Itsuki, get up" No reply came, this time Soi Fon called out a bit louder "How dare you ignore what Yoruichi-Sama asked of you, GET UP!" Opening his eyes Itsuki got up while giving out a slight inconspicuous yawn. He had fallen asleep. The room once again descended into silence with the slight giggle of Yoruichi resounding throughout the room before turning into a full-blown laughter. The reaction of Soi Fon was the total opposite. - 5th Division HQ - ''Minamoto Itsuki, your eyes intrigue me'' A man wearing scholarly glasses looked towards the direction of the 2nd division HQ. A voice suddenly came from behind him. "What''s going in that head of yours?" 31 Nest of Maggots Tuning around his captain came into view. The captain had straight blonde hair that reached below his waist and fringe reaching his eyebrows. He wore the standard Shinigami captain clothing with the number 5 on its back. His expression was as such that his top front teeth were showing. This was the current captain of the 5th division, Hirako Shinji, who was also the future member of vizard. "Nothing Captain Hirako" The one who replied was supposedly the mysterious man of the prison incident. Although no one knew this mysterious man. He wore the standard Shinigami shihakuso and wore a pair of square framed glasses. His soft brown eyes and hair gave him a harmless feel, with the scholarly air around him it was as if he wouldn''t hurt a fly. This man was naturally Aizen Sosuke, one of the main villains of bleach and a man of extraordinary intellect. Shinji just looked at the man in front of him. He had specially made him his lieutenant to keep a close eye on him. No matter how he looked at him, a nagging feeling would well up inside of him, disallowing Shinji to ever trust him. They continued their silent confrontation until a Jigokucho came in through the window. After being notified of their orders, they immediately moved to complete them. Aizen was lost in his own thoughts, ''Those eyes, what are they?'' 2nd division HQ "HOW DARE YOU FALL ASLEEP?" "I never fell asleep" "Uso-tsuke, you fell asleep!!" "No, I never" "You¡­" Coming out of her laughter, Yoruichi continued to look at the two quarrelling before her expression became serious. "Okay, that''s enough. Itsuki, I want your accounts of things, what happened?" Noticing the atmosphere becoming serious Soi Fon calmed down and waited for Itsuki to speak, although a frown was present. Itsuki quickly recalled the details and explained to Yoruichi. "¡­I turned him over and he was already killed. A sword was most likely used to drive it through the heart. From his expression, it was like he recognised the person in front, so it was most likely someone who gave them the information or someone he knew, directly or indirectly." "Directly or indirectly?" Soi Fon was confused "Someone he knew personally, or someone famous enough for the leader of his position to know" Itsuki gave Soi Fon a look as if she was an idiot, irking her slightly. Turning back to Yoruichi, she seemed to be in deep contemplation until she finally looked up. "Hmm, I''ll send someone to investigate this. You''re in the detention unit, right?" "Hai" "The nest of maggots is without a corps commander right now, why don''t I transfer you to that position." "Wha¡­!" Soi Fon was shocked by the declaration but Itsuki felt happy. Before she could say anything Itsuki hurriedly replied "I will not fail to meet the captain''s expectations" Yoruichi gave a nod before calling out, "Go tomorrow and pass the test, if you can''t then, well if you fail the test then you die. Go now, make your preparations for tomorrow''s transfer" Itsuki just gave a nod and left. Turning to Soi Fon, it seemed she was about to say something, however, Yoruichi just shook her head before returning to sit in her seat. Itsuki left the main HQ and went to his dorm to prepare for his transfer. The news came in the next day with someone with the paper of the transfer. Gathering his belongings, he was then escorted deep into the 2nd division where a wide moat and a high wall was located. A wooden bridge was connecting the area for the prison and the 2nd Division HQ, Itsuki met with a set of guards who took his papers and belongings. They also took his zanpakutos and searched him for any weapons he may have had in there All of them had the word ''indifference'' written on their eyes as they probed Itsuki. After looking at the documents, Itsuki was then informed of his test, "Your test is to go into the nest of maggots and survive. While you are there you will also have to subdue all the prisoners. Failing the test means death, you can''t escape and can only leave after you have passed the test. We will be back after one week and we will see your results by entering the nest of maggots. Remember no killing. That is all" They then left him on his own. Itsuki proceeded to walk on the path until he came across a door, leading into what seemed to be a cave. Two guard were stationed outside, and they opened the door for him to a dark abyss, a place where no light could reach. Taking his time to adjust his sight, a cold feeling crept up as he now called this dark place his home for the next week. Walking deeper into the tunnel he came across a set of stairs with dim lanterns on the edges. Rock stalactites littered the roof as a small pond had formed on the side due to drops of water slowly dripping onto it for years. Continuing his path, a giant set of wooden doors greeted his sights with two handles towards the middle. Itsuki just stood there knowing that on the other side of the door were the residents of the maggot''s nest, a.k.a nest of maggots. These people were dangerous individuals that had not yet committed any sort of crime but were deemed dangerous to their fellow Shinigami and soul society. These were also not the only people in there, Shinigami who wanted to ''resign'' from the Gotei 13 were also here. The central 46 told their fellow Shinigami that they resigned but they were forcefully placed here. A Shinigami could ask for a leave for personal reasons but not resign. It was against protocols. They couldn''t allow trained Shinigami to walk free. All the residents hadn''t done something bad so they couldn''t be punished, they were just placed in special detention. 32 Tes In front of Itsuki was a set of giant wooden doors, they seemed normal if you never took their size into consideration. No aura leakage, nothing could be felt form it. It looked absolutely normal. However, Itsuki knew that on the other side were people who he would have to subdue. Some were strong, some were weak, but they were all labelled threats to soul society. He knew that once he went through these doors, there was no turning back, either he would complete his test, or he will die. He hadn''t felt like this since the incident in the real world, knowing that death was close at hand. Any wrong move or one wrong step would result in it. He didn''t even think he would get any rest during the week; he would literally be balancing the line of life and death. This didn''t unnerve him though, instead he felt excitement. Excitement in improving himself and the fact he would be close to embracing death. Having embraced death before and his mystic eyes gave him an unnatural adrenaline rush and apathy towards death itself. He liked the feeling it gave. What better way to subdue them than with strength. Itsuki doubted that they would listen to reason if he tried out the legendary talk no jutsu. A miniscule smile plastered his icy face, similar to the real-world incident, and excitement, similar to when he killed the prisoners, as he opened the door. He knew he couldn''t kill them, but he still could leave them one step before. Opening the door, what greeted his view was a well-lit hall with people scattered across it. They all wore a white shihakuso, typical of all prisoners in soul society. They however weren''t bound to anything and were able to freely roam around, doing whatever they want. The hall looked similar to a prison with one large area in the middle and an elevated area on either side leading to their rooms. People were conversing, playing go and even arguing but all stopped when they heard the door open prompting them to look in that direction. They couldn''t care less to how he looked and were just looking at the open door as it was slowly closed. This brought their attention back to the one who entered and recognised him as a Shinigami. Itsuki once again had a change of clothes, he now wore the standard Shinigami shihakuso with a black obi but had the lower part of his sleeves tied to his arms by a white ribbon, crisscrossed around it to prevent his sleeves from interfering when he is fighting. He still wore the Onmitsukido''s long Jika-tabi as they were resilient and helped silence his movements. No one moved as they weren''t stupid, knowing that whoever entered had to have some sort of skill. Itsuki just stood there and waited while the prisoners also did the same. Eventually, some couldn''t handle it and moved, these were the ones that had gone crazy from constant isolation where they couldn''t even see the sun. Some just had pure hatred towards Shinigami while some just wanted to find a way out. Walking forward, a rather large man stood in front of Itsuki easily towering him by a few feet. Itsuki looked up only to hear the man scream and try to grab him. Itsuki saw this and just grabbed the man by his outstretched hands and threw him forward onto the other incoming foes. Itsuki''s physical body was nothing to scoff at. Constantly training his body allowed him to pack quite a punch. This didn''t mean that he was a tank. Itsuki mainly relied on speed so his ability to take a punch was relatively weaker. Noticing the prisoners surrounding him, Itsuki quickly employed the two-step attack method from the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu into his movement. Being a technique best with one against many situations Itsuki was able to easily handle the attacking the prisoners. These however were just cannon fodder, the weakest of the lot. Slowly, more people joined in, thinking that they would tire him out before capturing him. Itsuki was more conservative in his movements, pushing his mental capabilities to the limit, he was able to find the most efficient way in dealing with the prisoners. With all the situations planned out, he was like taking a walk in the park. However, the stronger the prisoners got the harder it became. Although his mastery over Hakudo was slowly increasing it wasn''t as fast as the prisoners were becoming stronger. The prisoners seemed to have come to some sort of agreement. It was to withhold the stronger people for later when Itsuki was more tired out. Tiredness was still far away as his spars with Yamamoto were a lot more intense than this so he easily able to conserve energy. Hours passed by as Itsuki was starting to feel mentally tired. Whenever he was physically tired, he would run through the corridors and hide for a bit to help replenish any lost energy. However, in doing so he came across a specific type of people. Women. Not shown in the anime, the nest of maggots also hosted women. Fortunately for them they had a rather strong character between them and were really strong united. Itsuki looked at them as they also looked at him. None of the ones in front were affected by Itsuki''s looks, apart from a second glance at his face they were extremely vigilant with his every move. Itsuki just looked at them and decided to ignore them, they clearly weren''t hostile and weren''t the strongest. Before he left, he gave them some locations, some girls weren''t as fortunate as them. Noticing it would be detrimental for him to continue fighting, he decided to make his way deeper into the nest while also evading any patrols. He finally made it to a door, a door that led to where the most dangerous one of them all was chained. Itsuki knew that it was Kurotsuchi Mayuri, but he should have already left, taken by Urahara Kisuke. Going through the door he closed it behind him and continued walking forward through a dark corridor with lanterns on either side, completely different than the brightly lit hall, until he arrived at an empty cell. Itsuki just collapsed in the floor and fell asleep knowing that the prisoners couldn''t pass through the door. The next day Itsuki got up and returned to the door. He could have stayed in and waited the rest of the week, but his task was to subdue the prisoners not to survive. Slowly opening the door, he checked to see if there was anyone outside. Noticing no one was there he returned to the hall to once again take part in the battle royale. Days passed as Itsuki got more proficient in Hakudo and all that constant fighting helped increase his proficiency in Hakudo into becoming a Master. On the first day Itsuki took on 20% of the prisoner''s in the nest before slowly increasing as days went by. There were still some who refused to fight so Itsuki just ignored them. As the prisoner''s got stronger so did Itsuki until on the fourth day he was fighting the strongest of them all. His opponent looked completely ordinary, with no defining traits. If he was bald it would have reminded Itsuki of a certain anime character from the time he was alive. From the time spent here, Itsuki learned that his foe was a certain type of ring leader in the nest and the strongest of them all. They were alone in the middle hall as they disappeared here and there when trading punches. Itsuki''s Shunpo was far above his opponents so with a few more hits, he got the upper hand. Kicking the opposition in the head he knocked him out. Itsuki looked around to see the unconscious prisoners strewn about before more prisoners started to surround him. He was exhausted with the earlier fight and looked for ways to escape. As he was looking for a route something unexpected happens, certain shouts and screams of fear were heard as one path was cleared out. Body flew forward before landing unconscious near Itsuki. "Shinigami, this way!" Itsuki didn''t think further as he clearly heard a feminine voice. Knowing it was a woman, he decided to trust his instincts as he followed his helper. Arriving at the previous location where he encountered them, he quickly went in as the other girls let him through. He was then led to an area where there was a seat flanked by more woman, each of them a beauty in their own right. His helper just went up and sat on it before turning back to Itsuki. This allowed Itsuki to get a proper look at her. She had short messy hair and a confident grin plastered on her face. Her black onyx eyes radiated authority indicating her status as a leader among this group. She wore the standard white shihakuso which found it difficult to hide her well-endowed body and had bandages around her arms. Just as she sat down, she opened her mouth, "What is your name, Shinigami? I want to thank the person who helped find some of our unfortunate sisters" "Minamoto Itsuki" Silence The female just looked at one another before realising that he wasn''t going to continue. They then turned to their leader hoping for her to continue and make the atmosphere less awkward, which they then remembered that they shouldn''t have. Seeing the look on her subordinates, the leader felt as if a great mission had been placed on her shoulders before she continued, "Not much of a talker, huh, Itsuki-kun. My name is Saedani Maneko, leader of the females here. We females found it hard here¡­blah blah¡­we were forced upon¡­blah blah¡­before I came along... so that''s how we came about. Anyway, I saved you so we can call it even, but I would like to know what you are doing here" Out of nowhere she started talking about all the grievances she and her fellow comrades faced before finally turning her attention to Itsuki. What she saw completely shocked her, he wasn''t there, and all her guards had fallen asleep with the exception of one. She got up and walked towards the exception as her fringe covered her eyes and fists clenched. The unlucky exception was dozing off before she perceived a figure walking towards her. Noticing it was her boss, she started speaking, oblivious to her plight. "Ah, elder sister, what are you doing?" "ELDER SISTER MY ASS, WAKE UP!!" *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* All the sleeping females in the room could be seen in the seiza position with a bump on their head as Maneko sat back down, creating quite a comical sight. Outside, the patrolling girls just gave a sigh before continuing their duties. "Where''s Itsuki?" The exception took it upon her to speak, "He left after talking to the victims, he also said that if you want to know who he is then come to the entrance tomorrow" Maneko just sighed before dismissing them, leaving her with her own thoughts. ****************************************************** Author'' note Long chapter for you guys. Released an omake, see how it is. Comment there on your thoughts on it Anyway been thinking for an animal for Itsuki. I would prefer a bird but what do you think, Preferably white and blue eyes. With the help from those on discord I''ve thought of an owl, type majestic white owl on google (not bing) and you''ll see. It wont take part in major fights but maybe kill things, be like a scout and, you know, represent him. Also think of a name as well. 33 3rd sea "Wha.." Shouts of exclamations were heard when the gang of women arrived at the main hall. An unpleasant expression masked their faces as they watched over the gruesome sight in front of them. Men were laid about seemingly unconscious randomly across the hall. Limbs were dislocated in various places with some having blobs of blood in between their legs. Itsuki was just sitting there daydreaming. Itsuki had beaten up the last remnants of prisoners and had finally subdued everyone. He paid special attention to those who had been described by the female victims who had or were going to do untoward things to them. Feeling someone approaching, Itsuki came out of his thoughts and looked up. Seeing Maneko arrive Itsuki got up and walked towards her, "Is this what you wanted to show me?" "Yes and No. I came here for a test" This sentence bought a shock to Maneko, "Don''t tell me. You¡­" "Yes. I will now be the new corps commander for the Detention Unit. I need someone to be my eyes and ears in this place so I''m choosing you." Understanding what Itsuki meant Maneko quickly got on her knees along with the other females. "We will not let you down" Maneko knew that it would be extremely difficult for her to leave this place. This added some protection to the females that arrived in the nest of maggots and could possibly be the girls only hope to leave this place. Kurotsuchi Mayuri was only able to leave this place because a captain asked for him and he had shown that he would be beneficial to soul society in a way or another. "Get up. I have two days left before they come to receive me. I will train all of you in Hakudo" A mesmerising smirk slowly crept up to his face, shocking the girls, not due to its beauty but due to fear. A shiver was felt on their spines as Maneko started to contemplate whether she would come to regret her choice or not. - Two days later- A group of Onmitsukido members could be seen in front of the giant wooden doors leading into the nest of maggots. Soi Fon could be seen leading them as she proceeded to open the doors. She knew Itsuki was taking the test and she was specially asked by Yoruichi to come and see if he passed. Soi Fon had a bad expression on Itsuki as he had fallen asleep in front of Yoruichi-Sama and had the audacity to lie. Hoping that he had failed and was already rotting in one of the cells, what she saw inside astonished her. All the prisoners were acting in an orderly manner, but what surprised her was the women. They were talking and laughing happily and it wasn''t like before where fear was present in their eyes. The fear had somehow transferred to the men when they looked at the girls and to an inconspicuous corner. The Onmitsukido members behind her were similarly astonished. Walking forward they came across Itsuki who was meditating. No prisoners were around him as they refused to come close to this demon. Noticing the reactions from the prisoners it was safe to say that he had passed the test. Arriving in front of Itsuki, Soi Fon called out "Minamoto Itsuki" No response came from Itsuki. "Minamoto Itsuki!" Soi Fon called out even louder as veins started to protrude on her forehead. Once again not garnering any response, Soi Fon proceeded to kick him in the face. As a wall was behind Itsuki, Soi Fon had kicked Itsuki into the wall but surprisingly didn''t hear a groan or even the feeling of hitting another person was not there. As the dust slowly settled a hole was formed in front of Soi Fon but no Itsuki was there. Her eyes widened in disbelief, Soi Fon felt someone patting her head from behind her. Finally registering what had happened her face flushed red before swinging her arm. Itsuki once again dodged before just standing there. Soi Fon was there fuming in anger as she felt incredibly embarrassed that someone did that to her. Looking at the apathetic face, increased her anger before remembering her orders from Yoruichi. Soi Fon was incredibly loyal to Yoruichi so she forcefully swallowed her anger and went on to escort Itsuki out of the nest of maggots albeit with a red face. The other members didn''t do anything and pretended that they didn''t see anything knowing that the man in front was going to be a superior of theirs. Itsuki was then escorted out and brought to the 2nd division HQ so he can meet Yoruichi. Itsuki once again arrived in front of Yoruichi and she looked as carefree as always. Her personal guards were sitting around her with Soi Fon joining them. "So you passed, huh?" "Yes, Captain" "Hmm" A serious look suddenly masked her face as she got up and walked towards Itsuki. "Minamoto Itsuki, from now on you will be the new corps commander for the Detention Unit and the 3rd seat of the 2nd division from henceforth. Are there any objections?" No-one was against it as Itsuki had proved his worth with subduing all the prisoners in the nest of maggots. "Here" Yoruichi handed him a token. It had the number 2 written on it in kanji and a pasqueflower below it. Behind it, ''3rd seat'' and ''Corps commander of the detention unit'' were written on it. "I won''t let the captain down" This brought a smile to her face as she went back to her usual personality and sat back down. 34 One year It''s been a year since Itsuki got promoted to becoming the current corps commander of the detention unit. This last year, most of his training has focused on his sword finally reaching master level. Now, apart from Kido his Zanjutsu and Hakudo were now at master level with Shunpo reaching the boundary between expert and master. His Kido also improved a bit with him being more proficient in Bakudo than Hado but was still in expert level. He also had made changes within the detention unit. He had changed the whole outline of the detention unit with there being no breakouts since he took over. Separating the Shinigami and citizens of Rukongai, prisons now housed only one of them. He had also upped the corps training by one with them focusing on binding enemies. Itsuki could confidently say that currently his corps was the most proficient in Hakudo. None made any voice of complaint even at the start. There may have been some dissatisfaction among the corps at the start, it may have grown when Itsuki didn''t even give a speech. All he did was make some changes and pushed all the members to the limit. He went through all the information he had on prisons and using memory partition and thought acceleration, was able to spot all the weaknesses in the prison''s defences. With this he changed the whole routine and layout of the guard''s patrols. Also, he gave in a request to Yoruichi which allowed the female group in the nest of maggots become guards of some sort. They would help keep order in the nest and if they produced results, they would have a chance to leave. Itsuki found out later that there were monitors on the nest of maggots. Wondering how certain acts were allowed he discovered that the guards monitoring them were of crappy character and immediately dismissed them, sending them to the outskirts where there was no future. Immediately he found a few female members of the corps and assigned them to keep watch. Although it may seem he was favouring females and, due to this, was also called by Yoruichi. His response to this was, "They need to know how to protect themselves, rather than have someone protect them. That someone will not be with them forever" Once knowing the answer, he was dismissed but it seemed that his position in Yoruichi''s eyes went up a few notches. Once he set up the routine and made all the changes, two months had already passed. He picked out a few veterans and loyal characters to overlook the corps and got back to training. He would make rounds from time to time and sporadically, so no one knew he was coming, keeping them fully focused on their training. Itsuki never punished them for slacking off. All he did was glare at them, and it proved to work. They would jump straight up and give their maximum effort. The members of the corps hated the feeling, it was like someone just put a piece of ice down their back and they couldn''t remove it. It also doesn''t melt, so until they put their utmost effort in training then it would never go away. Plus, they never knew when he was coming so they kept vigilant and remained alert. This surprised Itsuki as it would also train their senses, which resulted a few members getting a piece of Itsuki''s glare at random times. This however did put in some pressure on them mentally, causing them to sleep like logs during the night, but they did immediately wake up as soon as possible in order to not dissatisfy Itsuki. Discussions were spread out as it was a rest day for them. Members off duty could meet their family and friends, having a day off from all the taxing training they had to do. Discussion were ringing out from time to time, such as "Hey, I heard you got the glare" The member addressed suddenly shuddered as he remembered that feeling "Don''t talk about it, I ran an extra 5 laps just so I won''t get that feeling again" Seeing his friend starting to weep he was shocked, another discussion "Hey, hey. I think I got the glare yesterday" *gasp**gasp* Seeing his friends shocked faces, a truly miserable expression was present on his face as he further elaborated "It was when..." His friends got closer "¡­ I was in the toilet" Shock was plastered on their faces as they heard what had happened. One of the friends mumbled without thinking "Don''t tell me, we have to give out utmost effort in relieving ourselves as well" The miserable face suddenly turned into a fearful one as he quickly tried to close his friend''s mouth. "Ssssshhhhh, THEY will hear" Realisation suddenly dawned on the one that spoke as a fearful expression suddenly masked his eyes. Sadly, it was already too late. A large shadow was draped over them indicating a gathering of people behind them. Slowly turning around, the two friends came across a dozen or so furious pair of eyes. They started trembling uncontrollably as a member of the group shouted out, "How there they sully the name of the corps commander" Th leader called out "Let''s get them girls!!" "Aaaaagggghhhh" Those two friends were suddenly overrun by members of Itsuki''s fan club. No matter who it was, no one could deny that Itsuki possessed otherworldly looks. From time to time, Itsuki would give glares to specific people but would surprisingly find that it turned out to ineffective. Not noticing the lustful looks on their faces, Itsuki was stumped on why it wasn''t working. Trying a few more time he would just forget about it and move on to someone else. Over the year, a group of women came together and created, Itsuki''s fan club, having the greatest number of members right after the women''s association. Various pictures of his was propagated through soul society as the number of members grew. Itsuki knew about this but chose to ignore what was happening, there was no way to stop it, so he just let it be. It did prove to be difficult to meet with his friends, but it didn''t garner much response as he was extremely close in attaining Bankai. **************************************************** Author''s note RL issues would most likely be finished by the end of next week. So expect the release rate to increase. What did you think of this chapter, good or nah. Lastly, rest assured I wont be dropping this, unless something major happens, but I will definitely finish it. And one more thing, I''m stumped on the animal. It seems people want either a phoenix or dragon. I would definitely prefer a bird but lets see what you guys think. Once again the pet wont have any major impact in fighting, and about shapeshifting like Yoruichi, we will see. Not sure if I should add that. 35 Picnic In a park somewhere in Seireitei, two silhouettes could be seen, where one was talking animatedly and the other listening on while nodding occasionally. The sun was drowning over the horizon as it carpeted the figures, elongating their shadows. As the day was nearing its end, there was no one but the two in the park but that changed when two more figures arrived, "¡­and that was how Yuroe got suspended yesterday" Rangiku stifled a laughter as a scream was heard behind her. "Rangiku-san!!!" Yuroe was their blushing hard as she looked unbelievingly at her friend''s betrayal. She was carrying a basket presumably filled with food. "You said you won''t tell Itsuki and Gin" "Well, they could''ve found out if they wanted to and Gin isn''t here so, technically, I haven''t told them, only Itsuki" rationalised Rangiku as she looked back at Yuroe. "Still!!!" Everyone laughed at her while Itsuki just smiled "Ma, ma. Who would''ve expected the most sensible student to get suspended" laughed Ketaro as he sat beside them. "If it wasn''t because of me covering for you, how else would I have gotten suspended" Yuroe retorted. As Yuroe spent more time with them, she slowly started to come out of her shell. She held more confidence, no longer as timid as before. With this confidence her talents also came out. She was taking the graduation exam this year and would be the second to pass it in two years. Itsuki realised that this was another butterfly effect, he changed the way Rangiku interacted with others as in the original, she only had Gin as her friend. Maybe his presence changed the small interactions she had with her classmates, but he didn''t know. Not much was known of their time in the academy. There was a chance that in the original, Yuroe''s talents never shone due to her timidly personality. All that, though, never mattered. What mattered was that right now they were his friends. "So Yuroe, what division are you thinking of joining?" Rangiku suddenly said as she bought Itsuki out his thoughts. "4th division" Yuroe gave a smug smile as she replied. Yuroe was quite confident with her choice and she had her reasons. She had shown exceptional talent in healing and had already been given the olive branch from the 4th division. A tick appeared on Rangiku''s forehead as she looked at Yuroe''s smug face. Suddenly shooting up, she grabbed Yuroe in a headlock and clenched her other hand''s fist as she started poking her head. "Hoo, feeling quite smug, huh?" Looking at Rangiku''s evil face, both Itsuki and Ketaro tacitly moved back. "Uwawawa, it hurts, Rangiku-san" After punishing her Rangiku sat back down still fuming. Secretly, inside, she was happy for her friend although the smug face did tick her off. Everyone there did know that but chose to stay quite as a small smile was plastered on their lips. Suddenly a loud growl was heard as Ketaro started laughing. "It seems I can take it any longer. Yuroe, quickly, bring out the food" Yuroe brought food out of her basket as they went on to dinner. Time flew by while they were laughing and eating. In the middle of their meal, a voice rung out "It seems Gin is not coming" This instantly turned their jovial atmosphere into a depressing one. Rangiku stopped talking and Yuroe looked down, you couldn''t see her expression. Although Ketaro was the one who brought it up he also stopped talking. Gin had become the third seat of the 5th division and he hasn''t met his friends ever since he left the academy. Itsuki knew why but he wouldn''t tell them, so he also kept quiet. They quietly finished their dinner and went their separate ways. Ketaro and Yuroe had left ahead meanwhile Itsuki walked Rangiku back to her dorm. It was a silent walk back as Itsuki never spoke and Rangiku wasn''t in the mood. Their shoulders were touching, and a hesitant look was plastered on Rangiku''s face. It seemed that she wanted to say something but didn''t know how to say it. As Itsuki dropped her off, he suddenly called out, "It will be fine, trust me" Rangiku looked back and gave off a smile. Not her usual cheerful one, but one with relief. Itsuki saw her off and returned to training, he wanted to achieve Bankai as soon as possible. - The next day - Itsuki was currently in his office going over the happenings of the year. Looking through the reports, he found out that no changes had happened in the nest of maggots and there had been a drastic decrease in the attempts to escape prison. Many plans were destroyed before they even started. Plans were strictly confidential where one person didn''t know something out of their jurisdiction. For example, a lookout would only know of the place he is surveying and that outside of the areas should be another one. Each lookout had different areas and different shifts. There was never a constant shift. There could be lookout 1 who just started while the second lookout could only be halfway through his shift. The time for an individual''s lookout varied as well, one time it could small while others it could be big. Only Itsuki had the whole routine and plan thoroughly known, not even Yoruichi. Even for her, it would take a considerable amount of time to get some understanding of how the lookouts of the prisons worked. It would have been a normal day, if not for someone currently standing in front of him. It was a member of the Inner court troop. These members were only mobilised to transport information, when there was an urgent mission or a mission that had to be done in secrecy. He wore a red kimono over his uniform with a bamboo hat and was carrying a backpack. "I carry orders from the captain" Saying this he handed Itsuki a scroll before leaving the room. Looking through the scroll Itsuki memorised its contents and grabbed his zanpakutos as he left towards the meeting point. The meeting point was on top of a cliff and Yoruichi was already there. Flanking her was two of her personal guard alongside Soi Fon and another man. It was a rather large man that wore the standard Shinigami uniform while also having a purple collar. He had curly brown hair and a face that screamed yakuza. Noticing the lieutenant arm band, Itsuki realised that it was the current 2nd division lieutenant. Itsuki hadn''t met him since his promotion and he finally met him. He was also the corps commander of patrol corps. 36 Title at the end "You''re here" Yoruichi stated as she turned around, looking at all the members present. "I presumed that you have all read the mission details. This is a top-secret mission from Central 46, any leak means that you would sitting at the opposite end of those old fogies, being sentenced" Her gaze lingered at Itsuki for a bit before looking away. Itsuki knew what this gaze meant. His talent was too astonishing, and he was definitely in the eyes of those from Central 46. Any step out of line will cause them to become a pack of hyenas preying on him. ''Politics'' Itsuki sighed before concentrating on Yoruichi. "There has been suspicious movement from a group of Shinigami. With the excuse of a leave for reasons pertaining their family or some other reason, they have gone off-grid and have disappeared. This wouldn''t have been a job for us, if not for the fact that they were either from the same clan or the fact that they disappeared around the same time." "We don''t know how many there are so be careful. We''ve got the general location from the patrol corps who went to scout ahead but there are three locations. One in District 80, North Rukongai and the other in District 74, West Rukongai. Me and Marenoshin will go to the North while Soi Fon and Itsuki will go to the West" "What... Yoruichi-Sama, why do I have to ¡­" Soi Fon''s rejection was quickly shot down by a stern glare form Yoruichi. "Here, these have the information related to the Shinigami that have gone missing. Take a look while you are getting to your location. Take some subordinates but not too many. Act on your own discretion and make your own choices, I''ll take responsibility in the end. Lastly, take care and good luck. Disperse." With this they made their way to their location while bringing some subordinates with them. Soi Fon and Itsuki bought five members each from their corps as they made their way. Due to the urgency of the situation Soi Fon and Itsuki went ahead as their Shunpo was superior to their subordinates. ''His Shunpo is not bad'' Soi Fon silently thought as she looked at Itsuki. They both were currently running over the buildings in the higher numbered district. As she looked at him, her eyes were drawn to his eyes ''Those eyes, they''re really cold. Apart from that he is really handsome. No. Wait. What are you thinking Soi Fon? For you, there is only Yoruichi-Sama. No one el¡­'' *Tumble* Soi Fon suddenly missed her footing due to the momentarily lapse of concentration. Falling to the ground she quickly got up only to see Itsuki looking down upon her. Seeing the derision in his eyes and the slight smirk, she got embarrassed by her stupid mistake as her face went red. Getting up, she slightly hoped getting some help from Itsuki which never came. Knowing that time was something they lacked, they quickly got over that situation and made their way to their destination. Soi Fon kept feeling Itsuki glance at her from time to time, it felt as he was mocking her. She tried to ignore him but found it difficult as her ears grew more and more red. Luckily for her, they quickly arrived at their location before she could lose it. What came into their view was derelict mansion that looked as if it was neglected for years.Surprisingly, it was a two-story western mansion with weed and shrubs littering the front yard and vines growing on its walls. Being eerily quiet as no noise could be heard it was a scene straight out of a horror movie. For both the Shinigami, however, it was nothing. They deal with souls and spirits, if they were scared then this wasn''t the right job for them. Feeling reiatsu signatures inside, they waited for their subordinates to arrive before entering. As this was official work, they all wore their masks, with the detention corps staying outside. Although they were experts in Hakudo, infiltration was a job for the executive militia, Itsuki being a special case. Itsuki had masked his reiatsu from the start with the help from Byakko, he was like the wind, virtually invisible. Knowing that the people inside didn''t know they were here, Soi Fon and her subordinates quietly infiltrated the mansion, only finding a few Shinigami. In the main hall, the unconscious Shinigami were rounded up and were woken up with a bucket of cold water. All these Shinigami were missing and were the ones on the list. There was one that wasn''t on the list and Itsuki suspected him from being identified as missing before this incident. * A round of tort¡­ahem questioning later * Wiping of the blood in their hands the Shinigami were given to the detention corps. They then made their way to a secret underground base beneath mansion and were able to immediately sense a lot more reiatsu signatures. They seemed to have entered a large open space with a group of Shinigami assembled in the middle. Two pillars could be seen separated from each other as two Shinigami were in front. "Onmitsukido, ha, you''re too late" A senkaimon was suddenly opened as they started pouring into it. Itsuki and Soi Fon tried rushing into it but were met with resistance in the form of a barrier. Realising they need to be quick, Itsuki activated his mystic eyes and slashed through the barrier. Releasing Byakko would take too much time. As they were about to catch them an unfamiliar reiatsu suddenly appeared beneath them. Dodging to the side, a being suddenly arose from the ground sending dust and debris everywhere. As the debris cleared Itsuki looked towards the senkaimon realising that it was now closed, and no Shinigami could be seen. With the task becoming a failure Itsuki turned to look at what came out of the ground. Just as he was turning around, Soi Fon''s shocked voice could be heard. "A Dragon?!" Title: Dragon ******************************************** Author''s note Well I''m finally back. Life doesnt always go as planned hence the lateness but for my mass release im just going to pour out as many chapters as possible until Friday. After that one chap/day, fingers crossed. And yeah none of this is original, all part of the bleach world. Read the one shot ''Burn the Witch" to know more or just stay tuned. Some people have told me of an LN for after bleach. Where can I find it? And, WOOHOO, I''m back. 37 Rebellion Dragons Unique creatures. They have many forms, too many to count. They are not spread around the world and are exclusive to London. While there were some in Japan, they were all indiscriminately killed and completely wiped out from this region. Now they can only be found in London, being the reason for the two dragons on the London''s coat of arms. Dragons are mostly passive and don''t harm other beings. Rather they produce things like minerals, fuels, electricity and even grapes. They are harmless beings until they come into contact with humans. Humans have negative feelings, part of the reason why some hollows are born. These dragons would absorb the negative emotions of humans turning them into what is known as a dark dragon. These dragons are extremely harmful to humans and would attempt to eat them on sight. They were responsible for 72% of the deaths in London. Similar to the one in front of Itsuki and the gang. It was a large western black dragon with a light-coloured underbelly. It stood on four powerful legs and had two gigantic wings on its back. With a loud roar, a cold glint flashed in its eyes as it swiped its claws at Soi Fon kicking up some dust. Soi Fon, however, easily dodged the strike. "How did a dragon get here?!" Shouted Soi Fon as she jumped back getting some distance between it. The other five members took out a tachi or a ninjato. Itsuki never knew if there were zanpakutos or a normal weapon but he got to see them when they attacked. Four of them left some slash mark on the dragon but one broke when attacking it. This proved detrimental for the person as the dragon moved to bite the member. The other members however didn''t move to save him, rather, they took this as a chance and once again slashed at the dragon. What they didn''t expect was a tail would swipe at them when they attacked. Dark dragons were highly intelligent, so it was likely it baited them into attacking. What it didn''t expect was that they wouldn''t even try to save their comrade but go for him instead, so it did end up getting some more injuries. Luckily, the fifth member took this as a chance and moved towards Soi Fon, he was now useless in battle. Although this took some time explaining it all happened in an extremely short amount of time. After rendering the four of them unconscious, it started to go towards the nearest being, Itsuki. Seeing the lines of death on the dragon, Itsuki sighed and made a move. "Why?1Why?!Why?!Why?!" Suddenly the dragon started screaming as it leaped towards Itsuki. ''Must be the negative emotion of the human it touched'' Itsuki thought. Deactivating his eyes, he brought his hand forward and pointed his index finger at the dragon. "Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro" Suddenly six thin and wide yellow beams of light were shot out and planted themselves around the dragon''s midsection. It was no completely immobilised and was struggling to get free. Soi Fon was shocked with this spectacle ''He used a high level kido while abandoning its incantation'' The useless member was also shocked silly. Sadly, the other four couldn''t see this spectacle but they would also be shocked. Knowing that struggling would now be useless the dark dragon started shrinking and morphed into its human form. ''A disguiser?'' Disguisers were dark dragons that had inhabited a dead body, living amongst humans and posing as the body they took over. They used to be prominent before they cleaned the streets in the 1800s in London, but their numbers decreased after that. This dragon took the form of a middle-aged man. Messy blonde hair and sunken brown eyes gave the impression that the man wasn''t living well enough. He was of Caucasian descent typically found in the streets of London. He must''ve been an unfortunate soul that passed away and was then possessed by a dark dragon. Even in its human form the yellow beams of light held him in place. Soi Fon and the useless member were pulled out of their shock and came towards the human. Knowing Itsuki wouldn''t say anything Soi Fon started interrogating. "So, why is a dragon here?" "¡­" "Not going to speak, huh?" "¡­" "Doesn''t matter, we don''t have much time, so I''ll skip the foreplay" A vicious grin plastered her face when she said that Seeing this Itsuki thought ''If I wasn''t witnessing this, it would cause a lot of misunderstandings'' "Aaaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" * A round of interrogation later * "Who would''ve thought that this was their plan" Soi Fon wiped a drop of blood of her face. "What plan?" A voice was heard behind them as they moved away from the now listless human/dragon. Turning around they saw that it was Yoruichi. "There was no one in our location so I hurried over when I got your message. So, what is their plan?" "It seems they plan to use the dragons to plot a rebellion against soul society" Yoruichi was shocked as her eyes widened with surprise but quickly got back her composure. "Who would''ve thought Fang clan would stage a rebellion, with dragons to boot, it seems we need to go to the real world, more specifically London. First, we need to go and get our reiatsu sealed. Itsuki, as its your first time, it would take a moment to get used, but I''m sure with your talent it won''t be long.You would only be able to use a portion of your strength, so we would need to be extra careful." 38 London On their way to get these seals, Itsuki asked "Why do we need to seal our reiatsu?" Although Itsuki knew, he had to ask the question. Soi Fon replied to him "All Captains and Lieutenants have to have their reiatsu sealed when they move to the real world.Their reiatsu is too immense that it may cause repercussions in the real world if they let it flow freely. The reiryoku can influence the normal population causing some people who an above average amount of reiatsu, compared to an average soul, to awaken abilities." Yoruichi took over "These seals are known as limiters. They will suppress your reiatsu by 80%. You, Itsuki, are a special case. Although you are only a third seat, you have captain class reiatsu so that''s why you also need a limiter." Itsuki gave a look of understanding and spoke no further. Upon getting their limiters they met at the large senkaimon where around a dozen subordinates were already there. The one who were leading were just Yoruichi, Itsuki, Soi Fon and Marenoshin. The rest were just there to scout, help keep watch for prisoners and other miscellaneous tasks. Yoruichi gave a nod to the two members of the kido corps as they opened the gate. Yoruichi went in first with the rest following after. Real world London, Piccadilly Circus A pair of shojis appeared in an alley way where a dozen or so people left it. Yoruichi transformed into a cat while Itsuki got into a gigai. Gigai were artificial bodies created to host a soul of a Shinigami within the real world. The Gigai was currently just a muscled human with no distinctive features. Once a set of clothes were put on it, Itsuki got into it. As it was his first time using one, he felt some resistance but ended up getting into it. Itsuki was wearing a white close fitted shirt with cuffed sleeves and plain black imperial silk tie. A black and white striped, double breasted waist coat was donned above the shirt with a long black overcoat above it that reached his knees. He wore black trousers that loosely fell to his ankles and leather shoes with a pointed front tied by laces. He wasn''t wearing any sort of hat, but the black clothes made him stand out more. He now looked like a 17-year-old from a noble family. The members of the Onmitsukido went separate ways but some followed Soi Fon to scout London for any of the rogue Shinigami. Only Itsuki and Yoruichi were visible to the normal citizens of London. Yoruichi accompanied Itsuki as they made their way through the streets of London. They were surrounded by three-storey Victorian buildings and many looks of infatuation and envy towards Itsuki. No-one approached Itsuki as he seemed like a noble and ones who did were thrown off by his cold aura. Yoruichi garnered a variety of looks from fear and dread to curiosity and wanting to pet her. Carriages pulled by horses were a norm with men dressed in three-piece suits with a top hat and women wearing ostentatious clothing with bustles, hoop skirt, crinolines and the lot. However, you could feel the segregation between men and women as currently, in this time, women had little voice. Itsuki could feel the annoyance from Yoruichi. Hearing a commotion, Itsuki followed the source to a large crowd. They were gathering around a sculpture with a winged person on top as it held a bow. A bronze fountain lay beneath it with a plaque stating - Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain - - To commemorate Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury in his works replacing child-labour with school education - - Long live the Queen - Seeing this Itsuki went for a nearby newspaper and read the current date and headlines - Wednesday, 29th June 1893 - - The search for the survivors of HMS Victory continues - Looking at the date he realised that, in a way, he had travelled to the past. He never knew if this was the same universe he was in his previous life or a completely different one. However, the history was still similar to the previous one. Maybe he would see himself in the future, maybe not. While these thoughts crossed his mind Itsuki felt something on his feet. It was Yoruichi patting his feet with a look saying, ''we need to move''. Bringing himself out of his stupor they made their way towards their destination. While they were walking, they saw a girl walking in front of them. She was wearing a black uniform consisting of a three-button suit over a white undershirt and a thin dark ribbon tie, a short black skirt, knee length black leggings and brown dress shoes. She had waist-length black hair, long bangs and a small, white, horn-like extension on her left temple as a solemn expression masked her face. She seemed to be part of a well-known school from the whispers of the bystanders. The two Shinigami never cared much until they realised that they were going the exact same path almost making it seem that they were following her. If someone observed them for a period of time, it would look like an extremely handsome boy and black cat following a schoolgirl. Not that anyone would. Astonishingly they ''followed'' her all the way to the back alleys and down a flight of stairs and ended up in front of a red telephone kiosk. This surprised Itsuki as this telephone booth was introduced in the 1920s while the girls dress code was from something far in the future. It seemed that there may be some differences with this universe compared to the previous one. As she walked past, she took out a dog treat from her bag and fed it to a nearby dog. It was a small white Pomeranian with dark paws. While she was doing this a scream was heard from behind where a young man with dirty blonde hair ran towards noel. "LET ME SEE YOUR PAN¡­" Before he could say anything any further, he was immediately incapacitated with a punch to the face. This however didn''t stop him from finishing his sentence. "¡­TIES, NOEL-CHAAAAANN!" Before he could get up, a chop to his neck rendered him unconscious. Only then did Noel turn to look at the people that had ''followed'' her. What greeted her sights was a beautiful white-haired man with incredible cold blue eyes. He seemed to be a well of noble. Next to him was a black cat that had gloss fur, but the intelligence in its eyes spoke something else. "Why are you following me?" She interrogated "We happened to walk the same way" Itsuki replied as he observed the girl in front. Before she could say anything Itsuki carried on "You''re a witch, aren''t you?" 39 Reverse London The girl called Noel was shocked by this question but was instantly vigilant against Itsuki. Stepping back, she questioned "Who are you?" She knew she had just confirmed her status and it would''ve been better to act oblivious. But call it her intuition, she felt that it would be useless to try and trick the opposite party. As she questioned, she pulled out a pistol looking contraption and pointed it at them. Looking at the device, Itsuki felt that it looked particularly weak and realised that it didn''t threaten his safety. As the opposite party was not a foe but rather an ally he decided to comply. "Minamoto Itsuki, 3rd seat of the 2nd Division, Gotei 13" Hearing his answer Noel was shocked "The East Branch?!" Unlike the western branch that oversaw domesticating dragons, the eastern branch was in charge of the passing of souls. Strength wise, the eastern branch was leagues ahead of the western counterpart. She was just a human who had received training where she could interact with dragons. A male would be known as a wizard while she was a witch. They were further divided into two ranks: Sabres and Conservation Rangers. She was from a smaller sub-division within the Conservation Rangers known as pipers. While Sabres patrolled the streets of London and were the combative force, Conservation Rangers overlook the domesticated dragons and help harvest their resources. To decrease her suspicions, he took out an object to further verify his identity. It''s a coin that had WB written on either side of it. This decreased her vigilance as only members of soul society can get access to this coin. Clearly, she didn''t count for any traitors. The WB stands for Wing Bind which was the organisation that was in charge of witches and wizards, similar to the Gotei 13. They came up with the rules and regulation used around here and all witches/wizards were part of this organisation. Like how all Shinigami were part of the Gotei 13 not counting for rogue ones for both cases. After confirming their identities, she realised that she wasn''t in a position to interrogate them and walked into the telephone booth with Itsuki and Yoruichi following after. Looking at Yoruichi, she looked up to Itsuki, "The cat?" "She''s my captain" Another shock passed through her body before as she looked back at Yoruichi. Yoruichi just stared back. Noel hurriedly collected herself as she inputted her WB coin into the telephone, picking it up, she recited "Niihashi Noel, Reporting for Duty" ''Niihashi? Japanese?'' Before Itsuki could ask anything, the telephone box suddenly dropped into the ground below. After a period of darkness, a light suddenly flashed in Itsuki''s eyes as he squinted a little. Getting used to the sudden light he realised that he just arrived in a place that was similar to London but also wasn''t. A large building could be seen with the words ''Wing Bind'' plastered across the top of the building, presumably the HQ. In the distance, various type of dragons could be seen alongside many farmlands. It was just like a replica to the London above and felt harmonious. Noel Niihashi turned to Itsuki and Yoruichi, "Welcome to Reverse London" She was suddenly interrupted by an explosion and a roar in the HQ where plumes of smoke started to rise. Landing on the ground they rushed out only for a dragon to land in front of a gate partially destroying it. On the gate, there was a massive coat of arms reading SSWB with a plaque above it stating - Soul Society West Branch - The dragon slowly started dissipating as another girl came down flying on a small dragon. She had green eyes and blonde hair tied to twin ponytails held by metal bands. She wore the Conservation Rangers uniform consisting of a green suit unbuttoned over a white shirt and a red and black plaid cape with the words ''Conservation Ranger'' written on it. It was fastened to the front with a red bow. She also wore a black skirt held up by two straps over her shoulders that featured a gold gemstone on the front. She wore stockings that reached her thighs with the right one falling short to accommodate her gun''s holster. She also wore black boots with more gemstones on her ankles. She called out to Noel "Niha, you''re here" Noel also wore her cape before replying, "What''s happening Ninnie-chan, what was that explosion?" "Well there were some intrude¡­" That''s when ''Ninnie-chan'' registered the two newcomers "Who¡­who¡­who are they and why is she naked!!" Yoruichi who had turned back to her human form dressed up as she winked at Ninnie-chan "Like what you saw" Ninnie-chan went completely red as she looked at Yoruichi then to Itsuki as her blush deepened. Itsuki was in front so he never got to see the transformation as he gave out a small sigh of regret that went unnoticed by everyone. Suddenly a man came behind Noel and went straight to Yoruichi, "You must be Shihouin Yoruichi-Sama, the director sends his greetings and apologies. It seems that the HQ was attacked so he is unable to come visit you." "Its fine. Do you know who the intruders are" "No but its suspected to be Shinigami" Just as he said that more and more telephone booths came crashing down and out walked Soi-Fon and the rest of the Onmitsukido. "We came searching for a clan of traitors and we suspect them to be it. My team would like to enter battle. Do we have permission?" Yoruichi asked. Wing Bind had a similar status as the Gotei 13, and they would still need permission for any movements. "Yes Yoruichi-Sama, the director has given the permission. Also, Niihashi Noel, Ninii Spangle you will be there guides." "Yes sir!!" "I''ll follow him to meet with the director while you guys go with the two girls. I''ll meet up with you later." Yoruichi got a glove, wore it and punched Itsuki at the side of his head, brutally pulling him out of his Gigai. The three members of SSWB were surprised but calmed down as they saw another Itsuki emerge out. "Did you have to do that?" But no one answered as Yoruichi had already left. A voice was just heard from the fleeting distance "I''m leaving Itsuki in charge" ****************************************** Author''s note As Burn the Witch is only a oneshot I''ll have to come up with many things. and how you liking it so far? do you think this arc is dragging? too fast? can keep up? Exciting or meh? Feels useless? useful? Getting all nervous as this isn''t exactly part of the bleach storyline, but it is part of the world. For all the people asking about increasing the word count, I''ll try. I''ve been trying to keep it minimum 1000 words. 40 Reverse London 2 "Yoruichi-Sama!!!" Soi Fon tried running after Yoruichi but was interrupted as a shadow engulfed her. * Bang * It was Itsuki''s gigai landing on top of her. Since it was abrupt, she didn''t have time to react and was pushed onto the ground due to its weight. Regaining her bearings, she noticed a weight pressing down and the Gigai''s face incomparable close to her. ''So Close'' Her faced suddenly flushed as she heard a cold voice interrupt her thoughts. "Hentai" She looked towards Itsuki only to see a disgusted look directed at her deepening her embarrassment as she hurriedly tried to get up. Some of the Onmitsukido members ignored this interaction and went to help Soi Fon. ''''''We didn''t hear anything'''''' "Niihashi Noel, lead the way" Itsuki ignored helping Soi Fon and turned towards Noel bringing her out of her thoughts. For some reason, Itsuki found some sort of pleasure in teasing Soi Fon. These weren''t due to him having romantic feelings for her but she, in all fairness, did make for an easy target for someone to tease. It was similar to how you would irritate your little siblings. Now we know where Ryurai gets her personality from. ''Siblings, huh?'' This thought irritated Itsuki for some reason and an unpleasant feeling welled up in his chest. Itsuki was quite contradicted with what to do, on one hand there was Rangiku, a gentle girl who liked Itsuki back. On the other hand, there was a sense of loss, as if he wanted more. He never knew what to make of this feeling, indecisiveness filled his heart. It seemed like his past life''s lack of interaction with the opposite gender while being a part otaku had come back to haunt him. Interacting with Rangiku may have helped Itsuki increase his confidence, but those deeply ingrained roots were hard to change. No matter who he was now or how cool he looked, it would be difficult for him to change his core personality, even with the changes brought from the mystic eyes. His mental abilities were also proving to be useless in this situation. It wasn''t a simple set of calculations or a new life new me situation. ''Seriously, killing is much more easier'' This thought shocked Itsuki, and a wry smile appeared on his face. It seemed his core personality was changing, but not in the way he hoped. The concept of death and slaughter felt familial as if he belonged to it, was moulded by it. This did however bring in a sense of decisiveness as he looked for a solution, before coming across a common saying ''Time will tell'' Everyone was occupied in helping SSWB, so no one saw Itsuki''s subtle changes in expression. The unpleasant feeling didn''t digress fully as he got irritated. "Too slow" The innocent Noel, who was riding a small dragon meant for the transport of witches, was suddenly lifted. Holding her in a princess carry Itsuki pushed his speed to his maximum and made a beeline towards the direction where the explosion occurred. "eh?! eeeehhhhhh?!" Noel couldn''t process what was happening as her surroundings started to blur. "Tch, showing off" Soi Fon, now recovered, also increased her speed to catch up to Itsuki with the Onmitsukido members following suit. However, they failed to do so as Soi Fon started to lose ground against him. This only meant one thing, Itsuki''s Shunpo was superior to hers. Although she could tell that Itsuki was still inferior to her goddess, it was still superior to hers. This lit a fighting spirit within her as she refused to be outdone and pushed herself, ''I must not lose to him!'' Ninii was surprised by the turn of events as she brought up her speed while screaming "Wait for me!!" Noel didn''t feel too well with the sudden change of speed and before she knew it, they were facing a dark dragon. It looked similar to what Itsuki encountered in the Rukongai but only larger. The dragons roared with an expression saying, ''You shall not pass''. Itsuki felt amused by the look as he remembered a certain someone saying those lines. Noel, however, was beyond terrified as it was her first time encountering such a large dragon. Still terrified, she felt a push and a gust that forced her to close her eyes. Opening them, she noticed that the clouds looked especially large in Reverse London and were continuously growing. ''Eh?! Growing? Wait not growing, they feel like they''re getting closer? They''re not getting closer, I am?!!'' She finally realised that she wasn''t being held by anything and was thrown into the sky. Quickly turning around, she saw a small Itsuki confronting a dark dragon. "Aaaagg¡­" Her scream was interrupted as she saw Itsuki put his hand on one of his katana, a flash and returning his katana into the sheath, she didn''t even catch a glimpse of the blade. What shocked her even more was the unmoving dragon suddenly collapsing and splitting into two, diagonally from its right shoulder to the left side of its waist. Another scream escaped her mouth as she felt herself to come to a halt and pulled downwards. "Aaaaaggggggghhhhhh!!!!!!" She didn''t scream for long as she felt two hands grasp her. Slightly opening her eyes, she saw Itsuki holding her as a breeze blew her hair. Moving her hair off her face she glanced downwards to see the ground the same distance away as to when she closed her eyes, although it did look a little closer. A fierce vertigo hit her as she quickly lynched Itsuki''s neck, burying her face into his chest. Itsuki was too shocked to move but quickly came to his senses as he started to slowly pat her back, calming her down. Calming down, she moved her head and turned away, refusing to show her blushing face. It was her first showing this side to the opposite gender. "Shall we make a move now?" Giving a small nod of approval, Noel refused to look at Itsuki. The others just reached them as Itsuki shunpoed away. They all gave a look of shock seeing the dead dragon and its size. Ninii was especially shocked as she surveyed the surroundings. Seeing the surrounding damage, she realised it was most likely caused by the dragon''s arrival not due to the fight. This meant that it was dispatched in one move, thinking to here only one thought went through her head, ''Fierce!'' Suddenly a blush crept onto her face as she started to feel envious against Noel. Putting her thoughts aside, she then followed the group trying to catch up to Itsuki. Itsuki arrived at the HQ of Wing Bind. It was a fairly modern building that had around seven storeys with a castle like roof with two towers. An emblem of Wing Bind was underneath it. Now looking at it, Itsuki could see the source of explosion being from the seventh floor. He could sense the reiatsu of a dozen or so Shinigami coming from there. He shunpoed to that location and settled Noel onto the ground next to him. Putting her down he got a clearer view at the situation ahead of him. Bodies were lain strewing about across the marble floor with blood flowing across it. They wore a similar uniform to Noel but had a more combat orientated design. Around 12 to 13 Shinigami were there cleaning their blade indicating they were the cause of the massacre that lay ahead of him. The sound of vomiting could be heard next to him as the sight was too much for Noel. Growing up in a relatively peaceful place, it was the first time she came across a horrific sight such as the one in front of her. Itsuki closed his eyes upon seeing this scene, not to avert his gaze from the sight but to calm his emotions as his mystic eyes solely activated. He was furious. His thoughts were slowly pulled towards a conversation he had with Yamamoto * Flashback * "Itsuki, what do you see as justice?" Itsuki contemplated on this question. What was justice? Was someone who broke the rules evil? Was a person stealing to feed their child evil? Was killing someone just to fill your stomach evil? Itsuki didn''t know. Training with Yamamoto gave Itsuki a profound insight to the term ''The strong eats the weak''. "I don''t know sensei. What I do know that if I see something wrong happening in front of me, I will try to stop it" "Even if it means going against the world''s justice" Itsuki never replied but Yamamoto got his answer. Letting out a sigh he just said "I will give you my last lesson. Become strong and fight for your source of ''justice''. You can leave" Itsuki bowed and left. Chojiro who was next to him asked Yamamoto "You sure about this?" "Yes, although we have different minds, we walk the same path. He''s just like those other two kids" Giving out a defeated sigh as he got back to his paperwork. A few seconds ticked by as a roar was heard within the 1st division "Why is there so much paperwork!!" 41 Reverse London 3 The opposite party when into alert and got into position upon seeing the 3rd seat of the Onmitsukido in front of them. They didn''t know why he closed his eyes, but a sudden foreboding appeared in their hearts. A chill went down their spines as their hands got sweaty. Because the tension got to them, they couldn''t keep their cool and one attacked. Itsuki just stood there with his eyes closed as if he never noticed someone attacking. Noel next to him was petrified next to him and looked towards Itsuki. Noticing Itsuki with his eyes closed, shocked her but with a sudden burst of courage jumped in front of Itsuki with her hands wide open wanting to protect him. To her Itsuki looked like someone around her age and had closed his eyes upon seeing the massacre. "Run away, Itsuki-san!!" She closed her eyes as a terrified expression masked her face, but she never hesitated at all and kept her stance. Hearing a sword entering a body, she expected a burst of pain coming from her body which, for some reason, never came. Rather, a cold arm surrounded her. Slowly opening her eyes, she came across a beautiful set of azure blue eyes with a gem like pink circle in the middle. However, they weren''t looking at her but behind her. Looking down she noticed one of the swords missing from Itsuki''s sheath and Itsuki having one arm around her while the other next to her head. Slowly turning around another grotesque sight of a sword entering a man''s head entered her vision. This time she never barfed but went pale with fright at seeing death in such close proximity. "Wait here" A cold voice void of any emotion was heard as she subconsciously nodded and went behind Itsuki. The other Shinigami were shocked. They never saw when he unsheathed his sword or when he killed their comrade. Realising they were facing a difficult adversary, they got into a combat ready stance with their senses pulled to the limits. Itsuki pulled out his sword and swept it to the side, getting rid of the blood on the floor. He never needed to unleash his Shikai for the group of small fries ahead of him. Getting into a stance he analysed his opponents and using his mental abilities, he tried to find out the quickest and most efficient method to slaughter them. His blood started boiling at the notion of slaughter as he made his move. For Noel and the Shinigami, he just disappeared from their sights. It was silent no noise was heard. Itsuki was using Byakko so the blade never made any noise. When it did it was the sound of it entering someone''s body. Hearing that very sound towards the very left of them, they turned only to see a few flashes and the body of the Shinigami exquisitely cut into a few pieces. It was too beautiful, the flash of the blade, the way it was carried out, just the art of killing was like a dance. "Beautiful¡­" A small voice escaped Noel''s mouth as she was mesmerised by the display. It was like looking at a frozen rose, cold and beautiful but deadly. It seemed that seeing the scene of the massacre may have changed the way Noel looked at death but was still no reason to how she got accustomed to it so quickly. "Tch" An annoyed voice was heard behind her causing her to jump up while giving out a cute yelp. It was Soi Fon and the gang as they had recently arrived. The members of the Onmitsukido were about to intervene but Soi Fon stopped them "If he were to find trouble with this then I''ll kill him myself" Unable to refute her claim they stopped in their tracks and got a proper look at the scene in front of them. No one had any aversion to this, they were trained elites, member of the militia corps, some of them had seen things much worse than this. All of the new arrivals were like this, all but one. * Vomit * Ninii just arrived and she was similar to Noel in this aspect. Noel hurried and went to help Ninii as she calmed her down. They were partners, friends and sisters so they naturally cared for each other. A horrified look was planted on her face as she looked away. Noel just hugged her and patted her back. She faced a similar situation as her but sadly no one was there to hug her like this. It was as if a dam had broken and Ninii started to weep quietly and Noel following her. They saw some familiar faces amongst the dead and knew it was the last time they would see it. Those familiar smiling faces were no longer there with them. Soi Fon looked at them and look back at Itsuki. She held some sympathy for the young girls but that was all. With the mentality of the Shinigami, comrades dying was something one would face at least once in their time of being one. This especially being the norm within the Onmitsukido. Looking back shocked her as there were only around five of the Shinigami left. With the rest of them grouping up with fearful faces. Appearing in front of one Itsuki slashed at his torso and moved to the side. It was an instant death. The body hadn''t even fallen when Itsuki was next to another Shinigami. He didn''t even have time to process what was happening when he was incapacitated. By the time Itsuki killed the fourth one, the first Shinigami killed had just landed on the floor. The last Shinigami seemed to be the leader. He was trembling and couldn''t hold his sword properly. Dropping it on the floor he fell on his back as he brought his hands up. "S-s-spare me, I''ll tell you anything?" Itsuki looked at the sorry mess in front of him and grabbed him by the collar. "Hiiiiiiiii" Staring into the eyes of Itsuki was like staring at death itself for the Shinigami causing him to leak itself. The only reason that Noel wasn''t scared of it was because Itsuki was able to increase his control of his eyes so innocent bystanders wouldn''t be affected. He did this because, unless he points at someone, other people would only see his eyes change colour nothing else. It was one of the counter measures for Aizen as he knew that he would be interested with his eyes. So, it would be better if he could hide his aura so Aizen wouldn''t get any leads to his eye''s abilities. Aizen was a dangerous individual with incomparable intellect, he was even able to trick Yhwach, even if it was for a short time. He was definitely at the top of Itsuki''s list of dangerous individuals. He was a normal Shinigami at first and brought soul society to its knees. If not for the cheat known as Ichigo, No one knows what height he could have reached. Yhwach was the son of the Soul King and had an army of Quincy which was the reason why he was stronger than Aizen. But regarding pure intellect no one could hold a candle to Aizen. Well now there was one, our very own protagonist. Itsuki was quite confident with his mental abilities but it wouldn''t hurt just to be prepared for the unseen. Throwing the sorry mess towards Soi Fon he went forward to try find any leads. Not finding anything he realised that this was most likely a diversion and got back to the gang. One of the members of the Onmitsukido were doing the interrogation with Soi Fon observing. "I thought you would interrogate him?" "You think I would touch someone who has wet himself" Silence ensued as the screams of the man resounded throughout the floor. Noel and Ninii were still there as they covered their ears and looked away from the interrogation. After the screaming stopped Itsuki came behind them and tapped their shoulders "You guys okay?" Both of them turned around and weren''t able to see behind Itsuki. Both with a slight flush in their faces nodded. Noel seemed to be hesitating about saying something but chose to keep silent. Itsuki noticed this and asked her "Is there anything, Niihashi Noel" She seemed to have come to a decision as she questioned Itsuki, "Don''t you feel something with what happened" Itsuki just stared at her and nodded his head sideways. "We are Shinigami, in my training I had to kill many people just to get used to it. Us Shinigami were once just a group of killers before they came together and made the Gotei 13. We have quite the different mentality so don''t worry about it. You just do your job while we do ours" Itsuki was quite shocked by how much he talked. He may have had some sympathy for the girls, but it was probably the longest he had ever talked, He hated it. ''I don''t think I''m going to do this again'' Before he could carry on thinking Soi Fon called out. They had found what they needed. 42 Reverse London 4 "So, it seems that this was there plan all along, did you get that?" "¡­" "I asked did you get that" "¡­" "I sai¡­" Soi Fon furiously turned around only to see Itsuki nodding. "Wha¡­I want a reply not a nod" Itsuki just looked at her and turned his head to the side, clearly ignoring her. Seeing this Soi Fon just stomped her foot while gritting her teeth. ''Wha¡­ why is he ignoring'' Not knowing the reason, a weird feeling arose within Soi Fon along with another thought ''What is he thinking?'' In truth only one thought was going through his head at the moment ''I should stay quiet for some time to make up for how much I talked. Mmhmm. Balance it out'' Giving himself a mental nod, he turned the Onmitsukido members and gave another nod while also giving one to Noel and Ninii. Confusion was written on their face as they weren''t clear to what he was implying. What followed after was him using Shunpo to come next to Noel, pick her up from the neck like a cat, and Shunpo away. "I think he wants us to follow him" An Onmitsukido member said uncertainly. Soi Fon was irritated by Itsuki''s current actions and vented it out on the floor. Turning to Ninii she shouted, "Hurry and show us the way" "Y-yes ma''am!" As they left, a droplet of blood fell from the broken side of the floor as if it was crying. Ah, the miseries of being a floor, being stepped on, on a day to day basis, yet when it gets destroyed, it won''t be fixed immediately but rather, after a period of venting, only then would it be fixed. A distance away Itsuki had suddenly stopped and turned Noel to face him. He said nothing, he was still on his silent strike. Noel just looked back at Itsuki and the period of silence continued with Noel getting increasingly uncomfortable. No matter how handsome the opposite party was, it was still uncomfortable to get stared at with such intensity. Realising that focusing intently won''t make her realise his intentions he got his other hand to point in various directions with the look ''where''. Realisation hit Noel''s face as she clenched her right hand and smacked it down onto her left palm like striking a hammer. "Oh! You want directions" Itsuki nodded "It''s that way" With Noel acting like a human satnav, it wasn''t long until Itsuki arrived at the destination. What he came across was a lather large tattered barn, probably the size of a football field. It seemed to have been years since it was last visited or cleaned. Itsuki never entered and waited for the rest to arrive. Surprisingly, it wasn''t Soi Fon and them but rather Yoruichi who had arrived. "It seems you''re already here, Itsuki" "Yes, captain" ''Ah, he started talking again'' "We''ll wait for Soi Fon and the others to arrive before infiltrating" Itsuki nodded once more as he let Noel down and rubbed his neck, he was tired from all the nodding. Sometime later, Soi Fon arrived and wait straight to Yoruichi. "Yoruichi-Sama" While she did this, she gave a hateful glare towards Itsuki. This didn''t go unnoticed by Yoruichi as she bought her hand to her mouth, "Oho, it seems Itsuki has been bullying our little Soi Fon" "Wha¡­no¡­can we please focus on the mission Yoruichi-Sama" Soi Fon tried averting the topic as Itsuki just quietly listened. With their not being enough time, Yoruichi decided to keep the teasing for later and turned towards her team. "I''ve found out that the head plans on using the material of the first ever dark dragon to help him.We don''t know how but all the investigations point towards this. We are on our own and there won''t be enough time to call reinforcements from back home so it''s just us. I''ll take the lead and kill on sight, no survivors, well try to keep the head alive" "Hai!!" "Then let''s move" Entering the barn, they came across a bunch of farming tools, not the usual size but large ones. There were also some weird ones as Soi Fon picked a weird looking shear. "What''s this" Noel who was next to her looked at it and told Soi Fon, "We use that to harvest grapes¡­" "heeeeh" A look of understanding was plastered on Soi Fon''s face until Noel finished her sentence, "¡­from the snout of the cameldragon" Disgust immediately replaced the understanding look as she threw the shear away from her hand. Hearing a silent giggle to the side, she turned her head only to see Itsuki and Yoruichi covering their mouths desperately trying to contain their laugh. The other members made no such move but seeing the occasional tremble, it was clear they were trying their best not to laugh. Soi Fon immediately blushed in shame and forgot all her prior training as she rushed ahead. Seeing this Itsuki just looked until he felt something from the ground beneath. Seeing it was coming towards Soi Fon, he was about to warn her but someone else beat him to it, "Soi Fon, watch out!!!" Although Yoruichi shouted, Itsuki had already moved. The ground in front her exploded as she returned to her senses. Seeing a claw swipe towards her, Soi Fon realised her blunder and tried to bring out her Zanpakuto. However just as she reached the hilt the claw was already in front of her with the intent to kill. Although she jumped back it was still quite fast and the distant seemed non-existent, still with her training she didn''t give up and tried to fight back. Alas it was useless. As despair sprouted in Soi Fon''s heart, a shadow suddenly grabbed her into a hug and the sound of metal clashing could be heard. It was Itsuki. Yoruichi had just finished shouting while Itsuki was already next to Soi Fon. Looking up, Soi Fon looked at Itsuki''s activated eyes and immediately felt something stirring in her heart. Itsuki just grabbed Soi Fon and retreated to the back as all the dust cleared. What appeared in front of Yoruichi and them was a monstrosity. All the other dark dragon''s paled in comparison in size and in power to whatever it was that appeared in front of them. It looked similar to the other dragons just more menacing and seemed to have a sparkle of intelligence. A total of four smaller dark dragons appeared on the side with the Fang clan members on each of their shoulders. "Seems to be quite the party" Yoruichi turned to the Onmitsukido members, "You guys take care of the small fries; I''ll go for the head with¡­" She then turned to Itsuki only to see a partial pink atmosphere, Itsuki looked down towards Soi Fon who was in his arms, he never said anything and checked to see if she was okay. Soi Fon looked up at his eyes with a hint of pinkness appearing on her cheeks. Itsuki looked back and¡­ Dropped her. ''She seems to be okay'' He then ignored her and walked towards the head "You guys seemed to have created your own atmosphere there" Itsuki also ignored her and slashed at one of the small dragons in his way. There were three Shinigami members who attacked alongside the dragon only to realise that Itsuki was already behind them. "Wha¡­?!" "Nani¡­?!" "Fast?!" By the time they turned around, a coldness spread throughout their bodies as their vision went blank. The last thing they heard was the sound of Itsuki sheathing his sword. The dragon fared no better and was also dispatched instantly. Soi Fon got back up with a livid expression on her face before coming to a sudden realisation ''Was I attracted to him; No. It can''t be. I only have Yoruichi-Sama in my heart. I only have Yoruichi-Sama in my heart. I only have¡­'' She seems to have started to pray some mantra as she got up and joined the other Onmitsukido members with a resolute face. She had trust in Yoruichi-Sama and approved of Itsuki''s strength. All she could do now was try and quickly defeat the others and quickly join with Yoruichi. Itsuki and Yoruichi were currently in front of the first dark dragon and the head of the Fang clan. "Looking at this guy, it seems that he won''t surrender, try to keep him alive, we need something to take back" The head took out his zanpakuto and stabbed it into the Dark dragon. A manic look was on his face as he released his Shikai, "Absorb, wretched octopus" Surprised by the turn of events Yoruichi tried to stop him upon realising what he was trying to do. "Eh?!" Itsuki however stood there dumbfounded as he remembered something from his previous life. His ears turned red as his mind thought up various things ''Wr-r-r-r¡­" Although he had read up the information on the Shinigami''s powers, it was different hearing a middle-aged man shouting it. Especially in such a proud voice. Quickly collecting his thoughts, he realised that he needed to train himself even more upon returning. Getting flustered by something so small was a shame and felt it was quite lucky that no one saw. He seemed to have finally found a path into awakening his Bankai, he needed to train his mind to serenity. He was rushing too much and needed to calm down. Upon realising this, he seemed to have a breakthrough in his swordsmanship. Really, when it rains it pours. The last move of Hiten mitsurugi-ryu seemed to have been presented itself to Itsuki. It was a difficult move and using it was hard. Itsuki may know the principals behind it but using it could prove to be detrimental. However, now Itsuki was confident in using it without any side effects. ******************************************** Author''s note Kinda late but just realised that with Itsuki, there wont be long fights, they will defeated quite easily. Ill try not to rush it but you guys don''t mind that right? Plus this chap was to show that Itsuki still has his flaws but dont worry he will overcome them. He is not perfect. He will stay our quiet and cool protag. 43 Return "Aaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" Yoruichi looked at the head as he screamed hysterically. She tried to stop him, but the dragon got in the way and now she could only look while the man seemingly powered up. Walking next to Yoruichi, Itsuki looked on but felt something weird. Just as he was about to question it the head took back his sword and looked upwards "Hahahahahahahahaha, I feel power!!" While the head was laughing, Yoruichi questioned Itsuki. "Why doesn''t he feel strong, is it because we are too weak that we can''t feel his strength" Shaking his head, Itsuki replied "Probably adrenaline" "Yeah look, the dragon also looks disappointed" While this was happening, the head was in his own little world, "Now with this I can finally go against Soul Society. Huehuehue, the man was right¡­" Hearing this Yoruichi and Itsuki were shocked ""The man?!"" Turning to each other they gave a nod and made their moves. "Itsuki, we need him alive. I was wondering how a small Fang clan could do this, but it seems there is someone else behind them. Take care of the dragon, I got this guy" Itsuki thought of a certain man and made his way to the dragon. Yoruichi, instead, shunpoed onto the dragon and kicked the head off. The dragon tried stopping Yoruichi but Itsuki got in its way. The two looked as each other as Itsuki got into an Iaido stance. The stare off continued for a while until both of them made their moves. The dragon leaped at Itsuki while swiping its claws, although it was humongous compared to the others, its speed was nothing to scoff at. Itsuki, however, followed every move of the dragon. His breathing slowed down along with his heart breath. Time seemed to slow as the claw got closer. Just then Itsuki made his move, he unsheathed his sword and stepped forward with his opposite foot. However, mid-draw, he took another step with his adjacent foot, creating an instant acceleration similar to Shunpo but faster. "Hiten mitsurugi-ryu ogi, Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki" The dragon just saw a flash and was then somehow facing the sky. A confused look masked his face before a lifeless one. It never knew how it died. Itsuki was behind it crouching slightly with his sword finally stopping at his side. Getting up, he felt a pull backwards, but he never turned around. It was just a vacuum. That was there if the strike was somehow dodged or even blocked so when the air rushed back in, they would be drawn to the user. Sheathing his sword, he got back up and surveyed his surroundings. The head was caught with an unbelieving expression. Itsuki could tell what he was thinking, it was probably along the lines of ''How, I powered up and everything''. The others were finished off while Noel and Ninii were helping them out. With one left Noel got her gun and pointed at the last dragon "Absolute Dragon Shatter!" A beam of light was released and disintegrated the dragon. They finally relaxed after taking care of the final one. But this didn''t last long as they prepared themselves once more and turned towards where Itsuki and Yoruichi were. Turning with resolute faces, what entered their vision was nothing, looking around they saw the leader tied up with Itsuki and Yoruichi waiting for them. They were shook for a bit but let their guard down with helpless smiles. Coming next to them Noel turned towards "Itsuki-san didn''t need help after all" "hoo, first name basis" Noel got flustered at Yoruichi''s teasing and looked away. Seeing Itsuki''s stoic face she felt somewhat disappointed. Trying to change the topic, "So, where''s the first dark dragon then?" "What are you talking about? Its right the¡­" Soi Fon pointed behind her while looking back only to see the dragon gone. Itsuki also looked back to see the same thing. "Wha¡­!" The dragon had somehow gone missing while the two were looking at Noel finishing of the last dragon. Itsuki hurriedly rushed back only to see a depression where the dragon had landed after being killed by him. Searching round, there was no evidence that the dragon had somehow revived and escaped. Suddenly, a glint flashed in the middle of the depression. Itsuki didn''t miss this and made his way towards it while keeping his left hand on his scabbard. This was something all practitioners did to be safe and ready in case they were ambushed. Naturally, Itsuki also picked it up. Using his foot to sweep away the surrounding debris, Itsuki took out a metallic object. It wasn''t exactly a metal but did look like it. It was an oval in shape and reminded Itsuki of something, ''An egg?'' "Is that an egg?" Not knowing when, Yoruichi arrived next to Itsuki. She looked around, sniffed it couple of times and gave it back to Itsuki. Seems like an egg to me. She then turned towards Noel and Ninii with a questioning look, "What is this? Its most likely the dragon''s but¡­" "There hasn''t been a case where a dark dragon has left behind an egg" Out of sheer curiosity, Itsuki thought it would be a great idea to pour his reiatsu into the egg. Yoruichi noticed this but decided to keep silent. She also wanted to know what would happen, so she came next to Itsuki. For a second, it was as if a pair of cat ears and a tail seemed to show up on Yoruichi. ''Cu¡­'' A cracking sound brought Itsuki out of his thoughts as he returned to look at the egg. Faint cracks began to show up on the egg as Itsuki started to pour in more Reiatsu. Noel wanted to say something but looking at Itsuki she felt safe and decided not to voice out her opinion. She was also curious. A short period later, a head burst out. It was incomparable ugly, but no one thought wrong of it. It seemed to be a bird with its beak. There were no feathers on the bird and because it was a new-born, it was hard to tell what species it was. Opening its eyes, it first glanced at Itsuki and stared at him. Two beings with ice cold blue eyes looked back at each other. "It seems to think of you as its mother" Yoruichi''s voice suddenly broke apart the moment, while the voices of the Onmitsukido members were heard in the background, "It is said that the first thing a baby chick sees becomes its mother" Itsuki realised this and looked back. The chick looked at him then looked at Yoruichi before falling asleep. It seemed that he just had to feed it reiatsu nothing else. Seeing that their job was complete Yoruichi turned to the two girls, "It seems this is where we part ways. The director has given me the way to leave so this is goodbye." Noel and Ninii looked at each other ""Thanks for your help"" "Let''s go Soi Fon, grab the traitor and you guys grab the dead bodies and their zanpakutos, we''re going home" While they were talking, around a dozen telephones booths came down with members of Shinigami walking out of it. "Captain Yoruichi, we are from the fourth division so we would take care of the dead bodies. The captain-commander has called for your haste return." Giving the Shinigami a nod she was about to make her way towards the telephone booth when a call was heard. "Yoruichi-Sama!!" Hearing Soi Fon''s shout Yoruichi quickly made her way towards her only to see a dead body next to Soi Fon. Quickly making her way she turned the dead body around only to see black blood coming out of its mouth. ''Poisoned? But when? When I checked there wasn''t any sort of poison on him?'' Yoruichi felt irritated by this happening and called for an investigation. She didn''t like not knowing. Itsuki was just there cradling the new-born as Noel and Ninii came up to him. Ninii looked flustered and looked away with a hmph and Noel bowed towards him. "Thanks for everything, Itsu-Minamoto-san" Her face went red as she looked back only to see Itsuki''s back ''Did he ignore me?'' Itsuki started to walk away with Noel standing back up. Just as she was about to leave a faint voice was heard "You can call me by my first name" Noel looked shocked but immediately a happy smile plastered her face as she responded "Hai!!" - 2nd Division - "Finally, I can rest" Yoruichi looked extremely blissful when she returned. After reporting her mission, she had to do a lot of post work paperwork. Only now was she able to be freed from it. Sitting on her seat she looked at the small bird nesting itself on Itsuki''s hair. Only after constant investigations and experiments conducted on the behaviour of the bird was Itsuki able to keep it. Those in the central 46 were extremely paranoid when they brought the bird back, and only when there was an assurance from both Urahara and Yoruichi were they able to relax. Nothing came up from the investigations to how the head died and was just discarded as an act of suicide. This time Itsuki was finally able to meet Urahara, and he was just like the anime, a jovial man. He had helped Itsuki out tremendously this time in keeping the bird with simple reason of helping his kouhai. White feathers started to bud around the bird, well eagle. Although the colour was different, the results of the test showed that it was a variation of a golden eagle. Maybe because it fed on Itsuki''s reiatsu, that was why the variation happened. A certain blue guy wanted to experiment more but was adamantly refused by Itsuki. Petting the eagle, it let out a few cute "Kyuu kyuu" before going back to playing with Itsuki''s hair. "so, what are you going to name it?" "Eh?" "Kyu?" Yoruichi''s words came as a shock to not just Itsuki but also the eagle. - Somewhere in Seireitei - "A failure, huh?" **************************************************** Author''s note (Important) This arc is now finally finished. Finally settled with a Golden Eagle. As for the name, with some help I have come up with Seikyo or K¨­kyo. Both of them mean death in a way, but I would also like your lots suggestions. So if you have any good ones then post your own. The one with the most like wins and they have to be a proper one. Even if it has the most likes, I wont choose a ridiculous one. 44 Inner world The eagle looked at Itsuki as he looked back. "A name, huh?" The two gazed at each other as Itsuki got to ruminating. Looking at its eyes Itsuki suddenly had a vision. It wasn''t clear but he swore that he saw it. Focusing once more, the vision emerged once again as Itsuki closed his right eye. Now it was clear. He was looking back at himself, no, the eagle was looking at him and he just shared its vision. Although he found it surprising, he kept his cool as a name popped up in his head ''I will name it'' "Seikyo. As if when you see it, death itself was looking at you" "Kyuu-" It seemed Seikyo approved of its name as it jumped down onto Itsuki''s shoulder and rubbed its face against it. "Really. I was thinking of something along the lines of Pablo Romani conti D''Souza Pierre Antonio Lafifi, Fifi for short. Well yours seems plausible, I guess" Hearing that name Seikyo who was rubbing Itsuki''s face suddenly lost its footing and fell to the ground. Luckily, Itsuki caught it quickly, it was still young, although it grew fast. Itsuki''s eye twitched with Yoruichi''s naming sense as he thought to himself ''Luckily, I never asked for suggestions'' Soi Fon who was silently listening decided to make herself known "What a marvellous name Yoruichi-Sama, but it''s too bad that the eagle likes its name" "Right" It seemed that even Soi Fon found Yoruichi''s naming sense lacking. Itsuki, however, thought differently ''She actually didn''t support her'' Seeing her change, Itsuki didn''t think too much of it and excused himself. Before he left, Yoruichi called out, "For your hard work, I''ll let you use my hot spring" He had already left so he never saw the underlying smirk hidden beneath the shadows. Itsuki quickly reached his office and closed his right eye after placing Seikyo down. "Indeed, we can share our vision, can''t we?" "Kyuu" Giving a nod, Seikyo looked smug as it crossed its wings. Itsuki didn''t care as he told it to look in different directions and checked to see if there was a limit. He couldn''t fly now so Itsuki had to personally put him at a distance and move back himself. After giving it a few tries, there were no distance limitations as Seikyo was like a familiar to him. Further tests would be needed if the visions sharing would work if Itsuki was in Seireitei and Seikyo in the human world, for example. Currently all he could think of was the hot spring and, in his excitement, seemed to have forgotten about the antics of a certain captain during a visit to the hot springs. Getting undressed he relaxed in the hot springs as he closed his eyes while a rare blissful smile showed up on his face. Although, he seemed to be relaxing right now, currently his mind was working to its full capacity. He was still trying to reach Bankai. A slight rip had appeared on the veil to Bankai and all he needed to do was rip it fully open and that was exactly what he did. Walking through he arrived at the peak, but the thing was that it was upside down. Strangely though it seemed everything in this world was upside down as the snow was falling upwards. Looking up he saw the peak where Byakko and Ryurai resided but no presence of them. Returning his gaze, a figure clad in a white yukata was in front of him. To reach what Itsuki needed was to disregard all life, even his own. This exact notion was also needed to properly master Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu''s last move, the one he used against the dark dragon. Walking forward he tried reaching the figure that had their back facing Itsuki but no matter how hard or fast he ran, he couldn''t reach that figure. Realising that he wasn''t ready yet, he became confused as to what to do. With the figure not turning around, he couldn''t see how the person looked. Suddenly, the figure started to swing the sword around as if they were practicing. Surprisingly, it was the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu. Although Itsuki saw the moves, he understood that the person had a similar grasp on the sword technique as him. That carried on until the last move, Hiten mitsurugi-ryu ogi, Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. Looking at the swiftness of the strike, he realised that his was lacking, too lacking. He doesn''t remember the exact detail of the last move, and the manual doesn''t go into much detail. He realised that to get to that mastery, he would need to have a bout with the opposite party. An intense desire surged in his heart as he tried to get closer to that figure but still failed to do so. Suddenly, the figure slightly turned their head and Itsuki felt a shudder. A connection of some sort. Focusing carefully, the connection came from their head, more precisely, their eyes. What Itsuki came across was a familiar pair of eyes. The same indifferent, azure-pink eyes was what lay there. A lightning bolt flashed through his mind as the figure turned around. He knew that person. Suddenly, he was dragged out his inner consciousness by a forceful pull. He had a feeling, a feeling that was hard to describe. He felt that to have a bout with that person he would need something, something that he was lacking. Waking up he found himself in the same spot, the only difference now was the intruder in front of him. Yoruichi. In her cat form. "Yo, seems like you have woken up?" A strange masculine voice came out of the cat as he saw it swimming from one side to the other. Seikyo was giving out cries in the back as it found Yoruichi familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. "You should smile like that more often. Its more pleasing to the eye ''not like you will ever be the opposite of that''" The last part went unsaid as Yoruichi took a glance at Itsuki. Seikyo trotted to the side of the pool before making a few threatening gestures towards Yoruichi. Yoruichi smirked as she jumped out of the pool and walked towards Seikyo, with the figure of a predator. Seikyo, slowly stepped backwards, but noticed its father behind. This gave the eagle a sudden burst of courage as it went back to threatening Yoruichi. This surprised Yoruichi as she never expected Seikyo to stand up like this. Before she could think, Itsuki quickly grabbed her and started petting her. ''Soft'' Yoruichi''s fur was really soft and, although, he had petted her before he couldn''t get enough of it. Behind Itsuki, Seikyo was proud of her papa as it had taken care of the big bad creature. Giving a few cute cries she returned back to playing with Itsuki''s hair that was spread along the side of the hot spring. Yoruichi was annoyed at Itsuki suddenly grabbing her but couldn''t resist the petting. "Nyaa" Suddenly a girly voice came out of the cat while Itsuki was petting her. Itsuki continued to pet her despite her trembling as a sudden smirk appeared on her face. * Poof * Smoke immediately covered Itsuki''s vision as the soft fur disappeared from his grasp. Instead what replaced it was the feeling of soft skin. Confusion appeared on Itsuki''s face as he couldn''t see what was in front of him. With the smoke clearing out, he was finally able to see what he was touching as an all too familiar face appeared in front of him. "W-what? C-captain?" Seeing his hand touching Yoruichi''s chest, Itsuki got flustered. His eyes widened and his ears got red with a slight unnoticeable blush appearing on his face. Yoruichi who saw this version of Itsuki had one thought going on in her head ''Cute'' Shaking those thoughts out of her head, a playful smirk returned to her face, "Nyaa, Itsuki-kun don''t touch there" Looking at where he was touching, he quickly retracted his arm as he tried maintaining his composure, returning to his cold fa?ade. "W-what are y-you doing, captain?" Yoruichi didn''t answer as she brought her two hands and wrapped it around Itsuki''s neck. She inched closer with her face and soon, they were looking at each other''s eyes. Itsuki''s breathing was steady yet his heart wasn''t. Looking at those eyes something stirred within him. "Like what you see?" The same playful smirk was plastered on his face as he kept his silence. "Fufu" Giving a slight giggle Yoruichi moved away from Itsuki and returned to her cat form. * Poof * "Quickly, finish your bath. I''ll be taking you somewhere" Giving a nod, Itsuki also left the pool with a dazed Seikyo with him. It seems that the heat had gotten to the bird. Steadying his heart, a wry smile appeared on his face as he remembered Yoruichi''s character. ''She was like that in the anime. I need to sort out my memories of the show first just in case another situation happens due to my negligence'' While Itsuki was getting ready, Yoruichi had returned to her human form and was in her captain attire. She stood there waiting with on hand near her chest. ''That was close¡­'' - Sometime Later - "Yo, Itsuki, took your time, hu?!" Itsuki stayed silent as picked Seikyo from his head and kept it in his arms. '' She''s back to her normal self'' Yoruichi didn''t wait for Itsuki''s answer and carried on. "Follow me, don''t get lost" With this she shunpoed off with Itsuki following. Along the way she noticed Itsuki keeping close to her and she upped her speed. Itsuki still followed until she used her maximum speed and Itsuki started to fall behind. Looking around she found her destination and landed outside a manor. Itsuki who arrived a little later than her and saw the plaque that was engraved on the side. - Kuchiki Manor - 45 Kuchiki Byakuya The Kuchiki manor was a typical noble house with various rooms and courtyards. It was surrounded by a wall similarly found in all of Seireitei but with the Kuchiki insignia on the entrance. Entering the Kuchiki manor, they were guided by the servants to the main hall where they came across two men. One was a relatively old man wearing the standard captain''s uniform with a sleeveless haori. He had slate grey eyes, long grey hair and a grey moustache. He wore an expensive white scarf across his neck. Looking at the scarf it reminded him of Kuchiki Byakuya''s scarf. This scarf was a family heirloom which was handed down from generation to generation and was given to each clan head. Apparently, it was made from the silk of a Silverwhite Wildflower and was personally crafted by Tsujishir¨­ Kuroemon III. He also wore black fingerless tekko covering the back of the hand and looped up to attach to the base of his fingers. Next to him was a man that looked similar to Kuchiki Byakuya but different. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform but with a band stating ''lieutenant'' on his left arm. He was of average height, had shoulder length black hair and bluish-purple eyes.His bangs were pushed to the side while his hair was neatly combed. He wore a single kenseikan on the left side of his face that signified his nobility as a member of the Kuchiki clan. The both stood there as the two men came towards Yoruichi. "It''s been a while Yoruichi" "It indeed has, Ginrei and looking as good as ever, Sojun" The old man was the current head of the Kuchiki household and captain of the 6th division, Kuchiki Ginrei. The man next to him was his son, vice-captain of the 6th division and the father of Kuchiki Byakuya, Kuchiki Sojun. Kuchiki Sojun was a talented fighter yet a kind individual. He was supposed to succeed Ginrei but was eventually killed in action. The three made some small talk while Itsuki stayed quiet. Ginrei looked at him from time to time before an approving light flashed through his eyes. "It seems, Genryusai-dono has chosen yet another talented individual" Yoruichi was smug as her subordinate was praised. It was said that Ginrei had a good eye for an individual''s skill or potential and what they must do to achieve their full potential. This was part of the reason why she brought Itsuki here. Turning to Itsuki, Ginrei stated, "What you need is experience in battles, it is what you lack most as for your full potential, I can''t see the end of it." That was all he said before turning to Yoruichi. He only said something as he saw tremendous potential within Itsuki and that Yoruichi had brought him. Being a wily old fox, it was natural that he could see through Yoruichi''s intentions and it wouldn''t harm him even if he did say something. Plus, he could somehow gain some assurance for any future issues. "It seems you aren''t here to meet me" "No, where''s Byakuya" "He''s out training at the back" Ginrei left the hall with Yoruichi and Itsuki trailing. Walking through the corridors, Sojun excused himself as he had to return the 6th division barracks for some work. Walking for a while they found themselves in front of a boy training with a wooden sword. It was in a relatively small courtyard surrounded by three small trees. The boy was wearing a white shihakuso like the academy uniform but with green trousers and without the logo. His sleeves had been tied to his body to prevent them coming in his way while training. The boy was engrossed in his training, so nobody disturbed him until he finished where Ginrei walked behind him. "Training as always, Byakuya" Turning around, Byakuya wiped his sweat as he ran towards his grandfather. "Grandfather, you''re here. Will you be staying in the manor or in the barracks tonight?" Ginrei just gave a nod before continuing. "Byakuya, could you finish up today''s training, you have a visitor" "A visitor?" Looking behind his grandfather, the only person he saw was Itsuki. A confused expression masked his face as he tried remembering who he was before failing to do so. Just as he was about to ask his grandfather, his hair that was tied in a ponytail fell on his shoulders. Realising who the guest was, he swiped his sword backwards while shouting, "It''s you again, you were-cat" While giving out her signature laugh, she easily dodged the strike as she replied "Although I''ve said it before, I''ll say it again. Greeting someone as were-cat right off the bat is not very nice, Byakuya-boy. I even brought one of my subordinates to play with you" "Shut up! When did I ask you to come and play? And besides as the future head of the Kuchiki clan, I don''t need to play. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Itsuki on the side just watched the two quarrel with each other. Looking at Byakuya now, Itsuki tried comparing the future one to this one in front of him. ''How did this become that'' While thinking like this, Yoruichi continued teasing Byakuya. "It seems the future of the Kuchiki household is in a predicament with their future clan head''s headband getting stolen by little girl while playing." This caused a twitch in Byakuya''s eye as he chased after her. Failing to catch her, Byakuya never gave up while Yoruichi got bored. It seems she can finally do her main task. "Byakuya-boy, I''ll give you your hair band back¡­" "Were-cat, you finally came to your senses." "¡­if you beat my subordinate with the sword then I''ll give it back, I''ll also do any one task for you." Hearing this, he unconsciously turned to look at the other guest behind his grandfather. "You better keep your promise, were-cat" He then shunpoed in front of Itsuki as his grandfather retreated to the side. A servant came with another wooden sword which was then presented to Itsuki. Finally getting a proper look at Itsuki, Byakuya was shocked by his looks but soon calmed down. ''He really his handsome, but the future clan head of the Kuchiki household shouldn''t lose to a subordinate of that were-cat'' While thinking such things he waited for Itsuki to get into stance. Itsuki didn''t say anything as he took his zanpakuto off and picked up the wooden sword, ''Should I go all out, or shall I hold back? 10%? 50%?...'' Before he could continue thinking, Yoruichi arrived next to him and whispered two words before grabbing Seikyo and shunpoing next to Ginrei "Destroy him" ''Well it seems I''ll be going all out'' Upon arriving next to Ginrei, Yoruichi questioned him as her face changed to a serious one, "Sorry for not telling you beforehand" Hearing this Ginrei just shook his head, "Ever since he was born, he has been training in the clan manor. It was time for him to receive some sort of setback" Ginrei knew perfectly well that although, among his peers, Byakuya was unrivalled, he hadn''t had any sort of setback. Yoruichi wasn''t enough to curb that arrogance but Itsuki was perfect, he looked around his age and was well younger than him. Seikyo, who was suddenly grabbed started protesting ''I want to go back to papa, let go of me you meanie'' "Kyuu Kyuu" "Calm down, Seikyo. Look, Itsuki is about to fight" This seemed to calm her down as she observed her papa. Yoruichi came forward and picked up a stone. "Get ready" While Byakuya placed his sword in front of him in the chudan stance, Itsuki got into the Iaido stance. Looking at the two of them, Yoruichi threw the pebble in the air. All the two waited for was the sound of the pebble dropping. They waited. And waited. And waited. Byakuya got irritated as a vein popped up on his forehead but calmed himself down after seeing Itsuki not getting agitated. Still he thought to himself ''I''ll get that were-cat later'' As soon as he thought this, the sound of the pebble hitting the ground was heard. Forcefully, calming himself down seemed to pay off as Byakuya made his move. Stepping forward he swept his wooden sword downwards. Mid-swing, better yet, mid-step, Itsuki, in front of him, looked up and made eye contact. Byakuya suddenly felt a shudder down his spine when he saw those ice-cold blue eyes before seeing Itsuki suddenly disappearing from his vision. His eyes widened slightly as he lost the feeling of holding a sword when he finished his swing. Looking around he found his wooden sword a few feet away from him. He seemed to be in shock as he had lost to someone that looked around his age. Seeing her papa win, Seikyo gave out a few cute cries with a joyous look on her face. Yoruichi decided that it was enough and made her leave alongside Itsuki. Itsuki just gave one last glance to Byakuya before following Yoruichi in leaving. 46 Unexpected Encounter Ginrei walked up to the downtrodden Byakuya as he picked his sword up to him. "Grandfather, I lost" "You did indeed. Quite pathetically" Ginrei sniggered while looking at Byakuya. In front of others, he would have an apathetic front, typical of a member of a noble family, while in front of Byakuya he would become a doting grandfather. "Eh?" Byakuya was shocked by his grandfather''s merciless comments. As if not noticing Byakuya, Ginrei continued, "I didn''t even see his sword; it was too fast" Sighing lightly Ginrei looked at Byakuya "You barely moved your sword before it was thrown out of your hand. You didn''t even take a step" The more Ginrei talked the more Byakuya got embarrassed. Trying to refute his grandfather he turned to him "But how can the were-cat have such a subord¡­eh?" As if catching something he looked at his grandfather, "Grandfather didn''t see his sword?" In Byakuya''s eyes, his grandfather was a strong individual, he was the captain of the 6th division for hell''s sake. Yet for his grandfather to not see that sword meant that in terms of pure swordsmanship that youth was probably above him. "Who was he?" "The 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division, Minamoto Itsuki¡­" ''Minamoto Itsuki, where have I heard that name?'' "¡­also the personal¡­ wait you don''t need to know that" Hearing this Byakuya was curious at what his grandfather wanted to say but later just ignored it. If his grandfather didn''t want to tell him then he won''t force him. ''I need to defeat him the next time I see him'' Clenching his fist, determination flashed through his eyes as he picked up his sword. "I''ll go back to training, Grandfather" ''That strike, I''ll be able to overcome it.'' Remembering that strike just enhanced his determination as he went back to training. Ginrei made his leave while giving one last look at his grandson. A servant glanced up only to look shocked as she looked back down. ''The head is actually smiling. Did the sun rise from the west today?'' Itsuki was oblivious to what was happening, however, currently he had troubles of his own. "You went easy on him, didn''t you?" Yoruichi''s questioning face was right up to him as she interrogated Itsuki. Feeling Yoruichi''s breath, Itsuki retained his calm while replying "You told me to destroy him, so I did" Seeing Itsuki so calm she felt irked for some reason. With a playful smile adorning her lips, she pushed her breasts against him. "Itsuki, want to visit the hot spring to have a more thorough discussion" Emphasising the ''thorough'' Yoruichi looked on with a hopeful look in her eyes. Itsuki looked towards her and inched closer. A pair of gold eyes and a pair of ice blue eyes were inches apart "No" "Eh?" "I''ve got work" "Eh?" "I''ll be leaving now" Seeing Yoruichi''s flustered face Itsuki gave out smile as he shunpoed away. Yoruichi stood there for a daze, before realising she got played with. "That brat¡­" She also shunpoed away but to a different direction. Her voice was filled with annoyance, yet a happy smile was present on her face as she left. After this episode, the interactions between the two increased until Itsuki would regularly take bath in the hot spring with Yoruichi. At first, he tried having it in his own personal bathroom, but she would just intrude and join him. So, to avoid getting found out by anyone, Itsuki decided to just use the hot spring. Although they were able to hide it, there was one person that was getting increasingly suspicious by the way the acted around each other. So said person once tried following both of them in turns but always turned up empty-handed. "One day, she will find out about us" Itsuki told Yoruichi as he relaxed. "Yeah, who expected Soi Fon to have such a strong nose" Yoruichi who was in her human form replied. At first, she was only teasing Itsuki with this form. That however soon became boring as apart from the first time, she wasn''t able to get him flustered like that. ''It seemed that it was only due to surprise that the first time worked'' She did take her chances now and then but it all just seemed like an excuse to get close to him. Itsuki looked at her and knew what she was feeling. He felt like he was just leading the girls on with him acting like this. These feelings further intensified whenever he met with Rangiku or his interactions with Yoruichi such as now. He got the faint feeling whenever he met with Soi Fon as he met with Soi Fon. Those meetings wouldn''t last for long as whenever they were in close proximity with each other, she would get all flustered and do some stupid mistake. Although in the anime they were perceived as open girls, well only Rangiku and Yoruichi, this was real life and Itsuki knew it didn''t work like that. The next day, Itsuki was preoccupied with these thoughts when he got a sudden unexpected visit. "Yo Kouhai, something seems to be troubling you" With a pink kimono draped over his captain attire, he stood at the doorway of Itsuki''s office. "Come let this senpai listen to your troub¡­" Shunsui''s ear twitched as he suddenly looked at Itsuki. "It seems we have company" Itsuki also noticed the intruder but didn''t know what to do. "Let''s look for a quiet place" Saying this Shunsui disappeared with Itsuki following him. Sometime later, the figure intruded Itsuki''s face before saying "Too late..." "Although you''re a vice-captain, what are you doing in my division, Yadomaru Lisa" Yoruichi appeared behind the intruder and questioned the girl, "Sorry, Captain Shihouin, I was looking for my captain, but it seems that I just missed him" "Mm" "I''ll take my leave then" Yoruichi let the girl go as she then looked towards the direction Itsuki had just left. Itsuki was marvelling at Shunsui''s Shunpo proficiency. It seemed that he took a different approach as he prioritised distance over quickness. Whenever Itsuki took like four or five steps Shunsui would have only taken one. Stopping at the top of a cliff Shunsui sat down taking out a bottle of sake. "Want some?" Itsuki shook his head as he stood next to him. "Seeing your look, it seems to be a girl" Itsuki just stayed silent as Shunsui continued "Mm, this senior had quite a bit experience in that area, want some advice" "Sensei has told me about your adventures back then" "Ho, the old man actually talked about it" While Shunsui was feeling smug about his achievements, Itsuki next words brought him down, "He said you were a lecher¡­" "Ug" An imaginary arrow was shot through Shunsui "¡­he also said the amount of times you were caught peeping was uncountable¡­" "Ug" A second arrow "¡­the amount of times teacher had to step in, teacher had lost count" "Ug" Th last arrow went through as Shunsui had tears pouring out his eyes. "So, let''s talk about your problem" Trying to change the topic, he brought Itsuki''s problem up. "Who is it?" Itsuki looked back at him and grabbed Shunsui''s sake bottle. "Hey!" Not listening to him, Itsuki took a sip causing him to cough as he also sat down, "There are three" "Huh?" Shunsui looked confused "There are th¡­" "I heard the first time. I speak for all the men out there, go die" Itsuki gave a smile before taking a few more sips of the sake. It seems his throat was able to handle the alcohol now. "I know a way to clear your mind" Standing up, Shunsui backed up before calling out to Itsuki, "Let''s spar, I want to see how strong my kouhai is" 47 Teacher and Students The wind blew as Shunsui and Itsuki faced off. There seemed to be a mutual understanding that they would only use one sword against each other. "I''ve noticed this, but you always keep one hand on the sheath, even if you''re just walking, you seem ready for an ambush." Itsuki couldn''t help it. It was one of the things you pick up when training in the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu. Itsuki didn''t pay much attention as it only bought benefits no drawbacks. "Hoo, seems like you guys are having fun" A third person suddenly appeared. "Yo Ukitake, you''re here. I''m testing out our kouhai so help us start this match" Ukitake laughed a little as he raised his hand. He wanted to talk with his kouhai a bit but that could wait. Swinging his hand down, Ukitake shouted "Hajime!" With the start given both Shunsui and Itsuki moved. This time Itsuki didn''t hold back, he was facing his senior that had tons of experience with the sword. Not to mention he was also the future captain-commander of the Gotei 13, that may have changed with the interference of Itsuki, but you never know. Meeting in the middle both swords clashed before Shunsui felt another sword approaching, blocking that, another sword approached Shunsui from the other side. Shunsui was baffled with the speed as he used pure instinct and experience to block the sword. Separating, Shunsui looked at Itsuki, "Quite fast aren''t you, Itsuki" This time Shunsui called Itsuki by his name, effectively making him his equal. Itsuki''s stoic face remained as he got into his stance. Ukitake on the side was also quite shocked by his speed. "It seems I would have to step it up a notch" Shunsui drew his other sword and stood there with both swords either side of him. Itsuki didn''t draw his other sword as he wanted to see his limits with one sword. Once again, both combatants disappeared while Shunsui shouted "Don''t underestimate me" It seems he felt that Itsuki was looking down at him by not drawing his other sword. Clashing again, Shunsui encountered the same problem again. Itsuki''s sword was too fast. His swordplay was nothing to scoff at as well. In terms of pure swordsmanship, Shinsui realised that he was weaker. Right now, Shunsui was fighting purely with instinct and experience nothing else and was being pushed back. Ukitake on the side was watching this as he thought, ''Sensei, what type of monster have you bought up?'' Even he could barely make out Itsuki''s sword. By the time he caught one, he realised that it was just an afterimage and the real sword was already coming down for another strike. Shunsui felt even more pressure as alarm bells were ringing off in his head. Each strike that Itsuki gave was towards a vital point, although there was no killing intent, it was no reason to slack off. Sweat fell from his chin as it was cut in half with Itsuki''s sword. Sometime later Shunsui''s voice was heard, "Ukitake, help me" Shunsui had absolutely no shame in saying that, as Ukitake picked up his sword. He knew his best friend and he knew that it was no normal situation for saying that. With Ukitake joining in, Itsuki finally unsheathed his second sword. Taking this chance Itsuki used one of Ryurai''s trick and blinded the two with a flash of light. With this he was able to jump back and once more pull off some distance between them. Taking some time to adjust to the situation, the three had a stare down in this 2 v 1 situation. It was a showdown of pure swordsmanship so no shikai, kido or any power of any sort was used. Being alone, Itsuki decided to make the first move, it would''ve been bad if they made a pincer attack. He decided to first attack as he was fairly new to his swordsmanship. This proved to be correct as he was quickly overwhelmed by the attack. Shunsui stepped up as Itsuki retreated and appeared behind him. Swinging his sword at Shunsui, Ukitake''s sword suddenly appeared to block it. Exchanging a few more moves, Itsuki came to a conclusion that these two were excellent partners. Being best friends for years and Yamamoto''s students had allowed them to have excellent teamwork. Still Itsuki didn''t backdown, his swordsmanship was made for 1 v many situations and he didn''t lose out. This carried on for some time, none of them got an edge over each other. Before they knew it, they had an audience. One was a group of two men and one woman, the other of just one woman. "It seems they are fighting" Lisa said as she continued, "For them to team up, who do you think it is?" "I don''t know" Shiba Kaien replied. Suddenly two of his group members started bickering, "The captain is going to win" "Obviously the captain is going to win" "I thought he would win first" "No, I thought he would win first" Both wanted to impress their captain. The male had black hair and a short goatee. He was wearing a his own customised shihakuso with a white headband and white straps that went over his shoulders and were tied in a circle on his back. The female had dark blonde hair and grey eyes. She wore the standard shihakuso but had the collar of a white shirt protruding from her top while also wearing a pair of white gloves. Both however, didn''t know who their captain was fighting. This was a captain level fight and Itsuki was too fast for them to notice. Kaien Shiba was feeling weird ''Where have I felt this reiatsu before'' Suddenly a sigh was heard behind them. Lisa and Kaien suddenly froze while the two bickering also stopped. The four of them slowly turned around to see an old, bald man standing there. "Captain-Commander" The four suddenly shouted as they bowed their heads. The two bickering ones dropped down to kneel. "These kids, causing so much noise while playing¡­" Before he could continue, he suddenly saw how calmly Itsuki was holding off his other two students. This lit a fire within, but he forcefully suppressed it. ''I must remain calm before these kids'' As he was calming himself, Shunsui''s voice was heard, "Ack, what''s that blinding light" Lisa suddenly looked up only to see the sun reflecting of Yamamoto''s head and a shadow covering his eyes before she started praying, ''Please captain, stop talking'' However, no one answered her prayers as the same voice came out "Who is that bald¡­" "Wait Shunsui" Ukitake had noticed Yamamoto and tried to stop Shunsui but was too late. Knowing that Shunsui had kicked the awoken the sleeping dragon, Itsuki stopped attacking and moved to the side. He had just turned to look at Yamamoto when he saw a shadow covering his eyes. Itsuki could see the veins popping out of Yamamoto as he held his walking stick horizontally. Calling out "All things of this world, turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka" Shunsui sweat dropped at his teacher''s actions while only one thought was going through his head repetitively. ''Not the face, not the face¡­'' His thoughts suddenly came to an abrupt halt as he heard his teacher''s next words "Some kid is asking for a beating" "Aaaaaagggggghhhhhhh!!!!" - One round of beating later - Itsuki was there sitting on his knees with Ukitake next to him. In front of them Yamamoto was fiercely admonishing them for creating a disturbance. A few metres away a charred corpse could be seen lying there. Well, it wasn''t a corpse as it was still breathing. A few bruises were especially concentrated on the face. It seemed that Yamamoto took special care of that place while Shunsui tried his utmost best to protect it. The four subordinates were some distance away as this was the first time, they had seen this side of their captains. "It looks like a father is scolding his sons" Lisa suddenly called out "Yes, it does indeed" Kaien replied while the other two nodded their heads. Kaien then turned his head to the two "This is the first time I''ve seen Kotsubaki Sentaro and Kotetsu Kiyone shut up voluntarily" The two didn''t say anything as Yamamoto was their but one could tell from their face that they felt wronged. It seemed to say something along the lines of ''how can we talk like that with the captain-commander here'' The berating lasted for quite a bit before Yamamoto turned to Itsuki and a proud look surfaced on his face. "I would say that your swordsmanship is on par with me. With some more training, you may even surpass it" Ukitake wasn''t surprised by this as he had already felt that was indeed the case. The other four were far away and they couldn''t hear what they were talking about. Suddenly a twitch garnered their attention as Shunsui woke up. All the hair on his body was burnt off and only the hair on top of his head had somehow survived. "Ugh, what happened?" "It seems you''ve woken up" Shunsui suddenly stiffened but turned around with a flattering smile "Ara, old man when did you come" "Not too long ago" "Haha, you look younger than before" Itsuki just watched the interaction with a smile. Turning to the four, he saw Kaien looking at him with a complex look on his face. 48 Bankai Kaien continued to look at him with a complex look. He couldn''t help it as it had only been over two years since he saw this youth when he first applied. Now he was the 3rd seat of the 2nd division and the student of the captain commander. Judging from the previous battle, it seemed that he could go toe to toe with captains and had far surpassed him in strength. Worst yet, it seemed his fianc¨¦e, Shiba Miyako, had somehow entered Itsuki''s fanbase. Remembering his otherworldly looks, he started to feel that she was slowly escaping from his grasp. The more he thought about it the more depressed he got. His complex look slowly turned to a depressed one where the atmosphere around him also started to show changes. Sentaro and Kiyone, who were next to him and instantly got worried at his changes. "Shiba-dono, are you okay?" This went unheard as he continued in his thoughts. The more Kaien looked like this the more worried they got. Their usual cheerful lieutenant was suddenly gloomy. They tried their best to cheer him up, but it was not until their captain returned did his gloominess subside. "What''s wrong?" "Nothing" Ukitake suddenly remembered something as he looked at Itsuki then at Kaien before giving out a small giggle. He decided to not help the idiot and started making his was towards his division. "Let''s go" """Hai""" Shunsui also got up with his hair in a comedic afro. "It seems that we would have to talk another time, Kouhai" He had returned to his normal way of addressing Itsuki as he left with Lisa. Only two people were left as Itsuki looked at Yamamoto''s head, ''It really is shiny'' "Hmm" Yamamoto turned to look at Itsuki and only came across the familiar icy face. ''Must''ve been my imagination'' As this thought crossed his mind, he started lamenting on the different type of students he had. One was prim and proper but was bedridden with an illness and a weak constitution. One had a quick mind yet was mostly filled with lecherous thoughts. Lastly, there was Itsuki, had a calculative mind and a strength that was approaching him. He had the wits and the brawn but also had a mystery hidden beneath his icy exterior. Yet, he was too young. Sighing at his selection of students he looked back at Itsuki. "Seems like you''ve improved yet again" Itsuki just nodded as he watched Yamamoto leave. ''Why did he come here?'' Time passed with Itsuki training and doing his duties as the corps commander of the detention unit. Seikyo was growing ever big as Itsuki remembered her first flight. Itsuki stood there as a look of determination was plastered on the eagle''s face. They were currently in Yoruichi''s training place where her and Urahara played when they were young. It was also the place where Ichigo would later achieve Bankai. This being Seikyo''s first flight, brought Itsuki''s excitement to his peak as his eyes started to sparkle. "Kyuu~" With one heaven defying leap, Seikyo pushed the air underneath her. Gusts of wind blew outwards as she lifted of the ground on her own for the first time in her life. A flash of joy appeared in her eyes before being replaced by determination. Using all her efforts she looked up to see Itsuki''s disappointed face. Wait. Looked up? Seikyo was flapping furiously as she looked up at Itsuki. She had barely reached Itsuki''s knees, but the higher the hope the bigger the disappointment. In this case, it was lower the flight, the bigger the disappointment. No matter how much effort she put in she wasn''t able to go any higher. Wasting all her strength she fell to the ground with a depressed move. Looking at this, Itsuki felt sorry for her as he kneeled down and picked her up. Bringing her to look at his eyes Itsuki was suddenly stumped. He didn''t know how to comfort her. Due to this, Itsuki continued to look as he tried to say something while, Seikyo looked back getting more and more depressed. Just when Seikyo was about to lose all hope, Itsuki''s voice was heard "Good effort" With this, Seikyo''s mood took a 180 as she snuggled into Itsuki''s hand. From there, Seikyo trained and trained until she was capable of normal flight. Further on, she tried her best to explore new heights and continued to fly higher. As for Itsuki, he slowly but surely inched closer to achieving Bankai until he was finally able to face the girl in the white yukata. This however had taken a total of six years, and Itsuki had guessed that there was roughly a year and a half to the hollowfication incident. "You''ve finally come" Itsuki remained quiet as he looked at the girl before him. Right now, in his hand there was only one long Odachi. It reached two meters long with the blade being 160 cm and the Tsuku being 40 cm. The Tsuku was pure black while the azure blade had a violet shine. The hand guard had a depiction of a coiling dragon roaring with the blade coming out of his mouth. The girl in front had short black hair and pale white skin. She looked around 16 years old and was cute while having a cat like aura. She had a mature disposition while giving out a maternal charm, like an older sister. The indifference present in her mystic eyes was different from Itsuki''s. Hers was similar to viewing something from the other side of glass. Two pairs of mystic eyes of death perception looked at each other. While Itsuki had the Odachi, the girl in front had a seemingly normal katana. The stare off continued until Itsuki spoke, "I didn''t expect to meet you here ¡¸Shiki Ryougi¡¹" "Nor, did I expect to somehow appear here from the boundary. This seems to be your inner world." Itsuki just nodded before putting both hands on his sword and getting into a stance. ¡¸Shiki Ryougi¡¹also got into a stance as she looked at Itsuki. "Also, I''ll prefer it if you call me Saber" Itsuki nodded before they both moved. The Odachi wasn''t an unfamiliar weapon to Itsuki as he had trained in it when he was with Yamamoto. Yamamoto had Itsuki trained in many weapons just in case his zanpakuto became a different one. Although, he had trained in it before, Itsuki felt different with the one in his hand. He felt more familiar with it and had no trouble using it, though he did have to adjust a bit to get used to the length of the blade. Using an overhead strike, Itsuki slashed his sword downwards with incomparable momentum as Saber blocked the sword sideways. Using this opportunity, Itsuki pushed the handle of his sword upwards, effectively bringing the blade downwards as he then thrusted forwards. Saber dodged this with a tilt of her head and swept her sword forwards using this chance. Her sword swept nothing but an afterimage as she looked up. Itsuki had jumped up and over her while doing a front flip. Landing, he turned around and held the Odachi next to him pointing behind him towards the ground. Leaning his body forward he pushed of the ground as he disappeared and made his way towards Saber. Saber also didn''t lose out as she did the same and disappeared meeting Itsuki in the middle. Clashes rang out in the upside-down mountain. With Saber and Itsuki continuously trading swords strikes, a picturesque picture was created with the snowfall. Both Saber and Itsuki were using Hiten mitsurugi-ryu as their fight got more advanced and complicated. None were letting out any sort of gap as Itsuki''s speed in using the Odachi got faster and faster, eventually reaching his speed in Shikai. Coming close to the end, Saber''s voice rang out, "Why do you fight Itsuki?" Itsuki remained silent as they clashed. "Do you think Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki is as simple as casting away your life and putting it yourself in danger?" Indeed, that was what Itsuki had thought. "What is your reason for casting away your life?" They continued in their fight, "For what reason do you put yourself in danger?" With one final clash they separated, and both got into a stance. Itsuki contemplated as they both moved forward. Time seemed to slow when Itsuki started remembering his days in Soul Society. The people he met, the friend he made, his teacher, his peers and the three women he kept waiting. He wanted to protect them not as a shield but as a sword. He didn''t want them to just believe in him whenever to save the day, but rather, hold their ground so he would able to fight without worrying for them. It was contradictory to protecting as that meant that they themselves had to be put in danger, but Itsuki felt it was right. As the two approached, a flash of light appeared as the two were instantly past each other and currently had their backs facing each other. Blood spurted out of Saber as she fell forwards and disappeared in motes of light. Before leaving, her voice was heard, "It seems you have found your reason" Itsuki got up to look behind thinking that it had ended. However, the motes of light suddenly formed another Saber. This one had the same sword but wore a half pink and half black kimono. A hair was done up and a pink flower acted like a pin. She looked incredibly beautiful. Before Itsuki could react, Saber attacked leaving Itsuki to only block with his Odachi. Unknowingly, a pair of gauntlets had appeared on his hands similar to his shikai form but were grey. This time there were also a pair of armoured boots that had appeared. Once again Itsuki confronted Saber but this time, Saber was faster and stronger. As they fought, Itsuki started to become faster and faster, surpassing any speed he had achieved. This wasn''t only limited to his sword, but him as a whole. He also started making changes to Hiten mitsurugi-ryu, making it more accustomed to him. The naked eye couldn''t follow any of his moves as he fought Saber. This time Saber was silent, not speaking anything and just focusing on the fight. Time passed as they fought before Itsuki found a gap and ran his Odachi straight through Saber. Once again, Saber turned into motes of light before forming another figure. This time Saber''s hair was now long reaching her feet and the pink flower was still there. She wore a yellow robe littered with flowers over a pink kimono looking like a princess. Itsuki was ready for when she attacked and just like before it came. This time, Saber was equal to Itsuki in strength but something felt different. It seemed she was trying to show him something, rather teach him something. Before he knew it, Saber disappeared in front of him and appeared behind sheathing her sword. Just when he was about to turn around, he felt himself dissipating before once more awakening in front of his swords. Knowing that he had been defeated, he gave a bitter smile and left his training area. Noticing that it was dawn, and he went to train in the night, he thought only a night had passed when he trained. On his way towards his office, a cat suddenly appeared next to him, "So, finally out of your seclusion" Itsuki gave a confused look as Yoruichi sighed "You were there for two weeks" Hearing this Itsuki slipped and planted himself into a tree. 49 Achieving Bankai Itsuki was surprised, ''Two weeks'' He never expected that it would take that long for him just to achieve the first two stages of Saber. ''Still, who would''ve thought'' Itsuki was still surprised to encounter Saber inside his inner world. She seemed to have some direct link with his eyes. Coming out of his thoughts, he saw Yoruichi waiting for him as he once again got up and followed her. Yoruichi, didn''t let this blunder go, as a playful smile appeared on her face, "Arara, it seems that you have some issues with your Shunpo. Would you like this elder sister to help you?" Itsuki just ignored her while he once again reached the trees. Over the years, he had come to ignore her taunts and just treat it like an everyday thing. His relationship with the girls had gone long past friends and, including them, even Itsuki didn''t know where they were. They had come in contact with each other as sparks seemed to fly, especially between Rangiku and Yoruichi. Rangiku had long since passed the academy and had joined the 10th division like the anime. She expressed her interest in joining Itsuki but was adamantly refused by him. Itsuki knew that the 2nd division was no place for someone of Rangiku''s character, so he was against it. It was the same for Gin, he wouldn''t let her get close to the one that harmed her. Plus, he didn''t want to show any weakness to him so her request to enter the 5th division was immediately denied. Downtrodden, she went to the 10th division, who''s current captain was someone who wasn''t mentioned in the anime. It seemed Shiba Isshin hadn''t become the 10th division captain yet. Over the years, Itsuki had many run-ins with various captains and lieutenants, including the future visored members and Aizen himself. All these interactions were brief as Itsuki was doing his job, other than that he was still dead set on trying to defeat the third stage of Saber. His most notable interaction was probably with Sarugaki Hiyori when a criminal Shinigami escaped into the S.R.D.I Headquarters, the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. His subordinates were barred entrance into the facility and eventually Itsuki was called. Coming in front of the facility''s entrance, a group of Onmitsukido members could be seen standing confronting a small figure. The said figure had spiky blonde hair tied into twin pigtails and brown eyes. She was relatively short and wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a lieutenant armband. She had three freckles underneath each eye and a long protruding fang from the upper left side of her mouth. She seemed to be in deep anger and started beating the members up as Itsuki got close. "Like I said, no one is here!" "But, Lieutenant Sarugaki, we have no choice. The criminal was seen entering the facility" Before Hiyori could retort a voice was heard, "What''s going on here?" ""Corps Commander"" The members immediately kneeled upon realising the intruder was their superior. Hiyori looked upwards at the newcomer while holding an Onmitsukido member by the collar and the other hand balled into a fist. Looking up, the sun entered her eyes and she couldn''t get a proper glance at the figure in front of her. Just as she was squinting her eyes trying to make out the figure, the all too annoying voice of her captain was heard. "Ma, ma. There''s no need to get physical, and, Minamoto-san, you and your subordinates can enter¡­" Before he even finished speaking Itsuki had already disappeared from their sights. "Oi!!" Hiyori tried stopping him, but she had lost all traces of him. "Give up Hiyori-san, he has already gone" Hiyori was gobsmacked by Itsuki''s speed as she just stood there in the same position. Turning towards her captain, she saw him just stand there while smiling at her, "What''cha looking at me for, D*ckhead?!" Throwing the man grasped in her arms at Urahara, she stomped off. Urahara and Itsuki''s subordinate were left shocked with the way she acted. Trying to confirm his suspicions he voiced out, "Don''t tell me Hiyori-san, you''re unaffected" Hearing this, Hiyori turned around "Huh?" Clearly confused by Urahara''s claims, a confused look was plastered on her face. "Didn''t you see, Minamoto''s face?" Turning her head to the side she replied, "No, the sun was in the way" As if realising something, "Come to think of it, even last time I didn''t get to see his face" The group had a look of understanding on their faces when they saw Hiyori''s face deep in thought. "Although, I''ve heard rumours in the Shinigami''s women association¡­" During her contemplation, a gust of wind was felt before Itsuki returned while dragging an unconscious Shinigami by the nape. "Let''s go, I''ve caught him" """"Hai"""" Hiyori just stood there, mouth agape, as Itsuki had appeared in front of her, in full view. This time she got a perfect look at Itsuki''s face as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. Itsuki''s cold eyes looked down at her. She looked up and his next words brought out a vein, "I''m not interested in children" Followed by him disappearing. "What the f''ck did you say?!" Shouting to no one and finding no one to vent her anger towards, a prey appeared in her field of vision. She just looked at her captain''s goofy face while he stared back with an oblivious look. Running up to him, she jumped and planted both her feet on his face before storming off. Another notable thing was that Itsuki was lent to the 11th division. Zaraki Kenpachi hadn''t become captain yet and currently Kiganjo Kenpachi was its captain. Although they hadn''t met, Itsuki was given back to the 2nd division only a week later for reasons unknown. Apart from these episodes, Itsuki''s training was anything but smooth. Facing defeat after defeat, Itsuki concluded that Saber wasn''t a great teacher. He realised that she was trying to teach him something from the start, but he always died before or when she showed it. Since then it''s been a year since his first defeat and today seemed to be the same. It would go the same and when she struck with that move everything would disappear and he would wake up. However, this time the sword didn''t hit him, instead it was realisation. Clarity formed in Itsuki''s eyes as this time he felt something from the sword. Before he thought that disappearing was the end, but he never realised that it wasn''t. What he needed to feel was the emptiness of the sword itself, the reason for the disappearance. A series of words appeared in his head as he also swung his Odachi, hitting Saber''s katana. Emptiness covered his heart as he felt his eyes starting to strengthen. What followed was Saber''s katana being sliced into two as the Odachi then slicing her in two. She once again disappeared into motes of light including her katana as they entered his eyes while a yukata similar to Saber''s kimono appeared on him. A black samurai armour then formed around him with a flag extending out the back of the armour with the insignia of a tiger and dragon roaring at each other. No skin could be seen as he wore gloves in his hands and he still had his jika-tabi. Now the only thing he lacked was a helmet and a mask. Itsuki''s current look was of a valiant general that belonged to only one place, the battlefield. Wondering why the armour wasn''t complete, Itsuki saw a figure in the distance. ''Not again'' While thinking this he got a clear look on the figure and was surprised to see someone wearing the exact same armour as him, but with the helmet and mask. The helmet had a crescent moon sitting on top of it as an ornament. Like the armour, the helmet was pitch black alongside the mask. It wasn''t a plain mask; it had the mouth of a roaring tiger sculpted on it. The teeth that jutted out had a peculiar shine to it giving the impression that it was anything but weak. The figure also held the same Odachi as Itsuki. Staring at each other, both of them disappeared into a series of clashes towards a long drawn out fight. Although, it didn''t end up as his win, he didn''t lose rather it drew out long enough until Itsuki was forced out of his inner spirit due to fatigue. Like this, another six months flew by with training and him responding to his duties. Currently, a figure could be seen sitting on a rock with two swords on his lap. Coming out of his meditation, Itsuki looked at the open field surrounding him as he got up, "So that''s my Bankai" The last fight with the figure was especially intense but he still ended up embedding his sword onto said figure. Upon awakening he realised that the trials done by Saber were partially linked. The first three got him ready and the last gave him what he needed. He didn''t know who the figure was as it didn''t talk no matter how many times Itsuki tried to initiate a conversation. Meaning he tried, but never succeeded in bringing out the words needed to start a conversation resulting in it being a long silent six months. Night had descended when he returned to his room. Having just entered, an announcement was heard, "Emergency! Emergency! All captains are to report to the 1st division barracks immediately. An anomaly has occurred with the 9th division. The 9th division''s captain Muguruma Kensei and Lieutenant Kuna Mashiro''s reiatsu have completely vanished. An emergency meeting of all captains will commence immediately." Calculating the time, Itsuki realised the hollowfication incident had already commenced due to Seireitei getting the news of Muguruma Kensei and Kuna Mashiro disappearing. This also means that Urahara Kisuke would have already sent out Mayuri to help the squad. Itsuki got ready and made his way into the main hall of the 2nd division. It was half full as the rest were still getting ready while Soi Fon and them had gone with Yoruichi as her personal guards. Itsuki didn''t wait long until Yoruichi and her entourage entered the hall with Yoruichi plopping down on her seat. Giving out a sigh of frustration, Yoruichi mumbled, "That damn Kisuke, couldn''t keep his cool" After that she dismissed the room saying that it was of no concern. Only Itsuki, Soi Fon and Marenoshin were left inside the hall when she began to tell them the full situation, "¡­with that 5th division''s captain Shinji Hirako, 7th division''s captain Aikawa Love, 3rd division''s captain Otoribashi Rojuro, the kido corps'' lieutenant Ushouda Hachigen and 8th division''s lieutenant Yadomaru Lisa were sent out. I am to remain on standby and Itsuki¡­" Turning to look at Itsuki, Yoruichi let out a surprised exclamation "Wait Itsuki, your eyes?" Shocked by the sudden exclamation, Itsuki quickly found a mirror and took a deep look. He still had his handsome features but appeared more mature, same haircut but what was different was his eyes. His eyes remained the same as when he had his Mystic Eyes activated. Azure blue pupils with a beautiful pink layer within. He knew he had his eyes deactivated but for some reason they didn''t disappear. He activated them before deactivating to test things out. He felt there was no changes, but his eyes did seem powerful than before. Concluding that it had something to do when he defeated the third Saber, he let things pass before trying to find out the changes in his own time. Returning to the main hall, Itsuki just sat down with no intention to explain it to them. He didn''t want any more people to know the secret to his eyes. Knowing Itsuki''s intentions for not sharing, they didn''t talk about his eyes and moved on to another topic. Upon being dismissed, Itsuki began contemplating into his future action. He didn''t need the power of a hollow as he had his eyes and saw no need in escaping with Urahara. He wasn''t close to the other captains as well so it would instead look suspicious, making a few more plans for the future, Itsuki took out a new training regime as he now needed to train his Bankai and find out if any changes has happened to his eyes. Once he was finished, he sat down to meditate with his swords on his lap. ********************************** Author''s note(well rant) Sorry guys, had lost all motivation in writing. Landed two job interviews, one went really well but sadly didn''t get it and the other... Well the other, I had a phone interview but was rejected before it even began for one simple reason, being a student. Was quite downtrodden so lost my motivation. Well i''m now back and will try to make up for the other chapters. 50 Itsukis decision Entering the same landscape as before, he saw his zanpakuto spirits standing there smiling at him. Before Itsuki could say anything, Ryurai started speaking, "How cruel Itsuki-chan, stabbing through us with your long sword without hesitation" Itsuki was stunned while Byakko got a blush in her face with the way Ryurai spoke about what happened before. It seemed that the figure Itsuki had fought was a combination of the two and they had tried talking to Itsuki, but he wasn''t able to hear them. With that he started to converse and spar with them. Time flew by and it was already morning when he came out of his meditation. He made his way towards the natural hot spring to get refreshed. Itsuki saw no reason to get worked up about the current incident and just decided to relax, being caught up with achieving Bankai he barely got any time off due to constant training. Letting his guard down, he smelt a strange but pleasant smell in the air with an all too familiar cat appearing in front of him. "Yo Itsuki, you seem happy" Yoruichi was one of the few people that was able to read Itsuki''s emotions with his stoic face. Itsuki didn''t reply and continued to relax as he started to feel lightheaded. Itsuki felt unusual at first but decided to ignore it. Time passed as Yoruichi remained in her cat form and Itsuki started to feel more and more fuzzy until he couldn''t think properly. Realising something wrong, Itsuki was about to react before a heavenly sight greeted him. A pure untarnished body lay ahead of him with droplets of water dripping down her skin. Her dark trained body was perfect with no unnecessary fat as she bought both her hands onto Itsuki''s shoulder and around his neck. Sitting on Itsuki''s lap, Yoruichi brought her face closer. A smirk was planted on her face with a hint of blurriness in her eyes and a slight blush on her cheeks. No words were said. They just looked at each other with Itsuki''s reasoning plummeting to rock bottom. Bringing one of Itsuki''s hands onto her chest, she lent in for a kiss. Being inexperienced at first, they slowly got the hang of it and with this Itsuki''s reasoning was completely gone. - ahem - Yoruichi could be seen leaving the secret hot springs room clad in dark clothing as she wrapped a white cloth around her face, hiding her identity. Looking back at the sleeping figure of Itsuki, ''Sorry, it seems that we won''t see each other for a long time after today'' She knew her feelings for Itsuki and didn''t know if it would go anywhere. Turning around, she looked at a specific direction, "Sorry, Soi Fon" She had long since realised Soi Fon''s slowly budding feelings for Itsuki, however, with what she had done and was about to do now would break her heart. She hoped Itsuki would be there for her. Looking towards the 10th division''s direction, a victorious smirk was visible on her face, ''It seems I''m one step ahead'' With this she leapt towards the central 46 compound. With her first step she flinched a bit, ''That drug did work its wonders'' Shortly after her departure, Itsuki groggily woke up as he held his head. He was currently confused as to why he was suddenly lying down next to the hot spring. Recollecting what just happened, a small blush started to creep on his face as he placed his face into both his hands while internally screaming, Suddenly, with a jolt, Itsuki got up and realised something. There was no news of Urahara and Tessai getting caught or any orders to capture them. Itsuki knew that they were caught the morning after still no news came. It was understandable that the central 46 and Gotei 13 would like to keep it under wraps as it was a stain to their reputation but such a big event involving six captain figures and four lieutenants was bound to be difficult to keep it confidential. Getting up he got ready and made his way towards the 2nd division HQ. Along the way, an announcement was heard "Emergency! Emergency! Criminals Urahara Kisuke, Tsukabishi Tessai¡­ have escaped. Orders from the Captain-commander is for all personnel to help recapture them" Hearing this announcement Itsuki realised that Yoruichi was about to leave Seireitei along with Urahara Kisuke. With this he shunpoed to the training ground that Yoruichi and Urahara played in when they were kids. He had been there before when he trained with Yoruichi alone. It was there that he was shown her famous Shunko. He had to release his shikai upon confronting it as it was the only way to keep up. Upon seeing the technique and remembering the logic from the anime, Itsuki also tried using Shunko and was able to use it easily. He was talented in Kido and with his mental capabilities, was easily able to grasp it. However, it did only last a few seconds due to not being able to control it properly. Still Yoruichi was surprised with Itsuki because, for her, he was able to grasp the technique seeing it only once. Her shock passed later as she started ogling the scene in front of her. Itsuki''s shihakuso was torn apart due to the sheer pressure of the technique and all that remained were the pair of gauntlets on his hands and the clothing on his lower body. From waist up, his perfect body came into view with his muscles in all the right places, not too big and not too little, just perfect. "Captain, you okay? You have a nosebleed" Itsuki''s voice brought her out of her thoughts as she hurriedly wiped her nose and looked at Itsuki. Giving out a sigh, she started to explain and teach Itsuki about Shunko and its principals behind it. With it being a combination of Hakudo and Kido, Itsuki had no trouble learning it and managed to create his own version involving Zanjutsu although it was only in its beginning stages. Arriving at the training grounds he saw three people standing there inside a gateway similar to the senkaimon but was deep black in colour. It reminded Itsuki of how Ichigo and the rest arrived in Soul Society for their first time. As soon as he arrived, he saw the three instantly look at him. The first two were Yoruichi and Urahara while the other was a tanned, tall muscular man with cornrowed hair, a long handlebar moustache and long sideburns. Itsuki looked towards one particular individual. They both shared eye contact while Itsuki saw reluctance in her eyes which was then cut short as the rift closed slowly indicating that they had left Soul Society. Itsuki had just let the plot play out. He could''ve tried to do something, but it would still prove difficult. Aizen had already made back up plans and used his ability to create a fake in his own HQ. The other captains had already become or were on the verge of becoming hollowfied. It was going to be a death sentence either way, the central 46 won''t allow such unpredictable variables within Seireitei. - 1st Division HQ - In the captain''s meeting room, a furious Yamamoto could be seen as veins popped out in various places on his bald head. The meeting room looked empty as it was missing six of its captains, nearly half of the Gotei 13''s captains. The kido corps was also without a captain and lieutenant. Each captain looked down as they took the brunt of Yamamoto''s anger. "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!" No reply was heard, and Yamamoto knew that none of them had expected Yoruichi''s betrayal including him. He wasn''t like the Central 46 who didn''t know who the intruder was. Connecting the dots on how the guards were defeated by the intruder, the speed of the intruder and the fact that she, Urahara and Tessai grew up together in the Shihouin household. All pointed towards her being the intruder. He needed some sort of answer to pacify the members of the Central 46. Calming down a little, he then questioned, "Any news of their location yet?" "None yet" Shunsui took it upon himself to answer Yamamoto as he then felt silent. Suddenly a figure flashed in and landed next to Yamamoto. It was Itsuki. No-one felt any malicious intent from the newcomer but were still surprised to see someone so blatantly walk into the meeting room. Realising who that someone was, Yamamoto''s initial anger lessened but still had a berating look on his face. "What are you doing Itsuki? This is a captain''s meeting, someone of your stature is forbidden to come here without my permission" Seeing this, the other captains, apart from Ukitake and Shunsui, were surprised with the way Yamamoto acted. It seemed like a father caught his child stealing cookies, with the child having absolutely no remorse with that stoic look. Before Yamamoto could continue any further, Itsuki interrupted him, "I¡­" A vein popped out of Yamamoto''s head as he was interrupted, but his next words cooled him down, "¡­found the criminals" Shock passed through the captains as even they hadn''t gotten any clues into the whereabouts of the escapees. At first, they thought it was unbelievable but seeing who was speaking they became less suspicious. Everyone in the hall knew Itsuki''s strength. "Well, where are they?" "They escaped" "Escaped?" "Yeah, they escaped to the human world. By the time I reached them, they had already left through the Dangai." Yamamoto just gave out a long drawn out sigh when he heard this before dismissing everyone. Understanding that he wanted to be left alone, all the captains and Itsuki left the room to give the old man some time. Upon leaving, Shunsui came and patted Itsuki''s back, "You''ve become stronger from before. Your Shunpo seems to be on par with Yoruichi''s, maybe even faster" The captains nodded upon seeing this. They had barely felt someone entering but by the time they realised Itsuki was already there. "Anyway, something feels different about you. Your eyes seems to have changed, but it''s not that. You seem more mature, like you''re finally a man¡­hmm¡­" Luckily for Itsuki, before Shunsui could guess any further, Kuchiki Ginrei came up to him, "Minamoto-kun, drop by the Kuchiki household sometime, Byakuya seems to miss you" Giving out a grandfatherly smile, Itsuki could tell it was rare for him to smile like such due to its stiffness. Agreeing with Ginrei''s wishes that he would visit soon, he then made his way back to the 2nd Division''s HQ only to see Soi Fon stare at Yoruichi''s seat. Before he left, he didn''t notice Unohana Retsu''s eyes staring at him with a hint of battle intent being quickly concealed in her eyes as she returned to her motherly smile. ''I want to fight him'' Soi Fon had a despairing expression on her face as she found it hard to believe that her idol had become traitor. Itsuki didn''t say anything as he appeared behind her and put his arm on her shoulder. This sent a jolt through Soi Fon as she slowly turned around with tears threatening to come out. This was the first time Itsuki had seen Soi Fon so fragile and immediately brought her into a hug. He started patting her head consoling her as she started bawling her eyes out. In the anime she had no one but herself to rely on but this time he was here. The Onmitsukido were portrayed really weak in the anime, getting defeated here and there but he would change that. - The next day - - 1st Division HQ - "I want to take the Captain''s proficiency test" **************************************************** Author''s note I''ll try my best. Thanks for the support and I just love you guys, and girls if you read it lol. I really want to make a Naruto fanfic but it will have to wait once I finish this. No matter how many years into the future, Madara vs Shinobi Alliance and the five kages would be my absolute fav. 51 Fifty Years Yamamoto looked at his disciple before him. Silence ensued once Itsuki had finished speaking. "No need. "Huh?" Itsuki was surprised with what Yamamoto said. What did he mean by ''No need''? Seeing Itsuki''s confusion, Yamamoto clarified "Due to a lack of captains, the other captains have recommended people to make up their absence. Your name was the only one that came up for the 2nd Division. You have the strength to back it up and you are the current 3rd Seat, plus, due to its secrecy, we don''t know much about the characters of some of the members within the Onmitsukido." Itsuki nodded upon hearing this as Yamamoto continued, "I''ll put my trust in you and you would need the approval from the Onmitsukido. It still is a force separate from the Gotei 13" Receiving his teacher''s approval Itsuki made his way back to the 2nd Division HQ. He had just walked through the doors of the 2nd Division when Soi Fon came running towards him. "There''s trouble Itsuki, Marenoshin just gave in his retirement papers. Apparently, he wants to focus on his family as his son was just born." "What did central 46 say?" "They approved." This was indeed trouble. Currently the Onmitsukido was a without a captain and a lieutenant. Arriving at the main hall Itsuki saw that all the members had arrived. Itsuki was currently the only corps commander available and had the most superiority. Itsuki didn''t say anything as he walked up front and stood there looking at the members. The other''s read through his intentions as they looked back. If they were unsatisfied, they could challenge him. Itsuki still had to do something as he then released reiatsu and forced it upon them. The Onmitsukido immediately felt the pressure and none dared to look back at him. Some found it harder to breath while the weaker ones outright collapsed. Itsuki''s current reiatsu was immense. It had reached an advance-captain''s level and was on par with the Zaraki Kenpachi''s but was still lower than Yamamoto''s. The difference between his and Zaraki''s was that he could perfectly control his, having none of it leaked. Retracting his reiatsu he looked over the members to see their next steps. One by one they all kneeled. At first, they were hesitant but seeing his strength determined their minds. ''If it''s him¡­'' ''He''s probably stronger than¡­'' Thoughts like this went around them as they greeted their new leader. In Soul Society, the strong were respected. So, in this one sitting, Itsuki was able to bring the whole Onmitsukido together, what took Yoruichi and Soi Fon years to do. There may have been unity from Yoruichi''s era, but it still showed how much strength mattered. Itsuki''s reputation never lost out to Yoruichi''s within the forces as his past exploits sent chills down their spines. Whenever he collaborated with the executive militia, he would take the spotlight. It would seem as if he wasn''t the corps commander of the detention unit but a highly trained assassin within the executive militia. Major changes followed within the Onmitsukido with their training routine and a few days later, Itsuki officially became the captain of the 2nd Division. Soi Fon was then appointed as the corps commander of the patrol corps, effectively becoming the Lieutenant. As for the Detention unit, Itsuki applied for Saedani Maneko to be released so she could take charge of the detention unit. His request was accepted and her zanpakuto was returned to her. Itsuki trusted her as she was one of the ''overlords'' back in the nest of maggots. There was no opposition from the Shihouin family as they were still lying low and by the time they took any action, the Onmitsukido would firmly be in Itsuki''s hands. There were some opposition seeing as the two were females but a few beat downs was all it took to stop these voices. Currently he was with Rangiku walking down the park. Rangiku looked at Itsuki and could tell that he wasn''t his usual today. He seemed to be in his own world, and this worried Rangiku, he was never like this before. Rangiku was correct, Itsuki felt incredibly guilty when he was with her. After what had happened with Yoruichi and knowing that she won''t be the only one, he found it difficult to look towards her. "What''s up, Itsuki?" Bringing him out of his thoughts he looked towards Rangiku. Rangiku stared back into his gem like eyes and the two just stood there. Silence followed as no one said anything with Itsuki getting increasingly guiltier. He had to come out with it. "Rangiku. I¡­" Rangiku hurriedly covered his mouth as she shook her head with a smile. "Don''t say it" She knew exactly what he wanted to say when she saw the guilt in his eyes. She, herself, had seen the other two girls that were nearly head over heels for him and had resolved herself. All she wanted to do now was to occupy the foremost place in his heart. Although she resolved herself to share him, she was still selfish in wanting to be number one. It did however hurt her that she would have to share him but for the man she loved, she was willing to do anything. She''s been with him the longest and knew the efforts he put in just to get to where he was now. Reading her intentions, Itsuki''s burden lessened quite a bit as another weight was placed on his shoulders. ''How am I going to tell her?'' How was he supposed to tell Soi Fon? Like this worries once again emerged in his head sending Rangiku in a panic. It was relatively peaceful in Soul Society as Itsuki went to Yamamoto for access into the Daireishokairo. The Daireishokairo was Soul society''s great spirit library housing all of Soul Society''s knowledge and history. His main objective was to find the book that Aizen would use later to learn how to make the king''s key. His other objective was to increase his knowledge and find ways to increase his strength. Using the excuse for researching on recent events, he and Yamamoto were able to get the approval from the Central 46 with some help from the Kuchiki household on the side. Itsuki would visit the Kuchiki household and thrash Byakuya before returning to his division. Soi Fon had major changes to her attitude as she became more reserved, usually returning to her norm when she was alone with Itsuki. Itsuki personally took charge over her training, sparring with her now and then. Like the anime, her thirst for surpassing Yoruichi only grew as she dedicated most of his time to training. This led to Itsuki being confronted by an issue plaguing all leaders, paperwork. Years went by as Itsuki mastered his Bankai and found it increasingly difficult to remember the information received from the library. All eidetic memory did was remember everything but none of it was organised and was all jumbled up, so he remembered a show from his previous life. It was one his favourites and the protagonist utilised a technique known as the mind palace also known as the method of loci. The ability to store information and data while being able to retrieve it quickly and efficiently in the future. The individual would memorise the layout of a building, or some sort of geographical entity composed of a number of discrete loci. Loci meaning places in Latin. When the individual would desire to remember a set of data, he/she would walk through these loci and would commit the information to an item by forming a sort of image between the information and the feature of that locus. When one would want to retrieve information, the individual would walk through these loci allowing them to retrieve the desired information. Using his memory partition and thoughts acceleration, he imagined a library similar to the Daireishokairo except it was empty. Imagining it, the loci he determined was the different sections of the library. For example, History was one loci and experiments would be another. He then remembered each book he read and started filling his library up. Once he had completed it, it would mean that he would have all the knowledge of Soul Society in his head as a form of database. The Central 46 seemed to have forgotten that Itsuki had access to the library, allowing him to learn everything in there. Still who would believe that someone was able to memorise the whole library. However, this did take a really long time, and by the time he was finished, fifty years had passed. He had never spent all that time in the library and would leave it from time to time. He would check upon his subordinates and Soi Fon, who finally started taking responsibility for her role as Lieutenant. Other than that, he would either be in the Kuchiki household sparring with Byakuya or having a meeting with Rangiku. Yuroe had become the third seat of the fourth division while Kotetsu Isane had become the lieutenant. She was the sister of Kotetsu Kiyone who was serving Ukitake. Ketaro himself had joined the kido corps as he found out that he had a natural talent for it. The second division was more competent and secretive this time, being the scariest of all the divisions. No matter who it was, people would fear the unknown. Seikyo herself had also become a fully-fledged bird. Able to fly extremely high in the sky, she was able to touch upon the top of the barrier surrounding the Seireitei. Her wingspan reached 2 metres and she had beautiful white feathers and azure eyes. Her reputation was also quite widespread in Seireitei. Rumours were out that if you saw this bird it meant death was looking, meaning that the captain of the 2nd Division was currently looking at you. For the female Shinigami he was known as simply the Prince while the others called him Raijuu, Lightning beast due to his speed. Itsuki didn''t know who spread this rumour or how it got propagated, it was quite close to the truth. But Itsuki could tell that it was just a rumour someone made up as that ability was only known to him and Seikyo. Currently he was sparring with Soi Fon within the training grounds he and Yoruichi used to train in. At first, Soi Fon was quite shocked with there being a large space unknown by the outside world but once Itsuki told her about who used it, she felt silent. Itsuki could see the fire in her eyes when her name was mentioned. Itsuki and Soi Fon were currently wearing a normal Onmitsukido training attire as Itsuki countered her attacks. Using one final attack, he flicked her forehead causing her to jump back. "Itsuki, fight seriously" Itsuki just smiled as he looked at Soi Fon. Seeing that smile, Soi Fon''s eye twitched before she got into position. "Fine then, I''ll make you fight seriously. This is a move I''ve been practicing with to defeat her. Don''t hold back, I don''t know how to control it yet." Bringing her arms to the side, she released her reiatsu as a high level kido was used. The back of her training attire was ripped open and her reiatsu flared. ''This must be the beginning stages of her Shunko" Disappearing, she appeared next to Itsuki swinging out her leg horizontally. Itsuki dodged this as his smile never left his mouth. Soi Fon saw this and felt something was wrong. Suddenly, Itsuki also activated Shunko and confronted Soi Fon, astonishing her. For her, she had created a powerful technique from scratch yet her captain in front of her was able to use it while having a better mastery over it. "How do you know this?" "This technique is called Shunko, it was taught to me by Yoruichi." Soi Fon looked down after this, ''She did even¡­'' Itsuki could see what she was thinking and came up to her, "She didn''t teach you because it is a dangerous technique. I learnt it by chance" This seemed to bring up her mood as she got ready to spar again. "Then I''ll defeat her with this" So, from then on Shunko practice was added on. 52 Hisana Itsuki was currently in his captain attire sitting on his desk. He wore the standard captain''s attire with black ribbons tied around his arms. He wore the normal shihakuso but instead of wearing straw sandals he wore a pair of thin Jika-tabi. Seikyo was perched upon a stand next to him, cleaning her feather. She looked up with alert upon noticing someone entering. He was going over some paperwork when he had a visitor. It saw a relatively young captain in front of him. He had five kenseikans on his head with three on top and two on the side. His captain''s haori had the number six on the back and wore a pair of fingerless white tekko. "An unexpected visitor" Itsuki just looked at Byakuya with the expression ''What do you want? Can''t you see I''m busy'' Byakuya sighed when he saw this, Itsuki hadn''t changed and was still a man of few words. Byakuya was extremely haggard as he hadn''t got sleep for the past few days. His wife''s health continued to deteriorate, and he couldn''t find anything to help. Eventually asking Yamamoto he was led to here. He couldn''t find any cure and no doctor could help the woman. Yamamoto said that Itsuki may be able to help but he didn''t get his hopes high. Turning to his friends he bowed, "Please can you help¡­" Byakuya was a complicated character, incomparably apathetic bordering on arrogance and looking down on his enemies but would ask for help when needed. Like, when he asked for help from Ichigo during the blood war to protect Soul Society, whilst knowing he was a human and shouldn''t be included in Soul Society''s affairs. It seemed that he didn''t care for others, but in fact he did care for those closest to him. For example, he blocked Rukia in becoming a seated officer to stop her form endangering herself. Mid bow he suddenly stopped. A katana was right there in front of his eyes, if he moved any further it would stab into him. Looking up, he saw Itsuki looking down with an angry look in his eyes. Itsuki was initially surprised to see Byakuya bow but it was instantly supressed by anger. Over the years, Byakuya and him would spar every other day and a rivalry/friendship was created. He felt offended with how Byakuya was acting like a stranger in front of him. Knowing Itsuki''s thoughts, Byakuya just gave out a smile and left towards the Kuchiki manor as he returned to his apathetic look while Itsuki followed behind. The dream of many female''s would have come true if they were seen together, but with their speed, they went largely unnoticed until they reached the Kuchiki manor. Itsuki was a frequent visitor to the manor so he knew his way round but still followed Byakuya out of courtesy. Arriving next to a room, a pair of shojis suddenly opened with Unohana leaving the room. She was also called to try and help but was unable to do so. Unohana looked up and past Byakuya as she gave out her motherly smile. "It''s been a long time, Itsuki-san" Itsuki just nodded while Byakuya questioned Unohana, "Hisana, she¡­" Unohana just shook her head before Byakuya could finish. Upon knowing the answer, he backed down and looked towards Itsuki. He was his final hope but Byakuya never had much faith. Itsuki just looked at Unohana, she was a scary woman. He remembered when they first met after he became captain. - Flashback - They were just left the captain''s meeting room when Unohana came towards him. They were still in the 1st Division HQ so no other Shinigami was around. "So Itsuki-san, how are you coping as a captain?" "Good" "This must be Seikyo, she is indeed a cute bird" Seikyo who was on Itsuki''s shoulder was patted on her head as she complied by rubbing her head on Unohana''s arm. "Fufufu" Giving out a laugh, she picked Seikyo up and handed it to Ukitake who was also there. Itsuki was confused by her actions as she looked towards him. "Follow me" Leaving these words, she made her way towards the training ground where Yamamoto trained Itsuki. The other captains decided to follow what was up. Currently, only Itsuki had become a new captain so Aizen wasn''t here and the current Kenpachi was still the same as Zaraki had yet to come so he wasn''t here as well. With them were just, Ginrei, Shunsui and Ukitake. Unohana had her back against Itsuki as the others stood some distance away. Suddenly, a horrifying reiatsu filled with battle lust poured out of Unohana. Her tied up her escaped her restraints as she turned around revealing a scar on her neck. A gloomy look was in her eyes while a menacing smile plastered her face. She slowly drew out her sword indicating Itsuki to do the same. Ever since she first met Itsuki, she felt something similar from him. The feeling of a killer, someone who is surrounded by death, it awakened her lust for battle. Whenever she looked at him, she would just want to draw out her sword and penetrate him. Shunsui and the others weren''t shocked by the sudden change. "The first kenpachi truly lives up to her name" Shunsui looked on as Itsuki got into a stance. "Hmm" Looking closely, he could see a hint of a smile on his face and a pure unadulterated battle lust spewing out of his eyes. Upon the two disappearing, the battle was extremely fast, and it ended within a short amount of time. Although Unohana had reached a high level in swordsmanship, she had lost interest in fighting and Itsuki had reignited that passion. The current mother like figure was no longer there, what replaced her was the most diabolical criminal to ever exist in soul society. Itsuki had defeated her with pure speed. The others hadn''t even seen him move and had only saw Unohana reacting with pure instinct to defend against his sword. But in the end, she was defeated. Itsuki and Unohana had their back''s facing each other with Itsuki standing and Unohana on her knees with her sword stabbed into the ground, "I''ve been defeated, I''ve been scarred, but Itsuki, you are the first to make me feel so hopeless" Getting up, she walked off without turning back. There was a slight limp in her walk which indicated that she was injured and was currently using healing kido to patch her up. From then on, at least once a week, Unohana would arrange a fight with Itsuki. Itsuki also complied as this wasn''t a normal spar, Unohana came with the intention to do serious harm so Itsuki would always be on the edge when fighting against her. There were times she would refuse to come, like if there was some emergency and she was needed to help at the hospital, she would not fight on that day. On the other hand, Itsuki would come to the hospital and learn some medical knowledge for emergency first aids. Returning to the present, Unohana took her leave while leaving a lingering glance on Itsuki. Byakuya never saw this as he hurriedly opened the door. It was an empty room with one futon in the middle. A petite, sickly women lay upon it as the setting sun basked its light into the room. She had delicate facial features that radiated kindness and pale white skin. Short black hair fell onto her shoulders with a strand falling in between her purplish-blue eyes. Hearing someone sit next to her she turned around and a blissful smile appeared on her face, "Byakuya-Sama, you''re back" Trying to sit up, she was gently pushed down by Byakuya. "Don''t get up, you need to rest" A gentle look replaced Byakuya''s eyes as he looked at his wife. "I''m sorry Byakuya-Sama, I''ve troubled you" Looking outside she continued, "It seems I won''t be able to search for her again" Hearing this Byakuya replied "You don''t need to search for her, I''ll have people look for her, you just rest" Hisana just smiled at her husband''s worries before looking behind him. "It seems we have a guest" Itsuki walked forward and sat down next to Hisana, "It''s been a long time Hisana" "It has indeed, Itsuki-Sama" Seikyo who was still in the skies flew down and landed next to Hisana. Turning around a girlish squeak escaped her as she hugged Seikyo, "Seikyo-chaaan" "Kyuu~" Seikyo wasn''t against it and returned her hug by rubbing her face. While this was happening, Byakuya turned to Itsuki. Itsuki was concentrating on Hisana''s body looking for the root of the illness. Byakuya saw a sudden light in Itsuki''s eyes and felt a shiver down his spine. Cold sweat cascaded down his skin unknowingly when he looked into those eyes. Itsuki had activated his mystic eyes as he analysed Hisana. Astonishment filled his eyes as he saw the numerous lines of death littering her body. This showed that Hisana would pass away quite soon and remembering back to the anime, it would be at the start of spring. Looking out, the first seeds hadn''t bloomed indicating that there was still time. Turning towards Byakuya, he asked, "Byakuya, do you trust me?" Byakuya nodded as he looked back at Itsuki. Calling out to Seikyo, he ordered, "Seikyo, bring Unohana here" Hearing this Hisana let Seikyo go as she flew towards the leaving captain. Hisana had heard Itsuki speak and before she could ask, Itsuki spoke to her, "Hisana, do you trust me?" Hisana also nodded. She knew that Itsuki was her husband''s only friend and he treated her like his sister. Back when they first decided to get married, they faced many oppositions, especially within the family. He was of noble birth and the current head of the one the four great noble houses while she had come from the later districts of Rukongai. Their statuses didn''t match at all, it was like comparing a common rock to a precious jewel. Itsuki, however, was someone that didn''t care for this and had supported her back then. Technically, Itsuki had also come from the further districts of Rukongai so she felt more comfortable with him, before she knew he was a captain. She had first met Itsuki when they were sparring and was one of the few females immune to his charm. Byakuya had introduced her to him and that was when Itsuki''s playful nature surfaced. He didn''t tell her his identity. This had somehow helped her as not many people knew that Itsuki would come and spar with the Byakuya every now and then. So, he got to see many things happen to her, death threats, lack of food and negligence in taking care of her. All Itsuki did was send Seikyo to accompany her and that had somehow sent a message to them, so she experienced a lot less bullying. Seikyo was also a clever bird as whenever a servant came to do tasks for her, she would just glare at them, making sure she got the right and correct food. Itsuki found it funny seeing her expression on their wedding day when he formally introduced herself. Hisana was also surprised that the infamous Raijuu was Itsuki. A short time later Seikyo returned with Unohana. 53 Byakuya "Sorry captain Unohana, just need you for assurance" Itsuki then told her to sit on the other side of Hisana and have her medical kido ready. Byakuya looked suspicious for this arrangement but still decided to trust Itsuki. What Itsuki did next, shocked the living daylights out of them. They never expected him to do anything like this, no matter how many different ways they thought he would help her. Activating his eyes, Itsuki unsheathed his sword and stabbed Hisana''s chest right in the middle, not all the way though. Just the tip had entered and was quickly retracted, still Byakuya was shocked. "ITSUKI!!!" Byakuya immediately sent a fist towards Itsuki when he saw this. He couldn''t think properly; the love of his life was stabbed right in front of him by his best friend. Itsuki dodged the strike and jumped back. "Byakuya(-Sama), wait" Two voices interrupted him as he looked behind, Hisana was okay and there was no blood coming out of her. You could tell she was in shock as someone just stabbed her in front of her eyes. What was more shocking was that she didn''t feel anything. "She''s getting better, her illness is gone, it''s dying out" Hisana did indeed have a better expression on her face. Looking towards her husband a joyous smile surfaced on her. She wouldn''t be a burden to him anymore. Byakuya also had a rare smile on his face when he looked at his wife. He also felt sorry towards his friend that he doubted for a second there. Turning around, he was about to apologise when a fist came flying towards him. Itsuki''s fist hit him right in the nose, sending him flying towards the courtyard outside. Hisana and Unohana were shocked at first but then started giggling. Looking back at Itsuki, they realised that he was already gone. Unohana then also took her leave and left the couple alone. Remembering that strike, she couldn''t wait to have another spar with him. Returning back to his division, Itsuki saw Soi Fon barking orders one by one. Soi Fon was still hard working and staunch like in the anime, yet it lessened due to the presence of Itsuki. After giving out these orders, she returned to do her paperwork. Sneaking behind her, Itsuki put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug while blowing into her ears. A deep blush immediately appeared on her face as she jumped out like a cat when her tail''s been stepped on. "W-w-what d-do you t-think you''re d-doing?" A teasing smirk was plastered on Itsuki''s face. This annoyed Soi Fon as she tried to kick but failed as he appeared behind her and rubbed her head. This time she didn''t react as she melted with that touch. Realising that she was caving she immediately jumped back to her seat and distracted herself with paperwork although she did take a few glances at Itsuki. Soi Fon felt inferior when she compared herself to Rangiku. No matter if it was looks, figure or feminine charm she felt she was losing out. She also knew that Rangiku had been with Itsuki even before they joined the academy. Thinking about all these aspects, put her in a massive disadvantageous position. However, she didn''t give up and this was noticed by Rangiku. Realising her feelings, Rangiku had confronted Soi Fon and they were out for like a day. This was a day where Itsuki was in the library, so he never knew that this meeting had happened. It was only until later where they would meet frequently before and after their women association meetings that Itsuki found out. Still, whatever was stated in that confrontation, Itsuki had no idea of what its contents was. Walking out, he looked over the 2nd Division HQ and saw many people training. Everything was the same, but the intensity of the training and the general atmosphere was far from it. A solemn and strict atmosphere surrounded the place which only got heavier with the presence of Itsuki. Each week, the Onmitsukido were required for field training and were let loose onto the outskirts to battle hollows, with nothing but a sword. Requirements for Shunpo also increased as he got his training idea from when he trained but only lighter. Rocks were thrown at the subordinates instead of weapons like what Yamamoto did to him. A few weeks went by with Itsuki, with Hisana''s health getting better and better, and Byakuya having endless gratitude within his eyes including a bit of resentment. Remembering that sword strike Itsuki did, he realised that Itsuki had be8en holding back in their spars. During one of their spars, Byakuya questioned "Since when?" Itsuki looked on with a confused look, question marks appeared around him as he looked back at Byakuya, Gritting his teeth, he finally let it out, "Since when were you holding back?" An understanding look flashed thorough Itsuki''s eyes as he replied, "Since the start" This shocked Byakuya as he never expected that answer. Itsuki realised that he had hurt Byakuya''s pride as he continued, "Don''t worry though, you''ve made me use more of my strength since then" This instead made him more depressed ''I have never made him use his full strength'' "Let''s have a spar with your full strength this time" Itsuki just nodded as he got into a stance with Byakuya following. The sun drowned in the horizon, elongating the two shadows. A slight breeze flew by as it broke of a leaf from a nearby tree. With the leaf ever so inching the ground, Byakuya tightened his grip on his sword. Time seemed to slow as he could hear his own heartbeat. He had never won against Itsuki even when he was holding back so he didn''t have much expectations of winning, he just wanted to know the true strength of the one he had called his rival. The leaf had just touched the ground when Itsuki disappeared from his vision. His instincts screamed at him; warning bells rang out within him. Barely moving his sword to a defensive position, a tremendous force made impact on his sword. Being pushed a few steps back, his instincts started screaming again, but this time from another direction. Moving his sword into a different position he blocked the sword. A few clashes later, Byakuya saw a chance and thrusted his sword forward. However, it wasn''t what he expected, Itsuki''s swords was centimetres from his throat resulting in his lost. Another few months went by with there being no change to Itsuki''s schedule. Apart from Hisana joining them as a spectator during his spars with Byakuya, there were no changes. Today, Rangiku had called for Itsuki and the gang to get back together. They were having a reunion of some sort and Rangiku had invited them to attend the academy. Rangiku was standing alone outside the gates of the academy but she was attracting quite the attention. She was, by no doubt, a beautiful lady and caught everyone''s attention wherever she went, however, her lieutenant armband deterred them. Suddenly, a commotion was heard, and she looked in that direction. A familiar face was there with an unfamiliar smile. Aizen was walking towards the academy, dressed in a captain''s attire with Gin following behind, who was now a Lieutenant. She was about to call out to him but was stopped by a hand. Turning around, she saw Itsuki look at her as he shook his head. Getting his message, she put her hand down and started walking into the academy. As everyone''s attention was on Aizen, no one saw the two entering. "It''s been a long time, yet it feels short" Itsuki nodded at Rangiku''s words as they walked side by side. "Where are the others?" Itsuki questioned "They couldn''t make it" Itsuki felt suspicious but let it go. Turning into a corner, Rangiku realised that they were in a relatively deserted training area. No student could be seen near this area and various sword marks could be seen sporadically lying about. Leaning on the familiar tree stump, the two reminisced about their training days. Rangiku leaned on Itsuki''s shoulder as if it was natural while her eyes were gently closed. The two enjoyed this rare piece of quiet. Suddenly, a rustle was heard behind them as a girl walked out. She looked awfully similar to Hisana but was just a younger version of her. She seemed to be a new student and remembering the timeline of the show, Rukia should have been in her first year of the academy, having just joined. She seemed to be in her own thoughts due to not noticing the two people already there. What brought her out of these thoughts was a cry of a beautiful white eagle that landed in front of her. Caught by surprise, she tripped and fell on her back as Seikyo jumped onto her knees. She was frozen as she didn''t dare move in case it earned the ire of the bird. Seikyo was curiously looking at the girl in front of her. She looks the same but has a different smell. A bird and girl continued to look at each other until a Jigokucho interrupted them. They both looked towards it as it flew towards the tree stump. It was only now that she noticed the two people in the area. She couldn''t see one of them and only saw a head full of blonde while the other had gotten up. What came into view was a white robe with the number two on the back. This shocked Rukia as only one type of person could where something like that. Then remembering the bird that was on her knees, she turned to look at it, only to see it jump from her and onto the person''s shoulder. The said person turned their head and glance back towards her. Coldness, pure coldness was present in those eyes when he looked back. Rukia was frozen when she met those eyes and found it hard to breathe. By the time she collected her thoughts, the two people had already left. Itsuki had been called for an emergency. They had lost contact with the students that went to the real world for training. Him being the closest, he received the order first. Upon entering the Senkaimon, he made his way towards the training area. Arriving at the location, what entered his view was a fairly modern area. The year was currently 1952 and it was only six years after the second world war. Japan was slowly recovering from the war and one could tell with the atmosphere. In a certain location though, the atmosphere was very different. Countless hollows were killing students left and right with one major one in the middle. ************************************************** Author''s note Guuuuys, bad news, ive fallen ill. Life gave me hayfever and asthma, then decided it wasnt enough and presented me a cold So, i''m going to take this chance to rewatch bleach and concentrate on my other book. I''ll hopefully be back by Monday, finger''s crossed Lastly, I will need to sort out a timetable for this so I can get you guys a more stable release rate. 54 Rukia - A few minutes earlier - - Unknown POV - "Barrier Squad, what''s your status?" A youthful voice rang out into a mic. He had dark grey eyes and spiky black hair that reached his shoulders. He was wearing the standard academy uniform with his sword mounted on the back. A ''69'' was tattooed on his left cheek and was wearing a choker. This youth was Hisagi Shuuhei, a relatively well-known senior, who had failed the examinations twice but due to his efforts was known as a future seated officer. He was the one in charge and was leading the freshmen for their training. They were just finishing up when he decided to contact the barrier team "Hey, Respond!" He started to get a bad feeling due to the lack of response. "What''s wrong, barrier team?! Can you hear me?!" "Hey, answer me!" "Hey!" Getting no response, his classmate next to him questioned, "What''s wrong" "Something''s not right, no one from the barrier team is responding" Just as he finished speaking, the same teammate felt something and turned around, "Hisagi-kun!" Hearing this, he also turned around and what he saw shocked him. A gigantic hollow stood there and swept his claw towards his teammate stabbing right through her body. "Kyaaaaaa!!!" A freshmen''s scream bought him out of his daze as he unsheathed his sword. His classmate next to him screamed as he ran forward to attack. "How dare you kill Kanisawa!" The hollow, seeing this swept his claw and threw the girl''s body to the side and once again swept its claw at its attacker. Hisagi just saw another friend die right in front of him. ''Damn, how could a high-class hollow reach here'' "Freshmen, run away!" Saying this he took out a receiver and started contacting soul society "Soul Society, requesting assistance. This is sixth year student, Hisagi Shuuhei. Under attack by a high-level hollow at living world point no.1026 northwest, mark 2128¡­" As soon as he said this, he saw the hollow charge up a ball of reiatsu and shot it towards him. Luckily, he was able to just about dodge it. However, it was just the true beginning of despair. No matter how he attacked, he couldn''t do any damage on to the hollow. Before he knew it, the hollow had swiped its claws and scratched just over his right eyes, leaving three long scratch marks. He was now blinded with one eye. The hollow this time increased the number of claws in one hand and directly attacked him. Realising that he couldn''t block it, he prepared to fight to death. Suddenly, out of nowhere, three figures appeared blocking the claws from three different directions. "You guys¡­" The one who replied was a youth to his left. He had blue eyes and short, shaggy blonde hair that''s bang just rested above his left eye. He wore the standard academy clothes for males. "Our deepest apologies, we are disobeying orders" To the right was a youth with a hair full of red hair pulled into a ponytail and brown eyes. He also wore the standard academy uniform for males. He continued, "We came to save you, so overlook it, alright senpai?" Lastly, to his left, covering claws coming from the bottom was a petite girl with brown eyes and black hair tied into pig tails at the base of her neck. She wore the standard academy uniform for girls. After the three pushed away the claws, they brought out both their hand and chanted """Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!""" """Hakudo #31, Shakkaho""" The strength of the three combined was able to push the hollow back, enough for them to make their escape. Running away they questioned why a high-level hollow was able to get here unnoticed and the only answer was that it was able to hide its reiatsu. Turning a corner, they knew that they wouldn''t be able to defeat such a hollow and could only wait for assistance from Soul Society. However, this time they felt true utter despair. A distortion occurred in front of them where dozens of high-level hollows appeared. One by one they appeared and slowly surrounded them as the students were slowly losing hope. "This many huge hollow¡­" "Impossible" "It''s not real¡­this¡­no¡­I don''t want to die, I don''t wanna die" The blonde one seemed to have snapped while the girl had a hopeless look in her eyes and despair written in bold letters on her face. Only Hisagi and the red hair had some sort of fighting intent as they looked around. The hollows slowly crept forward but suddenly all shook at once as an intruder flew above them. An eagle''s cry was heard attracting the attention of the four students. The students and the hollow all looked up at the white eagle circling around them. Hisagi looked shocked at the new intruder, "That''s¡­" He had a faint idea of who arrived and started to look around. Suddenly, footsteps were heard as another intruder walked up behind them. The intruder didn''t say anything and just looked at the four students. ''The red one should be Abarai Renji, the blonde one is Kira Izuru, the girl should be Hinamori Momo and the one-eyed guy should Hisagi Shuuhei'' Itsuki had just arrived and started walking towards them as he slowly sheathed his sword. The hollows also saw this and jumped towards him """"Watch out"""" Itsuki gave a fleeting glance at the hollows when he got a sudden impulse. Upon fully sheathing his sword he spoke out "Omae wa mou shindeiru" "Nani!" Suddenly, all the hollows exploded into dust when Itsuki stopped speaking. Don''t get me wrong, the one that screamed after wasn''t the hollows, it was Renji in front. Seeing the one that shouted, Itsuki thought inwardly, ''Don''t shout that if you''re not the target'' You couldn''t blame Renji, he was too shocked to see the hollows that seemed so imposing suddenly get defeated within an instant. "Who exactly is he?" Renji spoke as the others looked on with admiration. Hisagi replied "The Raijuu of Soul Society, 2nd Division Captain and Head of the Onmitsukido, Minamoto Itsuki" "Itsuki-Sama" A quiet voice was heard from Hinamori while Itsuki was in his own thoughts. He was fanboying inside. The group expected some sort of consoling words but all they got was a cold freezing look as he reached them. They could swear they saw ice flowers blooming around him when he walked. "Oya, I seem to be one step late" Another voice rung out. Hisagi turned to look at the newcomer, well newcomers. "5th division''s Captain Aizen! Lieutenant Ichimaru!" "It seems Captain Minamoto took care of the hollows" Itsuki just looked at the Aizen and stabbed his sword into the air and twisted it. A senkaimon opened with Itsuki entering first. The students looked at each other and followed behind. While they were walking through the Dangai, a cold voice was heard, "Most of your classmates are safe" And back to silence. They could tell that Itsuki wasn''t much of a speaker and they followed suit. Aizen, who was behind them, also didn''t speak as he kept his usual harmless smile on his face while Gin had his normal sarcastic one. It wasn''t long until they left and members of the fourth members came to check on their injuries. What surprised the four was the number of females looking in their direction. The boys got happy but then cold water was poured over them in the form of Hinamori''s voice. "Don''t get cocky, they''re not looking at you" This made them realise that they weren''t looking at them or at Captain Aizen behind them, but rather at their saviour in front. Itsuki turned around and gave them one last glance before disappearing from their sights. It was night-time in the real world and with it being quite dark, it was difficult to get a proper look at Itsuki, but now they were able to get one. The three boys were shocked but then depressed while Hinamori''s eyes started shining. Aizen also made his leave as he talked to Gin, "Gin, did you see that?" "I didn''t" "Neither did I" ''Minamoto Itsuki, just how much are you hiding'' This event swept Seireitei of its feet as it was extremely rare for this situation to happen. The last time it happened was around sixty-six years ago, when Itsuki had his training. Itsuki couldn''t be bothered about this as it just resulted in more paperwork and giving an explanation to Yamamoto about the happenings all took a long time. Soi Fon could swear a black aura showed up around Itsuki and a faint muttering could be heard, "Death to paperwork, death to paperwork, death to paperwork, death to paperwork¡­" She had never seen Itsuki so scary. Currently, Itsuki and Byakuya had just finished sparring when Itsuki called Byakuya over to the side. "I think I have found Hisana''s sister. Saw someone look exactly like her" Byakuya was extremely surprised by this revelation as he and Hisana had been looking for her for years. This time, he used his authority as a captain and had gotten some clues but was still at a dead end. In the anime, Byakuya had become a captain after he had adopted Rukia, roughly, forty-nine years prior to the main plot. But with the presence of Itsuki and his spars, Ginrei had handed him the title of captain earlier. Although it was earlier than normal, it made no difference if Rukia was found now or a bit later. She would have only spent a year at the academy and would have directly joined the Gotei 13. It was about time when Byakuya found her. Byakuya then invited Itsuki to come with him but refrained from telling Hisana, he wanted to be a surprise. She was still dead set on not being worthy enough for being her sister. So, since he could remember, Hisana had always asked Byakuya to take her sister as his own and adopt her. First, Byakuya wanted to see her, what character she had. Even though it was Hisana''s sister, if her character was bad, he didn''t want Hisana to meet her. It may be detrimental for her as she might think it was her fault that she ended up like this. But then it hit him, wouldn''t she feel guilt over causing the death of her sister if she never met him. Byakuya was an egg between a rock and a hard place. He could only hope that her character was good enough. And, boy oh boy, was he relieved. Itsuki could swear he saw tears of happiness streaming down his eyes as he laid eyes upon the report. Byakuya then immediately took the housekeeper and made his way to the academy. This time the females of Seireitei had their dreams realised upon seeing Byakuya and Itsuki together. The old housekeeper, however, wasn''t having the best of times. He could feel the resentful eyes boring through him as he walked alongside the two captains. Seeing this, the old housekeeper shrunk his neck and tried to keep his presence to the minimum. He could tell what they were thinking but the voices couldn''t be stopped, "What is that old fogey doing¡­" Many other harsh words were silently thrown around as the man got more and more pitiful. Does it look like I want to be here? Luckily, the academy arrived, and they anonymously entered. The principal was extremely welcoming as bigshots had entered the academy. Upon noticing Byakuya''s intentions they were brought to a room where Rukia would then be called upon. It wasn''t long until Rukia entered. "I''m entering" She looked up to see a couple unfamiliar men and one pair of familiar eyes. ******************************************** Author''s note SUPRISE, weren''t expecting a new chapter were you! I know, I know. But, I couldn''t hold back, I just got pumped up rewatching it. I, myself am really excited when the plot starts. Plus, think of this as my apologies for not giving you guys a chap and going on a bit of a small hiatus. Lastly, when I meant by concentrating on my other book, I didn''t mean writing it out, but sorting out the auxiliary stuff like power levels etc. In case you people have forgotten, I am still an amateur writer. This is my first book. I didn''t put much thought on to the second book when I started it so I need to do now. I need to learn how to properly title my chapters. Been using just names recently. 55 Personal Guards Abarai Renji could be seen running through the hallways of the academy. A happy smile could be seen on his face as he looked for someone. "Yo, you seen Rukia" "I think I remember seeing her entering XX room" Asking a fellow student, he got the directions where Rukia was last seen. Reaching his destination, he didn''t bother knocking and just directly rushed in, "Rukia, you¡­" Renji was shocked seeing her not alone. Looking at the man in front of her, he noticed the kenseikan he was wearing. ''Nobility?'' "Oh, it seems we have been interrupted. Well, take your time thinking, we will await your answer" The old housekeeper finished speaking, before leaving with Byakuya. Renji saw Byakuya looking at him, no, behind him causing him to turn around. Standing next to the door while leaning his back against the wall with his leg and had his arms folded was a familiar man. Those same cold eyes looked at him as if saying ''Am I invisible to you?''. Suddenly the eagle on his shoulder jumped up and landed on Rukia. "Kyuu~" The old housekeeper was shocked with this as he noticed Itsuki''s eyes stabbing into him. ''It seems Captain Minamoto¡­'' The housekeeper just sighed as he was dismissed by Byakuya leaving Itsuki, Byakuya, Rukia and Renji in the room. Renji was just stuck in place as cold sweat appeared on his back. Ever since he entered the room, he couldn''t move in any way. Their reiatsu was too huge. Byakuya turned to Itsuki as resolution filled his eyes, Itsuki, seeing this, asked "You sure?" Byakuya nodded as he disappeared from their visions. He was going to visit his parent''s graves. Itsuki sighed upon seeing this, it seems he couldn''t change some parts. Byakuya still ended up making an oath in front of his parent''s graves, to never go against the rules. Itsuki tried to stop it from happening but it seems that he failed. This would be second time breaking it, first one was for Hisana, the second for Rukia. He still ended up feeling uncomfortable resulting in this oath. A bird''s cry brought him out of his thoughts as he looked at Rukia and Seikyo playing. Touching Renji''s shoulder he calmed him down as he collected his reiatsu. "Thanks" A small voice was heard as he walked towards Rukia. She was still engrossed in playing with Seikyo and only noticed him when the eagle landed on his shoulder. Rukia was shocked seeing him so close as a faint blush crept onto her face. "C-c-captain Minamoto" Looking up, she started losing herself in those eyes and was only bought out of it when Itsuki started speaking, "It seems like Seikyo took a liking to you. So, I''ll leave her to you" Saying this he disappeared from their vision leaving the two childhood friends and a bird behind. Itsuki then stopped some distance away and rubbed his throat, it felt dry. From then on, no words left Itsuki''s mouth. ''Need to balance, need to balance¡­'' It seems he was still looking for it. One of the most powerful Shinigami, has the whole of soul society''s library cramped into his head and still looks for the balance. Time passed as the captain''s seats got filled slowly. Since then, Itsuki had taken over the 2nd division, Gin had taken over the 3rd division, Aizen took the 5th, Komamura Sajin became the captain of the 7th, Kaname Tosen took the 9th and Shiba Isshin became the 10th Division''s captain. Kurotsuchi Mayuri became captain of the 12th Division shortly after Itsuki while Isshin joined their ranks a few years later. Rukia joined the Gotei 13 after the year ended, joining the 13th division under Ukitake. Byakuya was still strict with her and kept an aloof side when talking to her. However, he was milder and would praise her now and then. The only time he would act like another person was in front of Hisana and Itsuki. Hisana still refused to meet Rukia as guilt drowned her whenever she saw Rukia. Itsuki and Byakuya knew they couldn''t force it and would just have to wait for her to gather her courage. Although Hisana had recovered, she still had a weak body and with the fear of her getting harmed, Byakuya requested Itsuki to assign a few guards to accompany her. Itsuki then got Maneko''s few subordinates to always be with her wherever she went. Five years after Rukia graduated, Renji, Hinamori and Kira also graduated. They were all offered a position within the 5th Division, but, while Renji and Kira took it, Hinamori applied for the 2nd division. She never joined the executive militia, patrol corps, or the detention corps, but directly went for Itsuki''s personal guards. Each head of the Onmitsukido had them apart from Itsuki, because, in his words, he didn''t need them, he had Seikyo. But Soi Fon, Maneko and the other members of the Onmitsukido basically tried their best in persuading him to get his own. For some reason, even Byakuya jumped in. In their words, there was no point of Itsuki personally making a move for small fries, it was a waste of time. So, after a long period of persuasion, threats and many things I won''t say, Itsuki finally consented. However, Itsuki didn''t just make his personal guards, he made them a secret information corp. Only known to Itsuki and Soi Fon, to the outside world they were his personal guards but Itsuki made them his information network. He had already started planting spies ever since he became a captain, which slowly grew to what it is now. He needed a few subordinates to manage it and didn''t want anybody to know about it, including Yamamoto. Seeing the first applicant, Itsuki was surprised to find Hinamori''s application. It seemed that Itsuki had taken Aizen''s place for her subject of admiration. Itsuki knew that she was an incredibly loyal individual and, being from the elite class, was talented, especially in kido. Hinamori arrived in front of the 2nd division''s main gates and walked towards the two Onmitsukido guards standing there. "State your purpose" The one on the right stated, "Hinamori Momo, here for an exam" Giving her papers she was let in. On her way she encountered no-one and just walked on the paved path surrounded by trees. Walking in she came across another set of walls and was let in, this time with a female Onmitsukido member as a guide. No-one talked and she could feel the strict atmosphere within the division. She was led to the main building and finally reached a door that had the plaque reading ''Captain''s Quarters''. They waited outside until Soi Fon arrived. Soi Fon examined the first applicant. She seemed to be just a weak little girl. Hinamori, on the other hand, looked at the girl no taller than her. Seeing the lieutenant armband on Soi Fon''s left shoulder, she hurriedly collected herself and showed her respect along with the Onmitsukido member, "Lieutenant Soi Fon" "Mm, so you''re the first applicant" Hinamori nodded while Soi Fon continued, "Why are you waiting outside, come in. The captain''s probably waiting" Soi Fon proceeded to directly walk in while the Onmitsukido member panicked and tried to stop her, "Lieutenant, I think we should knock first" "No need, come in¡­" Soi Fon opened the door and was shocked. Hinamori and Onmitsukido member were confused at first and also looked inside resulting in them being shocked as well. Itsuki stood there wide eyed at the intruders. He was currently dressing up and was currently putting on a white top. While his lower body was covered by trousers, his upper body laid bare in front of three pairs of shocked eyes. The girls saw Itsuki''s tender white skin holding back his perfect muscles. His body looked like it was sculpted by the gods and no blemished were found. Itsuki was inwardly flustered but outwardly calm. Proceeding to wear his top, he put on his captain''s attire as he disappeared from their visions. This brought them back form their thoughts as they looked at each other, realising the three of them having a nosebleed. The Onmitsukido member then excused herself as Soi Fon brought Hinamori to the main hall. Only Itsuki and Soi Fon would overlook this exam so no one else was in the room apart from Itsuki sitting at the forefront. Soi Fon looked at the place and immediately saw Yoruichi sitting there, as anger appeared in her eyes. The picture was then replaced by Itsuki which made the anger disappear where it was then replaced by what she just saw. A blush appeared as she tried to remain cool but failed to do so. Hinamori next to her was out if it. She kept looking next to Itsuki with a blush and wouldn''t dare meet his eyes. Soi Fon then proceeded in front of her and started talking about the rules and regulations. Itsuki didn''t say anything and just watched it happen. First, they would test her strength in all areas, and then overlook her performance within each corps. Then there would be an examination in how well she could handle information and a year later she passed with fighting colours. What surprised Itsuki was that, normally she would have a kind face but when she was serious or angered, her eyes became especially menacing. After that, no other application reached Itsuki''s standard so currently only Hinamori was part of Itsuki''s personal guard. As she was originally from the west Rukongai, Itsuki made her in charge of that while he looked over the other three. Rukia had the same experience within the 13th division she had in the anime. Whenever Itsuki went to meet Ukitake, he would observe her from a distance. He was there when she started to idolise Miyako, Kaien''s wife and was also there when she first activated her Shikai. One time, Itsuki was visiting and was having a talk with Ukitake while Kaien was on the side. Rukia walked in with a plate that had only two cups of tea. Placing it down, Kaien saw this as he hit Rukia''s head, "Kuchiki! Why do I only see two cups when there is three of us" Ukitake had a smile on his face while Itsuki had a stoic look, but one could see the amusement in his eyes. "S-s-sorry" Rubbing her head, she looked down. She had only thought that Ukitake and Kaien would be here, she didn''t Itsuki was also here. A small blush appeared on her face when she saw Itsuki as Kaien saw this. Preparing to tease her, Ukitake questioned Rukia, "Kuchiki, no response from the reconnaissance team yet?" Being brought out of her thoughts Rukia replied, "They still haven''t returned yet" Suddenly loud footsteps were heard as the door smashed open and Sentaro burst in, "Th-there''s trouble, the reconnaissance team encountered trouble" Upon hearing this, Kaien immediately darted up and ran outside while the rest followed. Entering an ordinary looking shack. An unconscious woman laid upon a bed of sorts as Kaien ran towards her while shouting, "Miyako!" Miyako was beautiful woman with long dark hair tied up while keeping a strand hanging down either side of her face. A Shinigami next to her started talking, "She has lost consciousness, but her life is not in danger" Ukitake looked towards another subordinate and questioned, "The others?" The subordinate in question looked down and replied, "All dead" Ukitake was clearly shocked by this "All dead?!" Itsuki just looked on as a spectator as he activated his eyes, ''Indeed, there is something inside her'' Rukia was worried and approached Kaien "Kaien-dono¡­" Kaien didn''t reply and just looked worried. After leaving Itsuki held Ukitake back. "What''s wrong Itsuki?" "Something''s weird, there''s no hollow around, Seikyo didn''t find anything" Ukitake got to thinking as he suddenly looked back at Miyako''s location, "You can''t mean¡­" Itsuki just nodded while Ukitake looked stunned. He didn''t doubt Itsuki''s judgement but what he was implying was too dangerous. Waiting for night to descend, Itsuki and Ukitake stayed nearby and waited to see if she would indeed. Kaien was also called and looked extremely worried, at first, he didn''t believe it and was about to cause a ruckus but one look from Itsuki shut him up. Ukitake started to look doubtful as time passed on with no movement from Miyako. He was about to question Itsuki when Miyako suddenly sat up. **************************************************** Author''s note Ok, ok. It seems like I can''t stop writing. I will make sure to keep my health in check and won''t stress myself. If I suddenly don''t post any time soon, you now know the reason 56 Hitsugaya Toshiro Ukitake and the rest were stunned while Itsuki continued observing calmly. Miyako slowly got up and walked towards the patrolling Shinigami. "This has gotten really serious." "I can''t believe everyone except Miyako-dono was killed¡­" "Is Miyako-do alright?" "Yeah, they say her life isn''t in any danger¡­" "That''s a relief, she is the one person that the 13th division cannot live without." "Yeah." "Oh, if it isn''t Miyako-dono? Should you be up-" Miyako just carried on walking towards them with her sword drawn and her bangs covering her eyes. Suddenly, she lunged forwards with full intent to kill towards the one that was questioning her. The Shinigami was too shocked to suddenly react when a person appeared in front of him. The said person started shouting "Miyako, what are you doing?!" Kaien who suddenly appeared was shocked to see a ruthless look in her eyes as a bloodthirsty smile appeared on her face. Looking round she noticed she was surrounded by Ukitake, Rukia and the rest. Ukitake looked at the patrolling soldiers and ordered, "Leave this area!" They were too shocked by the recent happenings as they absentmindedly ran away. -Miyako-jumped back and looked around. Her smile never left her face as she ended up looking at Rukia, "Miy¡­ako¡­-do¡­no" -Miyako-gave out a ghastly scream as she ran towards her. Kaien, seeing this, jumped in front of Rukia while holding his hands out and shouted "Stop, Miyako!" Miyako regained some clarity in her eyes as she suddenly stopped. She seemed worried as sweat dripped down her face. Realising what she was doing, she slowly backed off and tried to make her escape by jumping onto the roof. Just as she was about to do that, she seemed to struggle with something and was fighting back trying to regain control. There seemed to be two entities fighting for possession of her body. Realising that she was slowly losing control she proceeded with her escape and jumped onto the roof. What Miyako wasn''t expecting was for Itsuki to already be there. Itsuki released some of his reiatsu and pushed Miyako back into the courtyard. Kaien had seen her struggle and held some hope in his heart that his Miyako would be saved. -Miyako-landed on the ground as her skin turned green and orange patches appeared surrounding her eyes. "Tch, I was just about to eat this body." Frustration was in her voice as a strange masculine voice appeared from Miyako''s mouth. "Miyako!!" Kaien still held hope of -Miyako-hearing him. -Miyako-suddenly turned to him as her eyes turned black. "Why do you call out my name, young man?" "Are you that worried about me?" "Are you that much in love with me, young man?" Miyako looked at him as a long tongue fell out her mouth. "If you love me that much, then I''ll eat you first!" -Miyako-suddenly jumped at Kaien intent on biting him. Ukitake appeared in front and blocked the attack with his sword. They started confronting each other as Itsuki could tell Ukitake and the rest were looking for a way to help her with their passiveness. The -Miyako- took extra care in not running towards Itsuki as she felt that if she did then it will be her death. "Why don''t you attack me?" "I know, you''re looking for a way to drag me out of this body, aren''t you?" "It''s useless" "I''m a spirit entity, she''s a spirit entity. We''re a union of spirit entities, we can never be separated!!" The more -Miyako- spoke the more despair Kaien felt. Ukitake suddenly made his move, "I see, then I have no choice¡­" -Miyako- looked shocked as she dodged, she was surprised seeing someone strike her with the intent to kill. "Y-you would hurt you own comrade?!" "Yes, I cannot let the likes of you have Miyako''s body!" Suddenly, Ukitake started having a coughing fit as he started to cough out blood. Seeing this, -Miyako- took this chance to make her escape but the same thing happened, Itsuki appeared. This time, Itsuki activated his eyes, crouched slightly and swung his sword. No one saw the swing, all they saw was Itsuki appearing behind her slowly sheathing his sword and -Miyako- collapsing. Kaien, Rukia, Sentaro and Kiyone were stunned with the change of events. One minute they were trying to find ways to help Miyako, and the next they have a coughing captain and a supposedly dead Miyako. """Captain/Miyako!!!""" Sentaro and Kiyone ran towards Ukitake and Kaien towards Miyako. Rukia stood there too shocked to move. ''Why is this happening?'' "M-Miyako!" Kaien''s voice of shock was heard as Ukitake waved his hand implying he was ok. Sentaro still went and put his captain''s arm over him. They all looked over towards Miyako direction only to see Miyako returning to her original colour. They were all shocked as Kiyone made her way towards her. Kaien moved to the side as Kiyone checked up over Miyako as an astonished look slowly surfaced, "S-s-she''s okay, n-no cuts. She''s just unconscious." Everyone was astonished to hear that. Ukitake looked at Itsuki who just shook his head. He would need to tell Yamamoto about this. Itsuki then looked at Rukia who seemed downcast, she was next to useless in this battle. Itsuki then went next to her and whispered something which caused her eyes to widen. "W¡­?!" Rukia turned around only to see no one here, Itsuki had left. Miyako woke up a few days later and was filled with regret with that incident. She was forced to look as she killed her own comrades. She was filled with remorse to the ones she attacked and after apologising countless times she was up and running although she would look dazed now and then. She was, in a sense, the heart of the 13th division, so she needed to put up a brave front. As for Rukia, she became another spectator during Byakuya and Itsuki''s spar. Hisana would look from one side while hiding her face, while Rukia from another. After the spar, Itsuki would send her to train in the 2nd Division training ground and have Soi Fon personally train her. Currently, Itsuki and Rangiku were currently walking around the streets of Rukongai. Seeing Itsuki''s captain''s attire people would bow and move to the side. They decided to go to a relatively remote place where Rangiku saw a craving for sweets when the two saw a shopkeeper disrespectfully treat a kid. The kid had white hair that was kind of spiky and turquoise eyes. He had a relatively cold air surrounding him. "Oi, Itsuki, you didn''t have a child when I wasn''t looking, did you?" Itsuki was shocked by the accusation and looked at Rangiku who had a playful smile. Thinking of something, Itsuki looked guilty and nodded, "Eh?!" Rangiku was shocked but got irked seeing his Itsuki''s playful look. "You¡­!" About to refute Itsuki, Rangiku abruptly turned around, only to see the kid get mistreated. "Hey, you!" The kid and the shopkeeper were suddenly shocked by the voice as they both turned around. The barely saw anything when a hand came and pushed him away. This resulted in him falling to the ground. Rangiku directly ignored him and continued, "You shouldn''t treat customer''s like that! Are you taking advantage of him because he''s a kid?! I never realised how the people of this store were!" "N-no¡­" The shopkeeper barely spoke before Rangiku turned around and looked at the kid on the floor. Picking him up, she brought him to eye level and started shouting at him, "How long are you going to sit and cry?! Man up and say what''s on your mind!" The kid tried refuting her, "And just whose fault is it?! Besides I''m not crying! Lemme go!" Rangiku looked carefully at the boy as she felt something. "I said let go!" The boy then slapped Rangiku''s hand off and ran away. Rangiku tried stopping him "Hey, wait!" Itsuki then stood next to her, "You felt that didn''t you, Itsuki" "Took you long enough to realise it" Following the boy, they saw him entering a rundown shack. Rangiku decided to wait until night to make her entrance. She wanted the boy to know the consequences of his reiatsu. Night came quick as the two spent their time together when they suddenly felt a fluctuation of Reiatsu coming from the shack. Entering, they saw an old woman shivering from the kid they saw before. Rangiku made her way to the boy and looked over him. He seemed to be having some sort of nightmare due to him sweating and shivering. As he slowly opened his eyes, Rangiku whispered, "Hey!" "Y-you''re from this afternoon!" Before he could speak any further, Rangiku continued "Hide your reiatsu when you''re sleeping, your grandma looks cold." The boy looked to the side and saw his grandma half shivering from the cold. "Kiddo, you should become a Shinigami. Powerful children like you have to learn how to control their own abilities. Otherwise you''ll end up killing your grandma with it." "What are y-?!" "You can hear a voice, can''t you?" This seemed to be the last straw for the boy as he accepted Rangiku''s offer. Rangiku was leaving the shack when a voice was heard, "Done?" "Yeah, done." Itsuki smiled as he took Rangiku in his arms, "Let''s go back, it''s getting late." Rangiku put her hand on his arm and just nodded, they disappeared together. ****************************************** Author''s note Wait another chapter. I don''t think I''ve released this many chapters in such a short amount of time. Lol Who knows what going to happen next? And i''m off to sleep, it''s currently 23:45 so good night or good morning or good afternoon, whateve 57 Black Hollow ''How did I get here?'' Itsuki was currently in the room surrounded by a drunk Soi Fon, Rangiku, Hinamori, Kaien, Rukia and various other people. Rewinding time a bit, Itsuki was having his usual talk with Ukitake when Kaien barged in. "Captain Minamoto, you can''t refuse this, we will be having dinner over at my place" Itsuki didn''t have a chance before he was suddenly dragged out and taken to a noble manor that had the plaque stating, - Shiba Clan - Shiba Kaien was the head of the Shiba clan while Shiba Isshin, Ichigo''s father, was head of a branch family. The Shiba family specialised in fireworks and was part of the four great families. Somehow, Soi Fon and Rangiku had gotten wind of this and joined in while Hinamori was always with Itsuki wherever he went. Rukia joined in when she saw her idol being literally dragged around. Upon entering they were greeted by an average height woman with messy black hair. She had green eyes and an ample bosom. She wore a white skirt and a provocative red robe. Itsuki remembered her as Shiba Kukaku. It seemed either she hadn''t gotten into an accident yet or due to saved Kaien and his wife, the accident was averted. Compared to the show, she was missing the bandages she had, and her right arm was still there. "You''re back Kaien-nii, you seem to have brought friends, luckily the food prepared is enough." Itsuki was being dragged by Kaien, so she didn''t see his face. "Who are you dragging?" Kukaku could see the captain''s haori the person was wearing, but not the number. Kaien suddenly remembered something and tried to hide Itsuki''s face, "No one, you don''t need to know" Kukaku couldn''t hold in her curiosity as she sneaked up behind her brother while he was replying, Seeing Itsuki''s face, Kukaku was visibly shocked. Kaien saw this and sighed while he quickly dragged Itsuki away. Kukaku just stood in the same spot shocked. "It seems that the guests are here" Miyako''s melodious voice was heard as she prepared the dishes. One by one, scrumptious dishes were laid out as the people started to dig in. It was a happy festive mood as a small smile appeared on Itsuki''s face, ''When was the last time I felt like this'' That was how all the members of the Shiba family were. No ounce of noble arrogance was found within them, they treated everyone equally and were a rash bunch. Suddenly the dining room fell silent as everyone looked at Itsuki. The women had a blush on their faces while Kaien, the only guy, had a defeated look. Their youngest brother was out, so he wasn''t there for the feast. ''So even Itsuki can smile'' The girls seem out of it as they continuously drank alcohol while Kaien drank out of depression. His wife and sister had joined Itsuki''s fan girl club, quite literally. The rare merry night passed. Time passed until the gears of fate started moving once more. ''Should be about now'' Itsuki was playing with Seikyo near the main Senkaimon. Two reports had just come, firstly, there were some casualties within the 2nd Division from unknown causes within a certain district. The second one stated that Toshiro had just reported the death of a few Shinigami in the real world and Isshin was making his way towards the Senkaimon. Knowing that it was time for the main character''s parents to meet, Itsuki wouldn''t miss this chance. Waiting for a while, Itsuki felt a presence nearing the gate as a voice was heard, "Eh? Captain Minamoto?" Itsuki turned around only to see a middle-aged man nearing. He had short, spiky black hair with noticeable sideburns and brown eyes. He wore the standard Shinigami attire with a sleeveless captain''s haori with the number 10 on his back. "What are you doing here?" "Investigation" Isshin knew that Itsuki was a man of a few words so he didn''t find his way of speaking strange. "Investigating what?" "Deaths" "What location?" "Naruki City" "Wha-? That''s under my jurisdiction, what is the Onmitsukido doing the-" Itsuki never glanced at Isshin as he interrupted him while they waited for the Senkaimon to be opened. "Confidential" "You-" "I heard what you said to Rangiku" This seemed to stop whatever he was saying. As her captain, Isshin knew the relationship the two had. Sweat poured down his face as he replied "I don''t know what you mean" Itsuki didn''t pursue the subject as the Senkaimon opened. "Don''t worry about the captain-commander, he already knows" Itsuki walked in with Seikyo perched on his shoulder and Isshin following. - Unknown location - Within a secret base a lot of scientific stuff was happening. Tosen and Gin were in front of a set of computers when Aizen walked in, "Any luck?" "No, not even one." Gin replied while Tosen looked at the computer screen and continued, "We''ve been successful in equipping hollows with the ability to hollowfy targets but it''s too toxic¡­" "That''s all right, we''ve been narrowing down Hirako Shinji''s location, we can experiment hollowfication while we find their whereabouts, killing two birds with one stone. It''s all in the palm of our hands" A confident smile was plastered on Aizen''s face as he remembered something, "It seems captain Minamoto alongside Captain Shiba has also left for Naruki city. Although the one we have there is the only one we have made from a Shinigami''s soul, it is too weak, send the strongest one we have" "But we can''t control it" "We don''t need to" What they were going to send was a failed experiment. Aizen sent a subtle glance towards Gin who had usual look. Seeing him unperturbed when Itsuki''s name being called out calmed Aizen down. Gin felt the glance and returned it. - Real world - - Naruki city - The moon was slowly enclosed by the clouds as they heralded a night of rain. A pair of Shinigami could be seen manoeuvring through the roof of houses when the two captains appeared behind them "¡­ it rained the day the last guy died and the guy before him." Hearing this Isshin spoke out, "I see, so it''s dangerous when it rains." The Shinigami were surprised with the sudden intrusion, "W-w-w-whoa!!" "That''s good to know" "C-c-c-captain Minamoto a-and Captain S-Shiba!!!" Isshin felt irked for some reason, "I''m your captain and you say my name last" The Shinigami was shocked seeing two captains here, "W-w-what''re you doing here?!" "Well we got lost looking for a bathroom." "That''s the worst lie ever and both of you did?!" Isshin then turned around, "Oh yeah, if it rains tonight, you guys can leave, I like to pee in peace." Itsuki suddenly felt a vision on him as he saw something disappearing in the distance. Isshin then moved along and tried looking for any clues as it started to rain. Finding nothing, Isshin then came up with an idea, ''The fact that there are only targeting Shinigami means that they''re either targeting us or that they are going for ones with a high spiritual pressure.'' Thinking up to here, Isshin increased his reiatsu output as it blasted outwards. Itsuki was relatively unfazed by this but the two subordinates were pushed back by the sudden force. What Isshin didn''t expect, was for Itsuki to suddenly disappear and appear next to his subordinates blocking a strike. Itsuki was currently looking at a pure black hollow that had white hair falling down it''s back. It had two horns sticking out either side of his head and his hands were shaped like swords. "Wha¡­ what is that?!" While confronting the black hollow, Itsuki saw something else being released. That thing brought with it a tremendous amount of reiatsu. - Soul Society - - Division 12 HQ - "Emergency, Emergency" Red alert signs were going off within the whole division. Kurotsuchi Mayuri stood there shouting at his subordinates. He had a skeletal look with a skull like visage. His whole face was coloured white and the inner portion was coloured black except for his nose. Even his arms were painted black and white. He had golden coloured eyes and constantly bared his teeth, giving him the expression of one that is always smiling. Both his ears were replaced by gold cone like objects and he had blue fingernails. All of his fingernails were short, with the exception of the middle ones which were kept exceptionally long. He was wearing a standard Shinigami''s attire with a captain''s haori and a white hat that pointed to his right. He also had a large purple scarf around his neck. "What is happening?!!" "Captain, a large amount of reiatsu has been spotted. Location Naruki town. Reiatsu levels: Captain class and its growing, no it''s now advance captain class" "What?!" Looking at the readings Mayuri knew that his subordinate wasn''t lying. Giving out orders he sent someone to report it to Yamamoto. - Real world - "Isshin, he''s yours, that''s mine" Itsuki suddenly disappeared while handing Isshin the black hollow. The one Itsuki was confronting looked exactly the same but was giving out a more tremendous pressure. The only difference was that this had a normal hollow''s hole. ''Wasn''t there supposed to be only one?'' Itsuki was confused at the additional black hollow. This didn''t have a Shinigami''s aura but a vasto lorde''s. Itsuki could tell that it was too powerful to be an arrancars. It seemed that Aizen must''ve also experimented in giving a vasto lorde the powers of a Shinigami. This abomination in front of him seemed to be the result. A vasto lorde was the final evolution of an arrancar, a hollow who had ripped off his mask. Yet the one in front of him had one. It must''ve been because a Shinigami was the opposite of a hollow. Feeling the pressure given out from the hollow in front of him, Itsuki concluded this was going to be a hard battle, most probably the hardest one he had ever fought. He didn''t need to think as he unsheathed both his swords. He held Ryurai in his right hand and Byakko on the left. He released Byakko and left it hovering in thin air while putting both his hands onto Ryurai while muttering, "Bankai¡­" 58 Bankai! Unleashed - Soul Society - - Seireitei - - Division 12 HQ ¨C "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Emergency bells created havoc within the division. Report of a tremendous reiatsu suddenly being unleashed was causing a breakdown within the division. Mayuri could be seen extremely frustrated, "What''s happening?!" A subordinate suddenly came up to him with perspiration on his forehead, "Reports of a Bankai being unleashed has been seen. The reiatsu seems to belong to Captain Minamoto" Mayuri was surprised seeing who it was, ''Why is he there? Why did he unleash his Bankai''? - Real World - - Naruki City - Clouds seem to gather as the rain started to fall faster and harder. Thunder rolled in the skies as Itsuki''s small, yet ice cold voice resounded within the souls of all spiritual beings in the surrounding area. "Bankai, Susanoo" *BOOM* A tremendous amount of reiatsu spread out while armour appeared on Itsuki. It was the same black samurai armour that appeared including the helmet and tiger mask. Ryurai elongated and turned into an Odachi with a draconic handguard. Tornadoes made of Byakko''s wind and Lightning surrounded Itsuki as he got into stance. The hollow in front didn''t seem to have any sort of rationality as it started swiping it''s sword like hand at Itsuki. Itsuki was able to keep up even with his Odachi but the hollow''s relentless attacks made it hard to defend. Suddenly, the hollow moved back and charged up a cero, well tried. It wasn''t able to collect any form of Reiatsu whatsoever. This was one of Itsuki''s ability, an area surrounding him within these tornadoes where any form of reiatsu will be nullified. So, attacks that use reishi will be ineffective. That''s wasn''t the same for Itsuki though, stretching out his arms, he pointed at the hollow where a few surrounding lightning congregated and struck the hollow making it scream out in pain. This wasn''t the end though, as Itsuki physically turned into lightning and appeared next to the hollow and swung his sword with tremendous force. The hollow was able to dodge but the ground wasn''t. Luckily, the fight had slowly moved to an area where there wasn''t any sort of civilisation. Looking at the havoc they were causing, Itsuki realised that no matter if he won or lost, the repercussions would be harmful. While he was fighting, he saw a figure setting something up in the distance. Seeing who it was, a smile appeared on his face as he concentrated at the hollow, he just needed the figure to finish what he was doing. - Karakura Town - A fairly injured young woman could be seen talking to an injured Isshin, "My name Kurosaki Masaki, I''m a Quincy¡­" She looked nervous while she identified herself. She was talking to a race that had wiped out her people and due to Isshin being out of the norm he just replied, "A Quincy, huh? First time seeing one in person." Hearing the thunder rumble in the distance and the occasional waves of reiatsu, Masaki questioned, "What''s happening there?" "My colleague is fighting one similar to this but waaaay stronger¡­" Masaki was surprised as the one they fought together was really strong. Masaki had brown hair that was cut to round chin-length. She was of average height and wore a brown school uniform with a red hemmed skirt and a white collar with red pins that fell over the top of her back and was tied in the front with a red ribbon, as well as brown shoes and white knee-length stockings. Aizen and gang were astonished by what they saw when they returned to their base, "A hollow created by the soul of a Shinigami decided to reside within a Quincy, an existence further from itself." "Why didn''t we go and see Itsuki''s fight, we could have gotten some information regarding his powers" "No, I felt that our cover would be blown if we went there, still who would have thought that Minamoto Itsuki would be hiding such a power." - Outskirts of Naruki City - Itsuki saw the figure finally complete a portal of sorts. Nothing could be seen inside the portal as it was pitch black. ''Garganta'' Traversing the Garganta was the only way to access Hueco Mundo, the realm of hollows. Seeing Urahara Kisuke finishing up he turned to look at Itsuki and nodded. Urahara knew the repercussions of this much Reiatsu being released into the atmosphere. Luckily, there were no humans nearby as it would affect quite a few people into awakening some sort of ability. While Itsuki had first gotten ready to fight the hollow, he had sent Seikyo with a message to Urahara. Seeing everything ready Itsuki looked at the hollow, ''Although I can''t control it, I have no choice but to use if I want to get this guy in there'' Itsuki''s Reiatsu once again flared up as brought his other hand out. All the lightning converged into the Odachi. The tornadoes also came together and converged into the sword as it made another blade come out of the rear, making his Odachi a double-sided sword. "Kumano Ketsumiko no Kami, Susano''o!" As soon as he said it Itsuki disappeared along with the hollow. Just before he entered, he saw a panic-stricken cat look from a far as he went into the Garganta. - Hueco Mundo - - Unknown location - A white moon was stuck in the air surrounded by endless blackness. A white desert laid beneath as quartz like trees made up the vegetation in this place. Suddenly a rift opened as two or maybe three figures came out of it. Itsuki immediately came out of his Bankai''s ultimate form as it was too much to handle. It was like Byakuya''s ''Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi'' but more powerful. It was just the start as he was still researching the various other moves with this form. The hollow on front was cut in half as Itsuki had cut the hollow in half upon entering Hueco Mundo. Slowly Itsuki took out the data from all the hollow experiments Soul Society had ever done. Some had been done in secret while their research notes had been carefully hidden away. Itsuki had excavated these and researched hollowfication, and probably had a better understanding than both Aizen and Urahara. Stabbing his zanpakuto''s in the hollows body, Itsuki slowly took the hollow''s reiatsu into his body, it wasn''t until the whole body of the hollow had disappeared that Itsuki had completed. This was a special method Itsuki had found. It was the purest method but also the most dangerous. If successful, the gains would be tremendous. Sitting cross legged on the floor, Itsuki seemed like a buddha until a change happened. A white blob appeared as it started to engulf Itsuki''s face. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" An inhuman scream escaped as it also sounded like the start of a massacre. - Soul Society - - 1st Division HQ - Isshin had just finished giving his report as Yamamoto could be seen trying his best to look calm. "Due to you creating the most minimum losses, your punishment for unauthorised deployment has been voided. You don''t have anything to add on?" Thinking back to Masaki, "No, there is none." "And you don''t know what happened to Itsuki." Isshin just shook his head. He really didn''t know, his reiatsu had just disappeared. Upon being left alone, Yamamoto just slumped onto his chair as he closed his eyes. "Chojiro" With his name being called, Chojiro immediately appeared, "If Itsuki doesn''t come back in a month, make his status MIA" Yamamoto looked down when he spoke of this as he dismissed Chojiro. He then turned to look at Seikyo who had returned with Isshin. A month later, it was announced that the 2nd Division Captain, Minamoto Itsuki was MIA. This new sent waves throughout Soul Society. People were expecting for the Onmitsukido to collapse but the opposite happened. They seemed to carry on their normal operations as they had unbelievable trust for their captain. This showed Itsuki''s command capabilities. Soi Fon and Rangiku both looked down the longer they waited. They never had their usual cheerful smile while Hinamori took it upon herself to manage the whole information gathering network. Byakuya started to resemble the anime, the cold apathetic manner as Ukitake and Shunsui started to feel lonely without all the visits from Itsuki. Unohana also felt lonely as she had lost a training partner as her life once again got boring. Time passed with it later being announced that there was a new kenpachi. Zaraki Kenpachi had come. Renji was then transferred to the 11th Division while Kira was transferred to the 3rd. There was still no news of Itsuki. People started to think he was dead, but Yamamoto thought something else. From everyone, he knew the most about Itsuki''s strength. - Hueco Mundo - Within Itsuki''s inner spirit world another Itsuki stood in front of him. It was the complete opposite with black hair, blue sclera and white eyes. Its clothing was made up off a white shihakuso and also held two swords in his hands. They both looked at each other for a second as they fought, Itsuki never used his mystic eyes as this was a rare chance to have a fight where the opponent''s abilities were exactly the same as his. 59 Fusion Itsuki stood behind Black Itsuki as it was cut in half. Before the black Itsuki fully dissipated he threw both his zanpakuto at it. They placed themselves right in the middle of the two parts as the black Itsuki started dissipating. A formation appeared underneath them filled with unknown and ancient runes. Itsuki had come up with a theory. Ichigo''s hollow had become a zanpakuto spirit. So, as it can become a zanpakuto spirit, it should be able to strengthen one. A Shinigami and their zanpakuto were one entity, so strengthening one would also strengthen the other. It was just a theory so he was trying it now, he didn''t know the chances of success. Itsuki didn''t want to have a temporary power boost, he wanted a permanent one, so this was the result of that. Looking back at his zanpakuto, it seemed to be successful as he could feel his zanpakutos becoming stronger. The raw power from the hollow seemed to be stored in his body increasing his physical strength. An hour passed to absorb the hollow when it finally disappeared. On top of the mountain, Ryurai and Byakko appeared in front of Itsuki. They had their same clothes on but now a part of a skeletal mask covered part of their faces. While Byakko had her right side covered from the forehead to her cheek, going over her eye, Ryurai had a similar one on the left. "It seems your theory worked, Itsuki" Itsuki just nodded as he felt the power in his body. He seemed to be neither a hollow nor a Shinigami, he was somewhere in the middle. The two zanpakutos just looked at him as felt the changes in his body. Knowledge of some techniques flashed through his mind; it was instinctive. Opening his eyes, he felt as if he was shedding his outer layer. Well, he was shedding his outer layer, as his hollow shell started breaking apart. What was left was just Itsuki standing in the middle of a barren land with a trail behind him, a trail of bodies. Bodies littered the place behind him as he looked back. Thinking of leaving this area, he stepped forward only to find out that he had overshot it. A hint of Sonido was used with that step. Looking at his body he felt he needed to get used to his new strength. So, he went on another massacre but only using his physical abilities. After getting used to his strength, he started experimenting on himself. His outer layer of skin had hardened, and his regenerative abilities had increased, only taking seconds for a cut to get healed. He succeeded in mixing Shunpo and Sonido together, creating an advanced Shunpo technique, sending his speed to new levels. He felt his senses also increase with the addition of being able locate reiatsu easier. Bringing his hand up, he pointed a finger at a lone hollow in the distance. The hollow was minding its own business when a beam of azure pink light obliterated it from existence. Seeing the smoke released from his finger, Itsuki confirmed that he had most likely got all the base abilities of an arrancar. That move he just used was cero. He could increase its strength by deciding how much reiatsu he inputted into the move. Itsuki suddenly heard a shuffling noise to his right. He was too engrossed in forming that cero that he forgot to pay attention to his surroundings. A midget was there trembling as it tried to hide by rolling into a ball and putting her hands over her head. The child had short green hair and a broken hollow mask on her head. The hollow mask had a crack run alongside the left of her mask while four of its teeth were missing. She had a long scar that reached down to her nose and a crimson line running across her face. She was wearing a green gown with a hood that covered her entire body. Opening her hazel eyes, she looked around and saw no one. It seems the bad guy is gone. Suddenly she felt something behind her and jumped forwards. Looking at the figure, she was first mesmerised by his face but then remembered that it was the bad guy that fired that scary beam. Sweat poured down her face while tears were threatening to come out. "WAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" A loud cry left her mouth as her tears gushed out like a waterfall. You could see her long canines from her lower jaw. Itsuki was stunned and didn''t know what to do. He was currently in front of Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, a former espada and an arrancar that has lost her abilities. Being reverted to a child''s form, she also reverted to that mentality. Itsuki had no experience with children so he was stuck there, unable to do anything. Picking her up, he just held her in front of him like a football as she cried. Her legs were dangling in the air as her cry slowed down. She got a proper look at the man in front of her eyes. He was too pretty. Seeing the difficulties in his eyes as he held her, she started feeling sorry for him. Maybe I should play eternal tag with him? Itsuki saw that she had stopped crying as he heaved a sigh of relief. Nel looked at the clothes the guy was wearing and started trembling once more. Waving her hands and legs, she screamed while pointing at him "Y-y-you, who are you?!" "Minamoto Itsuki, a Shinigami." ''S-Shinigami¡­ That means that he is a bad guy!!!!'' At first, she panicked and squirmed but realised that he wasn''t letting her go easily. Suddenly a though flashed through her head as a scheming smile appeared on her face, "Shinigami-san, want to play eternal tag?" Seeing that she wasn''t squirming anymore he put her down. Once her feet touched the ground, she immediately tagged Itsuki and ran, "Tag you''re it" Itsuki just watched her run away. ''Children are a handful'' Suddenly sensing something, he disappeared into the direction where Nel had just left. Nel was slowly running with her short legs while looking back. Seeing that the bad guy wasn''t chasing her, and the plan seemed to be successful she came to stop while giving out a sigh, "It sweems dat I''m too fwast for the bad guy" A smug smile was plastered on her face as she imagined herself beating Itsuki up. ''Like that''s possible¡­'' Observing her surroundings, she got confused, ''Where am I? Where is¡­?'' Suddenly, a shadow engulfed her as a large hollow appeared. A scream left its mouth while it swept its claw at Nel. Nel was too shocked to move as the claw got bigger in her eyes. A mysterious light welled up in the eyes of her mask when another figure appeared blocking the strike. Itsuki quickly dispatched the hollow that attacked. Turning to Nel again, he saw that once again tears were threatening to come out of her eyes. "D-did you just save me?" Itsuki never replied as he checked for injuries on her body. At first, he thought it would be fun meeting the child Nel, but reality hit him harder than a truck. He just decided to ignore her as he knew she wasn''t alone. Seeing Itsuki walk away, she suddenly shouted, "A-are you running away?" Itsuki never looked back, "A-a-are just going to run away?" Seeing no response, she started bawling her eyes out, "Meanie, I wanna play some more! I''d wather die den stop now" A tick mark appeared on Itsuki as he got annoyed for the first time in history. Seeing that she wasn''t leaving, Itsuki turned around and gestured for her to follow. Nel was immediately joyful when she saw this and ran up to Itsuki, hugging him out of the blue. Itsuki was frozen with the sudden hug while Nel blabbered on. Picking her up, Itsuki looked at her in the eyes, "Guardians, where?" "I dwon''t know, I lost dem" Itsuki didn''t know what to say. He knew that her two ''older brothers'' were unreliable, but he never expected them to be this unreliable. "Shinigami-san, want to carry on playing eternal tag?" Itsuki was about to shake his head when Nel was already running off. Tired of being led by the whims of this kid, he just grabbed her and put her on his shoulders. "D-dis is not how eternal tag works¡­!" Itsuki chose to ignore her and carried on looking for her older brothers so he can leave her to them, and he can leave this place. While walking, he found out that the ability of his eyes had upgraded. Activating them, he would see floating lines here and there. To experiment on things, he put Nel to sleep and went some distance away. He traced the lines with a sword only for a large rift to open up and suck everything in. Creating some distance, the rift began to close similar to someone healing a cut. It seemed he can, on some basis cut though the concept of space. He couldn''t kill it yet as he didn''t know how, and he felt his eyes weren''t strong enough. Returning to Nel, they carried on their journey when she woke up. Itsuki didn''t know how long he had been in Hueco Mundo, due to being in that hollow mode and the fact that there was no concept of night and day within Hueco Mundo. The sky stayed the same wherever Itsuki went. Currently, Itsuki was just walking with his tattered Shinigami attire and captain''s haori when he heard a few voices. "NEL¡­!!!!" "NEL, DON''TCHA KNOW!!!" "BAWA! BAWA!" A group of misfits looked around shouting for Nel, unaware of the possible dangers it can cause. One of them was a humanoid Arrancar whose head is almost completely covered by his mask, which resembled an insect-like head with large mandibles and horns. His left eye was yellow in colour and could be seen through the eyehole while the right one was covered by a purple cloth. Blonde hair could be seen falling onto his back while the upper part of his purple body was covered by a white armour like vest. Beneath that was a hollow hole positioned near his stomach and he wore a loin cloth that was a lighter shade of purple. He only had three toes on each foot. The other was a rather large fellow. He had a large body with small limbs. He wore a hooded yellow body suit with black polka dots of various sizes. His head was very large, being almost as big as his body. Unlike other arrancar, his tiki hollow mask covered his whole face where the eyes and mouth functioned as if it were his own. The mask had exaggerated colourful features including large eyes, teeth and a prominent nose. Lastly wasn''t an arrancar but rather a snake like hollow. His mask was a simple plate on his head with horns on either side. He had large pink lips and teeth. His body consisted of a hard and solid back with a lighter coloured underside. "Pesche! Dondochakka! Bawabawa!" Nel was started to run to them when she noticed the absence of Itsuki. "Itsuki¡­" Itsuki looked back at Nel as a Garganta opened next to him. Itsuki gave a small smile as he saw reluctance in her eyes while a bit of water appeared on the edges. She had gotten quite attached to Itsuki throughout their journey and didn''t think that they would part when she reunited with her brothers. Seeing this Itsuki took out a feather and gave it to her, it was from Seikyo. Itsuki had found it in one of his pockets, it must''ve fallen off some time before his hollow transformation. Itsuki didn''t speak as he patted her head and walked into the Garganta. Her three companions had just noticed Nel and rushed towards her. A brave face replaced her sad one as she wiped her tears off and grasped the feather. *************************************** Author''s note I, using my intellect, have come to a conclusion, it seems my health is ok now. Or I was just sick for like a day and gotten better the next day. you cant tell with the nose blocks caused by hay fever and the coughing caused by asthma. Was too tired so my last two chapters weren''t of the best quality, but, if I can be bothered, i''ll go back and redo them 60 Return - Real world - - Karakura Town - A mother and son were walking on the footpath near a riverbank. They were both holding hands as they took shelter from the rain under one umbrella. The boy had a joyful smile plastered on his face as his brown eyes radiated happiness. He had one distinguishing feature, his unnatural spiky orange hair. He held a closed umbrella in his other hand while he was clad in a yellow raincoat. This boy was Kurosaki Ichigo. The mother was an older version of Masaki that had long wavy hair tied into a ponytail. Motherly love filled her eyes as she looked at her little treasure While Ichigo was walking, he saw a young girl about to jump in the river. "Hey, that kid¡­" Seeing the girl about to jump in Ichigo rushed out, "Hold on a second!" Masaki was surprised seeing Ichigo run out, "Ichigo?" Looking towards the girl, Masaki was surprised, it was a hollow. Ichigo was still young and couldn''t identify between a real girl and a soul, he didn''t even know what a hollow was. "No! Ichigo!" Ichigo stretched his hand out trying to catch the girl but his hand touched nothing, and he fell forwards. Seeing the hollow about to attack Ichigo, she jumped in front of him, willing to take the blow. Masaki tried to summon her blut but failed to do so, she had lost her Quincy powers. Hugging Ichigo she covered him from the attack, but the expected attack never came. Slowly turning around, she saw a katana coming out of the hollow''s torso. The hollow slowly dissipated as a youth appeared behind her. He was in tattered Shinigami clothes, with rips here and there. He was missing one shoe and the remains of a white jacket was behind him. His pitiful look did nothing to diminish his beauty. Just as she was about to unconsciously compare him to her husband, she collapsed. It seems the recent stress took a toll on her as the burden of losing her powers came flushing in. Ichigo, in front was barely conscious, as he saw a man with white hair and tattered clothing lift him and his mother. Picking the two up, he arrived in front of a clinic and rang the doorbell. A familiar man opened the door as his eyes widened in shock. Isshin had grown a bit of a stubble since he lost his Shinigami powers. He was waiting for his wife to be home after he felt grand fisher''s reiatsu. He knew she could protect herself, but time passed as he started to feel uneasy. He waited and waited when the doorbell rang. At first, he thought it was Masaki, but she should have a key, so it probably wasn''t her. Settling himself, he went to open the door. What he saw will forever be etched in his memories as it would be the cause of numerous nightmares to come. A floating Masaki and Ichigo first came into view, seemingly unconscious. "W-w-w-what?!" He jumped back in shock which created enough space for Itsuki to enter and lay the two on the couch. As he laid them down, Isshin''s voice was heard "Is it you, Itsuki?" Itsuki never talked as he knew Isshin wouldn''t be able to hear it. "I have to say thanks" Itsuki just got up and left. He had no reason to be here and would need to make haste to return to Soul Society. He still had one more place to be. In a barren warehouse district, Itsuki saw a cat lazing around. It seemed to have no care in the world and looked just like an ordinary cat. Sneaking up behind it, Itsuki suddenly cuddled her and started patting its head. The cat was first surprised but then seemed to melt with Itsuki''s touch, ''How many years has it been¡­'' This thought flashed through Yoruichi''s head as she felt Itsuki''s touch. She had missed this touch, even craved it. Sitting down Itsuki put her on his lap as she turned into her human form. Sitting there Itsuki just spoke one word, "Why?" One word yet so many meanings. Yoruichi felt her heart tremble upon hearing this as she just closed her eyes and leaned back. It wasn''t that she didn''t choose to answer but it was because she couldn''t. She had wronged the two most important people in her life that day. Itsuki put his arms around her and buried his face into her neck, the two stayed in that positions. They didn''t know how much time had passed until Yoruichi moved Itsuki''s head and pulled it into a kiss. At first it was ok, but Itsuki started to avoid it, "No Yoruichi, don''t, you can''t just kiss me and¡­" This was the first time Yoruichi had seen Itsuki show this much emotion. Itsuki wanted to carry on but when he looked at her tears, he suddenly felt something clog his throat. He couldn''t get the right words out; he hated those eyes Yoruichi had. This time Itsuki leaned in for a kiss, it wasn''t a passionate one but a light one. That one kiss seemed to have forgotten about the past and all that mattered was the present. They just enjoyed each other''s company that night as they both went over their experiences. In the morning Itsuki made his leave amidst Yoruichi''s silent protests and kisses. He reluctantly left the unsatisfied cat as he stabbed his zanpakuto in mid-air and opened a senkaimon. Later that day, Urahara was quite surprised to see Yoruichi in such a joyful mood. Back at the Kurosaki clinic, Isshin was surprised to learn that Masaki had lost her powers. He felt lucky that someone had saved her otherwise he never knew what would happen if he lost her. "So, who saved you?" A dreamy look was in Masaki''s eyes as she spoke, "I don''t know, he was really handsome." Isshin''s face crumbled as he knew exactly who she was talking about. Back in soul society he never knew the pain a married man faced but he had now experienced it first-hand. - Soul Society - - Main Senkaimon - The kido guards were surprised seeing the senkaimon open. There weren''t any reports of anyone that would be entering soul society that day, so this was completely unexpected from them. Getting ready for any invasion, a report was sent to Yamamoto and the 12th Division. What intensified the situation was that the division had no reports about anyone inside the Dangai. This increased the chances of an invasion happening. When the Senkaimon opened, no one stepped out. Suddenly, a massive amount of Reiatsu pressured the whole of Seireitei. All the captain''s felt the pressure as they hastily made their way to the main Senkaimon. A total of 12 captains appeared alongside their lieutenants with Soi Fon being the only lieutenant without their captain. Aizen had someone unknown as his lieutenant as he couldn''t get his hands on Hinamori. They all got battle ready when they saw Seikyo land on the shoulder of the figure that stepped out. Rangiku and Soi Fon were shocked before hope appeared in their eyes, ''Please, let it be him¡­'' Shunsui, Ukitake, Unohana and Byakuya also had hope in their eyes while Yamamoto slightly opened his eyes in anticipation. The figure then stepped out and they all got to see the rags he was in. He had a hooked eyebrow seeing the entourage waiting for him upon his entrance, then, as if realising something, he contained his Reiatsu making it absolutely invisible to others. If they weren''t looking at him, they wouldn''t have noticed he was there. Before anyone could react, Itsuki and Yamamoto nodded at each other and disappeared from their locations. Rangiku and Soi Fon couldn''t believe their eyes as they stood in their place. Toshiro, the current 10th division captain, noticed this and left Rangiku on her own. Aizen, Gin and Tosen had no changes in their expressions as they left. Shunsui, Ukitake, Unohana and Byakuya made their way to the 2nd Division HQ to meet Itsuki there, their lieutenants following them. Only Soi Fon and Rangiku were left looking at each other. Seeing the joy in each other''s eyes, they knew they weren''t dreaming as both of them also made their way to the 2nd Division. Zaraki Kenpachi had a smile on his face Landing in the 1st division HQ, Itsuki then made his report. "Quite hard to believe you were fighting for this long and you ended up in Hueco Mundo." Itsuki nodded while Yamamoto felt that Itsuki was hiding something, he just brushed it off. He knew his disciple best and knew that he would have soul society''s best interest in mind. Knowing that he had friends waiting for him, he dismissed him. After that was a touching reunion with the four captains. Shunsui had tears streaming down his face while Ukitake had his usual smiling face. Unohana just came to tell Itsuki of their next sparring session and that he was finally back. The three left while Byakuya remained behind. From all of them, he was the closest to Itsuki. It seemed that Byakuya had changed the most as had reverted back to his own self from the anime. "¡­visit us sometime soon, Hisana would be happy to meet you." With this Byakuya left and Itsuki was the only one left. The door to the main room opened as two figures walked in. Itsuki could see the dried-up tears in their eyes as they both jumped at him. He let himself be pushed down as to not hurt the two. Both of them rubbed their faces on his ragged clothes as they had missed him for years. The three stayed like that for some time before, surprisingly, Soi Fon made the first move. She looked up with a determined red face as she leaned in for a kiss. Rangiku seeing this, leta pout surface on her beautiful face, "Not fair Soi Fon¡­" Grabbing Itsuki''s head, Rangiku also leaned in for a kiss. Itsuki was surprised with the initiative the two took. It seemed their relationship had gotten closer with his absence. Itsuki wasn''t wrong as they only had each other when he went missing. Finishing the kiss, a slap made its way to his right cheek while Rangiku slapped his left one. Both had tears in their eyes as they spoke together, ""Don''t do that ever again!"" When he went missing, it had hurt them the most. It was as if they had lost a piece of their souls. Itsuki was still dazed at what happened, first he was getting kissed and the next he was getting slapped. But when he saw the tears in their eyes, he just hugged them, he really hated those tears. News of Itsuki''s return sent another shockwave throughout Seireitei. The Onmitsukido, that were slowly losing hope, seemed to have been reignited as they started completing mission after mission with a hundred percent completion rate. The central 46 got wind of this and with Yamamoto submitting a report, they glossed over the questioning they were preparing. Soi Fon, Rangiku and Itsuki started spending time together more often as a smug smile kept appearing on her face. Seeing this irked Rangiku as she questioned, "What''s with that look?" "I was Itsuki''s first." A happy smile appeared was on her face as she recited those words. Itsuki was stunned before he decided to make it clear, "Actually, you weren''t¡­" Soi Fon turned into stone while Rangiku was also shocked, "Then who wa-" Only one girl flashed through their minds as the two looked at each other, "Was it her?" Itsuki gave a nod while Soi Fon asked further, "How far?" Itsuki started feeling cold as he told the truth, "All the way." The two were shocked with what Itsuki just said. They both looked at each other and knew exactly what the other party was thinking. Jumping up, they shouted "Rock, Paper, scissors" Soi Fon threw a rock while Rangiku threw paper. Soi Fon seemed sad as Rangiku cheered. They weren''t taking their chances with Itsuki as they didn''t want something like that to happen again. Now, knowing their rival was a giant leap ahead of them, they got competitive. Itsuki just watched on with a smile, this was something the two girls deserved, and it was not like he was losing out. - Ahem - - Ahem - ************************************* Author''s note Going to try and focus on the romance aspect now. Plus its now the end of Volume 2, Hooray :). So, I''ll be taking a one day break, awwww ;(. Plot will most likely start next chapter. It was my first time writing romance so please be lenient with your criticsm. Just to make it clear, Itsuki is still a pure Shinigami as the one that absorbed the hollow power was his zanpakutos which inadvertently gave him hollow powers. Shall I do something like you guys ask me a question and I answer them. Well I''ll see from your response in the comments. If yes then I''ll do it tomorrow. Sorry guys, three is enough. I had thought of Kukaku but too less time compared to the other girls. Anymore then it will truly be difficult, so maybe in any of the future novels. 61 Q&A 1 ¨CHow is Itsuki a pure Shinigami while having his Zanpakuto''s absorb a hollow? Well, I believe that zanpakuto''s are their own entities. Although they are formed by a Shinigami''s soul, later on the are both, part and not part of a Shinigami. It''s a bit like Ichigo, he is ultimately a human but has the power of all the races NewBRage has explained it rather well "Okay, writing this once for all to understand. Zanpakutos are not made from your soul, they are linked to your souls. All Zanpakutos are personally forged through a special method by ¨­etsu Nimaiya (AKA: God of the Sword) which allows the user to link his soul to zanpakuto which acts as a medium to release one''s inner powers. Zanpakutos are given in the Shinigami Academy after which the person needs start to meditate in order to link one''s soul to the blade and slowly start merging with it. Only two people in Bleach completely merged with their zanpakutos: Ichigo and Aizen. Only if Itsuki will fully merge with zanpakuto, the hollow powers will be embedded in his soul." Or how 28th00 has explained it "No, Zanpakuto''s are formed from an Asauchi and a fragment of their own soul. They''re connected because they used to be the exact same being, but are not anymore. Shinigami get most of their power from the Zanpakuto, minus things like Kido or Shundo. Think of this as a loophole?" Whichever you find suits you the most. ¨C Legs and the 26 people who like his comment, Slesk 2 ¨C Nel? Well, I came to the conclusion that Aizen must''ve made a trip to Hueco Mundo before the start of the plot. This is because when he ultimately betrays Soul Society he is already Hueco Mundo''s ruler. This ended up resulting in him having already creating the espadas before the plot in where Nel loses her powers before it as well. I could be wrong but if I am wrong, with the power of me being the author I will give the reason to butterfly effect. ¨C I remember seeing the comments somewhere 3 ¨C Ichigo as a disciple? I''m still currently thinking of that as I''m in two side of that. It would be cool but the plot armour he had is OVER 9000. So, yeah, I will see about it. ¨C Scientistx 4 ¨C If his zanpakuto absorbs the hollow will it change his its form? Naturally ¨C Lumore 5 ¨C How long has he stayed in Hueco Mundo? 14 years ¨C Dao_Of_Battle, Lomyril, Albanzekiraj 6 ¨C Why make another experimental hollow for MC to get powers and what will happen to the Hogyoku? Well, I can have Itsuki create another hollow but I found it easier for Aizen to do it. Why do the work if someone else can do it for you. As for the Hogyoku, we will see. ¨C Ezukejyll 7 ¨C Quincy Powers? I don''t know. The prerequisite for these powers is for one to be human and, ultimately, Itsuki is not. Plus, I don''t want to complicate it too much, so, I''ll see. ¨C Captain_Caption 8 ¨C Will Itsuki train others in the way of the sword? Yes, his children :P As for others, I''ll see. ¨C (2nd) GeniusNovelist 9 ¨C World travelling? I''ve done a poll before and majority was for this novel to be purely bleach. Afterwards, I don''t know, ill do another poll then as well. ¨C RuberDF 10 ¨C Can you show Itsuki''s prowess in Kido and Kaido(Healing arts)? Yes, in future chaps. ¨C Illusory_Reality 11 ¨C If his zanpakutos are taken away, will he still have his hollow powers? Yes ¨C Illusory_Reality 62 Zaraki Kenpachi Itsuki was currently returning from a mission when he heard the sound of battle. Running to the location he saw a dozen or so Shinigami out fighting a centipede like hollow. Judging by their coarse way of talking, hair and expression, Itsuki concluded that they were from the 11th Division. They were being beaten miserably until a Shinigami made his way forward. He was rather tall and muscular and wore the standard Shinigami shihakuso but with no socks. He had little red markings on the outer corner of his eyes but what shined the most about him was his bald head. Rushing to the hollow he screamed "Orararararara!!" And split it in half. Throughout the whole process, a smile never left his face. "So crude." Hinamori was next to Itsuki and witnessed the battle. She had her hair tied into a bun similar to the anime. "How unpleasant, Ikkaku." Another voice rung out within the group of Shinigami as a rather feminine guy came forward. He wore the standard shihakuso uniform with some customisations. An orange piece of clothing sat above his shihakuso covering his neck and chest. He had purple eyes and colourful feathers sitting on his right eyelashes and eyebrows alongside jaw length black hair. "What did you say, Yumichika?" Ikkaku turned to Yumichika when he heard his opinion. While Hinamori was surveying the group, a certain red head entered her view. Realising it was her friend she wanted to meet him but realised that she it was not the right time. Itsuki saw her hesitation as he glanced towards her, "Go." Realising that her thoughts were seen through a blush crept onto her face. She then thanked Itsuki and stepped out. "Renji-kun!" Renji looked round and was shocked to see his former classmate. Running towards her, he shouted, "Hinamori! What are you doing here?" "I was just returning from a mission" The Shinigami there were curious as to who the girl was. There were none in the 11th division and it was quite they barely had any interaction from them unless it was a nurse from the 4th division. "Who''s that¡­" "How does Abarai know such a beauty¡­" Many murmurs and questions were thrown about as Renji and Hinamori talked. Suddenly, the ground shook and many other centipede-like hollows appeared. Ikkaku had a wider smile as he got ready to attack. "Stand down" A voice rang out behind him. A tall and muscular man walked in front of him. He had a wild and aggressive look, with long pronounced cheekbones and hairless brow ridges. He had a long scar running down the left side of his face, over his green eye. His right eye was covered by a black, luxurious eye patch that had gold like lining and a chain as one of the straps. He wore a choker on his neck and a normal Shinigami shihakuso with a sleeveless captain''s haori. He had stiff, pointy black hair in which he had attached small bells at the end of each spike. On his shoulder was a little girl with pink hair, pink eyes and a perpetual blush on her cheeks. She wore the normal Shinigami shihakuso with the lieutenant arm band on her left arm. She appeared to be clutching the man''s shoulder to prop herself up. "Cue ball, move out the way, let ken-chan have some fun" The girl jumped off and landed next to Hinamori while Ikkaku had veins popping out his head. Before he could release his anger, the girl turned to Hinamori. "Who are you?" Hinamori crouched down to eye level, "It''s nice meeting you, lieutenant Kusajishi, My name Hinamori Momo" "That''s a weird name" Hinamori just smiled at the young girl, before looking at Ikkaku and the peacock looking guy join their captain to defeat the hollows. Their captain looked like he was taking a walk in the park and he didn''t seem to be enjoying it with that bored look on his face. Renji then made his presence know, "Hinamori, what are you doing here?" "I was on a mission." "On a mission? Aren''t you part of Captain Minamoto''s personal guards? Did you leave?" The 11th division members had a careful look at the kind, beautiful girl and realised that she was in the standard Onmitsukido uniform. The members that were thinking of approaching her immediately changed their mind. That kind girl was part of the Onmitsukido? Part of the head of the Onmitsukido''s personal guards? "Who said that I left?" "Weren''t you on a mission¡­wait?" Realisation slowly surfaced on Renji''s face as he started looking around before he turned to Hinamori, "Captain Minamoto is here?" To answer that, an eagle flew down and landed on Hinamori''s shoulder. The 11th division members were surprised and looked vigilantly at the eagle. Seikyo looked aloof at the members before a pat from Hinamori melted her. Squawking, she shook her head and flapped her wings, indicating her annoyance. A certain captain''s ear twitched as he heard the two talking as a smile made its way up to his face. Suddenly, someone heard footsteps and saw a figure stepping out of the woods. No-one said anything as they all felt a pressure engulf them. It wasn''t as if reiatsu being released, it was just an unseen pressure had fallen as Itsuki made his presence known. Yumichika was there arguing with Ikkaku when he turned to see Itsuki, "Beautiful" Itsuki ignored his voice as he looked towards Hinamori "If you want you can leave first, I''ll be some time." Hinamori didn''t know what he meant at first but then found her answer. A flash was seen, and an explosion happened where her captain was standing. As the smoke cleared out, two figures could be seen. Her captain had one of his swords drawn in a back handed grip, blocking another sword. "Zaraki Kenpachi" Itsuki said these two words as he looked at the one that attacked him. "You seem to have taken off your bells and eyepatch" "Hahahaha, I don''t need them if I''m facing you, that''s what my instinct says" A huge amount of reiatsu was exerted from him as Itsuki did the same. His reiatsu had tremendously increased with the absorption of the hollow that he had difficulties controlling it. Itsuki had calculated that he was probably on a rampage for about thirteen and a half years, it took him three months to get used to his new physical levels, two months on his new Shunpo and one month to get a basic level of control on his newfound powers. It took him three tries just to get into the real world. He barely had enough time to learn how to properly control them as he needed to get out of that place fast. He didn''t know how long he had stayed in Hueco Mundo and the small delay with Nel wasn''t worth mentioning. The surrounding people started to be pushed back as Seikyo started to take for the skies. The members all retreated leaving Zaraki and Itsuki in the middle. All the members expected it to be a long fight. On one side was the current Kenpachi while in the other was the mysterious 2nd Division Captain, rumoured to be the strongest after the captain-commander. Jumping back Zaraki, created some space between them before realising something. He hadn''t made Itsuki move from where he was first standing. This thought excited him as he attacked once again using brute strength. At first, Yamamoto had someone teach Zaraki swordsmanship, but was immediately stopped by the central 46 in fear of him becoming too powerful. Itsuki saw that the man was swinging his sword round without any technique, but each strike was vital. One could tell that it was honed after countless battles. Still this wasn''t enough as Itsuki made his move. From the start, all Itsuki had done was dodging Zaraki''s strikes. Finishing a swing, Zaraki found out that Itsuki had disappeared from his vision. Just as he was thinking, he felt a weight in his sword and immediately looked behind him. Itsuki stood there at the tip of his sword looking down at him. Itsuki jumped as Zaraki tried to shake him off. Landing Itsuki sheathed his sword and got into an Iaido stance. Zaraki saw this and brought his sword in front of him, ready for the strike. What surprised him though was that Itsuki moved a bit forward and disappeared. Alarm bells rang in his head as his animal like instincts kicked in and was barely able to dodge the strike. Just as he had finished the dodge, a sword was already there pointing at his neck. Luckily, they had moved far away from the others, so it was only the two of them that had seen Zaraki losing in an instance. The 11th division was based of strength, so seeing their captain losing so easily may have had some impact on their overall morale and their trust in the captain. Hinamori was there waiting when the sound of fighting died down. Itsuki came out of the woods with Zaraki next to him. It had been troubling pacifying this guy but Itsuki was eventually able to do it in the end. He promised him a spar but didn''t tell him when. Zaraki wasn''t that blessed in the intelligence area than he was in fighting. But Itsuki knew, that if he was¡­then only fate knows his limits. Itsuki then made his way to report his mission and once again have a face off against paperwork. Luckily, Hinamori seconded as an assistant so he got some relief in completing it. While doing this, he had a thought, who did the paperwork in the 11th division. A certain peacock looking guy came to mind as Itsuki shuddered remembering what happened earlier. Looking at Soi Fon, Itsuki got up and immediately hugged her. Soi Fon was surprised but didn''t run away from the hug as a deep blush covered her face. Time passed as soul society was at rest. Itsuki was had just finished sparring with Byakuya when Rukia came in. "Nii-Sama, I have will be dispatched to the real-world mid-spring" Byakuya nodded while Itsuki sent Seikyo over to her. Seikyo landed on her shoulder and rubbed her head on Rukia''s cheek. She then made her leave to get ready for the mission. Time quickly passed as news of Rukia entering the senkaimon and Abarai Renji becoming the 6th division''s lieutenant was heard. After that, Rukia had gone missing and Itsuki knew that Ichigo had most likely become a Shinigami now. Hisana was immediately distressed upon hearing her little sister go missing when a mission made its way in front of Itsuki. The mission dictated the retrieval of Kuchiki Rukia. Seeing that the person was him instead of Byakuya surprised Itsuki, ''Exactly, what are you playing at?'' Looking towards the central 46 building, Itsuki was once again surprised upon hearing that Byakuya was also coming. Standing in front of the main Senkaimon was Byakuya and Renji clearly waiting for someone. Moments later, Itsuki appeared with Soi Fon and Hinamori next to him. Hinamori was Itsuki''s personal guard so she would go wherever he went and Soi Fon wanted to have a trip in the real world as she felt suffocated staying in the 2nd Division HQ for long periods. Seeing the line-up, Soi Fon muttered, "Why are two captains needed for the retrieval of one person?" 63 The Star "Indeed" Byakuya simply said these words as he looked at Itsuki. Itsuki just shook his head and proceeded to enter the Senkaimon with four of them following. On their way, Renji started speaking, "Some time ago, there was a report stating that high level reiatsu was released in the area, apparently a Gillian made an appearance and an unknown Shinigami defeated it¡­" He carried on reporting things like, a sudden gathering of hollows, reports of hollows being killed by someone or something unknown. Basically, all of Ichigo''s exploits during him becoming a Shinigami. While Itsuki and Byakuya kept their stoic faces, Soi Fon and Hinamori got increasingly astonished the more they heard. The sun was currently setting as it blessed its dying rays over Karakura town when a senkaimon appeared in the middle of the streets. The pedestrians around them were oblivious to this as they went on with their lives. ''Modern society¡­'' Although it wasn''t exactly modern, as to when Itsuki died in his previous life, he did feel a sense of familiarity with it. Itsuki then turned to Soi Fon, "Wasn''t someone sent to find her?" "Yeah, I think his name was Saido Eikichiro" Itsuki remembered this name from the anime. The first Shinigami that confronted Rukia on Masaki''s death anniversary, not that it happened now considering Itsuki did save her. So Itsuki thought that the story must''ve followed a similar yet different plot considering the actions Eikichiro took was extremely similar to the anime. By the time they found traces of Rukia and reached the Kurosaki clinic, it was already dark. Itsuki knew exactly where she was but Byakuya and Itsuki didn''t do anything. Seeing Rukia running out, the three subordinates were all astonished, "That girl, I only sense a bit off strength from her, did she lose it?" Soi Fon was the most knowledgeable form the three, "No, a Shinigami doesn''t just lose their powers, she has given it to someone. A human most likely¡­" "Wha¡­" Renji and Hinamori were astonished when the heard this before Soi Fon continued, "You do know what the punishment is for such crime." Facing Soi Fon''s deadly look, the two gulped and ran after Rukia. Itsuki looked at the two tailing her and back at Soi Fon indicating for an answer. Although Soi Fon felt this, she ignored him and went after the two. Byakuya saw this and a small laugh left his mouth before being filled with worry. He knew what the crime was, he knew the punishment and he knew the oath he made. Although other couldn''t see it, for Itsuki, it was as bright as day. Patting his shoulder, he reassured Byakuya and indicated to show himself and lead the arrest. He then sent a message for Soi Fon and Hinamori to stay in the shadows. The scene played out exactly like the anime. Renji confronted Rukia and chastised her for only noticing him when he called out. He then attacked her until Uryu Ishida appeared. Uryu Ishida was fair skinned teenager of average height and a slender build. He had straight black hair the framed both sides of his face while glasses fell over his blue eyes. Itsuki was on the side-lines watching it play out. The only reason he could think of why Aizen had sent him out was because he was plotting something, or was he thinking too much into it. Aizen is someone who''s one move will have a tremendous impact on the people around him. Different people will think differently but still make him into a perfect being. One may think he was benevolent while the other would think he was strong. "Renji talks quite a lot" Hinamori''s voice brought him out of his thoughts. As they watched on. Soi Fon on the side also spoke, "I didn''t expect there were any Quincy''s left" The three saw Renji about to kill Ishida when they felt another reiatsu approaching him. It was quite small, so they never paid much attention to who it was, yet Itsuki knew exactly who it was. Creating a flashy entrance of striking his sword on the ground, an orange headed Shinigami made himself known. "That guy¡­" Soi Fon found him familiar, "¡­doesn''t he look like Lieutenant Kaien?" Hinamori nodded while Itsuki narrowed his eyes. This was taking too long, no wonder this scene took two anime episodes. Itsuki decided to make a move and silently appeared behind Rukia. Apart from Byakuya, no one noticed him there as Ichigo got his first ever power up and started thrashing Renji. While he was thrashing Renji he saw something reflect off Renji''s sword. Three figures had appeared behind Rukia and looking at her expression she didn''t know they were there. Pushing Renji back, he jumped towards Rukia as the figure in the middle raised his hand. Renji was surprised by this, why did he jump back? Time seemed to slow, as Rukia was also shocked by the changes, why did he suddenly jump towards her? Byakuya had had any change on his face as Ichigo shouted, "Get away from Rukia!" Rukia was further shocked as someone had appeared behind her, and looking at the reflection in Ichigo''s eyes, she was once again shocked. "Ichigo, NOO!" As soon as she said that a figure appeared behind him and pushed Ichigo down while another pointed her sword at Ichigo''s throat. Rukia then felt someone rubbing her head and turned around to only see Itsuki behind her. Seikyo squawked on his shoulder as she started to feel sleepy. Ichigo watched Rukia fall asleep in front of him as Itsuki picked her up and took her to a senkaimon Hinamori opened. Ichigo felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu seeing the youth''s white hair. Soi Fon who was on top, shunpoed to Itsuki''s side as Ichigo got up. "Wait! I said WAIT!" Soi Fon was about to make a move when Renji appeared in front of him. Feeling the brute of Ichigo''s reiatsu when their sword collided, Renji was incapacitated and Ichigo went for another strike. This time Byakuya made his move and cut Ichigo''s sword half. He then proceeded to attack Ichigo''s Saketsu and Hakusui just like the anime, destroying his Shinigami powers. "Even when you fall, it''s slow" Thinking he was dead, Byakuya and Renji left him and made for the Senkaimon. After they had left Ichigo''s arm twitched while Urahara appeared next to him. Upon returning, the task for holding Rukia was tasked to the detention corps as news spread throughout soul society of Rukia''s execution. He had barely arrived at the 2nd division HQ when Ukitake came rushing in. He was coughing violently, barely able to hold himself when Itsuki came up to help him. Setting him down, Itsuki was immediately barraged with questions as he calmly replied. It wasn''t until noon that Ukitake left. After Itsuki made sure that Ukitake was gone, he immediately started his investigation. He wanted to know if Aizen had done something while he was gone. Looking through all the recent files he found nothing, but he knew that there was something wrong. Itsuki didn''t expect to find anything in these files, but it doesn''t hurt anyone in having extra knowledge. He personally visited each prison and the nest of maggots but found nothing. He then realised in the inconsistency of everyone''s report it seems that there was a certain time where they can''t remember what they were doing. It was quite well hidden and Itsuki was barely able to find it. Concentrating at this part, Itsuki looked around and found nothing out of place. It was as if Aizen just came to look for information. A week passed as Itsuki set up counter measures and going through the library. He wasn''t going through all the book again but trying to confirm his suspicions. He felt as if there was a secret repository in the library, a forbidden one. One that had the true history of the Soul Society. He looked at all the books he found suspicious and realised they were from the same author. Reading through the book he found some clues but would need to confirm them at the real one. While he was waiting alarms bell rang out, "Emergency, emergency, intrusion in west rukongai¡­" ''So, they''re finally here'' Itsuki looked in the direction where Ichigo''s group entered as he felt a familiar reiatsu from there. A short while later, Seireitei''s Seki-Seki gates came down and everything went according to plot. Sometime later, it was reported that Gin succeeded in pushing back the intruders. The use of the Soukyoku was decided for Rukia''s execution and she was sent to the shrine of penitence. After that an emergency captain meeting was called alongside the lieutenants having to have an emergency meeting as well. During this time, the captains barely met with the lieutenants. Currently at the gathering place for lieutenants, Renji and the lieutenant of the 7th division were walking through the hallways. He wore black glasses with his standard Shinigami shihakuso. He had a distinctive haircut and a horizontally long moustache. His style and way of speaking reminded people of a yakuza. Entering they met Aizen''s lieutenant, he had ordinary features and basically worshipped Aizen. Just as they were talking to him, Rangiku''s voice was heard. "It''s because the lieutenants are always scattered over soul society like busy bees¡­" She slowly made her way in, "¡­it would take at least half a day with everyone to gather. I haven''t seen our captain as well." Renji didn''t know who Rangiku''s captain was so he asked the Yakuza looking guy, "Iba-san, who is Rangiku-san''s captain?" "You know¡­that genius Hitsugaya kid" "Oh, she must have it hard" Another voice was heard as a figure flashed in front of them, "Rangiku, you''re already here?" Soi Fon had just arrived as she made her way to Rangiku. Rangiku turned around and suddenly embraced Soi Fon, "Soi Fon, it''s been a long time" Soi Fon started suffocating as she was further pushed into Rangiku''s valleys. Renji had a blush on his face as Iba looked away, "Stop looking otherwise your eyes will be gouged out" Renji was surprised when he felt a gaze directed at him. Seikyo was there glaring at Renji causing him to also look away. Soi Fon was blushing as she pushed herself away from Rangiku. "W-what are you doing?" Rangiku just smiled as she walked away with Soi Fon Renji then once more looked at Iba, "I''ve seen her with captain Minamoto but who is that?" "Didn''t you see the armband on her, she is the 2nd division''s lieutenant. There are rumours that she had captain level strength." Aizen''s lieutenant then asked Renji, "Have you seen captain Aizen?" Renji sweated a bit as he just had a talk with him, "N-no, I haven''t" Renji knew that Captain Aizen wanted to keep their meeting a secret so he never told anyone. While at the Captain''s meeting, Gin was the last one to arrive. ********************************************* Author''s note Been watching bleach alongside writing this so I don''t miss out any details. Plus, it seems I have severely underestimated Yamamoto. Remembering all the fanfics I have read does no justice to his strength so I''ll be making a few changes with what I have written in Itsuki''s strength. 64 Ryoka Invasion Apart from Ukitake, who was on sick leave, every captain was there. The only changes from the original was that Soi Fon was replaced by Itsuki. He slowly looked around before looking at the 7th division captain. It was his first time properly seeing him. The 7th division''s captain had a rather large build and wore a gauntlet covering his arms and a helmet, which covered his head. It seemed that he was very self-conscious about his looks. He then looked towards Aizen; it was the real him. Itsuki didn''t know if he was fully tricked by Kyoka Suigetsu but what he did know was that Aizen had the ability to trick a person''s five senses but not death. It was natural that Itsuki had seen Kyoka Suigetsu being released yet even without using his eyes he will find something amiss when seeing one of his illusions. It will be a tiny detail, and only if looked closely would he find it. Itsuki knew that the only sure-fire method of being immune to Kyoka Suigetsu''s complete hypnosis was to touch the blade before being influence by it. Zaraki''s voice then brought Itsuki out of his thought as he started interrogating Gin, "¡­Quit joking around, you think that''s why you were called here. I heard you went to play with some Ryoka and, not to mention, even let them escape. The hell''s wrong with you? Someone like you wouldn''t break a sweat over four to five Ryoka" Gin still had a sarcastic smile on his face, "Oh, they ain''t dead" "Wha?" "Well I was sure they was dead, guess my intuition done got dull" Mayuri then started laughing at Gin''s excuse, "Cut the act, there''s no way a captain wouldn''t be able to tell¡­" Itsuki saw this an rolled his eyes, ''It seems the play starts'' A child also rolled his eyes as he muttered under his breath, "The stupid old guys have started another stupid fight" Gin looked wronged after hearing Mayuri, "That ain''t nice, it like you''re sayin'' I let ''em go on purpose." "That is what I''m saying¡­" Before Mayuri could continue, Zaraki interrupted him, "Shut up Kurotsuchi, I''m the one currently talking to him, or do you want me to kill you." "What was that?" As the two started to get heated up, Shunsui muttered on the side, "My, oh my, so hot-blooded" Suddenly, a weird noise left Yamamoto''s mouth as he shouted, "Enough! However, I think the reason you''ve been called here is explained by the earlier confrontation. Your independent action, letting the targets escape¡­" Yamamoto slowly opened his eyes and looked carefully at Gin, "¡­Have you got any explanation, Ichimaru?" "I do not." Yamamoto seemed surprised at the sudden answer. "What was that?" "I don''t got any explanation, it was my absent-minded mistake¡­" Before he could continue, Aizen spoke up, "Before that, I want to ask you something." Suddenly alarms started going off, interrupting the captain''s meeting, "Emergency! Emergency! Emergency! Intruders in Seireitei¡­" The captains were shocked as they all saw Zaraki run away, they turned around only to see Itsuki gone as well. Every captain was then told to return to their defensive positions. Itsuki had come to the top of the 1st Division HQ and looked at the ball of light impacting the barrier surrounding Seireitei. A loud impact occurred, and lightning surrounded the ball. The impact sent shockwaves throughout Seireitei as lightning surrounded it. An explosion then occurred sending four rays of light in different directions. Itsuki then also made his way towards the second division. He could feel Ichigo''s reiatsu as he seemed to be currently fighting Ikkaku. Yumichika, the peacock guy, was fighting a reiatsu similar to Kaien''s, most likely Ganju, Kaien''s little brother. He felt Yoruichi''s reiatsu moving around Seireitei, another pair of reiatsu where one of them is Ishida and the other should be the girl, Orihime Inoue. They also seemed to be fighting a Shinigami. Lastly, there was one more, slowly making his way towards the 8th Division, that was Yasutora Sado. Itsuki left for his own defensive position as news came one by one. On his way he saw Zaraki going who knows where while Yachiru was pointing at random directions to take. News of Ikkaku losing, of Yumichika losing, news of the 4th seat of the 7th division being defeated and losing his Shinigami powers kept coming in as Seireitei was in chaos. Still no captain had made their move. What caused more ruckus was the news of 6th division''s lieutenant, Abarai Renji being defeated some time later. Itsuki knew that they were hiding in the underground passages of Seireitei as Ichigo would be currently healed by Yamada Hanataro. Hinamori was worried so Itsuki sent her the check up on him. Itsuki had just arrived when Gin had left with Kira and Toshiro was just warning Hinamori and Aizen''s subordinate about the 3rd Division, especially Gin. "¡­well considering your superior, I doubt you would have anything to be worried about but just be careful." Aizen''s subordinate just left when Hinamori started complaining, "Hitsugaya-kun, why do you captains just appear out of nowhere without making a sound" Itsuki who had appeared behind her, stumbled upon hearing this and immediately disappeared from there. This tiny visit went unnoticed by the two as they carried on having their conversation. Still, Renji being defeated caused Yamamoto to act and call an emergency captain''s meeting, "¡­we are now one lieutenant short¡­I hereby permit the continuous carrying of zanpakuto and wartime release of zanpakuto within Seireitei¡­" Kurotsuchi and Zaraki once again started bickering when Yamamoto opened his eyes with all seriousness, "¡­Let''s take this to all-out war." This riled up the Gotei 13 as everyone smelled blood in the air. The next day, a scream was heard throughout Seireitei as captain Aizen was found dead and captain Itsuki was nowhere to be seen. Rangiku had immediately visited the 2nd division HQ and found Soi Fon who told her not to worry. Itsuki had intentionally disappeared. - Daireishokairo - Itsuki was testing out his hypotheses with those different books. He knew there was a certain combination to open the secret repository and with Aizen having killed the central 46, made it easier to snoop around. After rearranging the books into a certain order, Itsuki heard a small rumbling sound only to see a small trap door opening. Entering the small trap door, Itsuki came across a dusty old room, with tattered but readable books and various stone panels with writing on them. Picking up one book, Itsuki started reading, life before the birth of the soul king¡­five noble houses¡­the original sin of soul society. The more Itsuki read the more astonished he got. He didn''t remember any of this from the manga or anime. Slowly, the more he read the more the unexplained things started to add up and he realised Aizen''s reasons for turning against Soul Society and what type of world Yhwach wanted and why he kept mentioning the original sin. The more he read, the more astonished he got yet the more disgusted he was. Even with his dampened emotions he felt sick upon reading such things. Yet all of it had come as a shock, suddenly realising the two major antagonists in Bleach weren''t exactly antagonists but were the good guys with extreme ideas. Itsuki realised that he was still weak, he needed strength and he needed it fast. Strength to defeat any obstacle¡­strength to go against the dark side of Soul Society. Finished reading, Itsuki suddenly felt someone behind him also entering the small room. Turning around Itsuki spoke, "Aizen Sosuke" 65 Ignored The intruder was surprisingly Aizen Sosuke, "Aren''t you supposed to be missing, Captain Itsuki?" "Aren''t you supposed to be dead, Captain Aizen?" Aizen was surprised at first before a small laugh escaped his mouth as he looked at Itsuki, "I died after you entered here, it seems you had calculated it from the beginning. How long were you suspi- no, that doesn''t matter now. Still, I didn''t expect you to find this place¡­" Aizen''s smile left his face as he continued, "¡­It seems you''ve read all of it, quite a fast reader, aren''t you, Minamoto Itsuki?" Itsuki just stayed quiet as he looked at the man in front of him, someone whose plans and machinations run deeper than the abyss. A table and two chairs were prepared with a chess set on top. Itsuki was white and Aizen was black. Leaving the Daireishokairo, Itsuki looked back at the meeting with Aizen, as he felt a shudder pass through his heart. Itsuki felt it was the correct decision that he never underestimated Aizen since the beginning. Each move made, each word spoken had numerous interpretations and numerous back up plans. He wondered how Ichigo defeated him in the end. That game of chess gave Itsuki a glimpse of a master strategist and the only reason that match ended up in a draw was due to him using his mental abilities. Itsuki then remembered how they ended it, "Itsuki, knowing your capabilities, you would have already started forming a plan, want to make a bet?" His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as numerous Onmitsukido members appeared around him, "Captain!!!" Itsuki just nodded as he carried on walking with the news of what had happened coming in one by one, "8th Division Captain had apprehended a Ryoka." "11th Division Captain was defeated by a Ryoka." It seemed the fight between Zaraki and Ichigo had just finished. Itsuki then dismissed the guard and made his way towards a certain location. Arriving there, he felt two different sources of Reiatsu as he walked in. An orange haired youth was lying unconscious as a black cat lay a distance away. Itsuki then picked up the cat and shunpoed away. Arriving at a cliff side, Yoruichi was surprised by the change of scenario before she felt the all too familiar patting on her head. She then purred in satisfaction and stayed in her cat form. Yoruichi didn''t feel like changing as they were out in the open, since being with Itsuki caused her to become more reserved. Staying there for a while, they felt a reiatsu fluctuation indicating the kid waking up. Yoruichi just rubbed her head on him before she left. Itsuki looked at her leave before he felt Byakuya''s reiatsu fluctuating. It seemed to be towards the shrine of penitence where Rukia was currently being held. But before he left, he made Seikyo stay and overlook Yoruichi as he clearly remembered this scene from the anime. Fortunately for Itsuki, their seemed to be some changes as Yoruichi didn''t just reveal her human form blatantly in front of Ichigo but did it behind a screen of some sort. Itsuki then made his way to Byakuya''s location. A bridge was present leading to a circular building with small windows that viewed the execution grounds. The Shrine of penitence was where death row would stay, look at their execution grounds and reflect on what they did. It seemed that Ganju had just run out on to the bridge and protected Yamada Hanataro. Hanataro was a short Shinigami with black, chin-length hair and blue eyes. he had a simple expression and looked like someone easy to be duped. Shiba Ganju, however, was a tall, muscular guy that wore a white top beneath a green vest, green bandana and a pair of goggles. He wore black pants and had bags containing various types of fireworks around his waist. It seemed that Byakuya had just arrived as Ganju threw Hanataro back while Rukia also ran out. She was wearing a pure white kimono made for prisoners and a red collar made to stop her from recovering Reiatsu. Turning back to Byakuya, Ganju shouted, "Let''s do this, young master. Your enemy is me!" Byakuya was unperturbed by the sarcastic comment as he looked at the man in front of him. "I felt a fluctuation of Reiatsu here and thought what kind of warrior was hiding his reiatsu, but it was just a tiny bug." Rukia seemed to understand her brother as she tried to stop the man, ''That''s Kaien-dono''s little brother¡­'' The words never left her mouth as she collapsed due to her reiatsu being sapped away by the cell. Itsuki, made his entrance as he appeared behind Ganju. Ganju had just seen Itsuki''s shadow when a sword went through his heart. Ganju had barely enough time to react as he suddenly lost all feeling in his body and started to collapse. His heart slowly died out as the time between the beats got longer and longer. Ba dum¡­Ba dum...Ba dum.... ''I''m sorry, Aniki'' Suddenly, Ganju came back to himself as he could see himself being propped up by his own two hands. Cold sweat could be seen creating a puddle beneath him as he slowly lost consciousness. None of the others felt Itsuki release his reiatsu and just saw Ganju collapse on his own. Byakuya and Itsuki looked at each other as Itsuki gave him a nod and appeared in front of Rukia picking her up. Hanataro went to help Ganju as Byakuya looked at him. "What are you doing?" Hanataro was stumped by the question as he saw Byakuya lifting his sword. Hanataro started trembling but was able to gather some courage and kept his stand. Byakuya was about to swing his sword when a hand suddenly stopped him, "Dear, oh dear. How dangerous?" Rukia who was lost in being princess carried by Itsuki, came back to her senses and was surprised at the newcomer, "Captain Ukitake¡­" "Yo, Kuchiki. You''ve lost a little weight. You okay?" Byakuya turned around and looked at Ukitake, "What are you doing, Ukitake?" "Hey, hey, that''s my line¡­" Before he could continue, a captain level reiatsu was felt. Ukitake was surprised as was Byakuya because they couldn''t recognise the reiatsu. "What is this, Reiatsu?!" Rukia, who was still in Itsuki''s arms, recognised the reiatsu, "This reiatsu¡­ it can''t be¡­" A figure suddenly flashed from beneath the bridge and into the air. All the people on the bridge, apart from Ganju, looked at the figure holding a device strapped to his right arm. Itsuki recognised that device as it allowed one to fly and Yoruichi used it to escape with Ichigo after his battle with Zaraki. Ichigo then landed in front of Hanataro to check up on him. "You okay, Hanataro? Sorry, it seems that I''ve put you through some scary situations After checking up, he ran in between Itsuki and Rukia''s cell and unsheathed his sword, "Let Rukia GO!!" "I-Ichi¡­" Seeing the energetic individual with the bandages in front of him Itsuki wasn''t fanboying like usual. He just replied calmly by pointing at Rukia with his eyes. Rukia was currently tightly grasping Itsuki''s clothes and looking at Ichigo with a shocked expression. Seeing the opposite party look towards her she also looked towards her hands. Realising what she was doing, she suddenly blushed looking away but the hands never moved Ichigo didn''t know how to respond as it was his first time encountering such a situation. He put all these thoughts aside as he looked at once more at Rukia. Rukia was done blushing and had water in her eyes, she seemed to be moved by Ichigo showing up to rescue her, "What''s with that look? I''m here to save you, act happier?" Itsuki was stumped by how Ichigo acted. "I told you not to come¡­That¡­I won''t forgive you if you came¡­you''re all torn up¡­You fool!" Rukia looked at Ichigo''s bandages as she was on the verge of tears. She genuinely considered him a friend and was quite hurt seeing his state. "Got that right¡­So¡­I''ll let you scold me how much you want¡­when I save you." Rukia seemed moved once more hearing this, "Ichigo¡­" "What? You''re not going to tell me to back down after coming this far, aren''t you?" "But¡­" Ichigo just interrupted her and continued, "I''m not backing down! I''m not kidding. I came this far to save you. It doesn''t matter if you say you want to face this death penalty¡­" Holding his sword with one hand he pointed with the other, "From now on, all your opinions are rejected, got that, dumbass?" Rukia was shocked as her rights were snatched, "What the hell is that? You are ignoring the rescuee'' opinions?" Rukia seemed to have forgotten that she was being held by Itsuki as she shouted, "What kind of tyrannical way is that to save someone?!" "Shut up! The one being rescued doesn''t get to complain!" The two continued quarrelling before they stopped and calmed down, "But before we could continue¡­" Itsuki seemed to be all but forgotten during this exchange, it did hurt him a little. Seeing Ichigo get ready to attack, Itsuki just waited for him to move. Ichigo then charged towards him while Itsuki moved back a little and shunpoed behind him. To vent his slight grievances, he kicked Ichigo and pushed him towards Byakuya and disappeared into the cell. Ichigo fell down and quickly recovered from the kick. "You¡­!" Ukitake was shocked seeing the kid in front, he looked really similar to Kaien. "Byakuya¡­who is that?" "No relation¡­at least, not to the man that just flashed through your head. He is no one at all, just another Ryoka. I will erase him. Then it will be over¡­" Byakuya then shunpoed in front of Ichigo. Ichigo got into a stance as he started speaking, "You''re taking it quite easy, not attacking me when that pretty boy kicked me onto the floor¡­" Hearing how Ichigo addressed him, Itsuki stumbled a bit before looking back at the exchange that was going to happen. Rukia was quite worried but found herself unable to speak. "Who do you think you are speaking to? Are you telling me to exploit an opening for the likes of you? Do not speak out of your league, kid" A tremendous amount of reiatsu was unleashed from Byakuya as Hanataro was brought to his knees. Ichigo also felt the pressure but was still able to remain standing. "Oh, completely unaffected by this much reiatsu, it seems you have improved quite a bit. I don''t know how you are alive, but it would have been better for you to remain in the living world." Byakuya then shunpoed behind Ichigo. It seemed Byakuya had also become less talkative than the anime while staying in the presence of Itsuki. Ichigo had surprisingly blocked Byakuya''s strike shocking Byakuya. "I can now see you, Kuchiki Byakuya" Itsuki was surprised as well but regained composure, this wasn''t out of his calculations. If Ichigo wasn''t stronger then he would be disappointed. After that it all went just like canon with Itsuki just watching it all happen. Yoruichi was inwardly surprised by Byakuya''s improvements but he still ended up short against her. Before she left, she gave one glance in Itsuki''s direction before leaving. After Byakuya had left, Kaien showed up next to his brother before Ukitake ordered his arrest. Ukitake knew that they were siblings but the capture of the Ryoka took priority, a captain had died. Although reluctant, Kaien then took his brother to where they were keeping the Ryoka after bowing towards Itsuki who had just left Rukia''s cell. Nodding back, Itsuki left the area. On his way he made a surprising discovery, two sources of reiatsu had just entered the area covered by his jurisdiction. 66 Execution Itsuki then felt a clash of Reiatsu not far from where the two were running from. ''It seems that Mayuri is fighting Ishida'' Making his way to the first two sources of reiatsu, he saw a middle-aged Shinigami running while carrying a girl. The girl seemed out of it while the Shinigami had a panicked look on his face. Itsuki then appeared in front of them, scaring the wits out of the Shinigami, "C-c-c-captain M-m-m-Minamoto!!" Itsuki just stared at the guy in front as he started trembling. The girl he was carrying had orange hair and two pieces of flower like hairpins that tucked her hair behind her ears. She had brown eyes and a curvaceous figure. She was one of the Ryoka, Inoue Orihime. The man suddenly slipped and fell back bringing Orihime with him. This seemed to wake her up as she slowly got up with her back facing Itsuki, "I-it hurts, huh? Where am I?" Looking round she got up and saw the man that knocked her unconscious was unconscious himself. His face was pale white as if he saw something extremely horrifying. Seeing this, she started talking to herself, "Was he awed by my aura?" Itsuki stumbled as he physically saw the optimism radiating from Orihime. She seemed unnaturally happy as she turned around with closed eyes and a smug look. Feeling someone in front of her she looked up only to see the figure of a man staring down at her. Due to the moon being behind Itsuki, all she saw was a pair of beautiful gem like eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. "Beautiful¡­" A bit of light showed of Itsuki''s white Haori as shock passed through Orihime. ''Captain!'' She now realised that the man wasn''t petrified due to her but the figure in front. She slowly started to take steps back as a determined look replaced her fearful one. She knew that she had to use her offensive technique even though she had a general dislike to it if she wanted to survive. "Koten Zanshun!" Itsuki saw a ray of light heading towards him from one of her hairpins as he caught it between his fingers. Orihime was shocked as she looked worriedly at the spirit in Itsuki''s hands. Itsuki started walking towards Orihime when she used another technique, "Santen Kesshun!" A barrier appeared in front of Itsuki as he disappeared and reappeared behind the barrier. Orihime was surprised as she started having more and more doubts about her power. Ishida-kun was able to go against a captain yet she couldn''t. Itsuki noticed that the strength in the lights of her spirits seemed to dull. Each step he took caused an increase amount of pressure on Orihime as she found it harder and harder to breath. She slowly fell on her knees while looking at Itsuki with a face devoid of hope. "Scared?" Orihime couldn''t respond and she only looked at the ice like eyes the figure possessed. Suddenly, Orihime felt all the pressure disappear as she regained her ability to breathe before collapsing. "It''s good you are scared, don''t run away from your fear, rather embrace it. It shows your weakness. Only the one who acknowledges their weakness has the right to call themselves strong." This was a first time for Itsuki to do something like this. Orihime Inoue had the ability to repel phenomenon itself and her healing ability even trespassed into god''s territory as it was stated by Aizen himself. He naturally coveted this kind of ability. The ability was a must have for the enemies he would face in the future. He felt kind of ashamed using a speech he heard from a show in his previous life. Looking at the two collapsed people, he felt another source of reiatsu behind him, "Suki-Suki, what are you doing?" A rare, helpless look came onto Itsuki''s face when he heard this. Turning around he saw Yachiru show up behind him. Itsuki wasn''t great with kids so he just disappeared, he didn''t want to get caught up with the whims of a child. Also, his job here was done. Yachiru was one of the few that was immune to his charms, Itsuki just attributed her immunity to her childish mindset. Seeing Itsuki disappear, Yachiru showed a sad expression before looking at the two collapsed figures, "Maki-Maki¡­" Itsuki then later felt Toshiro''s and Gin''s reiatsu clashing but didn''t act, instead, he made his way to the 13th Division where Shunsui, Ukitake and Byakuya were already there. - Unknown Location - Ichigo had currently woken up and was shouting at Yoruichi for not bringing Rukia. Yoruichi got pissed off at Ichigo''s attitude, "Shut up! It was impossible for me to get Rukia, did you see who was holding her!" "That pretty boy? The one with the weird eyes?" "Yes, currently you are not Byakuya''s match, let alone him." "If he decided to make a move, let alone you even I wouldn''t have been able to escape. Did you forget what Zaraki told you before you lost consciousness?" Ichigo remembered Zaraki muttering something before he fainted. At first, he never paid attention but now looking back, it seemed to be some sort of warning. He tried remembering very hard, "¡­You gave me a good fight, so don''t go die somewhere else. I don''t like doing this, but I have no choice¡­I''ll give you a warning¡­watch out¡­White hair¡­weird blue eyes¡­" Unable to fully recall he was able to get the general gist of the contents. At first Ichigo was surprised, he didn''t expect to receive a warning from a man like Zaraki, but this meant that the white-haired pretty boy was strong enough for even a man like Zaraki to say such things. Realisation dawned on Ichigo as he concentrated back at Yoruichi, "Anyway, forget about him. A far as I know, he is probably against the execution, so right now you will have to concentrate on defeating Byakuya." What followed was Ichigo''s training in Bankai and the news of Rukia''s execution being moved to the next day. The next morning, news came of 9th division captain Kaname Tosen capturing a Ryoka. It wasn''t until noon when Byakuya and Itsuki had left the Ukitake resident, Byakuya looked at Itsuki, "What are you planning, Itsuki?" Itsuki didn''t reply immediately as looked towards the Sokyoku Hill where Rukia''s execution will take place. "Just carry on what you are doing, and it seems you have a guest." Byakuya had a frustrated look on his face when he saw Itsuki disappearing, before turning to Renji who just appeared in front of him. He returned to his apathetic look as he confronted Renji. Itsuki slowly made his towards the Execution grounds as he was joined by Soi Fon and Hinamori. "Found you, Captain." If they were alone, Soi Fon would just call Itsuki by his name but due to being outside and in public she still maintained the status of a subordinate. Itsuki nodded at Soi Fon while all the other captains made their respective move. On their way they came across a large opening where Zaraki and his entourage had just arrived. The entourage consisted of Zaraki himself, Yachiru, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Ishida, Orihime, Yasutora Sado, a fully bandaged Ganju and Maki-Maki. Yasutora Sado was of Mexican and Japanese descent. He was dark skinned and had wavy, dark brown hair whose bangs covered his brown eyes. He was a tall muscular youth with pronounced cheekbones and appeared much older than he actually was. Not long later, 7th Division captain Komamura and 9th Division captain Kaname Tosen and their Lieutenants, Iba Tetsuzaemon and Hisagi Shuuhei appeared in front of them. They had a small confrontation which resulted in the two captains calling Zaraki a traitor. Although Zaraki told them to have all four of them confront him, the lieutenants felt they were enough. As Zaraki told them to leave. Itsuki and the two girls saw this but seeing Itsuki not acting, they also decided to refrain from acting. Making their way towards the Sokyoku Hill, it all went according to the plot. The Sokyoku hill was a hill with sheer cliffs on all sides. On the furthest side there was a large undercut where the Sokyoku blade and execution stand was located. Only the Captain and Lieutenants of the 1st Division, 2nd division and 8th division had arrived while only the lieutenant of the 4th division had also arrived. Sometime later, Byakuya arrived and after that, Unohana lieutenant joined when Yamamoto made the fake promise to let the Ryoka go. Unohana''s lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane, was a tall, young woman with grey eyes and short messy silver hair with strands on the right side of her face that were shoulder-length and styled as two thin braids. She wore a thin dangling red earring on each ear and a standard Shinigami uniform with her lieutenant badge on her left arm. Once they arrived the execution commenced. A group of Kido members made their way to the Sokyoku as they all stood next to each rope sealing the giant halberd. Putting their arms together, they made a series of hand signs as blue reiatsu was released from them. One by one, the ropes holding down the Sokyoku were torn apart as they started spinning round, slowly unfurling the Sokyoku. Once the Sokyoku was released from its binding, the ropes shot out like metal sticks off the hill and planted themselves on the ground. Three cubes suddenly arose from the platform Rukia was standing on as two made their way to her hands and one on her feet. She was quickly raised high up near the top of the execution stand. The execution stand was just two pillars on either side that were connected at the top by a similar sized beam. Rukia hands were slowly raised by a pair of cubes while the third cube kept her feet together. Suddenly, tremendous amount of flame was released from the Sokyoku heating the surroundings up. The Sokyoku then rose up and pointed towards Rukia while the flames took on the form of a phoenix. Yamamoto then called the phoenix, King Kikou. Apparently, it was the true form of the Sokyoku once released. Itsuki looked on as he felt another reiatsu coming their way. It seemed that due to the Sokyoku being released everyone apart from Itsuki couldn''t feel that person making his way towards them. Plus, it wasn''t like he had far to come, the training ground he came from was just underneath the Sokyoku Hill. Seeing the Sokyoku getting ready to stab her, Rukia had come to terms with herself as Byakuya started to anxiously look towards Itsuki. Byakuya had also known the plans of Ukitake and Shunsui as this time he voluntarily broke the rules for Hisana. Just as the Sokyoku was about to go through her, Ichigo appeared and stopped the blade. Soi Fon was surprised just like in the anime as the Sokyoku, known to have the explosive power of a million zanpakutos, was stopped by just one. Just as the Sokyoku was getting ready for its second hit, Ukitake appeared with a shield like object that had the Shihouin''s house crest on it. Throwing a rope towards the bird, it entangled its neck before the end of the rope returned and landed next to Ukitake. Shunsui then shunpoed next to him and they both ran their swords into the shield like object. They poured their reiatsu into the shield as it then travelled up the ropes and reached the bird, destroying the Sokyoku. Ichigo was also surprised by this as he then went on top of the platform and released Rukia by half destroying the execution stand. Pieces of the Sokyoku fell onto the ground while still in flames. Yamamoto was surprised by what Ukitake and Shunsui had done while a few more screams were heard. Looking there, Renji could be seen defeating the surrounding kido guards while making his way to the stand. Ichigo, also saw this and smiled, it was as if he was waiting for this. Then just like the anime he threw Rukia towards Renji. Seeing Renji run away with the criminal, the captains sent Isane and Chojiro while Itsuki sent Hinamori. He then turned towards Soi Fon who was confused as to why Itsuki didn''t send her. Isane and Chojiro were instantly taken down while Hinamori was able to put up a fight. Still she fell short, and just when Ichigo was about to land the finishing blow, she suddenly disappeared in front of his eyes. Looking round he saw the girl having a red face and being held by the one he was warned the most about. Then his thoughts were then occupied by Byakuya who also appeared. Kiyone was rushing to Isane when Soi Fon stopped her, though not as brutally as before. Soi Fon was still one to follow the rules like the anime but due to the presence of Itsuki it had become milder. Ukitake wanted to stop her when he was stopped by Yamamoto. Shunsui then grasped his shoulder and shunpoed away while Yoruichi arrived and took Soi Fon with her. Ise Nanao, Shunsui''s new lieutenant, also left with Shunsui and Ukitake. What Nanao wasn''t expecting was Yamamoto already being there, but what shocked her more was Itsuki also there. The two faced off as Yamamoto spoke, "Itsuki, what is the meaning of this?" 67 Itsuki vs Yamamoto Yamamoto looked deeply at Itsuki in front of him while Shunsui and Ukitake just arrived and landed behind Itsuki. Nanao appeared after the four teacher and students. She was breathing heavily and looked quite tired. "Nanao-chan, you''re last place." "It''s because you''re too fast, captain" She suddenly had a shocked expression when she looked past the two captains. Yamamoto was there looking like a frail old man with a slight crouch while Itsuki was in front. The two extreme opposites had a stare-off. To Yamamoto''s question, Itsuki didn''t say anything as he looked back. Shunsui and Ukitake weren''t surprised by the two having better Shunpo than them. "These two arrived rather quickly, didn''t they?" Seeing the two, Nanao put her hand into her Shihakuso with the idea of being somewhat useful. Seeing her move, Yamamoto made eye contact with the girl as a despairing expression masked her face causing her to collapse due to the sheer pressure emanating from Yamamoto. Itsuki moved slightly and became the focus of Yamamoto while Nanao stopped feeling the pressure. Itsuki looked back and reprimanded Shunsui, "Why did you bring her here? She is too weak." Shunsui looked guilty seeing Nanao''s expression. Slight saliva was coming out her mouth as she looked blank with no energy to even talk. "I''m sorry, Nanao-chan. I shouldn''t have bought you here" Bringing her away, Shunsui returned in a short while. Yamamoto looked at Shunsui as he spoke, "Your Shunpo distance is as great as always." "Nothing like the youngest, Yama-jii" Yamamoto then looked back at Itsuki, "Doesn''t matter, there''s no need for you to answer but it seems you''re siding with your brothers. This has gone beyond giving you guys just a beating." Both of Yamamoto''s eyes were dead serious while he continued talking, "Out of all three students, you are the one I had the most hope in and the one who I am most proud of. While Shunsui was sharp and astute, he was lecherous, lazy and frivolous in nature. Ukitake had a weak body but was the most popular and he had a very open mind. When the two fought, they would surpass their peers and elders. You, Itsuki, excelled in all three compared. You have the intellects surpassing Shunsui and have the most loyal subordinates amongst the Gotei 13. Although you are still young, your strength has had the biggest improvement and have long surpassed your brothers. I thought of you three like children." Although Yamamoto looked at Itsuki, it seemed like he was talking to all three students. He felt hurt seeing that all three of his students were standing against him. "I felt that although we thought of different minds, we walked the same path." Yamamoto brought his walking stick in front of him as the wood disappeared leaving just his zanpakuto. Ukitake looked at Yamamoto as he unsheathed sword, "Genryusai-Sensei." "Don''t say anything, any further discussion on this is useless" Ukitake wanted to say something, but Itsuki raised his hand prompting him to stop. Itsuki stood there while hr put both his hands on his zanpakuto. His zanpakutos were both on the left side of his waist so Ryurai was held with a normal grip with his right hand and Byakko in a back handed one with the left hand. Both never moved and looked at each other, they never released their Shikai and kept their zanpakutos in sealed form. Stabbing his sword into the ground, Yamamoto proceeded to take off his captain''s haori and his shihakuso off his upper body. A ripped body came into view with scars littering it all over the place. Yamamoto and Itsuki then released their reiatsu, pressuring the whole of soul society. Everyone felt it, stopping most of the fights currently happening. Ichigo who was battling Byakuya also felt it, "W-what is that?" "That is true strength." Byakuya returned to fighting Ichigo, ''Be safe, Itsuki.'' Ichigo was a bit distracted before concentrating on Byakuya again. Soi Fon and Yoruichi, who were fighting, also stopped upon feeling Itsuki''s reiatsu. They both had a look of worry on their faces before Soi Fon looked at Yoruichi, "At first, I was angry at you for not taking me, but I had Itsuki¡­" "So why are you still angry?" "You took Itsuki''s first!!" Their fighting then resumed but both were worrying for Itsuki. Zaraki had wounds all over his body while a crazy smile never left his face. He felt the reiatsu of the two people he respected most as he continued looking at his opponents. "Genryusai-dono!" Komamura had lost his helmet and his wolf face was out in the open. "You sure you want to go; his opponent could kill all three of us even if we combined strengths. Though, even if you still want to, do you think I will let you." Rangiku was making her way towards the central 46 alongside Toshiro when she felt Itsuki''s reiatsu, ''Be careful, Itsuki.'' It was natural for them to be worried as they knew Yamamoto''s strength was nothing to scoff at. Shunsui and Ukitake were mostly unaffected but they still felt the pressure emanating from the two. They could tell that Yamamoto''s reiatsu was still higher than Itsuki''s, however Itsuki''s was still improving. Even if it was slowly growing, it was still an improvement, nonetheless. They both suddenly disappeared and clashed in the middle. The clash created a crater beneath them as they once more disappeared. This time Yamamoto was going all out and Itsuki was able to keep up just slightly. Strength wise, Yamamoto was higher, however, all the damages caused by the strikes were healed by Itsuki''s high speed regeneration. This process of breaking and recovering strengthened his body and increased his strength. Arrancars were able to improve the more they fought and that was what Itsuki was doing now. Improving with every strike. Looking at all the possible outcomes and creating countless scenarios. Upon achieving Bankai, Itsuki was able to have 10 partitions causing a massive improvement in his mental capabilities and with his thought acceleration reaching 1200%, ideas and plans were quickly thought up. Still this was nothing compared to 2000+ years of experience melded into one''s very bones. Shunsui and Ukitake were surprised seeing Itsuki barely on par with Yamamoto. Even though it was a fight of pure swordsmanship, strength and Shunpo, it was still something to be proud off. Hitting one of Itsuki''s sword to the side, Yamamoto took this opportunity to clench his right fist and send it forward. "Ikkotsu!" Seeing this Itsuki dodged and dropped Ryurai while sending out his own, ignoring the destruction caused behind him. Yamamoto also responded in a similar manner. Throwing out another Ikkotsu, the two clashed causing Itsuki to retreat as he felt a few bones break in his right arm. Yamamoto was also surprised as his arm trembled from the impact. It was natural though, the combination of Hierro and Ikkotsu packed quite a punch. Thinking of getting the upper hand, Itsuki took off his haori and took his arms out of his sleeves, leaving his upper body bare, just like Yamamoto. The only difference was the lack of scars and the tenderness of Itsuki''s skin. Shunsui felt it was better for Nanao-chan not seeing this, "Like father, like son. Well in this situation, like teacher, like student." Itsuki ignored Shunsui''s mutterings as he once again got ready to attack Yamamoto. Picking the dropped Ryurai, Itsuki calmly muttered, "Shunko." A blue-pinkish reiatsu covered Itsuki as one could hear the faint rumblings of thunder and the sound of gushing wind. This time Itsuki disappeared and appeared next to Yamamoto before giving out continuous strikes. Shunsui was surprised seeing the tables turning, he recognised the technique used by the previous Onmitsukido head, Shihouin Yoruichi. Ukitake was the same. Yamamoto know felt what his students went through the last time he saw them fight. Itsuki was fast, too fast that when one strike ended, another started. Yamamoto was replying with pure instinct and sheer experience as he felt like he was losing face. ''This damn brat!'' "You seem to have improved brat, let this old man give you a proper beating." Pushing back Itsuki, Yamamoto released his shikai, "All things of this world, turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka" Hearing this, Itsuki replied "Reign from the heavens, Ryurai" "Shred to everything to pieces, Byakko" While flames appeared surrounding the two, Itsuki had gotten into his shikai mode for the first time since fusing with the hollow. The incantation wasn''t the only change as even though his gauntlets looked the same, the lightning on Ryurai looked more terrifying. Byakko wasn''t just an invisible sword but now had a proper glass blade. Their physical capabilities had tremendous improvement while three lightning drums in a faint circle appeared behind Itsuki. It was also at this time Ichigo decided to go Bankai, however it was completely overshadowed by the release of Shikai from the two. Heat rose melting buildings and walls around them while faint storm clouds could be seen gathering over their location. Byakuya seemed amused as he spoke to Ichigo, "How does it feel, realising this small thing you call Bankai cannot be compared to their shikai" "It doesn''t matter, as long as I defeat you!!" Shunsui and Ukitake finally got to a safe distance seeing the two monsters bout it out. They at first thought of helping Itsuki but seeing the rare crazy smile on his face, they felt a shudder in their hearts. Yamamoto slowly increased the output of his Shikai making Itsuki find it difficult to fight the old man. It wasn''t like they were having an intense battle but rather he was training Itsuki. Thinking back to all the trainings he was beaten black and blue, Itsuki started losing control as all his pent-up grievances of that time came pouring out, ''Screw canon!'' "Bankai!" 68 Aftermath "Bankai¡­" Yamamoto was surprised hearing the word Bankai, but felt strange, due to all the noise from the thunder, wind and the flames he didn''t hear it clearly. He felt Itsuki''s reiatsu spike up and the pressure begin to grow, ''This brat, he doesn''t think¡­'' Yamamoto remembered seeing Itsuki''s eyes full of grievances, it was probably the most emotions he had ever seen on this disciple. Itsuki was there wondering, ''Who the hell said Bankai? I was supposed to say it!'' "You brat! You dare¡­" Yamamoto shouted at Itsuki and realised that nothing was happening with him. No power up, no pillar of reiatsu, nothing. Itsuki looked confused as a similar expression masked Yamamoto''s face. Looking round he saw Soi Fon and Yoruichi fighting, it seemed that Yoruichi had revealed Shunko and Soi Fon had fury written all over her face as a pillar of light engulfed her, "¡­Jakuho Raikoben!" Itsuki felt shivers down his spine as he remembered Soi Fon''s Bankai. Looking towards Soi Fon, a gold metallic cylinder that looked like a missile twice her size was encasing her right hand. There was also a gold faceguard covering the right side of her face with a slit in the middle. Using the slit to aim the missile she screamed, "For Itsuki''s first!" Fins emerged at the end on the missile as flames poured out the back. "Take t-!" Yoruichi suddenly appeared behind Soi Fon and gave her a chop on her neck, effectively knocking Soi Fon out. Giving out a breath of relief, she looked in Itsuki''s direction with eyes filled with accusation as she didn''t expect Soi Fon to care about Itsuki that much. At first, she thought that she would have a good bout with Soi Fon, but reality took a different turn. It was as if Yoruichi had killed her entire clan and she was out for revenge. Yoruichi gently laid down the unconscious Soi Fon as she examined the missile. Cold sweat poured down her face as her intuition told her that this missile packed quite a punch. Itsuki also let out a sigh of relief before looking towards Yamamoto. Remembering the slight panic in Yamamoto, a derisive smile found Itsuki''s mouth. Yamamoto''s eyebrow twitched as he knew Itsuki was mocking him. Veins popped out his head as the temperature of the flames increased. Shunsui was already sweating buckets and had thrown off his flowery kimono, "This kid, it''s true the cub doesn''t fear the tiger." Ukitake nodded next to him while Seikyo who was on his shoulder squawked. Yamamoto''s muscles bulged as he stared at Itsuki with incomparable fury. The more he looked at the smile the angrier he got, "Itsuki! you brat¡­" Suddenly a transmission was heard in the ears of every captain and lieutenant, "Connection successfully established. Those of captain, lieutenant or seated officer rank in the Gotei 13 as well as the Ryoka, this is the 4th division lieutenant Kotetsu Isane. This is an emergency message from captain Unohana of the 4th division and I, what I''m about to tell you is true¡­" Afterwards the lie orchestrated by Aizen Sosuke of his death, the traitors being Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen, Toshiro being defeated, the death of Aizen''s lieutenant and the massacre of Central 46 were all transmitted to everyone off. Ukitake was shocked by the revelation, "It can''t be¡­Aizen¡­" Shunsui on the side spoke up, "That''s what the girl says, what are the two of you going to do?" Looking at Yamamoto, Itsuki sealed his Shikai as he also sheathed his Zanpakutos, indicating his intention. "Let''s go to the Sokyoku hill." Yamamoto and Itsuki then properly put on their Shihakuso and searched for the Haori. When they took it off, they were blown by the wind. It was quite comedic seeing the two strongest Shinigami of the Gotei 13 look through a pile of rubble for their Captain''s Haori. "Ah! Found it!" Yamamoto was the first to find it as his zanpakuto once again turned into a walking stick. Crouching slightly, he became the frail old man he once was. "Need to take care of my back¡­" Itsuki pretended he didn''t hear that as he soon found his Haori and the four left for the Sokyoku hill. By the time they arrived, Yoruichi and Soi Fon had their blades on Aizen, Rangiku had hers on Gin and Hisagi had his blade on Kaname while a heavily injured Ichigo, Renji and Komamura lay on the side. Rukia seemed listless in Byakuya''s arms while all the rest of the captains and lieutenants, apart from the 11th and 12th division, had arrived. Kukaku was also there on the giant monkey-looking gatekeeper known as Jidanbo. Nanao seemed to have recovered and was behind Shunsui. Aizen had a smile on face when Yoruichi questioned, "What''s funny?" "I''m sorry, it''s time." A rip in space appeared above them as a Gillian opened it wide. There were dozens of them on the other side of the hole where a large, yet closed purple eye could be seen. Suddenly, three rays of light came down enveloping the three traitors as they slowly rose from the ground. Gins said sorry to Rangiku as he also looked in Itsuki''s direction. Komamura got up and shouted at Tosen into why he became Shinigami while the latter started talking about Justice. Iba wanted to attack but was stopped by Yamamoto as he explained that the light was called Negachion. It creates an independent space within, isolating it from the outside, it was what the Menos do to help their comrades. Lastly, Ukitake called out to Aizen, "Even joining with the menos. Have you fallen so much, Aizen?" "You''re too proud, Ukitake." Aizen then took of his glasses and swiped his hair back leaving a strand fall on his face. "¡­From here on, I shall stand in Heaven. Farewell Shinigami, farewell human Ryoka boy¡­" Aizen looked at Ichigo, "¡­for a human, you were truly interesting." Aizen then looked towards Itsuki as a small smile formed at the edge of his mouth before the rift closed dictating the end. Itsuki remembered part of their talk, "¡­so Itsuki, want to make a non-aggressive pact¡­" Itsuki just looked the chessboard, waiting for Aizen to speak, "¡­ one where you don''t directly act against me, and I won''t directly target and kill your close ones." Itsuki knew that there was no point in beating around the bush in this meeting as he carried on looking, moving his bishop. Aizen was able to read his intentions as he continued while moving his rook, "It seems like you agree, however I will be at a general disadvantage as they will act against me, so I''ll add another clause¡­" Seeing the traitors leave, the 4th squad relief teams came to take care of the injured while Itsuki made his way to Byakuya. Unohana had just come from treating Toshiro and also made her way treat Byakuya. "You''re all beaten up." Byakuya looked at Itsuki as he smiled, "Whose fault do you think it is?" Rukia tried approaching but was stopped by a Shinigami, "Let me go!" "The captain is und¡­" Itsuki looked at the Shinigami before ordering, "Let her go." The Shinigami immediately let her go as Rukia ran next to Byakuya. "Byakuya-nii-Sama¡­" Looking at Rukia, Byakuya decided to tell her the truth, "There is something I need to tell you¡­" Byakuya was breathing heavily from the injuries he took when protecting Rukia, "¡­It''s about my wife Hisana and why I adopted you¡­Do you know the reason why you were adopted?" "Yes, it was because I reminded lady Hisana of her younger sister." Byakuya looked calmly at Rukia, "That''s right, that is the lie I told them to feed you. You didn''t remind Hisana of her younger sister, you are her younger sister." The more Byakuya spoke the more shocked Rukia got. It was difficult for her upon knowing that she had a blood elder sister and was still alive. It was also the wife of her elder brother who always wore a veil whenever she met. At first, she thought that she was trying to keep a distance but finding out that she had too much guilt to look at her, broke her heart. Unknowingly, tears fell out of her eyes as Itsuki pat her head. "The only ones who know the truth is me, Hisana and Itsuki. Back then, I faced a lot of opposition when I tried to marry Hisana and it was due to Itsuki that she was properly taken care of. It was also Itsuki who saved your sister from death. I faced more opposition when I adopted you, I promised Hisana that I would protect you. No matter what, I wanted to fulfil the promise I made her. Due to this, even if it was opposed by Itsuki, I made an oath in front of my parent''s graves that this was the last time I broke the rules." Byakuya looked calm as Rukia got sadder the more she heard, "Then, upon hearing your death penalty being decided I didn''t know what to do, that''s when Itsuki came and just said to trust him. I didn''t know if he predicted other''s saving you¡­" Itsuki felt embarrassed taking all the credit. Although Ichigo did play his role, just like the anime, for Byakuya, it looked as if Itsuki had predicted it all. "¡­Rukia, I''m sorry." Unohana then told Itsuki and Rukia to leave. Itsuki looked at Ichigo being healed by Orihime before making his way back to the 2nd Division HQ. Everyone got their well needed rest after these chaotic days were over and the next day, Itsuki had an unexpected visitor, Rukia had come to visit. Itsuki was sat on the Onmitsukido captain''s seat while Rukia stood there fidgeting slightly. She was currently out of her prison clothes and was wearing a purple kimono. She knew that Itsuki wasn''t much of a talker as she stood there looking for words to bring out. She opened her mouth and closed it, repeating the process for god knows how long. If someone saw this scene, it looked like a young girl confessing her love to her crush with the blush she had on her face. Itsuki finally couldn''t take it as he just stood up and started walking. Indicating for Rukia to follow they ended up where Ichigo and his group were currently staying. He shunpoed in, grabbed Ichigo and threw him onto the training ground just outside. His friends were shocked by what was happening and thought it was an enemy attack. The three made their way outside only to see the back of Itsuki and Rukia further away and Ichigo collapsed on the floor with his legs dangling in the air. Rukia was shocked with Itsuki''s action and Ichigo was still confused with what was happening. Ichigo then pushed himself up and saw Rukia next to him, "Hey! Rukia, what is the meaning of this?!" Rukia didn''t know how to explain to Ichigo as she looked at Itsuki. Seeing Rukia act like this, Ichigo also looked towards Itsuki only to see him throw the two a wooden sword. Catching hers, Rukia seemed to realise that Itsuki had read her intentions and Ichigo was still lost. Rukia got into a stance as Ichigo looked at the wooden sword, then at the wooden sword that Itsuki was holding back. He continued to look back and forth at the swords then seemed to realise something but Itsuki had already struck. Itsuki knew that Ichigo was still recovering, but with Orihime here, she could use her healing abilities on Ichigo. Orihime looked at the back of Itsuki and remembered the night when she met the figure who pressurised her with pure reiatsu. Asking for the captain with ''beautiful gem-like eyes'', she found out that it was the captain of the 2nd Division, the strongest after the captain-commander himself, Minamoto Itsuki. Itsuki was thinking of something else as he struck Ichigo''s head, "¡­I''ll add another clause, you will guide that human Ryoka boy for a bit." ''I couldn''t screw canon then, so I''ll screw it now! Aizen, you would rue the day when you made that clause!'' Rukia had a shocked look on her face when she saw Ichigo getting taken down in one move, while she gulped and took a step back when Itsuki turned towards her. ******************************************** Author''s note Still too soon for his bankai. There still are many parts to be revealed from the talk with Aizen. Some might think that what Itsuki has done is stupid but remember, he can be the most clever guy with a IQ of 500 but his intelligence would still be limited to the author''s. 69 Troubles It''s been six days since the betrayal of Aizen and gang. Currently, Itsuki was where the human group were staying and was sparring against Rukia. Ichigo was on the side being healed by Orihime. For the past few days, Itsuki didn''t teach Ichigo any sort of sword techniques but just sparred continuously, beating the crap out of him. Giving Ichigo a sword technique didn''t align with his nature as he had his own, so just polishing his current swordsmanship and honing his instincts was what Itsuki believed to be best. Today was the last day Itsuki would train him and tomorrow was the day when they would return to the living world. After disarming Rukia, Itsuki ended the spar and was taking his leave with her when Orihime called out to him, "Minamoto-san!" Running to him she immediately bowed, "About last time, I have to thank you!" Upon giving her thanks she immediately returned to her group. Rukia was surprised as she didn''t know why Orihime was thanking Itsuki. Apart from Itsuki telling her to heal Ichigo, they hadn''t had any sort of interaction. Itsuki was unable to see her face when she bowed as she quickly turned and walked away. Her friends were surprised with her actions as they started questioning her. Itsuki not knowing what to do just shrugged his shoulders and left the training ground with Rukia following. On their way, there was a strange atmosphere as Rukia kept glancing at him. Turning back, he saw Rukia donning a strange expression on her face. She seemed to quickly look away when they made eye contact. This carried on for a while before Itsuki questioned, "What?" Rukia shook her head before she followed Itsuki the hospital. Arriving there, they made their way to meet Byakuya who was still in recovery. Hisana was already there peeling an apple for him while Renji was outside guarding his captain. Walking in Rukia immediately started talking to Hisana while Itsuki went to Byakuya. Although Hisana hadn''t gotten over her guilt, the two sisters liked to be with each other a lot. Rukia would come visit every now and then, talk about her days while Hisana would just listen. Ever since, Rukia''s execution was announced, Hisana had somehow gotten wind of this despite Byakuya''s attempts to make sure she never heard it. She had barely eaten and with a weak body, she fell ill. Upon hearing that Rukia was safe, she immediately wanted to meet her when Byakuya told her that Rukia now knew everything. At first, she was hesitant, but she gathered her courage and faced her little sister. After a night of crying the two made up as Hisana became extremely protective of her. Looking outside the window, Byakuya started speaking, "You, did you know about Aizen?" Hearing the words ''Aizen'', the two girls were startled before talking their leave. They knew that the two were going to talk about something important. Itsuki stayed quiet as he also looked outside rendering a short moment of silent. Byakuya gave a sigh seeing his friend''s lack of response as he turned to Itsuki, "Try not to take all upon yourself, we are here for you." Byakuya knew his friend''s character the most due to the time the two had spent together sparring. He knew that his friend was looking for many ways to strengthen himself. Itsuki gave a small genuine smile as he nodded at Byakuya. Itsuki then left for an underground base he had created. Upon entering, what entered his view was a broken shaft and various pieces of the halberd''s blade of Sokyoku. These were most of the pieces of the blade and the ones that Itsuki was able to salvage without anyone knowing. These pieces were most likely written off as lost or completely demolished when Ukitake and Shunsui destroyed the Sokyoku. The small amount the Shinigami took, would be researched and a new Sokyoku would stand where the previous one stood. The Sokyoku was a weapon known as having the strength and power of a million zanpakuto. Whenever, Itsuki held a piece he could feel the broken shard augment his reiatsu by a small amount. It wasn''t activated and was in pieces, so Itsuki could understand why it was only a small amount. All the pieces that Itsuki gathered were in the middle of a triangular formation that looked extremely similar to the one Itsuki used to absorb the hollow. He then put each zanpakuto at one end while Itsuki stood on one. Pouring his reiatsu, the formation lit up before immediately dying out. Seeing no changes, Itsuki got up and started to make some adjustments to the formation before trying it out again but still failed. The next day, Hisana and Byakuya were chatting calmly when they heard rapid footsteps approaching. "Renji!" Ichigo jumped up only to see a Byakuya and a woman that looked like Rukia shocked at the intrusion. "Rukia? No, you are not Rukia?" "You must be Kurosaki Ichigo, I have to thank you for taking care of my little sister." Hisana did a slight bow as a gentle smile masked her face. Orihime then jumped next to Ichigo as the latter was surprised with the fact that she reached the 3rd floor. "Have you seen Rukia?" "No, but she most likely is at the 2nd Division training grounds." "Okay and thank you." After the two left Byakuya looked as if in thought, "That kid, I wonder if he plans to call me without titles¡­" Hisana just giggled at her husband''s concerns as she went back to peeling oranges for him. The two then made their way to the training grounds. Walking through the path, they felt many eyes on them. "Why are they monitoring us?" "Ichigo-san, I think it''s because we are in the 2nd division HQ and the Onmitsukido HQ¡­" Orihime then went on to explain about the responsibilities of the Onmitsukido. "You''re awfully knowledgeable about this, Orihime." Orihime just laughed and continued walking. Feeling Rukia''s reiatsu, they then made their way towards her. The more they walked towards her location; the less eyes were monitoring them until they came across a training ground when no eyes were left. Rukia was sitting down with Ganju and Kukaku looking at a pair sparring in front. The smoke cleared out and Soi Fon came into view with Yoruichi in front of her. Rukia seemed to sense the two newcomers as she turned around, "Ichigo, Inoue¡­" ""Oh, Ichigo¡­"" Kukaku and Ganju also looked back before the former turned back to look at the fight. Yoruichi looked at Soi Fon, "You have really gotten stronger, Soi Fon." "It was all to surpass you." A confident smirk plastered Yoruichi''s face, "But you are still lacking and¡­" She whispered something in Soi Fon''s ear causing rage to surface on her face. "You!" Just as she was about to rage at Yoruichi, an Onmitsukido member came and reported something. Calming her rage, she mouthed a few words, clicked her tongue and immediately made her way to take care of some things. Yoruichi also came up to the spectators as she sat down to converse. They were later joined by Ishida and Sado who somehow knew this was happening. "So Ichigo, I heard you had a rather fun time with Itsuki." Hearing the demon''s name caused Ichigo to sweat buckets. For the past few days it was only getting beaten up and healed by Orihime on constant repeat. It was so traumatic that the demon would show up and beat him in his dreams. Still, he did feel improvements and felt that he was sharper than before, but did he really need to get beaten up that much. Orihime''s small voice then interrupted his talk, "He isn''t that bad of a person." Everyone just turned to Orihime when she said those words. Rukia had a smile on her face as she also voiced out her opinion, "Yeah, he isn''t. When I was adopted by the Kuchiki clan, it was because of him that I wasn''t bullied by anyone." Kukaku also spoke up, "He saved my elder brother and sister." All the girls started reminiscing something about Itsuki while the human boys looked confused. "What''s happening here?" A cold voice brought them out of their thoughts while Ichigo started trembling. Itsuki had just gotten back from the hidden cave. The more adjustments he made the more perfected the formation became but one thing was needed, a major thing. A lot of Reishi was needed. Itsuki''s own simply wasn''t enough. He needed to control the formation and also provide enough reishi to power it up so the pieces of the Sokyoku could be properly melded into his zanpakuto. "Itsuki!" Yoruichi jumped onto Itsuki and hugged him like a cat. The human group was especially shocked seeing Yoruichi jump onto Itsuki just like a lover. But before they could question anything a Jigokucho landed next to Rukia. After reading the message, she turned to the gang, "The senkaimon is ready to be opened." After that the group said their goodbyes and the humans made their way to the main senkaimon. Yoruichi also left with them as they needed someone to be their guide, so giving a kiss to Itsuki, she also shunpoed away. Ukitake then gave Ichigo his Shinigami badge and the group then left soul society, bringin an end to this episode. 70 Fusion 2 "¡­It seems we have a year until Aizen makes a move, but this doesn''t mean we should just wait¡­" Yamamoto was currently giving a speech as all the captains listened. After the meeting Ukitake, Shunsui and Itsuki made their leave together. All the captains then met with their lieutenants when Shunsui suddenly threw a question at Itsuki, "Yo, Itsuki. What do you do to look so young and your skin, how do you take such care of it?" When the first part was said, even Yamamoto''s ears twitched as he carefully concentrated to hear the response while the girls were intrigued by both questions. Girls would be girls as they all paid attention to the answer. Although, they didn''t look at him directly. Itsuki felt that he had entered a very precarious situation. Itsuki looked like an 18-year-old right now. Unlike Rangiku and Gin who graduated with him, they looked in their early twenties. He looked like he had graduated the academy in the past fifty years. His hair was tied in a high ponytail with the ribbon Rangiku had gotten him before they entered the academy. Itsuki had cherished it since then as it was the first gift he got in this life. The blue colour matched his eyes as they looked just like when his mystic eyes were activated. Azure blue with a pink ring within. Whenever he activated them, they would start to glow. He wore the standard Shinigami Shihakuso tied with a black sash. Unlike the normal shihakuso, his was tightly fitted to his body with unknown material. It was done like so to prevent any loose parts of his shihakuso come in his way when fighting. He wore a short-sleeved captain''s haori with the shihakuso''s sleeves tied around by a black ribbon. Lastly, he wore long black Jika-tabi instead of the usual wooden sandals that all the other Shinigami wore. His zanpakutos were placed on the left side of his waist with Byakko on top of Ryurai. Everyone fell silent as they waited for Itsuki to answer. Itsuki looked as if contemplating for a while before he looked at the surrounding people, "Nothing." Everyone stumbled upon his words as Yamamoto fell. He said with such assuredness that everyone didn''t know what to say. Hearing someone fall they all turned to Yamamoto only to see him getting up and turning towards them with an angry expression. "What are you doing?! Didn''t I already dismiss you?!" Although they felt aggrieved with Yamamoto directing his anger at them, they couldn''t blame him. The girls felt more hurt with what Itsuki had said, had all the things they''ve done to keep things tip top for nought. While some people like Toshiro, Zaraki and Byakuya didn''t care, Mayuri kept looking at his eyes with interest. It was the instinct of a scientist to research the unknown and Itsuki''s eyes attracted him. Well they attracted different people for different reasons. Naturally Mayuri had asked to research them and even tried to force it. However, the retaliation of Itsuki wasn''t what he had expected. Mayuri had many ways to survive and was even able to revive his zanpakuto after it was destroyed. Now imagine one person destroying all those methods but leaving one and casting a permanent scar on his zanpakuto spirit. No matter how many times it was destroyed and recreated the scar stayed. Since then, Mayuri had kept a distance from Itsuki. Time passed as souls started to mysteriously disappear in the living world, becoming an issue that attracted Soul Society''s attention. "Close the gates! Close the gates! Close the gates!" A blushing Soi Fon had just rushed through the closing Senkaimon as she remembered her talk with Itsuki, "Ukitake will be shutting the Senkaimon for a while so we would lose communication with the living world. Yoruichi¡­" Soi Fon clicked her tongue at the mention of her name but Itsuki continued, "¡­Yoruichi asked me to come but I can''t leave so I''ll be sending you instead." Understanding that this was a mission from a superior she complied, "Hai!" Just as she was about to leave Itsuki gave her a peck and disappeared. Itsuki watched Soi Fon enter the main Senkaimon before turning back. This deployment had brought him a crucial piece of information, the bount arc was happening. This meant that there was a chance for the movies and the other filler arcs also happening. Thinking about this he decided to collect the data of books about old soul society experiments and he found exactly what he was looking for. Although they were scattered about, the books about the experiments of old written by a Shinigami known as Ran''Tao. Itsuki could tell that information on the bount was mostly destroyed but some did survive the cleansing. As no one took another look, they just remained there neglected. Further reading he found what he was looking for, Jokaisho. Jokaisho was a device used to help scientists have high chances of success with their experiments. They also held large amounts of Reiatsu but most of them had been sealed away by orders of Central 46. They were too dangerous and unstable with one being capable of destroying a tenth of Seireitei if an accident ever happens. Although they were dangerous Itsuki had a feeling that a Jokaisho was needed to help absorb the Sokyoku shards. The Jokaisho were spread out across Seireitei and the one Itsuki had proper knowledge of was the one beneath the 12th Division SRDI facility. It was also the one that Kariya JIn, the antagonist of this arc would use as a means of threatening Soul Society. He found sneaking into the SRDI quite simple with Byakko hiding any traces of him. Looking round he found his way to a room containing the record of various experiments. It looked like a large storage room with small square drawers littering the walls. Looking at the square tiled floor he tried finding some sort of access point that led to the ground. In the anime, it was through the clash of Ichigo and Kariya that the Jokaisho was revealed. Itsuki believed that although it was completely sealed there must be some sort of opening. His search led him to a certain part of the floor. It looked like just the rest but as Itsuki tapped the tile, he heard the noise ricochet on the other side. For others, it would have been difficult to hear this small noise but as Itsuki was concentrating he was able to hear it. When people would walk over this specific tile, they would disregard the noise and just carry on what they were doing. Cutting the tile from the edges, he lifted the tile only to come across a hole that led to nowhere. He jumped down it but after stopping himself from falling, he covered the hole with the tile before welding it shut with Ryurai. Jumping down he was barely able to see anything. After walking he realised that he was currently walking on top of the Jokaisho. The Jokaisho was a large circular device that that had a diameter of many metres. After finding the walls, he began to create a barrier that will basically stop form the reiatsu spreading or causing any disturbances outside. He wanted to be as secretive probably. After setting up the barrier he found the middle and began drawing a triangular formation similar to what he had done before. He then placed his zanpakutos in the points of the formation and took out the shards, placing them in the middle. After arranging the pieced to create a vague form of the blade, he moved to his point and activated the formation. Itsuki didn''t need the Jokaisho to be active, but he just wanted the reishi it contained inside. If he did want to activate, it would take around a day just to be activated, which was time Itsuki was unable to waste. Slowly the formation started gathering the reishi and it was fully charged. One by one the shards started to melt and fly towards both zanpakuto equally, Itsuki also felt his reiatsu increase as more and more of the shards fused with his zanpakuto. Time passed until the Senkaimon was opened again and Soi Fon came back to report. As Itsuki was absent, due to ''training'', Soi Fon made the report to Yamamoto about the Bount. It wasn''t only until the next day did Itsuki come. After absorbing the Sokyoku, Itsuki had a tremendous boost in reiatsu but there was an issue. He hadn''t properly assimilated with the power and would need time to properly fuse with it. He had also arrived with another conclusion, the hollow he had fused with before wasn''t properly done as well. It seemed that he would need time to do properly and completely fuse with them. Back when he fought with Yamamoto, he discovered that he was getting stronger quite abnormally. He first attributed it to how arrancar''s get stronger when they fight but it seemed his hypothesis was wrong. The untapped potential was just hidden away along with the excess energy made when fusing the Sokyoku into his zanpakuto. Shunpoing to his HQ he found Soi Fon and asked her for her report. Finding out where he was currently in the timeline, he decided to meet up with Yamamoto and talk about the Bount. He also sent Seikyo over to Byakuya to give him a message, in the anime, it was requested by Yamamoto but this time it was asked by Itsuki. This was the first time that Itsuki had actively taken steps to make an impact to the story *********************************** Author''s note I have realised that my story mainly focuses on the actions of Itsuki, so would you guys like to see other''s perspectives or shall I just concentrate on Itsuki or chall I increase the interactions of other characters and not just gloss over them. 71 Soi Fon and Yoruichi - The Day Before - - Living World - Yoruichi looked at the girl following before once more looking ahead. She was currently in her cat form and looked a bit depressed. ''I asked for Itsuki¡­'' Yoruichi was hoping to get some more time with Itsuki but someone she didn''t want to meet had arrived. A frown was noticeable on her face as she looked at Yoruichi. Pouting and looking at the side, Soi Fon indicated that she still hadn''t forgiven Yoruichi. Giving out a sigh, Yoruichi began to explain the situation to Soi Fon. Currently, there was a series of souls suddenly disappearing without any trace. Ichigo''s group were currently occupied with the mod souls Urahara had created while they would start the investigation. Although, Soi Fon had found it hateful to team up with this thieving cat, she had no choice as Itsuki had asked her to. Looking at Yoruichi, Soi Fon remembered their fight back in Soul Society. Yoruichi had just taken Soi Fon away from the Sokyoku hill. They had just felt Itsuki''s reiatsu spiking up, "So why are you still angry?" "You took Itsuki''s first!!" Yoruichi was shocked with this revelation. ''It seems like she knows.'' Soi Fon didn''t give her a chance to speak as she immediately engaged Yoruichi. Soi Fon''s mastery of Hakuda was higher than the anime. She had approached Yoruichi''s mastery but still fell a bit short. This time, as Soi Fon wasn''t the Onmitsukido commander, she wasn''t able to call upon the executive militia as she did in the anime. Still, although Yoruichi was able to easily counter Soi Fon''s moves, she did find it a problematic fight. One thing that didn''t change was Soi Fon''s desire to surpass Yoruichi, yet the reason was different. Releasing her Shikai, Soi Fon was able to land a hit on Yoruichi before creating a distance. A butterfly symbol appeared on the right side of Yoruichi''s chest as blood emerged from her mouth. Yoruichi found it difficult to harm Soi Fon as she still felt guilty in abandoning the trust, she had on her. Suddenly, Yoruichi felt Soi Fon''s reiatsu spike up as a glow surrounded her. ''Shunko?!'' "This is something I created and Itsuki helped me control it. He also told me that it is a technique you used. Now, I will use this technique to defeat you!" Yoruichi looked at Soi Fon as she also activated her Shunko. Yet, she got the upper hand once more as she used a technique that utterly shocked Soi Fon. ''Hanki!'' Hanki was a technique that neutralised the opponents kido by hitting it with a kido of the same quality and quantity spinning in the opposite direction. Getting defeated this easily caused anger to surface on Soi Fon, "I''ve should''ve surpassed you, for stealing¡­for stealing¡­" "Bankai!" Her flashback ended there as they were currently passing a school, ''Hmm, isn''t this the school that humans go to?'' Soi Fon then saw the group looking at them out the window when both she and Yoruichi felt something. "Soi Fon¡­" "Yes, I feel it." Seeing that there was a window opened, they jumped through and made their way to Orihime''s table. All the while, ignoring the shocked expressions of the group. "Yoruichi-san, what-?" Yoruichi put her hand up as she started to search Orihime''s desk. The group was confused as to why they were searching her desk, as Orihime had a strange blush. Seeing Yoruichi bring out a bag, Orihime immediately ran to her and grasped the bag. Soi Fon saw this but let it be, "Yoruichi-san, what are you doing going through my stuff like that?" "Ne, Inoue, why are you trying to stop us from going through this bag?" Yoruichi was surprised seeing the strength Orihime exerted as she held onto it, unwilling to let go. The bag was then unable to handle the pressure from both sides and ripped open, letting a bunch of pictures fall out. Ichigo seeing them had a scare and jumped behind Sado as a fearful expression masked his face. However, when he did this, he saw a glint in Sado''s eyes. It seemed that he was surprised, but why would he be surprised. The rest were also shocked as a blush crept onto Orihime''s face. Yoruichi and Soi Fon, looked at Orihime accusingly as she fell on her knees. "So, Inoue, why do you have this many of Itsuki''s pictures¡­" Yoruichi saw a badge within the pile of pictures as she continued looking at Orihime, "¡­even if you''re part of the club, this many pictures¡­" Orihime felt ashamed as a mosquito like voice left her mouth, "I...j-just¡­wanted to s-show¡­my friends¡­" The group of boys then remembered an unusual gathering around Orihime''s seat as various ''kyaa kyaa'' were heard. It wasn''t just limited to his class, but apparently girls from other classes heard the news and also made their way towards Orihime''s desk. Yoruichi sighed at this but let it be, she was part of the club and had the right to carry around these many pictures. Plus, they couldn''t waste time as they needed to be somewhere else, so after saying their farewells, they made their leave. After they had left, one of the pics mysteriously went missing. - Present Time - - Soul Society - - 1st Division HQ - It had taken a day for Byakuya to look for the required information before telling Itsuki what he found. Itsuki was currently giving his report about his findings about the Jokaisho and its relation to the mysterious people Soi Fon encountered in the living world. Byakuya then immediately reported what he had found in his clan''s repository as the rest of the captains stood behind them. Yamamoto looked like he was contemplating on something as he made his decision. "Yesterday, I had sent three lieutenants thinking it would be enough, however, upon seeing this report, I suspect that there is more to what we are seeing. So, Captains Minamoto, Kuchiki and Hitsugaya, you three will be deployed to the living world as reinforcements and will only show yourselves when needed. Ukitake and Shinsui, you will lead your divisions and go to all the Jokaisho locations and seal them. Unohana, I want your division on standby in case anything goes wrong. The rest of the division would be on a state of alert and have their patrols increased." "Dismissed!" The three captains then made their way to get their seals before arriving in front of the main Senkaimon. Byakuya looked at the line up before giving out his opinion, "Sending three captains, isn''t this overkill?" Itsuki was the one that replied, "The kid is part of the reinforcements in the living world while I''m the last line of defence." "What did you say?!" Toshiro hated people making fun of him being a child as he angrily looked at Itsuki. Itsuki just ignored the outburst and made his way into the Senkaimon. Toshiro calmed down realising that this was just a ploy by Itsuki, him getting angry was confirming Itsuki''s claim of him being a kid. Byakuya ignored this and followed Itsuki while Toshiro was the last to enter. This time Itsuki didn''t take Soi Fon with him as he needed someone to watch over the Onmitsukido. The journey was a quite one, no one spoke. Toshiro was the one that was suffering the most as he wanted someone to talk to. He knew that the two were far from talkers and that it will be a long journey. 72 Boun Running through the Dangai, a serene silence encompassed them while a constant twitching could be seen leaving Toshiro''s eyebrows. Seeing the door to the living world in front, they quickly jumped through only to see a pair of lights approach them. Itsuki felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as the three jumped to the side dodging the vehicle. Itsuki realised why he felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, it was a common Japanese truck, similar to the one that brought him here. The driver didn''t horn at them indicating that he never saw them. A rather disturbing thought flashed through Itsuki''s head. ''What would happen if I get hit by one?'' Seeing the truck drive away, Toshiro''s voice brought Itsuki out of his thoughts, "Need to tell the people that set our coordinates, to properly place the exit in a safe place." Itsuki and Byakuya both nodded before the three turned towards a certain direction. They had immediately felt the lieutenants congregate at a certain location along with the humans and a few weird reiatsu. Toshiro seemed to hurry as he had it enough with the silent duo as he ran first. Watching him, Itsuki turned to Byakuya, "It seems that he is not only short of height, but also short on patience," Toshiro had somehow heard this while a slight smile found Byakuya. Turning around he went to shout at them, but he realised that they had disappeared and long since passed him. Stomping in frustration he immediately followed. - Unknown Location - Rangiku could be seen easily defeating a shadow abomination and destroying the pillars surrounding her. She then focused her attacks towards the surrounding eye like creatures that poured out light from their eyes. The enemy seemed to be using the shadows around her to attack. Rangiku had entered the cavern with Hisagi Shuuhei, Kira and Yumichika. They had all separated when they were faced against unknown attacks, but she had finally found how the power worked. Cutting the source of light, she made her way back to where she came from only to see another group of people that had entered. Two of them were in Shinigami clothing, Ichigo and Renji, and three of them were in a normal living world clothing, Rukia, Orihime and Sado. They were carrying four stuffed toys, one was a stuffed lion plushie, another was a human like bird with a blue hooded coat and red bow tie, one was a human like turtle plushie in a grey dress trousers, white shirt and a red bow tie while the last one was a pink rabbit with a colourful suit and ties that had been fashioned into a purse The group of oddballs seemed to have just entered and were fighting the shadow like creatures while Orihime seemed to be constrained by one. "Growl, Haineko." Rangiku''s sword dissipated into ash as they flew towards all the surrounding eye creatures, cutting of any source of light. "Rangiku-san?" Renji turned around to see their saviour as the rest followed. The lion stuffed toy had a shine in its eyes as it jumped towards Rangiku, "Big breasts onee-chan!" Seeing the perverted toy, Rangiku kicked it far away from her. The bird plushie toy sitting on Ichigo''s shoulder, started laughing while Rangiku turned towards the group. "So, what are you guys doing here?" "We were sent here by Urahara-san, by the way, where are the others?" Looking round, Renji had a questioning face, "We got separated." Rangiku then looked at Rukia, "Are you okay? Hisagi told me that you took damage on your already recovering soul." Rukia had previously been injured by a bount but was luckily saved by Hisagi. Seeing that she was incapable of battle, she, Sado and Orihime decided to stay behind while Rangiku took care of them. Apart from the bird, the other three toys also stayed behind while only Ichigo and Renji made their way forward. Running through the cave, they were suddenly assaulted by various flashes of lights as their shadows elongated. A hand came out from each shadow holding a bladed weapon intent on sneak attacking them. The two were temporarily blinded by the light as they never felt what was behind them. As the blades inched closer, suddenly two shadows appeared blocking the two blades creating sparks between. Hearing the noise Ichigo and Renji turned around to see the bladed weapons stopped by another two Shinigami. "Hisagi-san? Kira?" As the four fought the various weapons arising from the shadows, the cave started rumbling as pieces of rubble and stone started falling. Seeing that him and Kira wouldn''t be able to advance due to Kira''s injuries, Hisagi turned to the two, "Kurosaki, Abarai, you guys go ahead!" The two nodded and continued forward only to meet the last member of the group heavily injured and unconscious. "Yumichika-san!" Seeing his former superior, Renji ran towards him. Seeing that he was barely awake, Renji looked at Ichigo then at the eye like creatures that made their appearance. "Ichigo, you go forward, I''ll hold this bount back!" Ichigo, hearing this, gave a nod before making his way towards the main perpetrator behind all of this. Within a secret room a man sat there in front of a table full of cards. He had the look of a professional man with a red tie, a white buttoned up shirt and large glasses. His hair was neatly combed to the said as he had a manic grin looking at the red-haired Shinigami through one of the eye like creatures. "Thinking of going against Giselle all alone¡­" While Renji was having a bout with that Bount Ichigo had made his entrance in front of various people standing on a podium of some sort. The leader of them was a tall, muscular man with short, white hair and red eyes. He had long upward curling eyebrows and a scar on his chin. He wore a white shirt that had a red tie tucked in a pair of black dress pants, all under a long brown overcoat. He was Kariya JIn Behind him stood five individuals. On the left was an old man wearing a black suit and a purple ascot surrounding his neck. He was standing up with the help of a walking cane. Next to him was a tall and lean built man wearing a sleeveless Shinigami shihakuso. He had brown eyes and dark raven hair where a large portion of it fell down the middle. On the right was a woman with green teal hair and green eyes beneath a pair of furrowed eyebrows. She wore a purple Manchurian style qipao and beige pants. To her left was a unique looking man. His orange hair was clean and cut shirt on the left side while it was messy and jaw-length on the right. He wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts with black trimmings alongside a pair of loose boots. He had two red belts around his waist while four black belts around his shorts, two on each leg. Next to him was a large and muscular man with dark skin, short cut red hair and an orange mohawk. He wore a large sleeveless shirt and a pair of headphones around his neck. Looking at Ichigo, Kariya started speaking, "How many bount must you people kill before you are satisfied?" Ichigo was shocked by the revelation as he deduced an aspect. "So, you were the one that revealed that guys hideout." "It was a necessary sacrifice." Ichigo seemed enraged as he started attacking Kariya. This time it wasn''t a one-sided fight, rather, Ichigo was able to hold his ground for some time before being miserably defeated. As Ichigo was getting beaten up, he was able to unleash his Bankai for the first time after entering the living world. It went a rather clich¨¦ way with him remembering all the suffering his friends went through, how they were trying hard and why he couldn''t let them down. As Ichigo finally created some damage against Kariya, a reishi arrow interrupted their battle. This marked the entrance of a new intruder, Ishida. He seemed to have regained his powers after losing them in a fight against Mayuri. Behind him, the group that stayed behind also ran out, minus Renji, Kira and Hisagi. At the entrance though, three figures had appeared. "Is this the place?" Toshiro was once again the one that spoke up as Byakuya answered, "Yes." Itsuki looked into the cave as he felt both familiar and unfamiliar reiatsu coming from inside. Looking at his fellow captains, he saw Byakuya having a worried look in his eyes. ''It seems he''s worried about Rukia.'' Looking at Byakuya a smirk surfaced on Itsuki''s face. Byakuya felt something wrong as he turned around and saw Itsuki smirking at him. Realising his friend saw through him, Byakuya coughed and was about to change the subject when all three captains looked in one direction. They felt a spike in reiatsu and a gate opening, feeling this, they immediately disappeared with Itsuki in the lead. ''It seems that Ishida has just opened the gate.'' Back in the hall, Ichigo''s group was surprised seeing Ishida''s apparent betrayal while Kariya seemed like he expected it. Upon failing to recruit Ishida, Kariya then made his way to the gate to begin the invasion of soul society. While Kariya was making his victory speech, "¡­Quincy and Shinigami brat, came after- " Suddenly a chill went through all the bount and the lone Shinigami as they jumped out of the gate. *BOOM* The gate suddenly exploded bringing with it a cloud of dust. ********************************************* Author''s note Fell asleep in the middle of writing this chapter. So sorry for no chapter yesterday. I''m trying it out various ways of writing because I don''t want to rush too much while also trying to give the characters life and not make the story boring, it seems im not very good at it. 73 Ichinose Maki Once the clouds of dust dissipated amongst the various coughing fits of the people within the room were having. Three figures made their presence known surrounding the bount in a triangle. "Itsu- Captain Minamoto! Captain Kuchiki! Captain Hitsugaya!" Rangiku was surprised at the sudden three intruders as she nearly called Itsuki by his name. Kariya just looked at Itsuki who was standing where the gate was. The rest of his accomplices were surprised as well as they vigilantly looked at the three. "You must be captain of the 2nd Division, Minamoto Itsuki. Ichinose here couldn''t find anything about you apart from your zanpakuto being a lightning and wind one." Itsuki didn''t talk back as he looked at the surrounding bount rake out their dolls. ''The girl with the green hair should be Yoshi, the weird looking one should be Mabashi, the old one should be Sawatari and the one with the mohawk should be Koga Goa.'' Looking at them, Sawatari seemed to have the more annoying ability with the ability to manipulate space. Itsuki then slowly went into an Iaido stance as the rest also got battle ready. Sawatari had just called his doll, when Itsuki disappeared and appeared behind him. Everyone, apart from the two captains and Rangiku, were shocked by his speed as the old man disintegrated into dust. Seeing this, Byakuya and Toshiro also moved. Mabashi was targeted by Byakuya and Koga Go went against Toshiro. Yoshi appeared behind Itsuki as her right hand was covered in armour and was holding an energy sword. "Take this!" Itsuki dodged and swung his sword at her, cutting her in half. She also dissipated. Byakuya made quick work of Mabashi as he released his shikai. It was the same with Koga Go as he was quickly frozen by Toshiro''s shikai. The bount were weaker than the anime as they never had the abundance of reishi found in Soul Society, although they did drink numerous souls. They had, however, encountered a monster like Itsuki and the two that fought the other captains seemed to have encountered their natural enemy. Kariya looked unbelievingly at what was happening as his focus was taken by Ichigo clashing into him. A helpless look plastered his face as a determined one replaced it before he started laughing. "Do you think that this is the end, Shinigami?" It was stated in the anime that although Kariya looked for revenge upon Soul Society, he truly wanted to end his current immortal life. Ichigo seemed to have already recognised this as he stayed silent when fighting against him. Itsuki never made his move as he focussed on someone else entirely. Ichinose Maki, a former Shinigami who served under the previous kenpachi. He went rogue when Zaraki Kenpachi took over the role by killing the previous one. He had a strong sense of justice and was unable to follow Zaraki''s lead of fighting only for entertainment. He believed those in power should use it for noble causes rather than for self-satisfaction. Seeing him sneak up on him, Itsuki swung his sword sending him flying through one of the tunnels. Itsuki then disappeared, following him. Smashing into a wall, Ichinose coughed out blood as he tried to get up. Pushing himself up, he found a sword next to his throat, threatening to slit it. "Why don''t you kill me?" Itsuki didn''t answer, but he just responded with another one, "Why do you fight?" This seemed to trigger something within Ichinose as he shouted, "Why do I fight?! I fight against the barbaric ways of the Gotei 13, why¡­" What followed was his frustrations gushing out. Itsuki waited for him to finish upon asking another question, "You say you''re fighting for a noble cause, but it''s truly for anger isn''t it. Anger against just one man for killing your previous captain." Ichinose was shocked as understanding flashed through his eyes. Itsuki, however, continued, "This anger allowed people to manipulate you, goad you. Quite na?ve thinking from your part, isn''t it?" Back at the main hall, Ichigo had just driven his sword through Kariya. The other''s had moved far away to not get caught up in the shockwaves of their clashes. During this, another two figures had joined them, Yoruichi and Soi Fon. Seeing that the battle had ended, Toshiro turned towards the others, "You guys okay?" The group looked at him as Rangiku jumped towards Itsuki who had just come out, completely ignoring her own captain. "Itsuki." Toshiro eyebrow''s twitched and a vein popped out his forehead as and irritated look surfaced from being ignored. He hated this trip, the two silent buddies, the teasing from Itsuki and being ignored by his own lieutenant had pushed his limits. He was just about to scream when a line passed through his head ''Short on patience, short on patience¡­'' He looked back to Rangiku cuddling Itsuki like a koala bear while he patted her head and Itsuki''s apathetic look piercing through him. Seeing Itsuki come up, Soi Fon, Yoruichi and Rangiku dragged Itsuki away among the various looks of the others Byakuya just stood there ignoring what was happening around him as he looked at Rukia. She seemed to be okay but Byakuya could tell that she was injured looking at her pale face. "Byakuya-nii-Sama¡­" Rukia looked down when she saw the way her brother looked at her. She couldn''t tell if he was worried about her or looking down on her. She was never able to read her brother''s thoughts, but she had a feeling that he was worried. Byakuya seemed to nod at her as the rest of the Shinigami''s joined the fray. Renji rushed towards his captain while the rest waited in order to get healed by Orihime. They stayed in the human world until they had properly rested and went back under the lead of Byakuya. The ones who had stayed behind were Itsuki, Soi Fon, Rangiku, Toshiro and Yumichika. It seems Ikkaku would join them later as this calmed Yumichika down. At first Yumichika was confused as to why he had to stay, but Toshiro told him that he was the most ''idle''. The others were either resting or having fun so he believed that Yumichika should stay. Ikkaku would join him as the two were close. As the group separated, Itsuki wasn''t seen until the next day. 74 Transfer Studen Itsuki had just gotten out of bed where three other figures were wrapped up. Stretching his arms out he put on a blue yukata and came to the living room after washing up. The three had stayed over at Urahara''s store. Walking in, he saw Urahara wearing his striped dark green and white bucket hat which covered his eyes. "So, Itsuki-san, did you have a nice rest?" Itsuki nodded as he also sat down in front of the table. It was a small room with a circular table in the middle. Two kids sat round it as the girl got up to hand him a cup of tea. "Here." She wore white t-shirt with Urahara''s shop logo in pink print and a knee length, pink skirt with white dots. She had a perpetual blush on her cheek''s, purple eyes and long, black hair with a purple tint fashioned into pig tails. Her name was Tsumugiya Ururu. The boy, Hanakari Jinta, also wore a white t-shirt with the Urahara Shop log printed on the front and three-quarter length trousers. He had black eyes and red hair. The room entered an awkward silent as Itsuki peacefully drank tea. "Ah!" Urahara jumped up and came out with a familiar gigai. It wore the same black suit as it did back in London. "Soul Society sent your Gigai. I took it upon myself to do a few tweaks to it, but all should be well." "Tweaks?" "Yes, I just made it more compatible to you and upgraded a few of its specs." Covering his smile with a fan, Urahara gave out a suspicious laugh. Nodding at him, Itsuki just went back to drinking his tea, creating the silent atmosphere again. Jinta looked extremely nervous as he was constantly fidgeting while Ururu was also silently having her tea. - Karakura High School - "I-CHI-GO!!" A boy with medium long brown was seen running through the hallway screaming his friends name. He had a goofy look on his face and wore the standard Karakura High School uniform. His scream came to a stop when he got punched by Ichigo as he tried to hug him. Ichigo just ignored the downed soul as he continued walking. Another student popped as he looked at the sorry mess, "I told you to stop, didn''t I, Keigo?" "Next time, I''ll get him for sure, Mizuiro." Mizuiro was a young boy with short black hair and green eyes. his hair was parted down the middle with a stray bang on his face and the tips fanning out. He wore the standard Karakura High School uniform with the jacket zipped up. Mizuiro then looked up, only to see Ichigo enter their classroom. As Ichigo entered the classroom, he saw Ishida, Sado and Orihime already gathered round as he joined them. They made some small talk as Rukia also later joined them. Keigo, who had gotten up, saw this and got rivers of tears running down his eyes. "Wha¡­what is with this grouping? When did the four of you get so close¡­" Amidst his ramblings, the class slowly filled up and the day began with the sound of the bell. Before starting registration, the teacher pointed out with a slight blush on her face, "Great news everybody! We have a transfer student today so¡­" Suddenly, Ichigo''s Shinigami badge started beeping indicating a hollow. Chad, Inoue, Ishida and Rukia all heard it as they immediately became vigilant. Running out, they came up with various excuses while Keigo who tried to sneak out was instantly caught. "But you let them go¡­" "Shut up! Get back in there!" Ichigo had quickly become a Shinigami and was running across the schoolyard, completely unaware someone had just seen him. Ichigo had just tracked the hollow and was about to attack when it surprisingly split in two, "Eh?!" The others behind him were also shocked seeing that spectacle. As the hollow started to disintegrate a figure was seen walking towards them on the empty street. The figure''s shoes made clacking noises upon impacting the ground as he slowly walked towards them. Rukia felt a familiar sensation as the opposite party''s reiatsu got increasingly familiar, "This is¡­" Ichigo however started having a bad feeling, as a bad premonition filled his heart. Finally seeing the figure in question, Ichigo immediately shunpoed away. Itsuki stood there in a familiar uniform but with dress shoes. The group was shocked with Ichigo turning tail and running away but were even more shocked seeing Itsuki in the uniform of their school. Back at the school, Ichigo and the rest had just returned when their homeroom teacher turned to the other students, "Now that Ichigo and the rest are back, let me say It once again, we have a transfer student. Please come in." While the boys prayed for the transfer student being a beautiful girl, the girl''s hoped for a handsome boy. A certain girl with glasses had her thoughts aligned with the boys though. Stepping in, the silence caused by the entrance of the transfer student took a physical manifestation as all the students looked forward with gaping mouths. "So please introduce yourself¡­" Picking up the chalk, he wrote his name in clear, elegant letters as he turned to the class, "Minamoto Itsuki." No-one seemed to mind his short introduction as he was given next to a certain girl. They were however more engrossed at his looks, "That white hair, do you think its bleached¡­" "No, no, it looks too natural and silky for it¡­" "Those eyes, is he wearing lens?" "Indeed, those eyes, so cold, wish he would look at me with them¡­" "Wait isn''t he the cousin, Orihime was showing a picture of some time back¡­" "Wait, it''s him isn''t it?" There was one person who tried not to look at him, Ichigo. Ichigo looked at his own desk sweating buckets of water, trying not to make any sort of contact with his former ''teacher''. As Itsuki walked to his desk, the former gave a fleeting glance towards the latter, making Ichigo''s instincts ring bells warning him of an eagle locking onto him. Just as he sat down, Itsuki started thinking to himself, ''How long has it been since I''ve been to high school, counting this life and my previous one, 120, no, maybe 130. 130 years is a long time¡­'' While he was reminiscing back, he suddenly felt a jolt as he looked at his own desk, he didn''t have any books. Looking to the girl net to him, he caught her looking at him as they involuntarily made eye contact. While the girl quickly turned away, Itsuki moved his desk next to her, "I don''t have any books." The girl seemed to realise this as she avoided looking at him but moved her book to the middle. A few girls got jealous, well more than a few, but let it go seeing who it was. She was the last person they wanted to get on the bad side of. Itsuki looked at the girl next to him. She was certainly a beautiful girl as a youthfulness radiated off her. He knew that she was the athletic type, not by seeing her figure but by knowing who she was. Orihime''s best friend and Ichigo''s childhood friend, Arisawa Tatsuki. She had short black hair and brown eyes with a lean figure giving her a tomboyish look. She seemed to have a blush on her as they shared a book, much to the annoyance of the boys surrounding them. Break quickly came as the girls were ready to encircle Itsuki and ask him a variety of questions. As the bells rang, they had just lifted themselves up but came to an immediate halt seeing the scene in front of them. Itsuki had propped up her chin as he peered deep into her eyes, seemingly trying to bring out the deepest secrets held within her. Their position was extremely ambiguous and looked like Itsuki was leaning in for a kiss. The opposite part had eyes as wide as saucers as she lost all resistance. A blushing Tatsuki smelt a pleasant smell as she slowly lost herself in those crystal-like eyes. The mood was surprisingly interrupted by a wild Orihime inserting herself between them and grabbing Tatsuki, taking her away. Itsuki however continued looking at her as a smile found his face, ''A talent indeed¡­'' ********************************************** Author''s note Been busy with a few RL things and continuously been on a lazy streak and not in the mood for writing, so expect a decrease in release rate. But, i''ll try to bring my mood back up so I can give you a better release rate. Also, have been trying to work out a good schedule so I don''t fall asleep in the middle of writing a chapter like last time, but i''m once again too lazy to do that. I''m quite the lazy author. 75 Arisawa Tatsuki Itsuki was in, by no means, attracted to Tatsuki. In the anime, it was seen as she had an unnatural amount of Reiatsu, allowing her to see Ichigo''s Shinigami badge and later had enough will to not be crumbled in the presence of Aizen after he merged with the Hogyoku. However, she was currently still in the beginning phases having her reiatsu increased and Itsuki decided that it was too early for her. Though, it was still a waste for her talent to go untrained. Tatsuki returned when break was over, but she tried to avoid contact with Itsuki until lunch. She kept a little distance, however, due to her kindness, continued sharing her book with Itsuki. Tatsuki felt all the girl''s piercing glares bore through her as she tried her best to ignore them. Itsuki was in a similar sort of situation but he didn''t really care and was mostly indifferent to them, what could they do to him. This lasted until lunch when the bell rang and Orihime dragged Tatsuki away from him. Rukia followed them alongside a few girls. Once more, the students around him tried to surround him to ask all sorts of questions but started hesitating when Itsuki showed his apathetic side. Seeing this chance, Itsuki immediately got up and left the classroom. On the rooftop, Ichigo and the male gang had just sat down to eat their bento with Keigo providing the entertainment for the group. "What''s with the new transfer student?" Jealousy was written all over Keigo''s face as he remembered all the girl''s faces when looking at Itsuki. Ichigo felt a shiver down his spine as he tried to act nonchalant whenever Itsuki was mentioned. Keigo''s rambling carried on for quite a while as he looked around laughing at his own joke. He saw Ichigo looking down, a few trembles travelling through his body now and then. Ishida was looking cool and was engrossed his food while Sado was also doing the same, but both kept on looking behind him. Mizuiro had his normal smile on his face as he also looked confused as to the reactions of the three. Keigo felt something behind him move as he slowly turned around and seeing a figure. Expensive dress shoes came into view as he slowly looked up. Mizuiro also looked back, but kept his usual smile, "Good morning, Minamoto-san." Keigo started trembling nonstop, "G-g-g-good m-morning, Minamoto-tan." Silence, utter silence. Keigo had a horrified look as despair flashed through is eyes. He started cussing himself, why did he have to bite his tongue at that moment. ''Why thit I tho that?'' He started thinking with a bit tongue as the silence was broken, "Pfft." Realising his mistake, Ichigo and the rest hurriedly tried to contain their laughter while Ichigo hated himself having the ability to laugh. No change of emotion could be seen on Itsuki''s face but the atmosphere surrounding him was noticeably colder. The rest could''ve sworn hearing the faint rumbling of thunder. Then without showing and change of state, Itsuki made his leave while the boys didn''t notice anything weird. Upon hearing the footsteps slowly get quieter, they all breathed a sigh of relief and noticed the smile on each other''s faces. However, this smile did not last long as they all noticed something drop on their food. "My apples! They''re all gone!" Keigo realised that his apples had gone while the rest closely examined what had dropped on their food. The girls were happily chatting away when a scream was heard from the rooftop of the school, "W-W-WHAT THE HELL!" Ichigo and the rest were gobsmacked once they identified the dropping as bird crap. They all looked up and saw a single bird fly round then down towards the courtyard of the school. They immediately ran to the edge as they saw it land on the shoulder of a single person that had white hair. That said person partially looked back as he rubbed the bird''s chin and they could swear a derisive smile was present there. Itsuki then went on to a nearby tree to hide himself from the sun. Seikyo then perched herself on the tree while Itsuki just stared down at one of nature''s magnificent creations. Apples. Itsuki had found a newfound love with this fruit and loved to relish in them slowly. The three girls immediately felt a shiver down their spine as they got a bad premonition, ''''''He didn''t find another girl, did he?'''''' Itsuki was oblivious to this as he carried on eating apples with a joyful smile. The rest of the day went on as usual when the end of school''s bell rang. Ichigo and the rest walked home while Tatsuki made her way towards the dojo where her karate club would take place. At first, she didn''t feel anything weird, it wasn''t until she left the locker rooms having changed into her training attire when she noticed no one here. There was only one figure standing in the middle of the dojo still wearing his Karakura school uniform. Tatsuki looked at those familiar eyes with a bewildered expression. "Minamoto-san?" Itsuki moved towards his spot as looked at Tatsuki, indicating her to also move there. However, Tatsuki became even more bewildered, not knowing Itsuki''s intentions. Realising that Tatsuki never got his point, he gave a sigh, "Let''s spar." A look of comprehensions flashed through her eyes as she looked at what he was wearing, "You sure, while wearing that?" Itsuki nodded and Tatsuki reluctantly moved in front of Itsuki. She was extremely confused as to what was currently happening but all of it was washed away when she got into a stance. The only thing she saw was the man in front of her as an opponent. *********************************************** Author''s note Been busy with RL stuff. Need to babysit for like two weeks but I''m trying to find time here and there to write a chap. So although it was a small chap, at least it is something to remind you guys that I''m not going anywhere. Still looking for my passion in writing so I''ll try to go back and continue watching bleach. 76 Kurosaki Clinic Tatsuki bathed in her own sweat as she laid, heavily breathing, in the middle of the dojo. It didn''t cross her mind that no one entered the place while she was sparring with Itsuki. Remembering back to her spar, she marvelled at the fact that she couldn''t land a hit on Itsuki throughout the session while he continuously hit her weak points. She felt that she had improved more with this spar than the whole past year. Irritation masked her face as she remembered the apathetic yet carefree look in Itsuki''s eyes. At that moment she made a promise to herself. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth she mumbled, "I''ll get you next time!" Itsuki didn''t know of this as he was casually walking back to the Urahara shop when an Onmitsukido member appeared right next to him. "Captain, the people responsible for the seal have just arrived and it will take a few days to reinforce it." Itsuki didn''t stop walking and just nodded while dismissing the Shinigami. ''Might as well meet an old friend.'' Itsuki spontaneously changed directions from the Urahara store to the Kurosaki clinic. Knocking on the familiar door, a cute voice yelled out, "Coming!" Along with a click, the door opened to nothing. Looking down he saw a young girl about the age of eleven. She had light blonde hair, with short bangs covering the upper right side of her face, just above the eyes. She wore a red hairclip on the left side of her head. Her soft, dark brown eyes looked up at Itsuki as a bright smile masked her face and a subtle blush on her cheeks. She currently wore a green hoodie with an apron on top. "Who are you, Onii-chan?" Noticing that the pretty onii-chan was wearing a similar uniform to her brother''s, she let her guard down before another voice interrupted her thoughts. "Who is it, Yuzu?" Shiba Isshin came out from a door as a surprised look surfaced on his face upon seeing Itsuki. "Cap-I mean¡­who are you?" "It''s been a long time, Shiba Isshin." Ignoring Isshin trying to act like they didn''t know each other as Yuzu welcomed Itsuki in. Itsuki didn''t glance at Isshin who was down on his knees and hands, starting a monologue about himself. Yuzu tried to cheer him up with a helpless expression. "Who is it?" Masaki''s voice was heard while Itsuki entered the living room. There was a kitchen to the right while a dining table in front. Masaki was currently preparing to cook when she noticed the visitor. "Oh, you?" Isshin quickly rushed in as he put an arm over Itsuki''s shoulder, "Ah, Masaki, this is my colleague and friend¡­" Masaki seemed to understand Isshin when he quietly emphasised the word ''colleague''. She quickly remembered back to when she first met her husband, when he mentioned that his colleague was fighting. She suddenly jolted up and bowed before anyone could react. A thankful expression was on her face, remembering the night six years ago. "I¡­" "No need." Itsuki interrupted her before she could say anything. Masaki got up from her bow with an awkward look. Luckily, Yuzu''s voice destroyed the atmosphere, "Mum, dad, why are you standing there for, and can you tell me who is this onii-chan?" Yuzu had a cute pout and an accusing look in her eyes as she called out to her parents. She was angry that her parents didn''t introduce the pretty onii-chan. Before they could say anything, another young girl walked in, "Who are you talking about?" "Karin!" Yuzu turned around, only to see her twin. The girl looked around Yuzu''s age but was the complete opposite. She looked the same, but she had a tomboyish disposition. She had straight black hair that was cropped round to hang around her face, just above her shoulders. Her dark grey eyes hovered at her family then to the unidentified visitor. She wore typical sportswear and knee length black leggings. She seemed shocked at Itsuki but was more attracted to his unusual eyes. She had been having a weird feeling about her brother and knew he was hiding something. Her instincts told her that the youth in front may have some relation with her brother. Sitting on the couch, Masaki made some tea while Yuzu handed him tea. Karin, who was sitting on a chair leaned on the back of the chair with her chin resting on top of her hands. "So, who is he, dad?" Thinking up a story, Itsuki became the son of Isshin''s colleague and a guest that was visiting. Somehow his story became more and more tragic the longer Isshin spoke. "¡­and one day, when he was visiting, his family was in a car accident. Apparently, the doctor''s said that he watched his parents burn alive, screaming and asking for help as he was pinned down beneath the car¡­" Itsuki spit out the tea that he was currently drinking, while Yuzu covered her mouth with tears threatening to come out. Masaki was also shocked at her husband''s antics while Karin had a bored look, she knew when her father was lying. "The doctors also said that because of the traumatic experience, he barely talks, such a pitiful child¡­" "Stop¡­making¡­Yuzu, CRY!" Sending a fist at her father''s face, Karin immediately distorted his right cheek and sent him flying to the wall. Itsuki just calmly sipped his tea, while Masaki let out a small laugh and Karin explained to Yuzu that it really didn''t happen. "It didn''t really happen, did it?" She seemed unsure so she turned to Itsuki who just shook his head. Karin suddenly noticed, Itsuki''s eyes would glance towards one direction from time to time. Looking in that direction, a pile of apples entered her view as she moved to offer them to him. Itsuki coughed in embarrassment, as someone as young as Karin noticed his sneaky looks towards the forbidden fruit. He, however, looked to the side but still reached out and accepted the fruits from the girl. A smile appeared on Karin''s face as Itsuki accepted the apples. ''He looks like a normal teen¡­" Karin''s thoughts came to a sudden halt as she looked at Itsuki. It wasn''t just her, but the room descended into total silence with all their gazes attracted to Itsuki. Itsuki didn''t know yet, but he would have an extremely satisfied and natural smile whenever he ate apples. They seem to relieve him for a moment. Although, Masaki was slightly immune to his normal charms, but she wasn''t against his smile. In fact, no one was. He was forbidden to smile in front of Hisana, unless it was a menacing one, that was ok in the eyes of Byakuya. The three girls had a slight blush and Isshin had a despairing expression, he felt that he could hear his family slowly break apart. Though, it was only his imagination. The silence was then broken by the sound of a door opening, "I''m home!" Rukia walked in only to see, Itsuki. "Cap-" Noticing Ichigo''s family sitting around, she held herself back, "Ah, uncle and aunty, it seems we have a visitor." Isshin nodded as he began to retell Itsuki''s story. Rukia started to cry, not because of sympathy, but the absurdness of the story itself. It worked well as Karin and Yuzu felt that it was a normal reaction from her, while Isshin and Masaki already knew her real identity. There was, however, a subtle look of admiration as she faced Itsuki, ''Captain Minamoto, can come up with such a good story¡­'' Once again, the door opened, "I''m home!" This time it was a male voice but that was ok, what shocked Itsuki was what followed, "Dad, Yuzu, Karin, Mommy!" Mommy Mommy Mommy Itsuki''s eyes widened as he desperately held his laughter back. Although one couldn''t tell through his stoic face, the occasional tremble gave it away. He didn''t even try to bite the apple in front, just in case a laugh slipped out, ruining his image of someone being apathetic. This was however a complete shock to Itsuki, it seemed the butterfly effect also had its advantages. Ichigo was unaware of two, not one, uninvited guest in the house. Rukia had left earlier with Orihime so he thought she was still with her so the latter part of what he said came out naturally. Rukia was also shocked, as she tried to hide her laughter in a similar fashion to Itsuki. It seemed that it was the first time she heard this as well. Ichigo walked in with Karin sitting on a chair and giving a look of disapproval, Yuzu with a helpless expression, Masaki with her usual motherly smile but with a hint of embarrassment and Isshin who was blatantly laughing out loud. However, what he saw next turned him to stone. Two figures refused to look at him as they trembled slightly. Rukia couldn''t control herself as she covered her mouth, letting out a muffled laughter here and there. Seeing the familiar white hair, a chill never went through his spine like usual, but a lifeless look was present in his eyes. Turning away, he made his way to his room. No matter how many times Yuzu called for him, he was too embarrassed to come down. With Masaki''s insistence, Itsuki found it difficult to refuse having dinner with them while Ichigo had his inside his room. Upon finishing, Itsuki then made his leave, with Isshin and Masaki seeing him out. Rukia was helping Yuzu and Karin clean up the plates. Concluding that no one was listening on them, he turned to the two with a serious expression. Sensing the atmosphere, the two also had a serious expression. "It seems that you two have had your powers restored." The two looked at each other as Masaki spoke first, "It started to return by itself, I still don''t know how it happened." Isshin looked at Masaki as he once again felt thankful for Itsuki saving them. Itsuki then looked at Isshin who also put on his shoes and made his way outside with Itsuki. Knowing that the two wanted time to talk alone, Masaki just smiled before excusing herself. 77 Ichinose Maki 2 Isshin was currently smoking a cigarette while Itsuki was eating an apple. "Your powers should have returned." Isshin nodded, "When Ichigo''s inner hollow was released." Itsuki just looked at the stars, "A mix of Quincy, Shinigami and Hollow, the perfect makings of a potential Soul King candidate." Isshin trembled but didn''t deny Itsuki''s claim. Puffing out second-hand smoke, Isshin also looked towards the stars, "If I had a choice, I would prefer he live a normal life rather than the one where his life is always endangered. The more he fights, the more his powers awaken." Itsuki didn''t say anything and slowly finished his apple. Throwing the finished apple in the bin, Itsuki got up and left, "I''ll do what I can." Isshin didn''t look at Itsuki leave as he finished his cigarette and also made his leave, towards the clinic in the opposite description. - Kurosaki Clinic - Rukia was smashing Ichigo''s door, demanding herself be let in. "Oi, Ichigo, open the damn door!" Tired of all the noise, a grumpy Ichigo opened the door, "What do you want?!" Rukia failed to hide her smile as she tried covering her mouth, "Your mommy''s calling you¡­pfff¡­hahahaha!" Breaking down in laughter after barely finishing her sentence, Rukia fell onto the floor clutching her stomach. She just couldn''t believe it, the youth that threw soul society in chaos, the youth that fought on equal grounds with her brother was such a mama''s boy. Ichigo''s expression worsened and just when he went to slam the door, Masaki''s voice rang out. "Ichigo!" "Yes momm- Mom!" An embarrassed look returned to his face before he hurriedly corrected himself. Rukia burst into another wave of laughter as she started rolling on the floor. The lion plushie toy popped his out while thinking to himself, ''Why is nee-san laughing so much? This great Kon-Sama will need to investigate.'' Imagining himself with a sherlock hat, cloak and smoke pipe he went to Rukia. "Nee-san, I- oof!" Before Kon got any closer, Rukia got up and kicked him back to the room. She thought that he was back to his perverted antics as she went into the room she was currently staying at. Kon had tears of misery upon being planted on the wall. After giving a short monologue of how he would love to escape to Orihime''s and Rangiku''s embrace he turned to the bird plushie. She was currently resting on her stomach with her arms propping up her head, legs swinging and dreamingly looking at something, humming a little tune. Looking at her slowly move her head side to side, he thought she was reading a story or a magazine of some sort and moved behind her. "Hey, what are you reading, Ririn?" Ririn felt a shock through her body as she hurriedly tried to cover the thing she was looking at. Kon realised that it wasn''t a magazine or a book but a picture of some sort. Pushing Ririn away, Kon got a better look at the picture. "Isn''t that the¡­" Before he could continue, Ririn punched him and tried to take back the picture. "Let go!" "No, such pictures should be burned, they shouldn''t exist!" "You dare say such things!" The two were in a tug of war when Rukia returned. "You two, shut up! You''re making too much noise!" Dragging the two away from each other, she got a glimpse at the photograph, "This is¡­how did you get this photo?" Turning to Ririn, she had the eyes of an interrogator, Looking down and drawing circles with her feet, Ririn found it difficult to look at Rukia as she slowly muttered with a meek voice, "I found it¡­" "SO, you found it huh?" Ririn flinched at Rukia''s voice before she decided to take the heat off herself. Pointing her wings at Kon, she mustered some courage and shouted, "He said we should burn it!" A jolt went through Rukia as she slowly turned her head at Kon with a dangerous glint in her eyes, "What did you say?" A calm yet dangerous voice came out of Rukia''s mouth as she slowly walked to Kon. Kon was currently sweating bullets as a panicked expression slowly crept onto his face, "nee¡­san¡­" Ririn saw this and rushed to close the door. Slamming the door, the muffled screams of a toy animal were heard. While Rukia had left with Ririn, Ichigo had just entered the room only to see the scene of a massacre. "What the hell?!" The head of Kon was on top of the table while his body and limbs were separated in different parts of the room. They weren''t even cleanly cut off, the seemed to have forcefully ripped apart. Kon was missing one beady eye and there were numerous needles pierced into his body. "Oi Kon, what happened here?" Kon was listless as Ichigo tried to get some answers. In the other room though, the perpetrators seemed to have forgotten what they had just done as Rukia took out an album. "Ririn, here are more pictures of Captain Minamoto." - Unknown alleyway - Itsuki was on his way towards the Urahara when he sensed something and halted his steps, "You''re back?" Suddenly light seemed to warp as Ichinose Maki appeared kneeling behind him. "I''ve found their hideout." Itsuki nodded and gave out another order, "Keep the current status quo and let me know of any movements they make." "Yes!" Light warped round Ichinose as he once more disappeared. Ichinose Maki was someone that Itsuki really wanted as a subordinate. It wasn''t just his loyalty but also his abilities that made him a tremendous scout. Able to sneak into Soul Society and alter the records of the 12th division, no normal person can do that. Itsuki carried on walking whereas Ichinose returned to his scouting location. He had stationed himself in front of an ordinary apartment block. As there was nothing he could do, he remembered his meeting with Itsuki. He was too powerful, powerful beyond comprehension. He had heard about Itsuki as the youngest and fastest person to rise to captain level, without even using his Bankai. Still many had their doubts about his abilities, including Ichinose. For him, his captain was his idol, a man of strength and one he had sworn to follow. With his captain killed by Zaraki and him turning rogue, he never expected to encounter Itsuki''s strength first-hand. He initial reasoning was that he was disgusted by the methods of the Gotei 13, causing him to join the bount in hopes of changing their ways. But subconsciously, he never really wanted to change their ways, he just wanted to avenge his captain. He wasn''t angry at the Gotei 13 but at Zaraki Kenpachi. Itsuki had a talk with him, a talk which changed his whole mindset. Although Itsuki never told him the full detail, he did give brief overviews, and he knew that in the grand machination of things, him, no, even the Gotei 13 were just mere pawns. The secret history of Soul Society wasn''t as it was written in the history books but way more complex than anyone initially thought. Thinking back to what Itsuki had said, Ichinose felt a shudder down his spine. Although, Itsuki''s strength and what he said were one of the many reasons he chose to follow him, the main one was Itsuki willingness to go against the unseen enemies. Ichinose always believed that one should use their strength for noble causes and what Itsuki was doing was the epitome of that. He wasn''t on a scout for the purposes of assassination, but rather scouting for a possible future recruit. - Urahara Store - Itsuki had just closed the doors to his room when three figures appeared, trying to seize him. Seeing this, Itsuki didn''t just wait but dodged them, causing them the grab nothing and crash into each other. Taking off his clothes, Itsuki put on an exquisite sky-blue Yukata, with a tiger and dragon emblem on either side. The three girls ogled Itsuki as he turned around and faced them, "What are you doing?" "Nothing, and where were you and why didn''t you come for dinner?" "I was at the Kurosaki Clinic, visiting a friend." Itsuki sat down while Rangiku came up behind him and gave him a lap pillow. Itsuki had taken off his head band allowing Rangiku to play with his hair. Yoruichi and Soi Fon moved next to him with Yoruichi using his belly as a pillow and Soi Fon using his shoulder. Yoruichi was the first to speak while Itsuki stroked her hair, "Since you''ve arrived, you have barely tried to spend any time with us." "We were together last night¡­" Yoruichi held Itsuki''s hand before she started planting kisses. "You know I don''t mean that¡­" Soi Fon finished off her sentence while she kissed Itsuki''s neck, "¡­We want some time alone, each of us." Feeling the girls heat up, Itsuki relented. "Okay, fine." The girls were noticeable happy as clothes started to be stripped, ''I just got changed¡­'' Itsuki frustrations didn''t last long when he saw a confused look in Rangiku''s eyes, "Friend?" "Your former captain." Clarifying, Rangiku''s suspicions Itsuki dragged her down as well with a kiss. - Ahem - - Ahem - - Ahem - A few hours later, Itsuki once more put on his yukata and left the three sleeping girls with satisfied smiles. He had never stopped thinking about the future since his meeting with Aizen. His future enemies, the repercussions for his actions were all needed to be taken into consideration, hence his current actions. Entering the living room, he saw Urahara fiddling round with a Gigai and proceeded to sit down in front if the table. Urahara put the gigai down and looked at Itsuki, at his room then back at Itsuki. "It still astonishes me seeing you go through great lengths in sealing of the room. No noise, and without any of you four''s permission, no one else can enter. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?" Itsuki didn''t say anything and looked at Urahara. Urahara knew what Itsuki wanted as a serious expression came onto his face. "Fine we will change location." Coming on top of the bridge towers, Itsuki turned to Urahara, "The soul king." Hearing these words, Urahara didn''t have any sort of change on his expression as he continued to look at Itsuki. Itsuki was unfazed by Urahara''s stare, as he continued, "If something happens to that being, who is your perfect candidate to replace him?" Although Urahara didn''t answer, Itsuki knew the answer. The night was going to be a long night for the two of them. ******************************************** Author''s note It seems that I have improved on the comedy aspect of this. As expected of my genius self. I''m not a great author, but I am a great beginner author with sheer talent. Wait, need to humble myself. Need to make some advancements in the dao of the trolls. A certain user gave me a beautiful idea that when I do pull it off, you guys would physically hate me. But I''ll probably forget about doing it, well pray that I do. Anyway love ya guys, and like always, thanks for the support. 78 Day out with Yoruichi The next day, Itsuki was currently waiting at a certain abandoned warehouse when a cat jumped onto his shoulder. Recognising the cat as Yoruichi he started to pet her while she succumbed and rubbed her head on his face, giving a few licks. After a short period of time Yoruichi reluctantly pulled herself away and transformed into her human form. Wearing her clothes, she gave a seductive wink to Itsuki, "Wanna play tag?" As soon as she said this, she vanished from where she was currently standing, only to appear behind Itsuki. Giving a peck on his cheek, she once again gave a small smile and left the warehouse. Itsuki sighed at the antics of Yoruichi before giving a small smile and vanishing from his position. Yoruichi had just jumped over a warehouse when Itsuki appeared right in front of her. Stopping her steps, she gave a helpless smile as Itsuki came next to her and picked her up into a princess carry. Yoruichi didn''t squeal like a little girl but was surprised at his sudden actions. Not giving her a chance to speak, Itsuki just shunpoed away into another direction. Some time later, they arrived next to a mountain in a pair of gigai. Itsuki was wearing an ''All Hail Apples'' t-shirt with a picture of an arrogant apple, a pair of ? shorts and black boots. A simple get up. Yoruichi wore a short sleeved blue shirt, tucked into a pair of short jeans that went from her belly to the middle of her thighs, highlighting her long legs. She wore a pair of sandals creating the picture of an adventurous yet exotic beauty. As it was currently spring the sun was basking its radiance in to the earth as Itsuki brought a summer hat for Yoruichi. While Yoruichi had let her hair loose beneath the hat, she had surprised Itsuki with his current hairstyle. Looking at his reflection on a shop window, he saw that he had his normal ponytail but with three Viking like horizontal braids on the left side of his head, ending at the ponytail. He never expected her to create this sort of hairstyle for him, well, he didn''t know that Yoruichi had this sort of skill. "Foreigners?" "Do you think they are models?" "Hey! What are you looking at?" "N-nothing, wait, what are you looking at?" The two certainly did attract a considerable amount of attention as they walked hand in hand. Yoruichi was leaning her head on Itsuki''s shoulder as they went window shopping through each shop. They didn''t really care for the stares they were receiving as the girls were envious of Yoruichi while the males were envious of Itsuki. They also saw the current Shinigami that was overlooking Karakura town, although they never went to meet him. After going through most of the shops they entered a caf¨¦ for lunch and a slight rest while hiding away from the blaring sun. Itsuki ordered iced tea while Yoruichi ordered just milk before sitting in front of each other. "Enjoying it?" Yoruichi looked at Itsuki''s eyes as the latter replied, "Yes, this was my idea." Yoruichi looked embarrassed about recommending playing tag all day but collected herself. Itsuki was enjoying his iced tea when he felt something touch his leg. Looking up, Yoruichi was looking at him with a small smile as she drank her milk from a straw. Feeling her leg slowly touch up his, his attention was suddenly attracted by a group of customers who had just entered. Yoruichi saw Itsuki''s attention elsewhere as she also turned around. Also seeing the customers, she looked at Itsuki with a smile that was not a smile. "Looking at other girls apart from the three of us. I will get jealous." Yoruichi''s leg was dangerously near a certain area as Itsuki tried his best in keeping his stoic fa?ade. Calmly drinking his tea, Itsuki saw that the other party had noticed him but strangely acted like they didn''t see him. A group of teenage girls had just entered the caf¨¦. One of them was Orihime and the other was Tatsuki. Another was a thin red haired girl that had purple eyes and red framed glasses. Next to her was a tall and slender black haired girl that had a mole under her left eye. A short and petite girl was next to her that had short brown hair with her bangs pulled back by a clip and the last one to enter was a girl with short curly black hair and brown eyes. Itsuki remembered them as Orihime''s friends. Their names were respectively Honsho Chizuru, Kunieda Ryo, Ogawa Michiru and Natsui Mahana. They both quickly ordered what they wanted at sat near them but in a way that the two lovers couldn''t see them. Although they couldn''t see them it didn''t mean that they couldn''t hear them. "I''m not sure we should be doing this." "Yeah, Michiru''s right, I also think we shouldn''t do this." "No need to talk any further, Tatsuki." "Ryo is right, I believe everyone here is in one way or another attracted to Minamoto-san. Although it is not exactly love. What do you think, Orihime?" Mahana turned to Orihime, "Yes! I''m his cousin and he didn''t tell me this." Orihime still kept the pretence of Itsuki being her cousin as she bit her lower lip. The group of friends tried to listen in on the couple but failed to hear anything. "Do you hear anything?" "Shh." The group stayed like that until Orihime tried to get a glimpse at them, "They''re gone." "What?" "Do you know who the girl was?" Although Orihime knew it was Yoruichi, she still shook her head. She didn''t want them to get involved with the Shinigami side as Yoruichi was completely part of that side. Itsuki didn''t expect how the rest of the day would go. Yoruichi dragged him to a local arcade and challenged him to various games, some he won, while some Yoruichi won. He didn''t use his mental abilities as it would be, in a sense, cheating. He let her win some while she won some with her own abilities. On their way back, an Onmitsukido member appeared kneeling in front of them. "Captain, the strengthening of the seal would commence tonight." Itsuki nodded and dismissed the member as Yoruichi''s voice was heard. "What seal?" "Nothing that requires your attention." Itsuki kissed her neck and successfully distracted her as the carried on their journey back. - Unknown location - A group composing of people dressed in priest clothing and Shinigami we surrounding an altar of some sort. The priests were chanting while the Shinigami looked vigilantly around them. Suddenly, cracks were seen on the altar and priests tried to chant hurriedly, putting more force in their words. Sweat started pouring down their bald heads as a blinding light and a loud explosion followed. The priests were thrown back while the Shinigami quickly got into the stance. What followed though, was another explosion, killing anyone else that was there. 79 Day out with Rangiku Itsuki was calmly sleeping when his eyes shot open and looked towards the direction of the explosion. His attention was then drawn by the girls tightening their hug on him as he just smiled and snuggled in. The next day, Itsuki got up with the girls following. Stretching their lithe bodies, they were quite a sight before Itsuki. Pulling himself away from the temptation, Itsuki washed up and entered the living room where it was already full. Urahara looked at Itsuki, "You must''ve heard the commotion last night." Itsuki nodded as Urahara continued, "So, I assume you''re not planning of getting involved, are you?" Itsuki shook his head, "Got a date." This silenced Urahara while Itsuki continued drinking his given tea. Urahara and Itsuki suddenly felt something and looked towards a direction. "Well, it seems Soul Society have also heard what''s happening and already sent someone." Itsuki just nodded as he got ready for his date. Sometime later, Rangiku came out dressed in a white one piece and a pair of sandals. Itsuki wore a white polo, a pair of jeans and white black sneakers. The day went similar to yesterday, went to various shops but instead of just window shopping, Rangiku started buying quite a few things. Knowing this would happen, Itsuki had gotten Urahara to make a certain card that basically made him buy anything. Looking at the card, he decided to look for a plot of land to buy. Although Itsuki was a normal human in his past life, his desires he had before had slowly waned. Even though some were still present, he wasn''t adamant in getting them. So, he hadn''t thought of buying a property or a supercar until now. He would rather stay in his own home with his lovers, rather than at Urahara''s place. However, right now, all his mind could handle was Rangiku''s shopping. She made him try on various clothes, becoming an eye candy not just for her but other female customers as well. It could be the same for Rangiku as well but Itsuki made sure that there were no males around. After that tiring experience, Itsuki and Rangiku were seen with their hands full carrying a myriad of bags. Stopping for lunch, they entered a fast food restaurant. A waiter came up to them and couldn''t take his eyes off Rangiku when he felt a glare. Itsuki just looked at him with a frown as the waiter started trembling and sweating uncontrollably. "W-w-what would you l-l-like, sir, m-madam?" Rangiku didn''t notice the man''s plight as she was dreamingly staring at Itsuki. After giving their order, Itsuki looked at her, "What?" "I didn''t expect that from you?" Itsuki was visibly confused, "What do you mean?" "You quite possessive." Itsuki looked back at his interactions with the girls and realised he was indeed possessive. "You won''t call me a hypocrite?" Rangiku gently shook her head, "I''ve gotten quite attached to my sisters, so I don''t really mind. Although, I did at first wanted you as my own, and wondered ''How it would''ve been if I told you my feelings earlier?''. But that is all just a ''what if'' situation." Rangiku looked deeply at Itsuki''s eyes as she smirked, "Plus, I feel superior to them due to my assets." Emphasising on the word ''assets'', she finished it off with a flirtatious wink, Rangiku leaned back while a smile appeared on Itsuki''s face. Itsuki just opened his mouth when a meek voice was heard, "Here is one normal cheeseburger and one mega cheeseburger with fries and drink." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting. Rangiku looked shocked as she looked closely at the youth, "You are, a Shinigami?" "Yes, nice to meet you, Captain Minamoto, Lieutenant Rangiku. I''m Yamada Hanataro from the 4th division. Currently on a secret mission." "Well, why are you working here?" "Some events happened and before I knew it, I was working here." Rangiku nodded as Hanataro was called to the front. Itsuki took a bite out of his mega cheeseburger before turning to Rangiku. Swallowing the food, he opened his mouth again before being interrupted once more. "Renji!!" The loud shout halted what he was going to say as the commotion in a nearby table died down. The two had noticed Ichigo and his group enter but ignored them. Once the commotion died down, Itsuki opened his mouth again, but was once more interrupted by another loud shout, "Damn you, Ichigo!" Itsuki once more closed his mouth but this time with an annoyed expression on his face and his eyebrows slightly twitching. Rangiku had a helpless smile on her face as she turned around, "Hey, you guys! Can you please shut up; we''re trying to talk here!" "Rangiku-san?" Before they could investigate, Hanataro came with their orders. Seeing that no one was going to interrupt them now, Itsuki once again started speaking, "Tha-" Suddenly, loud explosions interrupted him again. This time, no annoyed expression was seen on his face but rather a calm and calculative look. ''I finally try to start talking more, then why¡­'' Rangiku was also shocked by the sudden explosion as she vigilantly looked at the presence. Renji was shooting a normal human gun at the man but proved useless and was injured by a blade shot out by the man. Ichigo entered his Shinigami form and started fighting him but immediately fell back. The man suddenly appeared behind him and was about to grab Ichigo by his shoulder when a kick landed on his face, sending him flying a few blocks away. ''So, this is what he meant when he said that he increased the specs'' Immediately popping a pill into his mouth, Itsuki emerged from his gigai and disappeared after the rogue Shinigami. The dust cleared from the crater as a middle-aged man appeared. He had grey hair and beard and two red marks on his forehead. His black eyes scanned the vicinity before landing upon Itsuki who had just arrived. "A captain, huh?" 80 Baishin "A captain, huh?" Itsuki looked at the man in front of him that had blades growing out shoulders, "You must be Baishin." Baishin had menacing smirk plastered on his face as his hand morphed into a series of blades and shot a swarm of them at Itsuki. The swarm of blades landed where Itsuki was standing causing an explosion and dust to appear surrounding the area. As the dust cleared, Itsuki had appeared next to Baishin as he started speaking, "400 years ago, you caused the death of sixty-three seated officers and¡­" Baishin was shocked at Itsuki''s speed as he jumped away from him. Itsuki didn''t mind as he continued, "¡­they were able to only seal you after they sent a total of six captains, of which two lost their lives." Baishin still had his smile but the edge of it was twitching and fear was present in his eyes. Seeing a calm look on Itsuki, Baishin stepped back, ''Where did this monster come from? For now, I need to retreat.'' Various black portals appeared surrounding them and one behind Baishin as he disappeared into it. However, the rest of the black portals saw the emergence of hollows in various sizes. Suddenly, a shout came from behind Itsuki, "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!" Following that, a gigantic eastern ice dragon made his way crushing all the surrounding hollows. Landing next to Itsuki, Toshiro looked at his fellow captain, "Where''s Baishin?" "Escaped." "Escaped?! From you?!" "He used some weird teleportation ability." Itsuki turned around and disappeared, leaving Toshiro with a disbelieving look. Back when Ichigo invaded soul society, Itsuki was able to hold Yamamoto back by himself. Although, most of the captains weren''t there to witness it, they felt the influx of reiatsu and strength behind each of their blows. Toshiro himself didn''t even know if he could defeat Itsuki if the situation called for it. He didn''t know how many captains it would take just to take him down. So, for someone to escape under his eyes, said a lot of the opponent''s strength. It wasn''t that Itsuki was weak, it was just that Baishin had the skill to evade Itsuki. Itsuki didn''t care as to what Toshiro was thinking, after calling and sending Seikyo somewhere, he was currently making his way to where Baishin was previously sealed. He had allowed Baishin to escape before because he wanted to know how he had merged with his zanpakuto. Apart from him, only two people were known to have merged with their zanpakuto, Ichigo and Aizen. He wanted to know the process so he could find a way to quicken the assimilation of the hollow and the Sokyoku. Currently, only about 50% of the Hollow was fully absorbed and 40% of the Sokyoku. Still, both of this had a tremendous boost to his overall reiatsu, and he was able to control his hollow powers better. His regeneration had increased, using less reiatsu to active at a faster speed and his Hierro had gotten tougher. In a ruined temple, Baishin had just appeared from the portal as he sighed, "Where did that monster come from? Has the capabilities of the Gotei 13 increased?" "Calling me a monster, how mean." Not expecting someone here, Baishin turned around only to see an apathetic Itsuki standing there. "How?!" Meanwhile, Itsuki thought, ''Should not have said that, doesn''t fit me at all.'' Baishin was shocked and once more tried to escape, but this time he felt a sudden pain on his waist and was sent flying into a pile of rubble. Feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Baishin got up only to try escaping once more by opening another black portal. What destroyed his hopes was what Itsuki said next, "Bakudo #79, Kuyo Shibari." Nine black holes appeared with eight surrounding Baishin and one on his chest, completely immobilising him. Baishin was shocked with being suddenly incapacitated by such a powerful kido. He tried to break free by releasing all his reiatsu at once, but it proved to be useless. Slowly, turning his head, sweat rained down his face as his flabbergasted eyes displayed what he thought of the absurdity of the current situation. He was someone who had pride in his strength. Looking at Itsuki, he shouted, "How?! Y-you haven''t even released your seal! You can only use a small portion of your strength!..." By the end of it he was shouting his lungs out. Itsuki couldn''t be bothered with him as slowly moved next to him and unsheathed Ryurai. Turning on his mystic eyes, he coldly looked at Baishin. Sensing a change in the atmosphere, Baishin looked up and accidently glanced at Itsuki''s eyes. That one glance caused him to lose the last of his courage as he started trembling in fear. Itsuki didn''t care and just brought his sword up to his neck, "Now, normally I have two options, either I kill you¡­" Hearing this Baishin had no doubt that the monster in front of him was capable of doing that, no matter how hard his physical defence was. "¡­or I seal you again. However, you wouldn''t want for me to do the latter would you." A small strand of hope appeared within Baishin when he heard this. Itsuki continued, "You attacked Ichigo to absorb his reiatsu¡­" Hearing this Baishin nodded, "¡­most likely to use his reiatsu to cause an explosion, separating you and your zanpakuto, even at the cost of your own death." Baishin was shocked to hear the unknown captain expose his plan as a bitter smile appeared on his face. He had somehow merged with his zanpakuto to further his swordsmanship only to end up in an uncontrollable rampage, killing his fellow brothers in arms. He didn''t want this, he just wanted to split apart from his zanpakuto and get away from this curse. Itsuki looked at the unfortunate man as a small smile appeared, "Now, if I kill you now, you would naturally split apart from your zanpakuto. But I can also do that without killing you¡­" Baishin eyes widened once more in surprise because no matter what he did, he wasn''t able to reverse the effects of merging with his zanpakuto. Itsuki continued, "¡­that, however, is your choice. Would you rather die like a coward or remain alive and atone for your crimes?" This sent Baishin''s head into disarray for a short moment. Itsuki didn''t rush him and waited for his answer. A gust of wind flew by as Seikyo landed on Itsuki''s shoulder and also looked at Baishin. A short while later, Baishin looked up with a determined expression, "I''ll choose the second option, but I don''t think soul society would take me back." Hearing this, a small smile appeared on Itsuki''s face that sent a small chill across Baishin''s body, "Who said anything of returning to soul society." "Bu-" Itsuki didn''t listen to Baishin''s protests as he sent a strike across Baishin''s body. Baishin lost consciousness while a katana materialised beside him. Looking at the two, Itsuki called out, "Ichinose, take him and fill him in the details." With a warp of light, Baishin and his sword disappeared. Itsuki had sent Seikyo off to retrieve Ichinose Maki. Giving Seikyo a pat in the head, he then sent her off to observe another target. After sending everyone off Itsuki rubbed his throat as he thought to himself, ''The amount I have to talk just to recruit someone. Luckily, I told Ichinose to fill him in the details, otherwise¡­'' Itsuki''s thoughts was then interrupted with a shout, "Captain!" Turning around he saw Soi Fon appear alongside various members of the Onmitsukido. Each one of them had incomparable respect when looking at Itsuki. Itsuki nodded before ordering, "Report to soul society that the situation has been dealt with. Baishin is dead." "Hai!" With a shout the two of the members disappeared to tell anyone that was currently in the living world, while another took out a device to report to Soul Society. Itsuki then looked at Soi Fon and nodded at her, he needed to return to his date with Rangiku. - Unknown Location - A groan left a man currently lying on a makeshift futon. Opening his eyes, Baishin felt the loss of weight on his shoulders as he hurriedly tried to feel his shoulders. Noticing the absence of the blades, a joyful smile plastered his face before turning into a frown as he remembered what Itsuki said last. ''What does he mean by not returning to soul society.'' Although Baishin felt grateful to Itsuki, he didn''t know that he wouldn''t be returning to soul society. Baishin then looked around and noticed that he was in a small room of sort. There was a small kitchen next to a door, another set of doors leading to a bedroom and one more leading to a toilet. He could tell this because they were all slightly opened. Suddenly he heard the sound of doors opening and a stoic voice directed at him, "Oh, you''re awake." Looking up, he saw a man enter wearing strange clothing. ''That seems to be what people are wearing nowadays.'' As this thought flashed through his head, Ichinose continued, "Itsuki-Sama, told me to debrief you." Although Baishin wanted to escape, his fear of Itsuki and his curiosity got the better of him. ''Why would someone with that calibre of strength, save me and keep it a secret.'' "What do you think it was like before Soul Society existed." Baishin looked visibly confused at this question, "What do you mean? There was nothing, soul society came into existence with the birth of the soul king." Ichinose shook his head, "Indeed, that is what''s written on the history books. However, this explanation is far from the truth, it is the lies they''ve been feeding us¡­" Baishin had a premonition that what he was about to hear would change his worldview, and indeed, Ichinose didn''t disappoint. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting. "¡­What if I told you that the Soul King wasn''t born, or an experiment conducted by soul society to regulate the flow of souls. What if it was a living sentient being that was neither dead or alive, form a world before the existence of Soul Society. A man whose limbs were amputated and left there for millions of years just to fulfil his purpose and one man''s desire to create the perfect world in his view." Baishin thought that he would have enough shocks for one day, but he knew that more were still to come. 81 Soi Fons insecurities Ichinose left a gobsmacked Baishin to think about his decision. Upon putting his groceries away, he looked towards Baishin and silently waited for an answer. Baishin was still digesting what he heard as a myriad of thoughts flew around his head. Determination flashed through his eyes as he looked back at Ichinose. "I''ll join him in his future endeavours." ''Endeavours? Quite the weird way of speaking.'' "But¡­" This brought Ichinose out of his thoughts, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click for visiting. "¡­may I please get to know of the one we have chosen to follow." Ignoring the way Baishin spoke Ichinose replied, "He''s the current 2nd division captain and the Captain-Commander''s student, Minamoto Itsuki." Baishin didn''t care what division''s captain he was as he had already killed two captains, but what attracted his attention was the second part. ''Captain-Commander Genryusai-dono''s student, no wonder he is such a monster.'' While Baishin was in his thoughts, Itsuki was taking a stroll next to the river with Rangiku. Seeing the two chatting happily with the sun setting behind them creating a picturesque scene of harmony. "Oh yeah, what were you trying to say when you were being constantly interrupted?" Remembering the constant interruptions brought Itsuki''s mood down a notch when he tried remembering that event. "No point now." Rangiku pouted, "Come on, tell me" Itsuki just shook his head and carried on walking. Seeing Itsuki''s dampened mood, Rangiku smiled slightly and grabbed his shoulder turning around. Leaning in, she planted her lips on Itsuki as his eyes widened in surprise. This didn''t last long as Itsuki reciprocated the kiss and brought her closer by grabbing her waist with one hand and grasping her cheek with the other. Seeing Rangiku''s slight blush beneath her hazy eyes and feeling the two mounds touching his chest, lit a fire within Itsuki as he picked her into a princess carry. "Oh!" Rangiku let out a welp and hurriedly grabbed Itsuki''s neck. Reading his intentions, Rangiku buried her head into Itsuki''s chest as a heavy blush reached her ears. Itsuki then took off, jumping from building to building. ''Urahara did increase the specs of this gigai by a huge margin. Also, I should really get my own place.'' - Ahem - Itsuki felt pure happiness after seeing the blissful smile on the sleeping Rangiku. "Ahem!" Turning around, he saw where the sound originated from. Yoruichi was standing there, arms crossed and a pout in her face. Itsuki found the current Yoruichi extremely cute. "We didn''t do this on our date yesterday." Walking towards Itsuki, she started stripping each garment off one by one, once more causing a fire to be lit within Itsuki. - Ahem - Calming his breath, Itsuki looked towards the ceiling as he felt the two girls snuggle into his arms. Itsuki could hear Yoruichi purring a little while Rangiku gave out a slight moan with her mouth closed. A sigh left his mouth as he got up, out of the embrace of the two beauties, albeit reluctantly. Putting on his blue yukata he grabbed an elegant Kiseru, a traditional Japanese smoking pipe. It was intricately designed with beautiful patterns and was finished by a rare metal. It was a present given by the three girls. Itsuki liked it immediately as he laid back on the rooftop of the Urahara store. Blowing out smoke, he held the pipe with his right hand, put his left hand behind his head and crossed his right leg on top of his bent left one. Looking at the stars, Itsuki felt a certain serenity as various plans and possible outcomes flashed through his head. What he was going to do would not just make him the enemy of the Gotei 13, but the whole of soul society. Those hidden figures, the zero squad would all turn against him and he didn''t want any of his close one to be hurt. He knew that it was a pipe dream to keep them safe and do what he wanted to do but he needed to make the correct plan. But he was still only one person, he needed allies and subordinates. One of the reasons why he recruited Ichinose Maki and Baishin. Thinking of allies his thoughts slowly strayed towards his and Aizen''s talk, "Itsuki, knowing your capabilities, you would have already started forming a plan, want to make a bet?" Itsuki didn''t reply as he concentrated on the chessboard. A harmless yet menacing smirk grew on Aizen''s face, "If I succeed, you will join me¡­" Itsuki''s hand stopped midway before continuing his move, "And?" Looking at Aizen, Itsuki''s eyes sharpened while Aizen''s expression remained the same, "If I fail, I''ll join you." Hearing this, Itsuki silently looked at Aizen as a small smile appeared on his face. The time and space continuum seemed to halt as two scheming smiles seemed to collide. This was the first time that Itsuki put his emotions second and his calculations first. It may seem heartless but Itsuki had no choice. No matter if he joined Aizen or Aizen joined him, both would become enemies of the world. Plus, Itsuki didn''t find this weird, the amount of confidence Aizen had was unsurmountable. In the anime, all the things that had happened until his and Ichigo''s fight were all according to his calculations, so this world''s Aizen was no different. So, currently, Aizen was probably thinking of how to make use of Itsuki when the time came while Itsuki was doing the same thinking of how Aizen would be useful. This didn''t mean that Itsuki trusted Aizen but knowing his character from the anime and this world, it didn''t look like he would pull something. Still, it wouldn''t hurt to be prepared for the unseen. "Naturally, you can''t take active action against us and we won''t actively target any of your close ones. However, it seems unfair that we would have our hands tied against them so I''ll add another clause, you will guide that human Ryoka boy for a bit." Bringing himself back from his thoughts, Itsuki puffed some smoke. Itsuki felt his head clear as numerous machinations and schemes continued to flash through his head. A special recipe was what he was smoking that helped clear his mind. It was to him, what drugs were to Sherlock Holmes, it helped him concentrate. He felt that this world''s Aizen was stronger and Itsuki had something to do with it. It was most likely, back during his rampage, Aizen definitely knew about it. Back then, seeing the child Nel meant that he was already the king of Hueco Mundo and due to Itsuki going on not one, but two rampaging massacres, should''ve been noticed by Aizen. It would be unnatural and Itsuki would find it weird if Aizen didn''t know about Itsuki''s rampage. While Itsuki was relaxing another figure appeared behind him. Opening one eye, he looked at the intruder slowly rest her head on his left arm. Soi Fon had just come back from a routine trip to Soul Society to check up on the forces back home. It was also to resolve any issues that cropped up. "You''re back." Soi Fon nodded and slowly drifted off to sleep. Seeing the exhaustion on her face, Itsuki gave a small smile and picked her up, joining the other two sleeping beauties. The next day, Itsuki was once more in a normal civilian outfit while Soi Fon tread behind him with an incredibly flushed face, holding his hand. Although she was extremely embarrassed, she didn''t let go of Itsuki''s hand and was just led by him. They both went to an amusement park this time. Soi Fon was wearing a simple white one piece with frills round the edges. A large white summer hat was given to her by Itsuki complementing Soi Fon''s innocent look. The blush just added on to her charm. Who would''ve expected that the innocent looking girl was a highly skilled assassin with many kills under her belt. Though, this innocence was exclusively towards Itsuki. Entering the park, the two didn''t go on the extreme rides that pumped adrenaline because after the first one, they found it boring. Instead they went towards the fun games ones where they could spend time with each other, well compete with each other. Somehow though, they ended up in a horror house. Walking through the messy hospital hallway, the two had a brave face on, they were Shinigami, they worked with ghosts, what could possibly scare them? Well the answer came later on, in the form of jump scares. The two had shut off their perception and lowered their senses by a notch so they could properly feel the scare like normal humans. Turning the corner, they were about to step forward when a hideously bloody nurse popped out from a nearby locker. "RAAAAAAAAA!!!" No scream came out of Soi Fon as she gasped in horror, jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and, like a koala, immediately hugged Itsuki who was frozen stiff. Itsuki slowly moved forward avoiding the nurse and inched forward with little baby steps, desperately clinging onto his stoic face. The rest of the horror house went in a similar fashion with Soi Fon clinging onto Itsuki and him nearly breaking his cold fa?ade. After they had left, Itsuki put down a wobbly Soi Fon who found it difficult to find her bearings. Stabilising herself, she immediately ran away, dropping a few tears, afraid meet Itsuki''s eyes. Throughout the whole house, she had shown a side of her to Itsuki the she didn''t want to show. Clinging onto him and being afraid made her think that Itsuki thought of her as a loser. Since the start, despite what she said, she felt a sense of inferiority with the other two, not just Rangiku. Rangiku had her assets while Yoruichi had a special meaning due to being Itsuki''s first, although she did lose out in the asset area to both of them. She wanted to show a strong front to Itsuki but that had collapsed within the house. Running away she found herself in the middle of the amusement park with Itsuki nowhere in sight. Looking around, she scolded herself for losing her composure and breaking down. ''Now Itsuki is going to think I''m a crybaby¡­'' A self-depreciating smile appeared on her face while tears threatened to come out when she thought about what happened. She decided to just leave because she had ruined the rare day of just the two being together. As she was just about to make her way towards the entrance, a pair of arms appeared around her, pulling her back to a familiar embrace. Feeling the warmth from the opposite party, a shocked expression masked Soi Fon''s face. Before she could think, she felt a puff of air blown onto her ear as a jolt went through her body causing her to hurriedly escape. Freeing herself from her predator, she glared at him. "W-w-what are you doing?" Seeing Soi Fon back to her blushing self, a teasing smirk found Itsuki''s mouth. This, however, had more than one effect. The atmosphere seemed to slow down, and silence engulfed the place. Looking at the people surrounding them, all the women had gaping mouths and a slight blush looking at Itsuki while hateful glares were directed at him from the men. Knowing that they couldn''t stay here any longer, Itsuki grabbed Soi Fon''s hand and left the area for a more remote one. Seeing that no one was around, Itsuki grabbed Soi Fon and pushed her gently yet forcefully onto a wall. Putting his hand onto the wall behind Soi Fon, Itsuki eclipsed over her as she felt like a caged rabbit. Propping up her chin with the other hand, Itsuki looked in to Soi Fon''s eyes and slowly leaned. No words were needed to be said, just the moment mattered. Soi Fon felt all her insecurities wash away with that one kiss. While, Soi Fon''s innocence was reserved for Itsuki, this side of Itsuki was only reserved for Soi Fon. Naturally, later on, - Ahem - 82 Shinenju In one of the many alleyways of Karakura town, a certain figure was blending in with shadows as it observed the various blank white souls drifting in between the humans who had no clue what was surrounding them. That said figure was wearing a full Onmitsukido outfit and could be identified as a woman due to their stature. The woman was furiously jotting down notes as various sorts of expressions passed through her eyes. As if expecting something, she held out her hand and Seikyo dropped down on it. Attaching the message onto its leg, she then started to pet it. While she was doing this now, another Onmitsukido member arrived next to her. "Your shift ends here¡­" Looking up, the Onmitsukido member was surprised seeing Seikyo here. "To have Seikyo-Sama here, what''s the problem that requires the direct attention of the captain?" Pointing at the phenomenon in front of her, she sent Seikyo off and went away, leaving her peer to carry on the inspection. She then made her way back to Soul Society. This Onmitsukido member''s name was Yuki, a girl born in the snow. She had no surname, and the name ''Yuki'' was given to her by herself. She was also the one that directed Hinamori back when she first graduated, and also the one that has been directly reporting to Itsuki all this time. Upon stabbing her zanpakuto in mid-air, she opened a senkaimon and made her way through the 2nd division. Due to the nature of the work Onmitsukido and the 2nd division do, they were given their own personal senkaimon. Itsuki used it from time to time, but on official work he would use the main one. Yuki sighed to herself as she remembered her interactions with Itsuki. Pure idolisation was present in her eyes when she went through the Onmitsukido training grounds. She was going to report the temporary captain of this place as both the Itsuki and Soi Fon were in this place. Walking past the training grounds, she looked at all the members training until they couldn''t move. The Onmitsukido had improved tremendously over the years and were no longer the standard canon fodders they were. Due to this, the requirements to enter and to stay in the 2nd division had increased. This meant that the total members of this division was lower than the others, but the overall quality was on another level. By the time she came out of her thoughts, Yuki had arrived at the temporary captain''s office. Entering the room, what entered her eyes was a simple room that had a table with a gentle looking girl on the other side. There was a small bookshelf on the side. The table was littered with all kinds of paper and a small photo frame facing away from Yuki. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Standing on attention, she stood there waiting for her orders. Hinamori was finishing of the paperwork when she looked at Yuki in front of her. "Your name''s Yuki, right?" "Hai!" Hearing this, Hinamori narrowed her eye, "So, you want to join the captain''s personal guards?" "Hai!" "You do know many people have tried and all of them have failed." This didn''t deter Yuki as she nodded. Looking at those determined eyes, Hinamori sighed, "Fine, tomorrow come with me, we will be going to the living world. My work here is done, and I need to return to my official duties as Itsuki-Sama''s personal guard." Saying this, she dismissed the guards and went back to finishing off her paperwork. Hearing the girl leave, Hinamori looked towards the Onmitsukido''s senkaimon, ''Just a little bit more then¡­'' Itsuki was oblivious to this as he read the report of tied to Seikyo''s leg. Two different reports had come this time. One reported of these strange white souls wondering the streets and the other was about a captain''s test being taken place next week to fill in Gin''s spot. Seeing the autumn leaves drop to their demise on the cold hard floor, Itsuki went back to looking at what attracted him the zoo. Large panda''s lazed about eating bamboo shoots looking all cute. Something about them attracted Itsuki and they had found a place next to his love for apples. All he wanted to do was to just cuddle them. Buying a panda winter hat from the gift shop, Itsuki put it on above his ears and left the zoo. What he didn''t see was one of the obscure panda''s give out a demonic smirk and pull out a laptop to get typing with its fluffy paws. Itsuki then left the zoo while it was closing, drinking a carton of apple juice when an Onmitsukido member appeared next to him kneeling. "Captain! There has been an emergency, a group was dispatched¡­" "A group was dispatched?" Seeing the sharp glint Itsuki''s eyes the Onmitsukido member shuddered. As if not seeing his fear, Itsuki''s voice got colder, "On who''s orders?" The Onmitsukido member started trembling as sweat could be seen between his eyes, "C-c-central 46¡­" Itsuki''s eyes narrowed as he frowned, "Those¡­" Itsuki didn''t finish as he looked at Seikyo, "Get Soi Fon, I''ll be returning to the 2nd division HQ and you¡­" The Onmitsukido member looked terrified as he looked down, "Who was dispatched?" "It was the recruit squad, they said that they needed the training." "So basically, they sent a group of greenhorns into unchartered territory." The Onmitsukido member was silent. The fact that they were recruits meant that they were geniuses from the academy. "So, lost contact or confirmed KIA." "Lost contact, captain." Itsuki nodded and popped a pill in his mouth. The pill was a mod soul, with the complete opposite personality of Itsuki. As soon as his eyes opened, roses seemed to come out from behind ''Itsuki'' until Itsuki shattered them with his cold voice, "Go back to the Urahara store." Apart from the personality, the only difference between the two was the eyes. ''Itsuki'' had his normal eyes from before while Itsuki had his Mystic Eyes. Soi Fon arrived next to him, still confused by the events. Looking at his lover, Itsuki told her to take charge in the living world as he opened a senkaimon back. Just as he was about to enter, he felt a spike of reiatsu coming for the city''s graveyard. Looking at the direction, Itsuki closed the senkaimon and made his way over there. Soi Fon and the Onmitsukido member followed behind him as they had also felt the disturbance. By the time Itsuki arrived there, a group of people had just disappeared into thin air leaving an unknown girl Shinigami and Ichigo in his Shinigami attire. "Itsuki, that¡­" "Mm, that symbol, it''s the Ryodoji family." "Weren''t they banished into the Dangai around 1000 years ago, it''s hard to believe that there are still some survivors." Itsuki nodded as he landed next to the two as the girl jumped back in surprise. Ichigo felt the familiar presence behind him as he slowly turned around. Itsuki didn''t say anything as Soi Fon went up to the two, "Kurosaki Ichigo, what are you doing here and you girl, report your name and division." "Those guys-! Those guys attacked her so I fought back." Ichigo, being the hotblooded teen, started shouting but with one look quietened him. The girl dazed upon seeing Itsuki as she tried her best to remember her identity. "My¡­my name is¡­Senna¡­" Her two amber eyes were filled with confusion as both her hands grasped her head. She had done up her purple hair into a ponytail with a red ribbon. Seeing this, Itsuki spoke up, "You have various sorts of memories, don''t you?" Senna came to a realisation as she slowly looked up, "You''re not a Shinigami, rather a Shinenju, an object that is composed of the memories of many souls." Soi Fon was surprised to hear this as so was Ichigo. Looking at Ichigo, he continued, "The same exact Shinenju you''ve been looking for I presume." ******************************* Author''s note I try not to read novels that have below average English, even if the plot is really good. Ok, I still read them. But I read them with the fear that it may affect my writing. The miseries of a brilliantly talented author. Pray I don''t chance upon the stray path. 83 Itsuki vs Ichigo Ichigo looked shocked at the revelation as a look of denial was seen on Senna''s face. However, Itsuki continued despite seeing this, "That zanpakuto, if I''m correct, its name should be Mirokumaru. The Shinigami who this zanpakuto belonged to was reported missing around a hundred years ago¡­" Looking at Senna then at her zanpakuto, "¡­in the Dangai." Once Itsuki finished, Senna clutched her head, "No¡­no¡­no, I''m a Shinigami¡­" Soi Fon had a cold look on her face as she narrowed her eyes, "Then if you''re a Shinigami, what division do you belong to and when did you come to the living world?" Senna was blank when she heard the question. Looking all fidgety, she hesitantly replied, "I don''t know, I woke up by the riverside yesterday¡­I''ve known it since I was young¡­I''m¡­I''m me¡­" The more she thought, the more chaotic her memories became. Soi Fon''s already narrowed eyes, narrowed further as she was about to make her move to capture Senna. She halted her step instantly as Ichigo moved in front of Senna, indicating his intentions on protecting her. "Move, Kurosaki Ichigo. This matter no longer concerns you." "It does now, and it just doesn''t sit well with me. No matter what you say, she is currently here, she has emotions, she laughs, she cries¡­are you going to ignore that and take away her freedom!" The more Ichigo spoke the more emotional he got. His fear for Itsuki had also subsided, but no one knew if it was temporary or permanent. Seeing this, Soi Fon clicked her tongue as she awaited instructions from Itsuki. Hearing nothing, she turned around which also prompted Ichigo to look in Itsuki''s direction. However, Itsuki wasn''t standing there. Rather he was off to the side drawing something with a stick. This shocked the three as they never expected Itsuki to do something like that. Feeling their gazes, Itsuki looked in their direction and got up while swiping his clothes for any dust. Before he stepped forward, Itsuki stomped his foot lightly prompting Ichigo to flinch while Senna took a step back. After making sure that no traces of the drawing were left, he walked towards Ichigo. "Is that your decision?" Ichigo held up his sword with a light tremble and nodded with determination. Looking towards Soi Fon, she stepped back understanding that Itsuki would take it from here. Ichigo had a slight hesitance as he shouted at Itsuki, "Draw your sword!" A derisive look was seen in those exquisite yet deadly eyes while a mocking smile was directed towards Ichigo. "Make me." A short sentence yet filled with incredible arrogance. Although Ichigo was reluctant, he knew that the opponent had the right to say that. But he was still filled with some assurance, he knew that captains and the like would have their reiatsu limited to just 20% of their original. With a resolute gaze, Ichigo first made his move. Running towards Itsuki, Ichigo swung his sword like how he usually does, starting from above the right shoulder and ending past his left leg. Itsuki had already seen through this as he dodged and sent a kick to his chest. This was when Ichigo''s plot arm¡­ animal like instincts kicked in and barely moved his sword back, blocking the kick with the handle. It didn''t stop there though, pushing Ichigo back, Itsuki used the momentum to deliver another kick, this time hitting squarely on his face, sending Ichigo out of the cemetery. Senna didn''t stand and watch as she shunpoed towards Ichigo. Itsuki watched this and put his hand out, preventing Soi Fon from making a move. Senna was hurriedly rushing towards Ichigo as the different memories were pushed to the back of her mind. Her thoughts were fully on Itsuki overpowering Ichigo, who had just showed his strength against the people that sought to capture her. Landing next to Ichigo, she saw he was ok as he slowly got up while rubbing his left cheek. "Ichigo! You o¡­kay?" Seeing that Ichigo''s attention was not on her, she followed his eyesight only to Itsuki standing there. ''Such speed.'' Senna was sure that she had left before the captain, but he had somehow arrived before her. ''Such speed¡­'' Seeing the difficulties Ichigo was facing, determination filled her eyes as she unsheathed her zanpakuto. Holding it horizontally in front of her, she released her shikai, "Call forth the twilight, Mirokumaru!" Reading her intentions Ichigo hurriedly shouted, "Senna stop!" Ignoring Ichigo''s shout, her zanpakuto took on the form of a golden Khakkhara with a pointed tip. A Buddhist staff. Pointing at Itsuki she lunged at Itsuki intending to drive the staff through his torso. Itsuki dodged the simple move and dealt a blow to her stomach, rendering her unconscious. Ichigo watched this happen as he was still disorientated from the kick. Knowing that he had no choice, he put his gigantic sword in front of him while his left arm grasped his right arm. His reiatsu spike up and a determined look was plastered in his eyes. A strap from the handle of his sword wrapped around his arm when he shouted, "Bankai!" Suddenly, the air was blown backwards as a black clothed Ichigo appeared, swinging his pitch-black katana and clearing the dust that had emerged surrounding him. "Tensa Zangetsu." While in Itsuki''s mind something else was heard, ''Dust sweeper.'' Looking at the now confident Ichigo he suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of Itsuki stabbing his sword at Itsuki''s throat in a similar way he had done to Byakuya. He wasn''t going for the kill but just wanted to surprise him like what he did to Byakuya. However, it went different to what he expected. A katana had appeared in front of the tip, blocking the strike. Ichigo was surprised at the sudden change and jumped backwards only to feel multiple sources of reiatsu surrounding the two. Looking around, he saw that dozens of Onmitsukido members were surrounding them in a battle-ready position. As he got ready to face the group, a cold voice interrupted them, "Stand back." Two words but all the Onmitsukido members retreated. There was only one reason they were here, Itsuki had unsheathed his sword. When the corps commander of the executive militia unsheathes their sword, an imminent execution has begun. Though, right now it wasn''t that so Itsuki told them to stand down. Concentrating back onto the fight, Ichigo once again made his move but it was immediately blocked by Itsuki. It didn''t stop there as he made another move and that was also blocked by Itsuki''s other sword. Dual wielding, Itsuki went against Ichigo much to the surprise of the latter. No matter how fast he went, Itsuki was able to counter it either by dodging, blocking, parrying or an attack of his own. "Aaaaagggghhhh!!" Screaming Ichigo, went for a downward slash as Itsuki parried it off to the side with Byakko held in a reverse grip with his left hand. He then struck at Ichigo with Ryurai forcing him to pull back his sword and block it. The more they fought the more astonished Ichigo got and he started remembering back to Yoruichi and Zaraki''s warning. Even Byakuya had to use Bankai to fight against him and the captain in front hadn''t even unleashed his Shikai. While Ichigo was shocked down to his core, Itsuki was instead feeling gleeful. Each strike helped him assimilate more with the remnants of the black hollow and the Sokyoku. That was the only reason why Itsuki didn''t release his shikai. Slowly wounds started showing on Itsuki as he began to be pushed back. It was natural though, Itsuki was going against an individual''s Bankai, for him to contend against it did say a lot about his strength. Although his fast swordsmanship was the main reason of contending him, the one week of training Ichigo had basically allowed him to read all his attacks patterns and with his mental capabilities it wasn''t difficult to predict his next move. "It can''t be¡­" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "¡­the captain is being pushed ba-" "Shut up!" Soi Fon stopped the Onmitsukido members from talking anymore because it may affect their morale and the morale of the whole division. "Look carefully, the captain hasn''t even unleashed his Shikai yet." Upon hearing this, the members had a look of realisation as they talked among themselves, ''Bunch of idiots! Looking down on my Itsuki.'' Soi Fon furiously looked at the members around her as they all shrunk their necks. At the battlefield, Itsuki realised that the help Ichigo was giving was now useless. "Reign from the heavens, Ryurai." "Shred everything to pieces, Byakko." Now shout was needed as Itsuki emerged in his Shikai form. Looking down at Ichigo, "Playtime''s over." With this he disappeared and appeared next to Ichigo and slashed at him once. Ichigo was able to defend it but was shot back due to the immense strength. Itsuki didn''t stop, he continued with his relentless attacks and each sword that struck Ichigo caused him to numb due to the lighting. Increasing the output of lighting, Itsuki stunned Ichigo on the next strike and used that brief period to immobilise him. **************************************** Author''s note Was going through the comments of the first dozen or so chapters of this book and all I read was a massive battle between having a harem and not having one. 84 Dark Ones Senna woke up to a small room while lying in a futon. Her head felt fuzzy and her abdomen still had some lingering pains from last night. Remembering last night, she hurriedly jumped up and ran out the room, smashing the doors to the side. "Ichigo!" Opening the door stunned her, Itsuki sat there enjoying tea as three girls sat around him. A beautiful dark-skinned girl relaxed her head on his lap while getting the occasional pat, a cute petite girl sat next to him as she peeled apples and fed them herself and a voluptuous beauty sat behind him giving his shoulders a massage. She was stunned by this picture and was more stunned with what followed. Itsuki looked at her with half open eyes and pointed in a direction. Looking at where Itsuki was pointing, Senna walked up to the door and opened it, only to see Ichigo there fully bandaged from head to toe and another strange girl sitting next to him. She had created an orange barrier surrounding him and as the bandage slowly tore apart, she saw the wounds of Ichigo heal at a considerable pace. Seeing this, she just smiled and went into the room. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Itsuki didn''t care what she did as he finished his tea and slowly leaned back, resting his head on Rangiku''s chest. Rangiku started playing with his hair. Itsuki''s eyes shot open and looked at a direction while the girls did the same. "Who did Soul Society send now?" "Not necessarily Soul Society." As soon as he said this, the room to the living room opened and Urahara walked in with another two figures to the side. One was Hinamori while the other was an Onmitsukido member that had a familiar reiatsu. Seeing Itsuki surrounded by the girls, a hint of jealousy passed through Hinamori''s eyes as she kneeled in front of Itsuki with Yuki following. "Get up." Hearing Itsuki''s order, both got up while Hinamori started explaining why he was here. The member next to her had applied for his personal guards and needed examination while Hinamori had finished all the work back at base. The only time when they were needed now was to go over reports. Unless it was important, it would all be handled by Maneko. Itsuki looked at Soi Fon who just clicked her tongue and left with Yuki to test her. No matter what Soi Fon thought, she was still a loyal subordinate. Hinamori then found a spot behind Itsuki and stood there, doing her duties as his personal guard. Time passed as Ichigo was slowly healed by Orihime and Itsuki was waiting for the Ryodoji clan to attack. Senna looked at Ichigo being healed but her mind was far from it. She had expected to be confined in some sort of prison. Everywhere she looked, a white eagle would come into view and just stare at her as if monitoring each of her actions. Knowing that she couldn''t escape, she just gave up. It wasn''t until Ichigo had got up, was she allowed to leave. However, she noticed that the bird had kept following her. Back at Urahara store, Itsuki had one of his eyes closed as he was observing Senna and Ichigo. ''I feel like a certain someone would love to have this ability.'' Pushing away the useless thoughts, Itsuki continued looking as the two helped a soul find his father, ending up at a shrine of some sort. Then a senkaimon opened and Ukitake came out with Toshiro joining them. Realising that they had to move, Itsuki sent Rangiku and Soi Fon while he left for somewhere else. Rangiku went to stand behind Toshiro as he was still her captain while Rukia and Renji were confronting Ichigo. Various Onmitsukido members arrived behind Soi Fon as they watched Renji shout at Ichigo. "You do know that she is the Shinenju!" "Yeah, I know." Renji was surprised at this confirmation, "Then¡­" Toshiro interrupted him, "We know that Ganryu has a plan to destroy Soul Society and the Shinenju Senna is the key." Ichigo stood in front of the members of Soul Society as he looked at them with a resolute gaze, not intending to back down. Just as the situation was about to escalate, all the individuals felt a few figures suddenly appearing above them. They all wore the Ryodoji clan''s armour and attacked the group. While this was happening, Itsuki appeared within an unknown world. "So, this is the valley of screams." Muttering to himself, Itsuki made his way to where most of the souls were gathered. What entered his view was an altar shaped into a long pillar from the ground surrounded by a formation, indicating its use for rituals. Looking at the runes littering the formation, Itsuki concluded that it was meant for the blank souls to be attracted to Senna, constricting the dimension. This would lead to the Dangai collapsing and the living world colliding with Soul Society Destroying the two realms. As Itsuki adjusted the formation here and there with a mischievous expression, he felt a few sources of reiatsu entering the area. Disappearing from the spot, Itsuki watched Ganryu place Senna in the middle of the formation and go to activate it. Ganryu had placed Senna on top and activated the formation causing a series of purple globes to slowly revolve around Senna on top. Thinking that the formation was okay and just needed to be powered up, Ganryu turned around when a pulling force attracted him backwards. It was not just him; the other members of his clan were also dragged backwards. "Wha¡­" Hurriedly shutting the formation off, Ganryu looked back at the formation and then at Senna who was missing. With his eyes widening in shock, he and the other members looked around only to see her in the arms of a young man. His captain''s Haori indicated his status. Itsuki looked coldly at the members as their identities came to mind. The called themselves the dark ones and were led by Ganryu. First person that came to view was a man named Jai, He was a large man with dark-black skin, full lips, short bald faded black hair, and a broad nose. His widened eyes revealed them to be black. He wore a white kimono undergarment underneath his dark green shihakuso, a blue obi belt sash wrapped around his waist, a dark green armoured breastplate that was on his front chest that had bronze outlines around the armoured breastplate and curved bronze arrows in the centre which was also held by red ropes. He also wore a dark green beret cap on the top of his head, white tabi socks, and tan zori shoes. The next person was named Riyan, He had light skin, blue spiky hair, and black eyes. He wore a sleeveless white kimono undergarment underneath his sleeveless dark green sleeveless shihakuso, a yellow obi belt sash wrapped around his waist, a dark green beret cap on the top of his head, dark-black elbow-length arm-warmers, the same dark green armoured breastplate that Jai wears around his chest but had a silver outlining around the armoured breastplate and curved silver arrows in the centre which was also held by red ropes, dark green gauntlets on hands that have thin curved silver inlay, white tabi socks, and tan zori shoes. He also wore steel armour around his face which exposed his eyes, nose, and his mouth. Standing next to him was the only female, going by the name Benin, She was a tall woman with tan skin, long wavy waist length deep lavender coloured hair, thin deep lavender eyebrows, and yellow-golden eyes. She wore a split open sleeved white kimono undergarment underneath her dark green split open sleeved shihakuso that exposed most of her cleavage, a dark-red obi belt sash wrapped around her waist. She also wore a dark green beret cap on the top of her head and the same dark green armoured breastplate that had bronze outlining around the armoured breastplate and curved arrows in the centre held by red ropes covering her around the chest, white tabi socks, and tan zori shoes. The fourth member was a man named Mue, He had dark-black hair, turquoise coloured eyes, thin dark-black eyebrows, and pale skin. He wore a white kimono undergarment underneath his dark green shihakuso, a lavender obi belt sash wrapped around his waist, dark green armour that was held by red ropes covering his chest which also had bronze outlining and curved arrows around and in the centre of the armoured breastplate itself. Like the others, he also wore a dark green beret cap on the top of his head, white tabi socks, and tan zori shoes. He kept his hair tied halfway down his back The last member was a man name Bau, He had dark-black hair and a large build. He wore a white kimono undergarment underneath his dark green shihakuso, a light green obi belt sash wrapped around his waist, and a dark green armour on his chest that was held by red ropes covering and had bronze outlining curved arrows around and in the centre of the armoured breastplate. He wore a dark green beret cap on the top of his head, with a grey veil that has the red ohm sign in the centre covering his face, white tabi socks, and tan zori shoes. The fluttering of the veil revealed his face that composed of pink skin, including no eyebrows, bloodshot eyes, dark-black eyes, and sharp, jagged teeth. Ganryu himself wore the same form of armour the other Dark One''s wore, only with gold bordering on his as opposed to red. He also wore a long black cape, with a red interior, and what looked like gold frill from his waist, connected to his red obi belt-like sash. He was fairly tall and had long white hair that reached down past his shoulders. A scar was plastered on his face from his forehead, traced diagonally down to the corner of his jaw. Apart from their colours and armour they wore, the only similar thing four of them had was a shocked expression as they hadn''t felt Itsuki''s presence at all. They all watched Itsuki put his hand on a device in his ear and nodding, Suddenly an insignia appeared on Itsuki''s neck in the form of a pasqueflower. The said insignia vanished into nothingness as the six felt a tremendous pressure weigh them down. What went unheard in their ears was, "Captain Minamoto Itsuki, permission to remove limiter has been granted." 85 Unexpected addition Itsuki threw the device into the air as it shredded to pieces due to the sheer pressure Itsuki was radiating. Looking at the group, Itsuki unsheathed his sword, and pointed it at them, "Come." Saying this he disappeared and landed in front of Ganryu, swinging his sword at him. Ganryu was shocked but quickly defended with the sword though he was, however, sent crashing into the large pillar. ''Didn''t he just say come, why is he attacking us then?'' This was like a signal as the other five made their moves, """""Ganryu-Sama!""""" Jai had a pair of chakrams as weapons which he threw at Itsuki while Benin pulled out a crossbow and fired an arrow. Mue appeared next to him swinging his sword and Bau appeared behind Itsuki swinging his extremely large clubs. Seeing the co-ordinated attack of the four Itsuki remained calm and dodged the chakrams, by doing a back flip. As Bau had swung from the top, Itsuki kicked at the incoming club while using his sword to block Mue''s attack, while doing this, he caught the arrow shot by Benin and crushed it. Bau and Mue were thrown back, as series of explosive projectiles and tendrils were hauled at him. Dodging each of them, Benin appeared with a set of chained daggers on his right while Jai was to his left swinging his chakrams at Itsuki. Ganryu seemed to have recovered from the previous strike as he appeared behind Itsuki. Thrusting his sword forward, Itsuki swung to the side, grabbed Benin and threw her onto Jai. Jai was surprised seeing Benin rocketing towards him and instinctively went to catch her, but he was impaled through Benin with Itsuki''s sword. Ganryu watched the two being driven through with Itsuki''s sword in horror, as he screamed in anguish. "You!!!" All that was returned was Itsuki''s apathetic look as Bau appeared behind him and once more, using pure brute strength and the help of gravity, he once again struck his club downwards. Upon impact, a cloud of dust was produced covering Ganryu''s vision. As the dust cleared up, there was a huge crater beneath the set of Bau''s clubs but no Itsuki. A sprout of hope appeared but was instantly demolished seeing Itsuki''s back behind Bau. Just then, a cut appeared on Bau''s chest and blood shot out of his mouth as he collapsed. An angry Mue appeared after seeing his comrades defeated one by one as Itsuki blocked his sword. Suddenly, Mue disappeared and appeared behind him and sent another strike. ''Trying to compete in speed?'' A small derisive smirk appeared on Itsuki''s face as he also moved and reappeared in front of Mue. Surprised by seeing the captain in front, Mue swung his sword which was once again blocked by Itsuki. He didn''t stop there though, he seemed to have pressed a button and another blade appeared from within. This new blade was gold in colour and extremely thin. Itsuki didn''t wait for Mue to attack once more as he drove his sword into him. Now there were only two left, Riyan and Ganryu. Ganryu looked at Itsuki and shouted, "Why? Why are you doing this?" Itsuki didn''t say anything and started to slowly walk towards him, just as he took a step forward, a sudden noise destroyed the atmosphere, "Oof." Looking at what he stepped on, Itsuki saw the back of a certain lion plushie. He could see the sweat pouring down the giant head of the toy as he slowly lifted it up and faced it towards him. A rather normal look was on the toy as Itsuki could see the toy trying to act like a normal one. ''How did he get here?'' Ganryu and Riyan looked shocked at the toy, "What the¡­" "It just spoke, didn''t it?" Itsuki ignored the two as his gaze penetrated to toy. "You must be the one called Kon." Kon twitched slightly but still tried to play it off. Moving the toy to his shoulder, Itsuki just said, "Hold on, if you don''t want to get killed." Instantly Itsuki felt two soft paws latch onto his back as he shunpoed. Though this time it was accompanied by a scream, "Aaaaaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!" Tears flew out of Kon''s eyes as he desperately clutched Itsuki''s shoulder. Appearing behind Riyan, the latter heard Kon''s scream but was still unable to defend. After defeating Riyan, the last one left was Ganryu as the two faced off each other. The wind blew past them as they started their stare off. Kon, behind Itsuki was gasping for breath when a furious look appeared on his face, jumping in front of Itsuki, he once again destroyed the atmosphere. Grasping Itsuki''s collar he started shouting at his face, "Oi! What do you think you''re doing?! You trying to kill me?! First you say that to hold on if I don''t wanna die, then you try to kill me yourself! You son of a &^%$", you ¡ê$"%$^¡ê¡­" A truck load of profanities followed as he spat his saliva on Itsuki''s face, yet when he looked at Itsuki''s eyes he froze completely and started wiping it off with his hand and obediently went back to latching on Itsuki''s shoulder. Seeing the toy shut his mouth, Itsuki turned his attention back to Ganryu, wondering why he never attacked. The answer soon came as he stared disbelievingly at Kon before looking back at Itsuki. Not knowing what to say, Ganryu just got into stance. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Kon thought he was off the hook, but his eyes blacked out and he found himself looking at Ganryu''s shocked eyes. Feeling something amiss, he realised that he had full control of his limbs but was still confused as to what was happening. He first looked at his paws then moved his vision downwards, saw his kicking legs and that was when it clicked. Two blacked straps made an X on his torso and looking at where the straps led, he realised that he was properly strapped onto Itsuki''s Torso. A small cardboard sign fell from his neck that read ''protection''. "Eh?" Realisation dawned on his face, "NOOOOOooooooOOOOOO!!!!" Itsuki ignored the crying Kon and attacked Ganryu. Ganryu decided to ignore the weird combination of man and toy as he also reciprocated Itsuki''s attacks. Yet, the screaming Kon was extremely distracting as all Ganryu could hear was a scream that would fade in when Itsuki attacked and fade out when he pulled back. Kon''s screaming slowed down, when Itsuki and Ganryu continued to cross swords. Ganryu then saw a slight opening that was heading straight for the toy. Ganryu didn''t know if it was intentional or not but he decided not to take any chances and went for it. Kon had slightly calmed down causing his scream to die down when alarm bells rang out within his head and a cut appeared on his torso. Feeling a chill in its soul, Kon''s racket returned. It lasted until he fell unconscious and Ganryu was tired. Seeing the toy out of it, Itsuki sheathed his sword, much to the surprise of Ganryu. Looking at Itsuki, Ganryu shouted, "What are you playing at?" Itsuki took of Kon and threw him to the side, "Has the reiatsu of you comrade''s disappeared?" Ganryu''s eyes widened as he sensed the reiatsu of the others and realised that it was still there. A frown covered his face and he looked towards Itsuki when Seikyo landed on his shoulder alongside Ichinose and Baishin appearing next to them. Saying something to the two, he then went off on his own with Seikyo perched upon his shoulder. Ichinose then appeared next to Ganryu while Baishin went off to pick up the other dark ones. Ichinose handed a letter to Ganryu and awaited his decision. Ganryu looked through it and nodded his head at Ichinose while he then looked towards Itsuki''s direction. Ichinose used his ability to mask the presences of the group and made his way to the exit. While this was happening, Ichigo fell through the hole that had appeared in the living realm alongside the reinforcements from Soul Society. Sensing Senna''s reiatsu, he made his way towards it when he saw Itsuki standing in front of her. What shocked him next was, Itsuki draw his sword and cut through Senna. (Read this book on its original website: https://www.webnovel.com/book/13097341506731205/Rebirth-in-Bleach) ****************************** Author''s note Guys, guess what, it''s my birthday, well in half an hour, but for some of you it already is while some of you need to wait for the 8th of august. Happy Birthday to the genius me. Though I did have to by my own birthday cake because no one else in my family could :( 86 Arrogance "Bankai!" Although Itsuki felt the group entering, he felt a sudden burst of reiatsu from Ichigo when he had just finished ''killing'' the connections Senna had with all the other memories. He was barely able to turn around and block the attack, yet no panic could be seen in his eyes. Perhaps it was arrogance or his confidence in his ability, Itsuki never expected what happened next. Ichigo appeared right in front of Itsuki and struck his sword at him. Itsuki had simply miscalculated the speed it would take Ichigo to reach him and due to this error, he was barely able to block the sword in front and with a turn, completely offset Ichigo''s sword. Yet Itsuki was still harmed on the shoulder and with a surprised look he faced his injury. How long had it been since he was hurt? Yamamoto didn''t count as that was only for training purposes. Probably the last time he was harmed in any sort of was like this was in his first living world training session. Back when he fought the hollow with the sword. Itsuki''s thought session was short lived when Ichigo once again appeared in front of him while showing faint signs of turning into a hollow. His sclera was a deep black and his irises had turned Yellow, "Getsuga Tensho!" A large black and red blade strike hit Itsuki as it opening a rather big wound on Itsuki''s torso. Itsuki''s hand touched his wound and saw the blood covering his hand. He could feel his heartbeat thumping as he began to lose control. The others were shocked by the turn of events and hurriedly went to stop Ichigo. "Ichigo!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Rangiku, Soi Fon and Yoruichi appeared in front of Itsuki to protect him and vigilantly looked at Ichigo. The only thought in Ichigo''s head was how he was unable to protect Senna. Itsuki was trying his best to stay in control as bloodlust slowly ate away his mind. He started seeing red and knew that the raw power of the hollow that still needed to be assimilated was acting out of control. Clutching his chest, he realised that his wound was rather slow in healing as he found it difficult to call upon his hollow powers. With Ichigo''s rampaging reiatsu not providing any sort of help, Itsuki was able to slowly clear up the remnant reiatsu of Ichigo. Making sure the wound was not dangerous and had any negative side effects, a cold look came across Itsuki''s face He had been too arrogant in his strength and had started neglecting his training. Standing up from the rubble caused by him crashing into a cliffside, Itsuki saw Senna jump and hold Ichigo back as clarity hit Ichigo''s face. Turning to Senna, he quickly looked her up and down, touching various places to make sure that she was unhurt. Suddenly, a chill was felt through his spine when he saw Itsuki''s eyes stabbing into him. Looking at the wound that he most likely caused, he gulped and stepped back, preparing to make a break for it. Itsuki shrugged off Ichigo''s actions as he left the place without listening to anyone and made his way towards Orihime. He couldn''t just use his hollow''s regeneration ability in front of the others and make it look suspicious. And about Ichigo, with Itsuki''s character, he wasn''t going to let him off with a simple shrug, but revenge had to wait. Leaving through the portal next to the bridge, Itsuki landed in front of Orihime who started to heal him almost immediately with an astonished face. ''Who could''ve hurt him like this?'' She wasn''t the only one shocked, a nearby Hinamori and Yuki were also shocked. Seeing Orihime heal him, Itsuki pulled out his Kiseru and entered his mind''s library. He needed to find another way to strengthen himself and assimilate with the raw power hidden inside of him. Once more opening his eyes, Itsuki found himself looking at various folders hovering in front of him. It read from things like history, techniques, forbidden knowledge and various other categories. With a wave of his hand, he started scrolling through them he found himself looking at the one he was looking for, Bleach. Orihime looked at him weirdly as she had already finished healing him. The others had already returned and as Itsuki had severed Senna''s relation to all the other memories, the blank souls regained their memories and entered the cycle. The valley of screams would slowly shrink and eventually disappear. Ichigo looked at Itsuki with a complex gaze and opened his mouth, "I-" Itsuki quickly put his hand up and shushed him, "Don''t speak, you''re lowering everyone''s IQ." Everyone heard an arrow pierce Ichigo as they pityingly looked at him. Though it didn''t take away the surprise in their eyes, it was the first time Itsuki had acted like such. Ichigo''s shock was replaced by a furious one but he held himself back because he didn''t want to be embarrassed further. Back in Itsuki''s mind library, Itsuki was surrounded by various screens, all playing different parts of bleach. Looking round he found ways to further his plans in the future and rethink some of them, but it wasn''t what he was currently looking for. Frustration appeared as no matter where he looked and what he saw of the show he couldn''t find it. With the physical Itsuki, taking in another puff of smoke, chibi Itsuki decided to further enter his mind''s library, look for the things he barely read and just glossed over. Seeing all the information, Itsuki quickly scrolled through it and finally found what he was looking for. A hidden village, Konohagakure, where beings known as ninjas reside¡­wait, wrong info. A hidden village, it has no name, but Itsuki remembered reading about it. It housed nothing but Vasto Lorde''s and it was only when Tier Harribel, who became the de-facto ruler of Hueco Mundo after the war with Aizen, was captured by the Wandenreich during the thousand-year blood war, they came out and started competing for the throne. The only reason he didn''t know of this was because, all Itsuki had done was watch the anime and read the manga but hadn''t read any of the light novels following the events of the war. He ended up with one conclusion, fight. With the talent of arrancars of improving with every fight and his past experiences, it was the most efficient conclusion. Opening his eyes, Itsuki saw his second puff of smoke disappear within the air as he looked around him. The three girls quickly came next to him with worried looks covering their eyes as they looked all over him for injuries, "I''m fine, I was just taken by surprise that''s all." Although they knew that he was taken by surprise, they were still shocked seeing him injured. For most of them, it was the first time seeing it. Itsuki payed it off while ignoring Ichigo''s furious look, enraging him further. As he was about to shout at him, Hinamori and Yuki appeared with their sword touching his throat. The latter had passed the exam and with a cold look, the two locked Ichigo where he was. With Itsuki leaving they gave Ichigo one more look with their menacing eyes and disappeared. The two had heard the story from Soi Fon explaining their hostility towards Ichigo and their feelings amplified seeing Itsuki injured like such when they are supposed to be his personal guards. Back in the valley of screams, Kon had just woken up, ''Huh, where am I?'' (Read this book on its original website: https://www.webnovel.com/book/13097341506731205/Rebirth-in-Bleach) ****************************** Author''s note Ok guys, made a few changes here as I did seem to downplay Itsuki''s abilities. Also your comments hurt :''( 87 Mistakes Currently, Itsuki was leaving the 1st division after an individual came and took the captain test. ''So that was Amagai Shusuke.'' Indeed, his unkempt appearance and with his easy-going attitude brought a one of a kind disguise, covering his true ruthless character. Behind that simple, casual smile was a sinister mind hell bent on getting revenge. Itsuki arrived and felt a phantom pain on his torso. Tracing the previous wound inflicted by Ichigo, Itsuki remembered his miscalculation and the deeply embedded pride that was hurt. He believed that he was nigh invincible until now and he would be able to go against anything that came his way. While this was true, Ichigo''s potential and his current increase in strength was something that he had still underestimated. Knowing that the current Aizen was most likely stronger than now, and him training Ichigo, it seemed that he had inadvertently raised the power levels of this world. He remembered back when he fought Bankai Ichigo, although no one found out, he had to remove his limiter to end the fight quickly. The only reason he was able to do this was due to one of the many spies he had planted within the Gotei 13. Taking his mind of this incident, he looked towards the empty stand where Seikyo would usually rest upon. Itsuki had sent Seikyo over to Hueco Mundo to search for the hidden village. With this he was able to conclude that they weren''t able to share their sight if they were in different realms. Sighing to himself, he wondered when he became so passive. Itsuki made his way to his personal training grounds and went into his inner world. Opening his eyes, he was astonished by what came to his sight. The precious mountain that housed the two zanpakuto spirits was nowhere to be found and all that lay was one filled with various cracks leading to immense ravines. The new addition to this world were two suns placed on both the east and west of the mountain, a pure black one dotted the west while the orange one hovered towards the east. Knowing that they were the current unassimilated powers, Itsuki ignored it and looked for the two zanpakutos. Searching high and low, he couldn''t find them until he directly looked up. A certain upside-down platform stood there as Itsuki saw a familiar black armoured individual albeit with a few changes, ''Is that how my Bankai looks like?'' With a thought, Itsuki floated up and landed across from the figure. The light beautiful snow that once slowly descended now raged in anger. Itsuki could barely see but he never moved to protect himself from the snow. Putting both of his hands on his swords, he felt it within himself and knew that he had disappointed his zanpakutos. One of the major things that had carried on from the Hiten mitsurugi-ryu was to always be prepared for an ambush. Not reacting to Ichigo''s ambush was his first failure. Underestimating others and overestimating his calculative abilities, was his second. Not putting into account, a person''s possible improvement and their raw potential was his third mistake. Lastly, only looking at a person through their character from the anime and not seeing them as a person with feeling in front of him was his fourth mistake. Although he had come to terms with this all being real, there was bound to be some sort of prejudice due to seeing their roles in the anime. All the people he had encountered had a shift in character due to his presence. He wasn''t saying that he would stop looking at them like that rather he wouldn''t hastily judge a person and mark them with that character. There were two sides to everything, he would properly look at their characters first before deciding on a conclusion. The only ones that were saved from this judgement was his three lovers, he had long been surprised with the way they did things and seeing Soi Fon lose her obsession over Yoruichi was just one of the reasons that he didn''t look at them like that. Itsuki deeply looked at the armoured warrior as he saw faint tears, leave its eyes. He needed to let his zanpakuto spirits know he was back. Unsheathing his swords, he was the first to move. Itsuki didn''t know how long he had spent within his inner world when he opened his eyes. He got up and observing his surroundings, he realised that no one had come to disturb him. Making his way towards his main office, he found that Soi Fon was already there with mission details in her hands. Frowning slightly, he took the mission details in his hands and read through them. It was a something of a side mission, apart from being the last line of defence, he had to search for the escaped princess of the Kasumioji clan, Kasumioji Rurichiyo. Sighing in defeat, he realised on of the reasons that he had ''stagnated''. Soi Fon looked worried to the side as she could tell that Itsuki wasn''t acting like his usual self. "Itsuki." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Itsuki." Not getting any sort of reply from him, Soi Fon was sure that there was something wrong. "Itsuki!" Finally getting his attention, she saw Itsuki look away from the mission details and back at her. With a raised eyebrow, Itsuki looked confused as to why she was shouting. This further solidified her belief that something was wrong. After making sure that no one was around, she came up close to him and put her arms round his neck, "Is there anything wrong?" Itsuki was inwardly surprised but a smile surfaced on his face. It seemed that Soi Fon had noticed something wrong with him. Itsuki just smiled at her and gave a light kiss on her lips, "Nothing." This seemed to reassure Soi Fon as she didn''t question any further. As their job here was done, she accompanied Itsuki to the main Senkaimon. Hinamori and Yuki joined her later on but the worried look on Soi Fon''s face went unnoticed. She felt a slight uneasiness in her heart as she remembered Itsuki''s smile, it felt unusual. Upon returning, Itsuki felt like he had forgotten something before he once again appeared on top of the portal leading to the valley of screams. He could hear faint screams coming from it when a figure shot out screaming and reached for the moon. He could see the figure stretching out his toy hand before gravity ruthlessly brought him down. The portal to the valley just closed when he landed on the same spot as he started drowning, gulping down water and struggling for breath. Itsuki just watched from the side when he used all his strength just to pull himself onto the shore. Kon had just escaped from the life and death situation. Waking up to find himself in a mysterious place he found that he was wounded and thought it was probably from the fall. Looking around, he started walking to try and find this place''s inhabitants. It seemed that Kon had somehow ''forgotten'' his traumatic experience with Itsuki as he just remembered falling down a bridge and ending up here. Before he knew it though, he couldn''t find anyone and just when he felt all the loneliness inside of him burst out, the world around him started to crumble in pieces. Now he had to run away from a collapsing world. Luckily, he had found a portal leading to the living world and jumped through, just when the world was completely annihilated. Crawling onto the shore, Kon lied on his back heavily breathing while he started twisting various parts of his body to release all the water he had soaked up. When he was done, he got up and a figure appeared in his sights. His traumatic experience came back like gushing water escaping from a broken dam as the grievances stored deep within his heart emerged. Pointing his claw made out cloth at Itsuki, h started shouting, "You son of a¡­" Back at where Itsuki was standing, the group looked confused seeing Kon pointing at them and him screaming. Although they knew that he was screaming at them, he was just too far away, and his voice was too small for them to hear anything. "What?" Hinamori looked confused as she put her hand next to her ear and bent forward to try and know what the toy was trying to do the same. She turned to Yuki, "Do you know what he is saying?" Yuki just shook her head before looking at the other two, who also shook their heads. Although Itsuki could faintly hear him, he just chose to ignore most of Kon''s profanities. Back to where Kon was standing, "¡­how could you do that to the great Kon-Sama¡­" Sadly, for Kon, most of his grievances went unheard as Itsuki felt that there was no point in just standing here once he realised that the ''thing'' he forgot was Kon himself. Itsuki just turned around and left with the girls trailing behind him. As for Kon, "¡­you unders- w-wait, where are you going? D-don''t leave meeeeee!" Falling onto his knees, he dramatically screamed his lungs out, waking up the entire neighbourhood. Itsuki arrived at the Urahara store before looking at Soi Fon and the other three, "You guys go ahead; I need to check something." Soi Fon wanted to say something but refrained from doing so when she saw Itsuki''s look. Instead, she would share what currently happened to her other two sisters. Itsuki arrived in an inconspicuous alley and after making sure no one was looking, opened a Garganta and waited. A few seconds later, Seikyo flew through and landed on top of Itsuki''s outstretched hand. Petting the bird, Itsuki asked the bird his current most important question, "Any clues?" Seikyo shook her head as Itsuki continues, "Close?" Itsuki was happy seeing Seikyo nod before he took out a folded strip of paper and tied it to her feet. Whispering a few words, he let her fly back into the Garganta and closed it. He ended up making his way to the park where he sat on a bench and pulled out his Kiseru, waiting. It wasn''t long before a Garganta opened behind him and a familiar figure walked out. Giving out a slight laugh, Aizen sat on the other side of the bench, "Didn''t expect you to call me, Minamoto Itsuki. I was quite surprised seeing your eagle make its way into my humble abode." Itsuki didn''t say anything and took a puff, ''Humble abode? If that is what you call humble¡­'' "So, what is this ''something interesting'' you talked about in your letter?" 88 Leaving Aizen looked at Itsuki with an amused smile, "That truly is interesting, let''s do this, this doesn''t count as a favour due to it being a truly interesting one¡­" Itsuki just took a puff of smoke while Aizen took his leave, "So long, Minamoto Itsuki¡­" Seeing the Garganta close Itsuki also got up and left for Urahara''s training room. He needed to polish his skills and get revenge. But he knew that right now, the revenge he was planning would probably kill Ichigo, and he didn''t want that to happen. It would just increase his workload. Rather have someone else do the legwork for him while he will only act when it matters. Itsuki immediately took out his two swords and started training from the basics all the way to his most recent moves. Itsuki never had any signature moves as he felt he didn''t need any. Even if there was, he wouldn''t want to shout out its name and let everyone know what he was doing. The three girls just stood there before leaving. Something had hurt them when they saw Itsuki injured for the first time like that. The went to train together and hope to become strong enough that they are capable of protecting him from things that he wouldn''t expect. As they went off on their own way, Itsuki created a barrier surrounding his training space to make sure nothing can observe him. With that he tried to remember how Ishida used his Hirenkyaku. The Quincy''s method of movement. Each race had their way of moving, Shinigami had their shunpo which used an individual''s own reiatsu to propel them forward, the arrancar had the sonido that somehow erased the pressure exerted when it was used. It was a complicated movement but Itsuki was able to combine the two. He now wanted to combine his movement technique with the Hirenkyaku. Hirenkyaku used the surrounding reiatsu to propel one forward. It was easy trying to combine the three and didn''t take longer than a couple days with constant trials and errors. He had also worked on his control due to his reiatsu slowly increasing. In the outside world, Ichigo had just encountered Kasumioji Rurichiyo for the first time. The plot continued with Itsuki continuing his training. Amagai Shusuke had won the trust of the 3rd Division and all was going with the plot. He could feel two individuals enter the Urahara Store and buy three Gigai before leaving. ''They must''ve been Rurichiyo''s servants.'' Itsuki looked at the letter next to him. It was from Byakuya, but it was more of a message from Hisana. It basically told her to protect Rurichiyo. It seemed that she was a fan of Itsuki and found her way to the Kuchiki Household where he would usually train with Byakuya. There the two became acquainted and Hisana was quite fond of the girl. Seeing the reports of many assassination attempts conducted on her, Hisana was worried for her. Byakuya saw this and immediately wrote to Itsuki. Giving a sigh, Itsuki continued to train while he sent Seikyo off to Rurichiyo''s house. Next to the Kurosaki clinic there were new people in the neighbourhood. The woman that used to live there before mysteriously moved out and strange new people had moved in. Seikyo hovered above the house and immediately shot down, landing within a tree near the house. Seikyo first looked around and found out that no one was there. Seikyo had become a rather intelligent bird as she started sensing the reiatsu around her. It was one of the tricks she had picked up when she was with Itsuki. She had become the perfect scout. After making sure everything was alright, he submerged himself into his mind library, reviewing all the information he had. Within the house next door to the Kurosaki Clinic a young child was throwing a tantrum, "Where is Itsuki-sama?! You guys said he would be here!" A young girl with green eyes and blonde hair held back by a red hair band threw a fit on the couch. Two servants tried to appease her but to no avail. The first one was of average build that had spiky black-blue hair with ice blue eyes. The second servant was a large muscular man with a mohawk shaped like a lightning bolt. He had a pair of sunglasses while he started gesturing with his hands, trying to appease the young girl. His actions indicated his status of a mute while the other servant started explaining what he meant. "Ojou-sama, Me and Enryu went to the Urahara Store and were told that the captain was training. We can''t disturb him." The young girl looked back at him with reproach with tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. She of course understood what the latter meant but there was still some unwillingness in her heart. "Tch, Enryu! Kenryu! Tell me when Itsuki-sama leaves!" With that she stormed off to her bedroom with a pout. Rurichiyo had tried numerous times to meet Itsuki but failed to do so. The 2nd Division was too scary for her to enter while she had failed to encounter him at the Kuchiki Household. But that did allow her to get acquainted to the madam of the Kuchiki Household. They treated each other like sisters. The two servants stood there, mouth agape while Enryu looked at the food he was holding in his hands. Kenryu saw this and just sighed, "Don''t worry about it." Patting the big guy on his shoulder, Kenryu left him and went to patrol the area. Enryu packed the food and went to guard Rurichiyo outside her room. Back at the Urahara store, Itsuki opened his one closed eye and got up, dusting off his clothes. Sighing to himself, he picked up his zanpakuto and started practicing. Within a group of abandoned warehouses, three flashes were seen clashing at one point or another. They turned out to be the three girls. Although Rangiku was the weakest of them, she was still able to breath but only slightly. All three had at some point trained with Itsuki which had resulted them having better reflexes than others. They all had determined faces as they kept seeing the image of a shocked Itsuki with a wound on his torso. He hadn''t spoken much since then but their image of him being invincible had instantly shattered the moment of that incident. It reminded them, that no matter how strong he looked, there was still a chance of something bad occurring. Though, either Soi Fon or Yoruichi could instantly take Rangiku down, they were holding back in case the other took the chance to attack. Rangiku couldn''t help it, they were already fully-fledged Shinigami when she was still at the academy. As the three continued sparring, no news was heard from Itsuki when all of them felt a fluctuation of reiatsu coming from the direction of the clinic. It was quickly stopped but only a couple days of days later, Itsuki got a prompt from Seikyo. Closing one of his eyes, Itsuki saw Rurichiyo leaving her house in her spiritual form. She was currently walking through the riverside of Karakura town while talking to herself only to trip and meet Orihime. A fight followed while Orihime was able to repel the enemy for a bit longer, it still seemed that she was hesitant to deal the final blow. With Ichigo and Rukia entering the fray, the enemy was quickly caught but was able to escape only to commit suicide. Knowing what was going to happen, Itsuki finally left his training grounds just when Ichigo, Rukia, Enryu and Kenryu left for Soul Society to look for Rurichiyo. There was only so much one could only do with training. Hinamori and Yuki who were sparring, came to a stop when they saw him leave. ""Captain!"" Itsuki nodded while he started sweeping through all information he had on the current and former members of the Onmitsukido. Finding Amagai Shusuke''s information he glanced over it and found nothing wrong with it. He was just a capable Shinigami that was a patrol group''s leader, although Itsuki did oversee the Onmitsukido''s training and had memorised everyone''s files he didn''t pay much attention to them. There was a strict command and every member did what they were told, no questions. Soi Fon thought process still hadn''t changed. She always kept a distance with their subordinates, believing that personal struggle builds character. Entering the Urahara store, Itsuki sat down at the usual table while a silence descended onto the room. Urahara and the others stood there while the former brought a fan to cover his mouth. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Finally out of training, Itsuki-san. I had heard you got done in by a kid." Jinta who was sitting by the side could swear that he heard the sound of glass breaking as sweat gushed out of his boy, ''Oioi, boss, why are you riling him up¡­'' Tessai was also surprised but was even more so seeing the lack of response from Itsuki. This either meant that Itsuki didn''t think much of it, or that he was really good at hiding emotions. The calm look in Itsuki''s eyes retained itself as he took a sip of tea given to him by Ururu. Hinamori and Yuki heard this as a menacing look surfaced on their faces, but they restrained themselves seeing Itsuki''s lack of action. "It was just a moment of distraction; it won''t happen again." Itsuki was worried about one thing, he let his emotions slip at that moment when he scolded Ichigo. Although he was annoyed, he should''ve done something more than just scold him, but currently he couldn''t do anything. Ichigo was still weak. *********************************** Didn''t make any changes. I do understand that many would be disappointed but my decision stands, partly due to option 3 winning and partly due to me being a lazy author that just can''t be bothered to rewrite any chapter. Anyway, nearly a month has flown by. Was in the mood of writing something modern so I created another project. not sure i''ll ever post it, we''ll see. And, lastly, i''m back. I''ve seen that the ahem dao has spread to other fanfics and Ulcifr, love your profile pic. Let me know if there is any inconsistency, this chapter was written over the period of one month and I haven''t exactly properly read through it. It was just me going off and on when writing this. 89 Discussion Itsuki continued drinking his tea while his guards sat vigilantly behind him. The two sent a few menacing glares towards Urahara but the latter mostly waved it off, there was no end to the man''s shamelessness. Placing the tea down, the atmosphere became heavy once the sound of the impact between the cup and table was heard. Feeling the atmosphere, everyone instinctively knew that the two wanted to be left alone. A serious look masked Itsuki and Urahara as Itsuki opened his mouth, "Any progress?" "None yet. The task you gave me was quite hard." Itsuki nodded while Urahara continued, "Though, I wouldn''t say there is no progress. I do have some leads but nothing''s for certain yet." Itsuki closed his eyes and laid back slightly. Urahara looked at the slight exhaustion within Itsuki''s expression. "You do know that you don''t have to do this." Itsuki stayed silent. Urahara took a sip of tea, "Why do¡­" Itsuki interrupted him, "As long as we are in this situation, no one is safe. If I don''t do something, someone else with more extreme ideas would do it. Look at Aizen, he''s probably not the first and will definitely not be the last." Urahara stayed silent as he listened to Itsuki, "We both have things we want to protect and we both are willing to do anything to protect them." "You will become enemies with everyone." Itsuki gave a cold smile, a calculative one, "You think I haven''t thought of that." This was the first time that Itsuki had shown this expression and it sent chills down Urahara''s spine. The look was replaced immediately and Itsuki acted like nothing had happened yet Urahara knew that those eyes would stay etched in his mind. Urahara tried to lighten the atmosphere, by putting his fan to cover his mouth and started laughing, "Then, Itsuki-san, how''s your chest?" Itsuki knew why Urahara quickly changed the subject, apart from lightening the atmosphere, three figures appeared at the doorstep. The three girls looked at Itsuki and jumped at him, completely ignoring Urahara''s presence. The latter made his leave, leaving the four alone. Nothing happened, no one cried, no one talked, nothing. They just laid there, basking in their loved one''s embrace. They silently felt Itsuki''s heartbeat while Itsuki did the same. Patting the girl''s heads and shoulders, they stayed like that for some time until Yoruichi transformed into her cat form and laid on Itsuki''s lap. Rangiku and Soi Fon sat behind him as the his personal guards entered the room. Hinamori and Yuki stood behind Itsuki while Urahara and the rest entered the store. They all sat around the table within the cramped room, waiting for one more group to arrive. A short moment later, the door opened and in came six figures. There was Inoue, Ishida, Sado, Kenryu, Rukia and Ichigo, who got a guilty look on his face once he saw Itsuki. Itsuki saw this as he sighed internally at the guys face. Enryu and Rurichiyo were outside where the latter was playing with Ururu and Jinta. The six sat down while Kenryu looked nervous seeing Itsuki among them. Tessai broke the silence, "I''m amazed you were able to make it back in one piece¡­" Itsuki couldn''t be bothered with all the talking that would most likely follow so he explained it to them, "They intentionally let you escape¡­" Looking at the direction of Kenryu, "¡­easier to cover their tracks in the real world." Everyone''s eyes widened as Itsuki refrained from speaking any further. This brought a thoughtful expression on Ishida as he touched his chin, "Then that means we should expect an attack." Rukia then looked at Urahara, "What did you say about resources?" "There has been a lack of a certain type of raw material, it''s been quite hard to acquire ever since that princess of yours appeared." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ¡­ Itsuki was back at his favourite spot smoking a kiseru as he watched the sunset. He was technically meditating but it was a technique he created which allowed him to meditate and still have a thought process outside. Although he couldn''t move from the spot, he could still move one of his limbs. It was a rare moment for him not to have his ability to process multiple thoughts as most of them were focused on meditation while he was able to isolate one of them, bringing it to his current condition. Hearing some footsteps behind him, he felt the reiatsu and just continued looking at the sun. Ichigo in front of him but didn''t cover his view of the sun. Bending down, he stayed like that until he felt Itsuki''s gaze land upon him. "I''m sorry." Breathing out smoke, Itsuki just looked back at the sun, "Don''t worry about it¡­" "Bu-!" "¡­it was my negligence letting some weak kid like you harm me." Hearing Itsuki call him weak, an arrow was felt in his heart, yet a relieved feeling accompanied it. It seems that he wasn''t mad at him. Smiling lightly, Itsuki was about to leave when Itsuki''s voice was drifted into his ear and the temperature dropped to sub-zero, "Be careful on your way home, a certain object might find itself buried somewhere you would never think off." Ichigo felt as if someone had poured ice down his back as his bottom involuntarily clenched. With sweat gushing down his back Ichigo carefully made his down while carefully making sure that he wasn''t exposed from any angle. Itsuki watched Ichigo''s group leave as he sent Seikyo off with them. Rurichiyo could be heard complaining to Kenryu as she wasn''t able to meet Itsuki. Ending his meditation, Itsuki felt a group of reiatsu enter Karakura town. Knowing that there was no point of him making a move, he just returned to spend some more time with the girls. 90 Inoues firs While Itsuki was doing some - Ahem - with his girls, Ichigo and the rest were facing off against assassins sent by Gyokaku Kumoi, the corrupt steward of the Kasumioji clan. While they faced off against the assassins, Kannogi Shu was made the clan head of the Kasumioji clan due to Rurichiyo''s absence and the fact that the opposition didn''t turn up. It didn''t take a rocket scientist to know the fate of the opposition. Back at Urahara store, Itsuki wonders exploring the wonders of the female body with Yoruichi when something flashed through his mind and only one thought remained in his head, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''Shit.'' It had completely slipped his mind that Yoruichi was supposed to save Ichigo right now. Looking down at Yoruichi''s hazy eyes and feeling her hot breath, he didn''t think about it and just shrugged his shoulders, continuing what he was doing. With Ichigo facing off against the leader, the rest of the group took down the enemies one by one. The one who did the most was surprisingly Inoue, who had a lower amount of hesitance within her heart than before. Seeing that Rurichiyo, Enryu and Kenryu behind her, she blocked two assassins, "Santen Kesshun!" A triangular shield immediately appeared in front as she blocked the strike. "Koten Zanshun!" Another beam of light left her head piece and attacked the two, swiping them to the side. Turning back round, she told Kenryu, "Run for it!" Kenryu apologised before carrying Rurichiyo away. She and Rukia held back the assassins while they made a run for it. Rukia didn''t unseal her Shikai as they were relatively easy to take down, with Inoue being able to help whenever she can. Right at the end, Rukia defeated her last enemy when another ''unconscious'' one suddenly woke up and went for a stab. Without thinking, Inoue immediately shouted, "Koten Zanshun!" The beam of light didn''t knock the person out, but instead cut through the man''s body, slicing him in half. It didn''t register within Inoue''s mind that she just killed someone until a short while, "Eh?" Realisation hit her as her expression paled instantly, her eyes widened while her pupils narrowed, and fear was written across her face. She felt something churn within her stomach and tears started exposing themselves beneath her eyes. Bending down, she hurled all her dinner out her mouth as she started having a shortness of breath. Rukia was shocked by the turn of events as she dodged the last guy committing suicide via explosion. It wasn''t the first time she had seen someone die so it was nothing for her, yet she knew that it was Inoue''s first. Seeing the girl empty her stomach and roll up onto a ball, she went and put her arms around her. She tried to calm her down to no avail and when she touched her skin, it was freezing cold. There was no end to her trembling as Rukia just whispered calmly into her ear. "It''s okay¡­" Stroking Inoue''s hair she tried to warm her down yet to no avail. Inoue was shocked into stupor. She tried closing her eyes but the face of the one she killed lingered in her head. Although it was masked, she remembered every moment of life leaving the man''s eyes. Hearing what Rukia was saying, she couldn''t find the strength to reply as on various thoughts were going through her head, ''I killed someone, I killed someone¡­'' ''I''m disgusting¡­'' She could see her hands supporting her body yet, in her eyes, those frail arms were covered in blood. Rukia hugged her until she finally calmed down slowly. Looking down, she saw the blank look within Inoue''s eyes and felt helpless, Inoue had to get over this by herself. A short while later, the others arrived and were able to put together pieces seeing the bodies and Inoue''s lost look. Colour had drained off her face while she seemed to be in another world. Back where Ichigo was fighting the leader Nukui Hanza. Hanza had light purple hair and dark green eyes. He had a notable scar between his eyes and wore a mask covering everything beneath and including his nose. He wore black assassin clothes and red armour over his left shoulder. He held a Bakkoto on his right hand that had a circular mirror on top. The Bakkoto also had tentacles growing out of it and had fused with his arm. The two were currently within a sealed world as Ichigo tried to explode his reiatsu, destroying the sealed world around him. Knowing that he didn''t have time left and that cracks were showing on top of the mirror, Hanza made his move. While Ichigo was stuck and couldn''t move, Hanza struck forward, "Accursed brat¡­don''t get too cocky!!" Ichigo had his sword in front of him while he tried his best to move, "Damn it! Move! Move!" More and more cracks appeared as Ichigo increased his reiatsu output and managed to heed Hanza''s advance. With one final burst, Ichigo broke through the seal with brute force, throwing Hanza off guard. With one strike, Ichigo parried Hanza''s move and created some distance. Hanza who was thrown back had an irritated look as he clicked his tongue when he suddenly felt one of his subordinate''s reiatsu vanish. "Impossible!" While Ichigo was heavily breathing, he saw Hanza retreat, "Wait!" Just as he was about to chase after him, Hanza reflected the moonlight off the mirror and tried to stall Ichigo. Knowing that the mirror will put him into a short daze like state, Ichigo shunpoed to the side dodged the right. Hanza used this chance to escape as he felt his subordinates commit suicide one by one. Thinking back to Ichigo he marvelled at the amount of Reiatsu Ichigo possessed as he returned to soul society. While Rukia took Inoue back to her house, she told everyone what had happened. Outside Inoue''s house, they all had concerned looks on their faces when they saw Rukia exiting. Ichigo was the first to speak, "How is she?" Rukia sighed as she shook her head, "Not good, I just managed to make her fall asleep. The whole experience is traumatic for her¡­" Nodding slightly, they all left for Rurichiyo''s house thinking that they shouldn''t disturb Inoue for now. However, reality wasn''t as simple as to how Rukia made it out to be. A short while later, Inoue started turning every now and then. Sweat poured out of her like a waterfall as tears began to show from underneath her eyelids. Then she started muttering, "No¡­I''m sorry¡­I didn''t mean to¡­" With a sudden jolt, her eyes open wide and she shot up. Her breathing was heavy as a cold feeling spread through her body. She finally noticed that she was at home and alone in the dark. She curled up into a ball and started weeping until she felt her throat dry. Getting up, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Filling it up, she involuntarily looked down and envisioned her hands covered with blood. Dropping the glass, it fell into the sink as she started wiping soap on her hands and rubbing ferociously with water. Yet no matter how much she rubbed; it wouldn''t come off. Without her knowing, her hands got more and more red the more she thought about and started weeping once again. She tried closing her eyes from this yet the look on the man''s face before he dies was etched within her. She saw blood on her hands when she opened her eyes and she saw the man she killed when she closed them. Trying to run away from this situation, she put on her shoes and left the house, not knowing where to go. Unknowingly, she ended up in front of the Urahara store. Looking around, all the lights were off while a disappointed feeling welled up in her heart. Turning back round, she intended to return to her house when a voice called out from behind her, "What are you doing out so late?" With a sudden scream, Inoue jumped from her position and quickly turned around. With a wry laugh, she rubbed the back of her head, "Ha-ha, Itsuki-san¡­" Itsuki took a puff from his kiseru as he looked at Inoue, "I saw what happened, you okay?" "Saw?" As if to answer her question, Seikyu flew down and landed on Itsuki''s shoulder. She seemed to melt under the petting of Itsuki as Inoue just watched. Although Inoue kept a bright smile, Itsuki could see the sadness through her worn out eyelids and tear marks left from all the crying she had done. Itsuki moved forward and put her hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. It seemed that a dam had broken as Inoue started bawling her eyes out. Three shadows could be seen looking at them, "Is he picking up another girl?" "I don''t know, is he?" The third figure kept quiet and looked at Inoue crying. All three of them had laboured breathing as if they had just completed a strenuous exercise. The three did however look at Inoue with some concern as they couldn''t imagine what the girl must be going through after killing someone, especially a girl so innocent and kind. 91 Inoues second Itsuki let Inoue bawl her eyes out as he continued to pat her back. It wasn''t until a short while later did she calm down and left his embrace. Pulling herself out of Itsuki''s embrace, she wiped her tears off and laughed, "Sorry for that, Itsuki-san must think I''m pathetic." She gave a self-depreciating smile as she looked down. Itsuki could see her pale trembling hands grasping the end of her top in nervousness. Her strength in grasping them increased the longer Itsuki took to reply. "I don''t." "Huh?" Inoue looked up with her eyes widening. He didn''t allow Inoue to speak, "Everyone has different reactions to their first kill, yours isn''t much different to Rangiku''s. She bawled so much that she didn''t let go for a few days, I couldn''t leave her alone for that time. Though, I do suspect that she was fine after a few hours." Rangiku, who was listening to them giggled slightly. Inoue looked up into Itsuki''s eyes, "T-then what I about you Itsuki-san. Did you feel anything?" Itsuki sighed as he looked at towards the sky. Looking back, he answered her question with one of his own, "Do you want the truth or the lie?" Inoue hesitated but firmed her resolve, "The truth?" Itsuki stayed silent for another while, "Nothing." Inoue looked confused before realisation hit her face. Itsuki continued, "I felt nothing. What do you think of me now, Orihime Inoue?" Inoue didn''t know what to say as she stared right back at those soul sucking eyes. She wanted to avert her eyes but something within her told her that id she did, she would regret it for the rest of her life. They stayed like that for a while before Itsuki blinked and destroyed the eye contact. Smiling lightly, he immediately captivated Inoue as it was the first time, she saw him smile genuinely. Coughing lightly, he brought Inoue out of her daze as she blushed slightly. Bending down, he whispered into her ear, "For the coming future, you would need to resolve yourself. Sometimes in order to protect, you would have to kill." Inoue was slightly shaken up as she didn''t think she could do it. "B-b-but-" Itsuki cut her off by grabbing her shoulders and making her look at him. "You have no choice." "B=but how?" "First, just watch." Before she knew it, Itsuki had shunpoed and they had arrived in a completely different location. ''Such powerful shunpo.'' Before she could think any further, she felt a large amount of Reiatsu and looked towards that direction. "Kuchiki-san¡­Kurosaki-kun¡­" In the distance she saw Ichigo face four intruders. The leader was Nukui Hanza but this time, it seemed that he had completely fused with his Bakkoto. He had red armour covering his whole body. The first of his companions had brown hair that had a slight lift and then extended backwards yet stayed straight. Like Hanza, he wore a black mask that covered his mouth, along with a long-sleeve black shirt and black pants. The purple scarf he wore also extends down his arms and a dark pink armour was present on his chest. Itsuki recognised him as Kuzu Ryu The other wore yellow armour on his lower half and a yellow eye-patch over his right eye. The white cloak he wore covered his head and acted as a cape. He also had a scar going across his right eye, over his mouth and ended at the chin. Itsuki recognised him as Genga. The last was a strange looking man. His teeth were square and spaced far apart, he had pink skin and no hair on the top of his head. What hair he did have was blonde. He was Jinnai Doko. They all looked at Ichigo and the rest like they were ants, one slightly larger than the others. Inoue looked worried as she tried to go over and help when Itsuki''s cold voice was heard, "What can you do when you go there?" "I¡­" Inoue didn''t know what to say as she looked depressed. "Don''t worry, for now you are just observing me kill." "Wha-" Itsuki didn''t give her time to speak as he grabbed her and disappeared. Despite not knowing, Itsuki had taken up Yamamoto''s ways of not letting the opposite party finish. Yamamoto would never let any of his students finish talking when they were training. The next moment they appeared next to Ichigo and Rurichiyo still on the roof. "Inoue?" Inoue just gave out a slight laugh as she looked back at Ichigo. Acting like a proper girl, "Hello, Kurosaki-kun, Rurichiyo-san¡­" The latter didn''t reply to her as Rurichiyo''s whole focus was on the persons standing behind her. A slight blush appeared on her face as a small voice left her mouth, "Itsuki-sama¡­" Meanwhile, Kenryu, Enryu, Rukia, Ishida and Sado quickly appeared at the roof and were surprised seeing Inoue there. While Rukia went towards her and asked her why she was here, the four assassins started trembling seeing Itsuki there. Hanza gulped lightly and quickly ordered, "Retreat." The senkaimon behind them was still open so they still had a chance. However, as soon as he said that they quickly turned around only to see Itsuki standing behind them. They watched in despair as they saw the senkaimon slowly close behind Itsuki. "Why are the assassins of the Kasumioji clan attacking their own heir?" The four didn''t know how to answer as Itsuki unsheathed Ryurai. Once he did this, the four realised that they were surrounded by Onmitsukido members looking at their every move. The felt like rats having entered a snake''s nest. Just when they were about to choose suicide, they realised that their suicide command seal was nowhere to be found. "I already took care of them." Itsuki''s voice made them even more frightened as they started to tremble. Just when they were about to attack, Genga''s voice was heard, "D-doko!" Hanza and Ryu turned around only to Doko''s headless body slowly fall. Quickly turning around they saw the small traces of blood on the sword slowly drop. A couple seconds later, all the blood was removed, and the blade looked brand new. The three gulped as they knew what he was saying, they were just lambs in front of a chopping board, Doko was the furthest from Itsuki. Itsuki now stood at a lightly higher elevation as he looked down. His eyes glowed in the dark with the moon behind him. No one knew if it was intentional but the head of Doko landed right next to Inoue, Inoue saw this and was about to step back but remembered Itsuki''s words and kept her ground. She watched the head role as tower of resolve started being built within her eyes. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''To help the other¡­'' Saying that in her heart, she looked back at Itsuki with determined eyes. Itsuki saw this and smiled inwardly. He then looked at the other three and narrowed his eyes as they started to step back. Disappearing in front of them, he appeared next to Ryu and kicked him to the side. The Onmitsukido members saw this and immediately acted, stabbing him from all directions. Genga saw this and tried to flee while Hanza went ahead to trap Itsuki. Within the seal world, Itsuki didn''t look but swept the sword to the side, destroying the sealed world in one move. A long crack appeared on the mirror of Hanza''a Bakkoto as Itsuki moved forward and finished Hanza off. As for Genga, Itsuki appeared next to him, and kicked him towards Inoue. He held back slightly, as Inoue saw a large body fly towards her. Opening her shield Genga hit but quickly reacted and swiped his sword at Rurichiyo. However, before he could finish his move a beam of light went through Genga''s throat and his head was split from his body. Itsuki had appeared in front of Rurichiyo to shield the child from the sight while the others looked at Inoue with shock. Inoue, on the other hand, looked at the dead body with a firm gaze yet a trembling body. 92 Inoues thi- no "Inoue¡­" Ichigo looked gobsmacked at the actions of Inoue. However, he noticed that although she was shaking and her face paled, her eyes were firm with determination. Itsuki had a brief yet proud smile on his face before returning to his stoic look. Turning around, he looked down at the little girl who was looking up with sparking eyes and a blush on her cheeks. With the way she was now, it didn''t seem like there were assassins after her or that she was just attacked. ''Uwaaaaa, his eyes are more beautiful than the rumours¡­.'' While Rurichiyo was thinking that, Itsuki bent down and patted her head, "You okay?" To answer Itsuki''s concerns, Rurichiyo just fainted. Luckily, Itsuki quickly caught her and handed her to Kenryu. Turning to the Onmitsukido members he picked two out, "You and you¡­" Two Onmitsukido members appeared kneeling in front of Itsuki, "You''re in charge of her protection." "Ha!" "The rest of you are dismissed." The rest of the Onmitsukido members also kneeled and went off to their posts. Itsuki turned around and looked at Orihime who was still standing there. Although her gaze was firm, he could see the slight weakness hidden within. Shunpoing next to her, he bent down next to her and whispered into ear, "You''re mine." What followed was them leaving the others and - Ahem - ¡­ Itsuki shunpoed next to Inoue bringing Inoue out of her thoughts. What followed wasn''t something that she just imagined. Itsuki appeared in front of her and patted her head, giving a small smile, "You''ve done well." This sent a blissful feeling straight to her heart. Her cheerful smile appeared on her face as she nodded. It was actually better than her imaginary scenario. Itsuki then turned around while Inoue thought to herself while covering her face, ''How vulgar of me'' With that she left with Ichigo and the others while Soi Fon, Rangiku and Yoruichi appeared in front of Itsuki. Itsuki looked at Soi Fon and Rangiku, "We''ll be returning to Soul Society; it seems that the 3rd Division''s captain has something to say and Toshiro has called for you." He then turned towards Yoruichi who walked forwards and put her palm on Itsuki''s cheek. "You''re going huh?" Nodding slightly, Yoruichi tiptoed slightly and the two shared a light kiss. Soi Fon and Rangiku had envious looks but allowed them as they knew Yoruichi would be staying here. As the three gave their goodbyes Itsuki opened a Senkaimon to Soul Society. With Hinamori and Yuki appearing beside Itsuki, Rangiku and Soi Fon followed after the three and left. Rurichiyo, woke up shortly after with deep embarrassment, ''How could I have fainted?'' Within soul society, the main Senkaimon opened and out walked five figures. Knowing that this was where Itsuki and her would part ways, Rangiku took the chance. Instead of going in for a light kiss, she went on full attack and changed it to a deep one. As the gate''s guards watched on with open mouths, Soi Fon looked as if she had just been betrayed. Once the kiss finished, Rangiku gave a slight giggle and disappeared. Itsuki didn''t move for a while before he turned around and glared at the guards. Increasing his reiatsu, he made sure that they forgot what took place. Soi Fon, on the other hand, had a pout when she looked away from Itsuki''s eyes. He would do something to remedy this situation, but he now had to hurry to the captain''s meeting. All he could do was approach her and give her a light kiss and head to the 1st division headquarters. Arriving there he told Yuki and Hinamori to wait outside while he went forward and waited outside the meeting room''s doors for a while before realising that no one was arriving. Waiting for a while, he saw Yamamoto leaving the hall while yawning and muttering, "Must''ve fell asleep¡­" Yamamoto walked a few steps past Itsuki as an enraged shout was heard throughout Soul Society, "You''re late!!!!" Itsuki felt helpless, knowing that it was going to be a long lecture, Itsuki entered his meditation mode and left one thought process to just say, "Yes, sensei¡­ I understand, Sensei¡­" ¡­ A long while later, Itsuki was seen leaving the premises while wiping his face. "Damn geezer." Just as he left, he saw Kira walking past with a downtrodden gaze. He didn''t seem to notice Itsuki as he continued walking while the latter just kept looking at him. When he did pass Itsuki, Kira cast a short gaze towards Itsuki before looking back to the ground. It was only until a few steps later did it register in Kira''s mind that he just went past a captain. Turning around, he saw Itsuki just silently gaze at him as sweat started pouring down his back. No one within the Gotei 13 knew what was going through the 2nd Division''s mind. He was just as mysterious as he was good looking. Bowing quickly, he tried to run away from this atmosphere, but he found that Itsuki was already in front of him with the same gaze. Taking a step back, an awkward look appeared on his face while his mouth twitched. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "C-captain Itsuki. I-is there anything wrong?" Itsuki didn''t say anything and just stared. Kira though, felt an unseen pressure engulf him as Itsuki''s figure metaphorically enlarged. Suddenly, realisation was seen on Itsuki''s face as he sighed, ''I forgot to speak.'' Itsuki then turned around and left a voice, "Follow me." Kira was confused but still followed Itsuki. They ended up in a restaurant where an employee came to greet the guests. As soon as she looked towards the entrance, a dreamy yet dazed look plastered her face. Itsuki didn''t say anything and just carried on walking. Kira still never knew what was happening and just walked behind. Following Itsuki through the hallways two shadows appeared in front of him. The two shadows turned out to be Hinamori and Yuki. Hinamori was surprised in seeing Kira with her captain. Getting the nod from Itsuki she approached him with her usual happy smile. Looking back at Kira who had lost his previous awkward atmosphere Itsuki just continued walking until he reached a set of doors. Sliding them to the side, he saw Shunsui holding a cup of sake and Ukitake next to him while Amagai Shusuke was in front of them collapsed with a red face. He was clearly drunk, "Oh, Itsuki''s here. Come join us." Itsuki nodded and grabbed Shusuke, throwing him backwards. He then sat down where Shusuke sat and took a cup of sake for himself. Kira looked on with an open mouth while Shunsui''s and Ukitake''s eye twitched. "Oi, oi, Itsu-" Shunsui stopped talking when he saw the nonchalant expression on Itsuki. Itsuki then watched Kira take his captain away while holding him over the shoulder. Knowing that they were gone, Itsuki spoke, "I encountered assassins before coming here." The two looked shocked, "Who in their right minds would send assassins after you?" Itsuki shook his head before clarifying, "Not me, the princess of the Kasumioji clan." "Kasumioji clan¡­" The Kasumioji clan was a clan that was rather sensitive topic within the Gotei 13. Rumoured to creating weapons like the Bakkoto, the Gotei 13 had sent people to investigate either returned without any useful information or they never returned at all. "Still, for the princess of the Kasumioji clan to be in the living world¡­" Itsuki didn''t answer and just continued drinking. Ukitake had a thoughtful expression on his face, "I''m pretty sure that the Kasumioji clan just got a new head, if I remember correctly, his name was Shu Kannogi. Yeah, it was a surprise seeing a male at the head of the Kasumioji clan. Apparently, the opposition''s elders went missing on the day of the vote." Shunsui looked at Ukitake and then at Itsuki, "Did you tell Yama-jii about this?" Itsuki nodded as he stretched. The three started conversing as it was one of the rare times the three students could get together and speak like this, Night had already fallen and the three had went their separate ways. While Itsuki arrived at the 2nd division Headquarters and was suddenly submerged with all the paperwork, a Jigokucho was seen flying by his office, "Emergency Alert, Emergency Alert, Menos have been detected within Seireitei!" 93 Joint Training Itsuki was surrounded by Soi Fon and the Onmitsukido members at the 2nd division headquarters. They were all waiting for his orders. Extending his senses, he didn''t feel a single presence of Menos and remembered that it was actually something cooked up by Yamamoto to see how the different teams would cope in an emergency when they encountered one another on the field. "Stay at your posts, if you see a Menos attack them whenever you get a chance, send a report back to Soi Fon afterwards. She will be in charge" Saying his orders, Itsuki then disappeared and reappeared next to Ukitake who was just telling Kiyone and Sentaro that it was all a ruse. While Kaien greeted him, Ukitake didn''t seemed surprised in seeing Itsuki come here as he put on a thoughtful expression, "Then who is the one feeding the squads with false reports?" As soon as he said this, a voice was heard from the side, "That would be me." "Genryusai-sensei" Yamamoto had appeared with Chojiro following him. Yamamoto had spread the false reports on the appearing Menos. Going back to the balcony outside Yamamoto''s office, Itsuki, Ukitake and Yamamoto looked over Seireitei and saw the various divisions quickly falling out with each other. They all came in each-other''s way, wanting to get the merits for themselves rather than cooperating. Seeing a few Menos Grande sprout suddenly from nowhere, all the squads converged and went towards them, Itsuki saw that Rangiku was leading the 10th Division and had a confused expression on her face. All the squads were making their way towards the Menos and they were bound to get in the way of each other, especially if the path they took led to a dead end. Seeing the Shinigami all get stuck in what could only be described as a pathetic display, the two captains had a disappointed look on their face while Itsuki remained stoic like usual. The three saw the Shinigami form various divisions, all crowded around each other as shouts and curses were thrown about. A few fake Menos had thrown the whole Gotei 13 into disarray. Itsuki sighed lightly as the three watched Amagai appear and give out orders. Although he looked normal, Itsuki and Yamamoto could tell he was drunk with the slight redness on his face. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Convincing them with his strength, he instigated all the squads to listen to his commands and allowed them to take down the Menos while working together. Ukitake took his leave once everything settled down while Itsuki remained, Yamamoto had an approving light in his eyes seeing the results when the squads worked together as he barked out an order, "I hereby approve of holding joint training sessions for the Gotei 13." Itsuki heard the order and turned to leave. Yamamoto never said anything about the Onmitsukido. The next day, an unkempt Itsuki finished the last of his paperwork with a satisfied smile as he felt a specific type of reiatsu approaching his office. Itsuki quickly fumbled around to make himself more dignified as he returned to his stoic look. Acting as if he just finished, he saw the door to his office smash open and in came Amagai. "What is the meaning of this, Captain Minamo-?!" Amagai came in with such strength that he ended up tripping himself over and falling face first. Itsuki and Seikyo both looked at each other and back at the captain that had fallen over. Sighing lightly, he saw a hint of redness fill the captain''s face. This was by no means due to embarrassment, but rather, due to the open bottle of sake on Itsuki''s table. Shutting the lid, Itsuki picked up the unconscious man and left the 2nd Division Headquarters. Meanwhile, at an unused large training ground, groups of Shinigami from various divisions had gathered and were waiting for further instructions. "Where''s Captain Shusuke?" An unknown voice was heard, "Apparently no one from the Onmitsukido showed up." "So basically the 2nd division." "Yeah, the captain has gone there right now¡­" Before the voice could finish his sentence, Itsuki appeared in front of the group while holding Amagai by the scruff. Silence filled the training ground while Amagai was thrown down and Itsuki left the premises. However, after he left, twelve members of the patrol corps appeared and waited for the training to begin. "Only twelve¡­" A rough voice was heard, "Those damn Onmitsukido, looking down on all of us¡­" Although no one voiced their opinions, due to the lack of opposition didn''t mean that they thought differently. However, just because no one spoke up afterwards didn''t mean that no one reacted to those words. There were some that had a reaction, well twelve of them. As soon as they found the origin of the previous voice, the twelve of them locked down on that Shinigami and sent their killing intent towards him. The man felt his heart stop for a moment before sweat poured down his back. He then remembered something, no matter what part of Onmitsukido one belonged to, they were the cream of the top. However, apart from Onmitsukido not coming, the other Shinigami had just another thing against them, they had the most female Shinigami after the 4th Division. While this was happening, Itsuki felt a tug in his connection with Seikyo as he was returning. Closing one eye, it showed the scene at the Kasumioji manor, the scene of Rurichiyo''s wedding. Itsuki was surprised seeing this scene already take place. ''Damn paperwork.'' Within, Seikyo''s vision he saw Ichigo being confronted by Soi Fon and a group of Shinigami. Omaeda Marechiyo also there holding Kenryu and Enryu. It seemed that Marechiyo had become a valuable asset within the patrol corps as Itsuki saw him have no arrogance on his face from the anime. As the events had started to reach a climax, Itsuki made his way towards the 1st division. Seeing Yamamoto buried in paperwork, he didn''t say anything and just stood there. A short while later, a Jigokucho made its appearance saying that Ichigo and Rukia had kidnapped Kannogi Shu. Yamamoto looked up at Itsuki, "You do know that I won''t give the order." Itsuki did know and he also knew why. With all that had been happening, the Gotei 13 were currently on a fine line. With three of its captains betraying and the fact that the organisation itself had two powerful figures like Yamamoto and Itsuki created a massive power tilt in their favour. Although the soul king''s palace had more of these figures, the Gotei 13 had the most influence over all of Soul Society. The central 46 had just been replaced and most noble families kept to themselves. Yet they all had some members within the Gotei 13. Itsuki kept his silent as he followed the old man towards the captain''s meeting hall. As the two were the first to arrive, they waited for all the other captains to arrive. Itsuki stood there and just closed his eyes, he wouldn''t actively take part in this meeting. At the end, just like he expected, upon hearing the report from Soi Fon, the order for the capture of Ichigo and Rukia was given and Amagai Shusuke would lead it. Upon leaving the meeting hall, Itsuki turned to Soi Fon, "I''ll leave the searching to you." "Hai!" Soi Fon left as soon as she acknowledged the order. Seeing all the other captains leave Itsuki sighed as he looked at the sky, the longer he stayed here the more restricted he felt. The chains felt heavy as they tied him to the Gotei 13, there were too many things he cared for here. Shaking these thoughts out of his head he just shunpoed into the distance. Him doing things his own way would cause the detriments to outweigh the benefits. ''I need an apple.'' Thinking that to himself Itsuki saw all the Shinigami that were at the training grounds return to their division headquarters. Knowing that Ichigo and co were currently in the sewers beneath Seireitei, Itsuki made his way back to the 2nd division HQ. 94 Siege on Kasumioji clan All Itsuki had to do was wait. Just because he had Eidetic memory didn''t mean that he would know everything. He was just able to remember everything he saw. Currently, a few things had slipped his mind and Yamamoto ordering the siege of the Kasumioji manor was one of them. The old geezer already knew that there was something wrong with the clan and was just waiting for the right moment. Sitting down on the Onmitsukido''s commander in chief''s seat, he took out his Kiseru and blew a smoke. He now went into his mind palace and started to binge watch the whole anime and he tried to remember the manga. He didn''t use all his thought processes; some were still doing calculations while another took over and started to meditate. The hollow and the Sokyoku still hadn''t fully merged and the process had started to slow down. It seemed that he was nearing a bottleneck. As for remembering of the show, he remembered the canon but for the fillers, there were bits and bots he didn''t remember no matter how much he tried. ''Shouldn''t have constantly skipped ahead while pressing the right arrow button¡­'' For the manga, he had rushed through that and could barely remember small parts of it. While he was binge watching/reading, Soi Fon was out there contemplating on what Ichigo had said back at the Kasumioji manor. Plus, knowing Ichigo''s true nature made her feel that something wasn''t right. Looking in a certain direction, a sigh escaped her mouth before she returned in directing the search for Ichigo and co. It wasn''t until the next day when another announcement was made that shocked the Gotei 13. The order to capture Amagai Shusuke was given out, "The captain has¡­" "¡­joined with the substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo¡­" The most shocked were the third squad as disbelief was present in their faces. They had sincerely hoped that this was the rise of them with their new captain, yet reality had just thrown them down a cliff. Also, their lieutenant and 3rd seat had gone missing and they were now just headless chickens, not knowing what to do. Itsuki had remained in the same position since the day before as he received the occasional reports from either Yuki or Hinamori. Itsuki had just went through the whole show and was now just focusing on the current arc. He hated the fact that he could remember a scene and it would skip a part and it would change into another scene. However, he felt that he was missing something. It wasn''t until another announcement was made when he found what he was looking for. It was Ichigo''s sane eyes behind a partially broken mask, they were yellow with a black sclera. Coming to a realisation, Itsuki felt that he was currently playing a connect the dots. He was at first surprised at seeing a new captain chosen so early but just attributed it to not knowing the plot clearly. However, seeing Ichigo in a sane hollow transformation, meant that the arc was supposed to occur after meeting with the visored. But somehow, it had moved up and this was taking place even before Ichigo had met them. The only reason he could think of was him, he had strengthened the Onmitsukido which meant that Amagai had gotten stronger quicker and got the confidence to attack Yamamoto earlier. Still it seemed that due to this, the other events also hastened and Rurichiyo visited the living word earlier. Opening his eyes, he saw Yuki and Hinamori standing there looking at him. Soi Fon wasn''t there and it looked like the two were waiting for orders. "Captain! The captain commander had issues orders to lay siege on the Kasumioji manor." "What do you want us to do?" Itsuki got up as he cleared his kiseru and put it away. Walking forward, he gave out his orders, "Tell the executive corps to engage the enemies with the other squads. The patrol corps would set up a perimeter surrounding the area in case there are no escapees. You two are in charge of guarding the Kasumioji clan''s senkaimon and stop anyone that even approaches that place." Itsuki disappeared as soon as he gave out the orders. He also felt a familiar reiatsu enter soul society and direct Soi Fon along with Ukitake and Shunsui. Outside the Kasumioji manor, Rukia and Rangiku along with the 10th division were holding of the Kasumioji clan''s assassins. The opposite party were all wielding a Bakkoto and refused to go down. Their eyes glowed an unnatural gold and the reiatsu increased as they started losing their sanity. Before they even know it, the Bakkoto they wielded had completed taken over their minds and they lost all reasoning, attacking the closest Shinigami. This caused the battlefield to descend into a stalemate as the Shinigami started getting tired out which made them more vulnerable to attacks. They started losing numbers while the assassins got up when they were struck and continued their assault. Rangiku''s face was covered in sweat as she held of an attack while her back was covered by Rukia, who was also in a similar position. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Dammit, what''s up with these guys?" Rangiku grit her teeth as she struck down another assassin before being attacked by another. The former got up with its reiatsu increased and when in for another attack. They had been caught by surprise by the sudden ambush, who would''ve thought that the Kasumioji clan was hiding this type of force. "We''re not getting anywhere with this?" Rukia knew they were in a predicament until she heard Rangiku''s voice, "Growl, Haineko" Ash filled the sky as she started striking down the assassins yet more and more came. While Rukia kept her back protected, her front was now exposed due to the lack of blade. Seeing more and more assassins converge in front of her, she was able to take them down before they reached her, however they just ended up getting back again. Only when she struck them down a second time did they finally stop. Rukia also took the initiative as she struck forward, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki." Rukia''s zanpakuto turned into a glistening white katana while its blade and even the handle were pure white. There was also a white strap attacked to the end of her handle, resulting in a beautiful, snow like blade. Slowly, the numbers started to put a toll on Rangiku until a mistake caused an opening, allowing an assassin to get through. Seeing the assassin get closer, Rangiku was mildly surprised but was still able to analyse the situation. She tried to return her zanpakuto to its original form, however, the assassin was too fast as he was already in front of her. She had underestimated the increase of strength caused by the Bakkoto and now she was facing a dire situation. Seeing the blade descend, she felt that it was unnaturally slow as she dodged with slight ease. Rukia was already some distance away, so she had no reservations about dodging. Leaning to the side, she watched as the blade flew past her while she rotated her body and landed a kick on the assassin''s head. The details of the result of that kick will be put aside. Seeing the sight before them, even the assassins that had lost their rationality flinched a little before continuing their assault, this time with more vigour. Suddenly, an explosion sounded, and a dust cloud was seen on the other end with a few assassins falling around it. Out came Hisagi Shuhei attacking the nearest assassin. He then rendezvoused with two girls before telling them, "There''s evidence of the Kasumioji clan plotting treason, we are to aid the substitute Shinigami," As soon as he said this, the walls of the manor welcomed another visitor. Some of the Shinigami mistook it for a second sun but the voice that originated from it made them think otherwise, "Ora-ora-ora-ora," Seeing the second sun descend with a rather familiar voice he started dispatching the nearby assassins with his released Shikai. Just then the gates to the manor smashed open and ruffian like voice was heard, "Follow, 3rd seat Madarame!!" Accompanied with a few roars, the Shinigami started flooding the grounds. Toshiro and Byakuya were looking at this from a vantage point as the former sighed. "They never change do they." "Like your height." *snap* Byakuya quickly turned his face as he covered his mouth with his hand, yet his trembling shoulders revealed the fact that he was trying his best to hold back his laughter. Toshiro was also trembling, yet it was for a different reason. His face turned red as he forcefully held back his anger, he knew that if he retorted now, he would cement the idea of his childishness. Forcefully calming down, Byakuya also returned to his normal stoic look as he also looked at the new arrival. Itsuki stood next to the three while Toshiro refused to look at him in case, he did something unthinkable. Seeing the gradual defeat of the assassins, Itsuki only had one opinion, "Too slow." His words were like some sort of start signal as black shadows encompassed the grounds and dived straight in. Rangiku had just pushed back an assassin when the latter stopped and went forward to strike again. Swinging his sword, he brought it down only to realise that his mind had cleared, and he felt a certain weightless in his arms. Looking to his right, he noticed the obviously absent right arm. Rangiku was also surprised as she could have sworn, she just saw an Onmitsukido member. Before the pain registered in the assassin''s head, it was disconnected from its pain receptors. Rangiku watched the headless body collapse, marvelling as to how the Onmitsukido efficiently dispatched the assassin with two strikes. All it took was two members to attack at the right time at two different vital areas. Slowly, other saw this and the rest became easier to handle. There were always at least two shadows for one assassin as they would strike when their prey was distracted. One would go for the arm and amputate the connection between the assassin and Bakkoto while another went for the head. As soon as they were finished with one, they would move onto another. Before they knew it, the ground was littered with bodies missing an arm and head. 95 An enigma Itsuki''s ice cold gaze eyes descended on the aftermath of the battle. He never lowered his head, just his eyes before they turned towards the deeper parts of the manor. The original beautiful manor was now surrounded by death and battle. Bodies littered Itsuki''s path as Itsuki made his way towards centre, slowly taking his surroundings in. His eyes remained unnerved at the sight, looking for any survivors. Yet, there were none, it seemed that the Onmitsukido had done what a proper job. With a satisfied nod, an explosion attracted his attention. Looking toward the explosion''s direction, he felt Soi Fon, Yoruichi, Ukitake and Shunsui attack the Kasumioji''s smithery. Turning his attention back, he disappeared from his position and arrived at the core of the manor. On the way, he noticed the assassin''s Bakkoto''s eyes missing. While the blade was still there, the core of the Bakkoto, its eye, was nowhere to be found. Getting closer He felt a pair of reiatsu up ahead as he once more shunpoed at the spot. When he arrived at the location, it seemed that the events here had already transpired. An elderly, heavily wrinkled yet monkey looking man lay in a pool of blood while Rurichiyo was nowhere to be found. Ichigo also wasn''t here leaving only Rukia and a young boy, who Itsuki presumed to be Kannogi Shu. He wore an oversized white kimono with a blue vest on top. His brown was in a messy state, while his grey eyes expressed concern with hints of depression. Overall, he was in a distress state while Rukia had joy surface on her face when she saw Itsuki. Hearing the events from Rukia, Itsuki quietly listened and pretended it was his first-time hearing of this. Well it wasn''t exactly hard for him to do so. Just a raise of an eyebrow seemed to do the work. For some reason, despite seeing that the situation seemed urgent, Itsuki took his time with this whole ordeal. He listened to how she got here and how the dead man lying on the ground was orchestrating the whole conspiracy, but it was actually Amagai Shusuke pulling the strings. In a different location, Amagai had just landed at the 1st division HQ and was confronting Yamamoto. A calm look plastered his face while hate had filled his eyes and his reiatsu had started to slowly increase. Rurichiyo was next to him on her knees with her hands bound behind her. She watched two monstrous individuals confront each other. "You never thought that there were people in soul society who would kill you if they had the chance." "Kill me? To what extent?" "Kisaragi Shin''etsu." These words seemed to silence Yamamoto before he replied in a tone as if he was reminiscing, "Kisaragi¡­" "I know you haven''t forgotten; I''ve come in his stead to take your life!" Amagai seemed to get more riled up the more he spoke. He had just got into stance and prepared to draw his sword when a voice destroyed the atmosphere from the confrontation. "Blossom madly, Benishidare!" A pink mist covered the area as flowers started emerging from Kenryu''s sword. Still, Amagai looked unperturbed, "I thought I had masked my reiatsu, but it seems that the princess has dedicated babysitters¡­" Turning towards Kenryu, "¡­still your struggle is pointless." "Silence!" With determination in his eyes, Kenryu shouted, "Benishidare, Sange!" A flower had bloomed at the tip of Kenryu''s sword as it dispersed into a cluster of petals. These petals rose up and fused into a series of needle like blades. The blades then struck down targeting Amagai allowing a chance for him to be distracted. Seeing the latter occupied, Kenryu shouted towards Rurichiyo, "Princess, hurry!" Rurichiyo also didn''t just sit by as she picked herself up and ran towards Kenryu. Seeing his hostage get away, Amagai got annoyed, swiping his sword, cutting the needle like blades and dispersing the mist, he prepared to attack, "You damned-" His voice was interrupted by a rise of reiatsu from behind him. Looking back, Amagai saw the giant of a man, Enryu, behind him grasping his zanpakuto. Enryu didn''t allow Amagai to think as he voiced out, "Rock, Daichimaru!" Yet the voice that left his mouth wasn''t the scruff and rough voice found in a man of his stature. What left his mouth was a girly cute voice with a high pitch. Yet Amagai didn''t find time to laugh as two large fists appeared surrounding Enryu''s hands. Smashing the right one down, a gigantic pair of hands appeared on either side of Amagai as they both closed down, trapping Amagai. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Enryu then shunpoed next to Rurichiyo who had her arms unshackled by Kenryu. While Rurichiyo was marvelling at Enryu''s voice, the latter''s blush disappeared as a bead of sweat fell down his face. Quickly getting up, Enryu turned around and spread his arms out and covered Rurichiyo while Kenryu hugged her. What followed was an explosion from Amagai''s location causing pieces of rocks to fly out in all directions. The two used their bodies to shield the little girl. Before the dust had even settled, the now free Amagai made his way towards Yamamoto''s table where a half broken Bakkoto lay. The Bakkoto still had its core, a black eye with a yellow sclera. "Amagai, what do you plan to do with that?" "This." Taking out the eye, he moved it towards his own Bakkoto that looked like a tuning fork with the sides curving inwards and its tip curving outwards. He brought the butt of the Bakkoto towards himself and uncapped the lid revealing another Bakkoto nucleus. This one however, stretched out and revealed a mouth that chomped down on the nucleus that Amagai brought closer. This action allowed his reiatsu to show noticeable signs of growth. Apparently ''eating'' the other bakkoto''s nucleus allowed his own to grow more powerful. After tapping his Bakkoto with his zanpakuto, a tendril shot out and wrapped around Amagai''s arm. This then transformed into an armoured black gauntlet that was shaped like a dragon. The gauntlet fully encompassed Amagai''s entire arm, creating a claw on the hand. A green energy blade materialised from the claw. Looking at this, Yamamoto''s eyes remained closed so the opposite party couldn''t read his expression. "I wasn''t sure what you were plotting¡­" Yamamoto brought his walking stick in front of him and held it horizontally, the said stick''s wood started disappearing while Yamamoto held the hilt of his zanpakuto. "All things of this world, turn to ashes, Ryujin Jakka" The flames of the sun surrounded them as the flames burst outwards. Enryu and Kenryu once more shielded Rurichiyo but they were unharmed as Yamamoto didn''t intend to harm them. Still the two''s bodyguard''s instincts kicked in and they shielded the girl from harm. Seeing the flames, Amagai had a hint of smile on his face as he stabbed his Bakkoto onto the ground. This resulted in garnering Yamamoto''s attention for the first time, as he opened his eyes slightly. All the flames that were surrounding them, suddenly disappeared into nothingness. The previous soul scorching heat gone. Seeing the proud look on Amagai''s face, Yamamoto knew exactly who the culprit was. It wasn''t rocket science. "What did you do?" The smile on Amagai''s face just got bigger. By the time, Itsuki left the manor, a large explosion garnered his attention towards the first division HQ. Knowing that the cause was Amagai, Itsuki disappeared from his position. Back at the first division HQ, the dust cleared and Amagai was seen standing with his zanpakuto unleashed. His upper body was bare, and a sash-like component had appeared over Amagai''s left shoulder and reached down to his waist which contained five Bakkoto nuclei. Attaching the armoured right arm and the sash was something reminiscent to a dragon''s tail, which hanged freely from the upper shoulder area of the back. Itsuki got there when Ichigo had just arrived and was confronting Amagai. While the two were staring at each other, the latter''s attention was immediately attracted by Itsuki when he arrived. A frown appeared for a short while before he returned to normal. Turning to Itsuki, Amagai gave a small smile, "From all my plans you were an enigma, Captain Minamoto. I had taken everything into account, the military might of each squad, got the trust of my division, planned everything to the last detail, even the substitute Shinigami¡­" Saying this he threw a glance at Ichigo before continuing, "¡­yet you and your Onmitsukido¡­" He didn''t finish his sentence off but even Rurichiyo knew what he meant. Itsuki just looked on coldly as he arrived next to Yamamoto. Yamamoto looked at Amagai, "Kisaragi Shin''etsu. How do know this name?" "Kisaragi Shin''etsu¡­was my farther." This declaration was like thunderclaps in Yamamoto''s ears as his eyes widened. Contrary to Yamamoto, Itsuki didn''t have much change on his face, ''I already knew that.'' 96 Itsuki vs Amagai Yamamoto''s eyes widened in surprise after hearing Amagai. What followed was Amagai''s sad story of seeing his father die and how Yamamoto was the one to kill him. How he joined the Gotei 13 and found information, accused Yamamoto with conspiring with the Kasumioji clan to kill his father. After that lengthy speech, it was Ichigo''s turn to give one, of how Amagai was selfish¡­ All in all, Itsuki got bored. This didn''t escape Yamamoto''s eyes as he sighed to himself, ''This disciple of mine¡­'' He watched as to how Itsuki moved a couple steps in front of him. His attention was then brought out front seeing Amagai attack and Ichigo block his path of advancement. The two shared a round a blows before Ichigo was slowly pushed back. "Bankai!" Ichigo activated his bankai and once more attacked. Amagai''s Bakkoto had only nullified Yamamoto''s Ryujin Jakka and nothing else. During their clash, Ichigo felt his reiatsu slowly be sealed away. "Like I said, my Bakkoto seals away a shinigami''s reiatsu, the source of their Zanpakuto''s power." Hearing this, Ichigo replied, "Getsuga Tenshou!" Amagai was easily able to block the attacks and make a move of his own. He stabbed his hook like blade into the ground and generated a spout of fire at Ichigo''s location. Seeing the latter dodge, Amagai took his blade out and thrust it into the ground, generating another spout of fire at his location. This carried on until Amagai got behind Ichigo while he wasn''t paying attention and launched a fireball at his location. Ichigo wasn''t prepared for the attack and was hit onto the floor. Seeing him down, Amagai shunpoed in front of Itsuki some distance away. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Despite just landing a faint voice could be heard, "It''s not over yet¡­" Looking back, Amagai saw Ichigo struggling to get up. Yamamoto saw this and looked at his disciple¡­who, for some reason, had a sadistic smile on his face. Feeling Yamamoto''s gaze, Itsuki sighed within and knew that it was time for him to step in. Seeing that Amagai was about to land a finishing move on Ichigo, Itsuki finally made his move. Shunpoing next to him, Itsuki dragged him out of harm''s way. Amagai however, didn''t notice this and still smashed his weapon onto the ground where Ichigo previously was. The others seemed to also not have seen Ichigo being taken away as Rukia and Rurichiyo screamed. ""Ichigo!!"" Dust flew into the air where Amagai struck his weapon but all that was left was a crater nothing else. Feeling a little odd he looked around only to see Itsuki standing there while holding Ichigo by his scruff. "Captain Minamoto¡­" Itsuki didn''t say anything but threw Ichigo towards. As Itsuki started slowly walking forwards, Amagai''s eyes widened slightly while he gulped a little. The latter could feel his heartbeat spiral out of control while beads of sweat appear on the surface of his skin. He was once part of the Onmitsukido and for them, the most scariest existence wasn''t Yamamoto but rather the man in front of him. Now seeing that same man walk towards him, fear started encroaching his mind like a disease. However, what helped calm it was the idea of finally getting revenge for his father. Steeling his resolve, he stopped himself from taking that step back and remained firm in his position. Itsuki had no idea what was going through Amagai''s head, but he could see the flames of resolve burning in his eyes. To be honest, Itsuki didn''t care as he placed his hands on both his zanpakutos. Seeing his former captain get into stance, Amagai narrowed his eyes and got prepared to defend. With a slight movement, Itsuki disappeared from his peripheral vision which sent a wave of shock within Amagai''s head. Before Amagai could regain his composure Itsuki had already appeared next to him. Appearing in a crouched fashion, Amagai saw a faint crouching dragon and crouching tiger manifest behind Itsuki. With his swords sheathed, the moment he slightly unsheathed them, the two beings'' eyes opened, and they pounced. All Amagai had time to do in that wave of interaction was move his eyes in the direction of Itsuki and barely move his Bakkoto in the Itsuki''s swords path. Still, it was all useless as what followed was him feeling a powerful strike land on his Bakkoto and throw him back wards into an intact wall. What everyone saw there was Itsuki disappearing and the next instant, Amagai being launched into the wall. It was too fast for them to see and the only one that barely saw it was Yamamoto. Yet no surprise was held in Yamamoto''s eyes as it was what he expected with his disciple. Itsuki reappeared next to Amagai''s previous position with both his zanpakutos sheathed. He looked in the direction of where Amagai landed and waited for him to come out. The group on the side looked on with wide eyes as Rurichiyo opened her mouth, "Is it over?" Rukia''s voice followed, "No, it''s not over yet." As if on cue, everyone saw a figure walk out the debris and reveal himself in front of them. What was different about him was his Bakkoto missing. Well, it wasn''t missing, everyone could see the shard of the broken Bakkoto lodged into his skin and him only holding a black handle. Amagai didn''t look at Itsuki but rather his right hand where the Bakkoto was. Disbelief poured out his eyes as he looked back at Itsuki. "Why¡­" Itsuki raised eyebrow as he saw Amagai say something while trembling. "Why do you stand in my way? Don''t you know what type of person he is? You''re his disciple¡­" "I stand in your way because I know exactly what type of person he is." This was the first time Itsuki had spoken in this confrontation, but it had warmed Yamamoto''s heart. A look of pride and grandfatherly love appeared in his eyes, but no one noticed it due to his eyes begin closed. As Amagai clicked his tongue a look full of resignation appeared on his face as he looked back and forth between master and disciple. As if realising something a small laughed escaped his mouth, "Haha, I see, like father like son, or in this case, like master like disciple. You-" Stopping his talk, Amagai pointed his zanpakuto at him releasing a burst of flames in the direction of Itsuki. Itsuki dodged the flames but Amagai was already gone. His intentions weren''t directed at Itsuki at all but rather Yamamoto himself. It was right then when all the other captains had arrived along with Yoruichi''s shout, "Stop! Amagai!" Amagai seemed to not have heard this as he was only focused in killing Yamamoto. The last strike had also ended his Bankai and his zanpakuto had returned to its sealed form. Seeing Yamamoto get closer to his blade, a vicious smile masked his face. Victory seemed to be in sight as memories flashed through his head of finding his father dead, ''I''ve finally avenged you fa¡­'' Suddenly another figure entered his vision as his sword was deflected into a different path. That figure''s other hand welcomed another sword in a back handed grip heading straight for his neck. Suddenly, everything seemed clear as he saw the opposite party''s face, ''Captain Min¡­'' A cold feeling washed over his heart as another thought sprouted in his heart, ''No, I can''t die here! I haven''t even got my revenge!'' Yet there was nothing stopping that sword. Time seemed to slow as the sword headed for his neck until a voice stopped everyone''s actions. "Everyone stop!" The blade coming to Amagai''s stopped right before touching his neck while everyone looked at the source of the voice apart from Itsuki who held his sword up to Amagai''s throat. As Amagai felt a cold feeling on his neck, a shocked expression surfaced on his face while a confused look flashed through his eyes. Why did he stop? That was the only question that currently occupied Amagai''s mind. His enemy had the perfect chance to kill him, yet they stopped. In that moment a female voice answered his questions, "Amagai, the captain commander didn''t kill your father. Your father was just another victim of the Bakkoto." 97 Back to the living world Yoruichi went on to explain how Amagai''s father had succumbed to the Bakkoto and Yamamoto had no choice but to kill him. He looked really aggrieved after hearing the truth, "No, was I so blinded by hate that I was unable to see the truth?" With that, the memories of his father''s last words started to come back to him, "Beware of the Bakkoto¡­" As soon as he remembered this, Amagai fell onto his knees, "What have I done?" Itsuki stepped back and watched the man disbelievingly look at the floor. Yamamoto behind let out a sigh, "So, you''re kisaragi''s son¡­ you look just like him." "Does this mean I was too weak, Genryusai-dono?" "It''s nothing to be ashamed of. Forgive my inability to save you both." Amagai didn''t reply but got up and looked at Itsuki. "Captain Minamoto¡­" Itsuki closed his eyes and moved a certain distance away from him. Ichigo looked confused and wanted to say something but was held back by Byakuya. "Amagai Shusuke has pride as well." Shunsui then added on, "He''s a man who became a captain, let him live his last moment as he sees fit." Amagai didn''t hear this but looked at Kira wo had also arrived. Gone was the hate filled smile and what had replaced was the heart-warming one found on Amagai''s face. A gentle look was present as he spoke, "Kira, I''m sorry. I dragged you into a terrible solution¡­" "Captain Amagai¡­" "¡­I had great fun with you guys." With a slight laugh, he turned to Itsuki. It was the first time Itsuki had seen such eyes of Amagai. They were burning with respect, as if he was facing an utmost honour. This confused Itsuki but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Getting into stance he looked at Amagai, "Reign for the heavens, Ryurai." At that moment, a large lightning strike was seen within Soul Society despite the clear skies. Back at the 1st Division HQ all the captains started making their exits, leaving only Itsuki looking at Ryurai. The man seemed lost in thought as he looked at his reflection. He remembered how Amagai looked at him in his final moments, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''Am I so handso- respected?'' Itsuki never realised how much regard he held within the Shinigami''s hearts. Especially after Aizen''s betrayal, had left a hole which Itsuki managed to inadvertently fill. It made him realise that his future actions will have to slightly change. Soi Fon looked at his back and felt an uneasy feeling within her heart. It was the same for Yoruichi as they both looked at each other and back at Itsuki. Seikyo landed on Itsuki''s shoulder as he started petting it once he sheathed his sword. Turning around, he smiled at the two girls and walked towards them. It wasn''t until evening did Yoruichi leave and Itsuki was in charge of getting everything together. Cleaning up the mess made by the Bakkoto. It was also then that Rurichiyo had her wedding in which Itsuki was invited but didn''t attend. He did send Seikyo with Hisana as a sign of good faith, but he was mostly stumped with cleaning the aftermath. ''Damn Paperwork¡­'' A report finally entered his ears, it seemed that the Arrancars had finally made a move. ¡­ - The living world - Inoue was currently in her battle position with Sado behind her lying unconscious alongside Tatsuki. In front of her were two men, one of the was a large man with a powerful build. He wore a white jacket that showed his chest with a hole in the middle, signifying his status as a being from Hueco Mundo. He had his bottom half of his mask on his jaw line and was looking at Inoue with shock, he had lost an arm. His arm that was the size of Inoue was also there lying on the side. With a scream he fell on his knees and as blood poured out his arm, his regeneration not working at all. The smaller man behind her also looked at Inoue with shock among his melancholic face. He had pale white skin, black upper lip and green eyes while teal lines that descended from them. He also wore a white coat but his was closed and both of his coattails and collar were longer. Inoue had a determined look on her face as her hands reached for the pin. As the shorter man was about to make a move, Ichigo appeared in his bankai mode while looking at the two men. ¡­ A senkaimon appeared in Karakura town in one of its darkened alleyways. Stepping out, Itsuki looked around and then turned his gaze towards one particular one. Within that particular warehouse, a group of people were within a large area surrounding a large barrier. Inside that large barrier was Ichigo with hollow parts surrounding his body and Aikawa Love wearing a green tracksuit in front of him. Hirako Shinji was there looking inside, his originally long hair was now cut short and he was now wearing a simple shirt, trouser and tie with a newsboy cap. Hiyori was also there wearing a red tracksuit. The other ''traitors'' that ran from soul society were also there. Rojuroo otoribashi was wearing a thin black suit with a frilly shirt. Kuna Mahiro was sporting a white bodysuit and green gloves while also looking inside. Hachigen Oshida was wearing a green tuxedo and was keeping the barrier up. Mugurama Kensei was there wearing a dark purple vest, combat trousers and boots while looking at a stopwatch. Lastly, Lisa Yadomaru was there in a girl''s sailor uniform reading an - Ahem - comic book. "Kensei, how long has it been?" Lisa looked up from her book and got ready to enter the barrier. Kensei looked at his stopwatch and replied, "It''s been 68 minutes." "Who had the longest previously?" "It was Hiyori with 69 minutes and 2 seconds." At that moment, no matter what they were doing, a chill went through their spines. They felt like they were trapped, with nowhere else to run. Sweat appeared on their skins while they felt their hearts squeeze. Even Hollow Ichigo stopped what he was doing. One by one, footsteps were heard, the enemy they all perceived didn''t stab them in the back but appeared right in front of them. While he seemed unfamiliar for some of them, some of them still remembered them. For example, the shortest one of them all, Hiyori immediately recognised that face. The only different thing was those glowing eyes that made her soul tremble and the captain''s haori he now wore. Itsuki walked in and his eyes were locked onto Ichigo. The teenager had stopped moving and was just standing still. Within his mindscape, Ichigo had stabbed white Ichigo and the two were having a conversation. Ichigo was confused though, the white version of him had just stopped moving as fear had masked his face but before he could ask, he faded away. One by one, all the hollow parts fell off of him and he collapsed face first. Yet nobody looked at him and continued looking at Itsuki. Ichigo was tired and he barely moved his face to see why the other were so quiet. However, what entered his visions was Itsuki standing on the steps looking at him while the members of visored unsheathing their weapons and having their hollow masks ready. Feeling his eyelids heavy he saw Itsuki disappearing and appearing in front of the group while the group moving to attack. Before he could see more, he closed his eyelids but forced himself to keep them open. What entered his view shocked him. Itsuki hadn''t unsheathed his sword but with one move he broke Lisa''s mask and threw her to the side. Ichigo had no strength to scream, but his eyelids felt heavy again. Closing and opening them again, the next view was seeing Itsuki standing there with all the visored members defeated around him. He finally understood why the hollow inside of him showed a momentary lapse of fear. Once more Ichigo felt his eyelids heavy again but this time he had no strength and he soon fell unconscious. Shinji barely propped himself up as he looked at the monster before him. It was still unbelievable with how strong the man in front of him got in the past 100 or so years. Seeing Itsuki walk away surprised him, "Where are you going?!" Itsuki stopped around and glanced back, "Do you want me to kill you?" The atmosphere lightened up as Shinji comically shook his head. Nodding slightly, Itsuki carried on walking as his voice travelled back, "It''s been nice meeting you." Itsuki left a confused Shinji, "If he''s greeting us then why did he attack us?" Looking around, he saw a red-faced Hiyori trying to sneak away. "Hiiiiyyyyooorrrrriiiiiii! What did he say to get you agitated?!" "Shut up, D*ckhead!" Itsuki left the visored while rubbing his neck. "Now one more thing to do." Itsuki disappeared from his spot. 98 Choice Within a room, Tatsuki could be seen looking out of the window at the clear night sky. She had just taken a bath as a towel hung over her neck while she was wearing a normal t-shirt and shorts. Remembering the two guys attacking them and seeing Inoue protect her had somehow caused her to distant herself from her best friend. As a normal human, seeing all of that was surprising nonetheless but she didn''t know how she would face the group tomorrow. Ichigo had disappeared to go knows where, she hated the way she left it with Inoue. But she couldn''t help it, it was hard for to find out that her closest friends were hiding such a huge secret. All of a sudden, she felt that they belonged to two different worlds. One was her protecting Inoue from lecherous hand while the other was Inoue protecting her from monsters she hadn''t ever seen before. She just curled up into her knees and buried her face. Suddenly her doorbell was heard, and her mother went to open the door. She didn''t care who had come but she was sure she heard a familiar voice. After the small talk, she heard a few footsteps and her door slamming open. The sudden loud sound caused her to shriek only to see her mother looking at her with judgemental eyes. Her mother looked just like an older version of her but with longer hair and an aged face. Her mother just looked at all the sport posters she had while also looking at her with disdain. In respect the two shared a tomboyish personality. Playing with a ladle, she walked in and carefully scanned her daughter, creeping the latter out. Finishing her check, she sighed lightly, "I don''t know how, but a friend is waiting for you outside." "A friend? Who?" "I don''t know but he was wearing a Karakura high school uniform. He said you had something important to talk about." "What''s his name?" "He said you will know who it is, once you see him." "Muuuum, don''t you think that''s in any way suspicious." Hitting her daughter with the ladle, she replied, "Of course, I thought that, but then I remembered you, why would a boy like that have his sights on you?" For some reason, Tatsuki felt an arrow pierce her pride. She had always been like this; it was because she was better than most boys athletically and a talent in Karate that got her to become a tomboy. Especially with a mother like hers, her enthusiasm for sports had somehow descended into her. Still, she found it confusing about who was meeting her this late at night. Her thoughts were broken when her mother''s voice entered her ears, "Make sure you bag him, get some good genes into the Arisawa family." "Mum!" With that she hurriedly left the room, ignoring the further shouts of her mother. "Tat-chan! At least¡­" Tatsuki''s mother heard her daughter running down the stairs, "¡­at least wear proper pants." Tatsuki didn''t hear the latter part of her mother as she was already at the door. Opening it she saw a familiar back and a head full of familiar white hair tied up into a ponytail. "Minamoto-san¡­" Itsuki turned around and his attention was immediately attracted to her long legs that were on display due to shorts. Tatsuki realised where Itsuki was looking and looked down, immediately seeing her bare legs. It took some time for it to click, but with the assistance of it, she immediately realised as her face flushed red and ran back into the house. Itsuki just heard the sound of running and shouting after Tatsuki closed the door. Remembering her dim-wittedness, Itsuki thought to himself, ''Am I making a mistake?'' Itsuki just shook his head, ''Whatever happens, happens. I''ve already made up my mind, no point in changing it now.'' Tatsuki came out wearing shorts that showed off her ankles and a jacket over her t-shirt. She looked at Itsuki with a hint of redness, not knowing how to start. "So, hehe, nice weather¡­" Itsuki just looked on with a blank face, while a voice was heard from behind the door, "Idiot." "Mum!!" Tatsuki turned back around with a shy smile as the two heard Tatsuki''s mother walk away. Itsuki sighed lightly as he gave a smile, "Follow me." "Uh¡­" Without listening to her response, Itsuki started walking leaving to fumble slightly and catch up to Itsuki but stay a few steps behind. "Um, you said that you had something to talk about." "Mmhmm." Acknowledging her without turning around, Itsuki carried on walking. This went on for some time until Itsuki found what he was looking for. A hollow was just idling around picking his nose, but he carried on walking as if he never saw it. Tatsuki on the other hand saw the hollow and shiver went down her spine. "Umm, Minamoto-san, where are we going?" "Why do you ask?" Itsuki continued acting oblivious while a worried expression masked her face. "It''s just, I want to quickly grab a drink there was a vending machine this way." Pointing in the other direction, Tatsuki called out to Itsuki, "It doesn''t matter, there''s one just ahead." "Yeah, but that one doesn''t have my favourite drink." "You have a favourite drink?" "Yes! would you please just come with me." Itsuki could sense her fear in that shout as Tatsuki grabbed his hand and dragged him in a different direction. However, that shout allowed Itsuki to get what he wanted. Attracting the hollow''s attention, it started moving towards them with a scream. Tatsuki still didn''t know how to hide her reiatsu so she was like a beacon of light to the hollow. Tatsuki hadn''t even considered the hollow to follow her and show up in front at some distance away. Seeing the hollow, Tatsuki managed to turn around and drag Itsuki in a different way. Itsuki, still keeping his act up, "Where are we going now? I thought the vending machine was that way?" Tatsuki didn''t answer until she felt a pressure descend upon her with the origin behind. Looking back, she saw the hollow towering over the two and swung his hand smacking Itsuki. "Minamoto-san!!" What happened though was completely out of her expectations. With the hollow smacking Itsuki, she expected see him flung out of her grasp like a sack of potatoes. However, it went contrary to expectation because as soon as the hand made contact with Itsuki, the hollows arm ripped from his body landing onto the side. The hollow had hit Itsuki with such force that it ripped its own arm of. Tatsuki was there left shock as a stoic look returned to Itsuki. Standing up, Itsuki brushed his clothes as he threw a mod soul pill into his mouth. Instantly, Itsuki came out of his Gigai while rose bloomed around it. "Go to the side." "Yes sir!" The mod soul gave Tatsuki a wink before running to the side. "It seemed you can see it." Tatsuki looked at Itsuki only to see the hollow run away. It wasn''t the first time she had seen such clothes; she had also seen Ichigo wear them before. But the one in front was different, this one had a white haori draped over. "You¡­you¡­" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I told you that I was going to tell you important." "But¡­but¡­" Her finger pointed at the fleeing hollow prompting Itsuki to turn around. Sighing lightly, Itsuki swung his sword sending a sword strike, splitting the Hollow in half. Once more Tatsuki, was at a loss of words as her mouth flapped open like a fish. Waiting for her to calm down, Itsuki started to explain about Shinigami, hollows etc. Tatsuki''s world was broadened the more she heard. Once Itsuki had finished explaining, he waited for her to calm down. "Then, why me?" "You should know." "Yeah, but I want to hear it from you." "Your reiatsu has reached a point where it can''t be ignored. Would you rather fight yourself, or let your friends risk their lives protecting you?" Itsuki didn''t tell her that he was secretly boosting he reiatsu, ever so slightly. Tatsuki was muddleheaded for a bit. It was too much for her, the door that separated her world with Ichigo and Inoue''s had just opened. "Here take this address, I''ll let you think about it¡­" "Yes." "Hmm." "I would rather fight myself," Itsuki smiled lightly before his face turned serious, "Then remember, you can''t tell anyone about this, not even Inoue. Okay?" Tatsuki nodded in acknowledgement while Itsuki returned to his Gigai. "Then I''ll return you home, and you will be coming to this address tomorrow." - The next day - Ichigo woke up in a futon as the memories of yesterday slowly came back. Eyes widening in shock he sat up, "Guys!" What replied to him was a sandal to the face thrown by Hiyori. "Shut up!" "What was that for?!" That was when Ichigo looked up to see the group wearing bandages here and there. A serious look covered his face as he looked at everyone. Shinji looked at his book, "He''s gotten stronger." "That was the first time I met him." Kensei replied while Lisa chimed in, "I remember the last time his swordsmanship was on par with Captain Shunsui and Captain Ukitake." "Uwaaahh, he was suuper strong. He was like dokun, babang, kachink and all of us were defeated. Only Shinji was able to last a few hits with him. "So, did you find out about his motive." "He said he came to greet us." """"""What?!""""" Everyone was surprised by that. It was at that moment that one thought went through everyone''s head, ''That was a greeting?!'' Ichigo was there looking at them with a dumbfounded face. Shinji ignored it and continued, "Anyway, Urahara said not to worry about it." "Yeah, I guess you shouldn''t, from what I know he doesn''t seem to be a bad guy." "What do you mean?" All of them looked at Ichigo, "Well, he was against Rukia''s execution, he saved Rurichiyo and from what I know he helped Rukia''s sister out a lot¡­" "Well he did spare all of our lives so there''s nothing to worry about." That was when Hiyori noticed Lisa looking suspicious while hiding something in her book. "What you got there, Lisa?" "Uh, nothing." "Huh?!" Feeling more suspicious, Hiyori went and snatched her book. "What?! You got this and you didn''t tell me?!" Holding up a photo she seemed really pissed at Lisa. At the Urahara store, Itsuki looked up only to see Tatsuki at the entrance looking around for someone. 99 Impulses - Beneath the Urahara Store - Tatsuki was looking at the open area with wide open eyes. It was surprising to see such a large hidden area beneath a small shop. "We will be training here." Itsuki''s voice bought her out her daze as she saw Itsuki in his Shinigami form. "Firstly, you need to die." "Huh-" Itsuki appeared in front of her and hit her with the butt of his zanpakuto, allowing her soul form to be released from her body. Her main body collapsed while Tatsuki wearing Shinigami clothes appeared. This earned a raised eyebrow from Itsuki as it seemed that it had gone better than expected. "Hooo." Urahara appeared behind Itsuki as he had his concentration grasped by Tatsuki. "You made her a Shinigami right of the bat?" "Took some inspiration with how Ichigo became one." Urahara looked impressed as he analysed Tatsuki. The girl was still marvelling at herself seeing her wearing a black Shihakuso. She looked at her arms and spun around as she felt a power surge within her. She never knew what it was, but she felt that she could break that rock in front of her. Fuelled by her impulse, she jumped at it and went for a punch. Itsuki and Urahara stood next to each other and looked on with interest. Putting one step forward, Tatsuki''s eyes sharpened while she grunted, throwing a punch. The result of that was nothing, all that followed was a sharp scream from Tatsuki as she held her aching hand. Tears threatened to drop as she looked up at Itsuki, who just stoically looked on. No-one could see what he was thinking while Urahara started laughing. Waiting for him to calm down, Itsuki turned to Urahara, "I''ll be borrowing Ururu." "Eh?" Itsuki didn''t reply as Ururu walked past Itsuki with boxing gloves and a headgear in her hands. After bowing to the two, she stood in front of Tatsuki and bowed, "Please take care of me." Tatsuki was confused as she also bowed in return. Looking at the little girl walking towards her, she offered her the gloves and headgear. Wearing them, she turned to Itsuki who looked back at her, "Now survive." "Huh?" Seeing something at the corner of her eyes, she dodged only to see the little girl fly past her with a kick. She barely had anytime to gather herself when she saw the girl land and immediately attack her. Each punch or kick was enough to create craters wherever they landed. Tatsuki was holding on with dear life until she was able to get a read on the girl''s movements, allowing her to dodge ahead of time. This earned a raised eyebrow from Itsuki as he saw her dodging hits earlier. However, Tatsuki never went for a counterattack as she knew that if she received a punch, broken bones would be the least of her worries. From all her friends, she was the most level-headed. The game of cat and mouse went on for quite some time until Tatsuki slipped and found herself in the path of one of Ururu''s destructive punches. Tatsuki was still falling so she wasn''t able to move and Ururu was already mid punch. Tatsuki kept her eyes on the incoming fist until closing it as she felt the force of the punch arrive even before the actual punch itself. Waiting for the impeding destruction of her face, she just felt a wind breeze by and nothing else. Opening her eyes slowly, she just saw Itsuki standing there while picking Ururu up by her scruff. Ururu just hung there like a cat while letting her limbs fall on either side of her. Tatsuki just gave out a sigh and fell back, hitting her head on a rock. Itsuki placed Ururu to the side and thanked her before letting go. ''I need an Ururu, nah, I have Nel.'' Looking at the girl go away reminded him of the little critter back in Hueco Mundo. Tatsuki kept on rolling here and there while holding her head. Itsuki waited for her to calm down before asking, "How''s your breathing?" That''s when Tatsuki realised that her breathing was clearer and more stable. Looking back as to how it was made easier, a chill went through her spine. If it was that dangerous just to make her breathe easier, then what would the following training be like. However, before she had further second thoughts in her accepting the training, Itsuki picked her up onto her feet. Surprised by his actions, Tatsuki felt a bit of heat on her face before shaking those thoughts out of her head. "You''re quite heavy." "What?!" Tatsuki felt shocked throughout her body as she felt the heat returning to her face. Seeing the stoic look on Itsuki''s face, she didn''t think he was lying. Itsuki didn''t clarify further as he pulled out a sword. It was a normal looking katana with a simple black handle and sheath. "Here. Keep it with you at all times, it is now your companion through life and death." Itsuki threw the katana at Tatsuki while a pair of small voices was heard within his head. "Companion through life and death he says. What companions, he barely talks to us." Itsuki could almost picture Byakko nodding at Ryurai''s words. Sighing lightly, he started to subtly pat his two swords receiving a purr in return with Ryurai''s voice accompanying it, "We''ll forgive you this time." Itsuki''s attention was brought back to Tatsuki who was looking at her sword and holding it to her chest. "Don''t worry about it anyone seeing it, it will only appear in this form." Tatsuki nodded as she looked at Itsuki. "Well this is it for now, come back tomorrow, that''s when your official training starts and remember don''t tell anyone. Ok?" "Hai!" Tatsuki sighed in relief as she started walking towards her body. "And one more thing¡­" Tatsuki turned around only to see the back of Itsuki playing with Seikyo, "No matter how much you want to, even if it''s killing you inside, do not, ever, allow yourself to turn into your Shinigami form, you understand?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hai!" Seeing Tatsuki leave, Urahara came next to Itsuki, "You do know that she is going to change when the time comes." Itsuki didn''t say anything as he also looked at Tatsuki leaving. "I am quite envious though, you have such a, what''s the word, yes, co-operative student. Mine was screaming and shouting at me when I unleashed Ururu." Itsuki knew Urahara was talking about Ichigo as the two stood there. Then an impulsive idea, hit Itsuki, "Wanna spar?" "Eh?" Urahara never had any time to think as Itsuki was already unsheathing his sword. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, nooooooooooo!" A scream was heard while Tatsuki finally left the huge hidden space. Seeing the sun still shining brightly into the sky she made her way home only to run in with Inoue on the way. Inoue had just come from home and she was currently making her way towards Ichigo. She had just heard about Aizen''s goals and how Karakura town was at the centre of it all. "Inoue¡­" "Tatsuki-Chan¡­" The two never knew how to proceed. Inoue had realised that Tatsuki had been acting weird since that event with the two Arrancars. Tatsuki also knew how she had left it with her best friends and the atmosphere became really awkward. The two never knew how to start the conversation and were just left in silence. Both of them then just closed their eyes and smiled, however both knew that theirs and the opposite party''s was fake, "What you up to, Inoue?" "Just getting some groceries, you?" "Just coming back from the dojo." "Hahah, then I''ll see you in school," "Yeah, I''ll see you there." Frustration grew in their hearts as they both bit their lips after the two crossed paths. Tatsuki''s dojo and a groceries shop wasn''t anywhere near where they were currently, and they knew they were lying. Inoue wanted to keep her friend safe while Tatsuki couldn''t tell her about her Shinigami training. Back at Urahara''s shop, Renji had agreed to train Sado after being allowed to stay over at the store. Him, Toshiro, Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika had returned to the living world. While Toshiro and Rangiku were receiving secret orders, the other three were ordered to keep the lookout for any more Arrancar attacks alongside Itsuki. Him and Sado had just entered the secret training space when a group of rocks flew past them due to an explosion. Hurriedly protecting themselves, they saw Urahara walk out of the dust in tattered clothes. He looked like a homeless man wearing rags with his messy hair, dust covered face and only one sandal on his left foot. Itsuki nonchalantly walked out after him and looked at Sado. This was his first time seeing him face to face and the teenager was a behemoth, even taller than Itsuki. "Captain Minamoto!" Renji bowed at Itsuki while the latter gave him a nod. Looking at the two, "What are you two doing here?" "Well I was supposed to spar with¡­" Urahara seemed to flinch when hearing that word while Itsuki''s ears perked up, "Spar?" Urahara was praying for Renji to not say anything further but how can Renji read Urahara''s thoughts. "Yes, captain." For some reason, teaching Tatsuki had given Itsuki the impulse to find someone to spar with, hence Urahara''s current state. ''Where''s Zaraki when you need him, better yet Unohana.'' Comparing craziness, Unohana was on a whole different level different level. While Zaraki looked for a good fight, Unohana looked to kill the opposite party, with any means possible. "Fine then the two of you will spar against me." ""Eh?"" Both of them were surprised and the looked at Urahara who just turned his face away. He had already started praying for them. He couldn''t look at them in their eyes. 100 Itsuki vs Renji & Sado Itsuki stood in between the two, while Sado had taken out his arm, Renji had entered Bankai. Once more, the stone entered the scene within Itsuki''s hands. Throwing it into the air, the eyes of Sado and Renji sharpened. As the stone reached it peak, they lowered their centre of gravity and got ready to attack. As soon as the stone touched the ground, the two instantly made their moves, "El-Directo!" A powerful strike of reishi left Sado while Renji swung his zanpakuto which now looked like a giant serpent. While the powerful reishi reached Itsuki, all he did was wave his hand like swatting a fly and it destroyed the reishi attack, as for the snake attack, all Itsuki did was grab the snake and throw it, throwing Renji in the process. Still the two never gave up, Sado arrived next to Itsuki and let loose a punch in which Itsuki parried by touching the inside of Sado''s arm with his palm. Sending a palm of his own, he threw Sado back while Renji jumped out of the rubble and made an attack of his own. "Hikotsu Taiho!" A ball of spiritual energy formed at the serpent''s mouth and shot towards Itsuki. Itsuki barely glanced at it as he opened his palm in its direction, "Bakudo #39. Enk¨­sen." A spiralling barrier was created in front of Itsuki''s hand leaving a shocked Renji as he looked at that kido spell successfully blocking his attack. Despite knowing that his strength was limited to 20% it was the same for the captain in front of him. As the two shot of spiritual energy and barrier clashed, it caused a tiny explosion throwing dust everywhere and creating smoke that obscured Itsuki. Itsuki calmly walked out of the smoke and saw Sado and Renji regroup in front of him. He stayed there and was curious at what they would do. "The captain''s really strong." "Hmm." Renji was the first to initiate the conversation while Sado nodded. He wasn''t much of talker in the first place. Sado had only seen Itsuki fight once which was against the assassins sent after Rurichiyo, but it was the first time he was facing it himself. He also knew that Itsuki''s power was limited causing only one thought to be processed in his head alongside Renji''s, ''What difference does that made?'' The two seemed to exchange a few words before Renji first attacked. Swinging Zabimaru, his zanpakuto, he made the serpents head attack Itsuki by trying to crush him beneath its fangs. Itsuki once more didn''t move even when the fangs hit him only for the serpent to fall apart. Renji looked aggrieved and moved behind Sado who was coming for a punch. Itsuki dodged the punch and saw Renji also coming in for one, it was now a two v one hand-to-hand combat situation. "Abarai Renji." Itsuki called out his name as Renji looked confused, "Have you forgotten what the Onmitsukido is known for?" That''s when Renji remembered as it had slipped out of his mind. Pushing Sado''s and Renji''s punch to either side of him, he grabbed the back of their collar and threw them towards a rather large rock. The two landed rather harshly, hurting their backs. Upon looking up, they saw Itsuki slowly walking towards them and get into position for a punch. Lowering his body, he clenched his right hand and placed it behind him. With his eyes sharpening, he controlled the output and disappeared from their visions, "Ikkotsu." The next moment he appeared was above the two and punching in between their heads. They heard rumbling from behind them, only to turn around and see a massive ravine behind them. ''Not as powerful, but I''m glad I don''t have to go bald to punch like that.'' The two''s legs were shaking from when Itsuki got into position, and it still continued to tremble, even after Itsuki had left their sights. "Hey, Sado." "Hmm." "From now on, its only the two of us, ok?" Sado nodded as he felt sweat drip down his forehead. He used to think that Ichigo was a monster, but now Ichigo looked cuter than a baby than the monster in front of him. Itsuki however, was using this excuse as he was waiting for another event, it was the movie, DiamondDust Rebellion. He remembered their being something known as the king''s key in it, but he wasn''t sure if it would actually take place. The object was too powerful, it was literally broken like seriously broken. The king''s seal had the ability to control the dimension as the user saw fit. Time, space, energy and matter were all controlled by one''s thoughts. Teleportation, healing any type of injury, anything was possible. He was sure that if it was canon, it would already be in Aizen''s hand and the anime would be over before it even started. So just like that, he waited and waited until Toshiro and Rangiku got back. There was a faint hope within his heart that the secret mission that had taken place was about that but all they had was to escort a noble. It seemed that the faint hope he had bout the king''s key was shaken. Looking through the records there was no name of Kusaka Sojiro, the villain from that movie and the king''s seal wasn''t even mentioned in any of the records from the library, finally crushing the light wisp of fire known as hope within Itsuki''s heart. If he was able to get his hands on that, all his future plans would be much easier. Well all it would take was the snap of his fingers. Still, Itsuki forgot about it and just carried on doing something he had never done before, cook. That was only for a short while until Toshiro came to meet him. Itsuki wanted to spar but it seemed that something had come up. ''I''ll ask for one later.'' "So, you''re talking about a pseudo-Arrancar with the ability to multiply?" "Yes, whenever it appears, we hear the sound of a flute playing." Itsuki nodded as he searched through the show. It seemed that it was a filler arc during when Ichigo was training with the visored. "It has the ability to change into a soul that it has attacked." "Attacked, huh?" "What?" Toshiro could tell that Itsuki was on to something, "What about the girl?" "Yui?" "Yeah." "We''ve put her within a barrier." "The pseudo-Arrancar most likely targeted the girl due to her unusually high amount of reiatsu, her brother probably has the same considering that they''re siblings." With that explanation, it was easy to put two and two together. "But she had full control of herself," "Most likely an act." Toshiro looked pissed at the way Itsuki was looking at him. He could tell that despite no saying it, his stoic face was just screaming at him, saying something like, so na?ve little Toshiro. "We need to hurry then." Itsuki saw Toshiro use Shunpo and run back, however before moving, Itsuki seemed to hesitate. Looking towards another place was a hot and baking apple pie, just sitting there ready to be eaten. It had taken a lot of effort for Itsuki to make it as he wasn''t a cook but finally, he had done it. Toshiro realised that Itsuki wasn''t following him and looked back, only to hear a voice next to his ear, "You go ahead, I''ll meet you there." "But-" "By the time, your short legs get there, I could''ve made a lap around Karakura town." "What-" Toshiro just left, pissed at Itsuki''s remark. The latter though, couldn''t care less as he was prepared to dig in when a rumble occurred causing the pie to slip off his hand and drop on the floor, leaving Itsuki frozen in place. Urahara, who saw this never laughed, but tried to appease the latter, "It''s okay, Minamoto-san, see five-second rule." However, another rumble was felt whilst Urahara was picking the pie up only for it to slip out of his hand. The two stayed like that frozen while the one with the blonde hair started sweating. Within a park, Toshiro had just arrived while Rangiku was massacring the clones made by the pseudo-Arrancar. It seemed that Itsuki was right after Rangiku reporting that the pseudo-Arrancar was hiding within the girl. Rangiku was, however, massacring them left and right but there was no end to them. More and more kept appearing. The pseudo-Arrancar had long disappeared after seeing Rangiku''s strength and just let his clones attack The rumbles seemed to have been caused by the numerous clones attacking various soles. Now with Toshiro here, it seemed that the pseudo-Arrancar had one more reason not to come out. Whilst, Toshiro was contemplating, a voice was heard, that reached down to the depths of their soles. While Rangiku felt warmth from it, it was the opposite for the hollows, "Reign from the heavens, Ryurai." Thunder could be heard in the distance as dark clouds began to gather in the sky. Despite the hollow being in a different dimension, it could feel its entire being shaking from fear. The hollow, wanted to run away, its instincts were screaming at him to run away, but before he could, the same voice rung out, "Rakurai no Ame." Instantly, a rain of lightning bolts descended from the sky, destroying every single clone the pseudo-Arrancar had created. Still the being that caused this hadn''t appeared. ''I still have a chance.'' He thought, ''I can still escape.'' He thought while turning around only to stop as he felt a voice near his ear, "Where do you think you''re going?" The pseudo-Arrancar felt its hollow chest freeze over. It had never felt this much fear for as long as he can remember. This was a fear that came from the depths of his soul, as if it was calling out to him, that being can make us disappear forever. While Shinigami''s cleansed them, he would erase them. No matter how much he tried to move, he couldn''t until he felt something entering the back of his and out through the front, destroying the hollow mask. The pseudo-Arrancar didn''t even have the guts to look behind as it dissipated. As for the group, all they saw was the clones being defeated by the lightning strike and Itsuki appearing a few moments later with a little girl in tow. 101 Arrival of the Arrancars Itsuki landed in front of Rangiku and a boy. It was a fairly average boy with brown hair and eyes, possible around 12-13 years old. Apart from the bandage on his nose, his high spiritual power and the chain sticking out from his chest, he looked like an everyday boy. The girl Itsuki put down was around 6-7 years old wore a pink one piece and her brown hair was fashioned into two pig tails. The boy immediately ran towards the girl and hugged her, "I''m sorry for leaving you behind Yui." Tears started coming out of his eyes as the girl smiled back, "It''s fine, onii-chan." The two stayed like that for a while as Rangiku crept up next to Itsuki and leaned her head on his shoulder. She never said anything until the two children calmed down, "Well then, I think its time to send you off to soul society." The girl Yui looked up to her, "Onee-chan? Will I still be together with onii-chan?" Rangiku smiled and nodded while the little girl smiled back. Rangiku couldn''t tell the girl that she would lose all her memories from her time in the living world, so she never said anything back. She could only hope that the two would appear in soul society together. Performing Konso on the two, they transformed into a mote of lights and disappeared. The group of Shinigami just stood there as Itsuki went and patted Rangiku''s shoulder. Itsuki looked at Rangiku as she returned to her cheery self. After teasing her captain, Itsuki looked up into the sky, ''It''s about time, eh. Now I just have to wait.'' The next day, Itsuki went for a walk only to see Toshiro playing on a phone. The latter also saw Itsuki and watched him stand next to him. An awkward silence descended as Toshiro tried to pour more focus on his phone. His eyebrow started twitching as some memories resurfaced of him being in a similar situation. He got his phone closer and closer, until someone smacked his head, "You''d strain your eyes." "Mina-" Toshiro turned around to shout at Itsuki when he saw a ball roll over next to them. Stopping it with his feet, Toshiro looked at where it came from and saw Kurosaki Karin. There was a raised pathway next to them, and Karin was on top. She was annoyed knowing that her brother was out there fighting monsters and hated the fact that he didn''t tell her. She only found out when she saw him enter his Shinigami form. The girl had been frustrated with it and took out on the ball, only for it start rolling towards the hill. Seeing Itsuki, the girl was surprised, "Minamoto-san, you''re here." She then noticed Toshiro next to him and realised that he looked familiar. Looking back and forth from the two, she noticed despite the two looking different along with their eyes being different, their white hair somehow created a link between the two. "Your little brother?" A hidden smirk appeared on Itsuki as he nodded. Seeing this Toshiro, was about to flip out but Itsuki pat and ruffled his hair, forcing back his complaints. "His name''s Toshiro." "uwoo." "I''ll see you around, Karin." "Hai, then I''ll take my leave, Minamoto-san, and uh?" "You can call me Itsuki." "then, Itsuki-san." With a bow, Karin left to play football while Toshiro smacked Itsuki''s hand away. "What are you doing, Minamoto! How¡­" Toshiro''s grievances went in one ear and out the other. Itsuki was looking at where Karin had run off to, she seemed to be more polite and formal than the anime, it was probably due to the fact that her mother was still alive. "¡­Listen to me!" Itsuki didn''t stay long but carried on walking, leaving a fuming Toshiro behind. Not knowing where to let loose, he saw that there were a few hollows active, so he ate the mod soul pill and let out his grievances on them. The day passed by and Itsuki was looking at Toshiro defeat a hollow in front of Karin. Knowing that Toshiro wore similar clothes to Ichigo she started questioning him only to find out that the boy in front of her never really knew where her brother was. "If you''re like this, then is your older brother Itsuki-" "He is not my older brother!" Veins seemed to pop out form his head as he shouted at the girl. "Then lower your voice!" "What?!" The two quickly descended into an argument, until Toshiro calmed down. "Well, Minamoto, yes he is the same." "Hoooo." "Then who''s stronger between you or Ichi-nii?" "Hmm?" "Who''s stronger, you or Ichi-nii?" "Well your brother is an anomaly and I''ve never really fought him, so I don''t know." "Then, you or Itsuki-san?" "Enough questions but he is stronger." Toshiro was a little irritated, but he spoke the truth. "Then¡­" "I told that it was enough of the questions." Like that Toshiro, disappeared in front of Karin leaving the girl to stand there alone. Itsuki then was about to move when a bald man appear. Itsuki could see the reflection of the sunset as he bowed and presented a box towards Itsuki. "What do you want, Madarame Ikkaku?" "Captain Minamoto, there''s this¡­" "Done." "Eh, but I haven''t¡­" "I''ll be there." "Ok, thank you for your help, Captain Minamoto!" Itsuki nodded as he snatched the box from Ikkaku. There was all sort of delicacies within that box that were, in one way or another, related to apples. Grabbing the first delicacy, he took a bite while experiencing the taste. While he was digging in, he thought aloud, "So, what did I say yes to?" Before he knew it, Itsuki was sitting in between Toshiro and Renji. ''Oh yeah, wasn''t this part of the anime.'' Itsuki was currently taking part in a kendo competition against another school. He was too lazy, but was confused, why did his uniform smell fresher than the others. The others looked in disbelief as they turned to Ikkaku, "Why does his uniform smell nice?" Ikkaku was also confused until Rangiku''s voice was hear, "How could I let Captain Minamoto put on such a smelly uniform?" Toshiro''s eyebrow started twitching, he felt that he would get cramps seeing how much his eyebrow twitched nowadays. ''She can get him a new uniform, but not me, her captain. I think this is the most diligent I''ve ever seen her.'' Toshiro was up first, and his match was over in an instant. It was the first time Itsuki had been or even seen a kendo tournament, so he went in with a simple rule, ''All I have to do is hit him, right?'' Well, for that matter, that was the case to win it. Itsuki''s opponent, looked a bit shaken as he saw the girls on Karakura High School''s side giving him the death stares. However, he mustered up his courage, and looked at the opponent in his eyes. They were unusual eyes, but he was determined to win. Breathing down slowly, he felt his heartbeat and saw the referee start the match with a wave of his hand. Kicking off the ground, everything was in slow motion as the figure in front already moved. He had just brought up his Shinai when he felt an impact on his arm, causing him to halt. The referee was gobsmacked but ended up giving the win to Itsuki. While Renji was next, he also one making Karakura high school the winners. Suddenly, they all felt a reiatsu fluctuation of a hollow. This was no ordinary hollow, but a Gillian. Still it was easy for them as they ate their mod soul pills and ran to the scene. Itsuki never left with them as they were more than enough to handle the Gillian. He then looked to the side where the mod souls had a different personality. While Renji got lazier, Ikkaku became a coward, Yumichika became mean while Toshiro became a shy little boy. Rangiku''s mod soul jumped onto Itsuki and started kissing his neck. As much as Itsuki wanted to, he kept his cool and waited for the real one to come back. Once the real one came back, as soon as she got into her Gigai, Itsuki grabbed her hand and dragged her away. Rangiku was clearly confused but she just let herself be dragged away. On the way, it seemed that Yoruichi''s cat senses had picked it up, but she joined in as well. - Ahem - Another day went past, with Yumichika, helping out a soul with baking. Finally, the Arrancars made a move. Itsuki was currently sitting in the entrance of the Urahara store having a milkshake when he felt the three Arrancars enter the real world. He, however, didn''t make a move as the other five were enough to do so. Continuing to do so he saw an Arrancar land in front of the shop. The Arrancar had slicked back blue hair and a thin moustache. His sunken eyes painted his personality while his hollow hole was on his stomach. Itsuki continued sipping his milkshake while the Arrancar looked at him. This staring contest lasted for a while as the two plushie toys were hiding behind Itsuki. The bird was sitting comfortably in his lap, reading a comic book. Itsuki didn''t make a move and continued drinking, until he started sucking in a bit of air and an annoying sound was created. Still Itsuki didn''t stop as he saw a vein pop out in the Arrancar''s forehead but still continued. As the sound got louder and louder, the Arrancar could barely take it anymore when Renji arrived in front of him. Surprisingly, that was when the sound stopped and the two started fighting. Renji was able to go toe to toe with the Arrancar, unlike in the anime where he was easily overpowered. Itsuki did feel a little useless at this point. This went on for a while until the Arrancar got annoyed and jumped into the air and sent continuous attacks of Reishi towards Renji and the Urahara Store included. While still in his Gigai, Itsuki put his hand up, ''This much should be enough.'' "Bakudo #81. Danku." A translucent barrier was put up, stopping all the attacks and creating a cloud of smoke at the point of impact. Once the dust cleared, the Arrancar was surprised seeing the building still intact and everything unharmed. Landing back down, his attention was immediately attracted by the one that had annoyed from the start. Even now, he couldn''t see a glimpse of Reiatsu from him and he looked like a normal human. Just when he was about to ask a question, Renji attacked and the two entered into a fierce battle. However, Itsuki could tell that the Arrancar was holding back moves in case he decided to enter the battle. With such an unknown variable, he found it difficult to go all out. But before he knew it, he started getting pushed back by Renji and out of desperation, unleashed his zanpakuto. Itsuki wanted to see what it looked like, but he had gotten bored, and he waved his hand in the direction of the Arrancar like swatting a fly, "Hado #54. Haien." An oblong shaped purple energy left his hand and landed on the Arrancar. The Arrancar saw this but barely had anytime to dodge as he went up in flames, turning into ash instantly. His two companions had jumped down just to warn him but upon seeing that, they immediately tried to retreat when ice covered their body and shattering together with their bodies. The other four Shinigami landed when Ukitake and gang came. Only then did they know that all of this was a scheme by Aizen, and he had an ulterior motive as they say Ulquiorra on the way here. Ulquiorra was the smaller man from the first appearance of the hollows. That was indeed the case when only a couple days later did Itsuki sense another intrusion of Arrancar, this time, a stronger force. Itsuki was watching Renji and Sado spar when he felt it. As the two also sensed it, they stopped and were quite eager to go. Renji stopped Sado while Urahara stopped Renji, "You''re tired, instead I''ll go." Itsuki nodded as he also left his Gigai. "Arara, you''re also coming Minamoto-san." Itsuki nodded to Urahara''s question and started walking. "Wanna race?" As soon as Urahara said that, he disappeared while no fluctuations were seen in Itsuki''s eyes as he also disappeared. Itsuki reappeared at the top of the Urahara store and sent of few secret codes, basically telling the Onmitsukido not to come once he unsheathes his sword. He looked at Urahara Shunpoing and he also moved, immediately catching up to him and surpassing him. Within a park, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Toshiro were currently bound by tentacles from an Arrancar they were facing. It was a short Arrancar that had effeminate features while being male. He had lavender eyes and there were three pink stars in a row above his left eyebrow. While his black hair was curly it was unevenly cut and was also where the remains of his hollow mask were. Eight tentacles had sprouted from an octagonal design on his back while a bone cowl was on his head. Three of these were used to restrain them while three more were heading towards Rangiku to try and restrain her, until finally she was restrained. The Arrancar, jealous of Rangiku''s beauty, he tried to punch holes in Rangiku''s body with another tentacle. As the tentacles got close, Rangiku had a mocking smile on her face, causing it to stop. "What''s funny?" "You tend to talk a lot, Luppi." "What?" To reply to his question, ash was seen covering the tentacle slicing it apart. While Luppi looked shocked by the sudden turn of events, he tried attacking only to see that all of his tentacles were frozen. As Rangiku''s ash sliced the other tentacles that held Yumichika and Ikkaku, Toshiro looked at Luppi. "Hyourinmaru is known as the strongest ice elemental zanpakuto and all it needs is water. So, while you have eight tentacles, I have all the water in the atmosphere." With that, he froze Luppi into a large pillar of ice. Toshiro then suddenly felt someone''s gaze and saw Itsuki looking at him with scorn. It was like he was saying, why are you talking so much? As Itsuki arrived there he suddenly felt appear next to him with a punch. Itsuki didn''t move as he held out his hand and saw a childlike Arrancar appear. He had light blonde hair, freckles and light purple eyes. The remains of his hollow mask were in a three-pointed tiara on his head. ''So, this is Wonderweiss." Wonderweiss was the only modified arrancar with the sole purpose of sealing Ryujin Jakka''s flames. Due to this, all forms od rationality, memory retention, speech and intelligence was removed causing him to be in a child like state, where he only pronounced elongated syllables. His childness could be seen as immediately after he attacked, he stopped to chase a butterfly. Urahara meanwhile was facing against the large hollow that had appeared on the first appearance of Arrancars. The one that had his arm cut off by Orihime. Yammy, the 10th Espada. Itsuki never pursued but looked in the direction of another battle where Ichigo and Grimmjow were fighting. Itsuki never moved because, only a short while later did that battle stop and yellow rays came down enveloping all the Arrancars, including Luppi who was considered dead. As Luppi was giving his vow of revenge, a voice entered his ears, "You''re thinking of escaping." Luppi was surprised at the voice and looked in the direction of Itsuki. Itsuki''s eyes glowed slightly as he activated his Mystic Eyes for a long time. He then saw the ray''s line and points of death as well as Luppi''s. Luppi didn''t know why but he instantly felt dread in his heart. As a point of death of Luppi and the ray''s aligned while he was rising, Itsuki threw Ryurai, shattering the ray and impaling Luppi''s point of death. Yammy looked on with disbelief as he saw Luppi''s soul get extinguished while being in a Negacion. Fully knowing that anyone within the ray of Negacion was essentially in a different world, it further shocked him to his core. Rewinding time a bit, "Come with me, girl." Inoue was currently looking at Ulquiorra while healing the two shinigami''s behind her. Threatening with her friends, he expected her to come and indeed she did. Inoue knew that her friends weren''t really in danger, but before she came to soul society to train, Itsuki had met with her. - Flashback - Itsuki was currently standing in front of Inoue before she left for Soul Society, "I doubt you would be able to return to living world after this small trip" "Huh?" Inoue looked confused while the man in front of her smiled, "You would know when you are coming back." Inoue nodded while Itsuki continued, "Do you trust me?" Inoue once more nodded and a firm gaze appeared in her eyes. "Then comply. It will be the best for everyone, especially Ichigo." Inoue didn''t ask any further, she wanted to be of some help and by knowing that her complying will be of help, she didn''t question it further. 102 Village of the elfs "Permission Denied. Your strength will be needed in the upcoming battle against the Arrancar. You need to return to Soul Society this instant." Renji was immediately denied permission to go to Hueco Mundo and retrieve Inoue. Knowing that she was able to meet Ichigo before leaving showed that she had left on her own free will. Itsuki was also there and when Yamamoto talked about returning to Soul Society, he especially looked at Itsuki. As Rukia rejected the order, a Senkaimon appeared behind them with Byakuya and Kenpachi walking out. Kenpachi looked at Itsuki with eyes filled with a lust for battle while he desperately tried to hold himself back. Byakuya nodded at him and made sure Rukia and Renji got into the Senkaimon before he entered himself. Toshiro and Rangiku also entered and the Senkaimon disappeared leaving only Ichigo and Itsuki. Ichigo started talking, "I know you''re going to try stop me but, you should know that I''m still going to go any¡­way¡­" Turning around, Ichigo realised that Itsuki had already gone. Itsuki was on a pathway next to the river running through Karakura town as he saw Tatsuki looking frantically around shouting Inoue''s name. She saw Itsuki in front and ran towards him, "M-master, have you seen Orihime?" Itsuki remained silent as Tatsuki continued. "I could always sense her, even if she went far away, I could faintly sense her. But now, I have lost all trace of her." Tears started to pour out Tatsuki''s eyes as she buried her head in Itsuki''s chest. Itsuki looked down and sighed, patting her head, he waited for her to calm down. ''Maybe it''s time. Well she will still go anyway even if I told her not to.'' Looking at her puffy eyes, Itsuki pushed back any nefarious thoughts and gave her a piece of paper. "Tomorrow after sunset, come to this location." "Why?" "You''ll know once you get there." With that Itsuki disappeared leaving Tatsuki standing there. The next day, Ichigo appeared at the Urahara store looking for a way into Hueco Mundo. When walking inside, he saw Chad and Ishida already standing there. As the three were about to ask Urahara to open the gate, he just said, "We have to wait for just one more person." "One more?" Ichigo was confused. However, his questions were answered as soon as he heard footsteps behind him. Looking back, his eyes couldn''t help but widen as he saw who they were waiting for. He wasn''t the only one, Ishida and Chad had a similar expression on their face. They couldn''t believe their eyes right now. "T-t-Tatsuki?" Tatsuki walked in with an embarrassed expression. "Y-yo." Urahara smiled, "Then, everyone''s here." "Huh?" Urahara never gave enough time for Ichigo to think as he opened the gate and appeared next to Tatsuki. After hitting her with a stick and causing her to get into Shinigami form, he then started hurrying the four into the portal, telling them how it works. One the four were through, he slowly said, "You can come out now." Two teenage boys came out from behind a rock. It was Keigo and Mizuiro. The two looked shocked seeing their best friends run into a portal of some kind. The two looked at each other then at Urahara who was looking at them with a serious face. "What do you want to do with them?" Urahara spoke to a fourth person in the area. Looking up, he saw Itsuki looking at them and just walked away, leaving it up to him. Keigo and Mizuiro followed his line of sight and saw the back of Itsuki disappearing from their line of sight. - Soul Society - Yamamoto felt the Senkaimon open and the familiar sources of reiatsu enter Seireitei. However, one of his eyebrows twitched and was raised when he felt one missing. Knowing exactly who it was, Yamamoto clicked his tongue as a flash of light shot towards him for the direction of Seireitei. Catching it, he opened it and read the letter. As soon as he read it, a vein popped out from his forehead and he crushed the letter. "IIIIIIIITTTTTSSSSSUUUUUUKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!" The roar was heard throughout Seireitei and everyone felt a wave of heat pass over them. - Hueco Mundo - Itsuki appeared in the vast desert once again after seven years. Breathing in, he felt his hollow abilities get stronger and the assimilation start up again. Itsuki had reached a barrier in his fusion with the Black Hollow and Sokyoku. He needed one more final step and the only way he could think off was fighting. He couldn''t fight anyone from soul society yet, so he went to his next option, the village of elf''s. A village where the residents were just purely Vasto Lordes. He hoped they were strong enough. With that he disappeared from his position. While Itsuki was going to the village, Seikyo could be seen flying leisurely towards Ichigo and the rest''s location. Itsuki was still able to process his surroundings despite his immense speed and slowly a structure could be faintly seen over the horizon. As Itsuki got closer and closer, more of these structures could be seen until Itsuki clearly made it out. They were trees, large, humongous trees. From Itsuki''s knowledge, the small crystal-like trees on the deserts of Hueco Mundo were actually the tip of ones that had grown underground. But judging by the size these were actually growing on the desert. The closer Itsuki got the more surprised he was. He had just got the basic location of the village from Seikyo, but it seemed that the details were left out. He knew that he would encounter trees on the way but not about the size of them. The place was like a large forest, Itsuki couldn''t see into it due to the sheer number of trees. It was as if a very nutritious oasis had appeared in the desert. Itsuki felt like he was approaching a forest for the dead but with silver crystal trees. With Itsuki nearing the forest, movement was seen before the sand and out jumped two Adjuchas. But by the time they had emerged from the sand, Itsuki was already upon them and with a quick slash, the two had barely said a word before they were cut into pieces. Once Itsuki entered the forest, he never slowed but rather just jumped on top of the tree branches and continued. Itsuki never knew how long he went on for until he jumped into a clearing. Landing on the ground, he looked ahead, and a small village entered his vision. There were thatched huts within a circle with a rather large on in the middle. Itsuki counted about 30 - 40 huts and saw one humanoid rooster looking at him with wide eyes. "Cock-a-doodle-dooooooooooo-blegh!" The roosters voice was but off with its head as the sound was too loud for Itsuki''s liking. However, this had saved some time for Itsuki as Arrancars started leaving their huts and looked towards Itsuki with the intent to kill. The killing intent started to manifest in physical form and pressure Itsuki as he felt his body sink into the ground a bit and his fusion with his hollow and Sokyoku to once more return. A smile found Itsuki''s lips as he got into stance. The other hollows looked at each other but didn''t move. Suddenly a spike shot out from beneath Itsuki, aiming for his heart, but he was able to dodge and send a move of his own. The scorpion like Vasto Lorde never expected Itsuki to dodge and retaliate, but it was too late for him to move and Itsuki''s sword had already reached him. Decapitating its head, Itsuki sheathed his sword and looked around, "Might as well attack me all at once, it will be too late to regret once I''ve killed you all." Displeasure was written on all their faces, but they still didn''t move, they weren''t stupid. However, an apple tree will always have an apple that was a bit slow to grow and there was also one here. A bear like Vasto Lorde appeared behind him with a large mace and smashed downwards. "Don''t get cocky, Shinigami!!" Itsuki dodged and ran up the mace and was about to strike when a mantis Vasto Lorde attacked. Itsuki blocked its attack and the two exchanged a few rounds, its speed didn''t lose out against Itsuki''s speed, but he was still a bit slower. Slowly one by one, the other Vasto Lordes joined in and Itsuki began to feet more pressure. A smile that had rarely appeared on Itsuki''s face surfaced and excitement grew within him while a manic look covered his eyes. On the other side of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo and his group had just left the underground checkpoint and were met with Hueco Mundo''s desert. Ichigo looked annoyed at Tatsuki as she refused to tell him how she was a Shinigami. A relatively strong one at that. If he had to put it, she would probably give a good fight to Rukia. The only thing Tatsuki would tell him was that he never told her, why should she tell him? Ichigo clicked his tongue and was prepared to move forward when a shadow shot towards them. Itsuki had barely grasped his zanpakuto until he felt the shadow land on his arm that was holding it. "Eh?" Ichigo looked shocked as he could feel his heart rate quicken. Slowly tuning around, he noticed the bird on his hand also looking at him while a quick gleam flashed through the eagle''s eyes. It was a pure white eagle with ice cold blue eyes. The end of the eagle''s beak was like a hook and when it flapped its wings, they stretched to at least three metres. The eagle''s body was rather large, reaching 1.5 metres, it was larger than normal golden eagles. Ichigo''s eyes moved to his arms where he saw the eagles claws het tighter and tighter before it punctured his skin. "Aaaaaagggghhhhh!!!" The birds Talons started digging into Ichigo''s hands as she turned her head towards Tatsuki. With a squawk she jumped of Ichigo and landed on Tatsuki, decreasing her size. Seikyo was able to resize herself but she couldn''t make herself bigger. Although she liked staying in her normal form, whenever she was on Itsuki''s shoulders her size was smaller. Ichigo started holding his hand as Ishida started bandaging his arm. The former looked at Seikyo and was about to attack causing Ishida and Chad to hold him back. They knew who the bird belonged to and that it was an ally, so they had to stop Ichigo before he did something regrettable. Seikyo was a young bird, in Itsuki''s eyes and it was one of the reasons why she was spoilt. Looking at Ichigo desperately trying to attack her, she turned her head as a mocking look surfaced on her face. This only resulted in agitating Ichigo further. 103 Meeting Nel The group of five including Seikyo were currently sitting down in the desert of Hueco Mundo. They had just encountered a tornado like disaster but were fortunately sent closer towards their destination. Las Noches, the capital of Hueco Mundo, and Aizen''s fortress and base of operations. They could tell that the fortress was incomparably huge with a large dome like structure and six thick towers surrounding it. At the tip of the dome were five more rather thin towers and the whole structure was white. Seikyo was continuously sending a glare in Ichigo''s direction and earning his irritation, while turning her head away whenever Ichigo tried to confront her. This game of cat and mouse continued until they heard a little girl''s cry heading towards them. Looking in that direction, they saw a girl being chased by two humanoid hollows and a worm like hollow. The girl was naturally Nel and the two behind her were Pesche and Dondochakka. "A human?" "What is a little girl doing here?" Nel was wearing her hood causing it to cover her hollow mask and make the four mistake her for a human girl. Seikyo on the other hand, felt something familiar from the girl. While Ichigo hit Dondochakka with his sword, Ishida and Chad went for Pesche and the worm like hollow. Tatsuki didn''t get a chance to move as the three started to beat them up. Nel saw this and immediately ran to them, "S-stop it!" The three looked at Nel as they stopped. "What did Nel''s bruddies ever do to you? Stop bullyin'' dems." "A mask?" While Nel had made her entrance, Itsuki was on the other side of Hueco Mundo still fighting against the group of Vasto Lordes. He was now surrounded completely as he started losing his edge in battle. Despite having released his Shikai, Itsuki was slowly being pushed back. It wasn''t a surprise that this was happening, Vasto Lorde''s were either as strong, or stronger than captain class Shinigami while the bear and mantis had approached Itsuki''s strength. There was also a snake like female Vasto Lorde and a tiger one that had similar strength as they were the main four that were attacking Itsuki. Itsuki never activated his Mystic Eyes or go into Bankai, in his perspective him being pushed into dire straits were the only way to evolve. If he couldn''t accomplish this much, it was better for him to die. It was a stupid mindset, but it was the only one that would push him to his limits. While the mantis Vasto Lorde occupied both of Itsuki''s swords, the snake Vasto Lorde would sneak in an attack whenever she got the chance. The bear like Vasto Lorde would send out attacks with a roar while the tiger one tried to confuse him by feigning attacks. Itsuki''s mental abilities were pushed to the max as he predicted the various ways directions could go towards with his memory partition while his thoughts acceleration processed the thoughts at immense speeds. The other Vasto Lordes would attack from time to time and would take the place of the four main ones when they got tired. The Vasto Lordes found the Shinigami in front of them really annoying, his power didn''t lose out to theirs, but they weren''t able to kill him even when they joined hands. This further agitated them as their hollow instincts made them enraged at Itsuki and they attacked in a stronger fashion. Itsuki could feel his body slowly break with each strike but continued as a relieved feeling accompanied the destruction. As Itsuki was being pushed into his evolution, Rukia and Renji had grouped up with humans and like the other three, they were also surprised seeing Tatsuki there. It was more so for Rukia as she was friends with her. However, just like Ichigo, she failed to get anything out of the girl. What the group was more concentrated on was Seikyo in Nel''s grasp. She was hugging the bird as if she was family and didn''t let go. Seikyo didn''t resist as she sensed her feather on the girl. Nel had got the feather that Itsuki gave her to protrude out of her mask. Feeling a familiar reiatsu on Seikyo she refused to let go of her. As they were riding on the worm, Ichigo looked at Nel, "Aren''t you scared of Shinigami?" "I am." "Then¡­" Remembering back to Itsuki, he was an existence that even Shinigami feared. The person in question however, had just got his leg tied by the snake Vasto Lorde''s tail and thrown into a hut followed by a barrage of attacks from the other Vasto Lordes. "No. Itshwuki-Sama is diffewent." "Different." "He protected mwe from *sniff* bwad hollow." Nel started crying, "I miss Itshuki-Shamaaa!" "Look, making a little girl cry." The rest of the group teased Ichigo as he tried to calm the crying girl. Suddenly, the sand rumbled, and a large sand figure appeared in front of them. The figure''s size didn''t lose out to Gillians but rather exceeded their height. The group was shocked as they were sure that they had killed the guardian when Rukia had arrived. Once more, the group defeated him but this time, the guardian left a sink hole and the group was dragged into it. Once the group arrived there, they were assaulted by a large cluster of Gillians with a group of Adjuchas controlling them. 105 Bankai v2 While the group was facing their own crisis, it was the same for Itsuki. Despite being one of the strongest Shinigami, it didn''t change the fact that fighting against a group of Menos Grande would prove difficult even more him, worse yet, nigh life threatening. Despite all his perks, he was bound to make a mistake or even an oversight. Sadly, for Itsuki, it was both and his misfortune came as a pair. Our protagonist was currently, breathing heavily in the middle of the now destroyed forest. The huts were no longer there and the trees surrounding the village had disappeared. Craters littered the grounds and while his captain''s haori lay on the side. He had taken off the upper half of his Shihakuso and had activated Shunko. It was getting progressively harder to fight with the Vasto Lordes. The four main Vasto Lorde''s looked at him then at each other. A reluctant look plastered their face as they all took out a katana. They were simple ones, but it sent Itsuki into full alert. Breathing out slightly, Itsuki got into position and the five of them called out at the same time. He could think of many reasons why they had katanas, but it would just prove to be a waste of time. Quickly getting into stance, five different voices were heard throughout Hueco Mundo. Whether it was the intruding group, or it was the Arrancar''s that had stayed behind or the hostage, they all heard it. It resounded within them as a sense of foreboding developed in their hearts. They all looked in one direction as if they were an audience to a play and saw a series of clouds gather on the horizon. However, not many could see them because, "Hey, Ichwigo, why are you looking at the wall?" "Huh, oh, huh? Don''t you feel that?" "What?" Ichigo looked at Nel and thought that she didn''t feel it because she was too weak. He then focused at the enemy they were facing who was also looking at the wall with a serious expression. Back where Itsuki was, "Bankai." """"Resureccion!"""" Large amounts Reishi was released as it took the form of a hurricane, killing the weaker Vasto Lordes. The stronger ones weren''t scot free either, they did develop some form of injury. Clouds developed in the sky as a pillar of lightning struck Itsuki''s position. The clouds formed a whirlpool with the bolt in the middle as snakes of lightning could seen streaking with the clouds. The bolt didn''t disappear after the first strike but rather stayed there constantly sending pure electricity into Itsuki. This was the first time Itsuki had used bankai and he was currently being bathed in lightning. Itsuki felt the lightning travelling through each and every cell as wind started to pick up around him. The other four Vasto Lordes went through their own changes as well. They all became more of the animals they represented. The mantis Vasto Lorde grew extra long scythes and his speed quickened, the bear one enlarged and had a bone armour protecting him, the lion one''s legs turned cat shaped while the snake woman became a something reminiscent of Medusa, with snake like hairs. They all grew in size though. As soon as the lighting stopped hitting Itsuki, his form was shown. His black Samurai armour devoured the light as six balls of lightning appeared behind him, all of them being different shades of colour. It seemed to start as blue then turn into violet as it went round in circles. His Odachi was longer and various runes covered the blade. What changed was his left eye in between the helmet and mask, it had a black sclera. Itsuki could suddenly feel that the surroundings were more fragile than he had thought. He could see his reiatsu take physical form behind him, turning into a tiger and dragon. Looking at the lion Vasto Lorde, Itsuki brought his Odachi up and swung down, it was a simple move, but it was extremely fast. What happened though completely blew his mind, a flash of lightning seemed to strike the sword as the swing ended in a before it even started for the opposition. Silence ensued on the battlefield as the lion Vasto Lorde split in half. Behind it though, was a long thin ravine ending up as far as the eye could see. The other Vasto Lordes all gulped as they didn''t expect this level of neat destruction. While Itsuki was still mesmerised, the others all tried to attack by unleashing Cero, but it turned out to be useless. They couldn''t summon any Reishi. So, with no other choice they went into battle. The Mantis arrived first and struck, not even leaving a tiny mark on Itsuki''s armour. What did happen though was he felt numb every time he struck the armour. With Itsuki giving him a backhanded slap, half of his upper body disappeared. Looking at the hand that he just slapped the mantis with, only one thought was left in Itsuki''s head, ''When did I become this OP?'' The bear and snake Vasto Lorde looked at Itsuki in disbelief. They had all activated their true power, yet they couldn''t even fight back. In just two moves, he had annihilated half of their main power. It wasn''t just them, Itsuki was also in disbelief before he suddenly dived into his consciousness and found what he was looking for. He had completely fused with the Hollow and with the Sokyoku. To be honest, he had expected some major event to take place and not be fused so anti-climatically. Still what could Itsuki say, his goal had been reached all he could do now was finish things off. Just as he was about to, he saw the remaining Vasto Lordes including the snake and bear one all kneel in front of him. Itsuki raised an eyebrow before he felt something above him. Looking up, he saw a space rip apart around the storm clouds as he felt the realm shaking. Hueco Mundo was barely able to contain the amount of Reiatsu he was creating. Sheathing his Odachi, Itsuki deactivated his Bankai and slowly descended onto the ground. He felt his body contain immeasurable power and he felt slightly isolated from the world. Cracking his neck, he looked at the remaining Vasto Lordes and ordered, "Clean up and recuperate, I''ll send someone to collect you later." Putting on his captain''s haori, he then disappeared from the ground as all the remaining Vasto Lorde''s let out a sigh of relief. Itsuki didn''t know how long he had been fighting for but from the senses he shared with Seikyo, it would seem that Ichigo hadn''t met Ulquiorra yet. Looking up he saw the majestic Las Noches resting in the distance. He then happened to look next to him and saw the thin ravine he created, and it seemed to go into the direction of that very building. "Eh?" - A short moment earlier - Tatsuki was currently facing of against a Numeros. A set of gauntlets encompassed her hands as she let loose a punch after another, this was her Shikai. It was a simple blackish red gauntlet with heat radiating from it. Each attack that landed on her opponent left behind a burned wound and a charred smell. Her opponent was a rather largely built arrancar with his size only falling short of Yammy. He had a large green afro while a large bushy beard dropped from his face. A monocle was placed on his left eye as he kept spewing nonsense of being a gentleman and what not. Yet he was clearly being dominated by Tatsuki as half his clothes had been ruined and his number 31 showing. Even when he was defeated to this extent, he still blamed the fact that he was only losing because he was going against a woman and he was not fighting with all his strength. Tatsuki didn''t care because she could see that it was all just a lie. Seikyo was giving off an attack here and there but it was all just distractions. "Huehuehue, if only you weren''t a member of the opposite¡­Guh!" A punch to the Arrancar''s stomach sent his organ into disarray as he spat out some blood. Laying on his face he seemed to lose consciousness, "If-f¡­o-only¡­you¡­" "Shut up!" Tatsuki annoyingly shouted at the man before turning her back. Seikyo jumped on her shoulder as she received a pat. Just as she started walking away, a large shadow loomed over her. Feeling something wrong, she hurriedly turned around only to see her opponent sending a punch towards her with a vicious smile. "You''re too na?ve¡­" Seikyo had a dangerous light in her eyes as they gave off a reddish hue. But before the bird could make a move, Tatsuki hurriedly dodged and sent out another punch, straight to the man''s throat. This time she didn''t held back, and a trail of fire left the punch as it landed, crushing the opponents throat. The opponent grasped his neck as it disbelievingly looked at the teenager in front of him. Tatsuki looked back at the arrancar she just killed with cold eyes. Yet those eyes were slightly shaking and her arms trembling. She watched as the light left the man''s eyes and her stomach churn. She held it in, she knew that it won''t be her last time. To help protect her best friends, it was a step she had to take. Plus, she had faint knowledge of the man that was her master, so if she couldn''t do this much then it was honestly disappointing. Seikyo nodded with approval, like an elder sister. This time Tatsuki turned around and never looked back. He clenched fists that were trembling ever so slightly, calmed down and her footsteps became steady. Yet what she didn''t expect was a sudden rumble behind her to catch her attention as she quickly turned around. What she saw blew her mind. She could clearly see a strike starting from one end of a room to and disappearing off to another. Looking at the direction it came from she couldn''t see the end, but she could clearly see that it came from somewhere outside. However, when she turned to look at another end, she found that the exact same issue the other way. The ravine didn''t get either bigger or smaller it stayed the exact same width. She couldn''t see how deep it was as well, but she felt a familiar reiatsu being emitted from it. The same situation could be seen throughout Las Noches as the one that caused it just finished his fight. Itsuki looked at the ravine before entering a Garganta. - The Living World - Within a small apartment, a group of people could seen lazing around. These were all the people that Itsuki had gathered around ever since he became captain. They were all either playing cards or some board game. Suddenly a large black portal opened and out walked Itsuki, but no one even sensed him. 106 The ones everyone had forgotten abou Baishin looked at the card he had put forth and the ones the rest had. He was playing a game with Bau who had his face covered and the rest of the dark ones apart from Ganryu. The man in question was reading a shoujo manga with a serious face. This indeed caused Itsuki to raise his eyebrow while his gaze scanned the room. His eyes rested on Ichinose Make who was diligently looking doing his job. The only one missing seemed to be Jau, the arrogant one from the dark ones. Itsuki didn''t let his presence be known as he looked at the show that was starting to play out in front of him, everyone had disbelieving look in their eyes as they put their cards forward. Baishin''s voice was the first to be heard, "How the hell are there 1, 2, 3, 4¡­25 aces?!" "Uhhh¡­" Everyone looked at the cards in the middle and the ones that were shown on the table before they all looked at Ichinose. Ichinose seemed to feel their gazes as he looked back, "What?" "What have you done?" "Nothing." Ichinose went back to observing his targets while the rest looked at him. However, before they could question him further, the man started trembling. They didn''t know why but his trembling started creating a rather small yet annoying noise. It was to the point that it shook Ganryu''s enraptured attention and caused him to leave his manga, his hazy eyes getting clearer. Looking up, he happened to look towards the group playing poker and he garnered the same reaction. Seeing Ganryu tremble, a possibility appeared in their minds as Ichinose moved to confirm it. Jumping up, he kneeled in their direction while Ganryu also got up. The rest also jumped up and back before looking in Itsuki''s direction. They also kneeled like Ichinose as they felt the pressure emanating from Itsuki. ''He has gotten stronger.'' This thought occurred in all their heads as the pressure Itsuki emanated wasn''t forceful but heavy, down to their souls. They could tell that he wasn''t intentionally letting it out, but it was just there, leaking from him. Itsuki felt this as he curbed it in, he was still not used to his newfound prowess. Suddenly the kitchen door opened and in walked a man, wearing simple clothes and a pink apron. It was Jau. "Food''s ready!" Walking a couple steps, he saw all of them kneeling in a direction and questioned, "What are you doing?" Ganryu tried indicating with his eyes, but the man seemed to have gotten slow as a frown plastered his face. It was only when he looked in the direction of where they were kneeling did it all add on and he quickly kneeled. Itsuki didn''t say anything as displeasure masked his face. The first thing that left his mouth made them tremble, "You guys have gotten weak" Looking at Ichinose, he could tell that the man had been training rather diligently, as it seemed to be his character and he then looked at them. In all honesty, it was also partially his fault for just leaving them, hoping something will happen. Shaking his head, he said one thing, "Well, there have been a slight change of plans, I was going to bring a couple beings here, but it seems I have to do the opposite." Everyone was confused when a portal appeared behind him, "Come follow me." Itsuki walked in and they all complied. - Hueco Mundo - - Village of the elves - The destroyed village seem to have been ever so slightly repaired while the battle scars were still there. The group had joined together to fix their homes when Itsuki appeared once more. This time with a group wearing nothing but casual dress from the human world. The Vasto Lordes looked at Itsuki then at the recently repaired homes they had just done. It wasn''t done to the best of their abilities but Itsuki could see the remorse in their eyes and the regret of repairing it so quickly. He couldn''t tell what these Vasto Lorde''s were thinking but he at least knew that they thought he was here to break their homes again. Coughing lightly, he indicated for the snake Vasto Lorde to come and pointed at the group behind him, "Train them." The snake like Vasto Lorde nodded before Itsuki continue, "You will be in charge of the rest of the Vasto Lordes, what''s your name?" "Naga." An unlikely child like voice originated from the woman''s mouth when she replied. It was quite unsettling to see the two opposites but Itsuki didn''t pay heed. He just nodded, "Like I said train them." Turning to the group, he just said one word before disappearing, "Survive." The group looked confused before a chill went down their spine. Naga looked at them with a smile as she knew exactly what Itsuki meant. - Las Noches - Itsuki arrived when everyone was still in the middle of their fights, it wasn''t that it took him that long, it was just he was coming to terms with his strength. He had entered a sort of transformation or metamorphosis into something, ''If a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, then what happens when a butterfly enters metamorphosis?'' Thinking such idle things, he arrived only to see Ichigo and Ulquiorra battling it out. Ichigo was certainly stronger but it seems that the same could be said for Ulquiorra. Turning away, he looked at Tatsuki who was making her way towards Inoue with a small smile. Although he hadn''t seen it, he could tell that the girl had definitely matured, most likely she had taken a life. Seikyo who was perched upon her shoulder felt her pap get closer and was about to go towards him when he intended her not to. The bird got the message as she quietened down and stayed next to Tatsuki. Tatsuki was confused at the bird acting up but paid no further heed. Itsuki then disappeared from his spot and appeared within a certain balcony. However, what surprised him was his vision. It was the familiar, cracked visions he rarely used, something that he had found no need to utilise. Confused by what was happening, his attention was caught by a voice from behind him. "It seems you have been having fun." Itsuki slowly turned around and saw Aizen sitting there with a smile. What surprised Itsuki was the cracks on Aizen, they had decreased. Tuning his vision onto the hogyoku, he could see the tiny spherical ball but with no lines. There wasn''t a single one, but he could see a hazy one. Constantly, materialising and dematerialising. Itsuki didn''t reply as he kept his stoic look and just looked around. "And it seems that your bait has been bitten" "Yeah, how nice of you to notice. Then¡­" Getting up, Aizen walked towards Itsuki and stood right in front of him, "¡­are we proceeding with our agreement." Seeing the lack of response from the opposite party, Aizen shrugged his shoulder, "It seems that we are." Turning back, Aizen walked away a few steps. "Well then, shall we play a game then?" With a wave of his hand, he pointed at a game of chess sitting upon a table and two chairs. The two sat down on opposite ends and the game commenced. Time passed and the game continued even when the captain''s appeared to fight. Itsuki''s rook had taken out Aizen''s bishop when Itsuki suddenly shot up and disappeared. Not even a couple seconds had passed, when he reappeared whilst holding a sleeping but battered Nel in his hands. He then proceeded to sit down and lay her on his laps earning a small laugh from Aizen before the game continued. The sound of explosions was hard both close and far from them which was then also drowned out by Nel''s cute snores. The game once again finished as a tie with their being just the two kings left on the chessboard. Itsuki didn''t say anything but got up while holding Nel in his hands and disappeared. Aizen stared at the two kings standing proud on the chessboard before Gin and Tosen appeared behind him. Knowing that it was time, Inoue was led to the place where Aizen told her that she was merely bait to draw the captains here. Leaving her there, the three left Hueco Mundo for what they thought was Karakura town. Itsuki was looking from a place out of Inoue''s vision as he also turned to leave. Holding the sleeping Nel in his arms, he could feel a nudge before she leaned back and rubbed her eyes. Looking dazed, she looked at Itsuki for a while before her eyes widened. Rubbing them again with her hands rolled into a ball, she looked carefully to make sure they weren''t deceiving her. "Itshwuki-same!!" With a wide grin, she hugged him as tears started pouring out, "I misshed yoooouuwaaaaaaa¡­" Itsuki pat her back to calm her down as it slowly but surely died down. Looking ahead, he saw a certain Arrancar look at him with a stoic gaze. Two stoic faces looked at each other in silence with one having a child looking at the two. 107 Light and Shadow The two faces looked at each other as Itsuki turned around, "You should be getting back to your fight." The opposite party didn''t say anything as he also turned around. Itsuki started walking and only a few short steps later, "Oof." The cool moment was immediately ruined by an all to familiar noise. Nel looked surprised as well as she looked down, "Itswuki-sama, you''re stepping on something." The other party was also curious as it was a rather unexpected noise. The being turned around only to see what Itsuki was stepping on. Itsuki looked down a rather familiar sight entered his vision. A slight sadistic smile appeared on Itsuki''s face as he quickly hid as a chill went down the toy that Itsuki was stepping on. Droplets of sweat appeared, leaving Itsuki wondering where it came from as it was a toy. Kon, who had somehow ended up in Hueco Mundo was lost and scared. He had felt many scary auras here and there with the fluctuations caused by their fighting. It was like he was walking on pins and needles while even the slightest wind freaked him out. It didn''t help that he was frightened out of his wits whenever a small breeze brushed by ever so often. His mentality had taken a cruel hit as he would scream and jump back whenever it happened. He was tired and exhausted, and he didn''t even know when, but a rather familiar foot stepped on him. It was a feeling he would never forget, as a jika-tabi wasn''t worn by just anyone. Still though, he had his hope up all the way until he felt a chill go down his imaginary spine. He knew at that moment, the person that stepped on him was the last person he wanted to meet. All of a sudden, those scary auras weren''t scary at all, the were pleasant and nice, as if they were where home was. Itsuki, on the other hand, was wondering how the idiot was here. ''Wasn''t he supposed to be on Earth fighting hollows with that Don Kanonji-guy and the kids?'' A raised eyebrow was the second reaction the toy garnered from Itsuki before it was picked up. Holding it by the scruff, he turned it to face him, only to see it act like a regular toy. ''Why does he think this will work?'' Before Itsuki could open his mouth, Nel''s rather sharp words echoed in the toy''s ears, "Ugly¡­" "Oi! Who the hell are you calling ugly?!" With a fist raised up and a furious face, saliva flew out of Kon''s mouth as he retorted Nel''s evaluation of him. "Wah, it twalked." Nel simply ignored the words before reaching for it. Itsuki did not say anything as he gave the toy to Nel as she scrutinised it. Holding it by the leg, she flung it around as Kon''s scream filled the atmosphere. Itsuki''s sight left the child and toy before it turned to the forgotten being. Ulquiorra was rather calm, it seemed that he wasn''t worried to losing to Ichigo. Frankly, Itsuki didn''t care but he urged the arrancar on with his eyes. Although, outsiders couldn''t tell, the other stoic being got the former''s message as he turned around to leave. It was like a secret communication method between stoic people. Itsuki turned back around only to see Nel opening her mouth wide open and biting down onto Kon. The latter screamed in despair, but Nel continued, "I wondwer how thish tashtes?" "NOOOOOOooooooo, stoooooopppp ittttfffffmmmmmm." Itsuki looked on as Nel started chewing with the toy''s arm grasping her cheeks trying to pull himself out to no avail. With his legs flung around, desperately looking for something to latch on to, Kon''s muffled screams were the only thing heard. This didn''t carry on for long as Nel''s face scrunched up and spat him out rather rudely. "Blech," As if having tasted the most disgusting, Ne continued spitting it out, before looking down at Kon. With her face held high, she looked down with disgust, "Nwot only ish it ugly, bwut it''sh alsho disgwusting." Her words only pierced Kon''s heart like an arrow as Itsuki turned to leave. Rather dramatically, Kon laid there in a spotlight and got up as if a maiden had been taken advantage off. Itsuki heard Kon muter a few things as his monologue began before he shunpoed away. He then appeared, above Las Noches, and looked at Ichigo''s fight from afar. He placed Nel on top of his shoulders and pulled out his Kiseru. Breathing in, Countless thoughts went through his head and he couldn''t help but sigh, inadvertently breathing out. The smoke left his mouse and covered Nel, who started tearing up and coughing from the second-hand smoke. The sudden coughing pulled him out of his thoughts as he hurriedly put away his Kiseru. Nel on the other hand started pulling at his hair for revenge. Itsuki didn''t pay heed even when she bit him as he was lost in thoughts. Ever since he came to this world, he had thought that his greatest enemies would''ve been Aizen and Yhwach. That''s why he trained and trained until he realised that there was more to this world than he had expected. Looking up, he looked at the vast moon that lay in the sky. At the beginning, there was only one world, and things like hollows were naturally formed. Even a Vasto Lorde level Hollow would spontaneously form out of nowhere. This was Yhwach''s goal. To go back to that time. Where the soul king reigned supreme. Now, the current ''soul king'' was an empty vessel, neither dead nor alive, its sole existence was to keep stability in the realm. Remembering the records, a hint of disgust appeared in his heart which quickly faded away. He didn''t know the enemy''s forces, but he had a feeling that they were not simple at all. A faint premonition inside of him, hinted that he was partially responsible for those changes. Looking back to the manga, most likely after the Quincy Blood Arc, the one to replace the Soul King would most likely have been, Yhwach. Suffering the same fate of a puppet like his father, with no thoughts of his own. He never knew where the enemy was, they definitely weren''t in Soul Society. They were in the shadows while he was in the light. To draw them out, he would have to become the abyss and swallow those shadows up. "RWWWOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!" A maniacal roar brought his out of his thoughts as he looked towards where the fight was happening. A berserk Ichigo entered his view as he started thrashing Ulquiorra. If it were before his breakthrough, Itsuki would have made a move and instantly supress Ichigo but now that thought had never crossed his mid. His thoughts of hunting Ichigo were actually the manic remnant thoughts left by the hollow he had consumed. Now after the hollow was fully absorbed, such thoughts had vanished. Plus, his Mystic Eyes were now permanently activated. Seeing the world in this perspective was naturally unsettling but Itsuki considered it normal. His will had been trained and all his powers seemed to have integrated with him. His thoughts acceleration and memory partition were no more and were permanently activated. It seemed all those perks had just melded into him. Itsuki closed his eyes and ''looked around'', those lines and dots were still there. The mystic eyes of death perception was just a name, the true power of death didn''t come from his eyes but rather himself. If he ever lost those eyes, he would lose his powers, the only thing the opposite party would get Itsuki''s normal ice blue eyes. Thinking back to Aizen, he remembered the decreased lines on Aizen. Due to this, he wondered how many lines the soul king would have. His thoughts were interrupted by a cero being shot in his direction. Seeing the destroyed Ulquiorra, he realised that Ichigo was about to finish the former off, so he made his move. He appeared behind him, Ichigo and before Inoue and Ishida could think, he knocked Ichigo out. The teenager was already not in the right state of mind and a little trick was all it needed to make him fall unconscious. He then appeared next to Ulquiorra and dragged him off by his hair. As for the others all they saw was a flash and Ichigo collapsed with Ulquiorra having disappeared. However, the vanished Ulquiorra was thrown out of their minds and they hurried to Ichigo. Nel was in the middle of biting Itsuki''s head when she saw a flash and a half dead arrancar was being dragged by Itsuki. Leaving Ulquiorra at the village of the elves, he then returned Nel to her companions amidst her protests and left Hueco Mundo. Back in the real world, the battle between the Gotei 13 against the Arrancar was full blown. With the addition of the visored they seem to have taken the upper hand. Itsuki appeared behind Yamamoto right after that latter''s short conversation with Shirako. "He rejected you." A rather unfamiliar teasing tone left Itsuki''s mouth. Only Aizen and Yamamoto felt his entrance as everyone else had their minds occupied by the recently arrived visored.\tItsuki then looked at Soi Fon and felt relieved seeing that she still had both her arms. In the anime, that arm had rotted, well disintegrated from Barragan''s power of age. The fights went in the same direction with canon. Itsuki appeared next to Rangiku and made sure she was fine. Rangiku slightly opened her eyes and a face she longed for appeared. A hint of smile appeared on her face as her eyes closed once more, this time with a relieved expression. Seeing that everything was fine here, Itsuki turned his attention to Soi Fon and Omada that was next to her. Hachigen, the big kido expert from Visored, sealed Barragan while Soi Fon used her bankai to destroy the espada. Soi Fon started falling from the lack of energy from the attack. As she was falling, she felt someone''s arms around her, and she felt a familiar sensation from her back. Looking up, her quivering voice was heard, "Its-Itsuki¡­" Coming to her senses, she hurriedly, corrected herself, "Captain Itsuki." As they weren''t alone, officially they were still captain and vice captain. Itsuki rubbed her head and placed her on to the side. Omaeda appeared and kneeled while Itsuki left disappeared, "Take care of her." Omaeda looked down and replied with determination, "Yes!" Looking up he only saw Soi Fon looking at him as if he were an idiot while there was nothing in front of him. Thinking that they had defeated Barragan, the three let out a sigh of relief. However, contrary to their expectations, Barragan survived the attack and arrogance clouded his mind. "¡­I am God. I am immortal¡­" The cube that was sealing broke apart as a dark black miasma broke the kido shield apart. As soon as he appeared it could be seen that the only harm done to him was that a portion of his skull was missing. Barragan was a rather large skeleton, it reminded Itsuki of a lich from all those other novels he had read. A crown rested on his head while he wore a large purple robe. Laughing heartily, "¡­My power is the only thing absolute in this world¡­" "Absolute, huh?" A calm voice pierced his ear or eyes or something, however skeletons hear things. Barragan jolted with the unexpected voice as a shiver ran down his spine. He hadn''t felt this existence at all as he quickly turned around, swinging his staff filled with the power to age. Itsuki didn''t move but caught the staff with his bare hand. Barragan was at first scared, then surprised and then happy when Itsuki caught as a relieved feeling was felt. "Hahaha, you idiot, to dare catch with your bare hands. You are just begging to die¡­" Laughter erupted from Barragan but was immediately cut off. He couldn''t move his staff at all, and he slowly looked at the existence that was still sending chills down his spine. Azure blue and pink eyes looked down at him as flashes of rainbow colours could be seen phasing in and out. The strange yet deadly eyes caused him to freeze and only one thought filled his mind. Death. 108 Death "W-w-why is-" Itsuki didn''t give him a chance to finish and moved his hand while extending his finger. His actions were too fast and by the time Barragan realised, Itsuki ''poked'' him. Well that would be an understatement as Itsuki''s finger dug a hole in his skull. A heavy feeling of dread engulfed him before he lost all feeling. Itsuki looked at Barragan collapse and disintegrate. His eyes never changed as he looked at his finger. What he had done was stab his finger into one of Barragan''s many points of death. A weird feeling was felt as he took someone''s life with just a finger. But his apathetic quality seemed to kick in as that feeling was washed away. Not many people had seen this, but they were too shocked to process what had happened. Itsuki didn''t say anything as his attention was brought to the other fights. Yamamoto''s face was unchanging while Omaeda at the bottom was looking at Itsuki with extreme reverence. Itsuki wouldn''t be surprised if he started a cult, wait wasn''t there one already? Itsuki pushed these thoughts back to his head as he appeared next to Soi Fon. The latter was exhausted but her smile never left her face. "As expected of¡­" Itsuki didn''t let her finish before he brought her to where the vice captains were getting healed. Hachigen followed as he also started helping out with the healing. Leaving a kiss on her forehead, he smiled at her while he also did the same to Rangiku. Soi Fon didn''t know why but an unsettling feeling propped up within the depths of her heart. It seemed to be telling her something, yet she didn''t know what it was. While Soi Fon was occupied by her thoughts, he saw Shunsui fighting Starkk while Toshiro, Lisa and Hiyori were fighting against Tier Harribel. Toshiro and Hiyori kept on arguing, to sum it was it was just, "Chibi!" "Hage!" Itsuki instead walked next to Yamamoto and overlook the battlefield. Gin was crossing swords with Hirako while Kaname Tosen was in a fight with Komamura and Hisagi. From everyone here, Itsuki''s attention was brought to Kaname Tosen. Not much was known as to why he chose to join Aizen but many thought that it was because of his ideals. Following the path with the least bloodshed. Yet he was willing to kill for this so-called path. Tosen had a friend, a soul that went by the name Kakyo. After joining the academy, she went on to become a Shinigami and eventually marry. However, that was when the good times ended, and the next time Tosen saw her it was a body. While the official reason was that she had passed away due to an illness, the original reason was that she was killed by her husband for rebuking him after killing a comrade. Yet, that wasn''t the full story. Tosen obviously went to Central 46 and tried to get justice but he was thrown out. Many speculations were made but no one knew the reason. However, it was rather simple. The man Kakyo had married was someone from the four great noble families. Tsunayashiro clan. Alongside, the Kuchiki clan, Shihoin clan and Shiba clan, it was a rather secretive clan that wasn''t divulged upon in the anime or even the manga. Yet the current head, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, was the ''Shinigami'' in question. Itsuki didn''t know much, as all this had happened before him, yet he was able to find out due to the library back in Soul Society. It was hidden the secret archive. Still from all the great families, the Tsunayashiro family had the deepest ties to the royal family. With Tosen wanting to help Aizen, it seemed that he wanted to take revenge, well it was probably coated with something sugary like justice. Knowing Tosen''s character, he wouldn''t do this for something like revenge, but if Aizen was put into the equation, a few words would easily be able to manipulate the former. Itsuki didn''t care though. Thinking up to here, his eyes travelled to Aizen who also looked back and smiles. Itsuki''s stoic face remained the same as Starkk was defeated. Aizen thinking that it was taking too long made a move and appeared next Tier. Seeing him make a move, it was naturally Itsuki''s turn as he appeared next to Aizen and clashed swords. "Hooooo, a shinigami captain saving an arrancar?" Itsuki didn''t say anything as he pushed Aizen back. Tier still looked on with shock as a small voice left her mouth, "Aizen-sa¡­" Itsuki didn''t do anything as he took out Byakko and slashed at Tier. "Wha¡­" The latter wasn''t expecting this and succumbed to the strike. Spitting out some blood, she fell from the skies. Everyone was rather surprised as well but Itsuki walked forward and appeared next to Aizen, slashing out. Aizen reciprocated yet the aftereffects were rather large. They all felt Itsuki''s and Aizen''s reiatsu increase as the clash of their swords sent wind everywhere. "They''re really goin at it" Gin''s slit eyes slightly opened as a worried look flashed though his eyes before they closed again. Suddenly, Itsuki moved and held Byakko to the side. They were surprised with the sudden move, but they heard the sound of metals striking. Slowly, Byakko''s ability to nullify reiatsu came into play and there appeared a second Aizen with a stunned look. Itsuki though was calm and immediately lashed out with Ryurai as a flash appeared and cut through Aizen''s shoulder. The latter was able to dodge despite the shock and retreated as his usual smile surfaced. "I knew it. You purposely saw my release, didn''t you?" Itsuki tilted his head as Aizen continued, "Your eyes they''re special, aren''t they?" His next words even brought a raised eyebrow from both Yamamoto. "I wasn''t sure at first but when I saw that human girls'' abilities, it brought a few ideas. I don''t know what the exact power is, but it should be something along the lines of rejecting an existence¡­" A thoughtful look appeared as rubbed his chin, "No, its more brutal, something like the ability to kill something, in a specific manner¡­" This time Itsuki was rather surprised but he didn''t think it was weird. He never once believed that Aizen could never figure his power out given his intelligence. Aizen continued thinking out loud, "¡­in a specific way, I don''t know. What I do know¡­" A Garganta appeared behind Itsuki and an eye was seen. It didn''t have a body, but it was just an eye and it looked at Itsuki. Feeling the gaze, Itsuki turned around only to see the eye close on to him and suddenly explode. *BOOM* Flesh sprung out as Itsuki moved to block but that was it, he couldn''t move further. He wasn''t frozen as the flesh that exploded was also frozen. It seemed more in relation to time, ''He was able to stop time?'' An incredulous look appeared in Itsuki''s eyes but that was all he was able to see. With a flash of light, Itsuki was engulfed in sudden pain and then blackness. Itsuki grunted in pain. "Ugghh..." Time resumed and Itsuki could move again but that was it. He felt incredible pain from his eyes as bought his hand up, only to feel a cut that extending from one eye to another. He could feel that Aizen had managed to cut his eyes causing him to go blind. If it wasn''t for all his training, then he would be screaming his head off right now. Still, Itsuki was able to get back his composure as everyone''s worried voices were heard, """""Itsuki!""""" Soi Fon''s heart clenched as she had a worried look in her eyes. She tried to leave but a sudden exhaustion flooded her body as she collapsed. Hachigen looked at her and quickly went next to her, "Your injuries¡­" Soi Fon didn''t listen, "Shut up!" She once more tried to get up only to fall down. Suddenly, another noise caught her attention as she turned around only to see Rangiku kneeling down and using her sword as support to get up. Soi Fon worriedly went next to her and grasped her when she heard a rather low voice, "Itsuki needs us." Hachigen had a complicated look before a resolute one and knocked the two girls out. The two were really injured and exhausted, it was time for the vice-captains to step out. Back with Itsuki, he felt the whole situation as he came to terms with the lines. He could very vaguely make the shape out with the lines and dots but was very hard and really vague. With his senses he was able to amplify the image of his surroundings even more and he would get a clearer picture if he pulsed his reiatsu out with him as the centre. Itsuki quickly got his ribbon from his hair and tied it round his eyes to stop the bleeding. "You okay?" A rather familiar voice was heard as Shunsui appeared next to him. "Hn" Itsuki nodded in return as he ''looked'' in the direction of Aizen. The sky cracked behind Aizen and out jumped Ichigo while swinging his sword, "Getsuga Tenshou!!" Aizen was immediately engulfed by Ichigo''s reiatsu. However, within the maelstrom, Aizen''s voice was heard. "I specifically made that hollow taking into account your abilities, yet, I never went for the kill." He had completely disregarded Ichigo''s strike as a barrier appeared behind him. "Taking care of your eyes became the highest priority¡­" He then looked at Ichigo, "¡­and you, you think I wouldn''t protect my blind spot. If you had hollowfied then maybe but you didn''t¡­" Aizen then went ahead and started ''explaining'' the difference between the two. Shunsui, Komamura, Toshiro and the visored then appeared in front of Ichigo saying they would protect him from seeing the release of Kyoka Suigetsu. Itsuki however went first. "What?!" Ichigo was first surprised at Itsuki''s blindfold and the blood marks on it. He knew that Itsuki''s strength was one of the best, but he was still injured like so. Swinging his right sword at Aizen, the latter let out a smile, "Even without your eyes, Captain Minamoto, you leave one quite wary." Itsuki''s now unbound hair fluttered behind him as he went in for a second strike only to feel ice encompass his left hand. "I wont give you another chance¡­" He had just turned towards Toshiro''s voice when two rather familiar twin swords went through his chest followed by Shunsui''s voice, "Even ice can cast shadows." Pain immediately registered in his body as he grit his teeth. However, that wasn''t the end of it, more and more weapons became embedded into his body before he had any chance to react. Another two weapons were stabbed in, one was Lisa''s spear and the other was Hirako''s sword. "AIZEN!!!" A roar that leaked hate was heard from Komamura as Itsuki felt a rather large sword swung down and cut open his chest. And to end it all of, one more cold sword pierced his chest. Itsuki coughed due to the sudden blow to the lungs while a cold energy entered his body. He could feel the openings of his wounds freeze over as Toshiro pressed his blade further in. ''Kyoka Suigetsu, huh?'' That was Itsuki''s last thought as he lost all energy in his body. "They did it! They took him out! The captains finally did it!" While everyone was cheering, one person was not. "Guys¡­Guys¡­GUYS WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING?!!!" It was only then did they realise who the person they had brutally attacked was. Wearing that all familiar second division captain''s haori and that familiar white hair. That familiar emotionless face now had blood dripping down his mouth. They only came to it when his Kiseru fell out from his sleeve and landed on the ground. "Itsuki!!!!" 109 Death Everyone was in shock. The captain''s that had grouped to kill Aizen had actually been fooled by Kyoka Suigetsu and had attacked Itsuki. Quickly collecting their swords, they were surprised seeing Unohana suddenly appear next to him. A worried expression masked her face as she hurriedly tried to bandage him. She then tried to quickly leave with him when, "Where do you think you''re going?" "Aizen¡­" Unohana grit her teeth as she suddenly felt a palm on her chest. Looking down, she saw Itsuki push her back with a force she couldn''t contend against. However, this meant that Itsuki would be thrown in the direction of Aizen and indeed Itsuki was grasped by Aizen. He held Itsuki by the head as a Garganta appeared beneath them. Seeing this, Shunsui and even Yamamoto shouted, "Wait!" Aizen didn''t reply as he slashed Itsuki''s throat and let go of Itsuki. Time seemed to slow as Itsuki fell and the Garganta close. If one fell into the Garganta, no one knew what would happen to them. "AIZEN!" That was all Itsuki heard before being let loose as all sound died out when the door closed. Contrary to everyone expectations, Itsuki that had now ''died'' created a reishi platform and landed on it. Taking off his blindfold, his eyes that were destroyed had regenerated alongside the cut. The cut to the neck and his wounds started to visibly close and he lightly stretched. "They didn''t seem to hold back¡­Never knew dying was such a pain" If one looked at him now, the only evidence that said he had been heavily injured was the state of his clothes. Tying his hair back with the ribbon, he thought back to Unohana''s sudden intrusion, although he couldn''t see her, he still felt the fluctuations of her emotions. Shaking his head, he disappeared and another reishi platform appeared in the distance. Back in the fake Karakura town, a thought passed through Aizen''s head, ''I''ve completed part of my deal, now we will see who emerges victorious and who loses the bet.'' "Taimatsu.??? A faint voice filled with deep anger was heard from his voice as Yamamoto appeared above him. Yamamoto appeared next to Aizen swinging his katana. Magnificent flames appeared stretching from the sword threatening to burn down anything in their paths. The flamed also seemed to respond to Yamamoto''s emotions as they burned even more fiercely. Hurriedly dodging, the strike hit the nearby buildings and literally disintegrated them. All the other captains including the visored had rage in their eyes as they all let loose their attacks on Aizen. Aizen still had his smile as he spoke out, "How does it feel to end your fellow captain?" His words hit their sore spots as they started losing control. However, what he didn''t expect was for a presence behind him to suddenly appear. Swinging around, he saw an Unohana that he didn''t recognise. Her original braided hair was let loose revealing a shocking scar in between her collarbones. Her eyes looked gloomy and menacing and she swung with intent to kill. Her killing intent thickened the air as she swung, pushing Aizen back. Letting out a laugh, Aizen looked at her carefully, "Haha, you look rather different, Captain Unohana, no, the first Kenpachi." Unohana was about to move when Yamamoto''s voice was heard, "Fall back." "Wha¡­" "You''re the medic, don''t let Itsuki''s sacrifice be in vain." Hearing Itsuki''s name, Unohana closed her eyes as she felt her heart tremble before calming herself. She didn''t want to, but it was the truth. Sheathing her sword, Unohana left the battlefield with clenched fists, she understood why Itsuki ''sacrificed'' himself. Indeed, from outsider''s perspective, Itsuki gave his life to protect the only proper medic, who would''ve thought that he just wanted to get himself killed quicker. Yamamoto also nearly lost control but he was ultimately experienced. However, before he could say anything more, Yamamoto saw, Shunsui and Toshiro attack Aizen. "AIZEN!!" Understandably, Shunsui was immediately defeated while Toshiro lost an arm. Taking this chance Yamamoto made his move. Within the Garganta, Itsuki stood there breathing in. He felt all his energies coalesce within his soul and stabilise themselves. A small hollow ball appeared within his soul as his reiatsu increased furthermore. If someone were to come near him now, they wouldn''t feel anything near him, his pressure had vanished, more like it had in a way transcended. Now, all he had to do was fill in the hollow ball. Taking a step forward, Itsuki vanished. He then appeared next to a pair of bodies. One of them was Tier Harribel while the other was Coyote Starkk. Tier Harribel was in her Resurreccion, her released state. She had olive skin, aqua green eyes, and blonde hair. Her released state consisted of hollow bones partially covering her body while a weapon similar to a broad pata that looked like a shark fin extended from her right hand. She had a white collar that extended towards her chest and spaulders on her shoulders that resembled shark find and two ribbon-like protrusions from her back. A thin, spine-like structure had formed on her stomach, spanning from her waist to the underside of her chest. She also wore a mini skirt which consisted of bones surrounding a dark undergarment. She also wore a pair of knee-length boots and elbow-length gloves. However, this time she also had a long wound that extended from the left shoulder to the right side of her hip. She had currently sat up and was trying her best to heal the wound. When she first woke up, she was surprised seeing that she had somehow fallen into the Garganta and with the help of someone unknown survived. A Reishi platform appeared next to her and was surprised when she looked up, it was the same person that gave her the wound. Trying to defend herself, she aggravated her wounds further as she flinched back. Itsuki looked at her, "Don''t move, it will only worsen." Tier didn''t reply as she grit her teeth in pain. Itsuki''s attention was brought onto the second person. Starkk laid there on his dying breath. He had blue-grey eyes and wavy, unkempt, dark brown hair which ended at the base of his neck. He also had a faded goatee. He had a white eye patch that was connect to two chains. He wore a grey fur-lined jacket over a double-breasted vest. His legs were covered in dark, skin-tight pants with grey knee-high fur leggings covering his lower legs while his arms were covered in grey, elbow-length fur armbands, which ended at his wrists. There were ribbon-covered bandoleers emerging from his upper back and disappearing into his upper forearms. His body was covered in wounds and his reiatsu was getting weaker and weaker. Itsuki moved next to him and sent Reiatsu within him to help activate and boost his regeneration. Arrancars were filled with the capability of high-speed regeneration so it wasn''t until Itsuki fixed a couple things when the man''s breath had stabilised, and he was brought back from death''s door. Tier watched this but wondered what was happening. Their enemy was helping them. Itsuki looked at the two and saw that there wasn''t anything serious, so he opened gate this time in Hueco Mundo. On the other side, the village of the elves lay there as may other Vasto Lordes saw the door. Itsuki didn''t dally further and waved his hand sending the two into the village to get healed. Leaving a hint of reiatsu with them so they wont just get attacked when they appear. What Itsuki didn''t expect was for a pair of shadows to suddenly fly through with one jumping in his arms and the other onto his shoulder right before the door closed. Looking at the green haired child in his arms, Itsuki wondered how she got here. "What are you doing?" Sniffling lightly, "How mwean, jwust leaving me there¡­" Itsuki listened to her ramblings until, "¡­I wanna come with you." Itsuki looked at the tear-stricken eyes before sighing to himself. The second shadow, which turned out to be Seikyo kept pecking him as if to say the same thing. Far away from the battlefield a Garganta opened and out walked Itsuki. On his left shoulder was Seikyo pulling her bottom eye lid and sticking out her tongue at Nel while the latter was doing the same. However, her expression changed as she squinted her eyes due to the light and looked around with curiosity, "Waaaa, so this is the human world. Its bright." Hueco Mundo was a dark place so it was natural for Nel to find this sort of environment new. Appearing near a random apartment near the edges of the town, he got changed, taking off his ragged clothes and wore proper ones. His captain''s haori was replaced with a plain white one. Now all he had to do was wait. His senses had already encompassed the battlefield as he saw Ichigo''s reiatsu fluctuate as his resolution took a big hit. Most of the captains were taken down and it seemed that he found out that all the fights he had fought were planned out by Aizen. Itsuki''s attention was dragged towards Unohana who was doing her job as the medic. Remembering back to her outburst, Itsuki didn''t know what to feel before covering these thoughts, he never needed emotions now that he had gotten so far. He then turned towards Nel; he didn''t know why he took her along with him, but it was purely on a whim. Itsuki then reminisced and remembered his talk with Aizen back in the park. - Flashback - "So, what is this ''something interesting'' you talked about in your letter?" Taking a puff of smoke, Itsuki replied, "I want you to kill me." Aizen raised his eyebrow at this unexpected request, while Itsuki continued, "Obviously not now, but when you finally move. You obviously know when¡­" "Can''t face to betray Soul Society like that?" "No, you should know the enemies we will face¡­" "You''re that confident in winning?" Itsuki didn''t reply while Aizen looked at him with an amused smile, "That truly is interesting, let''s do this, this doesn''t count as a favour due to it being an amusing one¡­" Itsuki just took a puff of smoke while Aizen took his leave, "So long, Minamoto Itsuki¡­" - End of Flashback - Itsuki felt Isshin enter the battlefield and take Ichigo with him. The two then attacked where Gin faced off against Ichigo, and Isshin went against Aizen. They were later joined by Urahara and Yoruichi who tag teamed with Isshin to face off against Aizen. Aizen had entered the Chrysalis stage and Itsuki could see that the lines of death he had were slowly decreasing the more he fused with the Hogyoku. Seeing Yoruichi, a heavy feeling was felt in his heart and that amplified seeing Rangiku and Soi Fon get up. He wanted to look for his Kiseru, but he couldn''t find it. His attention was then dragged by Gin. Aizen had defeated Urahara, Isshin and Yoruichi but Gin suddenly moved. While Aizen defeated them, his chrysalis stage was over and ordered Gin to open a path to Soul Society. The latter complied and did as ordered only for him to suddenly grasp the sword Aizen was holding. His slit eyes that opened slightly were filled with heavy killing intent, and muttered, "Korose, Kamishini no Yari." Aizen was surprised as he felt a blade extended through his chest and back out. Gin had betrayed him. Well, Aizen had already expected it. "The only way to escape Kyoka Suigetsu''s ability is touchin'' the sword already before Perfect Hypnosis takes effect. How many decades did it take for me to finally hear that one fact?" Gin retreated his blade while Aizen held his wound "I already knew of your intentions back then, I just wanted to see how you would attempt to take my life." Aizen lashed out at Gin who dodged backwards and escaped. "Gin!" Rangiku appeared with Soi Fon. The two saw what happened while Aizen collapsed. "It''s finally over." Gin looked at the hogyoku in his hand as he felt a burden lifted from his shoulders. He had been planning this for over a hundred years and he had finally succeeded yet at what cost. Remembering Itsuki, he remembered the days where it was just the three of them back in Rukongai. Now he was here and Itsuki wasn''t while Rangiku still seemed oblivious to the fact that Itsuki was no more. Just as he was about to tell her, torrents of reiryoku was released from Aizen. Aizen started levitating and ascend to the sky as a pair of white wings appeared behind him. After the Chrysalis stage, Aizen''s pupils had turned white while his sclera turned purple. A slit appeared on his forehead and he now wore what looked like a long white cloak which split into four parts when it reached his waist. A hole appeared in the middle of his chest while a cross was formed while his hair got longer. "It''s over Gin. The Hogyoku you stole doesn''t have to be inside of me or outside for it to belong to me." Saying that, he appeared in front of Gin and slashed outs. Itsuki saw this but didn''t move, Aizen had held back. Aizen was probably the only one that could feel Itsuki spectating the battlefield. Opening the senkaimon, Aizen let out a smirk and left for the real Karakura town. Itsuki also got up and while Nel and Seikyo hurriedly latched themselves onto him in case he left them behind. He then reappeared on the battlefield where he found his Kiseru before also leaving for Soul Society. A gate opened up on top of the real Karakura town where Itsuki walked out. The Gotei 13 had swapped the real Karakura Town for the fake one and now the real one was in soul society. Extending his senses over the town, he saw Ichigo''s schoolmates awake and helping each other. Tatsuki wasn''t here so it was only Keigo, Mizuiro and Chizuru that were awake and helping each other. There was also that Don Kanonji guy that had stayed awake. Itsuki wondered what Aizen was doing but it seemed that he was wating for Ichigo. Itsuki could feel the arrogance exuded from Aizen''s movements as he leisurely strolled around Karakura Town waiting for Ichigo. Chapter 110 - The beginning of the end Itsuki stood there smoking a Kiseru as he watched Ichigo appear. He looked just like in the anime where he confronted Aizen. Covering the three''s presence, he saw Ichigo man handle Aizen towards another different place. Not long after the sound of clashes could be heard and smoke clouds due to the destruction caused. Itsuki reappeared on a nearby plateau only for it to become a target for one of the aftereffects of their clashes. As the rocky plateau turned into debris, Itsuki let out a puff before just staying in the same spot and looking at the fight. Ryurai and Byakko could be heard buzzing slightly as they craved a fight, patting them lightly, "Our fight is yet to come." This seemed to calm the two down as Itsuki''s attention arrived at the two as soon as Ichigo broke out of the kido Aizen used and struck him, to the latter''s surprise. With Aizen going into his fourth transformation, back in the living world, "No¡­y-you''re lying, aren''t you?" A trembling voice was heard as a depressing atmosphere descended onto the scene. Broken buildings surrounded them where three girls surrounded Gin. Unohana was healing all the captains as a shadow covered her eyes. Gin had a sorrowful look as he looked at his childhood friend. Both her palms covered her mouth as tears threatened to leave her eyes. Soi Fon and Yoruichi had ferocious looks as they glared at Gin, "Don''t lie!" Yoruichi let loose a punch which Gin didn''t dodge. Tears left her eyes as she stood straight. Soi Fon grit her teeth, "We all know Itsuki''s strength, there''s no way¡­" "It''s true." An aged voice interrupted her as the three turned to look at the one who spoke. Yamamoto looked as if he had aged a few more years, while he walked towards them letting out a sigh. "Captain-commander¡­" A depressed atmosphere left his body, "Captain Minamoto Itsuki has fallen in battle." His back seem to hunch a bit more but this ultimately confirmed Itsuki''s death. Soi Fon fell onto her knees as disbelief was written all over her face. Yoruichi stood there as her bangs covered her eyes and her trembling hands clenched. She bit her lip hard enough for it to bleed. Rangiku on the other hand outright collapsed. Luckily, Soi Fon was quick to react as she caught her. Yoruichi also quickly came to her side and checked on her. Urahara was also there as he looked at the scene with his hat covering his eyes, ''What are you thinking Minamoto Itsuki?'' Urahara only knew so much about Itsuki, but he failed to believe that a few captains could incapacitate Itsuki. Sure, there was the reason of his eyes being slashed, but he felt it was too far fetched for Itsuki to go down like such. For that reason, Urahara believed that Itsuki was still alive and all that occurred was a farce to deceive the eyes of everyone present. ''Could he have also seen that?'' While Urahara drowned in his own thoughts, the man in question had his ears filled with the quarrel of bird and child. He started questioning his life choices as spit and feathers fell over his back where the two were arguing. "Stupid bird¡­" "Kyuu kyuu kyuu¡­" "*gasp* How can ywou say that?" Somehow the two were able to communicate properly, as if their IQ levels seemed to create some sort of resonance. "Itsuki¡­" "ssshhhhhh" This seemed to stop the quarrel as a large explosion caught their attention and Ichigo entered his final Getsuga form. With his hair turning black and Aizen''s disbelieving shouts, Ichigo slashed down heavily injuring Aizen. Ichigo''s powers started vanishing as Aizen felt like a chance had come only for a red shard to appears on his chest. With more and more appearing, Aizen could feel the kido trying to seal him. Urahara then appeared and looked around, not finding what he was looking for he then looked towards Aizen. "I planted this kido within another one before your transformation, at your weakest point, given that we couldn''t kill you¡­" Aizen seem to sink all this in as a serene look plastered his face before letting out a smile. "tch¡­seems like I''ve lost¡­" Urahara frowned seeing Aizen''s change in nature, as he was just screaming moments before. It also felt like he wasn''t talking to them but rather someone else. This plagued his mind as he hurriedly looked around but still saw no one there. Aizen never fought back, but just smiled as the seal encompassed him. Ichigo''s power left him as his hair turned orange. Itsuki just watched as a small smile crept on to his face before turning to leave. The aftereffects of the fight had left people in terrible states. Ichigo had lost his shinigami powers, while everyone''s physical injuries were healed later by Orihime''s powers, the same couldn''t be said for the mental ones. Apart from that, Soul Society had lost their main fighting force, Captain Minamoto Itsuki had fallen in battle. There was only one joyful news for the small circle known as Itsuki''s friends, Rangiku was pregnant. The cause of that was currently looking at the sealed Aizen in his dark prison. It was pitch black with no light in sight as the two looked at each other. Although he had heard the news he reigned in his emotions before they took over. This was the point of no return. Slashing out with his swords, each seal on Aizen was cut apart leaving strands on the ground. The alarms failed to activate as they had been taken care off. Getting up, Aizen immediately struck with his fist as Itsuki blocked with the sword, "I''m an immortal and I''m stronger than you, why would you think ill keep my end of the deal¡­" "So, the hogyoku did indeed fully accept you¡­" Itsuki hypothesised that it wasn''t that the hogyoku rejecting him that made him ''lose'' his powers it was that the hogyoku had fully accepted Aizen and him returning to how he was, was his final form. Ichigo mentioned a loneliness but Itsuki looked at him as someone that didn''t want a being controlling his life from a higher place. It was also in line with Itsuki''s reasoning. He didn''t feel safe and with the announcement of Rangiku''s pregnancy, further steeled his determination. "¡­and the reason is simple, I can kill you." Itsuki didn''t elaborate further as a portal appeared and he walked in. Aizen smirked and looked at his seat before following behind him. Appearing within a familiar group of huts, Itsuki looked at the group of shinigami being drilled by Naga and then at the two Vasto Lorde''s that had healed from their injuries. "Aren''t going to stop at your funeral?" "It''s irrelevant." A playful smirk left Aizen''s mouth as he started analysing the group surrounding them. "Quite the people you have gathered¡­" Itsuki didn''t say anything as his presence grouped the people together. The two Arrancars looked at Aizen with indifference while Tier had a bit of anger flash by. Starkk had a lazy look plastered his face as he wasn''t "betrayed" by Aizen. The dark ones alongside Baishin and Ichinose Maki looked at Aizen with curiosity. They were never there when Aizen was captain or famous, so they barely had no idea who he was given their lack of contact with Soul Society. Only Ichinose Maki had a faint idea given how he had infiltrated Soul Society and that he was there when Aizen was captain. But that was all he knew. "We leave." Itsuki didn''t say anything as he moved past them and stood facing the horizon. While Itsuki did this, Tier and Starkk looked at each other and then at Aizen who just seemed to ignore them. The person they followed seemed to also follow the captain in front of him but still Tier asked, "Why should we?" "Follow if you want, if you don''t want to then stay." Tier''s eyebrows responded with a twitch as she heard that vague answer. Giving the excuse that he had saved her life, she complied with Itsuki, but her curiosity had been touched. Starkk shrugged his shoulders as he also complied when another being appeared next to him with a flash of light. A young naked Arrancar appeared next to Starkk that had a hole where her stomach was. Her hollow mask consisted of a horned helmet with the helmet covering her left eye, leaving her right pink eye out in the open. A design of flames decorated just above the covered eye while the left horn of her helmet was cut off. Beneath the helmet was a short green hair and she looked around vigilantly, staying close to Starkk. This was obviously not the first time this had happened as the latter bought out a pair of clothes for her. The clothes consisted of a vest, brief and arm warmers in the typical arrancar colours consisting of white with black outlines. Behind the hut, another Arrancar walked out which was Ulquiorra who had also healed. He silently appeared behind everyone, with only Aizen and Itsuki noticing his entrance. They didn''t say anything as Aizen spoke to Itsuki, "What are you looking for?" He could feel Itsuki''s reiatsu sweeping over Hueco Mundo as if he were searching for something. "The soul that had committed the most sins and turned into a Hollow." As they were on the same side now, Itsuki didn''t feel the need to hide anything from Aizen. The two made a deal, and the latter was simply following it. Itsuki never let his guard down, but he felt that Aizen''s existence would make sure to help him walk forward. If he showed any weakness, he knew that Aizen wouldn''t mind taking the chance finish him off. It wouldn''t be because he had planned it but that he got bored or even disappointed in Itsuki in a way. Still Aizen immediately got Itsuki''s intentions as his smile widened but he still asked, "Why?" Itsuki didn''t reply directly but started talking, as if telling a story. "The existence of hell is an ambiguous topic, the realm existing even before the creation of soul society is a mystery in of itself¡­??? Everyone''s eyes widened at that with the group of shinigami being surprised that they were going to hell, while the Arrancars were having there first history lesson on the history of Soul Society. "I am lacking souls¡­" Everyone''s attention was brought onto Itsuki while Aizen was able to sense the existence of a void sphere within Itsuki. "¡­what better than to consume the beings created by such a place." As soon as he finished, Itsuki disappeared and appeared in front of the group with an average hollow which he immediately crushed to death with his reiatsu. The hollow didn''t get a chance to speak as his soul was immediately held by chains and a large gate appear behind him. "Hell is connected to all three realms. This is where we enter from." Two bandaged skeletons adorned the gate as their respective opposite arms were held in a way as if opening the gate. The gate didn''t fully open as a blade pierced through and stabbed the soul. With a laughter the soul was pulled, and the door was about to close when Itsuki put forth his foot, stopping the gate from fully closing. A confused voice was heard when the door opened slightly as he felt a gaze land on him. Itsuki didn''t say anything as he slashed forward cutting the being in front into two. "One" Chapter 111 - Not dropped peeps Hey minions...I mean...precious readers. hows it been for everyone? I would like everyone to know that I haven''t dropped this, the dao of ahem is still here. Just been caught up with rl stuff, looking for a job and applying for my masters degree etc. I am excited to say that despite what happened these past months I was still able to get a first with my undergraduate course. apart from that my subscription to Microsoft word expired and my laptop started having some issues. As this novel is entering a phase where it''s mostly original I''m trying to look into the lore of bleach to get some characters involved. want to keep it as close to the original as possible and possibly add a few more things I have never been a heavy bleach fan as I''ve only ever read the manga or watched the anime. so digging into wiki has caused some issues. been trying to look at some games etc but for now i dont have anything to release. may or not not have hit a writer''s block lastly, I may be focussing on my other fanfic which I haven''t updated also and my original. anyway thanks to everyone that haven''t given up hope on this novel and stay safe everyone. Chapter 112 - Aftermath - Unknown Place - Five figures sat around a round table surrounded by a sombre atmosphere. Shadows covered their features as one of them started speaking. "It seems Minamoto Itsuki has passed." "It''s better this way, he was becoming powerful way too fast. And those eyes¡­" The second figure seemed to shiver as he remembered the report of Soul Society''s fight. "Although what Aizen spoke off was mere speculation from his part, he seemed to say the truth, if not close to it." A third more elderly figure spoke, "But damn that Yamamoto, how could he have not reported that? It seemed like he knew the true powers of the boy''s eyes from before." "I don''t doubt it, he was his student." The first figure went to reassure them, "But its fine, Itsuki has gone, Aizen came infinitely close to finding out about us and Itsuki was close behind. However, with these two out of the picture¡­" "Aizen has escaped." "I know but what can he do now? The Hogyoku has rejected him, and he is not more powerful than Yamamoto, or even Division Zero without it." Everyone seemed to agree at the figure''s words. Silence encompassed the fourth figure with a more feminine voice started speaking, "The Soul King has become more fragile; we need to find someone to replace him." "Yhwach still hasn''t awakened yet, but he will most likely attack Soul Society, we can make him the new soul king after he is defeated. Even if we can''t there is another candidate." "Who?" "Kurosaki Ichigo and there is also Ukitake Jushiro." "What about her?" "Who? Matsumoto Rangiku?" "Yeah." "I''m not sure yet. She was supposed to take the soul king''s place after it died yet Aizen had already taken the portion of Soul King''s power from her." The elderly figure spoke once more, "Its fine, she was the most successful. If all else fails we can just use her instead and even if she can''t, isn''t she pregnant?" "Who''s the father?" "Reports say its Minamoto Itsuki." "Him again? Actually, that''s even better, if the child inherits his eye''s powers, we can take them in and try to find out the secrets of it. If we can''t make it ours, we can still make use of the child and make her into a trump card¡­" - Seireitei - Within the Kuchiki manor, Rangiku had a blank look on her face as she stared into space, holding her stomach. Hisana sat next to her with worry in her eyes but she didn''t know how to console her. When Rangiku had heard about Itsuki''s death, something broke inside of her. Itsuki was her everything as memories flashed by in her head, from when they first met to when they joined the academy and their life as Shinigami. Memories played like on record as the feeling being broken kept nagging at her. With the announcement of life in her belly had, however, started patching those cracks but only barely. It was the only memory of her lover and she had to be strong for the child. Soi Fon and Yoruichi felt the same, they thought of Rangiku''s child as their own. Soi Fon was promoted to Itsuki''s position while Yoruichi stayed in Soul Society, watching over Rangiku and the baby. Suddenly, a Jigokucho appeared next to Soi Fon as she sat there. Getting up, Soi Fon addressed the other three women in the room, "There has been a call for an emergency meeting, I''ll be taking my leave first." The other three girls nodded as silence once more descended onto the room. However, it was suddenly broken by a pink and white head peeking through the doors. - 1st division HQ - "What?!" "Indeed, Aizen Sosuke has escaped." "But how? Hadn''t he lost his powers after the Hogyoku rejected him." "Yeah, but he still had his reiatsu." "But that was also sealed off.?? The one that was the most aggregated was Soi Fon, from what she knew, the one to kill Itsuki was Aizen. She also felt the other captain''s to blame but for her, Aizen was the prime target. "Silence. Anyway, Captain Kurotsuchi, keep an eye out for any strange movements in the Dangai and try to see if anyone has seen anyone who had entered or left soul society. The rest of you stay on high alert." Everyone nodded and were about to leave when Yamamoto''s voice once more rung out, "Kuchiki, Shunsui, Soi Fon and Ukitake, meet me in my office." The others were curious as to the reason but didn''t indulge in it and just left for their duties. The four that were called out appeared in Yamamoto''s office to which the latter was already sitting in one chair. The four captains stood there waiting for the man to speak when he bought out pieces of a black material. The four captains kept quiet but were curious as to where the captain commander was going with this. "These were Aizen''s bindings¡­" The four captains were shocked but held it in, being the most easy going, Shunsui was the one that voiced out everyone'' questions. "Old man, how did you get these?" "I was able to sneak a bit of it out¡­" "Then why did you call us?" Yamamoto grabbed the piece and unceremoniously threw it at them. Shunsui caught it and looked at it, carefully analysing the material before passing it around. "Anything suspicious?" Yamamoto had a mysterious air around as he took a sip of tea with a satisfied smile. Shunsui didn''t care where he got the tea from as he frowned at Yamamoto. He could see the jolly atmosphere that was carefully hidden by the mysterious one, but he didn''t call out to it. All of the captains were stumped until it reached Byakuya''s hands, "This¡­ these cuts, they bring a familiar feeling?" Byakuya was someone who knew the sword of Itsuki the most, due to the numerous times they had sparred. Being Yamamoto''s student, it also meant that it felt familiar to him. But that wasn''t the only reason, "I''m pretty sure you looked over it, there is no Reiatsu within them¡­" Along with Yamamoto''s voice, the captains took a careful look at the material, "What?" Everyone was confused, but a look of realisation hit Shunsui''s eyes. "Old man, you don''t mean?" "Yes, if you can remember Aizen talked about Itsuki''s eyes, while it was frighteningly close, it wasn''t the truth. Itsuki''s eyes had the ability to kill anything, even inanimate objects." "You mean to say is¡­" "I can only think of Itsuki having the abilities to pull such a thing, only I know of it and now you four." Everyone was shocked, but the most affected was Soi Fon. Her eyes widened and she couldn''t believe what she was hearing. Her thoughts were pulled into disarray and her surrounding muffled. "Fon¡­Soi Fon." Yamamoto''s voice pulled her back as she collected herself. Seeing that Soi Fon was mostly back but her mind was still elsewhere. "Did Itsuki say anything during all those years?" Soi Fon just shook her head. She always felt a certain distance from the man. She had spent the most time with him, yet he was always covered by a fog. At that time, she didn''t care, she was happy. But now she didn''t know what she felt¡­ - Hell Realm - A gigantic skeleton like being peered down at the ant in front of him. Its mind couldn''t comprehend what it was witnessing. For as long as it could remember they had been tasked in hunting down the souls within the realm and none were able to fight back. Given the name Kushanada, they only had one duty, hunt. Yet today it seemed the role had become the opposite, the ants they killed continuously were now fighting back. Not the ones they usually annihilated but this one was different, it didn''t have the chain like the others nor did it seem the ant belonged here, however, looking at the being''s eyes it had felt an emotion that it hadn''t ever felt before. Fear. The being''s steps were small, one step of its own were like the opposites twenty yet it just knew, that it couldn''t run away. He felt his siblings attack the said figure yet what they were expecting never occurred, their touch had no effect on the being. Looking at two of its sibling swing at the intruder, their humongous hands completely enveloping the figure. However, they couldn''t even slightly budge the figure as a flash appeared and their colossal bodies were separated, both of them cut in a completely different angle. It didn''t end there, the chopped bodies seemed to evaporate into a yellow mist and be absorbed into said figure. This shouldn''t have happened, even if they were killed, they should''ve been able to come back yet nothing of the sort happened. The skeleton could feel it. Its siblings no longer existed. The being disappeared once the mist was absorbed completely, and it appeared in front of it. The being felt the fear magnify thousands of times as it stumbled back, and another new feeling welled up within him. Despair. Itsuki looked at the four legged being he just slaughtered. Walking on all fours, reminiscence of gorillas, the Kushanada had elongated skulls with a skeletal body and a large piece of shoulder armour on its right shoulder. Its grey arms and legs were the only non-skeletal part of the so-called guardian of hell, yet it was packed with muscle. He could see various souls of sinners looking at him with wonder, vigilance and hope as Itsuki just ignored them. "They seem to think of you as their saviour¡­" A slight laugh was heard behind in which Aizen walked out from seemingly nowhere. Itsuki didn''t turn around but kept looking at all the Kushanada congregating at their location. They were surrounded by many floating white blocks, but it seemed that the Kushanada can just ignore them and walk straight through. The blue pathway seemed to go on for ages, but Itsuki didn''t stop. Behind Aizen were the Dark Ones, Ichinose Maki, Baishin, the four arrancar. Seikyo was flying high in the sky while Noel was, well she was currently the fourth arrancar. Back to the a.d.u.l.t version of herself, she seemed depressed with a pout, no longer able to hitch a ride on Itsuki''s back. "The reiatsu here¡­" Baishin''s gruff voice was heard as Ichinose replied, "Yeah, any weak person will just go insane by how chaotic it is¡­" "Still¡­those two seem to think of it as a walk in the park¡­" The leader of the dark ones, Ganryu looked at Itsuki and Aizen who were having a small conversation. Although they weren''t that close to them, they still weren''t able to hear what the two were saying despite being at a distance where even a normal human could hear them. "Rangiku Matsumoto was an anomaly, it was through sheer luck that I was able to find her. Who would''ve expected her to have a small portion of the soul king''s power within her? Although I waited it out, it seemed that it was placed into her rather than something that she herself created. It was one of the main components to create the king''s key¡­" Itsuki silently listened as a sigh left his mouth. "Is it finished?" Aizen knew what he was talking about as his smile never left his face, "I was close." "Close?" "The last part was the human Ryoka, Kurosaki Ichigo. Someone who was Hollow, Shinigami and Quincy. His soul was the last part, the more powerful it was, the better the chances, yet it seems it was not to be. His last attack allowed me to complete my fusion with the Hogyoku but the Hogyoku rejected its existence and completely annihilated it." Chapter 113 - Being Itsuki was deep in thought as he looked within his soul. The landscape of the soul was the same, two mountains representing his zanpakuto but this time there was a sun. Calling it a sun wasn''t correct, it was more like a floating orb that was a quarter filled with something similar to golden liquid. That was his reimagined version of the Hogyoku, but this was more of a container that he was filling up with the souls of the Kushanada. Hell was a realm that predated the creation of soul society, so he knew that this place held secrets that were yet to be unveiled. Walking forward, Itsuki saw two figures appear and dive straight to him. He didn''t evade them and his two zanpakuto landed on top of him, throwing him back. Hugging him like koala''s Itsuki just started patting their head when Ryurai''s voice was heard, "Don''t let go. You don''t know how long it will be when he comes back." "Un." Byakko nodded in acknowledgement as Itsuki continued patting their heads as he didn''t feel the hugs loosen. The only feeling within his heart was like looking at family, he knew that he had wronged them, but he never lost faith in them, giving their all despite their lack of interaction. The three didn''t know how long had passed when Itsuki got up, and they let him go. The two zanpakuto knew that they couldn''t hold him for long and he had to go. So, they just looked at him and gave him a kiss on his cheeks before returning to their mountains with reluctant eyes. Itsuki watched them leave, before leaving his soul and opening his eyes outside, within the hell realm. It hadn''t been too long and the Kushanada were still making their way towards him. "They''re slow." "Indeed." Aizen agreed with his words and wanted to continue talking when Itsuki had already disappeared. Aizen''s eyebrow slightly twitched, "Following someone else''s whims is rather¡­ unique¡­" The rest of the group ignored his ramblings, but they saw Kushanada disappearing one by one in the distance. It wasn''t until all the Kushanada were slaughtered did Itsuki appear in front of them, nonchalantly, as if returning from a walk in the park. "It seems we need to go deeper." Looking at the sphere that was two-thirds filled he started feeling a resonance, a resonance that was originating from the lower depths of hell. Slightly attracted to it, he started leading the Shinigami and arrancars towards the source. A small smile crept on Aizen''s face as he muttered under his breath as he deeply looked at Itsuki, "It seems there are some surprises in store for us¡­" In the second level of hell, Itsuki and co came across a large body of water. Large stone water lilies resided on the surface that had a pierced skeleton of a Kushanada resting there. There was nothing much to see here so the group navigated their way to the thirds level. Here is where they found a rocky landscape littered with craters filled with golden lava. Itsuki hovered above a lava pool and watched a Kushanada slowly rise from the pool. It seemed this was where the Kushanada''s were produced as Itsuki shot downwards into the pool, straight through the newborn Kushanada. With a splash he disappeared into the pool as the rest of his group watched from a far. "Umm, so¡­ what happens to us?" "Nothing, then only reason we are here as this place will be our new base." Aizen replied as the whole group looked at him, "Hmmm¡­" "If there is a soul king, why couldn''t there be a hell king?" The group still looked confused. Aizen realised that they never knew the importance and mysteriousness of hell. Sighing to himself, he continued, "Hell is the most mysterious, it is also independent from the three realms, not needing the existence of the soul king to survive. So, what keeps this realm together?" Aizen looked at everyone before continuing, "It could sustain itself, however what''s even more interesting is the way the realms have been positioned. Naturally, soul society is at the top, beneath it is the Living world and next to the living world is Hueco Mundo. Hell, is positioned directly beneath the living world." Aizen''s smile deepened, "That''s not the interesting part though, the living world acts as a ''lid'' for hell, a sort of seal¡­" The group''s eyes widened, "Only small amounts of energy is allowed to leak through the keep balance but majority of its energy is sealed or, in other words, blocked off. Still the energy released even reaches soul society." While Aizen was giving his lecture, Itsuki was slowly going deeper as he felt the energy within the sphere slowly build up. The sphere was rapidly filled in moments and was threatening to burst out when Itsuki quickly sealed it. As soon as the sphere was sealed, Itsuki came to himself and realised that he was standing in a hall. The hall was b?r? but extremely large, red walls and tiles, everything as red, even the monstrosity in front of it. The being opened his eyes revealing a pure red sclera with no irises. The being grunted but did not move, it was as if it had fallen and couldn''t get up. However, in Itsuki''s eyes it was an entirely different story. The number of lines and dots of death seemed to have converged and create the illusion of one gigantic human shaped dot of death. ''This being is close to death'' Itsuki scrutinized the being as his eyes flashed with a rainbow colour. It looked to be humanoid in shape but was easily more than a hundred feet tall. It had no nose and no mouth, just like the soul king, but with hands, feet, and red. It seemed to be leaning on a wall while sitting down with its arms and legs chained. Itsuki could feel the rich soul power within those chains, dangerous enough to chain even him. A sigh left the being''s ''mouth'', a sigh directed felt in Itsuki''s head yet also heard by his ears. "It seems my time has come." A broken yet ancient voice was heard by Itsuki, a voice laced by vicissitudes of time from a being that probably hadn''t spoken in years. Itsuki didn''t say anything and waited for the being to continue. Yet the being had different ideas, waiting for Itsuki to question him. This resulted in a short yet also long, awkward silence. The being looked up as he felt his eyes twitch, he was sure if he had those lines on top the visitor''s eyes, one of them would stick up. (Basically, a raised eyebrow) The awkwardness seemed to have only be felt by him as the other party looked unconcerned. Clearing his throat, the being continued, "It seems my time has come." The same broken yet ancient voice was heard but this time with a bit more life. This time though, Itsuki realised what the being wanted and complied, "Who are you?" "Me, hehe¡­" The being gave a laugh of self-ridicule, before continuing, "I am what you souls call Yama, or the king of the underworld¡­" It seemed that the being, or rather Yama hadn''t talked for a long time so Itsuki realised that this would take long. "¡­before the creation of those realms above there were only two realms, the underworld and the overworld. The overworld ruled by the soul king while the underworld ruled by me¡­" Although Itsuki and Aizen had uncovered a good amount of knowledge for the time before Soul Society, the rest were just mere speculation, Itsuki realised that this may be the full history. "¡­It was all normal for us, a simple yet steady cycle, what we didn''t expect was a rebellion. A rebellion that changed the shape of the realm we live in, quite literally. By the time I realised, long were the soul king''s limb ripped apart and the overworld started splitting due to the combined power of numerous souls and relics they made from the two legs of the soul king." Itsuki knew that the left arm and heart of the soul king would appear with Yhwach, as for the right arm, it was within Ukitake. As far as he could remember was that the right arm of the soul king governed stagnation and stillness, preventing anything that tried to either change or grow. This trait could be seen when it fused with Ukitake, stunting the growth of the latter''s illness. As for the left arm, it governed the opposite, instead of stagnation and stillness, it governed progression and advancement, the ability to enhance oneself or another through accelerated evolution. The heart, on the other hand, governed miracles, giving form to thoughts, feelings and d?s?r?s of the user and those around them. Itsuki didn''t know the abilities of the legs, but the being answered his thoughts, "I tried to stop them, but it was all too late, I don''t know how long they planned it but they transformed the legs into chains and chained me down into depths of what you souls call hell."