Chapter Twelve: Flower Crane Cannon Launch Method Two!

Abaron's POV

“You’re… a pyrotechnic?” Ichigo said to clarify.

“That’s right. Koganehiko! Shiroganehiko! Raise it!” From above the ground, I could hear the two men shouting, groaning and grunting.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” “What are they--? Whoa!” The entire ground began to shake, sending Shōri into a state of panic.

“The floor is moving!” She shouted, clinging to my arm. It’s been known that when Shōri went to the World of the Living for an assignment, she was involved in an earthquake. That’s what Shūhei told me, anyway.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” The floor above us began to open, so that the cannon could rise all the way to the top.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” I accidentally looked up at the sun, which burned my eyes from standing in the darkness this whole time. When my eyes readjusted, we were already at ground level.

“Are you kids scared?” Kūkaku asked. “This is the special Kūkaku Shiba Super-Sized Fireworks Stage.”
“And that’s the Flower Crane Cannon!” Ganju cried, stepping out in front of Kūkaku. I sighed as she kicked him off of the platform that she was standing on.

“Don’t say it before I do!” she yelled.
“I-I’m sorry,” he said from the floor.

“What, are you speechless or something?”
“What kind of joke is this?” Uryū said. “You may be a fireworks expert, or whatever, but as if you can shoot us over with that!” I didn’t even see it coming, but Kūkaku threw this crystalish ball at Uryū, which hit him square in the face. He fell over, clutching a bleeding nose. Ichigo caught the ball and stared down at it.

“What is this?” he asked Kūkaku.

“The Reishu-kaku,” she answered. “It’s a Spirit Core. Place your hands on it and then focus your spiritual energy.”

“Huh? Like this?” ‘That doesn’t look like you’re focusing, Ichigo.’ ‘Shut up.’ ‘Are you trying to break it? It should be easy.’ ‘Well, guess what? It isn’t.’ He started squeezing the ball with his hands. “How do you focus your spiritual energy?”

“What? What talking about? You do it like this.” She held her hand out so that her palm faced the ground. A ball of blue light that was the same size as the crystalish ball appeared. “If you’re a soul reaper, surely you know how to use your kidō.”

“Actually,” I looked to Yoruichi. “This is the rookie soul reaper that I told you about earlier. He can’t use kidō at all.”

“What?” Ichigo began flipping the ball over in his hand, still trying to focus his spiritual energy. “Hopeless; Ganju, show him.” Ganju jumped up from the ground and leapt to Ichigo to try and steal it away from him. But he held it away so that he couldn’t.

“Hey, give it here!” Ganju said, as they danced around, either trying to take it or to keep it away from the other. “Why you! Wanna fight, kid?”

“Oh, I dare you; take it if you can,” Ichigo said snidely, holding the ball close to his face. “I’d rather die than be shown by you!” If the results were that another fight broke out between them, then I might as well hurt them, myself. I pointed my finger at them.

“Byakurai,” Two crackled streaks of lightning hit them. But I only shot one…? I turned to Kūkaku, who stood over them, looking absolutely done. My body suddenly felt hot, as if I were on fire again. My hair began to smoke, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, my arms over both Ichigo and Ganju. Ugh… it was worth it…

“Cut it out!” she shouted. Catching my eye, she nodded in approval. I smiled, despite the pain I was in.

“Sorry…”
“Sorry…”
“Sorry…” Ganju took the ball and stood up, helping me up at the same time. The same colored light that appeared in Kūkaku’s hands appeared in Ganju’s, and was sent inside the ball. It was like a light bulb. But at the same time, he was making these strange moaning noises, which was really disturbing. The light expanded so that it was a perfect circle which surrounded him.

“What’s that?” Ichigo asked. Kūkaku knocked on it, giving the impression of that it was made out of glass.

“This is the Cannonball,” she explained. “Now listen up. You think that the only thing guarding the Seireitei is that wall, but you’re wrong. That wall is made from an ore known as Sekki-Seki that is rare even in the Soul Society.” From a pocket, she pulled out a small rock and set it on the ground. “This is a piece of it.” Taking her hand, she smashed it on the ground, destroying all but the piece of Sekki-Seki. “As you can see, it completely breaks down spiritual energy. That’s why it’s impossible to put a hole through the barrier with spiritual energy. On top of that, even when cut, it emits a wave that breaks down spiritual energy from all sides, which means that, the Seireitei has a spherical barrier around it from the sky to the underground. And that’s where this comes in!” She rapped on the ball around Ganju.

“Is he… sleeping?” I wondered.
“S-sis, I’m tired,” he moaned.

“Deal with it! This is the Special Hard Spiritual Partition Penetration Device that I invented. In other words, all of you combined put your spiritual energy in this Spirit Core; you can create a temporary cannonball that will break through the barrier. And then…” she glanced over at the cannon. “I’ll shoot the cannonball with the Flower Crane Cannon and it’ll pierce right through the barrier! Any questions?”

“Err, well…”
“All right, you’re dismissed! Go to the underground training room and practice concentration your spiritual energy!” She snapped her fingers.

“Yes! Yes!”
“Yes! Yes!” “Take them!” Koganehiko came up behind us and grabbed Uryū and Orihime, while Shiroganehiko grabbed Ichigo and Shōri. She didn’t really mind, though; that was obvious.

“Let go!”
“What the hell?!”
“Don’t touch me! Let me go!”
 

“Listen, if anyone of you loses concentration, you’ll blow up on the spot.”
“What?”
“You all need practice, so practice hard!”
“You never mentioned that!” Ichigo yelled as Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko carried them back toward the house. She turned away from me and looked to Ganju.

“Hey, good job,” she said. “Go down there and help them practice.”
“Hey, sis… are you really going to help them?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m against it! I mean, helping a soul reaper? What would I say to Brother? Sis, I—“”Ganju! I told you before… so don’t ever speak of it again. If you understand, then go.” I wonder if they realized that I was still here… “Listen… don’t you ever show a weak face in front of them.” Ganju stepped off the platform and ran off toward the house. She turned back to me.

“So… where have you been all this time?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” She took out her pipe and lit it.
“You know what I mean. I’m talking about the day you and your sister ran off to play soul reapers. I never saw your face here again after that, and technically, you’re still under contract.” I smiled. The reason that Kūkaku never hated me was because I was the one person she could relate to. When I worked under her, and this was before I went to the Academy with Shūhei and the others, I guess I could say that she was the closest thing I had as a mom. My real mom, after she remarried, was always gone with Michio, who was my step-dad, on business trips. It was years after I really spent time with her. She started to be neglectful towards me and Shōri, and eventually, she started caring more about Michio than us. The last day I saw her was the day that she and Michio were killed. And the sad thing was that I wasn’t even upset about it. When Shōri and I died, we came to Rukongai. We worked for the Shiba Clan for years until we met Shūhei and his friends. “So, what happened?”

“It’s a long story; are you up for it?” She puffed on her pipe, which meant ‘yes’. I told her of how the Head Captain personally inducted me into Squad 5, by request of my old Captain, Shinji Hirako. A couple weeks after that happened, I told her about how Kisuke Urahara trained me for Bankai. A few months after that happened, I told her of all that went on that night when Sosuke made me part-Hollow, and how later on, I was imprisoned for my sinful acts toward the Soul Society.

“That still doesn’t mean that you couldn’t have picked up a mop and cleaned a little,” she said, grinning. “Look at this place; ever since Isshin left all of those years ago, it’s like the house has been taken over by men.”

“You’re right; Isshin always did act like a woman. Do you know what happened to him?” She nodded.

“He went on an assignment to the World of the Living and never came back. End of story. One more thing… Yoruichi told me about your connection to that Dandelion. Is it true?”

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s my zanpakutō’s fault, though. Enough said. Are you coming inside soon?”

“Yeah, in a little bit; go on, you should practice, too. Oh, and Abaron?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you watch over my little brother for me?”

Renji’s POV~

“This is the first time I had to wear my Lieutenant’s Badge,” I said, adjusting the strap of it on my arm. It’s such a pain.

“Of course it is,” Tetsuzaemon said, glaring down at his. “It’s the first time I’ve been ordered to wear it like this. ‘Lieutenants are to put on their badges and wait in the Aid’s Room #2’. This is getting interesting.” I opened the Aid Room door to see Momo sitting on the floor.

“Renji, Tetsuzaemon,” she addressed us.

“Hey, Momo,” I replied.
“Is no one else here yet?” Tetsuzaemon asked her.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Lieutenants are scattered all over the Soul Society, working overtime.” I turned to see Rangiku standing in the doorway. “It may take half of the day for everyone to get here. I can’t even reach my Captain; what a pain.” She came inside, yawning.

“Who’s your Captain again?” I asked.
“You know; the Hitsugaya kid.”
“Oh, that little prodigy. That’s tough,” I muttered.

“Renji, have you seen Captain Aizen?” Momo asked.

“N-no, I haven’t,” I lied. I wasn’t sure if it would be a good thing to say that he told me something that was as confidential as that. Momo sighed and stared into her lap.

“He’s been acting strange lately,” she said quietly. “Even this morning; he won’t even answer me when I ask him if anything’s wrong. I don’t know what to do.” Then again, maybe she wouldn’t care about why I saw him. She just wanted the satisfaction of knowing that he was alright, after all.

“Don’t worry,” I told her. “Nothing’s the matter. Even this summons will probably be cancelled soon.” Dammit. “In your mind, should she die?” What is it? Just what the hell is going on Captain Aizen?!

Abaron’s POV~

“No! That’s wrong, Ichigo! It’s not ‘nuohh’, it’s ‘nuahh’!” Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were scolding Ichigo for having no technique. Every attempt he made to fill that small ball with light was a mild struggle. “No, no! Nuahh! Nuohh!”

“No!”

“Oh, Ichigo…”

“It’s… nuahh?” asked Uryū.
“It’s nuahh,” Chad said.
“I thought it was nuohh?” I said, getting a headache.
“No, it’s nuahh… no?”

“Nuahh!” He started shouting at the ball. “I don’t understand! Explain it better!”

***

“Go ahead, Orihime.” A perfect circle surrounded her upon contact with the ball. “Oh, you’re doing just fine!” “Now you, Uryū,” The form came easily, but it wasn’t a circle… “It’s quite narrow, but the shape is there.” “Hmm… the shape probably reflects his personality.” I sniggered. “Next, Chad!” Chad held the ball in the hand which had the giant arm-thing on it. “Oh, this is a bit unstable, but very powerful!”

“Shōri, dear; go ahead!” It was almost effortless for her. She was beaming at her accomplishment. “Well done!”

“Abaron, you next,” Feeling confident, I pushed a little bit of energy out into the ball. It started growing, but then disappeared.

“Huh? W-wait, let me try again,” I said, getting a look from Ichigo. I pushed out more, which resulted in a thick barrier surrounding me. “Go ahead, strawberry; try and out-do this.”

“And finally, Ichigo,” Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko stared at him nervously. He looked down at the ball and screamed at it.

“Good job, Ichigo,” I said. I wasn’t complimenting him; I was just trying to boost his confidence so that he didn’t blow the both of us up. Although he got the hang of it, he was unable to get it to form. He was squatting as if he was sitting on the toilet and trying to go Number Two.

“This is terrible!”
“Absolutely terrible!”
“What is—“”—that supposed to be?”
“I can only conclude that you have no talent.”
“No talent at all!”
“No talent at all!” Ichigo, fed up with being scolded by the two, whipped the ball at them, only to hit Shiroganehiko in the head. “Shiroganehiko!!” Koganehiko started attacking Ichigo.

“I said that I d-don’t understand!” he shouted at him. I looked over to Ganju, who was scratching (or picking, though I hope it’s the first one) his nose. “Teach me some useful tips, damn it!”

***

Seeing as Shiroganehiko was out on injury and Koganehiko didn’t want to be anywhere around him, after what he did to his brother, they appointed me to teach him. It’s been hours since we first started. Uryū, Chad, Orihime, and Shōri were standing nearby. They had already perfected it.

“Take a break,” I said firmly. I took the ball from his shaking hands.

“Just give me one l-last chance,” he asked.
“No way; I’m hurting on the inside, too. Now take a break, or I will break you.” He sat down, panting. “See? You’re pushing yourself too far; you need to cool it.”

“Hey guys!” One of Ganju’s friends came into the room, wearing an apron while holding a silver ladle. “You must be hungry.”

“Now that you mention it…”

“You didn’t get to eat back in Rukongai, did you?” Ganju asked.
“I did,” I raised my hand. “The chief made me this really yummy soup after you guys beat me up.”

“Yeah, well, those guys can’t use spiritual energy, so they don’t get hungry. But these guys do. So, go and eat.”

“But…” It was obvious that Orihime didn’t want to leave Ichigo. I could tell that she liked him from the first time that I saw her talk to him. If he didn’t know already, then I don’t think that he ever would. I kept that thought to myself.

“Never mind me,” he said, still panting. “Go and eat. I’ll come, after I figure this out.”

“Are you sure? Okay then.”
“Yeah.”
“Orihime, you’re coming, too, right?”

“Oh, I’m not hungry just yet; so it’s okay!” It was vague but I heard a low grumbling sound coming from her stomach. “Heh, I’m just kidding! I am a bit hungry; how embarrassing…”

“Orihime, go. I’ll be fine.” She looked back at Ichigo, who was still facing in the other direction.

“N-no, I want to practice some more. I’m not really hungry.”

“Orihime, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that he doesn’t hurt himself. Shōri, you go, too.” I wasn’t all too sure of whether or not Orihime trusted me yet. It has only been about three days, which isn’t a whole lot of time to get to know someone. But I didn’t trust her, either. I didn’t trust any of them. It’s not their fault, though. I’m like that for a reason, and a pretty obvious one, too. But they left, nevertheless.

“You ready to start again, Ichigo--?” He was already at it. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, and his eyebrows were creased in concentration. I couldn’t tell if was saying ‘nuohh’ or ‘nuahh’, but that didn’t help for any of us—especially Ichigo. “Alright, focus. Don’t put all of your energy out at once; you’ll just exhaust your body.” His energy flowed awkwardly out of the ball. But unable to take the pressure, he dropped it. It rolled over to me and hit my feet. Picking it up, I glanced at Ganju, who looked mildly uninterested. But then he got up, walked over, and took the ball from my hands.

“Is she that important to you?” he asked us. “This soul reaper you’re going to save?”

“Of course she is.”
“Not really.” He snatched the ball away from Ganju.

“Then did you, like, promise to save her?”

“Yes.”
“No.” I glared at him.

“Then it must be money! She promised to pay you guys if you saved her, right?”

“No!” we both shouted at him.
“And besides, I can’t use money from this world in my world!”

“Then why? Why are you so determined?!”

“I owe her!” Ichigo never told me himself of what happened the night where Rukia gave him her power. I heard it from Kisuke only, and that was it. “She saved my life. And I haven’t repaid her yet. She gave me her power to save me and my family… even though she had only just met me. Because of that, she was arrested… and she’s about to be executed.” He looked back at Ganju, who was startled. “I don’t want to turn into a pathetic guy who would turn his back on her.”

“And what about you?” he said, looking to me. “Why are you determined?”

“She’s my friend. I love her just as much as I love Shōri, and Ichigo, and Yoruichi, and any other person I meet. I’d give my life for them.” Ichigo looked over at me, wearing a surprised expression on his face. I didn’t love him like that; it was just the connection I had with everyone that made me feel that way.

“Huh? Give it to me!” Ganju grabbed the ball back from Ichigo. It seems like he was satisfied with my answer.

“What are you doing?! Give that back!”
“I have to practice, too!” he argued, spinning the ball on his finger as he walked away. “Cover your ears! And don’t you dare listen. That goes for you, too, kid.”

“I’m not a kid, thank you,” I said, sitting down. “And why should we cover our ears?”

“Because I’m going to review the trick I developed myself…”
“Huh?”

“Visualize this: draw a circle in your heart… as dark and as heavy as possible.” The ball lit up. “Then… imagine yourself jumping right into the center of the circle.” Ganju was now surrounded his spiritual energy. “This is the basic image for all kinds of Kidō.” He made his energy disappear. “It’s so easy. It’s so easy, I could cry! I didn’t even have to practice it!” He tossed the ball back to Ichigo and walked out of the room.

“Alright, Ichigo; you can do it.” He looked at the ball with determination glistening in his eyes. He raised the ball to face, staring at it intensely. ‘Draw a circle…’ ‘That’s right.’ ‘In my heart…’ The ball started glowing again. ‘You got it… No, Ichigo, that’s too much!’ The room began to shake as Ichigo began focusing too hard. “Ichigo, stop!” I saw Kūkaku and the others standing in the doorway. Koganehiko’s teeth were clenched.

“I never imagined that it would turn out like this!” I heard Ganju yell. I started to back away from Ichigo as the ball was getting closer. His spiritual energy was burning my skin—not painfully; it actually made me feel better. But if I touched his spiritual energy, then Ichigo would no doubt lose control.

“Abaron, get out of there!” Kūkaku cried. I gasped. Before I could even start to run, his energy burst, sending me flying through the door so that I crashed into Ganju.

“You fool!” she shouted. “Gather your spiritual energy, already!” I laughed, as it started to shrink. He laughed, too.

“I did it!” he cried out.

“Good job, Ichigo!” Orihime called to him. He turned around and grinned at her. I looked at the newly-formed cannonball.

“You idiot,” Kūkaku shouted, noticing the same thing that I did.
“Don’t lose your concentration!” The cannonball had begun to crack, and in the end, it exploded.

“Weren’t you listening to me, fool?” Ichigo was lying sprawled out on the floor, and me, well, I was no different. Ganju rolled me off of him and onto the floor. I groaned as my head started spinning. “I told you that if you lost your concentration, you’ll blow up!” She stepped on his head.

“Y-yes; you did.” 
“I’ll say, you—“”You’re just as guilty, you idiot!” She punched Ganju on the head. “Both of you: no food tonight!”

“Why?!”
“Why put me together with him?!”
“Shut up! Do you have a problem?!”
“Ow! Okay, we understand.”
“Ow! Okay, we understand.”

3rd Person POV~ Captain’s Meeting~

“You’re here,” the Head Captain said, as Squad 3 Captain, Gin Ichimaru walked into the Assembly Hall. All of the eleven other Captains were already there, as previously instructed.

“What’s going on?” Gin asked, stepped further into the room. “I get called so suddenly—and look at this crowd! The Captains who control the Soul Society… are all here for me?” He smiled. “Maybe not.” He walked further inside. “The Captain of Squad 13 isn’t here,” he noticed. “Did something happen to him?”

“He’s absent with an illness,” Kaname informed him.

“Again? I hope he gets better soon.”
“Quit joking around,” a rough voice scolded him. “You know that you weren’t summoned here for that.” It was Kenpachi Zaraki; the Captain of Squad 11. “I understand that you went and played with the Ryokas all by yourself. And I hear that you failed,” he added gravely. “Explain yourself. You should’ve had no trouble dealing with four or five Ryokas.”

“Oh, they didn’t die then?”
“What?”
“Oh, I thought that they were dead. My intuition has gotten dull.” The fact was that Gin couldn’t bear to see Abaron upset. Although she was mad with him about attacking Jidanbō, he was more afraid if she was still mad about him putting her back into custody. “You haven’t c-changed at all,” she had told him. But it was true that he had no choice. He was under strict orders to take her in.

“You can stop right there,” said Mayuri. “There’s no way that Captain level guys like us would fail to tell instantly whether an opponent’s Hakudo has ceased or not.”

“There they go again,” Toshiro said, sighing. “With their stupid arguing like the old fools that they are.”

“Come on! You make it sound like I let them go on purpose!” Well, I did.

“That’s precisely what I’m saying,” Mayuri said.

“Shut up, Kurotsuchi. I’m talking to him now,” Kenpachi and Mayuri stepped out of line and stood in front of each other. “Or do you want to be done in by me?” “What did you say?”

“So stupid,” Soifon commented.
“Tempers sure are rising high today,” Shunsui agreed.

“Enough of this!” They all turned to the Head Captain, who was fed up with their pointless bickering. “I think the reason why you have been summoned has been made clear: acting alone and letting the target escape… well? How do you defend your actions, Captain Ichimaru?”

“I can’t,” he said, shaking his head.
“What?”
“There’s nothing I can say to defend myself,” he corrected. “I made a simple mistake. I won’t make excuses for it. I’ll accept whatever punishment—“”Just a minute, Gin.” He looked to Sosuke Aizen, who addressed him. “First, let me ask you something…”

“Urgent alert! Urgent alert! Intruders in the Seireitei! All Squads get into position. Repeat…!”

Intruders…? It can’t be…

Rukia’s POV~

I heard the alarm sound from up in the Repentance Cell. I couldn’t help but feel responsible for everything that’s going on! The trouble that Ichigo is going through… and the pain that Abaron must be feeling…

Abaron’s POV~

“So, Ichigo has finally completed a Cannonball?” I dragged myself into the room at the sound of Yoruichi’s voice. I was too sore to stand up and walk.

“Of course he did, that’s why I’m writhing in pain, remember?” I looked at my charred arms. This was worse than getting burnt by Kūkaku. “Whenever Ichigo ‘completes’ something, I get hurt.” I looked over at him. “Is he sleeping?”

“He seems to be,” Yoruichi said, strutting over to him. She turned around and sat down. “It’s nothing to worry about. Now, I want you all to sit over there. Ichigo is asleep, so we haven’t got much time. I want to talk to you about what you can expect after we invade the Seireitei.” Ichigo began to stir. Before I could warn Yoruichi, he reached forward and grabbed onto her tail. She hissed in pain and then started to scream.

***

“Fate of three sparrows, fate of four dragons… blocked in from five directions, unable to return six miles. Wind of the Heavens, orangutan, spoons, cane of elm, a thousand sprinkles of ash, a thousand bits…” Ganju and I had to wait for Ichigo to wake up. When were finally able to take his hand away from Yoruichi’s tail, it was already too late. It was bent and out of shape—in fact, it actually looked like a staircase. Kūkaku had given Ganju this scroll thing and told me that it was to steer our Cannonball. I looked over to Ichigo, who was twitching and moaning. I don’t know why he was complaining. He got to fall asleep. I had to stay awake and babysit the fool.

“…of wisdom…” “Silverine!” Ichigo shot up and looked around the room in a confused daze, breathing heavily. He looked at me and began to blink. I waved.

“What the heck was I dreaming about?” he said, rubbing his head.

“How should I know?” Ganju replied. He turned back to his scroll. Honestly, the most logical answer would’ve been to ask me, since I was the one who was listening to his thoughts the entire time. Twice I had to leave because they drove me to the point where I was stuck in a fit of giggles. Ganju had threatened to kick Ichigo just to get me to shut up. Several times, I had to break the connection because I was blushing too hard. His first dream was when he was in the shower, and the floor beneath him broke. The second, well, I don’t think that I wanna talk about it.

Ichigo yawned and stretched his arms out above his head. “I sure slept well… or did I? What am I doing sleeping here?”

“How should I know?” Ganju repeated huffily. Ichigo dropped his arms.

“What are you doing over there, anyway?”
“It’s none of your business! Get lost, will you, Dandelion?!”
“What--?””Oh, you’re up. It’s time for us to leave.” Uryū was standing in the doorway.

“Huh? What do you mean ‘leave’?” We followed Uryū outside, to where Kūkaku, Yoruichi, Orihime, Chad, Shōri, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were waiting.

“Okay, so you’re all here?”

“Huh?” Ichigo pointed at Yoruichi’s tail. “Yoruichi, your tail looks like one of those flexible toothbrushes.” Her ears twitched angrily as she began to glow.

“What?” She turned around, her golden eyes burning with fury. “Do you have a problem with it?” I pulled Ichigo away. I’d be fine if it were just me getting attacked. It hurt more when Ichigo did, so I’d take the blow. He backed away even more.

“N-no; i-it’s a beautiful tail, as always…” “Don’t you remember?” Uryū said in his ear. “You’re the one who did that.”

“Huh? Me?”

“It took all five of us to get you to let go,” I said, nodding. Yoruichi looked to be on the verge of tears.

“My tail… I loved my tail…” She walked away.

“You’d be smart to stay away from that subject,” he advised him.
“G-got it…”

“Hey,” Kūkaku came up beside me. “What happened to Ganju?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “He was reading from that scroll on the way downstairs.” “Hold it!” Ganju, holding a long piece of paper in his hands, had just arrived. “The hero always arrives last.” I couldn’t help but stare at what he was wearing. My eyes were stuck.

“What are you wearing?” Ichigo asked, as he was thinking along the same lines as me.

“It’s my battle costume,” Ganju replied, grinning. “Don’t I look cool?”

“Like an ice cube,” I muttered.
“Did you say something?”
“No, nope; nothing at all.”

“Well, you guys can cry and beg all you want, but I won’t let you have it.”

“Battle costume?” Ichigo repeated. “What’s it for? You’re only seeing us off, right?” Ganju walked up to him. I jumped up; I was afraid that was going to hit him again. But I was wrong.

“A soul reaper killed my big brother.” Ichigo and the others gasped. I wasn’t sure how to react; Kaien was a good friend of mine and the Lieutenant of Rukia’s Squad when she was an officer. He became a soul reaper before me, though, several years before me and Shōri did.

“Ganju, why you…!””Just shut up and listen, Sis.” I was surprised by the balls he had to say that to her. After how she acted in the past couple of days, I would’ve been terrified out of my mind. “My brother… was a genius. He managed to pass the Soul Reaper Academy Entrance Exam in one try. At that time, his spiritual power was at a Level 6. That’s the same level as a lieutenant of the 13 Court Guard Squads. Then, he finished six years’ worth of curriculum in one,” There weren’t many people who could do that. Gin, Shōri, and Toshiro were the few I knew about, including myself. “And he became a member of a Squad. In just five years, he became a lieutenant. But my brother was killed… betrayed by his soul reaper comrades!” I cringed, as I knew full well of whom it was who killed him. But it was way out of context, which was something that Ganju would never be able to understand. “I was still a kid back then, so I don’t remember the details… but there are two things that I’ll never forget. Their faces… two faces! The ogre-like face of the soul reaper who dragged my badly injured and dying brother home, and the face of my brother as he thanked that soul reaper… Why did he do that? Why did he look so happy? Even to this day, I’m still not sure of the answer. But there’s one thing that I am sure of… my brother didn’t blame the soul reapers. He didn’t hate them. Why?! Why didn’t my brother hate them?! Why did he continue to trust them?” He grabbed the neck of Ichigo’s shihakushō. “You aren’t like the other soul reapers,” he said. “And I have a feeling… that if I go with you, I might discover something. That’s what I think, anyway. And that’s why I’m going to go with you. I’ll go as far as I can, to see what a soul reaper is really like!” He pushed Ichigo away.

“Ganju…” I heard Orihime say.
“Y-you’re really something, Big Bro!” His friends were peeking around the corner.
“Ganju,” Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were crying. “You’ve grown up well!”

“It looks like you’ve made up your mind,” Kūkaku said. Ichigo groaned. He grabbed Ganju’s shirt.

“It looks like I work with you…” Ganju grinned.
“Damn you…”

“Everyone, are you ready to go inside the Cannonball?”
“Yes!” Ichigo, who was holding the ball, looked up to Yoruichi, who was sitting on the platform.

“Yoruichi, can you make a Cannonball?”
“I wonder… let me try.”
“Don’t tell me that this is your first time?” I asked. She dropped to the floor.

“Put it down on the ground, there.” Ichigo set it down in front of her. She jumped on, and at practically the same speed as when Shōri did it, a perfect Cannonball formed around her.

“Hmph. Something like this is as simple as breathing in air.” Orihime started clapping.

“It took us so long for us to learn to do it!” she cried. Ichigo dropped on his hands and knees. His reaction to this was all too priceless.

“Are you mad? Are you mad that I could easily do something that gave you so much trouble in accomplishing? Hmm…?” Kūkaku called Ganju over to her.

“Did you master it?” she asked him. I sat down on the edge of the platform and began swinging my legs off of the sides. Yes, that scroll … I read it a long time ago, when I worked for them. At the time, I had absolutely no idea that it was an incantation. But, I knew it, so if something happened to Ganju, I’d take over. But he doesn’t know that.

“I guess I did,” he replied.
“Then we’ll go with Flower Crane Cannon Launch Method Two. Can you handle it?”
“Sure.” A silence grew between them. But then Kūkaku chuckled.

“Don’t you chicken out and run in the middle of it now, damned brat.”
“Sis…”
“If you’re gonna go, you’ve got to put your life on the line!”
“Y-yes!”
“Are you ready?! There’ll be no more delays, you brats!” She took her hand and hit it against the base of the Cannon. A large hole opened up. “Now get it there!” I pushed myself up to my feet and waited inside while the others followed.

“The sun will be rising soon,” I heard Kūkaku say on the outside. “That will be the signal to begin the launching ceremony.”

“Listen,” Yoruichi said, jumping up on the ball. We were all holding a part of it, so that we could each feed our own spirit energy through it to create a Cannonball. “Once we’re in the Seireitei, we have to stick together. If you encounter any Captains, don’t think: just run. Our goal is to save Rukia, and nothing else. Don’t, by any means, take any useless risks!”

“You’ve got nine lives, Yoruichi,” I joked. “I think you could spare a few.”

“I’m going off on my own,” I looked down at Shōri, whose face was straight. “I can lead them away, and clear your path so you can get to Rukia. If anything, she’d still be in Squad 6, but…” she trailed off, looking at our fellow Ryoka’s faces. “Now they know that you’re here, which means that they’d put her somewhere more secure, somewhere central to the Seireitei.”

“Like the Repentance Cell?” She nodded. “It sounds like you’ve had a lot of time in planning this out.”

“I have. I’ve known for a while about this. I’ve snuck into so many Captains and lieutenants meeting than you can count on both hands.” I froze.

“Does that mean you saw—“”Yes, I saw you puking your guts out. And I’d be careful of Shunsui; I hear he’s got a thing for you.” I sighed.

“He’s got a thing for everyone.” I looked up at the sky above to see that it was getting lighter out. It was time. I heard Kūkaku take out her sword and stab it into something.

“In the distance; copper hued greed desires thirty-six degrees of dominance!”

“It has begun!” Yoruichi shouted. “Pour in your spiritual energies!” All at once, we let it out. The light from the Cannonball was brighter than any of ours when we practice on our own.

“Seventy-two pairs of illusions, thirteen pairs of horns; the monkey’s right paw catches a star!” Something outside slammed against the ground. The ground below me felt hot, making me sweat through my socks. “Held in the embrace of twenty-five suns, the cradle of sand will flow with blood! Flower Crane Cannon Launch Method Two! Kagizaki…!” Kūkaku’s voice faded away as we shot up into the sky, making everything below us look like ants.

I had to hold my breath to stop from screaming. I’ve never been this high in the air before. It was absolutely terrifying. Holding my breath may not have been the best option; I was losing air, and fast. I felt light-headed. But I didn’t want to be screaming the whole time we were in here. The power of the Cannonball wavered slightly.

“Focus, Abaron!” Yoruichi shouted.
“I’m sorry!”

“Just don’t look down,” Ichigo said, giving me a reassuring look. “It helps. To tell you the truth, this really isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be.”

“Idiot,” said Ganju, smirking. “This is only the beginning.”

“Huh?” From a straight, upward fashion, the Cannonball jerked, only for it to turn and then zoom toward the Seireitei. I was screaming again, this time, uncontrollably. Thankfully, though, I wasn’t the only one. Ganju pulled the long piece of paper and stretched it out. I pulled the one end further with my free hand so that it was flat.  “What’s that?”

“It’s the next part! The Flower Crane Cannon Launch Method Two involves two steps: the First Spell controls everything from the launch to the directional settings, and the Second Spell controls the acceleration and axis adjustment. After that, you gradually improve the accuracy!”

“Oh…”
“Don’t get in the way if you want to get there safely,” he added. He looked around at us. “There’s something I want to tell you all. In order to enter the Seireitei, we have to stabilize this Cannonball. We must keep the spiritual energy output by each person at a constant level. To do that, if you keep your hand on this thing, you’ll be able to see how much energy the others are releasing. I want you to adjust your energy release accordingly, so, Abaron, calm down.” I nodded. “One mistake and it’ll be the end. I’m counting on you.” Ohh, great, more pressure.

“Alright.”

“Flower Crane Cannon Launch Method Two! Second Spell! Fate of three sparrows, fate of four dragons; blocked in from five directions, unable to return six miles. Wind of the heavens, Orangutan, spoons, cane of elm—“”Ichigo, you’re releasing too much!”

“I am? I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath.
“Ichigo, lower it some more!”
“What? I’ve lowered it a lot already!”
“Ichigo—“”Alright, alright!” It started to burn my hand.
“Ichigo, lower it just a bit more!” I cringed as the sensation travelled up my arm. “It hurts!”
“I know, I know, I know!”

“A thousand sprinkles of ash, a thousand bits of wisdom, the measure of white clouds—“”Ichigo!”

“I said I know!” “Approaching the great darkness—“”I’m doing it, just hold on—“”Not stepping on scarlet shadows, a thousand sprinkles of ashes, as thousand bits of wisdom--?!” Ganju turned to Ichigo, looking just as furious as I did. “You idiot, you made me read the same line twice!”

“So, what? Is that supposed to be my fault, too?”
“You’re making so much noise flapping that mouth of yours that I lost my concentration, you moron!” They were butting heads again. I could feel my migraine getting stronger.

“Will you two cut it out?” I snapped. “This isn’t the time!” “Seriously, stop it!”
“Stop it, both of you!”

“Look.” Chad was staring out of the Cannonball.

“It’s the Seireitei,” said Ganju. I heard the alarm, which was just a wooden mallet against a wooden board. But it made a pretty loud noise. Several must’ve been going at once for it to be this loud.

“Urgent alert! Urgent alert! Intruders in the Seireitei! All Squads; into positions! Repeat!”

“Well, this is going to be fun,” I said sarcastically. It continued to sound. As we came closer, the protective barrier that surrounded the Seireitei came into view. I wasn’t sure if the others could see it, but I knew that Shōri and Ichigo could. It hit, causing golden sparks to fly.

“We’re going to crash!” Uryū shouted.

“We have no choice! Everyone, pour in all of the spiritual energy you’ve got!” I closed my eyes and began to imagine all of my energy being emptied in the ball, but no matter how much came out, there was still too much left over. Our contact with the barrier sent it rippling, like a rock being thrown into a pond. The intensity of it grew exponentially. The golden sparks were like lightning; it sent the hair on my body into an endless frenzy. Down below, I could see large groups of soul reapers congregating in the streets.

‘Come on, Ichigo; just a little more! You haven't released it all yet, come on!’ He shut his eyes. I could feel the pressure of energy breaking him down.

“Come on!” he shouted. That last little spurt of energy from him was enough to shatter a hole in the barrier. We were through! But then, our Cannonball split apart, and in a whirlwind of spiritual pressure, we were floating through the air, unsure of when we were to fall. But no doubt, it was imminent.

“W-what’s going on?” Ichigo asked. “We got through the shield, but why aren’t we falling?” “Don’t get separated,” Yoruichi shouted over the wind. “The Cannonball dissolved when it hit the shield. This is only temporary!”

“That means…”
“It will eventually create a whirlpool and then explode and vanish.” I gulped. I didn’t like the sound of that. By the looks of it, no one else did, either. “If we are separated at that time, we will be blown apart by the shock!” The energy that kept us aloft began to glow and transform. It was beginning. I couldn’t get control of where I was going!

“Damn! I’m not gonna get blown away!” I flipped to see Ganju, who was the furthest away, trying to swim through the air. He grabbed onto Ichigo, only to drag them both down.

“Don’t come near me!” he shouted, pushing Ganju away from him.
“Go away, if you don’t like it!” “Will you two cut it out?!”

“Grab on to whoever is nearest to you! Don’t let go no matter what!” Who was closest to me? I looked around. Ganju was holding onto Ichigo as if his life depended on it; Orihime was being held onto by Chad; Yoruichi came down and landed on Ichigo’s shoulder.

“Uryū!” As he began to drift away from the current, he broke through. I propelled myself toward him, but before I could reach him, Chad had gone up and grabbed onto him. Sacrificing his position, he flung Uryū back inside of the current and into Orihime’s arms. “Chad!” In a flaming ball, he shot down toward the Seireitei.

“Don’t worry!” Yoruichi called. “He’ll be fine! But if you want to be able to find him down there, you have to worry about your own safety!”

“Damn it!” Wait, where is Shōri?

“Shōri, where are you?!” She wasn’t here with us. Was it possible that she pulled herself out of the current? “Damn that little brat!” I looked up above me. Ichigo, who was holding onto Ganju with Yoruichi on his shoulder, was reaching out to Orihime and Uryū, who at the same time, were reaching out to me. But at the last second, when our hands were almost touching, we were blasted apart from each other and sent out of the current. Yoruichi was blown away from Ichigo’s shoulder, as he and Ganju shot off to the left. I was heading straight down to the ground when something soft landed on my bare shoulder.

“Yoruichi!”
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine! Hold on to me! I’m going to use kidō to break our fall!” She nodded. As we neared the ground, I stuck my hand out in front of me. “Bakudo 37, Tsuriboshi!” The light that shot out my hands flew down ahead of me. It attached itself to six nearby buildings, using it as an anchor as it formed into a blue, sticky-looking net. Putting Yoruichi on top of me so that she wouldn’t get squished, I landed on the net on my back, bouncing a few times before I was able to stop.

“Well done,” Yoruichi said. She jumped off of me and onto the net. But then she stopped moving.

‘What is it?” I asked, staring down at her. She lifted her paws, only for them to be brought back down.
“This is a very sticky situation,” she said with a sigh. “Would you mind getting me out of this jam?” I sighed and knelt down beside her.

“That was a good one, I’ll admit it. Hey, Yoruichi, how come you never told Ichigo and the others about how you aren’t really a cat?”

“I was waiting for the right opportunity,” she replied. I put her on my shoulder, jumped off of the kidō net and landed lightly on the ground. “Now, where should we start?”

“I think we should go to the Repentance Cell,” I said. “I just have the feeling that she’s up there. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re the furthest away. It could be a while before we get there. Do you think the others will be alright?”

 “I’m sure that they’re just fine.”

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