Gin stood in front of the giant doors with a huge logo of the 1st Division that led to the captain's assembly hall, and opened them to be greeted by the Captain-Commander - Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, along with the rest of the captains standing in their positions awaiting for the last captain's arrival. "You've come." he said in his gravelly voice. "Captain of the 3rd Division, Ichimaru Gin." Yamamoto was an old man who had red eyes, very long white beard and long eyebrows. He had two prominent long, perpendicular scars above his right eye. He wore the standard Shihakushou, and unlike the rest of the captains, he draped his white haori over his back.
"What's all this?" asked the said man, grinning as he entered the hall. "I suddenly get called in and come to find such a big ol' hoot'nanny. The captains who run Soul Society all gathered here just for lil' old me? I guess not." He looked around until he noticed the empty spot of a captain who was supposed to present. "I don't see the 13th Captain. Did something happen?"
"He's on sick leave." replied Tousen, Captain of the 9th Division who had dark skin and dark brown braids. He had pupil-less eyes that were pale lavender, indicating that he had been blind since birth. He wore the traditional Shinigami uniform with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders and his captain's haori over it, but his uniform was tied with a purple obi sash. He also wore an orange scarf around his neck, white boots instead of the normal sandals, and a pair of black fingerless gloves. He was wearing a pair of clear goggles, and kept his hair tied back in a ponytail with a few strands hanging in front of his face.
Gin looked at him with surprise. "Again?" he said. "I hope he gets well."
"Quit joking around." said Zaraki, glaring at him. The Captain of the 11th Division was a tall, muscular Shinigami with a wild and aggressive appearance, which ironically fit his personality. He had a long face with pronounced cheekbones and hairless brow ridges, and green eyes. His long, stringy black hair was styled into stiff strands with small bells at its tips. He had a long, thin scar running down the left side of his face and across his left eye. In addition to the standard Shihakushou, he wore white bandages across his midsection and a sleeveless captain's haori that had a ragged look to it. He wore a black eye-patch over his right eye and a black choker.
"You think that's why you've been called here?" he continued. "You bastard, I hear you went off on your own play with some Ryoka. Not to mention, the fact you failed to finish them off. 'The hell's wrong with you? Someone with your skills wouldn't break a sweat over five or six Ryoka."
"Oh?" responded Gin, though he didn't seemed fazed at the fact that he had failed to annihilate the intruders. "They ain't dead?"
"What?!" snapped Zaraki.
The 3rd Division Captain rubbed his head while a sheepish look was plastered on his face. "Well, I was sure they was dead." he said. "I guess my intuition done got dull."
The Captain of the 12th Division, Kurotsuchi chuckled at this. "Cut the act." he said. "There's no way someone of captain-class wouldn't be able to sense if an opponent's pulse has disappeared." His face was painted entirely white with the inner portion of his face painted black with the exception of his nose, giving his appearance a skull-like visage. His eyes were gold, and he constantly bore his teeth that gave him the appearance of him constantly smiling. Both his ears seemed to be replaced with stubbed golden cones. His fingernails were blue and short, with the exception of the fingernail on his right middle finger that was as long as the finger itself. He also wore a white hat with two ends that point to his right and a large purple scarf around his neck.
Hitsugaya sighed at the scene. "Here we go again." he muttered. "Another fight between stupid old guys." Although he was the Captain of the 10th Division, he had the appearance of a child. He was a short boy, who had turquoise eyes and short, spikey white hair.He wore a standard sleeveless captain's haori with a green sash around diagonally across his chest that was held together by a round, star-shaped clip, holding his Zanpakutou in place on his back.
"That ain't nice." said Gin to Kurotsuchi. "It's like you're sayin' I let 'em go on purpose."
"That is what I'm saying." clarified the latter.
"Shut up, Kurotsuchi!" scolded Zaraki. "I'm talking with him right now. Or do you want me to kill you?"
"What was that?" questioned the said captain mockingly, pretending not to hear him.
"How absurd." commented Soi-Fon lowly. The Captain of the 2nd Division was a petite woman who had grey eyes and black hair that was worn short with two long braids bound in white cloth, each ending in a large golden ring. Instead of a regular Shihakushou, she wore a black, backless outfit with no sleeves, though she wore long black arm bands, underneath her sleeveless haori, along with a yellow obi tied around her waist.Instead of wearing the standard Shinigami sandals with tabi, she wore a pair of traditional Chinese shoes with white socks.
The 8th Division Captain tugged on his Sugegasa straw hat. "My, oh my, so hot-blooded." he commented. Shunsui was a tall, light-skinned Shinigami with high cheekbones, grey eyes, and long wavy brown hair that was tied in a long ponytail and had long bangs that framed the left side of his face. He also had a noticeable amount of body hair on his chest, feet and arms. Besides his straw hat, he had a pink, flowered lady's kimono draped across his shoulders and over his captain's uniform. Although his haori and obi sash were ordinary, his pin-wheel hairpins looked extravagant. He didn't wear a pair of tabi with his sandals, unlike most of the Shinigami. He had thin facial hair around his mouth and on his cheeks.
After having enough time wasted on the captains' petty argument, Captain-Commander Yamamoto coughed to get everyone's attention. "Stop that!" he scolded. "How shameful." Zaraki and Kurotsuchi stepped away from each other with the latter clicking his tongue. "But I suppose that exchange explains the reason you've been called here. Your recent independent actions, and letting the targets escape. How about it? Have you any explanation, Ichimaru?"
"I do not." he replied.
"What was that?!" demanded Yamamoto.
Smirking, he rubbed his head. "I don't got no explanation." explained Gin. "It was my absent-minded mistake. I got no excuse. I'll take any punish-"
"Wait a moment, Ichimaru." said Aizen, cutting him off. "Before that, I want to ask you something." The Captain of the 5th Division was a bespectacled man with brown hair and soft brown eyes. He wore the standard Shinigami uniform with a captain's haori, and made no alterations to his uniform.
The 3rd Division Captain stared at him with his infamous grin before he turned to Yamamoto when he remembered something. "Speaking of which, Captain-Commander, one of the Ryoka is your granddaughter. What's her name a'ready...? Asa-chan, was it?" At that note, the captains' attention had diverted to Gin in a matter of seconds, shocked to hear what he had revealed.
"What was that, Ichimaru?!" he demanded, as he was the most shocked in the room.
"There ain't no mistake." shrugged the said man. "It was her, a'right. And I must say, she's a fine one after twenty years! Hot, I might add."
"But that can't be true." defended Shunsui. "Asa-chan is the type of Shinigami who swears her life on protecting Soul Society from any Ryoka."
Gin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he questioned. "But I ain't see her drawing out her Zanpakutou at 'em. Who knows? Maybe she was brainwashed by 'em? Think 'bout it. Her husband passed away before she took up that twenty-year mission, and such a long them in hell must've drove the poor woman crazy. And with the Ryoka around her, she might've been confused which're her friends and foes."
Yamamoto clenched his fists tightly. "Brainwashed?" he repeated angrily.
Suddenly, the captains heard an alarm from outside. "What is it?!" asked Zaraki.
"Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert!" announced a Shinigami. "Intruders in Seireitei! All divisions, please take defense positions! Repeat! Emergency Alert! Emergency Alert! Intruders in Seireitei! All divisions, please take defense positions!"
"Intruders?" repeated Aizen with uneasiness.
"Don't tell me..." trailed off Zaraki as he put the pieces together, guessing who had entered intruded Seireitei. "Those Ryoka?" Suddenly, he dashed out of the hall, barely waiting for the Captain-Commander's orders.
"Hey!" called Aizen. "Wait, Kenpachi!" By then, the said man was already out of the hall.
"'Tis unavoidable." said Yamamoto to the rest of the captains in the room. "The division captain meeting is temporarily dismissed. I will notify you later of Ichimaru's status. Also, I will not tolerate when those intruders are corrupting my granddaughter. If any of you encounter her, do whatever you can to make her remember her roots. All divisions, proceed to internal defense positions immediately."
The captains turned and left the hall. Aizen was about to leave the room when he stopped and stood next to Gin. "It seems the alarm sounds quite conveniently these days." he said.
"I ain't sure I understand what you're tryin' to say." said Gin.
"Do you think that excuse will work?" challenged Aizen. "You had best not underestimate me." He walked away from the grinning Captain of the 3rd Division, revealing that Hitsugaya had been overhearing their conversation as he had a look of suspicion.
Somewhere in the sky, although Kuukaku had launched the cannonball using Kakaku Style Version 2: Kakizaki, Ganju had to carry out the continuation spell to control its trajectory and acceleration. There difficulties carrying out, for Ichigo had unintentionally poured too much of his reiatsu into the ball, which caused his friends to struggle a little to maintain it uniformly, resulting in him yelling and distracting Ganju during the incantation. But eventually, the cannonball had made its way towards Seireitei.
"We're going to hit it!" yelled Uryu.
"No choice now." said Yoruichi. "Everyone, pour in all your spirit power!"
The cannonball hit the protective membrane of the Seireitei and got stuck in it rather than breaking through or disintegrating the shield. "Go through!" yelled Ichigo, hoping that it would do so and not fail again. With one final push, the ball broke through the membrane, but all of the Ryoka were hovering in the air next to the membrane. "What's going on? It's good we got through the shield, but why aren't we falling to the ground?"
"Stay together, everyone!" warned Asa, who knew what was going on. "Right now, the cannonball has hit the shield and is dissolving, and they're only momentarily intertwined."
"Which means..." trailed off Uryu.
"Soon, it will begin to whirl, then burst and be destroyed." she continued, seeming to answer his uncertainty.
"What?!" gasped Orihime.
"If we're separated at that moment, the shockwave will send us flying in all directions." Just as she said that, they were all trapped inside the whirlpool, separating everyone with its force. "It's begun!"
"Dammit!" cursed Ganju as he frantically made his way towards Ichigo. "I ain't gonna fly away!"
"Stay away from me!" yelled the boy.
"If you don't like it, you get outta the way!"
"You stay away!"
"That's enough of that, you two!" yelled Uryu.
"Everyone, grab the person closest to you!" ordered Yoruichi. "Don't let go no matter what!"
Ichigo and Ganju grabbed each other, being the closest to each other. "Damn!" cussed Ichigo.
"Damn yourself!" insulted the latter.
Sado grabbed Orihime, Yoruichi sat on Asa's shoulder, and the woman grabbed on Ichigo's shoulder, making him tense at the contact. "I'm borrowing your shoulder!" she shouted.
"O-Okay!" he said with a blush, for it was rare for him to be held by a beautiful woman like Asa herself.
"Ishida!" called Sado when saw Uryu being separated from the rest. The former tried to reach out to him, but failed as the said boy began to drift further from him and the rest. Resulting in no other choice, he left Orihime behind and headed towards the Quincy, grabbed him and threw him towards Orihime, resulting in him being flown off.
"Ch- Sado!" yelled Ichigo as he watched Sado be the first person to land in Seireitei, alone.
"Don't worry!" assured Yoruichi. "He, for one, will survive! More importantly, if you want to find him down there, first think about your own safety!"
"Dammit!" Ichigo then reached his hand out to Orihime.
"Kurosaki-kun!" she yelled, mimicking his action.
"Inoue!" They made a desperate attempt to reach each other, but just when they were about to, the cannonball exploded and sent the people inside it to the ground in four different directions.