Chapter Text
…
It’s turning…
The world spins.
The wheel turns.
These are facts of nature.
If fate is a milestone, then we are the grist…
There is nothing we can do…
…
…
…
Nothing at all…
Hueco Mundo
The crescent white moon of Hueco Mundo shines, giving light to the eternal night sky and desert below. Lying on the sands is the limp form of Ichigo, whose white jacket is no longer present, having been burned away due to his intense battle with the phoenix. Further, the black Gi, usually hidden by the jacket, is burned and tattered like the rest of his clothing, revealing the ‘0’ tattoo over his left breast. Despite this fact, the black armor around his forearms seems to have returned. Additionally, his horned mask fragment covering the right side of his face is no longer cracked, making it clear that his body was able to at least somewhat heal after the battle, though likely not on its own.
Indeed, the nearby form of Sosuke Aizen, donning a fresh new white uniform, perks up as the young Hollow twitches, “It would seem the Hōgyoku was able to heal his wounds, as well…”
After another moment, Ichigo widens his heterochromatic eyes and sits up with a jolt, roaring, “ARTURO!!!”
His desperate battle cry echoes across the desert before fading, leaving his panting, hysterical form to glare in the distance, still processing where he is.
He looks up, making eye contact with the Shinigami standing over him, making him widen his eyes, “A-Aizen…? What happened…?”
The brown-haired man purses his lips before asserting with a solemn tone, “The battle is lost, Ichigo Kurosaki. Arturo Plateado controls Las Noches, which means everyone still inside the palace is at his mercy. We barely escaped with our lives…”
Ichigo processes the man’s words for a few moments, his face relaying an immense sense of bafflement as he slowly looks to the ground.
This goes on for another moment before his eye twitches, and he immediately shoots to his feet, radiating bloodlust, “Then we’ve gotta go back! I won’t let that bastard lay another finger on my friends!!”
The boy promptly begins to stomp off, beginning to head toward the colossal palace in the distance.
However, Aizen appears in front of him with a flash in the next second, asserting, “Calm down, Kurosaki. You’ll only be marching to your death if you return now.”
The teen grits his teeth, hissing, “I DON’T CARE!! I WON’T—?!"
He suddenly stops himself and widens his eyes at the sight of the former captain beginning to draw his sword, warning, “I won’t allow you to throw your life away. If you won’t listen to reason, then I’ll stop you by force.”
Ichigo stares in bafflement for a moment before his bloodlust returns in even greater magnitude, prompting him to draw his black blade with a chain hanging from the handle, “I warned you what’d happen if you drew your sword on me, Aizen…”
Aizen doesn’t falter under the dragon’s superior Reiatsu, his gaze and tone equally harsh and stern, “I’ve told you already: we barely even escaped with our lives. We’d be as lambs to the slaughter, especially if he uses his Resurrección.”
The pale beast snaps, losing his patience, “So that makes it right to abandon the others?! To leave them alone with that monster?! NO!! WE NEED TO TAKE ARTURO DOWN NOW!!!”
The Shinigami narrows his eyes and scowls, clearly also hating their current situation, “I don’t deny that Arturo Plateado has made himself our enemy. We’ll need to eliminate him eventually… But none of us has the power to do that, right now. Besides…”
His gaze shifts to something lying in the sands behind the teen, “…you should be more worried about her.”
Ichigo widens his eyes as he turns around, just now noticing Orihime's unconscious, bloodied form lying next to a nearby dune. The sleeves of her Gi are torn off, revealing the blue scales on her arms and clawed fingernails. Further, horns protrude from her head, and a draconic tail sprouts from her back.
This, of course, leaves the other orange-haired teen to gawk, “ORIHIME?! W-What happened to her?!”
Aizen sheathes his sword before placing himself to the boy’s left, revealing, “This is the depth of Orihime Inoue’s devotion to you.”
Ichigo's breath hitches and his body seizes, his expression now mortified as he slowly questions, "W-What...? What are you talking about?”
The Shinigami's expression is one of pity, albeit likely disingenuous, as he starts to explain, “How do you think she saved your life?”
The Hollow's face is troubled as he looks at the man, “She healed me with her powers, just like she did with everyone else in the Soul Society…”
The brown-haired man nods, “That much is true... However, her normal powers weren't cutting it, and you became unstable from Yamamoto’s final attack. She pushed herself to the brink in desperation, and yet it was still not enough. Given her sheer willpower and desire to save you, she had a choice to make...”
He then pulls something out of his Gi, making the boy widen his eyes in shock upon seeing the Hōgyoku.
Before Aizen can do anything, Ichigo immediately closes the distance between them, violently grabbing the Shinigami by the collar and shouting hysterically, “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!”
The former captain frowns slightly at being manhandled by the young Arrancar, who hisses, “If you hurt her, I'll—!"
The older man narrows his eyes and coldly cuts him off, “I'm not the one who tried to kill her.”
Ichigo widens his eyes as his hold on the ex-captain loosens, “H-How do you...?”
Aizen gently pushes the teen's hand off his person before once again making eye contact, “I have already told you... I have known about you since the day you were born. Do not think that only your friends have been keeping an eye on you since we returned to Las Noches.”
The pale, horned Hollow grits his teeth before backing away slightly, a dejected look in his eyes, clearly not wanting to talk about that subject any further.
Picking up on this, the Shinigami sighs before guiding the conversation back on topic, “I offered Inoue the choice to use the Hōgyoku, and she didn't hesitate. Honestly, that is a level of devotion I have not seen from anyone in quite some time. Her loyalty surely goes beyond anything normal... madness, almost...”
Ichigo's gaze is downcast, his hand in a fist, recalling the girl’s recent admission, ‘I’m madly in love...’
The orange-haired Arrancar bites his lip in frustration, his tone laced with dejection, “Tell me all of it… What happened to her, I mean…”
Aizen's face is callously passive in comparison as he explains, “The Hōgyoku tore her body apart before quite literally putting it back together. After that, she briefly appeared as something that I can only describe as divine. She easily wiped Yamamoto's flames from existence.”
The Cero Espada widens his eyes slightly before he looks up again with concern, “S-So then... she's not...?”
The brown-haired Shinigami shakes his head, “No... She is certainly not human anymore. I still don't fully understand what even happened. I've never seen anything like it before…”
Ichigo scowls, his face one of anguish as he looks down, now with yet another reason to hate himself, “DAMN IT! If I weren't so damn weak, she wouldn't have needed the Hōgyoku! Now she almost certainly has been robbed of a normal life BECAUSE OF ME!”
The boy trembles, his thoughts even harsher on himself, “Can't she realize that her life is more important than her fleeting feelings for me? I don't deserve them... She's just going to get hurt more on my account, no matter what I do! ...Damn it!”
Aizen looks on in something akin to pity as the Arrancar drops his sword and falls to his knees, filled with immense guilt and despair so great that the light begins to fade from his eyes. It’s a pitiable sight, one that shows that the teen feels so utterly helpless that his will to go on is once again beginning to slip.
As the teen continues to despair over Orihime, both he and the Shinigami suddenly perk up as a golden thread flickers in the air, followed by the familiar voice of Roka, “F-Forgive me, Ichigo…”
The orange-haired teen widens his eyes at her voice, which sounds far hollower and more saddened than usual, “R-Roka?!”
After a moment, both Aizen and Ichigo are mentally relayed a vision of the smirking form of Arturo, now wearing a brand new white uniform, harshly holding a beaten and battered Tatsuki, who seems to be fading in and out of consciousness. As if this were not enough, however, the firebird holds a blazing sword dangerously close to the girl’s face, threatening to kill her at any moment.
Ichigo’s eyes shine with wrath as he roars in bloodlust, “ARTURO!! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!”
Through the mental link, the primordial chuckles heartily, “THAT’S THE SPIRIT!!! …But, unfortunately, you’re too weak to give me a worthwhile rematch right now. You see, I’ve decided that I want to be generous with you by giving you another shot at me after you’ve grown stronger! Or, you could simply accept my offer right now, and I’ll see to it that the girl is properly tended to—"
The dragon hisses, cutting the phoenix off, “You can shove your offer up your ass, you deranged FUCK! Release her now!”
Arturo scowls and tsks, his golden eyes even now showing a sense of disappointment, “Not very good at negotiating, are you…?”
The primordial is quiet for a moment before dismissing his fire sword and handing the girl off to the much taller form of Nnoitora, who just now appears in the vision.
Ichigo and Aizen’s eyes twitch in annoyance as the heterochromatic Arrancar growls, “Nnoitora… I take it this means you’re serving under him, now?!”
This makes the Septima grin from ear to ear, “Of course, I am! He’s the strongest! All of the Espada are powerless against his will! Which means Master Arturo is the new ‘God King’! A FAR better fit than a bleeding heart like you, if you ask me!”
Ichigo hisses as he looks to the ground in frustration, hissing, “Just wait ‘til I get my hands on you, you bastard…!”
Arturo chuckles in amusement as Nnoitora and Tatsuki leave the vision, “I do like this new sense of hostility from you, White! Even if we are enemies.”
The dragon looks up and sends a quiet death glare at the phoenix.
Unfazed, the primordial continues to chuckle, evidently in a good mood, “Seek out my sister and have her make you strong! Before our rematch, I’ll give you two weeks to hone your skills, based on the time in the World of the Living! If you refuse to face me by the end of those two weeks, I’ll start executing everyone in Las Noches, starting with the human girl!”
Ichigo once again growls in contempt, “You’re sick…”
The ancient Hollow maintains his smirk, grunting, “Call me whatever you like; it won’t help. I’m only doing what I must to cleanse Hueco Mundo of its weakness…”
The former King and ex-captain both quietly glare at the Hollow, prompting him to hum and further reveal, “Not that my words will mean much to either of you, but I promise that no one in Las Noches will be executed by me… No, I’ll be patient. Still, you should know that being patient is extremely difficult for me, Ichigo Shiba. That means I’ll need to find things to keep myself occupied in the meantime… and there are a great many things I can do to torment your allies without needing to kill them…”
Ichigo and Aizen flinch as Arturo wears a feral grin, ordering, “Break her arm.”
The Shinigami and Cero Espada widen their eyes as the vision shifts to Nnoitora and Tatsuki. The mantis smirks gleefully before doing as ordered, causing the sound of fleshy crunching and snapping to ring out. Soon after, the karate girl’s eyes open wide and fill with tears as she howls in immense pain, the white cloth of her Gi quickly staining red with the blood of her broken, disfigured arm.
The sight causes the orange-haired dragon to grit his teeth so harshly that his gums start to bleed, “DAMN YOU!! I’LL SLAUGHTER—!"
Before he can finish, he widens his eyes as Tatsuki screams through the transmission, “F-FORGET ABOUT ME, ICHIGO!! LEAVE HUECO MUNDO WITH ORIHIME AND DON’T LOOK BACK!! THERE’S NOTHING—!"
Arturo suddenly slams a kick against the girl’s head, knocking her out so fast that even Nnoitora flinches.
The firebird releases a sigh as he then calmly regards the former Hollow King, “Remember, Shiba… Two weeks.”
Having said what he wanted, the mental transmission promptly ends, the golden threads quickly disintegrating into crimson flames. This leaves the hot-headed teen breathing heavily and trembling in rage as his advisor remains calm, despite the frown on his face.
After a moment, Ichigo looks at the man with a renewed sense of resolve, “This potential of mine that you seem so adamant about… I need it NOW! I need to achieve Segunda Etapa.”
Aizen nods with a satisfied look, “From the sound of it, Morgana Plateado might be able to help us with that.”
The teen exhales, reining in the remainder of his anger as he glances at Orihime, “We’ll need to help her, first… Do you know if there’s anything we can do to turn her back to normal?”
The Shinigami looks down at the gem in his left hand before looking back at the Arrancar, “If by ‘normal’, you mean make her look human again, then yes. The Hōgyoku should be able to help with that.”
The orange-haired Hollow frowns, starting to get angry again, “Then why didn’t you use it to change her back already?”
Aizen looks at the dragon girl before beginning to approach her, “I already tried. It would seem her condition is too far along for me alone to force the Hōgyoku to change her back… I’ll need your help.”
Ichigo nods, his gaze resolute as he also approaches his unconscious friend, “Tell me what I need to do.”
Meanwhile, Throne Room, Las Noches
“Patch her up just enough that she won’t die, then can throw her in the dungeon to rot.”, Arturo orders as he sits on the elevated throne, now with a bored expression on his face.
Further, both the blade form of Ikomikidomoe and Fenix lay against either side of the throne, as if a warning, or perhaps more accurately, a challenge to anyone who would dare defy him. This obviously does not include the far weaker forms of Nnoitora and Roka, who briefly bow before the lanky man starts dragging the karate girl off to the infirmary. Of course, the sight causes even more of the light to leave the spider girl’s already dejected eyes as she follows, fully accepting the grim situation that now befalls Las Noches.
After the pair of Arrancars leave the room, the firebird glances down at another, pink-haired Arrancar standing on the tiled floor below, “Thanks to that spider, I’ve already learned a great deal about you in the short time I’ve been here, alchemist. I’m impressed.”
Szayel bows in a show of humility, “I’m undeserving of such praise, Your Majesty.”
Arturo shifts to a grin as he rests his head against his palm, “Oh, don’t be so humble. White and Barragan were fools to not make better use of your talents… Which reminds me, I already have a few jobs lined up for you…”
The pink-haired, bespectacled Arrancar perks up in interest as he listens to the new King’s demands, a smirk of his own gradually forming on his face.
Late Evening, Restaurant, Karakura Plaza
The sun starts to set on Karakura Town as Karin’s group sits on the patio just outside of one of the plaza’s various restaurants. They all sit at different circular tables, either currently in the middle of eating their dinner or reviewing the menus to order it. To be more specific, Karin herself sits with Nozomi and Riruka, while the girl’s father, Isshin, is at a nearby table with Toshiro and Momo. Further away are Senna, Shino, and Ryunosuke, all currently chowing down in earnest, which leaves Nemu and Uryu to sit by themselves near the edge of the patio, though still within earshot of the others.
Of course, given that Don Kanonji is set to perform later in the evening, the remainder of the tables are fully booked, as well, bringing above-average business to the restaurant and plaza as a whole. Indeed, the street next to the patio is bustling with a massive crowd of countless people, eager to see the spiritualist perform in their town for the first time in over a year.
The bespectacled Quincy looks away from his menu at the crowd, sweat dropping, “Kanonji really blew up after the show a year ago, huh…? Apparently, he’s a world-renowned star and even owns property overseas, mostly thanks to that ‘girl in white’ story. Good for him, I guess…”
Meanwhile, a brown-haired teenage girl wearing a ponytail and an apron approaches the dark-haired boy and the Squad 12 vice-captain, regarding them with a friendly smile, “Hello! Are you two ready to order?”
Uryu glances at the waitress before flinching in recognition, “U-Um… You’re the student council president, right…?”
The waitress, Mizuho Asano, blinks in slight confusion, “Yeah, but right now I’m working, so I’d prefer it if…”
She trails off and looks at the boy for another moment before widening her eyes, “Hold on, you’re one of my little brother’s classmates! Dr. Ishida’s son!”
The Quincy nods, begrudgingly confirming with a frown, “Yes, I’m Ryuken’s—"
He flinches again, however, upon noticing the death glare coming from Mizuho, who gets up close and hisses, “Do YOU know where my IDIOT brother went?! I haven’t seen him in WEEKS!!”
Uryu gulps instinctively before adjusting his glasses and looking away nervously, “U-Um... Well, I don't keep track of what Asano does... You'd have better luck asking Kojima or Sado. I heard they'll be around here tonight...”
The brown-haired girl frowns and narrows her eyes, looking unconvinced.
After a moment, however, she sighs, letting it go, “Thanks. I'll make sure to talk to them...”
Her gaze becomes curious as it then shifts to Nemu, her tone characteristically blunt, “Who are you, then? I think I would've remembered seeing a bombshell like you at school.”
The Shinigami woman shifts her neutral expression away from her menu and onto the waitress, starting, “I'm Nemu Kurotsuchi. I'm on a mission from the Soul—"
“SHE’S FROM OUT OF TOWN!”, Uryu hastily cuts her off, earning curious looks from both girls and some of the bystanders at the other tables.
The boy notices that he might’ve been too aggressive in his intervention, so blushes slightly in embarrassment as he looks away with a scowl, “Ahem… It’s not any of your business, anyway, Senpai…”
Mizuho raises a brief, skeptical brow before once again sighing and bowing in apology, “You're right, Ishida. You’re the customer. You have my deepest apologies if I made you or your girlfriend uncomfortable.”
This comment leaves Uryu flustered as he snaps, “SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!”
Meanwhile, across the patio, Karin, Riruka, and Nozomi are in the middle of making small talk as they eat their dinner.
The scarred girl curiously glances across the table at the older, twin-tailed teen, “So, Riruka… I still don’t know much about you or Xcution in general. You guys seem a lot closer than the Shinigami in the Gotei 13 are with each other… More like you’re friends than brothers and sisters in arms.”
The pink-haired girl perks up while taking a bite of her food before swallowing and answering with a grin, “That’s right. We all have deep feelings of pride and camaraderie with the fellow members of Xcution. That’s because we all had to overcome the adversity that came with being ostracized by normal people.”
This comment prompts the younger, black-haired girl to raise a brow, “Huh? But you guys seem pretty normal to me…”
Riruka blinks before scoffing and rolling her eyes, “Of course you’d think that! Your family is full of spiritual monsters! To the powerless here in the World of the Living, people like us are freaks… But Fullbringers and Quincies are rejected by the Soul Society, too. We have no place to call home…”
The twin-tailed teen’s tone becomes distant at the last part, causing the scarred undercover Shinigami to slowly widen her eyes in realization. It is clear by her expression that she is starting to realize just how bad the Fullbringers have it. All the while, the third, green-haired girl quietly eats her food, though her gaze shines with a sense of both pity and intimate understanding on account of her existence as a Mod Soul.
The cute-loving Fullbringer looks down at her food, maintaining her distant expression, “No one in Xcution is normal… That’s why we could be saved by Ginjo and Tsukishima… Because they understand us. With them, we found a place to belong… A place where Yui belonged, too…”
Naturally, the mention of Yuzu causes both Karin and Nozomi to become somber, their thoughts considering the Quincy girl.
The young, black-haired girl purses her lips as her gaze becomes filled with an immense sense of frustrated guilt, “If that’s true… If Yuzu felt at home with them, then that means she really did feel abandoned… DAMN IT! I should’ve convinced Dad to let you become a Shinigami from the start! We’re TWIN SISTERS and I—!”
Interrupting her negative thoughts is the call of a sudden voice, “Hey, there you guys are!”
All three girls turn and find the source of the voice, Shishigawara, accompanied by Yukio. The rest of the group, seated at the other tables, briefly look up in interest before returning to their respective meals and conversations. This leaves the two boys to walk past a few tables and stop just in front of the trio.
Riruka frowns slightly and raises a brow, looking unamused, “What are you two doing here? I thought we decided to meet up later!”
Unfazed by the other Fullbringer’s utter lack of enthusiasm, the mohawk boy returns the frown with a smile, revealing, “Relax. We’re just here to give something to Miss Nozomi!”
The girls all raise brows before Kon suddenly jumps out of Yukio's trench coat, making everyone gawk in surprise.
As the lion lands on the table, he looks up at the seated form of the green-haired girl while holding a tiny female lion charm in his hand, “Hey, Nozomi! We got this from the mall down the street and thought you might like it!”
The other Mod Soul is wide-eyed for a moment before she sends the lion an earnest smile, taking the charm, “For once, I don’t have anything bad to say… Actually, I've been looking for something like this. Thank you, Kon. I think it'll look great on the sheath of my Zanpakutō...”
Kon looks at her for a split second, blinks, and then chuckles, “Haha! You're such a kid!”
This makes her furrow her brows and frown, albeit with a blush on her face, “S-Shut up, pervert—!”
The voice of a middle-aged man suddenly cuts her off from the nearby crowd, demanding, “ARE YOU TALKING TO THAT STUFFED ANIMAL?!”
Everyone in Karin's group pales as the lion stiffens under the pressure of even more curious gazes falling on them.
Before anything else can happen, Yukio grabs the stuffed animal and holds him up, hastily scrambling for an excuse, “I-It was just an impression! I’m… Uh… I’m a ventriloquist!”
Still under the scrutinous gaze of the onlookers, the blonde boy exhales before doing the best he can to impersonate his companion, “I’m Bostov, the perverted LOSER lion! Haha!”
Silence. That is what follows the boy’s declaration as the rest of his nearby comrades sweat drop, skeptical about whether the onlookers will buy it.
Luckily, it seems the initial bystander does buy the act, albeit with a sweat drop of his own, “S-Sorry, I didn’t know…”
The blonde shrugs, though his grip on Kon becomes far harsher, “Don’t worry about it. I’m still far from going pro…”
The man nods before walking off, prompting the rest of the surrounding crowd to go about their business as if nothing happened.
After a few moments, Yukio’s green eyes glare at the trembling plushie in his grasp, hissing quietly, “You're going back in the game...”
Riruka merely huffs at the sight, long used to such antics. Nozomi, Karin, and Shishigawara, however, can’t help but send the lion sympathetic looks as the boy promptly walks off, intending to find somewhere more private to use his Fullbring.
Lab, Squad 12 Barracks
The green and blonde-haired form of Kageroza dons a white lab jacket over his Shihakushō as he walks into the dimly-lit main laboratory within the Squad 12 Barracks.
He almost immediately scans the room, unable to ignore the ticked-off form of Mayuri in the corner, “Captain Kurotsuchi is upset... Hmm, I wonder why…”
Moving his gaze away from the captain, he now looks at the three other researchers in the room, who, unlike their leader, return his gaze with wary and nervous looks. The first is the most visibly nervous—a brown-eyed, bespectacled girl with short black hair known as Niko Kuna. She wears a white lab jacket over her Shihakushō while a chain hangs from either side of her hair.
Next is a large, bulbous, green-skinned man also donning a lab coat, known simply as ‘Hiyosu’. His eyes and mouth look unnaturally large, while his nose is rather flattened. Also, there is a sewn-up cleft that runs from the top of his forehead to the back of his head, and he has an almost gill-like neck, making his appearance quite grotesque. Last to add to his unnatural appearance is the small crank protruding from the left side of his head.
The final researcher is a young brown-haired boy similar in stature to the likes of Hanataro and Ryunosuke. Like the others, he wears a white lab coat customary to those within Squad 12, though he has somewhat unkempt hair that is tied in a small topknot at the front of his head.
After a moment of hesitation, the boy, known as Rin Tsubokura, questions the returning 7th seat, “H-How’re the wounded, sir…?”
Kageroza releases a fake sigh of relief, revealing, “None of them require the same level of treatment that Vice-Captain Kira is getting… Although former Captain Hirako will need a replacement right hand…”
The black-haired girl perks up and smiles ever so slightly in relief, though deep sympathy remains in her gaze, “That means Mashiro’s alright… physically speaking, anyway…”
Niko then bites her lip and looks down, considering the emotional scars, “But I still can’t believe big bro Kensei was… killed. My sister always followed him everywhere… I can’t imagine how this is affecting her…”
The other three researchers send her looks that are something akin to sympathy, though it is likely fake as far as Kageroza is concerned.
Meanwhile, Mayuri, still focused on Urahara’s modified broken Bankai on the operation table in front of him, callously remarks, “That’s a shame… I was looking forward to modifying more corpses…”
Both Rin and Kuna tremble and look horrified by their captain’s words, the girl even stumbling somewhat as her skin starts to become a sickly pale color.
Noting the sight, the green and blonde-haired man decides to push the conversation forward, “Back to the topic of Vice-Captain Kira… Is he still alive?”
This doesn’t help the two timid Shinigami, who almost immediately look down in further dejection.
This leaves Hiyosu to answer, glancing toward a door at the back of the room, “Akon is still operating on him. Even now, we aren’t sure if he’ll survive…”
The 7th seat frowns at the lack of confidence, prompting him to look to his captain across the room, “Have you been able to look at him, Director Kurotsuchi? I’m sure it would go much more smoothly if you were working on him instead of Akon…”
Mayuri finally looks away from his work, scoffing, “Your stupidity is baffling, Inaba! Kirio Hikifune was clearly too lax when mentoring you for you to have already forgotten such a key detail! That I was the one who allowed Izuru Kira a chance at survival in the first place!”
The undercover Shinigami bows apologetically, “Forgive me, Director. It slipped my mind among the chaos.”
The mad scientist grunts before looking at the door near the back of the lab, musing, “You do raise a fair point, though… Because of his incompetence, that fool Akon is running behind on the other tasks I’ve assigned to him! It’s utterly embarrassing that my protégé would take this long on such a simple task!”
The others sweat drop, finding their captain’s ego and spontaneous nature impossible to get used to.
Mayuri once again glances at the arm on the table before shifting to a smirk, having an idea, “In fact, I think I’ll put your Bankai to further use, Kisuke Urahara…”
Night, Courtyard, Squad 4 Barracks, Seireitei
The battered and bandaged form of Rose sits on a wooden platform bordering the grassy courtyard in the Squad 4 Barracks. Large portions of the man’s face are covered in nasty, significant burn scars, most notably the right and left sides of his chest and neck, the lower right portion of his face, and almost the entire left side of his face, running through his left eye, currently forced shut. He dons a Shihakushō with white frills, appearing just like any other Shinigami as his form is illuminated under the light of the moon, managing to play his guitar with burned fingers. The melody, while choppy, is melancholy and distant, much like the look in his eye, trained on the nearby corpse of Kensei, covered by a white blanket.
Notably, the sleeping form of Mashiro also wears a Shihakushō and lies next to the corpse, her cheeks puffy and tearstained. In all likelihood, she cried herself to sleep. The remainder of the other Visored likewise don the black robes and sit quietly in the grass behind their green-haired friend, all stone-faced and solemn. This now includes the similarly bandaged forms of Lisa, Love, and Hiyori, though, unlike Rose, none of them possess noticeable, lasting burn wounds.
Indeed, the only ones with damning wounds are those who were hit point-blank by the firebird’s flames, namely: Hachi, Shinji, and Rose. Although the towering man’s scar is hidden beneath his Gi, given that it was a result of a diagonal slash across the chest, while the bowl-cut blonde’s only significant wound is the cauterized stump at the end of his right arm. This means, among the living, it might actually be the former Squad 3 captain who has it the worst, as his entire body was directly, albeit briefly, engulfed in the cursed flames at close range, which clearly shows through the burn scars riddling his form.
After a few more moments of playing, the musician grazes one of the strings with a heavily damaged part of his finger, causing him to wince and immediately stop, his voice somewhat raspy, “Curse these burns! If I cannot even manage to play a simple melody like this, how can I possibly hope to properly wield my sword?! I’m dead weight, now!”
The man looks at the grass in front of him with a downcast scowl, relaying a deep sense of dejection and frustration. The others still awake look down in similar senses of frustration, thoroughly angered by how the battle against Arturo played out, Shinji worst of all.
Even so, the now one-handed Shinigami can’t help but look upon his friend with a sense of pity, though he keeps his thoughts to himself, “I might’ve lost my sword arm, but at least I can still use my Zanpakutō… It wasn’t fatal like with Kensei, but Rose was still the only one of us hit at point-blank range by the full force of that bastard’s flames… Which means… those burns can’t get any better. He won’t be much help in a fight, right now, that’s for sure…”
Based on their expressions, similar thoughts seem to pass through the minds of the other Visored, who all continue to hold their tongues. None of them finds the heart to speak up in objection to Rose’s claim about being dead weight, making the bitter sense of defeat ever more prominent.
However, this seems to prompt a sudden, rough, yet feminine voice to chime in from behind the blonde man, “I think you should continue playing, even if your music sucks—the same goes for fighting! You won’t EVER get good again if you just give up! It’d be a damn shame for someone of your talent to accept defeat without even putting up a fight…”
The hybrid Shinigami, except for the still unconscious Mashiro, all perk up and look at the source of the voice in interest as Rose turns around and looks up with widened eyes, “Miss Shiba…?”
Standing over him is the caped form of Kukaku, with an assertive gaze in her green eyes.
The black-haired woman’s eye twitches before she snorts, sounding ever so slightly annoyed, “Just ‘Kukaku’ is fine. We’re all friends now, after all.”
The burned blonde looks up at her for another moment before shifting his still distant and dejected gaze back on Kensei’s corpse, not offering a verbal response. This action seems to cause the noble’s eye to twitch in annoyance for another moment before she releases a tired sigh, stopping herself from lashing out. Instead, she calmly considers the man’s burned form, then his guitar, and, finally, his sheathed Zanpakutō lying next to him, which seems to cause her gaze to soften.
Releasing yet another sigh, Kukaku’s eyes soon fill with intent, “No one’s ‘dead weight’ until they give up, idiot. If you don’t think you can fight, then you’ll just have to help out in other ways… Which reminds me, I think I have a job for you, if you’re interested.”
The Visored all perk up in interest as Rose turns and looks up at the woman with widened eyes, “A job…?”
The one-armed, black-haired noble shifts to a slight smirk at the sight, “I take it that means you’re interested?”
The blonde nods quietly without hesitation, prompting the woman’s grin to widen as she starts, “Alright, here’s the deal—"
However, she suddenly cuts herself off and widens her green eyes, currently directed at the sky. The sight makes the conscious Shinigami frown and furrow their brows in confusion before their gazes become likewise filled with shock as they look up.
“What the hell…?!”, Kukaku utters as she and the others look upon a rift, wholly unique from a Garganta or a Senkaimon Gate, splitting the sky above the Seireitei.
As though this fact alone wasn’t significant enough, the contents on the other side of the portal are the various buildings and streets of a town. More specifically, Karakura Town.
Meanwhile, Kuchiki Residence, Seireitei
The high-ranking officers of the Gotei 13 once again use the grassy courtyard of the Kuchiki Residence as their temporary meeting grounds, standing in line and file at attention. As usual, Yamamoto stands at the end and between the two rows of the other officers, cane in hand and an intense look in his eyes, slightly hidden beneath his legendary eyebrows. To his right are the forms of Omaeda and Isane, currently standing in for their captains, both unavailable in the aftermath of the phoenix’s rampage. Next to the vice-captains are Byakuya and Kyoraku, as well as a middle-aged bearded man with black hair and a plain Shihakushō. This unassuming individual is known as Kokichiro Takezoe, the 7th seat of Squad 10, who looks rather uncomfortable at having to represent his squad after both the captain and vice-captain left their posts.
Likewise, the Shinigami to the elder’s left starts with a blonde man with long hair tied in a braid at the back—Riku Togakushi, who currently serves as the 3rd seat of Squad 3. Though not as uncomfortable as the 7th seat, he still appears somewhat nervous about having to fill in for Izuru, who couldn’t make it for obvious reasons. This leaves the remainder of the Shinigami in the left column as the far more composed forms of Komamura, Shuhei, Azashiro, Kenpachi, and Ukitake. Despite his calm exterior, one look into the Squad 9 vice-captain’s eyes, as well as his immensely bruised and still somewhat bloodied face, makes it clear that he’s only present out of a sense of obligation. In fact, his sorry state earns concerned gazes from most of the others, particularly Komamura, Ukitake, and Isane.
While not especially close to him, the tall, silver-haired woman purses her lips and looks almost distraught as she suppresses the urge to rush over to comfort her comrade, “S-Shuhei looks like a wreck! And… It’s not just because he was beaten up…”
She then glances at Omaeda next to her before looking down with a dejected gaze, “Then there’s still Izuru and Captain Soi Fon… I hope they can both recover, sooner than later…”
Interrupting her thoughts is Yamamoto, clearing his throat, “Captain Kurotsuchi already warned about the potential for a situation such as this, so we will begin without him. You are to brief your squads following the conclusion of this meeting. Understood?”
The captains immediately nod in acceptance while the lower-ranking officers do so somewhat nervously, not as quick to react, given that they’ve rarely, if ever, taken part in a captain’s meeting before.
With that, the Head Captain calmly begins his explanation, pointing his cane at the rift in the sky, “Based on what we already know, I believe that portal is related to the Blanks and the Valley of Screams in some way. However, as you all can clearly see, that is Karakura Town on the other side of the portal.”
Isane can’t help but furrow her brows and frown at the words, something about her recent experiences forcing her to question them, “With all due respect, Head Captain, I’ve never heard of the Valley of Screams or portals to the World of the Living presenting problems to us in the past. On the other hand, I’ve seen more of my comrades’ corpses over the past month than ALL of my time as a Shinigami before that combined, all because of White and Arturo Plateado. Should we really be bothering with this when both of those Hollows are still at large?”
The objection makes everyone look at the healer, which in turn causes her to flinch and shift somewhat nervously on instinct, not used to being the center of attention like this, “U-Um, sorry! M-Maybe I g-got a little carried away…”
The sight makes the nearby form of Kenpachi raise a brow while frowning, clearly unimpressed, “She’s her successor? Ya gotta be kiddin’ me! She’s folding like a house of cards just from being looked at!”
Then, as if prompted, a familiar, child-like voice calls out the man, though where the voice is coming from is unclear, “Haha, Kenny, you’re so dumb! Isane’s a healer! Of course, she isn’t strong and confident like Miss Unohana!”
The long-haired, eye-patched man widens his eye before glancing back and forth in confusion, “Huh? Is Yachiru here? I thought I left her with Ikkaku and the others…”
The tall, scarred man then looks in the direction of the Squad 11 Barracks with a troubled look, which is noted by the shorter form of Azashiro next to him. Indeed, the nobleman, nor any of the other Shinigami present, had heard the voice, leaving the 8th Kenpachi to offer his peer a brief, scrutinizing look that contains a hint of understanding. After a moment of this, however, the current Squad 5 captain returns his usual passive gaze to the living legend, awaiting his further explanation.
Yamamoto looks slightly up to match the timid, silver-haired woman’s gaze, ceding, “I understand how heavy a burden Squad 4 bears in times such as these… As long as Arturo Plateado is free, there will only be more corpses to follow; that is the reality of our situation.”
Most of the Shinigami present become solemn at the grim reminder, including Isane herself, who looks away with a quiet, sorrowful gaze. Shuhei, in particular, can’t help but gnash his teeth together in frustration as the tears from earlier start to well up, the thought of even more death spurring on his emotions.
After a few moments of allowing the others to consider the words and recompose themselves, the legend continues, “I agree with you about what the true threat is, Vice-Captain Kotetsu. However, if what Captain Kurotsuchi shared with me is true, then that portal will be the catalyst for the destruction of both the Soul Society AND World of the Living as we know them!”
Visible shock and horror quickly fills the features of all of the lower-ranking officers, none of whom were in the loop about any of this. In fact, Isane stumbles back slightly and looks downright ready to faint from this news, a promise that the death and destruction would continue, regardless of whether a Hollow’s involved or not. The captains, on the other hand, appear comparatively composed, though still understandably unnerved.
In fact, Ukitake in particular can’t help but wear a troubled expression as he considers the implications, “Isshin said he’d handle this… But he hasn’t, even with the help of Kisuke Urahara and some of our best officers… Could we have underestimated the Blanks…? No… That can’t be it… But then… What is it…?”
As the white-haired man is deep in thought, the rest of the captains likewise seem to quietly consider their own theories on the situation.
After a few moments of this, the form of Kageroza, still wearing his lab coat, suddenly appears with a flash and immediately bows in reverence, “Squad 12, 7th seat: Kageroza Inaba reporting on behalf of Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi.”
The other, higher-ranking Shinigami all perk up and raise brows at the sight, obviously wondering why Mayuri sent his 7th seat instead of coming here himself.
The bearded, living legend narrows his eyes, unamused, “What is this? Why didn’t Captain Kurotsuchi come here himself?! Has he forgotten the gravity of the situation?!”
The blonde and green-haired man bows once again, albeit in apology this time, “Sir, my captain insisted on continuing his work on Vice-Captain Kira, so he ordered me to appear in his stead.”
Just as the words leave his mouth, Togakushi perks up with a look of genuine hope in his gaze, “V-Vice-Captain Kira’s still alive…?”
The question makes Shuhei, Isane, and even Omaeda wear similar expressions of hope, perhaps all having come to peace with the idea that Izuru is already dead. Despite this, almost all of the higher-ranking officers focus on the other part of Kageroza’s explanation, making them look on in either stark disapproval or flat-out indifference.
As for Yamamoto, he obviously seethes with rage, “WHAT?! You mean to tell me even after that brat was so insistent the Blanks would be an issue, HE REFUSES TO APPEAR WHEN HIS HELP IS ESSENTIAL?!”
The scientist continues to bow in apology, “Forgive me, sir, but I would not dare to put any more words in my captain’s mouth than I already have. I’m afraid you’ll have to ask him for further explanation yourself.”
Despite his apology, the man can’t help but smirk ever so slightly for a brief moment, his thoughts betraying his words, “I knew it was a good idea to keep Captain Kurotsuchi busy! He’ll surely be grounded at this rate, meaning we won’t need to plan for his getting involved. Assuming he’s still alive, Sosuke Aizen is busy with Arturo Plateado, so the off chance of his getting involved has been eliminated, as well. Now, the only true threats to Lord Tsunayashiro’s plans are Kisuke Urahara and Squad 0… Everyone else is far too stupid to figure out what’s happening in time!”
Meanwhile, unable to justifiably lash out at Kageroza, the Head Captain pushes his rage down, conserving it for later, “I’ve been far too lax with that Kurotsuchi! It would seem I need to remind him who is in charge, here…”
As the elder’s words linger, a brief silence settles within the courtyard, leaving only the soft sound of the wind to occupy the space. Consequently, this also allows everyone to hear the sounds of heeled footsteps clicking against the wooden floor within the mansion, behind the living legend. Everyone promptly perks up in interest as they look at the approaching source of the footsteps, obviously wondering why someone else would join the meeting with all 13 squads accounted for. It isn’t much longer before the figure becomes visible under the moonlight, causing Yamamoto, Kyoraku, and Ukitake to all widen their eyes in immediate recognition.
Notably, Kageroza can’t help but tense and look on in shock, as well, “A-Already?!”
Accompanied by the footsteps is a gentle, yet ghastly feminine voice, “We can agree on that, Genryusai. Squad 12 has become too complacent in my absence. And here I was hoping Mayuri would’ve at least created something of substance… He’ll never surpass me at this rate…”
The figure’s footsteps abruptly stop as they now stand a short distance before the Head Captain, who quickly shifts to a serious expression, “Senjumaru Shutara…”
The name makes the noble captains, Byakuya and Azashiro, slightly widen their eyes, fully understanding that the figure before them is from Squad 0.
The gazes of the captains earn an amused glance from the black-haired, smirking woman in question before she casually regards the rift in the sky, “Hmm… You seem to have yet another catastrophe on your hands. How pitiable…”
Senjumaru shifts to a scowl and narrows her eyes at the sight of the rift, her words matter-of-fact, “I will see to it that this is resolved by morning.”
Yamamoto twitches and slowly widens his eyes as, in the next moment, the woman shifts an assertive and downright ominous glare on him, “That means I am taking command until this is settled. I trust you have no objections?”
Most of the other younger captains appear to have mixed feelings about this, particularly the likes of Ukitake, Byakuya, and Komamura, while the eye-patched form of Kyoraku closes his remaining eye in silent acceptance.
Before anyone can object, the somewhat trembling form of the Squad 1 captain glares at the ground, ceding with a growl, “Of course, not…”
Silbern, Schatten Bereich
Yuzu and Bambietta continue to walk through the dark, cold halls of Silbern after their run-in with Jerome. They make small talk about various, unimportant topics as they walk, truly having nothing better to do until they find Liltotto and Gremmy. Eventually, the pair halt their conversations as they run into another pair of Sternritters, though not the ones they are looking for.
Before them are two identical bald men in white uniforms wearing white earmuffs. They are both easily taller than the girls, which isn’t of any true concern to Yuzu. Instead, the young blonde’s brown, widened eyes are focused on the unique third eye both of the men possess on their foreheads, something she obviously has never seen before.
After a moment, the men simultaneously bow before speaking in unison, “Welcome to the Wandenreich, Yuzu Kurosaki. We have been hoping to speak with you.”
The young, ponytailed Sternritter returns the polite bow, albeit a bit nervously, “O-Oh, thank you very much, um…”
She trails off and looks back up at the pair with questioning eyes, unsure of how to address them.
This prompts one of them to perk up and speak, “Ah, where were our manners? My name is Loyd Lloyd, Sternritter Y.”
To his left, the other follows up, “And I am his twin, Royd Lloyd. I am also Sternritter Y.”
Yuzu looks at them with a distant gaze, automatically replying, “Nice to meet you…”
Her thoughts, however, drift to her sister, “Twins… so they’re like me and Karin…”
Royd, Loyd, and even Bambietta all remain quiet, allowing their junior a moment to consider her thoughts.
As the moment passes, the girl realizes that they are all looking at her, making her rub the back of her head and speak apologetically, a blush on her face, “Oh, um, sorry! I was lost in thoughts…”
The twin to Yuzu’s left, Loyd, shakes his head, asserting, “It is no issue. His Majesty has made it clear he treasures you. One day soon, you will surely stand among the Schutzstaffel. You need not apologize to lowly Sternritters like us.”
The blonde Quincy frowns slightly at this, not liking how she is being placed on a pedestal above everyone else.
Royd and Loyd both bow again as the former, to Yuzu’s right, states, “Now, if you’ll excuse us…”
The pair turns around and starts to leave, making the girl perk up and reach out on instinct, “W-Wait…”
Bambietta’s eye twitches in annoyance, though she oddly continues to hold her tongue, “Of course. She wants to be their friend, doesn’t she…?”
The twins, meanwhile, turn and look at the girl with curious expressions, simultaneously asking, “Is there more you wish to discuss?”
This makes the hybrid widen her eyes, realizing, “I… I don’t know why I stopped them…”
Yuzu then frowns, obviously feeling that she, for some reason, is unsatisfied with the interaction with these twins. She promptly takes on a thoughtful expression, likely considering why exactly she feels that way. This leaves Bambietta and the twins to continue looking at her with interest, remaining quiet to see what she has to say.
After another moment, the girl quickly comes up with something, asking, “You said you had the same Schrift. Does that mean your powers are the same, too?”
However, Yuzu mentally kicks herself as soon as the words leave her mouth, maintaining a slightly unsatisfied frown, “Stupid! I want to get to know them better, I don’t care about their powers!”
While the girl is mentally berating herself, the bald man to her left, Loyd, hums in thought, “Our Schrift title is the same. It is called ‘The Yourself’. The abilities are nearly identical, but there’s an important difference.”
This gets the young blonde to look at them curiously, tilting her head, “What do you mean?”
The brothers look at each other before Royd offers, “Perhaps a demonstration would make this easier for you to understand—"
Bambietta growls, cutting them off, “Absolutely NOT! Hell will’ve frozen over the day I let either of you use your power on Yui!”
Yuzu furrows her brows and looks up at the taller girl, clearly troubled, “Bambi…?”
The twins, however, appear equally unamused by the bomb girl’s adamant refusal, making Loyd question, “What is the harm of it, Basterbine? It’ll just be for a minute or so.”
The other three-eyed bald man nods before raising a brow, adding, “Unless you’re saying there’s something about her that’s a problem? If that’s the case, you know we need to report it to Kommandant Barro…”
The purple-eyed girl begins to sweat nervously at the mention of Lille, though remains hesitant, “W-Well, no… But—”
“Bambi.”, the voice of the blonde cuts her off, her tone adamant.
The twins and dark-haired Quincy look down at Yuzu, whose expression and tone are both assertive, “It’s fine. I trust them.”
Bambietta’s eye twitches in annoyance again before she crosses her arms and looks away, huffing, “Fine! But you really are too trusting of everyone, Yui! I don’t like it!”
This causes the younger Sternritter to giggle, “Well, I don’t think it’s a bad thing! Quincies should trust each other, right?!”
Her words make her senior look down and frown somewhat distantly, though not offering a response.
The young girl then shifts her gaze to the brothers again, “Ok, I’m ready.”
Royd and Loyd nod before they both begin to glow with a blue aura. After a moment, Yuzu slowly widens her eyes as both men suddenly shrink down, turning into exact physical copies of her, down to the specific details of the handkerchief around her neck, to the bruises from her recent sparring session. Understandably, the girl gawks, feeling like she is looking into mirrors as the hallway is now occupied by three ‘Yuzus’ and Bambietta.
The ‘Yuzu’ to the right, actually Royd, explains in a voice also identical to the girl’s own, “The Yourself allows us to turn into a perfect physical copy of another person, down to the smallest of details.”
Yuzu continues to gawk as the ‘Yuzu’ to her left, Loyd, explains using the girl’s voice as well, “My version also allows me to inherit all of the strength and unique abilities of the person on top of looking and sounding like them.”
The Sternritter shifts to a slight frown, almost disappointed as ‘she’ hums, “Ah… I was hoping to copy you when you were holding your Zanpakutō, though. I’ve always been curious as to how they work… Maybe that will have to wait until next time…”
The blonde Quincy remains quiet, unable to believe what she is seeing. Her experiences with doppelgängers thus far have been FAR from pleasant, thinking back on Kon pretending to be Isshin and her battle with the Grand Fisher.
Bambietta, meanwhile, maintains an annoyed expression and body language, not at all surprised by the scene before her. Rolling her eyes and looking off to the side, the bomb girl misses the ‘Yuzu’ to the right, Royd, suddenly shifting to a scowl as he looks at the real girl, making her visibly uncomfortable.
The blonde shifts nervously, trying her best to shake off her discomfort, “Then… what about you…?”
The scowling twin exhales, the feminine voice of the younger girl responding with a neutral tone as their gazes lock, “I inherit the memories and emotions of the ones I copy… down to the day they were born…”
Yuzu tilts her head initially in confusion before her eyes slowly widen in horror, realizing the implications.
Her lips quiver as she asks, “T-Then… that means…?”
The girl trails off, her horror increasingly evident.
Royd nods before responding while perfectly maintaining Yuzu’s tone, “That’s right… I know what you’ve been planning…”
Loyd, also still copying the young blonde, and Bambietta each raise a brow, wondering what that’s supposed to mean.
The hybrid Sternritter trembles as the copy to her right approaches her, whispering in her ear, “Stop thinking that His Majesty is the enemy. He has shown you nothing but kindness since you arrived here. Far greater kindness than any of us receive. You ought to be more grateful, girl…”
Yuzu breathes heavily and looks outright mortified, making the older, dark-purple-haired girl narrow her eyes and scowl, “Is there a problem…?”
The copy of the blonde girl pulls away from the authentic version, offering the taller woman a wide, reassuring smile very characteristic of the Kurosaki, “Nope! Just an embarrassing personal secret of hers!~”
Bambietta nods in understanding, though her hostile glare remains, “Don’t go telling anyone about it or I’ll ‘accidentally’ kill you during the war, creep…”
The ‘Yuzu’ clone waves her off with a chuckle, “Of course! I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Concerned, the other ‘Yuzu’ behind Royd questions, “But, brother… What is she planning? Should His Majesty be told?”
The true Quincy immediately stiffens, making Loyd and Bambietta look at her with slightly furrowed brows, now worried that there is something more serious that the girl is hiding from everyone.
However, the other ‘Yuzu’ copy, Royd, shakes ‘her’ head before softening ‘her’ gaze and wearing a sympathetic smile, “His Majesty already knows. I won’t tell you her secrets, but Yuzu here has… concerns. She thinks His Majesty will execute and punish us without any reason. She even believes he’ll use Auswählen!”
The girl widens her eyes, her heart dropping at the very mention of the word.
Loyd, wearing the girl’s face, furrows ‘her’ brows, “That’s ridiculous! She clearly has some kind of misconception about this.”
Yuzu opens her mouth to speak, dread completely occupying her features, but the words won’t come out.
The memory of Yhwach ordering her how to speak about Auswählen comes to her mind, preventing her from speaking, ‘You are going to become a loyal member of the Sternritter and shall not voice a word of your knowledge about Auswählen to any of the others. You are not dispensable for my plans, but that does not apply to the majority of my other soldiers… that includes your friends: Candice Catnipp and Bambietta Basterbine…’
The girl flinches as the bomb girl in question, behind her, looks up thoughtfully, “Auswählen…? That’s what His Majesty used to erase the Gemischt, though. I can’t see him using it on us unless we mess up big time.”
The strawberry blonde slowly shifts and looks at the woman in confused despair, “B-BAMBI KNOWS ABOUT IT?! B-But why…?”
Her thoughts are interrupted as the copy right in front of her, Royd, expresses with a certain level of passion, “That’s right! If you perform well and do your job, you are rewarded. If you fail and bring shame, then you are punished or even executed. Everyone knows that!”
Yuzu gawks in continued horror as Bambietta nods, adding matter-of-factly, “Duh! It’s obvious!”
She shifts her gaze onto her student, reassuring her, “You’ll get used to it after a while, Yui. You just haven’t been here long enough, yet. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, though, because His Majesty says you’re essential to the war!”
Her mentor’s words fall on deaf ears as the young Sternritter’s breath hitches, feeling her resolve completely shatter due to her shock and confusion, “W-Why…?! Why would Yhwach tell me not to tell anyone about Auswählen when they all know?! Why—?!”
Her eyes suddenly widen in realization as she looks between Loyd, Royd, and Bambietta, “…They know… They know, and they don’t even care… It’s like they believe Yhwach won’t punish them unless they fail… and I…”
Yuzu looks down in dejection, “I have no proof that Yhwach doesn’t care if they do well or not… only what Uncle said… but how can he know for sure that Yhwach will kill even the Quincies who do what he says? Especially when being obedient has actually gotten His Majesty to help me—”
The blonde then tenses, widening her eyes as she catches herself, “What… What did I just call him…?”
Seeing the girl’s shock and confusion play out in front of them, Royd, still with the girl’s visage, softens ‘her’ eyes and wears an affectionate smile, calling out, “It’s very simple, Yuzu. As long as you keep following His Majesty with loyalty and respect, he will grant you every wish you could possibly desire in this world.”
Yuzu looks up slightly to match her gaze with the copy, who, clearly at this point, has fully embraced her gentle heart, although distorted in its goal out of Royd’s blind loyalty to Yhwach.
The older Sternritter asserts, gently, “Your goals are the same as ours, Yuzu. That is why His Majesty let you in with kind, open arms. The details are where you differ, but in the end, you want to create a world where the Quincies are safe… A place where we can belong without persecution from the corrupt Shinigami.”
The blonde continues to stare in shock at her clone, trying to process everything she’s just been told.
After a moment, the ‘Yuzu’ gently hugs her, her own voice echoing in her ear, “You might not think so now, but I love you, Yuzu. That is because, like me, you are a loyal Quincy. You wish for my salvation as much as I wish for yours.”
The girl widens her eyes, completely and utterly frozen in place as Royd pulls away, both he and his brother finally returning to their taller, three-eyed states.
The man in front of her bows slightly, “Now, we really must be off. My brother and I are due for some light training with Instructor Opie. As you should know, tardiness is unacceptable…”
The pair of twins then walks away without another word, leaving Yuzu completely shaken.
Bambietta, of course, looks upon their fleeing forms with a feral, overprotective glare, “Yeah, about time you creeps read the room…”
Her student ignores her as she watches the twins disappear into the darkness of the halls, “They’re zealots… their loyalty is blind… they’re crazy… but…”
She purses her lips as her brown eyes become distant, “…is that such a really bad thing…”
A moment passes before she widens her eyes and shakes her head, “No! I-It can’t…”
The dark-purple-haired woman looks at her in curiosity, making Yuzu exhale as she notices, helping her find some resolve again, “It doesn’t matter if Yhwach is my enemy, my friend, or even my father, like he thinks he is… whatever his true colors actually are, he will show them during the war…”
The young blonde then looks up at the older girl, a glimmer of hope in her gaze, “Before that happens, I will show everyone here true kindness… I will protect all of my friends from anyone who attacks them… Even if that includes His Majesty—I mean, YHWACH!”
Yuzu trembles in response to instinctively looking at Yhwach with respect again, this ONE THING causing her thoughts and resolve to crumble, shaking her to her core. One step closer to becoming disillusioned by her ideals.
Even so, the hybrid somehow manages to calm herself, at least regaining her composure on the surface as she reaches a sort of realization, “I… I need to talk to someone about this… Someone who isn’t blindly loyal to Yhwach… They can’t be afraid of him, either…”
After a moment, she releases an exhale and looks up at her older peer, her tone noticeably more reserved than usual, “Um, Bambi? Can we please go find Gremmy and Liltotto now…?”
Already knowing something is wrong, Bambietta raises a brow at her sudden shift in tone.
However, she chooses not to question it as she nods, responding, “That’s what we were just doing, wasn’t it?”
Up ahead, the twins continue to walk in silence for a good few minutes.
Eventually, Loyd speaks up, asserting, “I wasn’t expecting to be able to ‘test’ her so soon… Still, she managed to pass. Marshall Opie will be pleased.”
This earns a nod from Royd, although he wears a slight frown, “It’s regrettable that she detests His Majesty so, but knowing she would not dare raise a hand against him is enough for now. The Marshall will handle the rest…”
He then shifts to a content smile, stating matter-of-factly, “Sister Kurosaki will learn to accept His Majesty as our savior, whether she likes it or not.”
Several Minutes Later, Silbern
After walking together in a tense silence for the next several minutes, Yuzu and Bambietta eventually run into the rest of their group: Keigo, Candice, Giselle, Meninas, Liltotto, and Gremmy.
Before anyone can say anything, the strawberry blonde immediately makes eye contact with the other blonde, speaking up in a calm, stern voice, “Lil… Please give me the key.”
She holds out her hand, emphasizing her request. Despite this, everyone else in the group, besides Gremmy, who didn’t hear it, can’t help but frown at the action, immediately recognizing something is off with her.
Liltotto furrows her brows slightly, questioning, “Are you sure? You look like you’re shaken up about something. Do you want to talk about—?"
“GIVE ME THE KEY!!”, the girl harshly snaps, unable to keep herself composed any longer.
Naturally, the sudden outburst makes everyone flinch, all wearing shocked expressions.
After a moment to recover, Bambietta releases a sigh, “Just give her the stupid key, Lil. She’s had a long day…”
The shorter, golden blonde girl hesitates for but a second before begrudgingly handing the key over, “A-Alright, then…”
Yuzu, now satisfied, gives the other girl a nod before eyeing the helmeted form of Gremmy, “Gremmy… Please come with me.”
The boy, who has all of his head except his mouth covered by a silver helmet, frowns at the sound of her voice, sensing, “Kurosaki…? Something feels off with her…”
Choosing not to give voice to his thoughts, however, the sealed Sternritter simply nods his head, quietly accepting the demand.
This prompts Yuzu to grab his hand before looking at the others, asserting, “I’ll see you guys later.”
Offering no room for objection, the girl immediately begins to walk off with the helmeted boy, clearly wanting to be left alone. Of course, the sight is something that worsens the frowns on the others’ faces, troubled about it for various reasons.
As the pair of young Quincies leaves earshot, Meninas tilts her head to the side, wondering aloud, “Did you bully her, Bambi?”
A comical, angry tick mark forms on the bomb woman’s head as she snaps at the much taller girl, “Oh, I KNOW you are not trying to pin this on ME!”
Giselle chuckles at the response, promptly proceeding to pour more fuel on the fire, “Meni has a point, though. Little Yui might be just a little bit mad that you were so harsh with her during training!~”
Bambietta shifts her glare to the roach, then, retorting, “It’s called ‘tough love’, Gigi! Not that you’d know anything about that…”
The other, dark-haired woman simply shrugs in response, her words rather suggestive despite her casual tone, “I’d say I know plenty about it, especially when it comes to being rough with the people I like. I know Asky would vouch for me~…”
The purple-eyed Quincy furrows her brows, snapping in further annoyance, “Really, Gigi?! I was trying to keep this PG! Besides, there’s NO WAY you actually slept with Askin! Quit acting like you did!”
Giselle smirks and tilts her head to the side, perhaps feigning some form of innocence, “Huh? Who said anything about sleeping?~ Y’know the two of us have been sparring lately, right?”
Bambietta can’t help but sweat drop in reaction, “First, what you and Askin do on the training grounds isn’t sparring, it’s slacking off. And second, I’m pretty sure he only agrees to it, so you’ll leave him alone during his free time…”
This statement, of course, prompts the other girl to make some kind of suggestive comeback, though it fails to reach the ears of Candice, Keigo, and Liltotto. Indeed, the trio had ignored the banter ever since Yuzu left, as their silent gazes are still trained on the girl’s retreating form, accompanied by Gremmy.
After a couple more moments of this, the lime blonde glances at her shorter, frowning friend, prompting her to huff, “Don’t get hung up on Yui. She just needs some space… She’ll be back to normal soon enough. Hell, I’d bet she’ll even apologize! A foreign concept to the likes of us, I know.”
Her words seem to make Liltotto’s features visibly soften, even going so far as to send a slight smile of appreciation to the taller Sternritter, “Thanks, Candy…”
Meanwhile, Keigo, not having spoken a word this entire time, intently narrows his eyes as he continues to quietly watch Yuzu retreat further into the darkness, feeling more out of his reach than ever.
Night, Karakura Plaza
The moonlight doesn’t quite reach the currently bustling and well-lit plaza in Karakura Town, where lights hang from posts over the street between the shops. Very few concern themselves with shopping, however, as they instead gather on the street itself, focusing on a stage before them. Most stand and watch, though others sit at the various nearby tables, including Karin and her group.
Standing on the stage in their sights is an eccentric, dark-skinned man with a mustache. He wears a black jumpsuit beneath a sleeveless, blue karate-like Gi, fastened to his waist by a belt with a golden buckle. Further, he dons a black and red cape and an expensive-looking black and gold hat, leaving his dreadlocks to flow freely down his upper back. Lastly, he sports a pair of round, fashionable sunglasses and a black and gold cane, held in his left hand.
The man, Don Kanonji, regards the crowd with a grin as he crosses his arms and places his hands on his shoulders, clearly attempting to rile up his fans with his signature pose, “After a year of traveling the world, I have finally returned to you, Karakura Town! However, on this night I will not be communicating with simply one spirit, but HUNDREDS!! THE SPIRITS WILL BE WITH ALL OF US, TONIGHT!! BOHAHAHA!!!”
His pose, declaration, and signature laugh all work to great success as an overwhelming majority of the crowd roars in laughter, “BOHAHAHA!!!”
While most continue to laugh loudly in excitement, this same enthusiasm doesn’t reach Karin and Toshiro, who sit next to each other at one of the tables, looking thoroughly bored and uninterested.
The spiky-white-haired boy crosses his arms and sighs in annoyed acceptance, “You were right, Karin. This Kanonji guy is ‘lame’. I can already tell this is going to be an annoying night…”
The scarred girl wears a neutral frown, speaking matter-of-factly, “Well, he’s even lamer than I remember… louder, too.”
Suddenly, the forms of Isshin and Rangiku at the table with them join in the loud, obnoxious laughter, with clear blushes on their face as they raise sake bottles above their heads.
Without a care in the world, the blue-eyed blonde jovially calls out her former captain, “TOSHIRO! YOU’RE ALWAYS TOO SERIOUS! I SAY IT’S HIGH TIME YOU LOOSENED UP A LITTLE! BOHAHAHA!!!”
Quick to follow up on his former vice-captain, the bearded, black-haired man releases an equally hardy laugh, “BOHAHAHA!! YOU BETTER LIGHTEN UP TOO, KARIN! YOU KNOW DADDY’LL NEED A REFUND IF MY LITTLE ANGEL ISN’T HAVING FUN!! BUT ON SECOND THOUGHT, MAYBE THAT’S A GOOD THING! MEANS MORE BOOZE FOR US!! TIME TO PARTY!!!”
Of course, the scene draws attention from the crowd, making both Karin and Toshiro have angry tick marks on their heads as they simultaneously snap at the older Shinigami, “HOW ARE YOU ALREADY DRUNK?!”
This leaves much of the rest of the group sitting around them to chuckle at the scene, not taking it too seriously. Beyond just Rangiku, the likes of Urahara, Chad, Mizuiro, Jackie, Giriko, Ururu, and Jinta have also joined the others, completing the group. Such is likely as clear a sign as any that they are taking the possibility of the Blanks showing up seriously.
At a neighboring table, the small, black-haired form of Mizuiro continues to chuckle, noting, “The Kurosaki sure are as lively as ever!”
Seated next to him, Chad, Yukio, Giriko, and Jackie all sweat drop and nod quietly in agreement. In the next moment, Karin suddenly and brutally punches her father in the head in annoyance, making the man’s eyes comically bulge out of his head before he promptly doubles over and loses consciousness. Understandably, Rangiku pales at the sight, instinctively sobering herself up as she shifts away from the girl on the bench. This places her closer to Momo, who sweat drops while releasing a nervous, yet light-hearted chuckle.
Having successfully downed her father, the scarred girl huffs and places her hands on her hips, “That oughta knock some sense into you, Goat-chin…”
After a few moments, the young undercover Shinigami casually begins to scan the crowd, truly having no interest in whatever’s happening on the stage.
Eventually, her gaze falls on the form of her equally young, dark-haired friend, Midoriko, accompanied by a group of other young girls in the crowd, “Hmm. So, she’s here too, huh? I guess that makes sense…”
Meanwhile, Chad and Mizuiro flinch instinctively as they likewise notice Mizuho glaring at them from the back of the crowd, appearing to have just gotten off of her shift, given the folded form of her apron in her hand. Across the table from the now somewhat nervous boys and other Fullbringers are Jinta, Ururu, Nemu, Uryu, and Urahara.
The young red-head boy and dark-haired, doe-eyed girl expectantly look to the vice-captain, the former holding a sense of genuine excitement in his voice, “So, Nemu, are you happy you get to see Don Kanonji in person? He’s pathetically weak, but you’ve gotta admit he knows how to look cool, right?!”
The dark-haired woman blinks quietly before, despite herself, shifting to a slight, genuine smile, “I don’t have sufficient data to decide if he ‘looks cool’, but if you two are happy to see him, then I am as well.”
Jinta and Ururu can’t help but blush slightly, somewhat caught off guard by the heartfelt look, an oddity on the face of the usually stone-cold, emotionless vice-captain.
They are not the only ones blushing, however, as Uryu can’t help but gawk at her smiling face. It’s a look he’s seen before—a slight, and ever so gentle smile that contains deep, genuine affection. In fact, the sight of it spurs on the visage of a woman with black hair, wearing an eerily similar expression on her face. His mother.
In the next moment, the Quincy, now a flustered mess, suddenly shakes his head, forcing the vision out of his head, “D-Don’t be ridiculous! She’s nothing like Mother! I was just caught off guard because I didn’t expect her to be capable of smiling like that!”
As the bespectacled teen scrambles to regain his mental bearings, the quiet form of Urahara, having ignored everything around him, has a deathly serious glare trained on the stage, ever focused on the task at hand.
On the stage, Kanonji makes a gesture with his can, announcing, “Alright, then! Time to get this show on the road! SPIRITS, HEED MY CALL!! SHOW YOURSELVES SO WE MIGHT PUT ON A SHOW FOR THESE PEOPLE!!”
This makes the shopkeeper narrow his eyes, mostly hidden under his stripped bucket hat, while clutching his cane in anticipation, “This is it… Time to see if the Blanks are here or not…”
Everyone in the crowd likewise tenses in anticipation, eager to see what comes next. Suddenly, the area erupts into child-like laughter as hundreds of small forms, clad in white robes, begin to quickly appear from seemingly out of thin air, all making a beeline for the stage.
Their flying causes the wind to blow through the plaza, making those unable to see spirits begin to cheer excitedly, “THE SPIRITS ARE HERE!!”
The excitement causes the spirits, the Picaro children, to continue giggling in earnest, one of the boys among them calling out, “BOHAHAHA! I love playing hide and seek with the Don!”
One of the girls among the Hollows gleefully follows up, “Making all these people happy is fun, too! I wish it were more like this at home!”
The crowd continues to cheer as, unseen to them, the Picaro begin to pick up and move around various objects, making it seem as though the objects are moving on their own.
A young woman within the crowd gawks at the sight, “I can’t believe it! Ghosts are really real?!”
“Wow! These special effects are amazing!”, someone else shouts, clearly not believing in ghosts, even now.
As the people around them cheer in further excitement, Karin’s group all gawk in disbelief at the identity of the ghosts themselves. Understandably, the sight of well over 100 Hollow children is quite off-putting, though their Reiatsu is even more so.
This is a fact that makes Ryunosuke shudder, muttering under his breath, “T-Their Reiatsu is intense… Combined, they’re almost as strong as Aaroniero was…!”
Hearing the name of the grotesque, slain Espada makes both Karin and Shino scowl, the latter hissing, “Where the hell did these brats come from, anyway?!”
The Picaro continue to put on a show as Kanonji laughs to himself, “These kids sure were quite the find! To think that they are friends with Ms. Roka of all people—it is as though the heavens brought us together! Now, if only I could see her again, too…”
The caped, bespectacled man becomes a bit less energetic at this, finding the way he parted from the Hollow girl far from ideal. This, in turn, causes his gaze to passively consider the crowd for a few moments.
It isn’t long before he perks up at the sight of Chad and Mizuiro, recognizing them, “Wait… I know those two! They’re—"
Cutting off the man’s thoughts is a sudden, intense pressure raining down on the entire plaza, instantly causing anyone who can sense spirits to instinctively tense up. A Garganta promptly opens up from behind the frozen form of Kanonji before a figure clad in white walks out.
Ulquiorra.
The bat’s narrowed green eyes consider the Picaro in the air around him, thoroughly unamused by the sight, “I’ve finally found you…”
Everyone who saw the Cuatro in the Soul Society gawks, Chad being the first to voice what everyone is thinking, “H-He’s one of Ichigo’s allies! But what’s he doing here?!”
For Karin, however, the sight of the bat makes her tense up and instinctively grab her Soul Candy from her pocket. The vivid memory of the white bat nearly slaughtering Katsumi and Rukia in front of her plagues her thoughts, quickly consuming her with a sense of uncontrollable bloodlust.
Indeed, she angrily grits her teeth as she raises the dispenser toward her mouth, asserting, “I was weak, then… but I’m not anymore…”
Meanwhile, Ulquiorra continues to glare at the Picaro, making them tense, drop whatever they’re holding, and begin backing away in much the same way a normal child would when they know their parent is about to discipline them.
One of the boys among the children gulps, “M-Master Ulquiorra…”
Hearing this, Urahara narrows his eyes under his hat, musing, “’Master’, huh? I’ll take that as confirmation that these children either work for Aizen or Ichigo, assuming he’s still alive… That means we can interrogate them…”
The ghostly pale, black-haired man opens his mouth to respond to the child; however, he cuts himself off as sudden, intense Reiatsu rains down on him.
This prompts him to turn around and regard the source, starting, “You’ve gotten stronger, Karin Kurosaki—?!"
The bat flinches as the girl is upon him with insane speed, now in her Shinigami form with both of her swords in hand. Her body spins through the air like a propeller, blades coated in a blue, water-like aura. As a result of this momentum, she immediately slashes the Espada's left arm off with her two Zanpakutō before landing on the platform, her back facing him. Ulquiorra is left wide-eyed in shock as he hastily pulls his own sword from his belt, promptly swinging it to cut open the girl’s unguarded back.
Karin’s ears twitch, feeling the air from the Hollow’s sword move behind her, making her recall Ukitake’s advice in the heat of the moment, ‘A dual wielder has an advantage to better control the flow of combat than someone with one blade... having a solid offense and defense...’
Turning on her heel, the young, headbanded Shinigami manages to shove away the incoming sword with her left, black dagger, making a loud clang noise echo throughout the plaza—a successful parry. This makes the pale man stumble back in further astonishment as he sees Karin's right eye shining a furious gold with black sclera, her right sword simultaneously blazing with blackened blue Getsuga, poised to cut his body in half.
“GETSUGA—", she suddenly halts and widens her eyes; however, upon hearing the laughter of the children around her, accompanied by buzzing noises.
The scarred girl looks skyward, finding over one hundred Picaro children charging crimson Ceros, aimed at both her and the Espada.
As the kids release the blasts, the Shiba once again pivots on her heel and swings her right blade skyward, finishing, “—TENSHŌ!!”
The Getsuga meets the crimson beams head-on, creating a subsequent explosion that makes a vast majority of the humans below outright pass out under the pressure. Though this excludes Mizuiro, who stumbles slightly under the Reiatsu, prompting Jackie and Chad to catch him, preventing him from falling to the ground. Notably, however, Mizuho and Midoriko within the crowd also manage to maintain their consciousness, though they fall to their hands and knees, beyond distraught and confused, struggling to remain conscious.
Meanwhile, Isshin, having long regained consciousness, can't help but widen his eyes, feeling the true depths of his daughter’s power up close, “Karin's already this strong...?”
Back on the stage, Karin herself huffs, her blackened eye returning to normal as she begins to turn around, “Now—?!”
Cutting her off, the girl is suddenly struck in the gut by the pommel of a sword, causing her to double over before being sent crashing into a table a short distance away, splintering under the impact. The source of the attack, Ulquiorra, has regenerated his arm by this point and glares at the group of spiritual misfits, the only ones in the crowd who remain standing. Isshin, Shino, Ryunosuke, and Nozomi hastily run to Karin's side as everyone else glares at the Hollow with hostile, yet cautious looks. After another moment, it becomes clear that none of them is going to immediately attack.
This prompts the pale Arrancar to return his glare on the giggling Picaro around him, ordering, “Return to Las Noches, Picaro.”
Still worked up after launching Ceros at Karin, one of the boys begins to protest, “Aww!! But the fun just started! Can’t we—?!”
The boy immediately shuts his mouth as Ulquiorra exerts his Reiatsu and glares at him in warning, “The God King has ordered you to return. Those who resist will be severely punished.”
The children in white all quickly force themselves to calm down at the mention of Ichigo, causing them to dejectedly nod, beginning to gather around the Garganta.
As they congregate, however, a bespectacled girl among them glances at Kanonji, questioning, “Um… Master Ulquiorra? Can we at least take the Don with us? He knows Ms. Roka…”
This statement makes Ulquiorra slightly widen his eyes before returning to a neutral glare, “Do what you wish.”
“YAY!”, the children squeal before two of them promptly grab the spiritualist’s shoulders, causing him to tense.
Most of Karin’s group gawk and sweat drop as, despite being literally carried away, Kanonji begins to laugh madly, “BOHAHAHA!! My time has come!! FINALLY, I SHALL BEGIN MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE OTHERWORLD!!! I WILL RETURN WHEN—"
His voice is suddenly cut off as the Picaro force him fully through the portal with them, leaving the mortal plane. Meanwhile, the absence of the children helps the likes of Mizuho and Midoriko maintain their consciousness, as now their drowsy and confused states become far more distraught and terrified. Clearly, the girls are at least mildly aware of what is happening, suggesting that, like Keigo and Mizuiro, they are beginning to become spiritually aware despite having no powers.
Making the younger human girl tense, however, is the sudden shouting of her friend, Karin, “Running away again, COWARD?!”
Ulquiorra, the focus of the call, looks back at the scarred girl, who finally begins to rise to her feet, the shattered fragments of the table on the ground around her. She returns the Hollow’s glance with a hostile glare and an angry growl, making the space between them beyond tense.
After a few moments of this stare down, the green-eyed Arrancar neutrally notes, “You might’ve gotten stronger since the last time we crossed paths, but I, too, have grown stronger. This time… I’ll capture you without fail. Perhaps then, the burden His Majesty carries will finally lessen…”
Karin and Isshin both flinch, caught off guard by the mention of Ichigo, causing the bearded man to question, “Ichigo’s still alive? But… you’re saying he carries a burden? What are you talking about?!”
Ulquiorra narrows his eyes at the man, asserting, “I’ve said too much.”
Now, most of the group wear troubled frowns, fully recognizing that any further hope of negotiation has disappeared.
The pale man then closes his eyes, trying to concentrate on something, “Paramia… There are too many Shinigami here. I require backup if we are to capture His Majesty’s sister…”
Despite his call, there is neither any golden thread nor the slightest hint of a mental response. The only thing occupying his mindscape is the usual silence of the void.
After a few moments of waiting, Ulquiorra opens his green eyes, now shining with a sense of confusion, “I don’t care what you’re doing, Paramia. This is more important. Respond.”
Again, there is no response.
As such, the Hollow furrows his brows before then widening his eyes in realization, “Something is wrong!”
Maintaining a poker face, however, he regards Karin with a neutral tone, “You’re lucky, Karin Kurosaki. I’ve changed my mind about capturing you today.”
The bat promptly turns and begins to retreat through the Garganta, causing the scarred girl to once again call out, attempting a taunt, “Looks like you’re a coward, after all! Don’t tell me you’re afraid of fighting a little girl!”
The Cuatro pauses and glances back at the Shiba, noting, “You are no mere ‘little girl’. You’ve proven yourself a threat through the way you savagely butchered Aaroniero Arruruerie.”
Something about this makes the young Shinigami frown, perhaps not liking her path fueled by a violent desire for revenge, “…I… I was defending my friends. I’m not a cowardly animal like you Hollows are!”
Ulquiorra passively stares at her for another moment before looking away, brutally retorting, “I don’t care if I’m a coward, so long as my loyalty to Ichigo stands. At the very least, I won’t betray or scorn him for existing, like you people did…”
This leaves both Isshin and Karin speechless and rather distraught, a clear jab at how they have treated Ichigo after his death, as well as how they intend to continue treating him. With that, the Arrancar fully enters the portal, causing it to fully close behind him. Everyone is speechless, standing in stunned silence, unable to find their words.
After this silence drags on for several more moments, Toshiro and Urahara are the first to recover, the shopkeeper promptly pulling something from his robes, “Unfortunately, neither the Blanks nor the Shinenju were here. Even so, we still need to clean this place up. Make sure none of the humans remember anything important…”
The small, white-haired boy nods in agreement before glancing at Momo and Rangiku, prompting them both to start moving to alter the memories of the unconscious humans. Karin, meanwhile, remains quiet for a while longer, still taking in everything that just happened. The accusation that she has betrayed her family stings deeply, especially because there is truth to it so far as Ichigo is concerned.
After a few moments, the uncharacteristically quiet and somewhat solemn form of Senna perks up at the sight of a white figure suddenly appearing in a nearby alleyway, “Hmm…? Wait, is that…?!”
The purple-haired girl quickly shifts to a smirk, promptly using Soul Candy to force her Shinigami form from her Gigai, announcing, “I see one! A Blank!”
The others widen their eyes and perk up as ribbon-wearing Shinigami runs off faster than they can hope to stop her.
However, Karin, already battle-ready, instinctively chases after her older friend, calling out, “Wait up, Senna!”
The two girls’ actions leave the rest of the group to look at each other before all moving to likewise prepare themselves, the Shinigami using Soul Candies to exit their physical bodies.
Before any can chase after the girls, however, over half of the unconscious people in the crowd suddenly warp into white wraiths with red, pointed heads. The sight shocks everyone as it is both damning and undeniable.
The conclusion is something that Isshin angrily hisses out, “DAMN IT!! So, most of these people were Blanks all along?!”
A massive crowd of the white ghosts begins to overwhelm the Shinigami and Fullbringers through sheer numbers, though they notably avoid the likes of Uryu and Mizuiro, likely not perceiving them as threats. Further, Mizuho, Midoriko, and all of the remaining unconscious humans are also ignored.
Still, the sight of the white ghosts appears as an overwhelming white mass before the two girls, causing them to both shriek and cower away, the teenage girl shouting, “W-WHAT IS THAT THING?!”
Ultimately, the now massive horde of wraiths leaves the group occupied, attempting to fight them off the best they can without harming any of the humans strewn on the ground around them.
Meanwhile, the bespectacled Quincy, not currently a target of the horde, looks off at the retreating forms of Karin and Senna, “I have a bad feeling about leaving those two alone…”
With that thought, the boy makes an instinctive decision, beginning to follow the girls, intent on ensuring his cousin’s safety.