Chapter Thirty-Four: Back in Time.

70000000000000—I m-mean… 7000+ reads! Yay!

This is the LAST chapter before Abaron leaves for Hueco Mundo. The next chapter will include her departure.

Okay, now, before I start this, I need y’all to do me a ‘lil favour, ‘kay? Starting on APRIL 1ST – TWO DAYS – the BleachWattyAwards_ - that’s their username – are beginning the voting portion of the competition. So, if you like this story, you can vote for it, or the many other lovely stories that don’t belong to me!

If there are any non-English speaking readers out there, let me know and I’ll publish a book in your language! I’m pretty proficient in several, so don’t be afraid to ask!

This chapter may be a little ‘meh’, so just bear with it, yo!

***

I’ll be back, someday. Don’t hold your breath. And don’t get yourself killed, either. Like you s-said… what better way to win than on equal terms, right?

“Right…” Abaron pulled off her mask, almost immediately falling to her knees. Both the physical drain of the training and the mental drain of trying to decipher what those words had meant were enough to do so. Or maybe it was due to the fact that she had been so very determined not to stop training, to the point where her legs and arms were reduced to gelatin.

This relentless behaviour lasted seven days – an “entire week!” - much to the Vizard’s dismay. Even though it was Shinji who had done most of the work, he would typically rely on them for everything otherwise: simple, small jobs, here and there around the warehouse; repairing damaged walls and ceilings from loose Getsuga Tenshō and Ceros, anything he didn’t have time or the motivation to do himself.

He instantly regretted the decision of not having Hiyori use her “Super Trainer” to run her spiritual energy out, but at the time, she hadn’t had much to begin with. The Limiter placed on her soul ensured that. And Shinji knew she only had a short amount of time before having to leave the World of the Living and go to Hueco Mundo to retrieve Bōkyaku. He had no choice but to rush her like he did, as the boundary time she had wasn’t exactly extendable.  

Shinji had been to the grey desert on a multitude of occasions; expeditions to return Hollows that strayed much too far from their territory and into the Soul Society; exploiting samples for research purposes in the Twelfth Division, and he knew all the dangers of being in that place, having lost several underlings during his time as the Captain of the Fifth Division.

To him, Abaron wasn’t an underling. She wasn’t even a subordinate. She was someone he could confide in and trust to keep his secrets. And that was just what she did, keep secrets for him. Their loyalty to each other couldn’t be compared to any other Captain’s or Lieutenant’s, aside from the Head Captain, himself, and Chōjirō Sasakibe. But theirs was a completely different kind.

“Let’s end it for today,” he said, walking over to her. Confused, her eyebrows knitted together.

“Why?” she asked, taking hold of her Captain’s outstretched hand and pulled herself to her feet.

“Because you’re ready.” Knowing she couldn’t tell the difference while in such a disoriented state, he lied. “You’ve got thirty-three seconds on that mask—that’s pretty good.”

“It is?” She blinked. “B-but… I’m fine! I’m not tired! I-I can keep going—“”Abaron.”

Rooted to the spot, she stared weakly into Shinji’s eyes, which seemed to make the faith she had in herself dwindle.

He… thinks I’m ready, she thought slowly, keeping her gaze locked into his. But… I don’t feel ready. Is… could he be… lying to me?

“Cap – Shinji,” she corrected. “Can I ask you something?”

“What?” he said.

“Why are you doing this?” Slightly muddled, he didn’t answer, and waited for her to explain further. “You said… you said that Ichigo and I didn’t belong in the Soul Society, that we were like you and the others…” She shut her eyes and placed a hand on her chin. “’You’re a Soul Reaper. Ichigo Kurosaki is a Soul Reaper. You’re part Hollow. He’s part Hollow. People like that don’t exist within the Soul Society’s laws. People like that, people who have anything to do with breaking or defying those laws doesn’t belong with the Soul Society.’ That’s what you said, wasn’t it?”

“Word for word,” he agreed, nodding. “But why are you bringing it up?” Her already knitted eyebrows scrunched together even tighter.

“Do you… do you hate the Soul Society?” She didn’t need an answer. She didn’t need a gesture. She didn’t even know why she asked him such an obvious question. Yes—he hated the Soul Society. All the Vizards did. “Okay, then.”

Tearing her hand from his grasp, she walked over to where Kensei and Lisa were arguing over her saucy magazines, where Hachigen sat quietly, holding his outer barriers in place, and where Love and Rose were discussing music and the weekly online update of Shonen Jump. Hiyori and Mashiro were nowhere to be seen. And Abaron didn’t care. The Mod Soul, Tolo, was sitting upon a ragged chunk of earth beside Abaron’s animated Gigai, lifting their heads as Abaron approached them.

“Tolo, let’s go,” she said quietly. “We’re going back to Urahara’s.”

“Pardon me?” he said, incredulous. The Gigai blinked. “Your training isn’t complete yet. And what about your Captain? Hasn’t it been decades since you last saw them all?”

“So?” she said, ignoring the tight knot looping itself around her stomach and pancreas. A similar feeling washed over Shinji, who stopped walking when he overheard her reply. “I needed their help. They helped me. I don’t need them anymore.”

“Abaron…” “So you used us?” After entering her Gigai, Abaron turned around to see that the Vizards who had been previously sitting down in immersed in their own business were standing with Shinji, who was still frozen.

“Something like that,” she said, answering Lisa’s question. “I won’t say I didn’t enjoy myself, spending time with you all. It was great to see you again. But… if you despise the Soul Society for what they did all those years ago, I can’t trust you if you have a grudge like that.”

“You’re agreein’ with them?” Kensei said angrily, gritting his teeth together.

“Of course not!” she shouted at him. “It’s because of Aizen that everything’s turned out like this. Until you can get your revenge on him and prove to the Soul Society the truth of what really happened… this is goodbye.”

“You’re an idiot if you think what you’re doing is right,” Shinji said, regaining his wits. “If you think that staying and fighting on their side is the right thing, then there’s something wrong with you.”

Abaron smiled a sad smile; having to take in the fact her Captain insulted her hurt her more than anyone could imagine. She figured that he would be the one to agree with her, to at least back her up on one aspect. But he completely disrespected her. And for that, she no longer considered him her Captain. They had lost each other’s confidant.

“I know.”

***

Abaron Kakaku

What I said was the truth, wasn’t it? They hated the Soul Society because they outcasted them for something that wasn’t their fault. Everything was Aizen’s fault. Everything seemed to just revolve around him: pain, loss, destruction…

I started down the dirt road. Still, even after an entire week, there haven’t been any signs of other humans around here. The cranes were still in the same exact place as they were seven days ago. Of course, I hadn’t been outside since I went in. Ichigo wasn’t to know, and if he searched for my spiritual pressure or somehow telepathically broke through Hachigen’s barrier, I would have a lot of explaining to do. The entire week must be hidden from him.

Just how many secrets do I hold inside my head?

How much space left before I can’t hold anything in?

Why am I such a bad person?

My thoughts were so jumbled I hadn’t even noticed that we had arrived back at Kisuke’s shop. Tolo had to wrench on my hair to snap me out of my funk.

“Thanks,” I said, pulling it from his grasp. Nodding, he jumped down and ran in through the door that had just opened. “Oh… hi, Kisuke.”

“You’ve been gone for a while,” he said, leaning against the frame. “Did you get a little lost?” I glared at him.

“Don’t even pull that crap, Urahara,” I snapped, stuffing my hands into my pockets to keep from punching him in the face. “You did all that on purpose; making up a lie about your delivery services, having the package signed to Love, having me tame my Hollow—for this, I won’t forgive you.”

“Oh, Abaron, you’ve never been one to hold grudges,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yeah?” I challenged. “What about Aizen? Gin, maybe? You, I’ve had one against you the moment I trained for my first Bankai, you perverted jerk.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say,” he quipped whinly.

“The truth hurts.” Feeling only Kisuke’s, Yoruichi’s, Tessai’s, Ururu’s, and Jinta’s spiritual pressure, I frowned. “Where are the others?”

“They’re at Ichigo’s,” he said, whipping his fan out from nowhere. I shut my eyes and focused on trying to find them. I gasped.

“W-wait, is that...?” He nodded. “When did she get here?”

“Just about an hour ago. You should head over—you’ve missed a lot.”

“Whoa! Wait a minute!” Yelping, I jumped out of the way as Renji bolted through the door. “Rukia’s here!?”

“Yep—“”Let’s go!” Before I could protest against it, Renji began dragging me away from the store and down the street.

“R-Renji, wait!” I pulled back, digging my heels into the ground. “I… I need to change!”

***

Yes, I did need to change. Having alternated between my day clothes and a robe during training and washing them at the end of each day, I didn’t exactly want to meet up with the others wearing the same thing the day I left them. And besides that, I wasn’t the cleanest person at that moment. So, I took a quick shower before getting dressed. And I was right when I bought them; these things called overalls do look nice on me.

Tying my hair up, I rejoined Renji, who was now wearing a new outfit by my request. As if I’d let him wear the tacky clothes he’d bought when we got here! He looked like he was born from a rainbow! At least now his colors match, and I’ll admit— his clothes looked e-even better on him.

I cleared my dry throat. “A-are you ready, then?” I asked him while tightening the tie that held my hair up.

“Yeah,” he said, adjusting the collar on his green vest and flattening out his purple tee-shirt. “Why do girls always take so long?”

“Shut up,” I grumbled, pushing him towards the door. Something flapped at his feet, catching my attention. “I’m not used to this kind of thing. I’m sure you’ve been sent on assignments to the World of the Living before now, right? But, I suppose it doesn’t make you any more coordinated.”

“Just what are you implying?” he asked snippily. “Are you saying I’m not coordinat—“ Just as he reached the front of the store, his sock-covered toes wound themselves around his pant leg, sending him crashing to the floor. I sighed.

“That’s what I’m implying.”

***

Pulling the ringing device from my pocket, I pressed the ‘answer’ button and lifted it to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Is this Abaron Kakaku?” I blinked in surprise. I never expected to hear his voice on the phone.

“Is thisByakuya Kuchiki?” I replied, earning an inquisitive look from Renji. I grinned. “Hi! Did you miss me? Oh, that’s right! Thank you very much for the cloak, I really appreciate it!”

“Abaron—“”Oh, by the way, how come you didn’t tell us Rukia was coming here? I thought she was supposed to be recovering in Squad Four and then train to get strong again? Ah, well, I suppose that just goes to show how much we’ve been demoted, huh, Renji?”

“For the last time, I wasn’t demoted!” he shouted. “And give me that!” He snatched the phone from my hands and tuned in.

“Hey! Give that back! I was talki—“”Hello, Captain? Sorry about that, sir. What? She was reassigned? That’s why she’s here? Well, that’s great! Yeah, we’re on our way there! O-okay, sir, goodbye.” Before I could get it back, he had already pressed the ‘end call’ button. I glowered at him.

“Really? Was that necessary?” Shooting me a look, he scrolled through the phone until he found what he was looking for, which was a person in the contact list with the label ‘Rukia Kuchiki’. “Wait, when did that get in there?” Again, he ignored me and pressed the phone against his ear.

“Hello?”

“Rukia!” He laughed out loud. “Is that really you!? I—“”we—”“—just heard from Kisuke and the Captain that you’re here! That’s great! I’m—“”—we’re—“”—coming right over!”

With a groan, Renji leapt over a tall, leafy hedge and into a tree in someone’s yard, where he then jumped down and—

“Renji!” Instead of doing the same, I rushed around the hedge and ran up the pathway that lined the yard and over to the shattered window that he fell into. W-well, more so jumped into. Grabbing onto the sill, I peered in through the window to see him sitting on top of a man with black hair, whose limbs were twitching in pain. Glass and slivers of wood were scattered across the counters and floors of the kitchen.

“Oh, no, dad!” Several pairs of footsteps came bounding down what sounded like a staircase and, through the doorway to the left, Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia appeared, staring on in absolute shock. Completely ignoring the fact that he was crushing the poor man with his limber size, he grinned and turned to them.

“Hey, hey, Rukia!”

Groaning under the strain in my forearms from lifting myself up, I let go of the sill—“Ouch!” I stared down and clutched at my now bleeding hand, mentally cursing at my idiocy. There were shards on this side, too. Rolling up a sleeve of my turtleneck, I stuck my hand over the cut, but that was then I remembered—I couldn’t do that.

Assumedly, the girl – who looked young enough to be Ichigo’s sister – and the man – who was, undoubtedly, his father – knew nothing about Ichigo being a Substitute Soul Reaper, or even what a Soul Reaper was. I couldn’t heal myself with Kidō; that’d be overkill.

Plucking the shards out, I looked up at the window to see a silhouette of a shadow looming my way. A second later, Ichigo appeared in front of it and looked down at me. He sighed.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he mumbled, right eye twitching. “You know t-there’s a door over there, right?”

“Obviously,” I said, glaring at him. “Entering your house by breaking down your window was not in my itinerary.”

“Just get inside; my dad’ll fix your hand.” I blinked.

“Fix my hand?” I repeated lowly. Shrugging, I crossed the yard, cradling my arm until I reached the front door, where a girl, similar looking to the one in the kitchen, aside from the fact that she had her dad’s hair and Ichigo’s indifferent facial expression, was leaning against the frame.

“Your friend’s a little dumb,” she said, crossing her arms and pressing herself against the wall to let me in.

“I… I know.” Sighing, I slid my shoes off and tucked them where the others’ were.

“Hey, let go!” Through the same doorway as before, Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia, who was dragging an aggravated Renji, appeared.

“Meet us upstairs when you’re done, alright?” Ichigo said, nodding to my hand. Nodding back, they disappeared up the steps while the black-haired girl led me into the kitchen and sat me down on a wooden stool.

“Dad, you’ve got to get up!” the light-haired girl said, pulling on his arm to make him stand. Seeing me over by the counter – the one that wasn’t covered in glass – she pulled harder. “Someone’s hurt!”

Almost immediately, the man’s head snapped up. Stepping away, both of the girls watched him jump to his feet and rush out of the room before I got a good chance to compare his looks to Ichigo’s. I stared at the doorway thoughtfully, waiting anxiously for him to return. When he didn’t, the girls sighed.

“And he’s just as bad. I’m Karin,” said the girl with the black-hair. And then she pointed at the other girl. “That’s my sister Yuzu.”

“It’s nice to meet you!” she said, bowing.

“And you guys, too,” I said, smiling. "My name's Abaron." I laughed to myself, as when I blinked, an image of Shōri appeared in my vision. I couldn’t help but tell them. “You guys kinda remind me of my sister.”

“Yeah?” Karin said.

“Yeah, it’s like…” I was having a hard time making up a simile. But then I thought of my namesake – an apple orchard – and when Bōkyaku cut the apples when she was still here. “It’s like you’re two halves of a whole. When she was little, Shōri used to smile until her cheeks hurt.” Of course, that was before the Hollow killed us. “It was a while since I’ve seen her, but she doesn’t smile that much, anymore.”

“How come?” Yuzu asked with a frown. My breath hitched, and I realized I went too far. C’mon, think of something!

“W-well, our parents died when she was six. Actually, her father, my mother – you know. But I just… I couldn’t help but think of her when I saw you two. I’m sorry for prattling.”

“It’s fine, we hear it all the time from our dad,” Karin said, waving me down. Wait… was that an insult? Less than a second later, he burst into the room, and when he did, I nearly fell out of my seat. The stool toppled, making a loud, clattering noise. He stopped mid-stride and looked at me. His tight facial expression slackened and we both began to sputter.

“Y-y-you!”

“Y-y-you!”

The girls looked in between us, eyebrows furrowed.

“What is it?” Yuzu asked worriedly. Hearing her voice, he was able to gather up his remaining scruples to not drop the box, which contained several white, fluffy balls in a bag, a pair of tweezers, and rubber strap, a… a bottle of alcohol - oh, an antiseptic! – several white cloths, a small glass jar, and a roll of thick bandages.

Oh, and by ‘he’, I mean Isshin Shiba.

“… uh, sorry, girls,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on me. “How about I fix her up and you guys just watch some TV or something?”

“Well, we could clean up the mess—“”No, we’ll go watch TV.” Karin dragged her over to the living room, where three couches were layed out adjacent to each other and a large black box sat in front of them. I glanced over at Isshin before pointing to it.

“It’s a Television,” he said. “You can watch things on it.” I nodded. Isshin set the box down on the counter beside me and emptied its contents. Taking a cloth and the bottle of alcohol, he poured a few capfuls onto it over the kitchen sink before walking back over to me. He then took the rubber strap and the tweezers, where he tied it tight around my upper arm and proceeded to pluck out the shards.

When Kisuke told me I was part human, I didn’t think that being in a Gigai during my stay would affect the pain I received, even the pain from Ichigo, and now that I thought about it, my back felt incredibly strained, as though it was slammed up against a wall. Of course, the whole ‘glass-in-my-skin-thing’ wasn’t exactly any better.

And that’s because the pain I felt when I looked into Isshin’s eyes was much worse.

“Why…” I whispered to him. “Why are you here?” Shrugging, he dropped the shards into the jar. “… Does Kūkaku know?” He shook his head. “Does the Head Captain know?” He shrugged again. I gripped the edge of the seat as he pulled a particularly long and especially sharp piece of glass from my palm, making the wound even brighter with my blood.

“Now…” He pulled another one out and I bit down on my cheek, drawing blood there, as well. “Why are you here?”

“Well, um, it’s a bit of a long story,” I murmured. My lips were curled up into a smile, which made my words less convincing. My emotions knew me all too well; I mean… they were my only friend during my solitary imprisonment, but they knew I could probably sum it all up in a single paragraph, and by the look on Isshin’s face, he knew it, too. My story was a depressing one, that’s for sure.

“Spill it, kid,” he said, pulling out the last of the glass. My sigh turned into a shrill cry when he set the alcohol-soaked cloth on one hand and held it in place with my other. Karin and Yuzu whipped around in their seats.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” I punched my thigh in reflex. Isshin removed the rubber strap and set it back in the box before taking off the cloth. Because the stinging sensation still remained – more like was growing more and more painful by the second – he wet the second cloth with warm water from the tap over the sink and rested it on my skin for about a minute.

It was a very quiet minute.

After padding my hands in gauze, he wound the bandage roll around them, leaving my thumbs uncovered. And that meant there was only one last thing to do, the thing that I had been dreading for the past four minutes:

Break down in tears and tell him everything that happened over the past one hundred years because telling Kūkaku wasn’t enough, especially when she kept cracking jokes and interrupting every five minutes.

***

“… a-a-and then, I woke up in the Repentance Cell, but I didn’t know what it was until I asked the guards that were o-outside guarding the entrance, and then another guard came and said that m-my Captain and the others escaped w-with Kisuke and L-Lady Yoruichi and Tessai after they were convicted by Central Forty-Six, and then I fell asleep for a really long time before w-waking up in a-another cell in the Maggot’s Nest in Squad Two and being ta-taken to Squad Four—“

“Maybe you should skip to what been goin’ on in the past two months instead of centuries,” Isshin suggested, leaning against his hand. Taking a deep breath to relax the weak lungs in my Gigai, I continued, this time, less nervous.

“Byakuya and Renji – the guy who broke your window, I’m sorry about him – took Rukia back to the Soul Society, where they were going to use the Sokyoku to execute her, but Ichigo stopped it and defeated Byakuya, only for Aizen to have planned the whole entire thing from the very beginning all those years ago!

“So Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Uryū, Yoruichi, and I went there to go and rescue her. Ichigo fought against Ikkaku and Renji – again – and Kenpachi – Zaraki, not the one before him – and beat them all! But not Aizen, he was insanely strong – he nearly broke us in half! Really! Ichigo was given a badge that could let him change into a Soul Reaper from Jūshirō Ukitake before they left, and… that’s pretty much everything.”

He scratched his nearly invisible facial hair with his other hand and lowered his voice to the tone I had spoken in previously. Even though Karin and Yuzu were fully immersed in their television show, we didn’t want to risk them overhearing our conversation. Ichigo or the others could come down without warning, and even if they didn’t, he could read my thoughts. Isshin had warned me to stay quiet. Ichigo could not know.

“So, let me get this straight… because you didn’t listen to a zanpakutō that had the ability to see visions of the future, you’ve got my son’s soul inside yours?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“And because you tried saving your Captain, Aizen used the Hōgyoku on you, and you’ve got a Hollow inside you, too?

“That’s correct.”

“And you’ve tamed your Hollow?”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re going to go to Hueco Mundo to get your zanpakutō’s spirit back?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve heard it all, then.” Isshin chuckled. “Well, you better get upstairs and do your Soul Reaper stuff with those other p-pretty girls.” I stared at him for several moments, trying to decide whether he was complimenting me or pointing out the fact that he wasn’t where Rukia and Orihime – who are, in fact, absolutely beautiful – were.

“You perverted old man,” I crowed embarrassedly. Rising from my seat, I clumsily made my way out of the kitchen, ignoring Isshin’s shouts of protest against my accusation, and up the stairs, where I was greeted by a series of doors. Walking down the hall, I noticed one on my right with an accessory hanging off a nail with the number ‘15’ on it. I knocked.  

“Come in,” Ichigo called. Twisting the handle, I opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it on my heels. While Chad and Renji were sitting on the ground, leaning up against the bedroom’s walls, Orihime and Rukia were sitting on the edge of the bed and Ichigo was perched cross-legged on a green chair by his desk. Looking up at me, he crossed his arms. “How’s your hand?”

“It’s fine,” I admitted drily, taking a seat on the floor next to his dresser. “It’s just a bit tender right now; it should be better by tomorrow.”

“Alright, then… uh… where was I again? There are these guys called Bounts that’ve been showing up—“ With an interruption like that – it was just a yawn, but still – I was surprised Ichigo hadn’t gone off the handle on Renji. Instead, he cleared his throat and stared down at him. “We don’t know what they’re up to or what powers they have, but there’s no doubt about it; these Bounts are very dangerous!”

“What are you, an idiot?” Renji asked. With his gasp rather raucous, he glared down at him as he went on. “You’re telling us that, in your opinion, these Bounts are “probably dangerous”? After fighting them, that’s all you’ve figured out?”

“Hey!” Ichigo shouted, leaping out of his seat. “I don’t listen to people who don’t know the difference between a window and the front door!”

“Stop changing the subject; this isn’t about me!”

“I’m not changing anything, you blockhead!”

“Oh, yes you are! You’re changing the subject because you know you’re wrong and I’m right!”

“You’ve never been right about anything from the first day I met you! You’re not right now, either!”

“How would you know if I was right? You’d know it all, including about the Bounts, but you don’t!”

“Only because you’re acting like a screw-up!”

“Oh, I’m a screw-up now, am I!?”

Thankful that none of the others decided to hit them – and by others, I mean Rukia – they ended their argument on their own.

“So, uh, you guys come up with anything?” Crossing her arms, Rukia shut her eyes.

“I think we’re gonna wing it, as you would say.”

***

It was as though we were given a day off. No training, no fighting, and most certainly—no Bounts. After what Ichigo told us yesterday night – which wasn’t much at all – their powers would have to be left as “unpredictable” until we came across them again.

Okay, well, Renji and I were given the day off. Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Rukia went to school. It was kind of like our Academy in the Soul Society, except it’s a lot smaller, and the girls have to wear really short skirts. From what I deduced from walking with them, the males who attended Karakura High School were easily attracted by their assets, and for that, I was grateful to have nothing “packing”.

From being perched up in a tree, I stared hungrily at the box of pudding-filled rice balls that Orihime pulled out of her bag. They were shaped perfectly, and some where even dusted with what looked like cinnamon—pure, chalky cinnamon. And that’s when I realized I hadn't eaten for two days. I was too focused on training to even take a bite.

By the look on Rukia’s face, it was easy to guess that Orihime’s concoction tasted even more satisfactory than it sounded and looked, especially when she told her she should have her own restaurant. My stomach was growling.

Abaron, I can hear you. Crossing my arms, I glared down at my strawberry.

Try feeding me, then!

What am I, your babysitter? Feed yourself.

What’s a babysitter?

You’re hopeless.

“I’m so hungry,” I whined, rubbing my stomach. I should’ve done what Orihime suggested last night. With a spare school uniform she had hanging up in her closet, I could’ve appeared to be a normal student. I could’ve been eating food right then. But to risk suspicion, and seeing as Karakura already had Rukia as a transferee, it would be strange for Ichigo’s human friends for me to just suddenly join their group. A cover story could’ve worked, but there was no time to think of an excuse—

“Abaron, we have to go.” Looking over at Tolo, who was sitting calmly on my lap, prior to him standing on my stomach, was now completely alert.

“Is it them?” He nodded. “Ichigo, let’s go.” Jumping to his feet, I leapt down in his place, with Chad, Orihime, and Rukia following right behind us.

“Ichigo?” Mizuiro – whose name I caught just moments earlier – called after him.

“I-I forgot something!” he replied over his shoulder. “I’ll be right back!” Uryū – who I had seen earlier reading a book – was up on his feet, ready to go. “You’d better stay here, Uryū!”

He wasn’t wrong. Uryū wasn’t in a position where he could just come with us when there was trouble. He’d be a liability, as much as I wouldn’t like to admit. He’s a talented Quincy, I’ll give him that, but right now, he was completely useless to us.

“Nice to see you all!” I heard Rukia say. Looking back, she curtsied to them. “Have a great day!”

***

“Which way?” Raising her sleeved arm, Lirin pointed up ahead.

“That way!” she said.

“Which one is it?” I asked breathily.

“Hmm…” Her beady bird eyes narrowed. “It’s the man.”

“Why’s he here now? I thought Bounts were only active after dark?”

“Obviously not always, since this one is definitely here now! Our detection capabilities are very good!” Kurōdo started laughing as he bounced against Orihime’s side. She had placed his pill in a stuffed pink rabbit with a monocle, while Chad put Noba in an anthropomorphic turtle wearing a suit and Ichigo – though by accident – put Lirin inside a blue cape-wearing yellow bird.

Given their choices, I didn’t understand why Tolo kept complaining about his.

We turned the corner and onto a street that carried a diverse group of different establishments: midnight stores where you could buy cheap snacks, loan banks where you can get money but have to pay it back later, and a coffee shop filled with bustling people. Out of one of the midnight stores, a boy with dark hair was thrown out the door, with several pieces of money clattering from his… hands…

I had little time to react to this, as we were just upon him. Jumping over his shaking body, I was able to get a good look at his face. Well, no wonder the money looked familiar. The boy was Hanataro, and the change was the Soul Society’s currency.

“Anyone besides me think he looked kinda familiar?” Ichigo asked. I stared at him in awe, wondering how on earth anything could get past him. For this, he shot me a look, making it the seventh consecutive one today.

“Forget him and focus!” Lirin trilled in his ear.

“Alright, alright!”

***

“Hold it!”

“Let her go!”

The man, as Lirin had said it was, grimaced and let the woman in his arms fall to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

“There’s something I want to ask you,” Ichigo said, staring him down.

“What is it?”

“Don’t try and lie—you’re known as a Bount, aren’t you?” Replacing his distaste for our arrival, the man sneered.

“Why, yes,” he answered.

“Where’s the girl from yesterday?” Peering into his mind, I saw an image of a woman with dark hair, as well as what appeared to be fireballs being tossed at Ichigo and Rukia. Is she a Bount, too?

“No comment.”

“What did you come here for?”

“No comment.”

“So… you’re involved in some scheme you refuse to reveal?”

“I won’t comment on that, either,” he said. “Since we are conducting interviews, do you mind if I ask you a question? The soul of a human being that of a Soul Reaper… which, do you suppose, tastes better?”

So this was a Bount. How Kisuke explained their species was like was absolutely correct—they were like Vampires, Vampires who fed on souls rather than blood. It was quite the switcheroo.

“Zeige Dich, Fried!” I thought it was just a pocket watch. A simple little pocket watch, that’s all. But when he whipped out the chain that connected to his vest, it transformed into a... a…

“A snake?” Extending out several meters longer than expected, I had to leap out of the way to avoid its barbed tail. It snapped at the ground, cracking it indefinitely. Pulling the empty Bōkyaku off my back, I pointed it at him, wincing from the pain in my still-sore hand.

“Your power’s in that whip?” I asked, adjust its position. “It’s a snake?”

“Oh, this is just the beginning,” he assured me, twirling it in precise circles around his body. “Ah, Fried, are you ready to go again so soon?”

“Yes,” it hissed, curling up comfortably around his neck and shoulders. “It was easy.”

“Then go, now, and show them your power, my dear.”

“Yes.”

The ground where Fried had scarred the earth began to glow, and in place of the holes were even more snakes.

“Watch the ground!” someone shouted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of white. I spun around, careful not to leave my back unguarded, and saw… saw…

“Uryū!?” That stupid idiot!

We ran over to him, having no intentions of leaving him vulnerable to Fried. I was almost positive that he wouldn’t stand a chance, not like that.

“Where did this come from?” Ichigo asked, staring at the excessive jumble of snakes in front of us.

“His direct attack on you was just a diversion, that’s all,” Uryū said quickly. “He pretended to be chasing you while he laid this trap! And…” He stared coldly at the Bount and Fried. “…it appears that whatever it touches turns into snakes.”

“Touching or not touching has nothing to do with it,” Fried said. “Anything Ryō turns his thoughts into will become a snake. For example…” A sharp yelp filled my ears from next to me. Turning, I saw that the strap that hung Kurōdo around Orihime had turned into a snake.

“W-what’s this!?” he stammered. “Suddenly there are snakes everywhere and I do not like snakes, I do not like them at all! Get it off me! Get it off me!” Jumping down from his partner’s shoulders and from mine, Noba and Tolo ran over to him and kicked it away.

“Quit your whining, will you?” Lirin chirped irritably. “Let’s go!”

“Be careful!” I warned them, just as a wave of the snakes rolled their way—and mine. I swung Bōkyaku horizontally, knocking them away and returning them to their former state: a rope, a watering hose, and the metal thing that are on the back of those moving, metal boxes. I spun around, checking to make sure the others were alright and uninjured. And that’s when I saw it again, the flash of white.

He fell backwards onto his hands and backside, away from the Bount, Ryō, shaking furiously. Uryū! When he flicked the wrist that Fried’s tail was wrapped around, I ran forward, my zanpakutō out in front of me, and knocked it away, too.

“Don’t you even think about touching him,” I growled. Again, he leered.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

“And why’s that?”

“He is easily the weakest and most defenseless among you. Striking at your opponent’s weakness is a given, is it not?” I heard Uryū’s ragged breathing and clenched my fingers tighter around my hilt. “Besides that, I’m curious as to find out just what a Quincy’s soul tastes like.”

“And I’m afraid I’ll have to kick your ass if you even try it,” I promised, just as Chad and Orihime appeared behind the trucks behind him. Putting his face in his hand, Ryō smiled.

“What’s this?” he said, pulling it back. “Six on one doesn’t seem very fair, now, does it?”

“It’s fair enough,” Ichigo said, walking up ahead of me along with Rukia. Feeling a little more consciously protected and turned to Uryū, positively steaming.

“What were you thinking!?” I hissed frustratedly. “You could’ve gotten yourself hurt!” He simply stared up at me. I was momentarily distracted by staring back at him, only to end up lost in his pain-stricken eyes. I knew that look well. It’s the look where you lack the ability to protect someone, and only those who’ve done so have it. I’ve had that look.

“If that’s the case, then I shouldn’t hold back, should I, Fried?” The snake’s eyes began to glow red.

“Definitely not.” Sending a subtle hiss through the air, another larger snake rose up from the ground, stopping both Ichigo and I from moving ahead.

“No, I’d prefer it if you stayed right where you are,” Ryō said. A second snake curled around the human woman who had fallen unconscious upon our arrival, lifting her into a slumped, standing position. “Six on two is better, although to be perfectly honest, it’s still not quite even.”

“Damn you,” Ichigo cursed. “All this talk about a ‘fair fight’—you acted like there’s only one, but there’s two of you!”

“I think of Fried and I as being one mind and one body,” he reasoned, giving as slight shrug of his hands. “But then again, if we’re being completely fair, I suppose you two would have to count your swords and recalculate the odds yet again.”

“I’ve had enough of your nonsense!”

“Damn you, what do you want with her!?” Rukia asked him angrily. “That girl’s done nothing!”

“There’s no need to worry about the girl; I have no intention in killing her. However, depending on your actions, I could make countless incisions all over her beautiful skin and let the snake’s venom turn her into something unrecognizable! That is a possibility.”

As a Soul Reaper, it’s our duty to protect both the souls of the living and of the already-deceased. But in a case like this where the best option can be the worst option, it could just turn out to be a ‘lose-lose’ situation that I really didn’t want to be a part of.

“I’m the one you’re after.” Especially now, because Uryū was on a roll today. “So then… give up the woman and take me instead.”

“What are you doing!?”

“Uryū, please! Just come back here; we’ll handle this!”

“Uryū, don’t! You can’t!”

“Don’t do this!”

“We don’t have any other choice,” he reminded us. “We can’t just stand by while innocent people get hurt. You know I’m right, don’t you?”

“He’s not only brave, he’s intelligent,” Ryō said as an answer to our silence. He stuck out his hand to him and smiled. “Now, come over here!”

“No, let her go first.”

“I can’t tell you how much it hurts that you would question my integrity.”

“No respect,” Fried hissed in agreement. Before he could even move, I grabbed Uryū’s wrist.

“Uryū, don’t do this,” I said nervously, looking up at him. “There are other ways to do this, I-I mean, I—” “Just let go.”

Tearing his arm from my grasp, he made his way over to the Bount, and in turn, the Bount sent the woman over to us. The snake around her body crumbled into dust, while another slinked up around Uryū, holding him in a very tight position.

“U-Uryū—“”Stay right where you are,” Ryō ordered.

“When he tries to eat Uryū’s soul, he’ll be distracted and we can make our move,” Rukia whispered.

“Alright.”

“Okay.”

I looked to Chad and Orihime, who nodded in consent. They seemed to be thinking of doing the same thing. But when the snake holding Uryū tipped him over and slammed his head against the ground, I had a strong feeling the Bount expected this.

“You bastard!”

“Damn you!”

“Uryū, no!”

“You’ve always been such a realist, Fried, never trusting anyone,” Ryō tutted, willing the snake to pick Uryū up out of the puddle of blood that was beneath him.

“And you’ve always been such an idealist,” it commented snidely.

“Humans are such delightfully whimsical creatures…” With a finger, he swiped the blood streaming from the gash in Uryū’s forehead and licked it.

“Why are you torturing him like this!?” Rukia demanded.

“Isn’t eating his soul enough for you?” Ichigo asked infuriatedly.

“Sometimes, I like to play with my food before I dine,” he answered flatly. “It makes the meal that much more enjoyable.” Fried, who was licking her pointed teeth in anticipation, twisted her body around, green eyes wide in alert. From high on the rooftops, a large ball of fire came crashing toward us. To defend himself, the Bount twirled Fried into a flat wall of scales, deflecting the flames and sending the embers fizzing our way.

I covered my eyes, just as the large metal box beside me caught in flames. Peeking through my fingers, I searched around for the Bount, trying to see if he had gotten away with Uryū. Instead, I found someone else.

A creature at least seven times my size towered over us as it hovered in the air. A woman with dark hair stood beside it, carrying—

“Uryū!”

“It’s that woman again!” Rukia exclaimed.

“What’s the deal with her!?”

“So, Miss Yoshino, you managed to sneak out again?” Out of a funnel of flames, Ryō appeared unharmed, having been protected by Fried. “Don’t think this rebellious behaviour of yours will go unpunished forever!”

“Finish things here, Goethe,” the woman, Yoshino, ordered.

“Finish things,” Goethe repeated. “Understood.”

“Hey, wait—!“ Ichigo’s shout was drowned out when the creature tossed his fire at us again. I heard something move behind me and, when I turned, saw that Ichigo had cut down one that was headed my way.

“T-thanks,” I said exasperatedly. It didn’t help that the air was so dried out.

“No problem,” he said. I saw a glimpse of orange from behind one of the large metal boxes that disappeared not a second later. The three of us ran over to it, coming across Orihime, Chad, Noba, Lirin, Kurōdo, and Tolo, who were all unscathed.

“Are you guys alright?” Rukia asked.

“Yeah,” Orihime replied.

“Thank goodness. At least we saved one person,” she added, staring down at the woman.

“Lirin, where did that woman take Uryū?” Ichigo asked. Running up onto his shoulders, she pointed off to the far left.

“Over that way!” she said. “And they haven’t gotten too far, yet, either!”

“Then let’s go—dammit!” Even though the woman left, the man had stayed to play. “We don’t have time to deal with this!”

“I’m in a very bad mood and I’ve lost patience with you humans,” he said. Even from a faraway distance, I could see his pupils were dilating.

“Please allow me,” Fried said.

“Go ahead—be my guest.”

It was then, where I witnessed Fried and Ryō turn almost every surface that surrounded us into long, grey snakes, that my fear of those creatures had rising to such a high level I thought I was going to faint. They slithered toward us from nearly all angles: from what looked like a loading area, the street, and a place known as a ‘parking lot’. They were everywhere and, all at once, they jolted after us.

I felt something soft brush up against my leg and saw that it was Tolo. Even in his beady eyes, I could tell he didn’t like them, either. Quickly, he climbed up my back and wrapped his stuffed arms around my neck.

“Hold on,” I said, fending and disabling the seven snakes that lunged for me. Having been successful in the first wave, we regrouped, standing back to back. I was done fooling around.

Of course, things never go my way, anyways, even when Lady Luck’s on my side.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Ryō said, and with a single flicked, he scathed the ground and anything else it could touch with Fried. “Kill them all!”

As the bullets whizzed by my face, I was able to breathe properly for the first time in a month.

“Looks like we got here just in time,” Tessai said, leaping over the fence. With him were Jinta, Ururu, and Renji.

“Sorry we’re late, but it couldn’t be helped,” he said.

“Blast ‘em, Ururu!” Jinta cheered.

“You got it!” And again, the bullets shot out from her bandaged shoulder cannon, erasing the snakes from existence.

“Did you get ‘em?” Jinta asked, jumping down from the tree. The four of them ran into the parking lot, just feet from where we stood.

“Looks like he got away,” Renji concluded.

“Yeah, w-well, you got off easy this time!” I looked down at Kurōdo, whose tiny plush body was shivering. “You’d better think twice before you try it—huh? What’s the matter, Noba?”

“You didn’t do anything,” he said after placing his flipper on his shoulder.

“Lirin, do you still sense that woman?” Ichigo asked, looking over his shoulder at her after the Mod Soul finished screaming.

“Not really,” she said. “She’s too far away.”

“What the hell was he thinking?” I said to myself. “And why was that Bount so eager to get his hands on him?” No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t think of an explanation.

“There’s no point of you worrying about that,” Tessai said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“I know that,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t contribute while I’m still here. I’ll do what I can.”

The prospect was bleak almost indefinitely.

For the third time so far, we sat in the dining quarter of Kisuke’s shop, having no ideas or plans or suggestions pass through our minds, down into our throats and out our mouths. We were completely immobilized at this point.

“This sucks!” Pushing himself off the ground, he stared down at Kisuke. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing! Where’s Yoruichi?”

“All I know is that she hasn’t come home yet,” he answered.

“We need her more than ever now,” I said. “Where could she be?”

“What we need is everyone able,” Rukia corrected, standing up.

“I’ll do what I can!” Orihime said. Nodding, both she and Chad did the same.

“You can count me in,” Renji said.

“Just take it easy,” Kisuke said and, all at once, our heads snapped toward him in anger.

“What do you mean?” I said, joining the others. “We have to find Uryū!”

“And where exactly do you plan on finding him? Do you even know where to start looking?” I was at a loss.

“No, but if we all split up, we might have a chance!” Ichigo added.

“I wouldn’t advise it. We still don’t really know what their object is. If we split up, we might be doing exactly what he expects. It’s possible that he’ll go after anyone who’s alone, like the other day.

“The dolls that these Bount manipulate have mysterious powers,” Kisuke went on. “It seems they possess abilities beyond those of a zanpakutō. If you’re not full prepared when you go after them, look out—you’ll be falling right into their hands.”

Having no point to argue against, we sat back down in our seats. For Ichigo, well, uh… I think he did something more than that.

“Y… y-you didn’t…” He… he farted—

“I gotcha! I gotcha! I gotcha!” Kon leapt up on the table, holding two small fans with the Japanese flag dot on it. “Boo-Boo Cushion! Oh-h-h, that was great! You should’ve seen the look on your face when you sat down!”

Although unknown to Kon at first, when Ichigo towered over him, fuming…

“W-whoa, take it e-easy!” he said, backing away to the other edge of the table. “I was just trying to lighten the mood a little bit, that’s all!”

But Ichigo wasn’t having it.

“Get lost!” Standing up, he whipped Kon at the door, but instead flopping against it, he burst right through it and the man doors to the shop. Taking a deep breath, he sat down again, still red in the face from the Boo-Boo Cushion incident.

“I’ve been debating whether or not to tell you this,” Kisuke began, staring up from his cup of tea. “The reason we were initially interested in researching Bounts is because of a special substance we discovered, contained in the residue they created. It was harmless enough in small quantities, but if it became more concentrated, our research led us to believe that under our own conditions, this substance could possibly affect space.”

“What do you mean space?” Ichigo asked. “And what does it do?”

“Can you give us any more details so we know what we’re working with here?” Rukia inquired, pulling out her notebook and a pen, sliding over toward the table.

“This substance causes a reaction in the atmosphere, forming what can only be described as a tunnel containing two separate plains of space.”

“Well, if that true, then that would mean that…” I peered over her arm. Oh, not those things again. She used to draw them in the Academy, too, all the time! I suppose I can’t say she improved, but… at least they have actual ears, now.

“Quit drawing, it’s just confusing me!” Ichigo said, frowning. Sighing in exasperation, she finished drawing the last rabbit.

“Something like this?” she said, holding it up to Kisuke who, when he saw it, tried not to laugh.

“U-uh, yeah, in a way,” he said. “But it’s a bit more complicated than that. You see, it connects this world with Hueco Mundo, which is the world where the Hollows dwell.”

“Hueco Mundo?” I repeated in surprise. “B-but, if that happens, couldn’t the humans from this world be sucked there?”

“Yes,” he said. “But perhaps a more serious problem is that the Soul Society has always used the time it takes for a Hollow to appear in this world to position its Soul Reapers.” He sighed. “If the Hollows have a completely unrestricted passage from there to here…”

“All of the Soul Reapers in the Seireitei couldn’t stop them,” Renji said, finishing Kisuke’s sentence.

“Yeah. With so many unprotected souls, it would be a Hollow feeding frenzy. Of course, what we’re talking about is only a possibility.”

“How much of a possibility?” Chad asked.

“I’d say only this much of a chance,” he answered, holding up his five fingers.

“What? Only five percent?” Ichigo said.

“Guess again, Ichigo.” But before he could, Rukia shoved him out of the way by his hitting face, knocking him a few feet to the right which, in turn, made me do the same.

“You mean fifty percent!?” she exclaimed. Kisuke nodded.

The sound of heavy footsteps filled my ears, and the next thing I knew, Tessai burst back into the room, looking slightly panicky.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve just received word from Uryū.”

***

Sliding the door open, Ichigo stomped inside, us right behind him.

“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded.

“I’m still a little banged up from the incident, so if you kept the noise below a dull roar, I’d appreciate it,” he said, raising a hand in greeting.

“But it looks like you’re alright,” Rukia said, looking pleased.

“I’m so relieved!” Orihime cheered quietly.

“So, tell us what happened,” Ichigo said.

“What do you want to know?”

“How the hell did you even make it back alive?”

“The female Bount who captured me… she basically wanted to talk.”

And so he told us—Yoshino was her name. She explained to him the laws of a Bount, and how they were forbidden from ever consuming a living soul. If they did, they would gain an immense amount of power, so much so – like Kisuke told us back at the shop – that it would affect space. If they did, they could pass into the afterlife, where they didn’t belong. If they did, it would destroy the balance of the worlds: the World of the Living, the Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo.

It was up until this point in time where someone actually suggested in doing so, and his name was Jin Kariya. According to Uryū, Yoshino had also done so once, but failed, and later on justified herself and swore never to do it again. What she truly wants to do is stop Kariya from continuing on with his plans, but at her current strength, she wouldn’t be to come even close enough to his.

For some reason, Kariya has his eyes set on Uryū because he was a Quincy, and that some sort of prophecy would be determined by one.

“After that, I went unconscious. I don’t know what happened next, but when I came to, I was here in this hospital.”

“But why a Quincy, I wonder?” Kisuke said, lifting his hat to scratch his head.

“I never had the chance to ask her that before I passed out.”

“Do you think she was telling the truth?” I asked, sitting down on the stool next to his bed.

“It’s hard for me to know for sure,” he said. “Who knows...?” He stared down into his lap, his eyes zoning in and out of focus. Worried that it might be because of his injury, I shook his arm.

“Uryū?”

“Huh?” He blinked several times before regaining his train of thought. “Oh, sorry. If it were a lie, though, why would she bring me to the hospital? It’s hard to believe it’s some kind of a bad joke.”

“At any rate, I have a feeling that guy’s coming after Uryū, and we’d better be ready when he gets here” Ichigo said, looking back at the others.

“Yeah,” Rukia put her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to worry about a thing, Uryū; we’ll protect you!” The rest of us nodded in promise.

“Thanks a lot, you guys,” he said, grateful.

“Well, if we’re gonna come up with a plan, we’d better get on it,” Kisuke said, heading for the door. “I’ll head back to the shop and see what I can come up with.”

“Yeah,” Ichigo said, trailing after him. “I need to talk to Mr. Hat and Clogs for a minute.”

“You should try and get some rest while you can, okay?” Orihime said, tugging on the curtain that blocked his bed away from the rest of the room. But then she stopped. “Abaron, are you coming?”

“What? O-oh, I guess—“”Wait a minute.” As soon as I stood up, I felt a hand wrap around my wrist. I looked down at Uryū, who seemed to be having trouble sitting up. “I need to talk to you.”

“Alright,” I said. I turned to Orihime and smiled. “I’ll see you guys in a little bit, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed. Dragging it to the end of the bar, she ran after the others, her heels clicking against the marble floor. When he heard the click of the door, Uryū fell backwards into his pillow, making me have to sit down again, and remained as quiet as a mute.

He hadn’t taken his hand away from my arm, either.

I wasn’t sure whether to say anything or not. It had been silent for such a long time I thought he fell asleep, staring up at the ceiling with his eyes open. But when he blinked, I sighed internally.

“Uryū,” I said quietly. “What is it you wanted to talk about?” I waited patiently for his answer.

“I may have taken in that you said you were a Quincy, but that doesn’t mean I believe you,” he finally said. I frowned at him, but he was still fixated on the ceiling.

“How do you expect me to prove something like that?” I asked him. Staying silent, he left me to come up with evidence. “U-um… oh, I know! When Soul Reapers die, they can’t remember anything about their time as a human. But I remember, because of my Quincy bloodline on my mother’s side. Or… the glove you used when you fought Kurotsuchi in the Soul Society, it was a Sanrei Glove! My mother had one of those, too. Then there’s a spirit bow, the whole annihilation of the Quincy during my time as a human, etcetera, etcetera—is that good enough?”

“I… yeah.”

“So then you believe me, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay!” I pushed myself out of the chair and grinned down at him. “That means I can quote you without feeling weird!”

“Quote me?” he repeated.

“Yep!” I clapped a hand over my heart and shut my eyes. “Uryū Ishida, as one of the two remaining Quincy, I, Abaron Kakaku, the other of the two remaining Quincy, swear on my honour that I will protect you with my life! Er, well, for the next day, anways.”