Chapter Nine: Senkaimon.
3rd Person POV
Byakuya Kuchiki had just relayed the finality of Rukia’s sentence. Internally, he was feuding with himself over the fact that he damned his younger sister to death. What would Hisana say to him if she knew? Would she forgive him? She knew that his loyalty toward the Soul Society was the most important thing to him. So if she was here to speak to him, what would she say? He didn’t even want to imagine their conversation.
As he walked along one of the balconies of Squad 6’s barracks, he came to a stop as a specific presence filled the air around him.
“You were very calm about it, Captain Kuchiki,” said a snide voice. “Well done, well done.” Byakuya looked over his shoulder. “Such calmness in the wake of your sister’s execution… you are a role model for soul reapers everywhere, Captain.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You and the Captain of Squad 9 are the only soul reapers who would fret over dying.” “You think so?” Byakuya turned full around, coming face to face with two other captains of the Gotei 13; Gin Ichimaru and Kenpachi Zaraki.
“Now what would two captains without their Lieutenants want with me?” he asked them.
“We were just… concerned that the captain of Squad 6 would be feeling low because his sister was about to be executed,” replied Gin in the same snide tone.
“Our family lineage is none of your concern,” Byakuya told him.
“So you aren’t upset about it?” Kenpachi inquired. “Criminals are pests to Nobles.”
“How unusual for a commoner to understand the subtleties of Nobles,” Byakuya noted. Kenpachi pushed himself off of the wall to face him, blocking Gin’s view.
“Not really. I’ve always been a sensitive one, ever since I was a kid. How about this: just to show my sensitivity, I’d even offer to chop off the criminal’s head, before the execution.”
“I wasn’t aware that at your present level you could fell a person’s head.”
“Want to try me?”
“Do you want to?” As the tension between the two captains rose, Byakuya found himself standing on the balcony alone. He heard movement from nearby. He looked up at the roof opposite him to see Kenpachi wrapped in cloth, as Gin, the one who did it, addressed him.
“Sorry about that, Captain Kuchiki—“”Ichimaru—“”I never intended to offend you in any way—“”Let go! Why you—“”We’ll be going now; my regards to your sister.”
Abaron’s POV
“Tessai, are you alright?” I watched as Tessai crawled out of the Shaft, looking grim. His glasses were shattered, no doubt from the explosion beforehand. Jinta turned around.
“Whoa! You’re alright, Tessai! I mean, Mr. Tessai—“”I’m not alright! My glasses are broken!” “But you’re okay, right? Oh well; keep the glasses on, even if they’re cracked.” He turned back toward the on-going fight between Ichigo and Kisuke.
“He drew his zanpakutō,” I explained, filling him in on what he missed. “This could get very interesting.”
“You can’t miss this one,” Jinta told him with a grin. I turned back as well. Ichigo, who just barely missed an attack from Kisuke, was beaming with his newfound confidence.
“Not bad, even with that wisp of a sword!” he said to Kisuke as he rose higher into the air.
“Oh, you flatter me! But that doesn’t mean that I’ll go easy!” Kisuke began to chase after him, slashing the air where Ichigo had been before running away.
“That’s fine with me! Dammit!”
‘Hey! Wait a minute!’
‘What is it?’ I asked, responding to his thoughts.
‘I thought zanpakutōs were the only sword that could kill soul reapers and Hollows!’
‘Well, um—‘
'He pulled his sword out from his cane. That can’t be a zanpakutō!’ Kisuke had made me promise that I wouldn’t tell Ichigo of his past. Not until he was ready to, himself. I wasn’t exactly sure why he wanted it that way, but I left it to him. It was best for me to not meddle.
'Ichigo, don’t—‘’Even if he did get me, he wouldn’t hurt me!’ ’Ichigo, keep go—‘
He stopped running and turned to face him. If he had stopped a second earlier, he would’ve been missing an ear right now. The tip of Kisuke’s zanpakutō swiped the remnants of Ichigo’s Hollow mask away.
“You let down your guard,” he told him. “He’s not a soul reaper, so this can’t be a zanpakutō’? ‘So I can’t get hurt if he cuts me’, right?” Ichigo’s eyes widened. I wonder if that was just a wild guess or just by reading the expression on Ichigo’s face. “You are so naïve. Awaken, Benihime.” I watched intently as the form of Kisuke’s zanpakutō changed to its Shikai. “This is a real zanpakutō,” he told Ichigo. His face went blank, either with fear or surprise. His mind was reeling, as my own was filled with different images and memories. I saw Renji, who released his own zanpakutō—“Roar, Zabimaru!”—and a replay of Kisuke releasing his.
‘Zanpakutō’s… name?’ He still didn’t know it? I thought he would have! So that was Zangetsu’s voice that I had heard earlier in the day. He was calling for Ichigo, who wasn’t able to hear him.
“Yes,” said Kisuke, holding Benihime out at his side. “Each zanpakutō has a name. And this… is her name. Let’s go, Benihime.” It took less than a second for Kisuke to destroy the large boulder beside him. I pushed Jinta behind another, where Tessai and Ururu were. I climbed up to the top, not wanting to miss a single moment of this battle. I wanted to see the outcome. I heard Ichigo gasp as Kisuke jumped over the dust cloud, poised to strike. Ichigo held up his broken zanpakutō so that Benihime collided with the edge of the blade instead of the side of his head.
“I compliment you for not running away and countering my sword with that broken one. That’s some courage. However Benihime isn’t so kind that she’d let a sword like that stop her.” He sliced right through Ichigo’s blade, severing it from the guard. Ichigo started running in the opposite direction.
‘No way! That’s not possible! He cut my zanpakutō!’
“Weren’t you told?” As Ichigo was lost in thought, Kisuke had snuck up behind him. “Your sword is big. But that’s all it is.” Ichigo took a swipe at Kisuke’s face. He stepped aside with ease. “There’s no concentration of spirit energy in it. It just distends and holds its shape. And that’s why…” Kisuke cut through Ichigo’s guard. “It’s that easy.” The rest of the guard fell off, leaving the red hilt in his trembling hands. “Now you don’t have a sword,” Kisuke pointed out. “Why do you still attack me with that? Come on, you just have to knock off my hat. You can do that with that hilt. However, it won’t be just courage or guts that are necessary. Let me just warn you…” Kisuke and Benihime began to glow, and from his feet, a bright red light covered them. “If you still intend to fight me with that toy… I will kill you.”
Ichigo took off again.
‘I’m really going to be killed!’ he thought. Kisuke came up beside him and stared up at his pathetic face. I was mad that Ichigo wasn’t even trying to figure out his zanpakutō’s name. It would be easy so as to just tell him its name. But Zangetsu made me promise that I wouldn’t, no matter what. Ichigo would have to figure it out on his own.
‘Pathetic…’ ‘Yeah, you are pathetic.’
‘Why am I running?’ I’m so disgusted with myself. I’m so helpless…’
“You are so… helpless.” To my surprise, I saw Zangetsu standing in front of Ichigo. But he was just a projection. “Why do you run, Ichigo? You haven’t called me yet. Look ahead, Ichigo. You should be able to hear it now. It is fear that makes you so closed-minded. There is only one enemy and only one you.” This suddenly got interesting. “What is there to fear?” Both Ichigo and Kisuke stopped.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Jinta asked. I looked down at him.
“Progress,” I answered with a smile.
“Abandon your fears!” Kisuke raised Benihime. “Look ahead!” A circle of air surrounded Ichigo, causing dirt and other things to fly in the air around him. “Go forward!” He held his hilt under his arm at his side. “Never stop!” I fidgeted anxiously in my seat. “If you retreat, you’ll only grow old.” This guy should be a motivational speaker. He glanced at me before looking back to Ichigo. “If you fear, you will die! Now shout out my name!”
“Zangetsu!”
A beam of blinding blue light erupted from where Ichigo was standing. It sent a strong shock wave toward Kisuke—but strangely enough, it avoided me. Ichigo drew out Zangetsu and sent a blue streak of light at Kisuke, and even though he missed…
“W-what’s going on?” Jinta called up to me, as I hadn’t moved from my bird-like position on the rock. But I couldn’t answer. I was too excited. A combination of dust, light, and spirit energy surrounded Ichigo in a whirlpool, blocking him from my view. I jumped off the rock to climb up another that was closer to the action. As it disappeared, I saw Kisuke holding on to his hat, staring intently at Ichigo, who had finally emerged from the whirlpool. Down on his knee, his other was propped up so that his left arm rested on it. In his right hand was Zangetsu—Bōkyaku’s bigger ‘adoptive’ twin, if you will. I started laughing, unable to hold back my excitement. He stood up, holding Zangetsu firmly at his side. It had no guard, no hilt; it wasn’t even a proper blade—but that’s what made it unique. Ichigo examined it, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
“Well, now,” said Kisuke, causing Ichigo to come back to earth. “Since you have your zanpakutō, shall we start Lesson Three for real?”
“Sorry, Mr. Urahara,” Ichigo spoke in voice that was just higher than a whisper. “I hope you dodge this… because I can’t control it yet!”
“Awaken, Benihime!” Swinging Zangetsu above his head, he released a large wave of his spiritual energy. Kisuke’s hat flew off of his head, with a large slice on the lid. Benihime was smoking, and Kisuke let out a relieved sigh. If he had put up that shield any later, he could’ve lost a limb. His hat appeared at his feet. He bent over, picked it up, and placed it back on his head.
“You ruined my hat,” he said sadly. “But… I don’t think that you’d do it on one swing. Ichigo… you are one scary kid.” I jumped off the rock and flash stepped over to Ichigo as he began to fall. I laughed as I caught him in my arms. He fell asleep! I took Zangetsu from his hands and lied it down on the ground. “Lesson Three… cleared.”
***
After Ichigo had finished his training, Kisuke told him to stay at home for a bit, just until he and Tessai were able to open the Senkaimon for later on. So he left me so I was stuck with them. I suggested using my Garganta, but seeing as my Hollow had woken up, they said that it probably wouldn’t be safe.
I sat on the roof of Urahara’s Shop and stared into the sky. It may have not have been such a great spot to watch the Festival from; Ichigo had asked me if I wanted to go with him and his family and friends to see it up close. But this would be their last fun time together before the both of us went to the Soul Society to save Rukia. I wanted him to spend every moment of that time with them without me. So I stayed here, just to bathe under the glow of the moonlight. I won’t say that it wasn’t relaxing, but I was a little bored. Every firework that went off sent a chill down my back; until before he left, I had no idea on what they were. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the World of the Living. Over two-hundred years long.
When I was alive, Shōri and I lived in the Northern part of Karakura Town, where the forest was. I can just barely remember what our home looked like, and even what our parents looked like, too. Shōri was my step-sister, so we weren’t blood related. That’s why we look nothing alike. I had black hair, like my dad, and she had orange hair, like her mom. My real dad died when I was ten. I don’t remember how, but a few years after, my mom remarried, and that’s how Shōri and I became sisters. A few years after, there was an explosion in our home—well, that’s what I thought it was. The soul reaper that rescued us told me that it was a Hollow. But I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s too depressing.
I lied back on the blanket I had grabbed from the bathroom inside the shop, only to see a cat sitting behind me.
“Oh, Yoruichi,” I said as my heart started. “Is everything alright?”
“Do you mind if I sit with you?” she asked.
“No, not at all,” Now, if she asked ‘Do you mind if I sit on you?’, then it might’ve been more literate. She hopped up on my stomach, sitting on it while staring up at the dark sky that was lit up by the bright lights. It wasn’t that weird, I guess, having a male cat that is really a female Soul Reaper sit on you. I didn’t mind. I looked up to Yoruichi for a lot of things: her strength, her courage, her beauty—everything about her was perfect. We sat in silence for the rest of the night until I eventually blocked out the sounds of the fireworks. I ended up falling asleep.
***
“He’s late.” I stared impatiently at the watch on Jinta’s arm before he pulled it away from my grasp.
“Stop acting like some crazy lady and calm down,” he huffied, folding his arms over his chest.
“Hey, if your best friend was in danger of getting killed, you probably feel the same way.” I walked over to Tessai, who was putting the finishing touches on the Senkaimon. That’s when Ichigo’s thoughts came into range. “Finally; it took him long enough.” When I turned around, I saw him with Kisuke and Yoruichi and… three humans? Two guys and a girl; from the feeling I got from them, I knew that they weren’t ordinary humans.
The girl… I could feel six other hearts beating from inside her soul. The tall guy… the strength of his spiritual pressure hit me like a five-hundred pound bag of bricks. And the one with the glasses… my eyes trailed toward his hand, where it was covered by a familiar white glove with a single blue stripe. Hanging from his wrist was a cross-like bracelet, similar to the one which my mother used to have. But there was no way he could be one of them…? Weren’t the Quincies wiped out? If he was, I’d have to speak to him about that.
“Wow!” The girl seemed in awe. “Look at this place! I wouldn’t believe that something like this could be here! It’s so neat! It’s like a secret hideout!”
“R-really…?” Tessai had this strange look on his face, and suddenly, he began to cry.
“Tessai, what are…?” He took the girl’s hand and began thanking her.
“What a wonderful reaction! I’m so moved!” I walked toward Ichigo.
“Who are these people?” I asked him. But before he could answer, Kisuke began clapping his hands, to bring us to attention.
“Your attention, please!” he called. “Here we go!” He snapped his fingers, revealing a gateway made of stone. It was a perfect square. “This is the gate that leads to the Soul Society. It’s called a Senkaimon. Now listen very carefully. Before all of that…” Kisuke raised his cane and jabbed the back of Ichigo’s head with the end of it. His soul form was pushed out, so that his body fell backwards. The three humans gasped. The tall guy caught him in his arms before he hit the ground.
“Hey, warn me, at least!” he shouted. Kisuke started laughing.
“So, Ichigo isn’t inside Ichigo, anymore?” the girl asked.
“Of course not,” Ichigo said. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”
“Let’s continue, then, shall we?” Leaving Ichigo’s body to Tessai to take care of, we turned toward the gate. “This gate has a layer of Reishihenkanki; a Spirit-particle Conversion Machine, on top of a normal Senkaimon.”
“Spirit-particle conversion machine?”
“Yes. As you already know, the Soul Society is a world of spirits. It is impossible to enter the world unless you have the form of a spirit. However, only Ichigo, as a soul reaper, can cross through.”
“Well, it’s nice to know you like to leave me out of another one of your speeches,” I said, irritated that he forgot about me again.
“Oh- sorry, Abaron; it’s just easier that way.” “Hey!” He ignored me and continued with his speech.
“We will use the Henkanki to convert you into spirits.”
“In other words,” the potential Quincy began. “Even without extracting our spirits by going through this gate.”
“Correct. You will be able to enter the Soul Society, just like that.”
“Okay, got it! Let’s—“”However…” As Ichigo ran toward the Senkaimon, he was jabbed in his side my Kisuke’s cane. I clutched at my own, feeling double the pain as what Ichigo was. I glared at Kisuke, but he just waved me down with his fan. “The time that we have to open the gate and connect it to the Soul Society is just four minutes.”
“Four minutes?” I repeated. “Is that enough time?”
“Normally, it would be impossible. It’s a dangerous idea to begin with. But I’ll do my very best and hold it for four minutes.”
“And what if we don’t make it?”
“If you can’t cross over in that time, you will be trapped forever between the Soul Society and this world.”
“So what do we do?” the girl asked.
“Go forward,” said a voice. Yoruichi came up beside her. “I told you that the heart and soul are connected. The important thing is what you feel in your heart and the will to move it forward. I will be your guide. Go forward,” she repeated. “Only those who can do that can follow me.” Ichigo stepped forward.
“Are you talking in your sleep or something?” he asked. “That’s why we’re here!”
“So you understand that if you fail, you cannot return?”
“So then I just have to win.”
“Exactly.” Tessai and Kisuke activated the Senkaimon.
“Are you ready?” Kisuke asked us. “Run in the instant it opens.”
“Right.”
“Let’s do it!” I was blinded by another light as we ran through the gateway.