Ch 106: Let’s invade Soul Society!

"Take care, everyone." grinned Noah, putting on his kitsune mask after he kissed each of his girls. they had gathered in the living room to see him off. The farewells over, he teleported directly to the back of Urahara Shop. He was thirty minutes early.

"Thanks for coming." said Yoruichi, in her cat form. Noah turned to his right, and Yoruichi was there, sitting on the ground, with someone else standing nearby. A tall young man with a wild crop of short orange hair, chiseled face and brown eyes, dressed in the black kimono of a Shinigami, just like Noah was, and with a huge sword strapped behind his back. His Zanpakuto, abnormally large due to his huge reiatsu, and his relative lack of control over it.

Noah recognized him instantly. Ichigo Kurosaki, the main protagonist of the Bleach fiction.

"I thought that in these circumstances, it would be better to be early than risk getting late." smiled Noah as he nodded to Yoruichi, and faced Ichigo, extending his hand.

"Greetings. I am one of Yoruichi's friends. Please call me Kuro. It's a fake name, to go along with the mask, but I do not want to risk some people from Soul Society to target my relatives in retaliation."

Ichigo nodded in understanding and shook his hand.

"That's fair enough. The name's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki. Nice to meet you. But… Yoruichi, is there a chance that Soul Society will go after my folks?"

Ichigo turned to Yoruichi, suddenly worried.

"Not really. Kuro here may be a little paranoid, but that is his right." replied Yoruichi.

She couldn't exactly reveal to the young man that his own father was a former Shinigami Captain, a particularly strong one at that, who would be perfectly capable of protecting himself as well as his two daughters in Ichigo's absence.

"Maybe." shrugged Noah.

"Are you a Shinigami?" asked Ichigo, curious.

"I do look the part, right? But no. My sword is a real Zanpakuto that I obtained in some unique circumstances, but I have never set foot in Soul Society."

"Ok. I'm grateful that you're willing to lend us your help. Yoruichi told me that you were pretty strong."

"Strength is relative, but yes, I should be able to hold my own against the average Captain."

Ichigo opened his mouth to ask something, when they heard footsteps coming from behind the shop's corner. A slender young man dressed in a white outfit appeared, with chin-length black hair framing his face, blue eyes and thin rectangular glasses.

Uryuu Ishida, one of the last two Quincy alive, or so he believed. Someone with an aloof personality, but dependable in battle, who had an axe to grind against Shinigamis, for letting his grandfather die in a fight against hollows where they could have saved him.

He stopped five steps from Ichigo and Noah, and Yoruichi introduced Noah to him.

"Why is a Shinigami helping us?" asked Uryuu, wary of 'Kuro'. Noah couldn't exactly blame him, considering his past and the fact he was masked.

"I'm not actually a Shinigami. As for my reasons, they are multiple. Yoruichi asked me, and helping out was part of the price I agreed to pay for learning Shunpo. There's a girl in Soul Society I wish to meet. And saving Kuchiki from something as ridiculous as being executed simply for doing what was needed to kill a hollow and save innocent people, should be a good enough reason by itself."

Uryuu flinched a little at the last reason, as it resonated with the circumstances of his grandfather's death. He nodded, his voice softening.

"Yes, it is a good enough reason."

"Ishida, I appreciate you coming." smiled Ichigo. Noah knew that at this stage of the plotline, the two of them were more rivals than friends.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not coming because of you." said Uryuu, with a tone reminding Noah of a tsundere. "I'm going because this is a good opportunity to give the finger at the Shinigamis, and also because, like Kuro said, Kuchiki doesn't deserve to die."

Noah's phone vibrated, and he unlocked the screen, making sure no one else could see its content. Lady Phenex had sent him another video. He didn't open it and wrote a message for her.

"You did well. I will be unreachable for the next few days, but do not slack off in your task. Shortly after my return, I will call for you."

Noah sent it, and had no difficulty imagined the frustrated face Elisabeth would make. Her latest videos made clear that she wanted him to summon her. But she would have to wait for a while.

More footsteps were heard, and the last two members of their party appeared. Sado Yasutora, more commonly called Chad, was a two meters tall guy with a fit body, a medium bronze skin and dark brown hair he owned to his Mexican ancestry, and had the temperament of a kind giant. He was sometimes bullied by delinquents because he never fought back, afraid of severely hurting people with his great strength. Chad was dressed in blue jeans and a gray sleeveless T-shirt.

The last one was the only girl of the group. Orihime Inoue had large brown eyes, long, straight, waist-length brownish orange hair, and a very curvaceous figure. She was dressed in tight blue pants and a pink t-shirt.

"Oh, we're the last ones!" said Orihime.

Noah, Chad and Orihime introduced themselves to each other, and Orihime walked a little closer, smiling.

"That's a cool mask, Kuro-san!"

"Thanks. I made it myself." said Noah, smiling. When he had realized upon coming into this word that the bleach fiction was involved, he had not been tempted to add Orihime to his harem. In the original work, Orihime did little aside from being used as a cheerleader or heal Bot on the side, or a damsel in distress later on. But, now that he was meeting her in person, there was something about her he found appealing.

"If you like it, I could make one for you, too."

"Really? That would be great?"

"What color would you want your mask to be? And a kitsune design?"

"Kitsune is great. And, would it be possible to have it in pink? How much would it cost?"

Noah used his item creation to make her a pink kitsune mask, with a thin pink leather strap to adjust it.

"There you go. And it's free." said Noah as he gave her the requested him.

"Whoa. You can make things, just like that? Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome. You don't need to be surprised that much. After all, we're in a world where a cat can talk." joked Noah, making Yoruichi choke on her own saliva.

"That's true enough. I'm still not quite over the shock myself." said Chad.

None of the "kids" knew about Yoruichi, and they assumed she was a male from her deep voice.

Kisuke Urahara came out of his shop, smiling as he waved his cane around.

"Hello, everyone. I am glad you all came. Especially you, Kuro-san. I know you're very busy."

"That was part of our agreement. I am just keeping my word" shrugged Noah.

"Yes. Since everyone is here, there is no reason to delay. Are you all still willing to make this rescue attempt? it will be dangerous."

"Yes." replied everyone, and Urahara led them inside in shop and in his basement. Not far from the stairs, a doorway had been created, seemingly made of sheets of paper glued together to form an arch.

"Before I open the gate, I need to warn you." said Urahara seriously, making certain he had their attention.

"Behind this door is something called the Senkaimon. You can think of it as a strange space between the human world and Soul Society. You will only have four minutes to cross it. When the time is up, the door will close, and you will be stuck in the Senkaimon forever. The instant the door open, you will have to run."

Noah and the others nodded, and Urahara turned to the gate, infusing his reiatsu into it.

Noah wasn't worried. Thanks to his ability to teleport to people, even in the worst-case scenario, he would be able to pick up anyone stuck in the Senkaimon and bring them back to the human world.

The air between the paper columns shimmered and twisted, and with a cracking sound, revealing a long, dark ravine, whose walls seemed made of perpetually melting purple wax.

"Run!" yelled Yoruichi, entering the ravine. Noah and the others ran behind her.

As they ran further the walls seemed to close on them, blocking their retreat.

"Do not let it touch you! Or you'll be stuck!" shouted Yoruichi, and they ran as fast as they could. Ishida, however, being the least athletic among them, was falling behind, and the distance between him and the closing walls behind them was decreasing. Noah unceremoniously took him in a fireman carry and easily kept up with the others.

The exit appeared in front of them, and they exited safely, the passage to Senkaimon closing behind them.

They had reached Soul Society.

Noah looked around as he released Ishida. They had emerged on a large paved plaza, with decrepit looking houses on one side, and a huge, pristine white wall on the other. A large gate made of stone would allow access, to the Seireitei, but was currently closed.

"Where are we, Yoruichi-san?" asked Orihime.

"Soul Society is divided into two areas. On the outside is Rukongai, where the souls live before they are reincarnated. And beyond those walls is the Seireitei, where the Shinigamis are. We have surely triggered an alarm by opening the access to Senkaimon, so they will be aware people have intruded. Follow me."

Yoruichi headed to the huge door. But when they got within fifty meters of it, a giant shape seemed to fall from the sky and landed in front of them.

"It's been so long, since someone tried to enter without a pass." grumbled the ten meters tall giant. He wore a variant of a Shinigami outfit exposing the left half of his torso. Noah idly wondered if they had run out of materials to make his uniform. They must have exceeded their budget.

"Who are you?" asked Ichigo, craning his neck.

"Jidanbo! The guardian of this gate!" replied the mountain of a man, taking from his back two massive hatchets. They were the size of cars, but looked almost too small in his massive hands.

Noah crossed his arms and simply watched as Ichigo and Jidanbo started a verbal, then physical confrontation, ending in Jidanbo's hatchets being shattered, and him crying over it. Ichigo awkwardly offered an apology for breaking them, and suddenly, the two of them were friends.

As reward for defeating the guardian, Jidanbo squatted in front of the massive stone gate, put his fingers under it, and slowly lifted it, offering them passage.

And that was when the shit hit the fan.

Jidanbo froze in fear, for there was someone on the other side, waiting for them. Someone wearing over their black kimono the white haori of a Captain.

"Who is this guy?" asked Ichigo, looking at Yoruichi.

"This is bad! Why is that person here?" exclaimed Yoruichi.

"T-Third division's C-Captain, G-Gin Ichimaru." muttered Jidanbo as he trembled in terror.

Gin Ichimaru was of medium height, slender, with a bob of light blue hair. He constantly kept his eyes almost closed, making Noah unable to see the color of his pupils, and the constant mocking smile he displayed gave him a definite 'I'm going to stab your back. I can't help myself, that's just what I do.' aura.

"Ah, this is not allowed, Jidanbo-kun." say Gin, as he slowly drew the very short sword dangling from his waist.

"You're a gatekeeper. You are supposed to guard the door, not open it."

As he finished, Gin's short blade shone in a white light, and the light shot toward Jidanbo's left shoulder.

This was Gin Ichimaru's shikai. The ability to extend and retract his blade at a speed that eyes couldn't follow.

But Noah, having read the manga, knew it was coming, and used Shunpo to intercept and deflect the blade. At the same time, he lightly kicked Jidanbo backward, stopping him from keeping the gate opened.

"Oh?" muttered Gin, surprised. Ulquiorra had used his special ability to show his visual memory of the incident when an interloper had interfered with the recapture of the escaped test subjects, and didn't expect to find him here.

"Yo!" waved Noah, just before the gate shut close.

For a few seconds, everyone stayed silent, with Jidanbo getting back on his feet, and Noah turned to Yoruichi.

"We should not stay here. If that guy gets serious, we're in trouble. We need to find another way in."

"Yes. Everyone, quickly follow me." said Yoruichi.

"You protect Jidanbo." said the giant, smiling as he looked at Noah. "Jidanbo has a debt toward you."

"It's nothing." shrugged Noah. Yoruichi interrupted him.

"Jidanbo, do you know where someone called Kukaku Shiba might be."

"Yes! Jidanbo can bring you to her!"

"Then please do."

Jidanbo nodded and led them out of the giant ring-shaped plaza and into Rukongai. At some point, Orihime and Yoruichi somehow ended up riding his shoulders.

After a long walk, they reached the outskirts of Rukongai, and headed toward a specific building.

And whatever one might say about Kukaku Shiba, she certainly wasn't hiding!

The house was framed by two giant stone arms, each hand holding the end of a banner where Kukaku Shiba had written her name in meter-tall letters.

Behind the house was something that looked like a long industrial chimney. Noah knew that it was actually the barrel of a giant canon.

As they approached, two bulky men came out of the house and barred their route. But the instant they saw Yoruichi, their demeanor made a U-turn.

"It's Yoruichi-dono!"

"Please forgive our rudeness!"

The two guys looked like they were about to prostrate in apology.

"Is Kukaku Shiba here?"

"Yes! Please follow me!" said one of them, as the other kept guard beside the door. Noah and the others, minus Jidanbo, who returned to the gate, followed inside. In a room in the basement, they found Kukaku Shiba, grinning as she was sprawled across a few cushions.

Kukaku was an attractive woman with long black hair and eyes, large tattoos on her left arm, and was dressed in a skimpy red kimono that barely kept her giant breasts from showing her nipples. Her hair were mostly covered by a long white piece of fabric. But Noah was most interested by Kukaku's right arm. Because it was missing.

"Hi! Long time no see, Yoruichi!" said Kukaku cheerfully.

"Kukaku is… A woman?" exclaimed Ichigo and Uryuu in shock. Noah looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Even without the awareness of Kukaku's gender he possessed, he didn't understand why they would automatically assume that Kukaku was a man.

"Hum? Who are those kids?" wondered Kukaku.

"It's a long story, and I have a favor to ask you." said Yoruichi.

"Well, I have time, and I love long stories!"

Yoruichi proceeded to explain the situation to Kukaku, and she finally nodded.

"Fine, I'll help you." nodded Kukaku. "It's getting late, so you can spend the night here. Then I'll teach you guys what you need to know to enter the Seireitei, the hard way."

"Thank you, Kukaku. You're a life-saver." said Yoruichi.

Noah cleared his throat.

"Miss Kukaku, I am also grateful for your help. As a gesture of gratitude, would you be willing to accept healing?"

"Healing? Thank you, but I'm not sick."

"Ah! Of course! Why didn't I think about it? Kukaku, Kuro-san here is able to restore your right arm!" shouted Yoruichi.

"What? Is that a joke?"

"I've seen him heal himself from being skewered by a sword the size of Ichigo's in less than a minute, with my own eyes."

"I wouldn't suggest this unless I could do it, miss Kukaku. How about you give me a chance to prove it? You have nothing to lose. it's not like I'm going to demand payment."

Kukaku slowly nodded, and Noah rose, getting closer to her. He placed his palm close to her stump, and activated Greater Healing. Twenty seconds later, Kukaku, a wondrous expression on her face, was testing the movements of her restored arm, and Noah sat back among the kids.

"Kuro…Thank you very much. How can I repay you for this?"

"With a meal and a bed tonight? That would be more than enough. You've seen how little effort this cost me." smiled Noah.

"I am glad you came with us, Kuro." said Yoruichi. "I get the feeling that your talents as a healer will be required more than once before this is over.

Noah could only nod.