Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Force of Souls! While the Soul Society looks into the traces that Aizen left behind in his search of Urahara’s research to try and piece together his motives and potentially his future plans, the former ryoka get to interact more with the Shinigami. Some hang out, others want to spar, and sometimes shenanigans ensue!
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So, without further delay, please enjoy.
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Chapter 42 – Seireitei Socialization
Fierce to one anotherNow understandingWithout mistrust and schemesUnderstanding can beginThe current trembles and grows
In the normally quiet halls of the Fourth Squad’s medical wing, a ruckus was happening in the late morning.
“Huh?!”
“Shut up!”
A Fourth Squad member stood before two members of the Eleventh Squad that were trying to leave. “It’s still too soon…” He cautioned both men about being up and about already.
The physically largest of the two Eleventh Squad members pointed his thumb at himself. “I said I’m fine already!”
“If you keep talking, we’re going to break your legs!” The other Eleventh Squad guy threatened with a glare.
“Aww, geez… What’s going on?” A Fourth Squad member asked from a nearby hallway.
A shorter woman sighed. “It’s the Eleventh Squad guys again.”
A man with glasses groaned. “Those guys just won’t stop.”
The large Eleventh Squad man raised his voice, nearly yelling at this point. “Who do you think you’re talking too?! You better watch what you…” He was cut off as a gentle hand landed on his shoulder from behind.
“Feeling better?” Unohana asked the two men with a small smile.
The two men slowly turned to look at Unohana, both breaking out into flop sweats.
“Ca-Captain Unohana…” The shorter Eleventh Squad member stuttered out.
“H-Hello.” The larger man greeted the Captain in fear.
Unohana’s small smile remained in place. “I’m glad that you’re recovering, but please keep your voices down.” Her eyes lost their warmth entirely as her gaze drilled into both men. “And please remember that while you’re under this roof your lives are in our hands.”
The shorter man nodded once, sweat rolling down his face. “Oh… Oh, right…”
“Gosh, what were we thinking?” The larger guy was sweating just as badly as his buddy and he had a wide, strained smile on his face.
Both rowdy Eleventh Squad members scurried back to their beds and didn’t make a sound.
Unohana continued on her way with Isane following behind her.
‘Captain Unohana is so amazing!’ Isane marveled at her Captain in her mind.
“Ah, what a lovely day.” Unohana said as she looked outside through one of the windows. “Let’s open the windows today.”
The nearby members of Squad Four immediately started opening the windows to let in the fresh air for everyone to enjoy.
Isane checked the clipboard in her hands to see the next room they’d be making rounds in. “Kurosaki-san has been cleared for leave already?” She blinked at not seeing the room number on the paper.
Unohana nodded once as they continued to walk. “Indeed. Miss Inoue’s ability to heal is quite remarkable, so there was no further need to keep Kurosaki-san here.” She looked over her shoulder with a gentle and playful smile. “I’m afraid you’ll have to see your crush outside of your duties, Isane.”
“C-Crush?!” Isane’s face burned red instantly and she hid her face behind the clipboard. “Captain U-Unohana! I don’t h-have a crush!”
“Your actions say otherwise.” Unohana lightly teased her Lieutenant as they turned a corner and entered another hallway of rooms.
Isane kept her face hidden behind the clipboard, feeling her cheeks remain hot. “Captain…” She whined a little while following dutifully behind. ‘Kurosaki-san wouldn’t be interested in a woman as tall as me…or as clumsy… He already has three lovers as it is too.’ Her opinion of herself had always been a bit negative, especially considering how she was so much taller than most women and even several of her male colleagues.
Unohana’s voice lost its teasing and became warm and assuring. “You shouldn’t disparage yourself, Isane. You have plenty of charm all your own.” She smiled softly at her Lieutenant, her eyes warm when Isane stopped hiding her face behind the clipboard.
“Th-thank you, Captain Unohana.” Isane gave her Captain a warm and thankful smile for the reassurance.
The two continued their rounds from there, Isane in a noticeably better mood.
-Squad Eleven ~ Training Hall-
Crash
A body went flying through one of the windows and hit the ground outside with a thud. The beaten Squad Eleven member twitched as he laid in the short grass below the window.
Within the training hall, Ikkaku stood with his chest bare, his newest scar—courtesy of his fight with Ichigo—proudly displayed for all to see while sweat ran down his body from his marathon of spars this morning.
“All right!” Ikkaku called out, pointing his bokken towards the Shinigami sitting on the sidelines. “Who’s next?!” No one moved from their spot. Several of the men actually looked down at the floor to avoid eye contact with Ikkaku…partially because the simple wooden sword the Third Seat held had blood on it from how hard he was sparring today. “What’s the matter?! None of you cowards wants to step up?!”
A strong step on the wooden floor got everyone’s attention. “Fine…” Ichigo said as he stepped forward, having been spectating the sparring to kill some time. “…I’ll spar with you.” He had a bokken of his own in his right hand, resting the wooden blade over his shoulder.
Ikkaku grinned at Ichigo stepping up. “Hmm…you’ve got guts. But are you sure? You just finished convalescing, and I don’t intend to hold back.”
“Well, so did you!” Ichigo shot back, pointedly looking at the scar he’d left on Ikkaku’s chest. “And unlike you, I’ve gotten stronger since then!”
“What was that?!” A vein throbbed on Ikkaku’s forehead. “You’ve certainly gotten cocky, haven’t you?!” He pointed his bokken at Ichigo with a glare.
Ichigo readied his bokken. “It’s not cocky if it’s true, Ikkaku!”
Ikkaku held his bokken one-handed and took a step forward. “All right then! We’ll see just how much stronger you’ve gotten right now!” He charged forward with a wild smile.
“Bring it on!” Ichigo lunged forward as well, raising his bokken to strike.
Clack
The first strike was loud in the training hall and all of the watching members of Squad Eleven watched, wide-eyed, as a small breeze hit them from the impact.
The wooden door to the training hall slid opponent only a second after the first strike, revealing Kenpachi Zaraki standing there, Yachiru hanging on his shoulder as usual. “Hey!”
Ikkaku and Ichigo froze, the force they’d been pushing against each other with in their bokken clash disappearing as they looked at Kenpachi. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad members hurried to stand up and bow respectfully to their Captain.
“Captain Zaraki! Good morning, sir!” All of the Squad Eleven members that had been watching the sparring chorused in unison.
Kenpachi waved them off and his one visible eye locked onto the visitor to his squad. “You’re looking well, Ichigo. Have your wounds healed?”
Ichigo nodded once, even giving the scarred Captain a thumbs up. “Yeah. Thanks to Orihime and the Squad Four people I’m fully heal-”
Shing
Ichigo’s eyes widened comically as the ‘blade’ of his bokken clattered to the floor, cleanly cut mere centimeters above where he was holding it.
“You are?” Kenpachi’s battle maniac smile spread across his face. “Glad to hear it.” His Reiatsu began to press down on everything. “Now I can fight you without holding back!”
Ichigo had Shunpo-ed to where his zori sandals were and grabbed them. In the next instant he was out the broken window, easily leaping over the unconscious Squad Eleven member lying in the grass below.
All of Squad Eleven watched on in stunned silence for a second, their faces either blank or they broke out into flop sweats unsure of how their Captain would take Ichigo fleeing.
“He’s getting away, Kenny!” Yachiru giggled brightly, pointing to the broken window.
“HEY!!!” Kenpachi cleared the space between where he was and the window in a single bound. “Come back here, boy!”
Ichigo, hopping on one leg while putting his sandals on one foot at a time, glanced back. “No way! I’m never fighting you again!” He managed to get his sandals on and then vanished in a blur of Shunpo.
“WHAT?! YOU WON’T GET AWAY FROM ME!!!” Kenpachi bellowed before leaping after Ichigo, cracking the wall around the window frame from the force as he blurred across the open space and landed atop the nearest wall, spotting Ichigo and immediately giving chase.
Everyone still in the training hall looked at the remains of the window in surprise at what had just happened.
“Hmph. Rowdy as ever.” Yumichika said with a sigh as he sat down, having just arrived with another visitor to their squad barracks.
“Especially since Kurosaki showed up.” Iba nodded as he sat next to Yumichika on the floor. “Ah well, better rowdy than boring.”
“Why did you come for a visit?” Yumichika asked Iba curiously. “What about Captain Komamura?”
Iba let out a little sigh while scratching he back of his head. “Well, to tell you the truth…the Captain wants to be alone for a while.”
-Nameless Grave-
Komamura stood before a simple grave marker, it was a short, square column of stone without even a name engraved on it, half surrounded by a few wooden stakes in the ground with a thin rope strung between them.
‘Nameless friend of Tōsen…what would you have said to stop him?’ Komamura silently asked the person that the grave was for.
The sound of footsteps in the grass made one of Komamura’s ears twitch and he turned to look at who had come to this remote grave on a hill that was far away from anything important. Seeing that it was Hisagi, Komamura immediately understood why the younger man had come.
“Oh.” Hisagi seemed only slightly surprised to see Komamura here and gave the Captain a small, polite bow. When Komamura nodded and stepped to the side, Hisagi approached the grave and looked at the blank stone in silence for a long moment. “Captain Komamura, will Captain Tōsen ever come back?”
“Undoubtedly.” Komamura said with a low tone. “We will see each other again, but it will be as enemies.” Seeing the look that Hisagi gave him, the wolf-headed Captain continued. “Tōsen has chosen his path. He chose it long, long ago and we’ve all been deceived since then.” A long sigh escaped Komamura. “I’m tired of living behinds masks and under deceptions, Hisagi. A path like that cannot uphold justice, because it cannot be held accountable for its actions and decisions. I will no longer hide nor be deceived. When the time comes, we must bring Tōsen to justice as well.”
“About time you stopped hiding.” Tenken said within Komamura’s mind. There had long been a final wall between them with Komamura’s past and how it affected his perception of his own looks and who he was. “Maybe you’ll finally be ready to shed that armor and show our true power.”
-Seireitei-
“Damn it! How is he so fast?!” Ichigo was still using Shunpo as he ran away from the pursuing Kenpachi. “He’s not even using Shunpo! He’s just chasing me down on foot!” The heavy Reiatsu barely felt like it was getting further away, no matter how far he ran or what street he took.
“ICHIGO!!!” Kenpachi roared out, sounding FAR too close for Ichigo’s liking.
“He went that way, Kenny! I know it!” Yachiru’s laughter could be heard while Kenpachi’s Reiatsu intensified as he moved closer to his target.
Ichigo vanished in another blur of Shunpo and turned left, then right, then left again, using serpentine movements through the myriad streets of the Seireitei to try and throw Kenpachi off his trail.
CRASH
Hearing the street behind him nearly explode as Kenpachi crashed down onto it made Ichigo look around in panic for any place to hide.
‘There’s got to be somewhere!’ Ichigo glanced at the wall to his left, seeing a few trees behind it, and leapt over it swiftly. Landing on the grass, he only took a fraction of a second to look around before he spotted a building with a door. He was beside it almost instantly and he threw open the wooden sliding door before stepping inside, sliding it closed behind himself, and then putting his ear to the door.
“Ichigo! Get back here and fight me!” Kenpachi yelled loudly as his nearly crushing Reiatsu filled the air as he ran down the street on the opposite side of the wall.
“He went right, Kenny!” Yachiru called out, happy to help her papa chase down his ‘friend’ so that they could spar and have fun together.
As Kenpachi’s Reiatsu began to shrink into the distance, Ichigo let out a relieved breath. “That was close…” It was only then that he noticed the humidity inside the room that he’d hidden himself in.
The sound of water moving caught Ichigo’s ear.
“My, my, aren’t you a bold young man?” Rangiku said with a teasing grin as she lounged in the wooden bathtub in the room. The private bath of the Captain of Squad Ten, in fact.
Ichigo slowly and jerkily turned his head to glance over his shoulder. He was met with Rangiku’s half-submerged naked body and a playful grin. Rangiku used her left arm, cupping her right tit with her left hand, and bounced her girls in the water, her areolae and nipples coming up above the surface to tease Ichigo with brief glimpses.
“Care to join me?” Rangiku teased with a sultry look.
Ichigo’s head snapped forward so fast that Rangiku was surprised she didn’t hear a snap. “I’m sorry!” He apologized while looking straight at the door. “I didn’t… I mean I was…”
Rangiku stood up from the bath, the water cascading down her massive tits and curvy body. “You were running from Kenpachi.” She said, easily able to figure out the situation. “Can you hand me my robe?” Rangiku asked calmly as she stepped out of the tub.
Ichigo saw the white robe on the hook next to the door he was standing in front of and picked it up, handing it to Rangiku without moving any part of his body except his arm. “Here.”
“Thank you.” Rangiku took the white robe from Ichigo’s outstretched arm and slipped her arms into the sleeves before wrapping it around herself and tying it closed with the cloth belt. “You’re quite the gentleman, Ichigo.” When he didn’t turn to face her, a soft giggle escaped her lips. “I’m decent now.”
Ichigo chanced a glance over his shoulder and saw that Rangiku was robed; however, just like with her shihakushō, her immense blessings created a lot of amazing cleavage to look upon. “Sorry for barging in.” He apologized as he turned around and gave her a proper bow.
Rangiku waved it off with a little smile. “It’s fine. You didn’t have much time to make a decision; from I could tell.”
“Thank you for understanding.” Ichigo stood back up to his full height and gave Rangiku a thankful nod.
‘Ah, he’s a bit taller than me…’ Rangiku thought, only now noticing just how tall the young man was since they were face-to-face. She didn’t really have to look up to meet Ichigo’s eyes, but he was at least ten centimeters taller than her. “Don’t worry about it.” She brushed the matter aside easily. “I like a polite man~”
Ichigo felt like he was getting used to being teased by beautiful women at this point. “I’m going to head out.”
“Mou~” Rangiku pouted, looking cute even with her immense sex appeal. “You’re no fun.”
“I have girlfriends, and I’m not the kind of guy to do anything behind their backs.” Ichigo said simply as he opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind him before blurring away in another Shunpo.
Rangiku grinned as she opened the door to her private bath and stepped out. “He’s a fun one. I wonder if I can get him and Orihime and Tatsuki to have a drink before they leave?” She walked towards her quarters to get dressed in her shihakushō and Captain’s haori. “I’ll talk to Kūkaku and ask her.” Back when Captain Shiba had been the leader of Squad Ten, his family had come over to visit occasionally. She and Kūkaku had gotten along swimmingly and became drinking buddies when they had time. ‘There’s definitely something going on with Kūkaku and Ichigo, and I bet it’s interesting~’ She thought to herself with a grin, wondering just what could be going on there when Ichigo already had three cute girlfriends.
-Squad Thirteen-
The former ryoka had all been invited to visit Squad Thirteen whenever they’d like shortly after Ichigo had woken up. Today was the day they’d all decided to visit to have lunch and get to know Rukia’s Captain and colleagues. However, Ichigo had yet to show up for some reason. But Chad, thankfully, had the answer.
“According to the Squad Eleven guys, Ichigo was with them for a bit in the morning. But when he and Ikkaku started to spar, Kenpachi arrived.”
“I think I know where this is going.” Tatsuki deadpanned as she was familiar enough with Kenpachi to know what the Captain of Squad Eleven was like.
Orihime looked briefly puzzled before her eyes lit up. “Did they get into an epic battle?!” She almost seemed excited by the idea, and there was very clearly some strange daydream playing out in her head.
Chad shook his head. “No. Apparently Ichigo ran from Kenpachi because he didn’t want to end up near death again. Then Kenpachi started chasing him all across the Seireitei.”
“I like to fight as much as the next person, but Kenpachi is just an entirely different breed of battle maniac.” Tatsuki let out a sigh. “We should probably go help Ichigo escape.”
Ichigo walking towards them proved that to be unnecessary.
“Ichigo!” Orihime beamed at her boyfriend and pulled him into a hug. “You escaped Kenpachi!”
“Yeah…barely.” Ichigo smiled as he hugged her close for a moment. “Ended up hiding in a random building…only to find out that it was Captain Matsumoto’s private bath.” He rubbed the back of his head with a sigh. “And she was using it at the time.”
Orihime’s eyes nearly sparkled as she imagined it. “She’s really beautiful…”
Tatsuki laughed softly as she pulled Orihime into a hug. “She is, but we already have enough love, don’t we?” She grinned and kissed Orihime’s cheek. “We already know Ichigo was a gentleman about the situation…right?” Tatsuki raised one eyebrow at her boyfriend.
“I didn’t gawk and stare, no. Even when she did blatantly teased, I just handed her a bathrobe and didn’t look until she put it on.” Ichigo said flatly, before a tiny grin pulled at his lips. “I probably looked less than you would’ve.”
“Privilege of being a girl.” Tatsuki snarked right back with a smirk. “We can look at each other in the bath, even by accident.”
Orihime giggled and lightly pushed on Tatsuki’s back, making her girlfriend step forward and Ichigo quickly captured Tatsuki’s lips for a short kiss. “There we go!” Orihime giggled once the two separated from their lip lock.
Ichigo fist bumped with Chad once he pulled back from Tatsuki. “Any luck with Yuichi’s mother?”
“Not yet.” Chad shook his head with a little melancholy on his face. “The Rukongai is vast and no one knows exactly where anyone ends up once they arrive. The family that’s looking after him are spreading he word, so there’s a small chance that they’ll find her in time.”
“Damn.” Ichigo said quietly, knowing how much Chad wanted to help Yuichi find his mother before they left. ‘I wonder if there’s anyone in the Seireitei that could find someone in the Rukongai?’ It was something to think about at least.
A familiar Reiatsu got everyone’s attention…especially since it was accompanied by a smaller, unfamiliar Reiatsu.
“Sorry that we’re a little late.” Rukia smiled at her friends as she approached with a child at her side. “My brother asked me to look after my nephew since he’s busy with orders from the Head Captain today.” Those orders were directly from the Head Captain and involved the vast archives that the Kuchiki Clan guarded with their lives, so it was not something to mention casually. “Say hello, Kōten.” She looked down at her nephew with a smile and lightly urged him to step forward.
Kuchiki Kōten looked almost like a miniature Byakuya, though his features were softer because of his young age—only looking about nine or ten—and his eyes weren’t the cool grey of his father, but an interesting mix of grey and violet which he’d gotten from both of his parents. He was dressed in an immaculate white kosode-style top with navy blue hakama along with the tabi socks and zori sandals that most Shinigami wore.
“Greetings, I’m Kuchiki Kōten.” The boy introduced himself properly with a very small bow due to his station as the heir of the Kuchiki Clan. He held himself with all the dignity and poise expected of a Great Noble Clan, despite being young.
And all of that meant absolutely nothing to Orihime.
“You’re so cute!” Orihime nearly squealed in delight as she pulled Kōten into a warm hug, the boy’s head nearly bouncing off her boobs. “You look like a little Byakuya!”
Tatsuki burst into laughter at the look of shock on Kōten’s face as he was hugged by Orihime.
Rukia gave her nephew a reassuring smile as Orihime held him close in the hug, part of his face buried in Orihime’s large chest. “She’s very affectionate, Kōten.”
“Y-Yes, Aunt Rukia.” Kōten said, managing to maintain most of his decorum. “I noticed.” The hug was both soft and warm though, so it wasn’t unpleasant.
Once Orihime let Kōten go, the boy walked over to Ichigo and looked up at him. His grey-violet eyes stared into Ichigo’s brown for a long moment before her spoke. “I’m not so certain that you’re suitable for my aunt.”
Ichigo twitched minutely at the boy’s words.
“Kōten!” Rukia’s cheeks turned pink at her nephew’s bluntness.
“Pfft!” Tatsuki couldn’t hold back the laugh and held her stomach. “Th-This little guy…is great!” She managed to get out through her laughter.
Chad, a guy that was just naturally good with kids, smiled down at Kōten who was now looking up at him. “Yasutora Sado.” He introduced himself to Rukia’s nephew.
“You’re tall.” Kōten said simply, in the way that only kids can when meeting someone that towered over them for the first time.
“I get that a lot.” Chad agreed with a friendly smile.
Ichigo rolled his eyes once at Tatsuki’s laughter. “Are you done?”
Tatsuki waved her hand through the air as her laughter subsided into giggles.
“Almost there, Ichigo!” Orihime said with her normally bubbly personality while rubbing Tatsuki’s back with one hand.
“I’m glad to see that everyone is already enjoying themselves.” Ukitake smiled as he, Sentarō, and Kiyone brought out tea and snacks for their guests. “It’s nice to see you again as well, Kuchiki-kun.” He handed the boy a sweet treat with a smile.
Kōten accepted the sweet with a bow, just as a young nobleman should, and greeted Ukitake properly. “Greetings, Captain Ukitake. I hope you’ve been well, sir.”
Ukitake chuckled lightly. “As well as I can be.”
As everyone sat down to enjoy tea and snacks, conversation flowed amicably. Sentarō and Kiyone were curious about the advancements of the modern world since they’d been there last on a proper mission of any real length. While Orihime described things like TV and the internet, Tatsuki told them about Tokyo and its skyscrapers, the hub of popular culture the capital city had become, and even of the trains throughout the city and the high-speed bullet trains that connected cities far apart. Ichigo and Chad told them about movies and music of different genres that had only made it to Japan in the last few decades.
All the while, Kōten listened to the conversation and imagined what the Human World was like compared to the Seireitei that he’d grown up in. ‘Would father allow me to visit the Human World once?’
“Hisagi brought back a few instruments called guitars a couple of years back.” Sentarō mentioned after listening to Chad describe music that he personally enjoyed. “Some of us from the Shinigami Men’s Association have tried learning to play them, but we’ve only been moderately successful.”
“Chad plays guitar.” Ichigo said with a smile at his best friend.
Chad nodded with a small smile. “I can demonstrate if you happen to have a guitar.”
Sentarō looked to Ukitake, silently asking his Captain’s permission.
“Go ahead. I’m looking forward to it.” Ukitake smiled. He’d been unsuccessful at learning the foreign instrument himself, so to hear someone with experience and skill play sounded lovely.
Sentarō was only gone a couple of minutes before coming back with a guitar case. “Here it is.” He set the case down next to Chad. “It’s been a while since I last tried to play it though.”
“No problem.” Chad undid the case and opened the lid, finding a nice-looking acoustic guitar made of light brown wood. The strings were all in good condition and the fretboard wasn’t damaged from what he could see, so it should paly fine. “Let’s see.” He carefully picked up the instrument and placed it on his leg, holding the neck with one hand. With a pluck of the first string, Chad instantly heard the slight ‘off-ness’ of the sound. “Need to be tuned a little.”
Ukitake and Sentarō both watched in mild fascination as Sado tuned the guitar, testing each string before adjusting the tuning pegs and then testing again.
“What kind of music do you play, Yasutora-san?” Kiyone asked as Chad was tuning the last string.
“Latin Guitar is what I’m best at, but I’m better at some branches of it than others.” Chad told her as he finished tuning the final string. “Usually you’d use a guitar with nylon strings for it, but a traditional guitar with steel strings can play most of it well enough.” He demonstrated by plucking the first few strings and moving his fingers along the fretboard, producing a melody that no one in the Seireitei had heard before.
Ukitake smiled at Chad once the sound faded. “Could I politely request to hear any song you’re willing to play, Sado-kun?”
Chad nodded in agreement, a gentle smile on his face as he thought of a song his abuelo had taught him while growing up in Mexico. “I don’t mind.” He began to strum the first few chords and a warm melody with soulful notes filled the air.
“I didn’t know that Chad could play music like this.” Rukia whispered lowly to Ichigo several seconds into the song.
“Chad’s got talent for music.” Ichigo whispered back while enjoying his best friend’s playing. “Most people would think Chad would go for a career as a pro fighter or something. But that’s not who Chad is. He’s a guy with a heart of gold and would rather help people and make them smile.” It wouldn’t surprise Ichigo if Chad became a well-loved musician in the future.
The music had clearly been heard by others in Squad Thirteen as more people stopped briefly to listen while on their way to fulfill one task or another. Many stopped for long enough that they scurried off once they noticed Ukitake sitting amongst the group where the music was coming from.
-Yamamoto’s Office ~ Investigation Meeting-
Within the office of the Head Captain stood Byakuya Kuchiki, Shihōin Yoruichi, Shiba Kūkaku, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri. The group was together to ascertain the truth, as well as the span, of Aizen’s machinations over the past century and a few decades beyond.
“I see.” Yamamoto said calmly as he finished reading the report that Yoruichi had prepared for him about the events of one-hundred-ten years ago and the night they’d lost so many Captains, Lieutenants, and even the Head and Vice Head of the Kidō Corps. “It was Aizen’s research and experiments with Hollowfication that caused the disappearances of the people and the loss of our officers.” His tone was controlled, his Reiatsu still placid, and yet everyone in the room could practically feel the sound of stones grinding together in their bones. The old man was beyond anger and had looped around to a different type of ‘calm’ upon learning the full truth of that horrid night.
“I have investigated the Daireishokairo, tracing Aizen’s searches through the Great Archives and every entry he touched.” Kurotsuchi said as he placed a few papers onto Yamamoto’s desk, the mad scientist careful with his tone and actions towards the one that held an incinerating guillotine over his very neck at all times. “Aizen looked into every record of Urahara Kisuke’s research that was confiscated and locked away upon his banishment…or I suppose it would be his escape.” He glanced at Yoruichi for a moment, catching her golden eyes with a tiny grin. “Of particular note is the files related to a creation called the Hōgyoku.”
Yamamoto only had to look at Kurotsuchi to make the mad scientist start explaining.
Kurotsuchi pointed to a section on the second page that he’d handed Yamamoto. “As you can see, Urahara was experimenting with a substance he designated ‘Uknown 1’ for several years. At one point before his exile, he stopped referring to it by designation and gave it a name: Hōgyoku. Aizen seems to have been VERY interested in this research specifically. However, Urahara’s own research indicates that the creation was incomplete and dangerous. All experimentation stops immediately after the substance is named.” He tapped the date of the last entry mentioning the Hōgyoku. “This was when Urahara sealed his creation away. The notes even indicating that he planned to leave it sealed forever or until he could find a way to destroy it.”
“What does this Hōgyoku do?” Yamamoto questioned directly.
“It breaks down the barrier between Shinigami and Hollows, allowing one spiritual race to acquire the powers of the other in a much more stable and efficient manner.” Kurotsuchi knew when to keep things concise for the sake of his survival. “As an example, the incredibly rare phenomenon of Arrancar, Hollows that remove a portion of their masks and manage to gain abilities similar to a Shinigami, could be stabilized and refined, resulting in Arrancar with much greater power than those that’ve been recorded in history.”
Kūkaku interrupted the meeting with a spike of her Reiatsu for just a fraction of a second. “Tell me one thing.” Her gaze practically burned a hole into Mayuri. “Could Aizen’s research into this Hōgyoku and Hollowfication result in a strange Hollow that could destroy a Shinigami’s Zanpakutō by touch and allow it to posses a Shinigami even stronger than itself?”
Kurotsuchi considered that for a moment, his vast mind putting together bits of evidence from the research that Aizen had looked into to form a plausible hypothesis. “That is very probable. Modifying a spiritual being’s abilities isn’t impossible, I do it to my own Zanpakutō from time to time in order to maximize its poisons and physical parameters. To destabilize a Zanpakutō’s physical form to a degree that it would appear to be destroyed would weaken the Shinigami themselves, that would make possession a much easier task to accomplish. It’s essentially infection and parasitism, consuming the victim from within, rather than the standard method of devouring that Hollows normally use.”
“I’m going to kill him.” Kūkaku’s rage was palpable as she visibly struggled to keep her Reiatsu under control. She’d make sure that Aizen was destroyed beyond any chance of survival and send his soul to the deepest pits of Hell with her own two hands if she had even the smallest chance to do so.
Byakuya saw Yoruichi moving to calm Kūkaku, so he stepped forward and placed down a few of the records that he’d brought from the Kuchiki Clan’s archives that spanned the Soul Society’s history. “Aizen Sousuke appears in the records of Seireitei starting with his induction into the Shin’o Academy. He fulfilled his six years there and was accepted into the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. After that, the only things of note are his promotions over the years.” He pointed out when Aizen had been promoted to Twentieth Seat, then a bit later when the traitor had made tenth Seat, then Fourth Seat, and finally when he’d become Lieutenant under former Captain Hirako Shinij. “There is a distinct lack of any standout accomplishments or even reports on Aizen throughout his early years before his first promotion. However, knowing what we do now, there is likely a case that several places were infiltrated at this time to facilitate Aizen being able to move freely through the Senkaimon without any records being kept.”
“When do you believe that Aizen started on this path of betrayal?” Yamamoto asked Byakuya while looking over the records. Nothing would seem amiss with Aizen’s records given the time the man had spent as a Shinigami and steadily earned promotions after several decades of service. But that complete and total ‘normalcy’ was, in itself, a minor red flag. Even the most studious and upright Shinigami had one report or another against them, even Ukitake had a mark in his early years after graduating the Shin’o Academy for fighting for his honor against another Shinigami that had slandered him and spread vile rumors.
“There is a point in this blank period of the records, between Aizen’s placement in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and his first promotion.” Byakuya pointed out the point in Aizen’s record. “At the same time, the last major incident with a Valley of Screams occurred and nearly bridged the spiritual realm with the Human World.” He motioned for Yamamoto to flip to the next page and once the Head Captain had, Byakuya pointed out a small circled section of the full report. “At this time, the incident with the abnormally large Valley of Screams was settled before disaster struck, but the one that handled it was one of the Royal Guard. Shortly after this incident, Aizen was promoted for the first time and then slowly, but unerringly, made his way up the ranks.”
Yamamoto narrowed his eyes at that. ‘The traitor did mention the ‘throne of heaven’ being empty despite the Reiō existing. What could he have seen or learned of that would set him on the path to try and take that position? The Royal Guard don’t interact with the Seireitei, not even during that incident, except for…’ The old man’s eyes widened just the tiniest amount. “…the Shiba Clan.”
Kūkaku looked at Yamamoto in confusion for the random, to her perception, mention of her family. “What about us?”
“What else did Aizen look up in the Daireishokairo aside from Urahara Kisuke’s research?” Yamamoto looked sharply at Mayuri. The mad scientist quickly stepped forward and wrote down every subject that Aizen had accessed that he could find traces of and the one subject that Yamamoto hoped wouldn’t be there was near the bottom of the hastily written list. “The Ōken (King’s Key). Both the key to enter and the method to travel to the Reiōkyū (Soul King Palace). Is that why Aizen orchestrated the Shiba Clan’s fall? To obtain the method to launch the Tenchūren, or a similar vessel, and reach the Reiōkyū?”
“Only the Head of the Shiba Clan knows of that duty and the method to perform it.” Kūkaku said with a heavy tone filled with certainty. “If he attempts to launch a vessel, he’ll fail and be destroyed like everything else that has ever attempted to breach that place.”
Yoruichi gently placed her hand on Kūkaku’s shoulder. “Unless he has the Ōken, which would allow him entry.” Her golden eyes were sharp as the most likely reason for Aizen’s more than century-long plan of betrayal had come to light.
“He is a fool if he thinks himself capable of passing the Royal Guard.” Byakuya said with a controlled and composed voice.
“That’s likely why he’s orchestrated his alliance with the Menos in the shadows for who knows how long.” Kurotsuchi pointed out with a calculating look on his face. “This ‘Hōgyoku’ to efficiently and reliably created stable Arrancar with greater power than ever before gains him an army. The Shiba Clan’s secret duties and their methods to travel to the Reiōkyū gets him to his destination. And this Ōken grants him access to it without worry of the defenses.” Seeing everyone else looking at him, the mad scientist looked back at them unblinking. “It’s quite a thorough plan and all the ‘materials’ have been checked off…bar one. Whatever it was that he tried to get from Kuchiki Rukia by having her incinerated via the Sōkyoku.”
Byakuya’s expression changed so minutely that only Yoruichi, who’d known Byakuya since he was young, actually noticed it.
Yamamoto spoke clearly and strongly. “For now, we will move forward with planning against the traitor, Aizen Sousuke, with this information as his believed plans. I will call a Captain’s meeting soon to begin implanting counter measures.”
Everyone else knew a dismissal when they heard it and left the room with a short bow to Yamamoto.
-Later-
The sun was further towards the horizon as afternoon gave way to early evening.
Chad had played several songs for everyone, much to their delight. The gentle giant had a smile on his face the entire time and even let Kōten pluck the strings a bit while demonstrating the placement of the fingers on the fretboard to Ukitake and Sentarō.
While this was going on, Kiyone noticed that Tatsuki and Ichigo had been gone for a bit. She quietly excused herself as Orihime hugged Kōten again after the boy had managed to play the first few chords of the second song that Chad had played earlier. Rukia had to gently free her nephew from Orihime’s affectionate embrace when Kōten’s face had been fully buried in her bosom.
“Did they get lost?” Kiyone wondered aloud as she headed for the nearest restroom. It was the first place that she’d check since she was certain that’s where Ichigo and Tatsuki had gone to. “Not here?” No one was in the restroom, so she walked down the corridor next to it and emerged in the side garden of the barracks.
The storage shed was the only building in the garden, tucked away in the corner, and Kiyone had no reason to think that Tatsuki and Ichigo would be in there. Except for one small thing that caught her eye. The door was just slightly open when it shouldn’t be. Not thinking that it would lead to either of the people that she was looking for, but wanting to keep the storage shed properly closed and prevent rain from getting inside, she walked over to close the door.
“Mmm…” The heated moan stopped Kiyone in her tracks just as she placed her hand on the door. Blinking at the sound she opened the door and stepped inside, only to freeze with her eyes wide open, her mouth dropping open in shock.
Ichigo’s pants were pulled down to his lower thighs, and his large cock was disappearing into Tatsuki’s mouth and throat over and over again. Kiyone stood there, watching the blowjob for a handful of seconds before Ichigo noticed her, his own eyes widening as he reached down to gently push Tatsuki’s head back and free his cock from her mouth while his other hand tried to pull up his pants.
‘H-How did all of that fit down her throat?’ Kiyone asked herself in a daze as she saw the full length of Ichigo’s spit-covered cock once it slipped free of Tatsuki’s lips.
Tatsuki, wondering why Ichigo was suddenly panicking, turned to look and spotted Kiyone watching them. In an almost comical display, she tried to both stand up and help Ichigo pull his pants up at the same time, resulting in her only managing to get to one knee and raise Ichigo’s pants too fast, leaving his hard cock resting atop the waistband and bouncing in the air.
Kiyone closed the door, then turned and tried to flee through it, resulting in a light ‘thud’ as she staggered back a step, her brain clearly mixing up signals as her entire faced burned red in embarrassment for catching the lovers in such a compromising position. “S-Sorry!” She managed to get out as she opened the door and then stepped outside properly, closing it swiftly behind her. She immediately fled back down the corridor and into the unused restroom, closing and locking the door before splashing cold water onto her burning hot face to cool herself down.
Back in the storage shed, Tatsuki blinked twice, then looked up at Ichigo. He looked down at her, both of them flushed from being caught.
“Well, too late now. We’re already caught.” Tatsuki shrugged once before taking Ichigo’s cock back into her mouth and bobbing her head.
“Tatsuki…seriously.” Ichigo’s low rumble of pleasure killed any minor recrimination that he was going for.
Tatsuki pulled back for a second and looked up at him with smoldering, half-lidded eyes. “I haven’t gotten any loving from you since we got here… Just let me do it~” She breathed out onto his hard cock, making it twitch.
Ichigo wasn’t in the best state of mind to make a logical decision, and ran the fingers of his right hand through Tatsuki’s black hair before he urged her forward, groaning lowly as she eagerly deepthroated him again while slipping her hand into her loose hakama pants to tease her wet pussy.
When the two rejoined the group a couple minutes later, they glanced at Kiyone and were unsurprised at the pink blush that bloomed on the Third Seat’s cheeks when she saw them. They shot her apologetic looks for not controlling themselves and her having seen that, but she subtly shook her head, letting them know that she wasn’t angry or anything.
‘He’s so huge! How did she handle all of that?! Fuck, every time I look at them all I can see is Ichigo’s cock and Tatsuki’s stuffed throat!’ Kiyone’s mind was awash with lewd images and thoughts and she was surprising herself at how normal she was able to act despite the naughty storm in her mind.
Thankfully, for Kiyone, Rukia said that she needed to take Kōten home and the visit ended not too long afterwards.
The youngest Kotetsu sister was torn between going to bed early that night to try and get some ‘relief’ from her naughty thoughts, or heading over to see her big sister to try and take her mind off things. Unbeknownst to Kiyone, both she and Isane now had a crush on the newest Great Nobleman of the Seireitei. Even if said nobleman had no idea and was just a bit embarrassed that Kiyone had caught him and Tatsuki making a bad decision.
-End Chapter-
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Well, that’s ONE WAY to make an impression on your girlfriend’s coworker…I guess. Kek!
Rukia got to introduce everyone to her nephew, Kōten! He’s every bit the little nobleman he’s supposed to be! But he’s still a kid too! He doesn’t think Ichigo is quite good enough for his Aunt Rukia! Heh!
Orihime thinks he’s adorable and hugs and snuggles Kōten, almost like Yoruichi used to be all close with a young Byakuya!
Chad introduces Squad Thirteen to Latin Guitar! Maybe he’ll gain a bit of a following in the Seireitei? Hah!
Ichigo running away from Kenpachi ends up accidentally walking in on Rangiku bathing! The busty Captain doesn’t mind much, even teasing Ichigo a bit. But Ichigo proves himself to be a gentleman and doesn’t gawk and stare at her, but hands her bathrobe to her upon request without peeking. Now Rangiku thinks she should talk to her old drinking buddy Kūkaku about Ichigo and find out what’s going on there.
It seems Ichigo is garnering a bit more female attention in the Seireitei. Rukia, Tatsuki, Orihime, Yoruichi, and Kūkaku might have to defend their future husband from too many admirers! Or find some other way to keep their relationship between them and Ichigo, while other smitten women can still be close to him.
The investigation into the traces Aizen left behind in the Daireishokairo, along with examining all records of him from the Kuchiki Clan’s archive of the Soul Society’s history, has led to a discovery that links all of the traitor’s actions over more than one-hundred years together! Are they correct in what Aizen’s plans and final goal is? Can the Thirteen Court Guard Squads stop Aizen and the ‘potential’ Arrancar army that he’s making?
Keep reading to find out!
Until I get your reviews, later!