Chapter Ten: Back to Square One.

Abaron’s POV

The Restrictive Current was gaining on us, barely missing the backs of our feet. We ran as fast as we could to get to the exit.

“What’s happening?” I heard the guy with the glasses say. “The wall is catching up to us! The whole place is falling!”

“If you have time to look back, you have time to run!” Yoruichi told him.

“It’s all over if it swallows you up,” I added loudly, as my voice was too small to talk normally. There was a crash coming from above. “Look out!” We pushed ourselves to run faster, trying to get away from the Current that broke free from the wall. That’s when I heard a scream.

“Uryū!” I turned to see the guy with the glasses get caught by the Current by the short white cape on his back. “That stupid idiot; it’s that stupid cape of his!”

“Hold it!” Yoruichi said, stopping Ichigo and I from reaching up. “Don’t take out your Zanpakutōs. The Current entangles the spiritual body. If you use your Zanpakutōs, you will get caught, too.” The tall guy ran over to Uryū and grabbed hold of both his cape and his head. Pulling the cape from his jacket, Uryū was released from the Current.

“T-thank you, Chad,” he said. “W-what are you doing?” Chad had hoisted him up on his shoulder.

“Let’s go.” We started running again.

“Put me down, Chad! I can run on my own!” I heard him gasp.

“What is it?” I called back to him.
“S-something’s coming,” he said shakily. “W-what is that?” I glanced over my shoulder.

“That’s not good!”
“It’s the Cleaner!” Yoruichi shouted. “It comes through here every seven days!”
"That's really not good!"

“Just keep running! The Cleaner is incredibly fast!” I’d have to compare it to one of those bullet trains I’ve heard about. I’m just surprised that we’re running faster than it. I’ve only been through a Senkaimon once before, when I was in the Academy. But I’ve never had to face the Cleaner, which is why it scared me so much. I could see the exit; it was just inches from my reach!

“Come on, hurry!” I shouted. “We’re almost there!”

“It’s no use!” Uryū said. He must be terrified, having to be face-to-face with the Cleaner. I know I’d be. “We can’t outrun it!” The girl stopped running and dropped behind us. She turned toward the Cleaner with her fingers on the flower clips in her hair.

“Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily!” she shouted. The clips began to glow. “Santen Kesshun! I reject!” I ran back to her, grabbing her hand just as some kind of barrier held the Cleaner momentarily at bay. We were propelled forward, with me colliding with Uryū’s head. Forced through the exit, I caught a glimpse of where we were about to land. We shot out from the Senkaimon and crashed into the ground. My left arm twisted awkwardly upon impact. I groaned as my head began to spin.

“Is everyone alright?” I sat up, cradling my arm. If it wasn’t for the barrier the girl put out beneath us, we would have been severely pancaked. Somehow, she looked completely unharmed. “Wow, Ichigo! You landed so artistically! And you, too!” she added, looking down at me. “The way your arm is position underneath your body and—“

“Believe me; there was nothing artistic about my landing,” I told her, stuck painfully in place. “I think I broke my arm again.”

“That was something, else,” said Uryū, groaning as he stood up. “This is more than I anticipated.” He opened his jacket and pulled something white from inside of it. “I never thought I’d have to use my extra cape so soon…” Ichigo pulled me from the ground, careful in avoiding my arm, before glowering at him.

“H-he brought a change of clothes,” he said in disbelief. He shook it off and looked down at me. “Abaron, your arm…”  If he didn’t know this by now, I have terrible luck. A single bone was sticking out of place. A lump appeared on the tanned part of my arm.

“I’m so glad that no one’s hurt,” the girl said. Yoruichi jumped up from the ground to… bite her eyeball?

“What’s there to be glad about?”
“Owwie!”
“Were you not listening to me?! We’re lucky the Restrictive Current made contact with just the shield! If it had been the Six Flowers themselves, you’d be dead right now!”

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, looking upset with herself.

“So what?” Ichigo said, coming to her defense. “She saved us from that thing; don’t be so rough on her.”

“And besides, if it wasn’t for—I’m sorry; what’s your name again?” “It’s Orihime—“”—for Orihime, I wouldn’t have just a broken arm.”

“The two of you don’t seem to understand the severity of—“”Is this the Soul Society?” Looking around, I realized that we didn’t land in the Seireitei, as I had hoped. But I had expected this to be the outcome, since Kisuke’s never been that great with details.

“Yeah,” I said. “This place is called the Rukon District. It’s where the souls go when they first arrive in the Soul Society. At the center of this place is the Seireitei, where soul reapers live. This is the poorest place in the Soul Society, with the largest population of souls.”

“But there’s no one around,” Ichigo pointed out. “Huh? What’s that? It looks different on that side.”

“That’s—“”I know! That’s where the soul reapers live, right? The Sei-whatever?” He started running toward it.

“You fool!” Yoruichi yelled. “Don’t go so close! You’ll die!”

“Huh?” Ichigo turned back, just as the Sekki-Seki wall fell down from the sky. It narrowly missed Ichigo, as he had propelled himself backwards just in time. The rest of them came down, slamming loudly against the ground. Rocks and dirt and mud flew up at us. I used my uninjured hand to block my eyes. I heard Ichigo coughing.

“It’s been a long time since someone tried to pass through the Seirei Gate without a travel permit,” said a deep voice from up ahead. As the dust cleared, a tall figure appeared to tower over Ichigo. He looked a lot like a gorilla. “You’re a rare guest. Welcome, kid.”

“Ichigo!” I ran toward him. “Wait a minute...” The spirit energy that circled around me was hardly unfamiliar. But it didn’t come from the gorilla-guy. It was coming from the other side of the Hakuda Gate. It was Shūhei’s. Then I felt another’s spirit energy. Izuru was there, too! I ran past Ichigo, ignoring Yoruichi’s protests.

“Shūhei! Izuru!”

Shūhei’s POV~

“So the Ryoka have landed outside the Hakuda Gate… Since they’re on that side, there’s no need for us to go.”

“Well… Especially on that side… because Jidanbō will be there.” "Shūhei! Izuru!”

I looked around, unable to find the source of the voice. There was no female in our group. So who was calling? I looked over at Izuru, who seemed to be just as confused as I was. They called our names again, and this time, it was clearer and closer than the first.

“Is that Abaron?” I wondered.

“What is she doing on the other side of the gate?” Izuru asked, coming up beside me. Could this have something to do with her leaving so suddenly two weeks ago…? I was the only one who knew about that.

“Abaron!”

Abaron’s POV~

“Abaron!” Good, they can hear me. Jidanbo stared down at me as if I was some king of bug. He started laughing.

“And who are you supposed to be, tiny Soul Reaper?” he asked.

“My name is Abaron Kakaku,” I told him.

“Kakaku? I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by that name.” I thought quickly; how could I make this go faster? 

“My name is Abaron Kakaku,” I repeated. “I am the third seat of Squad 5.” Technically, I wasn’t lying. I was just… embellishing the truth a little bit. I used to be the Third Seat of Squad 5 - well, co-Third Seat - so that counts for something, right?

“Wait a minute! Now I know you!” I giant axe appeared in his hands. “Leave here, Hollow Scum!” It hit ground at about the same time Ichigo grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed!?” he shouted at me, holding onto my upper arm so tightly that I thought it might fall off, and unfortunately, it was my bad arm. “Get back, and let me deal with him.” When I didn’t budge, Ichigo pushed me backwards so that I tripped over my feet.  He sighed, shaking his head and turned back to Jidanbo.

“Now that I made the first move, you can try and hit me from anywhere,” he told Ichigo. His eyes flickered toward me with a burning rage. How was it that he knew me but I didn’t know him? And how does he know about my inner Hollow? I didn’t even realize that the others were standing right behind me.

“H-he’s so huge!” Uryū exclaimed. “Who is he? He’s too big to be human! Just what is he?!”

“His name is Jidanbō Ikkanzaka,” Yoruichi said, walking up beside me. “He was chosen from among the best of the Soul Society to guard the White Road Gate; one of the four gates of Seirei.”

“A guard? Which means we have to beat him to get inside?”

“Yes. But that won’t be an easy task… In the three-hundred years that he has been on-duty, no one has been able to break through the White Road Gate. He is legendary for his power and strength.”

“So how do we fight a guy like that?”

“That’s where your intelligence comes in. I think, first, a meeting, in order to come up with a strategy. Hey, Ichigo—Chad! Orihime! Come back! Come back, both of you!”

“No, wait!” Jidanbō saw them coming. With a loud grunt, he swung his axe down on the ground behind Ichigo. It brought up a large chunk from the marble road, blocking their paths. I ran toward them.

“I don’t like your manners,” he said to us. “You must be country bumpkins.”

“Bumpkins?” Is he joking?

“Now listen up. We have rules in the city. One; you must wash your hands when you return from outside. Two; you don’t eat food that’s fallen on the floor.”

“Is he trying to be funny?”

“And three; when you fight, it’s one-on-one.” Orihime and Chad gasped. “My first opponent will be that girl down there,” he said, pointing a meaty finger toward me. I took my zanpakutō from off of my back, ignoring the throbbing pains in my left arm that protested against me.

“Alright, then,” I said, gladly obliging.
“Stay there,” Ichigo ordered from the other side.

“Come on, Ichigo; don’t make me look like a 'country bumpkin'!”

“I said stay there,” he repeated more firmly. “He attacked me first; this is my fight.”

“Well, if you remember correctly, he called me ‘Hollow Scum’, which started all of this—“”Just shut up and stay back!” I stowed Bōkyaku away, the ribbon wrapping it up while I muttered things that were incoherent even to myself.

“So I’m fighting the Kid, I see. You three wait quietly, until I’m done.” He turned away.

“Orihime,” I looked up at Chad, who was pointing toward the barricade. “I’ll wait for my chance and open a hole in this wall. The moment I’m done, aim and shoot Tsubaki at him through the hole."

“What?” Jidanbō turned back around. “Are you still scheming something?”

“He has surprisingly good ears,” Orihime noted.
“Yeah…”

“Hey! Chad, Orihime!” The two ran past me and up to the wall.

“Ichigo, are you alright?” Orihime called.

“I’m alive and kicking,” he answered. I could almost hear him smirking.

“Wait there, we’re—“”About that, Orihime… Can you and Chad just stay put?”

“Huh? What’re you saying, Ichigo? That’s—“”Never mind. Don’t worry about it.” Uryū ran past, nudging me in the arm as he came to a stop in between Chad and Orihime.

“No way!” he shouted. “Our time is limited! Instead of just you, we have to attack together and get going!”

“Yeah, Cape Boy is right!” He looked back at me, exasperated.

“Oh, you’re there, Uryū?”
“I’ve been here the whole time! Quit saying stupid things at a time like this!”

“Geez, will you just shut up?”
“Cape Boy has a point, Ichigo,” I said.

“Can you do it?” Chad said through the wall.
“Umm… probably…”

“Probably?!” Uryū started punching the wall. “What are you saying?! Do you even understand our situation right now?!”

“Look, don’t worry.” I got up and joined Uryū at the wall so I could hear him better.

“How can I not worry?!”

“Let me tell you something interesting… My Soul Reaper strength was supposed to be restored in ten full days. But I got it back in five.”

“That doesn’t mean you should be reckless and fight on your own, moron!” I shouted.

“Abaron, you were there.” “Huh?” “What was I doing in the remaining five days?” I crossed my arms.

“You were training; every single day, and every single night. You got really boring, too.”
“I know. But I fought Mr. Hat and Clogs one-on-one.”

“I get it…” said Uryū.

“You do?” I asked, wondering how on earth he understood what Ichigo was saying.

“He learned fighting techniques.”
“Nope; he didn’t teach me a thing. But…” I heard him draw out Zangetsu. “Stamina and strength… I got them even if I didn’t want them!”

“Are you done talking?” I heard Jidanbō ask.

“I don’t remember asking you to wait,” he replied coolly. I jumped up on the wall and climbed to the top.

“Abaron!” Uryū hissed, grabbing at my foot. “Get me up there!” I kicked his hand away.

“Come on, Quincy; you can fly.” He seemed startled that I knew he was a Quincy. If I didn’t know that my mother had been one, then I wouldn’t have recognized the bracelet he wore, along with the attire. Blue and white were the only two colors my mother would ever wear.

“…you are a country bumpkin, after all. You don’t know your manners.” Jidanbō raised his axe. “When someone waits for you… you say, ‘thank you’!” He swung it down. I couldn’t be sure whether it hit Ichigo or not. I didn’t feel any pain, which was a good sign, but I felt a slight strain on my right shoulder. I could hear Orihime screaming over the sound of the unknown impact.

“What’s happening?” Uryū shouted at me. As the dirt cloud dispersed, I could see Ichigo again. No wonder my arm was feeling sore; Ichigo had managed to hold back Jidanbō’s axe.

“Everything’s alright,” I called down to Uryū. “He’s okay!” He let out a sigh of relief. I turned back to the fight.

“Just what are you?” he asked Ichigo.

“Isn’t it bad manners to attack before your opponent is ready?” Jidanbō looked angry. A vein above his right eye was almost about to pop. It was a pretty funny sight. And then, he started… laughing? Why is he laughing? But then I understood. Oddly enough, I’m not even sure how I could describe it, but Ichigo was thrown off-balance by the physical strength of Jidanbō’s laugh.

“You’ve got guts,” he told Ichigo, his cackle subsiding. “Good! It’s been decades since someone’s stopped my first thrust.” He stood up, coming to his full height. Ichigo’s eyes widened as a shadow was cast over him. “All right, this is great! Today, I get to give it everything I’ve got! Among those who tried to pass through here, there have been only three, including you, who were able to stop my first thrust. However... not one has been able to stop my second!” He raised his axe again and swung it down upon Ichigo.

As the two edges connected, sparks were sent out all around, and more dust and dirt flew into the air, blurring my view. But then it was blown away. And then I was blown away—by what I was seeing, of course. Ichigo had managed to stop Jidanbō’s attack for a second time. But his hand was shaking, whereas my own felt completely numb.

“Good; you’re still standing. Then I’m going to keep coming! Take this: Jidanbō Ten Strikes Festival!” Another festival? Good grief. He began counting on each hit.

“One! Two! Three! Four! Five!” Can he count that high? “Six! Seven!”

“What’s happening?” Uryū asked again.

“Oh, nothing,” I replied, grinning, despite the lack of blood in my hands. Ichigo was a lot stronger than I thought he’d be.

“Six! Seven! Err, six! Eight!” He held his axe above his head. “Now it’s time for the finish!” Instead of bringing it straight down, he dragged it all the way across the platforms of marble that he brought up from the ground. Just as it made its way towards me, I jumped up and over it, only to land in the exact same spot as I had been before. Large chunks of rock shot into the air and began flying backwards. I took out Bōkyaku and knocked as many as I could away—damn, I missed one!

“Uryū, look out!” He jumped out of the way just in time. Another slipped past. “Chad!” To my surprise, he knocked one away with his arm. I looked back to the fight. Jidanbō was sweating buckets.

“W-what?” The rock I was standing on crumbled. I jumped away, landing on the other side of the mounds. Ichigo had easily held back Jidanbō’s last strike. “W-why? Why are you still standing?”

“He’s alright! Ichigo’s alright!”
“Ichigo!”

The whole time Ichigo, Kisuke, and I trained, we were both learning lessons. While Ichigo gained strength and stamina, I gained the simple logic of predicting an enemy’s next move. The strength that Ichigo possessed surged through my own body restlessly.“Are you finished? Now it’s my turn.” Jidanbō gasped.

“Not yet!” he shouted. “Not yet! I’m not finished yet!” Out of his large shihakushō, he pulled out a second axe. How the hell did he fit that in there?!

“Another axe!?” Uryū seemed to be in the same state of denial that I was. Jidanbō’s face started to grow red as more veins popped out of his head. The armor on his shoulder broke off and clattered before me and Ichigo.

“Abaron, get back,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at me.

‘What’s that look in your eyes?’ I asked him.
‘It’s called determination.’ I smiled.

“Determination, huh?” I moved out of the way.

“Try this!” Jidanbō shouted. “Final Lethal Attack: Jidanbō Banzai Strike Festival!” he raised the axes high above his head so that they were even and level before swinging them down. Ichigo looked up at them.

“Sorry,” he said. “But I’m going to destroy those axes.” With a single swipe of Zangetsu, Jidanbō’s axes shattered into several large pieces. They fell heavily to the ground, creating what felt like an earthquake and what looked like the aftermath of a meteor shower. I placed Bōkyaku out in front of me to block my body. Seeing as its length was my height and its width was as wide as me, it worked out perfectly. I saw Orihime put up her barrier to protect Uryū, Chad, Yoruichi, and herself. I heard Jidanbō gasp. I watched him fall backwards on his large bottom, creating a rumble of its own. He slid back so that his head slammed heavily against the gate door. He sat up, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.

“W-what?”

“Ichigo… what did he just do?” I patted Uryū on the shoulder and made my way to Ichigo.

“What do you think?”

“Man, that was close,” Jidanbō said, grinning. Ichigo stuck out his arm to stop me from walking any further. “I slipped and fell!” He looked down and tried to read our faces. I didn’t doubt that they were blank. “Huh? What’s that look? I’ll bet you think I went flying. Hah! What’re you saying? I can’t be blown away, that never happens! That’s why country bumpkins are such pains. Just wait, I’ll use my axes again and… my axes…”

“Hmm,” I heard Yoruichi say as she began to speculate. “Jidanbō’s axes were destroyed in one blow.”

“What? Those giant axes were destroyed?”

“Hey,” Ichigo called up to Jidanbō, who continued to stare at his broken weapons. All that was left were the green hilts. “Say something.” No words came out. Instead, he started to cry.

“M-m-my a-axes!” he sobbed.

“Huh?” He slammed the hilts against the ground, making it shake beneath my feet. “They’re broken! They’re broken! My axes are b-broken!” He continued to cry. I cringed at what was happening.

‘Some tough guy,’ I thought sarcastically, hoping that Ichigo was listening. Thankfully, he was.

Yeah, for someone who was supposed to be this great, powerful, unbeatable gatekeeper, he’s a real baby.’
‘You said it.’

“Now he’s crying… what’s going on?”
“It sounds like a siren.”

“Uh, hey… I-I’m sorry about this; for breaking your axes… I didn’t have to break both of them, I know-““Ichigo, if I wanted to have a shower, I would’ve had one already. Jidanbō, are you alright?” I asked as I brushed his tears from my shihakushō with my hand. I shook it to try and get the liquid off. Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, looking sincerely apologetic.

“My bad.”
“Y-you’re not b-bad,” Jidanbō said, choking on his tears. He looked up at us, snot dripping from his nostrils and rivers flowing over the side of his face. “You and I are enemies… but you’re worried about me; a loser!” I stepped away as Jidanbō reached forward to grab Ichigo. “What a big heart; you’re really great.” I snickered, earning myself a glare from Ichigo.

“Err, well, when someone cries that much, anyone would want to console them—“”And you!” he cried, taking one hand away from Ichigo and placing on my shoulder. He pulled me toward Ichigo so that I wasn’t so far away from him anymore. He grinned down at me evilly. ‘Karma’ was the only thought that I got from him. Our shoulders collided, sending another wave of pain up my left arm. “You have the same big heart as he does! Even if you are p-part Hollow, I don’t care!” He gathered up his senses and let go of us. We both stepped far away from each other.

“Meanwhile, I’m acting like a kid over something like axes! I’m an embarrassment of a man! I’m a waste!”

“Huh?”

“I’m a complete waste! As a warrior; as a man! I lost to you completely! It’s been three-hundred years since I became the guard of the White Road Gate,” he explained. “I’ve never once lost. You are the first man to defeat me.” He wiped away another tear, flicking it down onto me. “Pass! I, Jidanbō, grant you permission to pass through the White Road Gate!”

“Huh?” he said again. “R-really? That’s great!” Uryū and the others walked up beside us.

“Can all of us pass?" he asked Jidanbō.

“Yes,” he said, groaning. “I lost to your leader. I have no right to stop you.”

“What?”
“Who said anything about him being our leader?” I shouted. “No way!”

“Why are you two so upset about it?” he said, frowning. It was obvious that he liked being called a leader; the show-off that he is. ‘I’m not a show-off.’ ‘Whatever, show-off.’

“Your name is Ichigo?” Jidanbō questioned.

“Yeah; Ichigo Kurosaki.”
“That’s a cute name.”

“Shut up! ‘Ichi’ means “one” and ‘go’ stands for “protect”! It’s not cute!”

“Take care, Ichigo.” Jidanbō turned around and placed his hands on the door of the gate. “I don’t know why you want through here, but on the other side, they’re a lot stronger than what I am.” Ichigo had this cocky look on his face.

“I already know that,” he said.

“Good. Okay, I’m opening the gate, so stay back.” He placed his hands at the very bottom of the door, so that his fingers dug into the earth. He groaned as he began to push it up. He looked like he was in a lot of strain.

“T-that’s amazing,” said Ichigo.

“I never thought that that thing could be lifted!” Ichigo suddenly ran up in front of Jidanbō and looked back at him.

“What’s the matter?” he asked him. “Why are you just standing there like that? Did something happen?” I came up beside him. I realized that Jidanbō's eyes were focused on the inside of the gate. He seemed unable to weave a sentence together and he began to babble. He gasped. I squinted to see through the sunlight that blinded me. A tall figure wearing a haori was approaching us. Then it was my turn to gasp.

“Who’s that guy?” Ichigo asked me, giving him a look.

“T-that’s the Captain of Squad 3,” Jidanbō stammered. He started to sweat with fear.

“That’s Gin Ichimaru.” Gin’s smile grew wider.

“Isn’t that right? Abaron, what are you doing with these Ryoka?” There was a flash of silver and a groan of pain that came from Jidanbō. I looked up just in time to see a fountain of blood come squirting out of a deep wound in his arm. I jumped out of the way to avoid it. His arm fell limp against his side. Jidanbō was just barely keeping the door up. He fell to his knee.

“Jidanbō!”

“Well this doesn’t seem right,” Gin said, still smiling. “The Gatekeeper isn’t there to open the gate.”

“We were careless,” Yoruichi said. “I never thought that someone like him would come from this far out.”

“I did,” I told her. “His lieutenant was here, too.” 

“I lost,” said Jidanbō, looking toward Gin. “A defeated Gatekeeper opening the gate… makes perfect sense!”

“What are you talking about?” Gin asked, chuckling. “A defeated Gatekeeper doesn’t open the gate if he lost. When a Gatekeeper is defeated… it means death.” Before I could react, Ichigo rushed forward to confront him.

‘Ichigo, you idiot; Even if you’ve gotten stronger, you have no chance in beating him! He’s a captain!’ He shut me out so I could no longer hear his thoughts.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked Gin, pointing Zangetsu at him.

“That’s what I should be asking you!” Yoruichi yelled at him.

“Don’t you come out after the battle and expect something else to happen; anyone who attacks someone who’s unarmed without a second thought is mine to kill!” Gin laughed again.

“What a funny kid,” he said. “You aren’t scared of me?”

“And why should I be?” “Hey! Stop it, Ichigo! We have to retreat for now!”

“Huh? Why? The fight’s just starting! I can’t let this guy think that he beat me!” Noticing my worried expression- there’s no way he could beat Gin- he added, “Don’t worry. I’ll end this in one—“

“You’re Ichigo Kurosaki?” Ichigo turned back to face him.

“You know about me?” he asked.

“Oh, so it is you!” He started walking away.

“Hey!” Ichigo shouted after him. “Where’re you going? Come back here!”
“It’s just all the more reason that I can’t let you through here.” Gin took out his zanpakutō. ‘He’s going to release his Shikai!’ I thought, hoping that Ichigo could hear me.

“Huh? Why’d you go so far away?” Clearly, he didn’t. “Are you going to throw that or something?”

“No, I’m not going to throw it. This… is my zanpakutō.” He moved so fast that I wasn’t even able to understand what was happening. He took a stance and placed his zanpakutō under his arm. “Shoot to kill; Shinsou.” Gin’s zanpakutō started growing longer. The reason he had moved away from the door was because, at close range, Shinsou was deadly. Gin didn’t want to kill Ichigo, because if he did, it would mean killing me. Or at least, that's what I hope ran through his mind. It would be selfish of me to think that.

He put Zangetsu up in front of him, just as it came into his reach. It connected with the flat side of his blade, sending him flying up in the air. He crashed into the chest of Jidanbō, and the force and strength of Gin’s zanpakutō propelled them away from the gate. Landing near the houses in the Rukongai, the gate started to close, as Jidanbō was no longer there to hold it up. And the sucky part was that I was on the opposite side. I broke into a flash step, trying to get to the gate before it closed completely.

“Bye, bye now,” Gin said as I passed him, waving at them.

“No!” It slammed hard against the ground just as I got there. There was another loud noise, no doubt the fender-bender caused by Jidanbō crashing into the ground. I felt a sudden heavy pressure in my upper arms; my feet were lifted off the ground, making it look like I was some kind of human throw toy. I collided painfully with the door, with my head breaking my fall. I slid to the ground, slumped half-consciously against the gate. Through my heavy-lidded eyes, I saw Gin walking toward me.

“You haven’t c-changed at all,” I told him weakly. I was too sore to speak, which resulted in me stammering.

“Try to understand,” he said, his grin fading. “I had no choice.” And that’s when everything went black.

***

“Damn you,” I said, scowling at Shūhei and Izuru. “I’m getting chain cuts over my chain scars. Seriously, stop dragging me!”

“Then walk so we don’t have to!” Shūhei yelled. Izuru merely nodded.

“I hate you.”

“We know.” They turned down a long hallway. Shūhei gave me a tug on the chains that were connected to the cuffs on my wrist, jerking me in the opposite direction.

“So, tell me, why are we in Squad 5’s barracks instead of 9’s or 3’s?” Izuru shrugged and looked down at me through his bangs.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “Captain Ichimaru and Captain Tōsen requested that you were to be brought here.” I frowned. If they’re still in cahoots with Aizen, then that must be why…

We turned down the next hallway to where a pair of tall red doors stood. Izuru unlocked them with an irregularly shaped key and they slid open. I gasped.

“N-no, please, I c-can’t—“”I’m sorry, Abaron; those were our orders.” Too many emotions were pouring out of me at once; there was anxiety, from seeing a thick-barred cell inside the room, and fear, from seeing Izuru open the gate of the cell. Shūhei took my zanpakutō off of my back and set it against a wall. I went into a screaming fit as the two of them struggled to put me inside the cell.

“No!” I cried. “P-please, you c-can’t—“”Abaron, please!” Izuru gave me a sad look that made my arms go numb. My legs went stiff, at the exact moment when I needed them most. They closed the door of the cell behind them and stared at me from the outside. Why couldn’t they understand what I was saying? Being back in a cage is worse than being in Hell. I can’t take this! I need out!

“N-no, you have to let me out! Izuru, please! Shūhei, help me!” They turned away, biting their lips. My emotions then came back in, making it hard for me to breathe. I clutched at my throat, leaning against the gate with my bad arm. The pain that surged through it wasn’t nearly as bad as the pain I felt in my heart.

“Captain Aizen should be here to see you soon,” was all they said before they left the room. They shut the door behind them. I fell to the ground. No… I can’t be in here again… I have to get Rukia… I don’t have time for this!

At that moment, the door opened again. I ran to the other side of the cell and hid my face in the corner of the wall. I knew it was him by just listening to the way he opened the door; being sneaky and conniving was always an unrivaled talent of his.

“Hello, Abaron,” he said. I could almost see him smirking. But I refused to answer him. “This is the first time I’ve seen you be so quiet.” I ignored his comment about me talking so much. “Well, aren’t you going to talk to me?” I think my answer is pretty obvious. “It’s rude to have your back to someone who is speaking to you.” And that’s exactly why I’m doing that. “I’m coming in.” I’m not going to—

“What?” I turned around to see Sosuke inserting a key into the lock. I shrunk back as far as I could into the wall as he came inside the cell. He shut the door behind him and made his way over to me. I put my chained wrists in front of my face so he couldn’t see it. He didn’t deserve to. A pair of warm hands closed around my own.

“Get your hands off of me,” I said, trying not to overreact. But it was near impossible.

“Then put your hands down so I can see your face.”
“No thank you.”

“Then I guess I won’t be letting go.” A feverish anger rose up to my cheeks. He just makes me so angry! I can’t stand him! Reluctantly, I dropped my hands in front of me. He smiled. God, I can’t stand him. He stepped closer, so that there was less than a foot of distance between us.

“I put my hands down, now get away from me.” He complied and stepped away. “Why are you here?”

“I came to ask you of why you are helping the Ryoka,” he answered. “Or, to be more specific, Ichigo Kurosaki,” It was as if a vacuum hose was lodged inside my lungs and turned on so that it blew inwards, instead of sucking out. But then I remembered what Gin told me a few weeks ago, about how he had been studying Ichigo’s every move. Could he have been watching us when we were down at Kisuke’s shop? But how is that possible?

“I’m sure that you already know, Sosuke.”
“Indeed I do.”

“So then you have your answer. Now leave me alone.” I pointed to the door, bringing my other hand along with it. He laughed quietly.

“Do you honestly believe that you are in a position to order me? If you hadn’t realized already, I am a Captain. And you are still just a jailbird who keeps getting her feathers clipped whenever she tries to help.”

“At least I try,” I shot back. “I’m not a back-stabbing bastard who turned on his own comrades—!” He slammed his hand against the wall beside my head.

“I have my reasons. You have no right to decide whether they are wrong or right; do you understand?” I nodded, as I was incapable of speaking.

That sudden outburst of his was a little scary. I’ve always remembered him as a quiet, gentle-natured bastard who has a knack for lying about who he really is. He dropped his hand to his side. He turned his head toward the opposite way as someone had just knocked at the door. He reappeared on the other side of the cell and sat in one of the chairs that were along the wall. “Come in.”

“Um, hello, Captain,” said a familiar voice. I saw Shōri enter the room, looking a little steamed up. “Do you mind if I have a quick word with the Ryoka?” Ryoka? Since when did I become a Ryoka?

“Go right ahead. I’ll leave the two of you alone.” He got up and walked to the door, disappearing behind it before it shut. His footsteps faded away down the hall. Shōri sighed and crossed her arms.

“You weren’t paying attention, were you?” I opened my mouth in defense but then shut it again, as I had realized that it was true. I nodded. She sighed again, this time, sounding a little more exasperated. I saw her pull a small silver key from her pocket. I approached her through the bars.

“Won’t you get in trouble?” I asked.

“Look who’s talking! I’ll just say that I was apprehended.”

“No one would believe that,” I told her. “We’re too close.” She put a hand on her chin. Snapping her fingers, she grinned.

“Well, then, it looks like we’re gonna be traitors together!”

“Shōri, you can’t—“”Rukia’s my friend, too! Besides, I was going to go after her, anyway.” She unlocked the door and let me step out. “The soul reapers who were patrolling the next hallway were sent out after your friends, so it should be safe to get out from there.”

“What about Shūhei?” I said, grabbing my zanpakutō and hiking it up on my back. “Is he still here?”

“No, he went out with Izuru to get me food. I've been working non-stop today.”
Of course you were.”

“But it looks like that’ll have to wait for now.” She took out her zanpakutō and pointed it at the cell. I raised an eyebrow. “Disturb, Akasutori." In a blinding white light, her zanpakutō was no longer a single entity, but two, exact in form aside from their length, where one was longer than the other. “Ryoba.” I blinked, unable to believe what I was seeing. It was me…It was me? Inside of the cell? She sat in the corner of it, and stared down into her lap.

“That’s the power of your Shikai?” I asked to clarify. She nodded.

“Akasutori is an Illusion-type zanpakutō . Using Ryoba, she can trick the mind into seeing what she want them to. But it won’t last long. We should get out of here while we can. My power in Shikai is limited.” She opened the door and began to run. I followed close behind her, not wanting to make any mistakes on getting caught for a second time.  

***

“Can you find them?” We made it out of Squad 5 alive; that was the easy part. Everything that happened from that point on, well…

“Come back here! Stop!” A large group of soul reapers began chasing after us, not too far off of our trail.

I was trying to find Ichigo’s or Yoruichi’s spiritual pressure, so that I could meet up with them. For a moment, I could feel it, but then it was gone. All I knew was that they were on the other side of the gate, no doubt still in the Rukongai. I wonder if Jidanbō’s alright. Before I was taken into custody by Shūhei and Izuru, someone had fixed my arm. I messed it up pretty bad, too, with all the fractures that I had.

“There it is,” I said, as Ichigo’s spirit energy came into range. We approached the White Road Gate, where, of course, other soul reapers were. They turned to us, holding out their zanpakutōs to try and bar our path. There were at least twenty of them, and I’m not saying that I could beat them up, or say that they’re easy targets just because of their low spiritual energy, but they did seem really weak, which made me wonder why someone put them in charge of the gate, instead of a Lieutenant.

“Hold it!” one of them said. “We’re under strict orders to let not one person pass through this gate.” I looked up at the wall. It wasn’t that tall; maybe we could climb it? Shōri took out her zanpakutō.

“Fuiwotsuku,” The eyes of the soul reapers went blank. Dropping their weapons, they stuck their arms out in front of them, as if they went blind.

“What did you do to them?” I asked her.

“I blinded them,” she replied, confirming my guess.

“Shōri, you can’t just—“”It’s only temporary.” Her face went white. “Yeah, only temporary; your decoy body just disappeared. Come on, let’s go!” Jumping over the swarming soul reapers, we went up to the gate.

“So how do we get over this?”
“We’re not going over it, we’re going through It.”
“The gate’s made of Sekki-Sekki rock, stupid.”

“Not like that; we’re going to use Bōkyaku’s Garganta.” But Bōkyaku wasn’t here to do that. I had no idea of what she’s been doing all this time; not once has she spoken to me, or even tried to contact me. Somehow, she must’ve known this. “Here,” she said. She put her hands up in front of her. “We might just be able to create our own.”

“How do we do that?”

“We can manipulate your zanpakutō’s ability using our inner Hollows; I already know that yours is awake. She’ll have no choice but to cooperate with mine.” I obliged, placing my hands on hers. She shut her eyes. The next thing I knew was that there was a black hole in the White Road Gate. “Come on.” She stowed her zanpakutō away and ran through the Garganta.

At that same moment, the other Soul Reapers were freed from her spell. They began running toward me. I jumped through the Garganta and watched it close. I ran after Shōri, who was waiting for me at the exit. I could see the Rukongai through it. We leapt through and landed on the ground.

“Made it, phew.” I wiped my forehead with the back of my sleeve.

“Now start looking for them.”

“Don't worry, I already know where they are."

Ichigo’s POV~

“What? Give up on breaking through the gate?”

“Not give up,” Yoruichi clarified. “Once the gate has been opened, the security on the inside becomes even greater, which means that the same strategy is not the best one.”

“I agree,” said Uryū.

“What about the other gates?” Chad asked, glancing down at Yoruichi.
“There probably wouldn’t be a difference in security.”

“So then what do we do?” I asked irritably. ‘Instead of relying on others for your answer, try answering it yourself.’ I jumped.

“What’s wrong, Ichigo?” Orihime asked, looking concerned.

“I-I just thought I heard Abaron’s voice,” I said. She wasn’t in the room, so then how--?

“Will you guys fill us in on what we missed?” In the doorway to outside, Abaron appeared in front of it. A short girl with orange hair appeared behind her.

“What happened to you?” I asked. “And who’s she?”

“I ran into some complications just after Gin showed up. As a result, I was put under arrest for ‘treasonous behavior under asylum’.” She smiled. “This is my sister, Shōri.” She waved before crossing the room and sitting beside Orihime, who eyed her nervously. Abaron sat between Chad and Uryū and took off her zanpakutō. She stared absent-mindedly at the fire in front of us. I remember what Yoruichi had said to me, just after I was beat by that Ichimaru guy:

“When Jidanbō let go of the gate, Abaron was still on the other side. She wasn’t able to make in it time to us, and as a result, I’d imagine that they were able to overpower her.”

At least she’s alright, though. “So, what have I missed? I can already guess that retaking the direct approach won’t work for a second time.”

“And you would be correct,” Yoruichi said. “It just means that we’ll break in from somewhere other than the gates.”

“Sounds good to me, but… is there another way?”

“There’s always another way.” Yoruichi turned to the old guy who sat across from me and addressed him. “Would you happen to know where Kūkaku Shiba is?”

“What?”

“Apparently, she likes to change her residence at the drop of a hat. But I have no idea where that fool is now.”

“Kūkaku Shiba,” he repeated. He clenched his fists. Abaron turned her head toward the door.

“Does anyone else hear that?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What are you—“”It sounds like a stampede.”

“Don’t tell me that you people intend to use that thing to get over the wall?” the old guy inquired.

“Wait, I hear it now,” I said, trying to focus to hear where it was coming from.

“What is that?” Orihime and Uryū said in unison. At that moment, there was the sound of something dragging across the gravel, and a loud scream, followed by some guy crashing in through the front door. Everyone, aside from Abaron and her sister - I think her name was Shōri - stood up.

“Who is this guy?” I asked. He got up, rubbing his head. That’s when a pig wearing a bow walked in after him, snorting. “A pig? Why does he have a pig?” The guy groaned and brushed himself off as he got to his full height.

“Man, my Bonnie threw me off again,” he said. “Yo! Long-time no see, Old Man!”

“Is that Ganju?” Shōri asked Abaron, who nodded.

“Ganju? What are you doing here?”

“What? I come to visit you in the first time in ages and this is how I’m greeted? You guys look surprised,” he added, looking around at us. And then he looked at me. Taking off his glasses, he said, “Why is this piece of crap soul reaper here in a place like this?” It was as if he completely ignored Abaron, as she was a Soul Reaper, too.

“What?”

“Don’t what me. I asked why this piece of crap soul reaper is here in a place like this?” He tapped my face with his hand repeatedly.

“Huh?”
“Huh?” He grabbed my face and gave me a death-stare. “Say something, Dandelion Head---“”Watch your mouth!” I brought up my hand and cuffed him. He landed on the floor a few feet away. I saw Abaron massage her own hand, but her expression was just the same as before.

“What was that for?” he yelled at me, jumping to his feet again. “Are you looking for a fight or something? Huh?” Abaron went rigid.

“That’s my line,” I said, clenching my fist, about ready to punch him for a second time. “You bust in here and then get on my case; you pig-riding ape man!”

“’Pig-riding ape man?!”
“Yeah!”
“What’re you, retarded?!”
“No, I’m not, actually!”
“I got a name, dammit!”
”Is it Pig-Boar Kinston?”
“What did you say?!”
“You heard me.”

“This is no time for sipping tea!” Uryū shouted. I realized that he was talking to the Old Man. “Who is that guy?”

“You say you don’t know me?”

“I don’t.”
“Me either.”
“Not me.”
“I don’t even want toknow you.”

“I know him.” I looked back at Abaron, who was just getting up. She looked mad.

“You do?” She nodded.

“His name is—“”I’m going to say it!” the guy shouted angrily at her.

“Then don’t take a million years in doing so, Bacon Bits!”

“Bacon Bits?!” He began to steam. His face quickly turned from an apricot to a tomato. “My name is Ganju! Self-proclaimed, the Crimson Bullet of West Rukongai! Self-proclaimed, Number One To-Call-Him-Big-Brother of West Rukongai in fourteen years; and finally, self-proclaimed Number One Soul Reaper Hater of West Rukongai!”

“What makes you ‘self-proclaimed’?” she asked him with a sneer.

“His imagination,” I said. “What a hopeless loser.”

“What…?”
“What--?” I was elbowed in my stomach so that I flew outside. I slid painfully over the gravel, my head getting the full-blow of it. I heard a crash from back inside the house.

“Abaron!”
“Ichigo!” I saw Uryū and Chad run to the door when they were stopped by four other guys. Orihime ran across the room.

“Whoa there,” they said. I struggled to get up. “We won’t let you get in Big Brother’s way.”

“And if you do…”

“We’ll take you on ourselves.” Abaron flew out of the house, sporting a large bruise on her forehead. Her lips were curled over. But then she froze, looking at the four people standing before her.

“You guys… are riding boars, too?”

“Hurry and get your ass out of here,” Ganju shouted at me. “While I’m alive, I won’t let not one soul reaper inside of the West Rukon—“”Shut up!” I swung my leg up and kick his jaw. He fell backwards. “I’ve honestly had enough of you.” Abaron limped over to me, and at first I thought she was going to help me, only to smack me in the head. But then she doubled over.

“There’s just no w-winning with t-this,” she said, whimpering and crouching down.

“If you want a fight you want, I’ll give you one.”

He got up, holding his face in his hand. “You bastard,” he moaned. “Not only once, but twice have you punched my beautiful face!”

“The second was a kick, dumbass,” I pointed out.

“Stop it, Ichigo!” Yoruichi barked. “You’re wasting your energy on a pointless fight! And look at the damage that the two of you cost on the house! And look what you’re doing to her,” he nodded toward Abaron, who was lying on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs.

“He’s the one who started it!” I said defensively. “If you want it stop, talk to him.”

“Ichigo, you’re such an idiot,” Abaron said, glaring up at me. “Getting heated up over someone as stupid as Ganju…” She groaned. Shōri came out of the house, shaking her head at me. She crouched down beside her sister and put a glowing hand on her head.

“It looks like its destiny which brought us to this point,” Ganju said to me. He pulled out a sword with a flat edge, as if the blade had been cut.

“Stop this, Ganju!” The Old Man came out of the house looking overly-agitated. “He isn’t a bad Soul Reaper!” What did that mean? Was there a reason why this guy was attacking me for no reason?

“Shut up,” Ganju called back to him. “A Soul Reaper is a Soul Reaper. There’s nothing good or bad about it.”

“Ganju, that was a long time ago-” Abaron began, but she was cut short by Ganju, who shouted, “Here I come!” He began running toward me, the knife-sword thing out in front of him.

Abaron’s POV~

My everything hurt. I would’ve loved to have killed Ichigo right now, but seeing as if he died, so would I. If he was careless again—oh, wait never mind. He forgot his zanpakutō. That’s when I saw Chad run out of the house with it. He threw it to Ichigo, who caught it easily in his hands.

“Thanks, Chad!” he called. The ribbon flew off of it and he pointed it at Ganju.

“That’s your zanpakutō?” he asked to clarify. His slashed his sword against Ichigo’s. “Don’t think you can just beat me with its size!” Sparks flew from where the two blades hit. A barrier was suddenly put up between me and Shōri and Ichigo and Ganju. I looked to Orihime, who nodded. I heard a brush of sand, which made my head whip back to the fight. Zangetsu was sinking in through the ground as if it were made of quicksand.

“W-what?” I recognized the technique; it was created by Kūkaku herself.

“The ground is…” “…like quicksand!” I watched as Ichigo was forced to let go of his zanpakutō, but at that moment, Ganju brought up his foot so that it connected with Ichigo’s jaw. He landed on his feet after doing a somersault. I soared from Shōri’s hands and crashed into Orihime’s barrier, shattering it into pieces. I rolled along the ground, landing just a few feet from Ichigo. I repressed the urge to cut off one of his ears.

“What the hell was that?” Ganju rushed at him, extending his blade with his arm. Ichigo pushed it aside, knocking it out of his hands, while he balled up his fist, punching Ganju’s left cheek. He stumbled backwards. I tucked my right hand underneath my arm as I felt a bone shatter in one of my knuckles. Ichigo shook his and groaned.

“If that doesn’t take you down, you’re pretty tough.” Ganju came at him again, but this time, anticipating his move, Ichigo dodged it, only to end up getting kneed in the stomach. I coughed, feeling blood come out of my mouth from me biting my tongue. Punches and kicks were thrown at each other heavily. My whole body was shaking with pain. Ichigo grabbed the front of Ganju’s shirt and tossed him over his head. He jumped up, planning to kick Ganju’s head through the ground. Now my ankle was throbbing even more, as it was the same one that I had used to try and kick Gin’s door down. It was never properly healed.

“What’s wrong?” Ichigo asked him. Ganju got into a stance before rushing at him again. I heard an alarm of a clock go off, along with several gasps. Ganju slid to a stop, looking terrified. Unable to keep his balance, he went face-first into the ground. “Hey…” He jumped up.

“Hey! What time is it?” he called to his friends on the other boars.
“We’re in trouble, Bro!” the one with the blue hair replied. “It’s already nine!”

“N-no! Let’s go, Bonnie!” The stampede began again.

“Ichigo, please, move!” The boar ran up behind him and jumped over his head. Bonnie landed in front of him, thankfully missing kicking his head by just inches. She sent Ganju tumbling backwards, as she had hit him with her snout. I heard him groan, and as the dust cleared, I saw that he plowed a line big enough for someone to plant pumpkins in.

“Hah!” He wiped his mouth. “Good girl, Bonnie. But we don’t have time tonight! Hurry and let me ride you!” I saw something shine in her eye as she trotted forward. Running into him again, Ganju flew up in the air.

“Hold it!” Ichigo called. “You’re running away?!” He landed on Bonnie, facing the wrong way.

“Who’s running away?!” he retorted. “Hey, Dandelion; we’ll settle this for sure tomorrow! So you just wait there until then! Don’t go floating away like a cotton ball! Let’s go, everyone!”

“Huh?! Cut the crap! That’s my—ah!” Ichigo was knocked over by the stampeding of the other boars. They trampled over him. I felt several hoof prints become embedded into my body.

“They’re gone,” Orihime said.

“That was a disaster,” Uryū said, pushing up his glasses. “I’m speechless.” Ichigo’s eye twitched.

“Just who the hell does he think he is?!”
“Ichigo, you bastard, you better get your ass over here!” he turned around, looking bewildered. “Yeah, you; you better apologize for putting my body through that!” I had two broken ribs, a dislocated jaw, a messed up ankle, and a massive headache, not to mention the sudden wardrobe changed cause by Ganju’s groupies. “You better fix this!” He crossed over to me, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said, still fuming. “I got too self-involved. I forgot about the Link thing.” I pursed my lips, trying to hold back the bad words that threatened to spill out.

“Whatever,” I said through clenched teeth. I saw Shōri and the others go back into the house. “Just get me inside.”

“No problem.” I was getting used to being picked up all the time. I clung to his robe as he walked up the steps. The first time, when Shūhei picked me up before I had regained my memories, I was terrified. The second time, when Gin picked me up, I was just irritated that I had let him get to me like that. But now, I wasn’t scared or irritated. Being close to Ichigo somehow seemed natural, as if we were siblings or something. By the way we argued with each other, it would make sense to think that way. I don’t consider him as close in a way as a ‘boyfriend’, not yet. He was too annoying to be in that category. But I kept that thought to myself. For now…

(A/N:  Vote, Add, Comment-- the whole Sha-Bang. I'd love you forever!! <3 )