PLEASE READ:
I had originally published this chapters months ago only to rewrite the whole thing; it felt too rushed foe me. Since it's been so long since I last updated (Apologies :c) I'd recommend re-reading the previous chapter. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me and I hope you enjoy the new updates!
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A DILEMMA.
How could she possibly forget?
She couldn't pass through to Yomi.
She had made her way into a secluded forest outside of the culling game barriers. As she fruitlessly slashed her sword against the ground, a load groan escaped her throat, slouching down to the floor as she raked her fingers through her hair, racking her brain for a solution.
Yachiru needed to get on with figuring out how to release Satoru. Tengen had previously mentioned the curse user known as 'Angel' who was capable of opening the prison realm, but Yachiru couldn't rely on chances.
"What'cha doin?" A familiar voice sounded out from behind her. Yachiru whipped her head around, her eyes softening they rested on Shion's form — her old teacher had come to find her.
"Nice to see you too." She replied, turning around to face her and leaning her elbow on her hilt.
"You looked like you were going insane, slashing the ground like that." Shion snickered, hopping down from the tree branch and walking over to her old student. "Are you attempting what I think you are?"
"I'm sure you've heard by now, about this whole culling game thing," Yachiru paused for a second, her eyebrows knitting together in a tight frown. "I need to ask Yamamoto about the prison realm."
Shion made a whistling sound with her lips, indicating that Yachiru had set a hell of a task for herself. "Follow me." She said, taking off without another word as Yachiru hastily followed her.
As the pair made their way to a location unknown to Yachiru, she began to pick up on the spiritual pressure of someone awfully familiar — someone that she had not seen in many years. Upon entering the small mountain shack, Yachiru would have been distracted by the surprisingly comfy interior — but her eyes were focussed on someone else.
"K-...Kenichi?" She asked, coming face to face with her old caretaker. The man who had come to retrieve her from the land of the living when she was only a child. "What are you doing here?!" She panicked for a moment, surely he too had not been banished from Yomi.
"It's good to see you, Yachiru." He said, a warm smile on his face as the words escaped his lips. "Shion called me here. Her craftiness meant she could circumvent the banishment seal, so she can enter and leave Yomi at will. Now what is it that you want to talk about?"
"Yachiru wants to speak with Yamamoto." Shion answered, cutting straight to the point as she closed her eyes and leant against the doorframe.
A deep frown set on the man's face as the words reached his ears. What a stupid idea, he thought. Yamamoto — the head of the militarised Shinigami squads, had been furious over Yachiru's departure.
Yachiru had been a promising student before she decided to abdicate to the human world, and had been streamed to be in Yamamoto's own unit. Never in his life did he imagine that she would continuously break the rules of Yomi. After her ten years of punishment, he had been willing to forgive her; after all, she had been a curious teenager.
But no.
It became apparent to the old man that Yachiru's curiosity was not something of a phase — it was a part of her nature. A nature that could not be tolerated within the strict rules of Yomi.
After a few moments, Kenichi responded "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"And why's that?!" Yachiru fumed. They needed the human world to be bombarded with Shinigami right now, the current situation was begging for divine intervention.
Kenichi gritted his teeth, calming himself down before continuing. "Yamamoto will not be happy to see you. You're banished, you left behind your duty as a Shinigami the moment you decided to choose the land of the living over Yomi."
"You think I don't understand that?" She almost yelled, her temper reaching almost boiling point. "Isn't it the duty of Shinigami to protect humans?! Why isn't the old man doing a thing to help?!"
"Because he believes human error is human responsibility." He responded calmly.
Her eyes widened as she took a step back; she couldn't argue with him.
Because he was right.
Humans and their use of cursed energy had become a growing problem for Shinigami. It meant more casualties, more chaos, and ultimately the current situation they had found themselves in.
"I don't care about the risks." She said, turning her back on her old caretaker. "Take me to Yomi."
As his eyes were met with her back, he realised something. The easygoing and generally happy Yachiru he had once known and taken care of was no longer present. Instead, he was faced with a determined woman with eyes that held fire like none other.
He took his sword out from it's scabbard, slashing the ground beneath him and looking her dead in the eyes, "Are you sure about this?" He asked her, a worried look plastering his face.
"I'm ready for anything." She responded.
"Yachiru, the seal on your back is going to hurt while you pass through to Yomi, and during the time you spend there. You'll have to endure it for a little while." Shion reminded, edging further towards the opening. "I'm coming with you. I'll stay on the outskirts in case I sense any trouble."
"Thank you, Shion." She said, giving her a warm smile as they both edged towards the opening. "And thank you too, Kenichi."
"We're all going together, I've only been here for a short while so they shouldn't have noticed my absence. Let's get going."
The three of them jumped together into the light. As soon as Yachiru was met with the overwhelming colours of the spirit path — as though time itself was warping around her. The brand on her back began to sear — almost as if she was experiencing the process all over again.
"Endure it." Shion said, noticing her pupil's discomfort.
Yachiru nodded in response, ignoring the blazing pain on her back as they continued their journey.
It didn't take long for them to pass through to Yomi, and the pain Yachiru was experiencing refused to subside. She and Shion suppressed their spiritual energy upon entering, careful not to alert any nearby Shinigami of their signatures.
"I'm going to get going now." Kenichi said, taking one last look at Yachiru before taking off. "Please be safe."
"I'm staying around here. I'll know if something goes wrong, so count on me to be there. You know where to go from here." Shion said, leaving Yachiru in a state of pure nostalgia.
This was certainly something she had forgotten; the hidden and unique beauty of Yomi. The energy in the area was nothing but calm, a juxtaposition to the way it was within the human world.
She straightened herself up, heading straight for the large Pagoda that Yamamoto had always resided in.
Yet, there was one small hurdle.
Yamamoto's residence was crawling with other Shinigami. Yachiru had two options; take them all out, and appear as an enemy, or to surrender herself and ask to speak with Yamamoto.
She opted for the latter.
Reaching for the tallest step, she held her hands up to the first Shinigami she came across. Stating her name, her crime, and her request to see Yamamoto.
"You think you'll get a chance to speak with him? You're going straight to the holding cells. I hear you're pretty familiar with those." He snickered, shoving her in the direction of the prison.
But it seemed luck was on her side.
As Yachiru and her apprehender were walking down one of the many corridors, the man she needed to speak to had appeared before them.
"Kurotsuki Yachiru." He said, his voice deep and demanding. "I never thought you'd have the guts to return here."
"You must have heard by now, what's going on in the land of the living right?" Yachiru turned her head, cutting straight to the point whilst
wriggling in the restraints that the previous Shinigami had attached to her.
"Release her." He demanded, not yet answering her question.
"But Sir-..."
"I said release her."
Her limp and currently weakened body fell to the floor as her hands craned around to her back, grasping at the burning seal.
"Bring her to the meeting room."
She had soon found herself sat before Yamamoto himself, but her determination had not dwindled.
"You wanted to talk about the situation in the land of the living?" He asked sternly.
"Curse users and curses are working together to exterminate humans incapable of using cursed energy." She stammered out, trying to organise her thoughts.
"And what do you suppose we do about that?"
She was stymied. During her time as a student, she was taught that a Shinigami's top priority was to protect humans. Her eyes widened in a fit of rage, slamming her fist on the floor. "We should be sending more Shinigami out to help with the situation. There is so much death and destruction..." a lone tear dripped down her face out of frustration, not understanding why no one wanted to help.
"But it has always been that way. Your mind has just been obscured because you have been there for too long. Humans have fought wars for centuries, killed each other and thrived off of the misery of their enemies. This is nothing new." He reasoned, watching as she keeled over in pain once again. "You are lucky I am even allowing you to speak with me, especially in that hateful tone. The only reason you are here with me now is because I am not one to ignore the tenacity of a skilled Shinigami."
He was underplaying his true thoughts. Yachiru's boldness to illegally enter Yomi and endure the pain of the banishment seal was something he had never seen before; something he knew required an insane level of determination.
"There is something different about you, Yachiru." He suddenly said after a brief silence, noticing that the girls spiritual pressure was greater than most.
"I have changed a lot."
"I see." He paused for a moment, a thought springing to mind. "Have you achieved Bankai with Izanami?"
Bankai? She had only ever heard that term in school. It was the merging of both the soul of the sword and the Shinigami. Until this moment, she had completely forgotten about it.
"You could say that."
A small smile appeared on the man's face, but not enough for Yachiru to notice it's appearance. "You always have been somewhat oblivious."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't need any help in your task. It seems you do not know the extent of your own power at this point, but the trials you'll face along the way will reveal them."
Yamamoto's vagueness did not annoy Yachiru, if anything, it gave her some confidence. She didn't know if he was right, but it wouldn't stop her from trying.
"The terms of the culling game that you explained to me means we Shinigami are not to cross those borders. You, however..." He drawled off, stepping towards a nearby window and taking a quick gaze. "I sense you have acquired cursed energy, as well as developed your preexisting spiritual energy. It seems you are the only Shinigami who has the requirements to participate."
"You mean, I should take this on alone?" She asked, a slight tint of bewilderment in her tone.
He completely ignored her statement. "You mentioned the curse user known as Angel earlier, but I'm almost certain there is another way to open the back door of the prison realm."
The pair paused for a moment, locking eyes.
"There's an old rumour, I'm sure you heard tall tales about it from your childhood." He stroked his beard, turning directly to face her. "An object that can be found within one of the many layers of Jigoku."
"I recall it; the tantō that is said to be able to unleash the force of hell itself, and break any spiritual object it touches." She responded, recalling the tale taught to her in school.
"Perhaps it would have an affect on cursed objects too..." He hinted casually, side eyeing her. "Now, I have business to attend to. I'll remove your banishment seal and be on my way."
His statement shocked her, "Why would you do that for me?"
"Because you have proven that you are a Shinigami who is more determined than most to do their job."
He held out his hand at the top of her back, a loud shriek escaped her throat as she felt the seal being ripped from her body. "All done. Feel free to report back on progress." He said, as he began to lead her to the exit.
And with that, he had disappeared.
Yachiru now knew what she needed to do.
A/N!
WE REACHED 38k!!!
Thanks so much with sticking with me guys!! Still waiting for Gojo to get unsealed. I have a few endings planned based off the various ways I think the series will plan out, and I'm so excited to get this book back on the roll.
I hope you guys don't mind me going off on a tangent with Yachiru, I just want to maintain character progression whilst Satoru is out of action.
I really appreciate those of you who keep up with my stories!! Don't forget to leave a like if you enjoyed the chapter or enjoy where the story is going :)
Stay safe and lots of love ❤️