Rebirth In Bleach - Chapter 112

– Unknown Place –

Five figures sat around a round table surrounded by a sombre atmosphere. Shadows covered their features as one of them started speaking.

“It seems Minamoto Itsuki has passed.”

“It’s better this way, he was becoming powerful way too fast. And those eyes…”

The second figure seemed to shiver as he remembered the report of Soul Society’s fight.

“Although what Aizen spoke off was mere speculation from his part, he seemed to say the truth, if not close to it.”

A third more elderly figure spoke,

“But damn that Yamamoto, how could he have not reported that? It seemed like he knew the true powers of the boy’s eyes from before.”

“I don’t doubt it, he was his student.”

The first figure went to reassure them,

“But its fine, Itsuki has gone, Aizen came infinitely close to finding out about us and Itsuki was close behind. However, with these two out of the picture…”

“Aizen has escaped.”

“I know but what can he do now? The Hogyoku has rejected him, and he is not more powerful than Yamamoto, or even Division Zero without it.”

Everyone seemed to agree at the figure’s words. Silence encompassed the fourth figure with a more feminine voice started speaking,

“The Soul King has become more fragile; we need to find someone to replace him.”

“Yhwach still hasn’t awakened yet, but he will most likely attack Soul Society, we can make him the new soul king after he is defeated. Even if we can’t there is another candidate.”

“Who?”

“Kurosaki Ichigo and there is also Ukitake Jushiro.”

“What about her?”

“Who? Matsumoto Rangiku?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not sure yet. She was supposed to take the soul king’s place after it died yet Aizen had already taken the portion of Soul King’s power from her.”

The elderly figure spoke once more,

“Its fine, she was the most successful. If all else fails we can just use her instead and even if she can’t, isn’t she pregnant?”

“Who’s the father?”

“Reports say its Minamoto Itsuki.”

“Him again? Actually, that’s even better, if the child inherits his eye’s powers, we can take them in and try to find out the secrets of it. If we can’t make it ours, we can still make use of the child and make her into a trump card…”

– Seireitei –

Within the Kuchiki manor, Rangiku had a blank look on her face as she stared into space, holding her stomach. Hisana sat next to her with worry in her eyes but she didn’t know how to console her.

When Rangiku had heard about Itsuki’s death, something broke inside of her. Itsuki was her everything as memories flashed by in her head, from when they first met to when they joined the academy and their life as Shinigami. Memories played like on record as the feeling being broken kept nagging at her. With the announcement of life in her belly had, however, started patching those cracks but only barely.

It was the only memory of her lover and she had to be strong for the child. Soi Fon and Yoruichi felt the same, they thought of Rangiku’s child as their own. Soi Fon was promoted to Itsuki’s position while Yoruichi stayed in Soul Society, watching over Rangiku and the baby.

Suddenly, a Jigokucho appeared next to Soi Fon as she sat there.

Getting up, Soi Fon addressed the other three women in the room,

“There has been a call for an emergency meeting, I’ll be taking my leave first.”

The other three girls nodded as silence once more descended onto the room. However, it was suddenly broken by a pink and white head peeking through the doors.

– 1st division HQ –

“What?!”

“Indeed, Aizen Sosuke has escaped.”

“But how? Hadn’t he lost his powers after the Hogyoku rejected him.”

“Yeah, but he still had his reiatsu.”

“But that was also sealed off.��

The one that was the most aggregated was Soi Fon, from what she knew, the one to kill Itsuki was Aizen. She also felt the other captain’s to blame but for her, Aizen was the prime target.

“Silence. Anyway, Captain Kurotsuchi, keep an eye out for any strange movements in the Dangai and try to see if anyone has seen anyone who had entered or left soul society. The rest of you stay on high alert.”

Everyone nodded and were about to leave when Yamamoto’s voice once more rung out,

“Kuchiki, Shunsui, Soi Fon and Ukitake, meet me in my office.”

The others were curious as to the reason but didn’t indulge in it and just left for their duties. The four that were called out appeared in Yamamoto’s office to which the latter was already sitting in one chair. The four captains stood there waiting for the man to speak when he bought out pieces of a black material. The four captains kept quiet but were curious as to where the captain commander was going with this.

“These were Aizen’s bindings…”

The four captains were shocked but held it in, being the most easy going, Shunsui was the one that voiced out everyone’ questions.

“Old man, how did you get these?”

“I was able to sneak a bit of it out…”

“Then why did you call us?”

Yamamoto grabbed the piece and unceremoniously threw it at them. Shunsui caught it and looked at it, carefully analysing the material before passing it around.

“Anything suspicious?”

Yamamoto had a mysterious air around as he took a sip of tea with a satisfied smile. Shunsui didn’t care where he got the tea from as he frowned at Yamamoto. He could see the jolly atmosphere that was carefully hidden by the mysterious one, but he didn’t call out to it. All of the captains were stumped until it reached Byakuya’s hands,

“This… these cuts, they bring a familiar feeling?”

Byakuya was someone who knew the sword of Itsuki the most, due to the numerous times they had sparred. Being Yamamoto’s student, it also meant that it felt familiar to him. But that wasn’t the only reason,

“I’m pretty sure you looked over it, there is no Reiatsu within them…”

Along with Yamamoto’s voice, the captains took a careful look at the material,

“What?”

Everyone was confused, but a look of realisation hit Shunsui’s eyes.

“Old man, you don’t mean?”

“Yes, if you can remember Aizen talked about Itsuki’s eyes, while it was frighteningly close, it wasn’t the truth. Itsuki’s eyes had the ability to kill anything, even inanimate objects.”

“You mean to say is…”

“I can only think of Itsuki having the abilities to pull such a thing, only I know of it and now you four.”

Everyone was shocked, but the most affected was Soi Fon. Her eyes widened and she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her thoughts were pulled into disarray and her surrounding muffled.

“Fon…Soi Fon.”

Yamamoto’s voice pulled her back as she collected herself. Seeing that Soi Fon was mostly back but her mind was still elsewhere.

“Did Itsuki say anything during all those years?”

Soi Fon just shook her head. She always felt a certain distance from the man. She had spent the most time with him, yet he was always covered by a fog. At that time, she didn’t care, she was happy. But now she didn’t know what she felt…

– Hell Realm –

A gigantic skeleton like being peered down at the ant in front of him. Its mind couldn’t comprehend what it was witnessing. For as long as it could remember they had been tasked in hunting down the souls within the realm and none were able to fight back. Given the name Kushanada, they only had one duty, hunt. Yet today it seemed the role had become the opposite, the ants they killed continuously were now fighting back. Not the ones they usually annihilated but this one was different, it didn’t have the chain like the others nor did it seem the ant belonged here, however, looking at the being’s eyes it had felt an emotion that it hadn’t ever felt before. Fear.

The being’s steps were small, one step of its own were like the opposites twenty yet it just knew, that it couldn’t run away. He felt his siblings attack the said figure yet what they were expecting never occurred, their touch had no effect on the being. Looking at two of its sibling swing at the intruder, their humongous hands completely enveloping the figure. However, they couldn’t even slightly budge the figure as a flash appeared and their colossal bodies were separated, both of them cut in a completely different angle. It didn’t end there, the chopped bodies seemed to evaporate into a yellow mist and be absorbed into said figure.

This shouldn’t have happened, even if they were killed, they should’ve been able to come back yet nothing of the sort happened. The skeleton could feel it. Its siblings no longer existed. The being disappeared once the mist was absorbed completely, and it appeared in front of it. The being felt the fear magnify thousands of times as it stumbled back, and another new feeling welled up within him. Despair.

Itsuki looked at the four legged being he just slaughtered. Walking on all fours, reminiscence of gorillas, the Kushanada had elongated skulls with a skeletal body and a large piece of shoulder armour on its right shoulder. Its grey arms and legs were the only non-skeletal part of the so-called guardian of hell, yet it was packed with muscle. He could see various souls of sinners looking at him with wonder, vigilance and hope as Itsuki just ignored them.

“They seem to think of you as their saviour…”

A slight laugh was heard behind in which Aizen walked out from seemingly nowhere. Itsuki didn’t turn around but kept looking at all the Kushanada congregating at their location. They were surrounded by many floating white blocks, but it seemed that the Kushanada can just ignore them and walk straight through. The blue pathway seemed to go on for ages, but Itsuki didn’t stop.

Behind Aizen were the Dark Ones, Ichinose Maki, Baishin, the four arrancar. Seikyo was flying high in the sky while Noel was, well she was currently the fourth arrancar. Back to the a.d.u.l.t version of herself, she seemed depressed with a pout, no longer able to hitch a ride on Itsuki’s back.

“The reiatsu here…”

Baishin’s gruff voice was heard as Ichinose replied,

“Yeah, any weak person will just go insane by how chaotic it is…”

“Still…those two seem to think of it as a walk in the park…”

The leader of the dark ones, Ganryu looked at Itsuki and Aizen who were having a small conversation. Although they weren’t that close to them, they still weren’t able to hear what the two were saying despite being at a distance where even a normal human could hear them.

“Rangiku Matsumoto was an anomaly, it was through sheer luck that I was able to find her. Who would’ve expected her to have a small portion of the soul king’s power within her? Although I waited it out, it seemed that it was placed into her rather than something that she herself created. It was one of the main components to create the king’s key…”

Itsuki silently listened as a sigh left his mouth.

“Is it finished?”

Aizen knew what he was talking about as his smile never left his face,

“I was close.”

“Close?”

“The last part was the human Ryoka, Kurosaki Ichigo. Someone who was Hollow, Shinigami and Quincy. His soul was the last part, the more powerful it was, the better the chances, yet it seems it was not to be. His last attack allowed me to complete my fusion with the Hogyoku but the Hogyoku rejected its existence and completely annihilated it.”