Ichigo let out the nth sigh of the day. It was Saturday afternoon and he was stuck in his room, absolutely bored.
It has been a good month since Rukia left…
To be exact, it's been 31 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, 45 seconds…46 seconds…47 seconds…
Yes, Ichigo had been keeping time.
The orange head Shinigami Substitute angrily scratched his head as he changed his position on his bed. For several days he's been trying to use his new position in Sereitei to try and sneak in, but Yamamoto would always catch him and send him on a mission that would last for days. In the end, Ichigo has been unsuccessful in reaching Rukia.
That damn old bastard. Ichigo pouted.
"Ichigo! Stop pouting in your room and come down here and help me!"
Ichigo felt his blood pulsing through his head but he didn't retort. Afterall, it was true. As he groaned, the orange head heavily lifted himself out of his bed and walked downstairs.
"What do you want?" he glared.
Isshin looked at him with an evil glint in his eyes. His hands were on his hips and his nose was raised high. "My son, no need to waste your youth away in your room. Your darling sisters and I have planned a magical picnic that is sure to help get your mind off of Rukia-chan for a few minutes."
Ichigo looked at his father with disbelief. He grunted as he turned around to return to his room.
"Ichigo, where are you going?" Isshin yelled as he jumped and clung onto his son's back.
"GET OFF ME!" Ichigo tried to shove his father's beardy face away from him but his father was too stubborn.
In the end it became another all-out war between the father and son. At that point Karin and Yuzu walked out from the kitchen to separate the two.
"Will you stop, Ichi-nii?" Karin shoved her brother to the side with much annoyance.
"Why don't you tell that beardy over there to stop first?" Ichigo complained.
"How mean!" Isshin started his fake pout and grabbed Yuzu into a hug, "My precious daughters! Tell me why your brother hates it when I'm trying to help him?"
"If you really want to help me than help me figure out a way to get into Soul Society!" Ichigo yelled as he kicked his father further away from him.
When Ichigo's feet left his face, Isshin looked back at his son with a serious look. "Why are you trying so hard?"
"Because!" Ichigo yelled back, "I want to see Rukia but that damn old man has been keeping me too busy with all these fucking missions!"
Isshin sighed as he pushed himself up on his feet. "Ichigo…It's not like Rukia-chan isn't going to come back. Just be patient for a few more months—"
"Would you have been patient if it were mom?"
Isshin became very quiet after hearing his son's question. He looks deep into Ichigo's amber eyes and smirks. "I guess you're right. But there's still nothing I can do to help."
"Why are you so desperate, anyways?" Karin questioned her brother.
Ichigo scratched his head as his scowl deepened. "I know this may sound stupid but on the day Rukia left, at that very last second when our eyes met… I saw something that made me feel very uncomfortable…"
There was silence in the house as Ichigo continued.
"Her eyes seemed worried and it looked like she was hiding something from me."
Isshin cleared his throat as he looked at Ichigo who was still scowling. "Son, I'm sure you were just seeing things."
"Maybe… but I know what I saw."
Just then, Ichigo's ears perked up upon hearing his cell phone going off. Knowing full well who it was, the Shinigami Substitute quickly ran upstairs to answer his phone.
"Moshi moshi?" he asked breathlessly.
"Hey. Did you miss me?" the voice of an angel asked from the other line.
Ichigo grinned as he lied on his bed. "You know very well how much I fucking miss you, Kuchiki Rukia."
There was chuckling on the other line and Ichigo followed suit.
"So how is Kurosaki-kun doing?" Urahara asked.
Isshin took another shot of sake and glared at his friend. "Shouldn't you already know the answer? I know he's been coming to you everyday to sneak him into Soul Society."
"You boy is pretty desperate," Shinji chuckled.
"I think it comes from the genes," Ryuuken commented as he filled his cup with more sake.
Yoruichi laughed loudly and patted Isshin's shoulder. "True. I remember how crazy you were when you couldn't see Masaki everyday while she was pregnant with Ichigo."
"Funny how my son told me something like that this afternoon. He asked how I'd feel if I was in his position and Masaki wasn't there," Isshin laughed.
Suddenly all laughing stopped and they placed their cups down on the ground.
BOOM!
A cloud of smoke could be seen several miles away from where a loud crash was heard.
The group stood up and looked at the same direction. Shinji placed his hand on his head, ready to pull down his mask, and Ryuuken took out a cigarette before calling out his bow. Urahara lifted his cane and smashed into Isshin's head as his shinigami form jumped out.
Yoruichi stretched her legs and looked over at her friends. "Ready for some fun?" she grinned.
Urahara flapped his fan and smiled, evilly. "I think I'm ready for another round of bets."
Isshin nodded as he pulled out his Zanpaktou. "Fine with me. Loser has to do the dishes when we come back."
"Che, what a foolish punishment," Ryuuken snorted.
"If you have something to say then say it to my face!" Isshin lifted his fist.
"I did say it to you, didn't I?" the Quincy smirked.
Isshin let out a flare of reiatsu while turning back to where the crash happened. "Let's hear you complain when you lose!"
With that, all five of them disappeared into the sky as they ran after the new reiatsu in Karakura.
Ichigo was sitting on the table, located outside of the restaurant, and with his group of friends who invited… dragged him to dinner. It was pretty dark outside and they had just finished eating. Now they were sitting around and talking when suddenly they heard a loud crash several miles off.
Ichigo jumped onto his feet along with his friends, and looked at the cloud of smoke.
"What the hell was that?" Tatsuki asked her friends.
"I'm not sure," Ichigo replied, "But whatever it is, it's pretty strong." He pulled out his Shinigami Badge and smashes it against his body to escape into his shinigami form. He looks at Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo, and points at his body. "Take care of me while I'm gone."
Tatsuki nodded her head as she dragged Ichigo's body to the corner.
Ichigo turned to Uryuu, Orihime and Chad. They nodded their heads before taking off towards the direction of the explosion.
Halfway to their destination, Ichigo notices another group of reiatsu not too far ahead.
"Dad?"
Isshin turns around and waves his hand at Ichigo. "Hello my son! Here to join in on the fun?"
Ichigo ran faster so he could be next to his father. "Any idea what that was?" he asked, totally ignoring his father's previous question.
Isshin shook his head and by that time they arrived at a secluded area near the river. There was a huge crater on the earth but they couldn't see anyone…or anything.
"What's going on?" Chad asked.
Urahara walked closer to the edge of the crater and looked down. "I'm not sure but whatever it was should be around here somewhere."
There was a few second of complete silence when suddenly everyone took a large jump back from where they were previously standing as red flames shot down from the night sky, burning deep holes in the ground.
Ichigo looks up and sees two figures standing in the air looking down at them. They looked like arrancars by the way they were dressed. But there was a red veil that covered their faces.
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked.
One of the arrancars, who had a smaller stature than his companion, snorted as he pulled out his sword from its sheath. "There really is no reason for you to know who we are when you'll be dead in a matter of seconds."
"Don't count on it," Ichigo smirked as he grabbed Zangestsu from his back and swung it forward. Uryuu, Chad and Orihime also readied themselves while Isshin, Urahara, Yoruichi, Ryuuken and Shinji just stood there, staring up at their new enemies with expressionless faces.
The arrancar laughed as he slowly brought himself onto the ground. Pissed off by his cocky attitude, Ichigo jumped into the air to meet the arrancar. "Let's end this quickly!"
In a swift motion the two blades collided against each other and a huge mass of reiatsu poured out from each person.
Shinji was looking at the other arrancar and pulled down his mask. As if on cue, his fellow vizards appeared behind him with all their masks pulled down as well.
Urahara steps forward, holding onto his hat from being blown away. "Ara, looks like we have strong opponents today," he smirked while looking at the arrancar that still wasn't moving. "Would Hachigen-san please form a barrier around this fight? It might get nasty."
Hachigen nodded as he sat down on the ground and concentrated to create a barrier.
The other arrancar finally moved. He turned his face left and right, staring intently at the barrier being formed around them. "Interesting," he spoke.
"Isn't it?"
The arrancar turned around to see Shinji in his mask standing directly in front of him. He swung his blade from the right and stopped before making full contact with the neck. "So, tell me, to whom do we owe this pleasure?"
The arrancar was standing still but no emotion could be detected since the face was still covered.
Ichigo was being pushed back as the arrancar laughed menacingly, swinging his blade everywhere.
"I thought you were that famous shinigami who defeated Aizen-sama! But you're nothing but a weakling!"
Ichigo smirked as he used his strength to push back and stop his attacker. "Then don't let me disappoint you." He jumped back and pointed Zangetsu straight forward. "BANKAI!"
Another mass of reiatsu came out of Ichigo as he transformed into his bankai outfit.
The arrancar looked up and down at his enemy's new wardrobe and whistled. "That's more like it."
They both charged at each other with another attack. The arrancar immediately felt the difference in strength as his sword collided against Zangetsu. He let out another roar of laughter, obviously enjoying the new round of their fight.
Ichigo couldn't help but notice that this arrancar was more wild and attacking like a maniac. Just like him. The orange head smirked upon this realization and was able to turn his defensive moves into offensives one with the swift attack through a small opening.
"HAHA! Looks like you really do have the strength to give me a good fight!" he roared.
Ichigo twisted his arms to swing Zangetsu from the side, but the arrancar swiftly blocked it. "Looks like I'll have to end this pretty quick."
The two took a step back before charging at each other for another attack when suddenly the other arrancar appeared and grabbed his companion's shoulder.
"We must leave now," he spoke in a calm voice.
"Che, and just when it was getting fun."
Ichigo watched on as his enemy sheathed his blade and his partner called out a portal from the air.
The arrancar turned around and slightly lifted his veil to reveal his pale face with five red streaks running across his left cheek horizontally. "Remember me well, my friend, because next time you won't be so lucky."
"What the fuck," Ichigo breathed out as the two arrancars disappeared.
"Ichigo!"
The said man turned around and noticed the barrier disappearing and his companions running towards him.
"Hey, what happened?" Kensei asked.
Ichigo shrugged his shoulder. "No clue. One moment I was fighting that bastard and the next he disappears."
Shinji sighs, his mask now gone. "That other guy was pretty weird. Without me noticing he quickly disappeared from me and arrived here before I could realize it."
Ichigo looked at Urahara and asked, "Any idea on what this might be?"
The shopkeeper shook his head. "I can only bet it has something to do with the new threat in Hueco Mundo."
"I'm going there tomorrow morning with a group of shinigamis. I'll have to report this to Yamamoto then," Yoruichi announced.
Urahara nodded and started to walk back to his shop. "Let's just go home and rest then. Nothing else can be done until more information is found."
A/N: What might the new threat be about? Again, maybe not until the sequels... sorry. But on to the next chapter!
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