Chapter 14 - Chapter 13: Herald of Fate's Breaker

"He that holdeth fast unto his convictions shall never count betrayal amongst his crimes, though all the world may call him villain.

My path is unchanged; my creed sacrosanct. This I believe with all my heart." - Urianger Augurelt

.....

Urahara Kisuke, in all his years, has encountered numerous people. Be it during his tenure in the Second Division as the Third Seat, in the Twelfth Division as the Captain, and his current exile, he had seen much of what the world has to offer. But right now, every sense within him screams danger at the person in front of him.

This man, no, this monster, seemed to be a Seated officer of the Gotei 13, thanks to the info from the many exchanges he had with his contacts within Soul Society. But as for the specifics, they were rather vague. Apparently, the man had rarely shown his face outside of the Seireitei. Even with the help of Yoruichi, they barely uncovered anything regarding the man, of which it includes the fact that he managed to graduate from the Shin'o Academy within two years and was admitted into the Thirteenth Division.

Regardless, the fact remains that the man is standing before him right now, and he must deal with him. Kisuke is filled with a mix of both curiosity and wariness: curiosity in the sense that he's certainly not your run-of-the-mill Shinigami, wariness in that he even managed to find his shop.

While he already greeted the man with enough friendliness, Kisuke kept his guard up.

'Let's see where we'll go from here…' He thought as the other man stared at him.

He was not looking forward to a fight with this guy, whoever he is. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that.

…..

In the meantime, Shugo, was simply staring at the man. Certainly enough, the exiled Shinigami greeted him with a rather cheerful attitude. However, his aether fluctuations were saying different things. For one, it's flaring ever so slightly, albeit under temper. This meant that he was being wary of him, but not being immediately hostile.

'Hm.' He mentally hummed. 'Certainly, rather apropos of him to express such behavior.'

He was fairly impressed by the captain's behavior. However, one thing was certainly standing out: 'twas the fact that the man came out seemingly knowing that he was coming. That put a dent onto his impression, thus he wasn't truly impressed. But that would be unfair, given that the man was unaware of the fact that it was shown by his aether's fluctuations, given this star's unfamiliarity with the concept of aether in its entirety, and instead more than familiar with only one of its aspects: the spiritual side of it.

Though, it could perhaps be owed to the fact that the aether here was over-aspected towards the spiritual side rather than balanced like on Hydaelyn.

'Considering that the Humans here have no clear idea of the very concept of reishi is evident enough.' He pondered.

This wasn't to say that all of Humanity was wholly unaware of it. Rather, 'twas most of the Humanity, with only a miniscule such as the Quincies being the few exceptions. And evidently, the Quincies here are close to extinction, judging from Captain Shiba's words and the common knowledge from the Academy are to be believed.

Nevertheless, it matters not to him. He'd still help the Humans if he could, so long as it doesn't attract unnecessary attention from unsavory parties. After all, 'twas his habit since he became an adventurer more than two years ago, prior to his arrival here. The rules of Soul Society do not necessarily apply to him, given the fact that he can still be considered as part of the World of the Living, albeit a foreign one.

Rather, he simply decided to follow along due to him being a part of the Gotei 13 for the time being. 'Twas, after all, how the Scions operates. While they may not claim allegiance to any of the city-states of Eorzea, they still operate within the boundaries of the law if they can help it. Only under severe circumstances they would even consider forgoing the law and act on their own. Such is one of the reasons why the organization was revered amongst the nations of Eorzea, and later the rest of the world.

"Greetings." He greeted, bowing his head lightly, as per the traditional greeting done by Hingans. "Mayhap I'd be correct in assuming that you're the shop owner, Urahara-san?"

This caused Urahara to freeze for a moment before he gave his signature laugh.

"Ahahahahahaha!" He laughed, as he closed his fan. "Correct~! Urahara Kisuke, at your service~!"

He was certainly not expecting the man to be this interesting. Keeping a decorum, albeit rather neutrally. And not to mention, that rather archaic way of speaking that he mostly heard from the older members of the Gotei 13, prior to his exile.

'Not to mention, this weird feeling coming from him…' He noted as he felt some sort of energy, aside from the reiatsu coming from the man.

"I believe an acquaintance I'm familiar with is inside your shop." Shugo said bluntly, which stammered Kisuke.

Seeing the exiled captain's reaction, he reassured the man the best he can. "Fret not, I'm not under any orders to harm the man." He raised his hands. "Nor to his charge. 'Tis simply to ensure their well-being, and to…foresee the consequences myself."

That last part confused Kisuke for one moment, before he realized, though he kept his face as jovial as he was.

'He knew of Masaki-chan's condition?' Kisuke raised his brow mentally.

It took him a bit of time to consider before he came to a decision.

"Come in, come in~!" He invited as he opened the door of his shop.

Shugo went inside with Kisuke guiding him at the front after he closed the door. Once more, the front of the shop was empty yet again.

…..

Going through the inside, he found rows of what seemingly were traditional candies, or as he recalled, dagashi. He was somewhat familiar with it, though he only had a few, and even then, it was his father that bought it for him. He never personally went out to buy it during his childhood. And the next time he encountered those again was when he arrived at Kugane along with the Scions for the first time.

From the shop's entrance doors, the place was seemingly divided into two rows inside, before further in was an elevated floor that segmented the candy rows and the cashier. Yes, he's familiar with the concept of cashiers before he came to this star.

The cashier's storefront was to the right, while to its left was another door that led to the interior of the shop. When he came inside, he was certainly surprised to see a lot of doors. Apparently, the place was seemingly capable of handling a lot of guests. Before long, he was led by Kisuke to the door at the far end of the hallway, to the right.

As the exiled captain opened the door, he found both Isshin and Masaki were messing with each other, albeit playfully. Their entrance certainly surprised the possible couple. However, the one most surprised was Shugo, and the target of the surprise was Isshin. The man's reiatsu was, for all intents and purposes, gone.

'Nay.' He shook his head mentally. 'Not gone. The term subdued would be more proper.'

Seeing that Isshin more than likely couldn't see him as he was in this condition, he did not wait. He had been wanting to test out if he could shift between the physical plane and the spiritual plane, in which he's of the latter at the moment. Manipulating the aether within his body, he changed its nature to be more balanced, as he used to be.

Do note that this didn't suppress his Shinigami powers. It also followed him as he transitioned into the physical plane, owing to his unique nature compared to the natives here. In the span of a snap of a finger, he finished the transition with ease. Of course, this elicited the expected reaction from Isshin, who was shocked to see him suddenly appearing behind Kisuke.

"Kurenai?" Isshin asked, a tad shocked at Shugo's sudden appearance.

Kisuke also looked surprised. 'To think that this guy can do that… Very interesting…'

"Aye, Captain Shiba." Ignoring Kisuke's fluctuations, he answered Isshin's question, though he paused at the end.

"Ah, stop it, Kurenai." Isshin waved his hand. "You know that there's no way in hell I can still be a captain, not when I can't even be considered as a Shinigami anymore.

This was true. Even if the Gotei 13, somehow, allowed Isshin to remain as a Captain, he'll be nothing more than an administrator of the division, no longer leading them in a combative capacity, as other captains would often have to do in certain situations. And even then, it's stretching the generosity of the Gotei 13, with the assumption that the Central 46 would even allow that in the first place.

'Considering their prior decisions…' Shugo had a grim look when he recalled the various decisions that the C46 made from the history lessons, books and the retelling by Captain Ukitake.

It wasn't inspiring any confidence in them, since most of their decision was rather… Foolish, to put it mildly.

"…I see." That was his words after hearing Isshin's statement, closing his eyes while sighing heavily in acceptance.

There was no other way around this. Even if the captain-commander knew of the true circumstances, he would not be able to do much, given that the rules made by C46 was extremely rigid. The time that will be needed to even find a loophole, if possible, was still a long one. And more likely than not, Captain Shiba would be declared either a traitor or exiled, just like Kisuke.

"Hey, hey!" Masaki suddenly called him out while pointing at him, breaking the rather tense air surrounding the two. "You're that other guy who has that cool car!"

Shugo just stared at the lass, dumbfounded. Isshin facepalmed at her. While she didn't say anything more than she already has, however, she said enough to pique Kisuke's interest, who turned to look at Shugo with a glint on his eyes. It felt like he was being looked at as if by children who were expecting their presents during the Starlight celebrations back on Hydaelyn, or as the equivalent of it here is known, Christmas. Though, it should be noted that it's more known to be something from the nation known as the "United States of America", often celebrated on the twelfth moon of this star.

"What?" She tilted her head in confusion.

…..

In the end, Kisuke instantly went ballistics and very much demanded for Shugo to show the Regalia, much to his chagrin. Isshin kept apologizing while Masaki only showed an expression that some have suggested to be known as the "teehee~" expression.

The four, under the guidance of Kisuke, then made their way to a sort of trapdoor, located on the floor within the shop. He opened the door and went into it without hesitation. Isshin and Masaki looked at each other, before Isshin decided to princess-carry Masaki and dropped down into the trapdoor.

Sighing, Shugo followed suit. Dropping into the trapdoor, he was surprised to be in a massive underground area, which was baffling considering that the shop was considerably smaller than the hidden area below it. And yes, if you're asking, he slowed his descent with enough ease.

"WHOAAAAA!!" He heard Kisuke's voice from below. "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!"

As Shugo dropped gracefully on the ground, he could very well tell that the shopkeeper was playing the fool here, though certainly for comedic purposes.

'It certainly feels like the man oft does this to guests such as me.' He noted.

Somehow, the natives of this star oft would get themselves into comedic situations or the like, such as this one. It was as if he was in Hildibrand's shenanigans again. That comedian of an Inspector, or so he proclaims himself, oft would find himself in baffling situations.

Be it the capture of the Phantom Thief shortly after his recovery (and the subsequent reveal of the true plot behind the said thief), the uncovering of the bizarre conspiracy involving a mammet named Gigi, and the case of the Wolf Burglar in the Far East (and the ensuing reveal yet again), that failure of an Inspector always found a way to unravel the secrets behind the mysteries in his cases, mostly due to pure fluke and usually done in an utterly preposterous way that leaves others on the ground, laughing uncontrollably at how it beggars belief.

'That man defies all known logic.' That was Shugo's verdict on the Manderville prodigal scion.

"I didn't know that there was a such huge-ass cavity beneath the shop!!" Kisuke shouted in an exaggerated manner.

Masaki, for one, seemed genuinely surprised. Isshin, on the other hand, looked surprised for a completely different reason that he kept to himself. Shugo had an unimpressed look on his face at this point. While this place was certainly impressive, he could somewhat guess how it was made. Keyword here being somewhat, as this was beyond his actual expertise.

'Mayhap he expanded the space around the initial location, whilst anchoring the initial location's occupied space, thus preventing the true space's shape from warping towards the expanded space.' He pondered.

This was, as stated before, fields of science that either Urianger, or Hades, would no doubt take interest in. As for Shugo, he himself knows a bit due to his inventory, a pocket dimensional storage that he had. While it's not exactly the same, it certainly does bear some similarities in fundamentals.

"Let us be away with what the shopkeeper wishes to witness, shall we?" He then reminded the soon-to-be couple.

Receiving their nods, Shugo snaps his finger. Before long, the trio bore witness to the sight familiar to them, while Kisuke, on the side, looked in shock, as the car slowly materializes into reality. It appeared at a slightly slow speed, from the front of the car, and then progressing through the main body, before reaching the back of the car.

"The Regalia." Shugo said in short. "Reverse-engineered by a genius friend of mine, 'twas based off a vehicle owned by a royal family from a distant land."

The car's sleek body, with some additions that were made by Cid, certainly got Kisuke's attention. This was evident enough with the former head of the SRDI literally all over the car.

He was not about to spell out his origins to Kisuke. Not that he doesn't trust the man, rather, he's simply playing it by the ear. For all intents and purposes, the former captain was exiled due to Aizen's scheme, and who knows if the sinister captain of the Fifth was aware of his former colleague's refuge or not. And there was no telling if said sinister captain had any ears or not in this place.

At the very least, Aizen would only know that he has this vehicle, its name, and that Shugo can easily summon it into reality by unknown means with a finger snap.

'Though 'tis more theatrics than anything.' Shugo shrugged.

He usually whistled to summon it from a separate inventory that he had. That was mostly because he used to oft summon Wildheit, his Chocobo, in such a manner. So much so that it was ingrained in him for some time. But now, he simply used it for calling beast mounts, while for artificial mounts, he uses a finger snap. It was easy enough to do nowadays, which helps in separating which mount was which and for what occasion.

Anyroad, Kisuke spent around an hour or so before he finished drooling all over the Regalia, figuratively, and to some degree, literally. It was a good thing that the Regalia would automatically be cleaned and maintained once entering that separate inventory. If brought out once more, it'll be as good as new. Such was the benefits of that dimensional storage.

…..

Because Shugo had just recently came back to Soul Society, it would be rather suspicious if he returns once more in such a short span of time. Thus, he decided to wait until his assigned time here was finished and for another to take over. Until then, he'd do his duty: keep watch over Karakura Town, purifying Hollows, and send off souls to Soul Society with Konso.

Frankly speaking, it became rather monotonous for him, hence he'd spend the daytime wandering around in the town, seeing what they had to offer. Granted, he already had the map for the entire town on his Tomestone. However, he wanted to familiarize himself with the place, so that when it was his turn again in the next month or two, he won't have to rely on his Tomestone all the time for navigating through the town.

And, not to mention, he'd spend time trying to get some materials to craft things, if he wasn't wandering around during the daytime. Having picked up all of the known schools of the Disciples of the Hand, which includes Alchemist, Leatherworker, Weaver, Blacksmith, Goldsmith, Armorer, Carpenter, and Culinarian. The Disciples of the Hand are basically schools of discipline about crafting that exists on Hydaelyn.

Most of them were already on the level of Masters (granted, on the same regard as his achievements as a Gunbreaker, White Mage, Red Mage, and Machinist), albeit it was after spending enough gils to buy another small estate like the one he owned in Shirogane, due to needing to buy the materials that were rather rare and can only be found in the Marketboard.

Considering the bizarre factor of this star, in which they're more attuned to the spiritual side in comparison to those on Hydaelyn, more likely than not, the items that he would create would more than likely not be as potent as they would've been, since there's no known monsters on this star, aside from Hollows. Even then, Hollows doesn't necessarily count as monsters in the traditional sense.

However, since he didn't pick up the necessary classes for gathering materials directly from nature, he opted to try and find things that he could desynthesize himself, since he didn't have the currency that was used in the Human World, in this case the Japanese Yen. Thus, he'd oft had Ardbert and Fray scout for places that might have appliances that had been dumped by the natives, before he himself went there while the other two continue on with their patrol.

The most lucrative thrown away items, or junks, that yielded the most materials were almost always electronics that these Humans used. It should be noted that the materials resulting from the desynthesis were all purely materials, with no crystalized aether being among them. Normally, this would raise his eyebrow. However, considering that the Humans on this star barely, if not entirely ignorant of the concept of reishi, let alone aether, it wasn't much of a stretch to see that the items would yield such a result. This meant that these Humans made these items through pure technological prowess, something that impressed him quite a bit. The Machinist side of him certainly thought so.

'These people all have technology integrated into their daily lives. Cid would've been ecstatic if he was here as well.' He remarked, when recalling that the ones that he was finding was only accounting for one town of a country, in a world that had at least a hundred nations.

Cid was ever the proponent of "Freedom Through Technology". The man threw aside all that he had back in Garlemald, and built his own workshop, the Garlond Ironworks, all for the sake of achieving peace and prosperity with science and technology. No doubt he would've been overjoyed, if he was on this star as well, since when compared to Hydaelyn, this star has far and few between conflicts.

And considering that this star has advanced this far through pure sciences, he would no doubt Cid would have wished to learn everything that this star has to offer and bring back the benefits learnt from here to Hydaelyn, further spreading his belief with innumerable inventions inspired from the ones of this star.

Because of his actions, there had been talks within the town regarding the discarded junks disappearing overnight, with no traces of who took it or where it has gone to. It soon became one of the town's infamous mysteries, albeit one that people genuinely are appreciative of.

This piqued Kisuke's interest, however, Shugo declined to comment whenever the shopkeeper asked. He only allowed the man to know of one thing, and it was because of Masaki's misstep. This time, Kisuke has no such leverage, and Shugo effectively ignored the man's questions. This continued effectively until he was finally able to return to Soul Society after reaching the two-week term of assignment here.

…..

The fallout following the incident began to ripple in the Gotei 13, marked with Shugo's return to the Seireitei after his two-week assignment there was completed. He was immediately summoned to the captains' assembly hall once more in the First Division's barracks. This time, there was clearly a captain missing, and those present already knew very well who it was.

Frankly, this incident rankled the nobility and Central 46, since the missing captain was not only a noble, but part of the Shiba Clan, one of the five Noble Families of Soul Society. He may be the head of a branch of the Shiba, he was still nevertheless counted as one of the Shiba. Because of this, there was no doubt that the Shiba Clan will lose their position as part of the Five Great Noble Families.

The Shiba was already in a spotty position with the loss of Shiba Kaien, the previous head of the Shiba Clan, and his wife, Shiba Miyako, as well. Shiba Isshin was the Shibas' last hold on their position as one of the Five Great Noble Families, and now with him going missing, it was the nail in the coffin for their nobility status.

Granted, they'll still considered to be nobles, however, they'll no longer be considered as part of the Great Five, meaning that they'll be an ordinary noble family, albeit retaining a degree of their prestige due to their history.

This was all that Shugo knew of the whole situation. Loathe he may be, it was inevitable that he'd come across this manner of information. Be it either from Kuchiki or Captain Ukitake, he was very much politically aware, or as much as one can be while not being involved directly in the politics of Soul Society.

For the moment, however, it was all moot. As of right now, he was on the way to the captains' assembly hall after being ordered to go there. Once more accompanied with Captain Ukitake, the party of two Flash Stepped to the said hall in the First Division's barracks. As soon as the two arrived by the door of the hall, their arrival was announced.

The large double doors creaked open, showing the inside of the hall.

"Captain of the 13th Division and his Eighth Seat has arrived!" Sasakibe announced, albeit rather subdued.

''Tis time to cast the die, as fate has already casted hers.' He thought as he entered the hall.

His eyes gazed upon those who were present in the hall. Oddly enough, the only ones there were those who were part of the plan. Ukitake went to the right side, sitting beside Kyoraku. This formed a rather familiar sight, though one person was clearly missing, for obvious reasons.

"Eighth Seat Kurenai." Yamamoto, who sat at the middle of the far end of the hall, called with his rather booming voice. "I assume you know the reason why you're being called for today."

"Sir." Shugo bowed his head lightly. "Mayhap this be related with the missing Captain Shiba?"

"None other." Yamamoto nodded. "You may relay your report."

Shugo nodded, albeit with a rather pensive look. "Captain Shiba…" He sighed heavily as he prepared to say his next words. "Is no longer capable of serving as a captain."

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped by a few degrees. Yamamoto kept a neutral face when he heard this, but the aetheric signatures coming from the aging Head Captain was all too clear for Shugo's senses. The head captain was not pleased.

"Explain." Yamamoto ordered, with a low voice.

"Due to…complications with the incident two weeks prior, the captain had become…indisposed…and thus, would not be able to continue with his duties as a captain of the Gotei 13." Shugo gave the summary. "Nor even his duties as a Shinigami."

"Just say it, Kurenai." Kyoraku sighed.

"To clarify: nay, Captain Shiba still draws breath." Shugo raised his hands. "However, this matter pertains to his current…condition."

"Elaborate." Yamamoto grunts.

"He…" Shugo pondered for a moment before giving it straight. "Lost his powers and has become a mortal."

The room was silent for a moment before Sui-Feng stood up and instantly demanded answers. "What do you mean he lost his powers?!" She asked, growling rather dangerously.

Shugo closed his eyes. There was no easy way to answer this without exposing Masaki. However, now that he already casted his own die, why should he hesitate? Clenching his teeth, he made up his decision.

"Because captains…" He then opened his eyes and met Sui-Feng's glare. "He gave it up to save an ally who took the blow in his stead."

"Ally?" Yamamoto raised his brow.

"Before I elaborate on the matter, a question, if you all are willing to answer." Shugo raised his hand. "If you were to encounter a sworn enemy of yours, yet that same person risked their own well-being in your stead and became indisposed… What will you do when you're told that the way to save said person is by sacrificing your own power?"

A rather obvious question, yes, since he's never one good with riddles. That was the domain of Urianger. While he knew how to speak cryptically, he doesn't exactly come off as one naturally. However, it served well enough as the room became eerily silent. The captains present instantly knew what they meant by his question.

"A Shiba to the end…" Ukitake muttered, sighing at the implication of that question.

"Eighth Seat Kurenai." Yamamoto opened his eyes. "Are you saying that Captain Shiba helped a Hollow?"

"Nay." Shugo shook his head. "Recall the time prior to my…arrival, was there not a… Massacre committed by the Gotei 13 unto a certain group?"

The shocked look on the captains' faces were all plain to see.

"You can't seriously mean…" Sui-Feng had a look of disbelief on her face.

"I speak the truth." Shugo shook his head. "The last of the Quincies yet live."

This sent shockwaves amongst the captains. That unpleasant business they conducted… There were survivors?

"This certainly complicates things." Ukitake nodded with a grim look.

Seeing that he certainly got their attention, Shugo went on to explain the proper chronicles of what happened during the incident, this time not excluding the fact that Masaki was there. And of course, this included what happened to her and what caused Isshin to suddenly bolt and going missing, which also lead to the answer of why Isshin can no longer be a captain and became a Human. The other thing regarding the whole incident is due to Aizen and his group's doing was also not left unsaid.

After hearing the whole ordeal, the captains who were present fell into silence. Aside from Unohana being the only one who had a contemplative look on her face, most the remaining captains had a solemn look plastered on their faces. Even Yamamoto, who was second to Unohana in keeping a stoic face couldn't help but furrow his thick, white brows.

Yet again, they were facing a situation without precedence. The webs of Aizen's schemes were slowly becoming visible, yet it was getting more intricate once again.

A captain of the Gotei 13 never really retire since it's essentially a permanent duty. The closest one that can be considered as retired is the former captain of the 6th Division, Kuchiki Ginrei, and that was due to his declining ability as a captain-class Shinigami.

'Perchance Captain Shiba's current condition is also applicable…' Shugo pondered.

Still, there was no way that the actual accounts could be reported to Central 46. More likely than not, they will order for the elimination of Kurosaki Masaki, and the imprisonment of Isshin. This was the dilemma going on inside the captain-commander's mind. Though in the end…

Suffice it to say, it was a good thing that this was kept off-record.

...

The results from the meeting were what Shugo expected. Keeping the details regarding what happened to Isshin a secret, while releasing a vague explanation as to what happened to the now-considered-exile former captain of the 10th for the rest of the Gotei 13, and by extension, the nobility and Central 46. That was what the captain-commander decided, and the following ruling was also enforced by the decree from Central 46.

And the ripple he had foreseen prior that will disturb Soul Society? It went about just as expected.

Barely several months after the incident and Captain Shiba was essentially disavowed and exiled, the Shiba Clan basically lost its position as part of the Great Noble Families, being reduced to a normal noble family, previously being part of them in all but name. They've since moved out of their original estate within the Seireitei and settled somewhere in the Rukongai, with rumors pointing that they're somewhere in the West Rukongai.

As to Shugo himself, the several months following the incident, he'd been promoted to the 4th Seat, directly under the two 3rd Seats. Most within the 13th agreed that it was a matter of time until he was appointed as a Lieutenant by Captain Ukitake. They also agreed that had it not been for his relatively new status within the division, he would've instantly been appointed into the Lieutenant position by the captain.

Also, the captain had managed to complete the transition since the incident and has since overseen the division's affairs personally. The two Co-3rd Seats, Kiyone and Sentaro, in the meantime, were finally released from their previous duties in managing the division in the place of the captain. Those two were training themselves in improving their overall capabilities, overseen by both Shugo and Ukitake.

Rukia, by Shugo's and Ukitake's insistences, taken along for the training with the two Co-3rd Seats. Despite her objections, she was heavily reprimanded by Shugo. He knew of her trauma for what happened with Shiba Kaien, and thus, this was one way for her to not continue wallowing in sorrow for the late Lieutenant.

"Weakness is not a sin." Shugo nodded in understanding of her pain, though she didn't know that he knew of the reason for her pain.

His next words, however, certainly gave her enough boost to wake up from her stupor.

"For 'tis only a sin if one were to continue being weak." He emphasized on this last part with a heavy tone.

He knew all too well that while this may not still guarantee that she would be able to prevent something similar from happening once more, at the very least, she'd have the chance to try and do so, perchance even seeking meaning in all that has happened and finding a measure of peace for herself.

'Twelve knows she needs it.' He sighed.

For too long she embroiled herself in guilt. 'Twas time she finds meaning in her life.

Regarding his agreement with the SWA, it also came into effect. Shugo gave them the Tomestone to be studied, and reverse-engineered essentially, with the profits from 75% of the sales of the new denreishinki going to him, along with the ownership of the new denreishinki's patent, essentially.

Captain Kurotsuchi, in the meantime, did groan about it; however, he didn't have much of a choice, considering that this was not only approved by the head-captain when suggested by the SWA, but it was also very high profile and thus closely watched by many, including even the Noble Houses and Central 46, despite the latter's often clash with the Gotei 13. For this one, they agreed that it's crucial enough to warrant this much scrutiny.

…..

Meanwhile, in the Human World, Masaki continued her school until she graduated around several months after the incident. By that time, it was agreed by both Masaki and the Ishida family that due to her soul now being mixed with that of a Hollow's, she's no longer considered to be a pure Quincy, and thus, she left the Ishida family with their blessings. Of course, this would've taken longer had it not been for Ryuuken's voicing his agreement with the decision.

Though, it should be noted that in private, Ryuuken still felt bitter about the whole ordeal. His failure certainly made a deep enough impression that would certainly last him years before it may even be healed.

Isshin in the meantime opened a small clinic with the help of Urahara, who took care the paperwork and other laborious bureaucracy red tape that one would normally need to go through in normal procedures if done by themselves. This was mostly since the only thing that he properly studied in the Shin'o Academy that was applicable in the World of the Living was of medicine, while he slacked in other subjects.

In the several months since the incident, whenever Shugo would be stationed in town, he'd sometimes visit Isshin's clinic, which was located somewhere near the Karasu River, in the Minamikawase district. The reason he knew where the clinic was located was due to Kisuke notifying him when he was stationed again in town, around two months after the incident. Well, that and him easily sensing Isshin's aether approximate location.

He was also surprised to learn that Masaki had already graduated from Senior High and was entering University. The equivalent of University on Hydaelyn, as far as he knew, was basically being considered as a Sage or an Archon by Sharlayan or one of their academic institutions.

Most on Hydaelyn are taught in either public education hosted by their government, with a small number of the wealthy being taught either by private tutors hired by their family, or they went abroad and studied in Sharlayan, or its colony in Eorzea, prior to the first invasion of Garlemald of Eorzea in the Sixth Astral Era. The invasion of Eorzea resulted in Sharlayan abandoning their colony when the invasion started, after five years of preparation for the mass exodus from the colony, in accordance with their neutrality policy.

It never sat well with Shugo when he recalled that one detail of Sharlayan, which was all but confirmed when he and the Scions journeyed there, trying to convince them to do their part in repelling the second advent of the Final Days, only to be repulsed yet again. It was certainly made worse when he recalled several more details from his distant past as Azem and being part of the Convocation of Fourteen.

Their policy was eerily similar, yet different in that at the very least, the Amaurotine civilization had him as their eyes and ears in the greater world. And even then, they don't decry him whenever he intervened in matters outside of Amaurot, simply being dismayed and disagreed with his actions. But they NEVER ignored the world, regardless of their non-interference policy.

'In comparison…' His anger flared when he recalled how Sharlayan seemingly deviated from what they were emulating.

Shaking his head and calming himself, it did not matter much to him. Not anymore, at least. The Second Final Days had been repulsed, and he was now here.

Going back to the topic, Masaki was apparently living apart from Isshin. It seems that Isshin didn't need to live with her to keep the Hollow within her in check.

…..

"She always came by you know?" Isshin said, referring to Masaki while putting down a cup of green tea at the table in front of Shugo.

Mind you, currently Shugo was visiting Isshin at his home/clinic. Apparently, his home shared space with his clinic. This was around the several months period after the incident.

"Yet she came only to laugh when she sees me wearing this white robe." He remarked, pointing at the white coat that was hanging by the hanger near the door to the clinic in the house, feeling rather indignant at her for that.

Shugo shrugs. He couldn't relate much with that, though he certainly wasn't surprised. Given that the captain's own admittance of lacking in academic knowledge, with his only redeeming point being that he studied medicine properly in the Academy, hence the only reason why he could open a clinic in the first place.

…..

At the point when Isshin opened the clinic, it was not with the name Shiba. Surprisingly enough, it was under the Kurosaki name, Masaki's family name. Though Shugo can only guess that it was not to draw any attention from Soul Society with the former captain's original family name being used blatantly.

The year and half following the incident, or around 1984 AD, Isshin and Masaki got married, with Isshin having officially taking the Kurosaki surname as his. At that time, she was in her first year of university. Shugo attended the ceremony, which happened to coincide with his time being assigned to the town.

As a present, he made a pair of rings for them. Made with titanium being the base frame while the remainder were all gold, the rings were further enhanced with aether. Due to the lack of clusters of aspected crystalized aether normally used for the forging process, he had to make do with the pure aether within the ground under Karakura, while aspecting them forcefully by instilling them with the concept of elements.

It wasn't the conventional to come about it, but it was the best alternative he had on hand. This resulted in the rings being at the very least an expert-grade work, capable of somewhat enhancing the wearer to a degree, but nothing outrageous in comparison to this star's standards. Though it should be noted that the rings were very durable, compared to the natively made rings.

Aside from just enhancing the wearer(s), the rings had one more function he embedded into them via runic carvings that, when asked by the couple, he only said they're for decoration. The function of those runes is that it's capable of essentially contacting him in emergencies, via detection of disturbances from the aetheric fluctuations of the wearer and the surrounding area.

Overall, they appreciated his gift, despite not knowing of the hidden function.

…..

The clock continued to spin further. People moved on. The threads of fate continued to weave through every life upon the star.

In the year following their marriage, Isshin and Masaki's first child was born: a boy they named Ichigo. According to Masaki's exact words: "His name means 'He who protects'!". Shugo came to visit and saw the boy in his baby crib. The boy had an orange hair, which was noticeably different compared to others he had seen in the town. Even the most pretentious of the residents had a blonde hair, but none had a hair color like Ichigo did.

Masaki herself became a beauty in her own right. Becoming a mother certainly made her charm more mature. Aside from becoming taller, her hair became longer, and she wore simple cosmetics. Isshin, in the meantime, had become a bit taller, while sporting a stubble of a beard.

The child, Ichigo, however, seemed rather cheerful, and always likes to smile. This was especially when he was being held by his mother. Shugo shook his head with a chuckle whenever he came by and saw this. What a bundle of joy indeed.

He also went along the passage of time. In time, he was eventually promoted to Lieutenant, approximately five years following the incident. And in another two years, he achieved Bankai, or Final Release.

Well, to say he achieved it seven years after the incident would be…understating the actual matter. In truth, he had already achieved it even before he was promoted to Lieutenant. To be precise, around three years after the incident. The four remaining years was spent on him perfecting his Bankai whilst doing his duties as a Lieutenant and a Shinigami.

Only the small group of captains knew of this one fact. The captain-commander, being amongst the small group, immediately decreed that the Bankai should not be used. The reasoning was due to the sheer power that his Shikai already could access. Even the details of the Bankai were not recorded within the database of Soul Society. This was agreed upon by the group, including Shugo himself.

This was in consideration against Aizen's possible discovery of that knowledge.

Do note that since he's a Lieutenant, he's rarely required to do patrols. However, when it comes to the World of the Living, he oft volunteered. Mayhap it was his single attachment, given that he was still alive, technically speaking. It may not be his realm, but 'twas all the same to him.

He'd oft find and gather those junk items that the Humans threw away. Gaining more material, it helped him in making items and tools he needed/wanted to. He managed to refine the hidden base in the camouflaged remains of Sukari Building that he used as a base of operations. Creating multiple furniture for the sake of comfort and long-term operations, and not to mention, livelihood as well, was certainly a good thing. Though he did keep it a secret from anyone else in the Gotei as much as he could.

It was another method of insurance, for him. Should something happen, he could take refuge in the base until the whatever occurred dies down, or as a hidden counter base. Another purpose was for harboring certain individuals that he personally might approve of, but not in the eyes of Soul Society, or at least Central 46. Place a heavy emphasis on might.

He knew all too well how many talents were wasted because of the redundant rules and the utterly retarded rulings they made. Indeed, he truthfully regarded Central 46 in the same regard as the Sharlayan's Forum, though that was before he and the Scions managed to…persuade them to avail themselves for repelling the Second Final Days. In other words, he had nothing but contempt and disdain, to put it rather bluntly. As for officially? He simply disagrees with them.

However, he wasn't keen on starting a revolution. Even if it was started, it would have to be by the people's own will, and not because of his instigation. He has had his fill of seeing revolutions in his lifetime.

Doma was necessary, since they were the key needed to give the Eorzean Alliance time to shore up and split the Empire's attention to two battlefields: Doma and Ala Mhigo, straining the Empire's manpower. Though, if asked, he wouldn't deny that liberating Doma was also for the sake of Yotsuyu. He had given his promise to her, after all, and he was intent on keeping it.

How he wished that he came sooner, or even did something different back then.

Dalmasca, in the meantime, wasn't considered much since their capital, Rabanastre, had already been lain to waste by the Empire when they attempted their own uprising. Not to say there was no resistance, however, it was a matter of that they lack the resources and numbers to pose a threat on their own, thus they later joined the Doman's Alliance.

Never you mind that though. We've strayed far enough as it is.

Switching the topic, he also got the assistance of Urahara to construct the large underground space, eventually learning how to build it himself. But in exchange, Shugo had to let the man study the Regalia. While reluctant, he relented since nothing can be done to the Regalia by Urahara, anyroads. And if any alterations were made, it would be reversed once the Regalia enters his storage once more.

Aside from that, Shugo also gotten himself a house in the Soul Society, sometime in the seven-year period. Well, he got only the land, to be precise. He built the house with his own hands, easily enough. Located within the Seireitei, somewhere within the Kizokugai to be specific, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

The place was apparently owned by a Fallen Noble House known as the Ry­­odoji Family. It was certainly a large enough estate, a testament to the nature of the former owners of the land. Apparently, Central 46 was certainly happy enough to give him the place. In fact, he would swear that they were all too happy to do so

'Wiping their dishonor…' He was a tad angered on how it was awfully convenient for them to find a way to rid themselves of the remaining proof of such stain in their history.

This certainly did not raise the image of Central 46 in his eyes, nor did it do any favor for him.

Due to the mark on the Ryodoji Family as a "Fallen" Noble House, only the land was preserved, while the buildings were left to rot. Seeing this, Shugo prompted to literally demolish the place and rebuilt it from the ground up. He had already done what was perhaps a month's work of his duties as a Lieutenant in advance, so that nothing would interrupt him unless it was important, with the addition of the permission from the captain for going off duty for the next week or two.

This was also a chance for him to try and build the way Hades did when the man literally reconstructed Amaurot from its final moments before the first Final Days, complete with shades of its residents. Granted, he wasn't about to also create such shades, only focusing on the building and the complex itself. And for added measure, he also camouflaged the place as to not disturb the others that may or may not pass by.

It certainly took a fair amount of trial and error: Filled with constant building and demolishing, using precious resources in the process, and constantly having to desynthesize them for every single failure that occurred. That caused the quality of some of the resources to drop to normal quality, which frustrates him to a degree, since it would make him need more effort in ensuring that the results were still up to par.

Nevertheless, after a full week in which he didn't bother to rest, not that he needed to in the first place, he finally carved the place into something that he could call home. He looked upon the place with a smile, wiping away the meager sweat that formed on his forehead.

It would certainly be a surprising sight for the nobles living nearby as he dispelled the camouflage, revealing the newly constructed compound in all its glory.

…..

(The housewarming party will be in the next chapter.)

…..

Time continued to flow. Soon, it became more than a decade since Shugo's arrival into this reality, or around 11 years. He had been a Lieutenant for at least half that time. Things for him had calmed down somewhat for the past few years.

The Tsunayashiro clan did show some interest in him, given his acquisition of the former lands of the Ryodoji Family. However, for the moment, it was only that. When he glimpsed at the thread of fate of the entire Tokinada family, he frowned.

'This is…' He closed his eyes in attempt to calm himself down.

He only saw their deaths. Well, most of those that were present in this regard. However, he could see that there was another thread, yet it seemed different, despite branching off the same thread. He heavily sighed in realization. There went what was supposed to be his peaceful life here. Whoever owns that thread, it was certain that the owner would be causing quite the upheaval later down the line. Though he could see the end of the thread, making the threat limited only by time until the owner reached the end of the thread, before ultimately perishing.

He groaned. It was already enough that Aizen being a threat. He need not another one in this whole mess of a problem.

Regardless, this simply added another thing for him to add to his watchlist, much to his own chagrin. Though, he supposed that he already meddled in the branch's threads with regards of the present matter. But that's a story for another time.

In the meantime, he continued to volunteer to patrol the World of the Living in the same duration as he started previously: two weeks per month, during the second and third weeks of the months. Visiting the Kurosaki family once every while under a disguise, he observed of how the family continued to grow.

The child Ichigo became the eldest in the family, since Masaki had birthed two more children three years ago. To be precise, the two children were fraternal twins. One was a black-haired girl, while the other one was a light-blond haired girl. They were named Karin and Yuzu respectively, by Isshin and Masaki. In his opinion, Karin was the one that might be of the rebellious kind, while Yuzu seemed more like the calmer one of the two.

As a present for the birth of the twins, Shugo gifted them with a pair of earrings. He had fond memories of another certain pair of Elezen twins back on Hydaelyn. He made it in memory of them for the girls.

The earrings were of the carnation series. One was colored yellow, while the other was black. Both were made with the color of their hair in mind. It had no special properties to speak off, since he had no intentions to give it any. They were not exactly involved in the matters that Isshin and Masaki were in, hence the other reason why he made these specific pair of earrings.

While he was happy for the family that has grew for these past eight years, however, as soon as he left their house, he had a complicated look on his face. Because of a single reason, one that he was all too aware: Masaki's death is fast approaching.

After arriving back at the base, he sat down in contemplation. Due to it getting closer in time, he could see a bit more clearly of her fate. He closed his eyes as he gleaned onto Masaki's fate, with the help of Gurenbana. She sat by his side as he dived into the vision.

…..

(BGM: Never Meant to Belong – Bleach OST)

June 17th, 1994. It was raining that day. Ichigo had just finished the Judo lessons at the Furin Hall. He lost again to Tatsuki, but he kept his smile when his mother came to pick him up. Wiping off the snot running down his nose, and the tears down his eyes from his face after crying because he lost again, he smiled as he happily walked with his mother.

His mother was the center of their family. His dad, his two little sisters, and him. They were all revolving around her. To them, she was their sun.

He opened the black umbrella as he left with his mom, who had a pink umbrella.

"See ya!" He bid farewell to Tatsuki.

"Yeah! See you tomorrow!" She replied in kind, with a grin.

While walking back, Ichigo walked ahead when a truck passed by, splashing over the dirty water from the puddle that formed on the street.

"Wah!" He exclaimed, as the water was all over him.

Though, he was wearing a raincoat, so it wasn't much of an issue. His mom went over to him with a handkerchief to wipe off the dirty water from his face.

"Oh my… What a mean truck driver…" She said as she bent down. "Are you alright?" She asked as she wiped the water off him.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "Let's switch places. I'll walk on the side road." She offered.

"It's okay." Ichigo declined, ever the good boy that he was. "I'm wearing a raincoat, so I'm alright."

"I'll protect you from stuff like what just happened." He said with confidence.

"My, how reliable…" She smiled.

She was happy how his son is living up to his name.

"But no…" She declined. "I can't let you take the road-side so long as you can't beat Tatsuki-chan!"

"But I won a point from her last time." He retorted.

"There, you're all cleaned up." She said as she pocketed the handkerchief, ignoring his words.

"Hmm…" He pouted.

"Let's go!" She said as she walked.

"Mom," Ichigo said before she could take the turn. "Can I hold your hands?" He asked.

With a smile, she held her hand towards her little boy. "Of course!"

However, when they walked by the river, Ichigo spotted a girl seemingly by the edge of the river. The girl was in danger of falling into the river.

"Huh?" He was confused. "What's that girl doing?"

Widening his eyes in worry as he saw the girl was about to step into the river that was running rapidly that day, he went over to stop the girl.

"Wait a minute, mom!" He said to his mom.

Masaki stopped walking as she saw his son went down.

"Ichigo…" His mother called out to him.

She then saw the reason why. He wanted to help the girl, however, upon gazing at the girl…

"No, Ichigo!" She tried to stop him.

'That girl is not a Human… It's a Hollow!' She panicked as her son unknowingly approached the predator.

But he didn't stop. He went over to the girl. Masaki dropped her umbrella, chasing after her misguided son. As the girl was upon the river, he grabbed the girl's cloak, only for it to suddenly disappear. Masaki quickened her steps, using Hirenkyaku to pull his son out of harm's way.

She pulled Ichigo away, just in time as the Hollow showed itself. With him now safe behind her, she held up her hand, preparing to activate Blut Vene. However, just as she coursed the power through her veins…

BLIP!

'Huh!?' She exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

Before she could do anything else, however, the Hollow was upon her. And it was then Kurosaki Masaki met her end, as she laid her body upon an unconscious Ichigo, sheltering him from the Hollow, mere moments before the flicker of her life disappeared.

…..

Opening his eyes, Shugo sighed heavily. That was what will happen, and to his own horror, in one cycle. Yet, he knew that her death serves as a catalyst for her son. However, that single moment, where her powers suddenly flickered and disappeared. It bothered him to no end.

'What was that…?' He questioned to himself.

Fluctuations in powers due to her being infected by the Hollow in the years prior might've not been a surprise, but for her to completely lose her powers when she tried to defend herself? At that precise day? That raised a red flag within Shugo.

"Dear." Gurenbana tugged him. "Her death was meant to be, yet 'twas not inevitable as well."

He furrowed his brows in thought. It happened around the time, should the moment arrive, during the start of his patrol. Given the distance to the location from his base, it should not take long, especially with Shunpo. He then began to plan on what to do when the clock strikes true.

This was the third time since his arrival in this reality that he decided to use his power. He had dealt with Captain Ukitake's thread of fate, while having dealt with another one just a few years ago, and now, he was preparing to deal with Masaki's. This time though, it would lead to a future that had an unknown factor, should he succeed. However, he did not mind it for this one.

This would earn him a very specific title, for those who knew of the nature of his power. They would come to call him Fate's Breaker, for he does not accept fate as is: He will reject and change it with his own hands. For 'twas the manifestation of his deeds, ever rejecting cruel fates that some would desire upon others. He rejected the Ascians will in enacting the Rejoining by sacrificing the Shards and causing a Calamity upon the Source. He rejected the fate of the First that was to be consumed by the Primordial Light. He rejected the destruction of Hydaelyn set forth by Fandaniel and the Telophoroi.

He will not let one die if he can help it. For 'tis indolence if he didn't save someone while he had the strength to do so. Never again he will allow something like Haurchefant to occur once more. Nor that of Tesleen. Far too many good people perished by the decision of fate in such an unnecessary fashion.

NEVER AGAIN.

…..

Ukitake observed his Lieutenant who had just returned. The young man- no, the man still had his usual attitude. However, he could feel that the man was highly disturbed by something. While his face didn't show it, his minute behavior did. The stiffness in the small movements he made, his overtly stoic face that was more so than usual.

His work remained impeccable, however. His reports ever concise, and his training of Rukia and the two Co-3rd Seats never took a wrong turn. He could only hope that whatever bugged him won't cause any trouble later down the line.

Ukitake conveyed his worries to Unohana, who was undoubtedly one of the closest to the man in the entire Gotei 13. The man looked up to her to a certain degree, and it was almost an open secret that Kurenai considered her as a mother figure of sorts. Rather ironic, really, considering her past that was not exactly reflecting her current self. Her answer to his worries, however, surprised him.

"His actions are never without reason. If we don't know it now, we'll know soon enough in time." She said, rather cryptically even.

This puzzled Ukitake. This was the first time perhaps he had seen her speaking in such a roundabout manner like that. Since she wouldn't explain further, he bid farewell and returned to his office. He could only hope that nothing will occur.

When the next year came however, how he had no idea if he was right or wrong to be worried.

…..

(Switch BGM: Tears in the Rain – Shadowbringers: FFXIV OST)

The fateful day came. Friday of the third week of June of 1994 AD.

It was as he had seen in the vision. Rain graced the day with its downpour. He grimaced as he recalled the memory. He did not wish to subject Ichigo to that cruel fate. However, he knew it was necessary to set him upon the course that was laid by his thread of fate. The young child's fate was simply too intertwined with many, which would cause too much difference to the future that was still foreseeable should he unravel it.

No. The most that he could do, without damaging the boy's fate, was only one thing. And that was in regards of his mother. The fates had no plans for her past her death, other than being the boy's drive to further be like his namesake: to protect those who are most precious to him. It was a painful choice, verily so especially.

"I can't help but feel hypocritical…" He chuckled grimly to himself.

So much for having the wisdom to use his strength to save another. He will do it, but even then, it was for saving only one person, despite having the strength to save the two. He shook his head in gloom. Heaving a heavy sigh, he sharpened his eyes. He stood from the sofa within the base and walked out slowly, just in time as Ardbert and Fray returned from their patrol. As he passed the two of them, they saw the grim look on his face.

Ardbert did not know what to say. The man had already decided on what to do, despite the sheer weight that will press on his shoulders. Fray didn't have any visible reactions. He only kept his silence, acknowledging of how his light side is now taking the truly harsh road. He did not need to say anything. Should the man need it, he will take over in his stead if the man felt too burdened by all of this. The fact that Shugo did not say anything already speaks of how he is far different from when he first started as an adventurer. His decisions now casts weight, be it upon him or others. This time, he chose to willingly cast one upon himself, acknowledging the full ramifications of his burden.

How indeed heavy it was.

…..

(Switch BGM: Soundscape to Ardor – Bleach OST)

The sound of the rain muffled any noise that Shugo could have made, if any. Using Shunpo, he quickly traversed through the town to the fateful place, where Masaki was to meet her end. Passing through Komatsu, Sakurabashi, and Kasazaki, he eventually arrived at the intersection between Minamikawase, Kasazaki and Downtown Karakura.

There he waited, atop a tall-enough building near the intersection. Focusing on his senses, it didn't take long before he found the two, along with the response from one of the pair of rings she gave to the family, said ring currently being worn by Masaki. They were walking by the riverbank, hand in hand while each had their own umbrella open. The river a distance next to them were running rather rapid in the rain.

He could feel them. The joy of the two. How Ichigo was very much enjoying his walk home with his mother. How Masaki was truly enjoying their time together, even in mere activities like this. This was all easily gleamed by Shugo from their aetheric fluctuations within their soul. It truly made this all harder to do. However, he grits his teeth and narrowed his eyes, shedding any remaining hesitance within him. If he must go through this decision that he took, then it will be done.

For he knew that the two will only be temporarily separated. Once the clash of the future comes to pass, he would allow them to be reunited. This was the only, single thing that made it easier for him to commit himself to this whole endeavor. A grueling path, but one that will still result in their happiness, as they deserved it for the trials they will later overcome.

The clock continues to turn. Minutes turned into seconds.

Tick. Tock.

Ichigo went and ran to help the "girl".

Tick. Tock.

Masaki went after him, knowing that "girl" was no Human.

Tick. Tock.

She pulled Ichigo back as the Hollow manifested itself.

Tick. Tock.

She held her arms up against the coming attack from the Hollow.

Tick. Tock.

Knowing that she could defend herself, she braced herself as the Hollow was almost upon her.

Tick.

She was about to activate her Blut Vene when her powers suddenly disappeared when it was about to be activated.

DING.

The bell tolled for the demise of Kurosaki Masaki. Her last thoughts were of Ichigo who was behind her, and that of the shadow that appeared in front of her.

DONG.

Before her vision went dark, and her soul separated from her deceased body, she saw a rather familiar black garb of a Shihakusho in front of her. As she opened her eyes in her disembodied soul form, her Chain of Fate now cut from her body, she saw him. The other Shinigami that was with Isshin. The one who gave them their rings, and the pair of earrings for their twin daughters. The mysterious "Uncle" to the Kurosaki family's kids.

Kurenai Shugo.

…..

The Hollow, Grand Fisher, thought that he would be getting quite the snack today. Aside from the boy, the woman was also fine as well. She seemed like she knew what she was facing, but the fact that somehow nothing happened was a great thing for him. This made it all the easier to get her!

Good! Now, to finally chomp on the bitch-hmm?

Who's that guy? His uniform… No…

It's a Shinigami? Meh, easy kill.

Wait… That badge on his right arm… Isn't that-!

FUCK! HE'S A LIEUTENANT!

WHY OF ALL THE LUCK THAT I GOT TODAY, NOW I HAVE TO FACE A FUCKING LIEUTENANT!?

I'M SO FUCKING DEAD!!!

…..

(Switch BGM: Never Meant to Belong – Bleach OST)

Shugo gazed upon the Hollow. It looked like… What was it, an anglerfish? That lure on it certainly does remind him of that, albeit it had a size large enough to vaguely resemble a person. Though the rather hairy body does not, and not to mention its appendages. The red, bird-like hands and feet, along with the red tentacle-like limb hanging from its forehead…

'Certainly, a bizarre creature indeed…' He remarked silently.

An amalgamation from various creatures that prowl this star, yet it doesn't resemble anything remotely close to those normal creatures. Instead, it was like an abomination. Perhaps it had to do with its past self as a Human? Hollows were Human souls after all, only that they either were consumed by other Hollows and thus transformed into another Hollow, or they were never given a proper Soul Burial and their Chain of Fate had corroded to the point the hole covered by it was exposed.

Never you mind that. All of such thoughts are moot for the moment. He still has to deal with it.

"Hollow." He said, devoid of any emotion in his voice. "You have but one chance."

Its red eyes stared at him. He could feel its fear from the fluctuations within its soul. Truly pathetic, that this thing was fated to kill Masaki. He could not fathom how such was her fate in the first place.

"FUCK OFF, SHINIGAMI!!" It swore, rather angrily. Or perhaps out of fear?

"Oh?" He raised the tone of his voice slightly. "Such uncouth tongue. I believe I gave you the courtesy to retreat with your life intact, did I not?"

He flared his reiatsu. Just a little. That got it to attacking him suddenly, mayhap in attempt to surprise him. The hair from its body forming into tentacles, ready to spear into him and drill some holes on his body. Not that it mattered, as it was literally stopped in one move.

Hissatsu: Chiten!

CLANG!!!

Blocking with Gurenbana, he used the skill to decrease the damage that he might receive by around half and allows him to counter up to five attacks, to which he used said counters all too willingly.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

In one move, he gave the Hollow five slashes as his counter, though he ensured that the Hollow would not die or be seriously injured. However, his attacks projected enough killing intent to completely terrify the Hollow. This certainly showed his mastery over his techniques and body, capable of adjusting himself instead of completely limiting himself like he used to on Hydaelyn.

"FUCK THIS SHIT, I'M OUTTA HERE!!!" It said as it ripped open a Garganta and went through it, retreating to wherever it planned to go, most probably Hueco Mundo.

Sheathing Gurenbana, he turned around to face the disembodied Masaki. He calmed himself down as he walked to approach the lady. It was time to go through with the ordeal. He could only hope that she would forgive him if she were to ask his reasons.

…..

(Switch BGM: More than Truth – Shadowbringers: FFXIV OST)

Masaki stared at Kurenai. She was thankful that he stopped that Hollow, and that ensured Ichigo's survival. But when she looks at him, why does he give off the vibes that he was guilty of her death?

"Kurenai-san." She called him. "Why do you look down?" She asked.

He looked at her, with a rather somber smile. "For I am forcing you down this path."

She was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I knew you would meet your death here." He said, heaving a heavy sigh.

She paused for a moment, baffled by his words. What did he mean by that?

"'Twas your ultimate fate." He explained, seeing that she didn't seem to understand his meaning. "Rather, 'twas fate that condemned you: For you to perish so Ichigo would grow into what fate envisions of him."

Masaki was about to say something before she closed her mouth once more. She didn't, couldn't say anything. In his words, she was meant to die. That was not something you could hear definitively from someone, let alone when time barely passed after she died.

"Cruel, is it not?" He chuckled somberly. "Fate's truly a cruel mistress. For her to condemn your son to lose you…" He shook his head. "That was what spurred me into intervening."

She saw his eyes. He may have chuckled a bit, even his earlier remarks were rather morbid. But his eyes… They reflected nothing but pain, clearly showing that he didn't find any joy in this. They only had this one look: a look of determination. But as to what, she couldn't put her finger on it.

"While your body may perish, your soul remains." He calmly said, or as calm as one can be in this ordeal, looking at her in the eyes. "This is the single result that differed from what fate had planned for you."

Seeing as she was still paying attention, he continued. "I've shattered your fate. In other words, I've plucked you from the completion of fate's machinations upon you." He gave it straight to her. "As of this nonce, your fate is but of your own making."

She blinked. He did… What? Now Masaki completed her degree in university. And it wasn't as if she didn't understand what he was saying. She simply couldn't comprehend how… Absurd his actions were. The two were silent for a moment, before she decided to speak up.

"Kurenai-san." She started. "Despite everything, I'm still thanking you." She took a deep breath.

"Yes, I'm now dead, and you allowed it. There's no changing that." She began to explain. "However, I know that you did so for a reason. While knowing that I'm supposed to die either way is not really comforting, at least with this, you've given me a chance."

She stared at him with grateful eyes. "While it may take time, even a long one, eventually I'll be reunited with my family. And I'm sure that they'll be grateful to you, even if they'll be angry at first."

"So…" She walked over and held his hand. "Don't blame yourself." She stared at him in the eyes and said with a smile.

That caught him off-guard. His mind went into a complete whirl. It took a while, before he finally settled down and stared at her, uttering only one short sentence.

"Thank you, for believing in me."

He held up his hand and created a reishi crystal on it. "Pour your memories into this. Think of it as if you're pouring reishi, but instead of that, it'll be your memories recorded."

She took it and did as he told.

"More likely than not, your memories will be erased once you've been given a Konso. This is inevitable, though scant few have been known to retain part of, or all of, their memories from their mortal life." He explained while she continued to pour her memories into the crystal, listening to his words in attention. "However, I shall implant this crystal into you once you're finished. It'll be set to activate and restore your memories upon your arrival at Soul Society. It will also serve as a beacon for me so I can find my way to you."

She nodded as he continued to explain. "Once you've arrived, do not meet any other Shinigami, especially of those from the Twelfth Division. Their captain will more than likely detect your arrival; thus, you must stay hidden until I'm there."

"Is there any reason why?" She asked, handing over the crystal to him as she finished recording her memory into the crystal.

"For one, you've mentioned previously that you're a Quincy. And if I'm not mistaken, the Shinigami and Quincy are enemies." He answered as he copied the crystal for himself, while implanting the original into Masaki. "And two, I'd like to ensure your safety from… Certain parties that may inflict harm upon you. This includes the culprits of the incident from twelve years ago, and the government of the Seireitei, the Central 46."

She nodded in understanding, before she asked something. "What about Ichigo?"

He gazed upon the child, who was under the cover of Masaki's deceased body. "I will ensure that he will know naught else but that you perished. For he possesses a measure of power to see both you and I in this state, even for his young age." He answered.

This caused her to pale. "Wait, he has powers?"

"Indeed." He nodded. "If nothing else, why would he fell for the Hollow's bait?"

She was instantly packed with worry. If Ichigo had powers, it would mean that he either inherited it from her, from Isshin, or a mix of both, though she never heard of the latter before.

"Fret not." He reassured her. "If I'm correct, then Captain Shiba-pardon me, former Captain Kurosaki will arrive here shortly."

"Though we must needs pick up the pace." He then got serious, lifting Gurenbana in one hand. "I must perform Konso on you, post-haste."

"Okay." She nodded in understanding. "But can I say a few words for Ichigo?"

He nods. She went to Ichigo's side and got her ethereal face close to his ears.

"Ichigo… Mom will be going far away, okay?" She began. "Don't worry about me. Just be sure to take care of both Karin and Yuzu. You're the big brother, so you have to look after them and be their example."

"Don't forget to also look after your dad." Tears began to fall from her eyes. "He's a dork of a klutz, so make sure he doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

Shugo looked away as she delivered her final words for her unconscious child. "Mommy loves you, okay? Be a good boy and grow up to be a good kid. Be the number one protector, like your namesake."

She wiped away the tears from her eyes as she stood up. She went to Shugo, who was ready with Gurenbana in one hand. "I'm ready."

"Very well." He nods, giving her a soft smile, mixed with regret and sympathy. "I pray for your safe travels to the other side." He said as he pressed the pommel onto her forehead.

Her body began to glow, before slowly transforming into a Hell Butterfly. A Senkaimon then opened, and the Hell Butterfly went through it, after which the Senkaimon closed. Shugo sighed. The first part of this was done. Now it was time to deal with the second part. Using reishi, he created a faux crystal focus, which was enough for one usage with its current charge. He then delved into the mind of the unconscious Ichigo.

What he found certainly surprised him.

…..

Opening his eyes, Shugo was greeted with quite the sight. The place was filled with skyscrapers. Yet, they were inverted. There, sat two people.

One seemed reminiscent of the Hollow that perished years ago during the incident, albeit began to look more like young Ichigo with a completely Hollow-like white skin color and attire. The said attire appeared to be that of a Shihakusho, albeit having the same color as his skin, as mentioned before.

The other one, in the meantime, had the appearance of a tall, lean built, and stoic middle-aged man. Said old man had a pale skin, high cheekbones, stubble, and long-ragged black hair with brown highlight, while wearing a tattered white dress shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs, black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, amorphous black overcoat with a burgundy highlight that flares out into ragged ends. He also wore a wraparound sunglass.

There was also Ichigo within this mindspace, albeit he was floating. Unconscious.

'It seems that he knows not of his own powers.' Shugo noted.

In the meantime, the two were alarmed of his intrusion into the inner world of Ichigo. They instantly went to him, bearing their blades upon him. He held up his palm and stopped them with a Kido barrier.

"A moment, if you would." He said to them. "This concerns of young Ichigo."

The two paused, looking at each other before the middle-aged man spoke first. "Then speak. Your presence is not welcomed here."

Seeing their rather… Hostile reaction, he expedited his explanation and went into a short summary. "Suffice it to say, I need the two of you to ensure that he only knows that his mother perished, and not of the cause proper."

That got them to raise their brows. "Not forever, mind you. Only until you deem that he is worthy of knowing the truth." He elaborated, the two spirits nodding cautiously.

"This crystal contains the memories of his mother, prior to her passing." He gave them another copy of Masaki's memory crystal. "Release it unto Ichigo at your discretion. Preferably once you consider him capable enough to withstand the truth."

The crystal floated towards them as Shugo turned away, preparing to leave. "I trust that you will not tamper with its contents. Should it occur, it will self-destruct."

He soon disappeared from the inner world, leaving the two spirits with whatever predicament they had thanks to his arrival and relegation of the explanation regarding the truth once Ichigo was old enough, and sufficiently capable of handling the truth.

…..

Upon returning to his body, he used Gurenbana to open a Senkaimon and stepped into it. He had tarry long enough. He still needs to secure Masaki from prying eyes. He must needs see this through, for the sake of them, and himself.

And mayhap this was one of those times he was glad that he was out of the rain. He was beginning to hate it.

Only a few minutes later, Isshin came to find his son crying over the body of his mother's lifeless body. Urahara only observed from afar, a somber look plastered on his face. This was really a bad day for a rain.

…..

[Side Story: Reason]

Some time in the period before the death of Kurosaki Masaki…

For ten-odd years, Aura had been living-nay, confined in the basement of her family's home, due to her father's, Agata Tenshiyo's, overprotectiveness of her. This was the result of her mother dying after giving birth to her years ago, after her mother was attacked by a Hollow while carrying Aura in her womb.

After her father left, claiming that they would be freed from their curse, rather, their Fullbring with the help of a Substitute Shinigami named Ginjo Kugo, she was left with her own thoughts. Being raised by her father in confinement as such, with literally no access or wider knowledge of the outside world, other than basic education on matters such as basic reading, writing and physical laws, supplemented with training on Fullbring techniques for self-protection against Hollows.

In short, her entire world was only within that confined space in the basement of her family's mansion, a room akin to that of a fish-tank.

This was all done to protect her from the various outside influences. Be it from the Hollows, prying eyes of humanity, and of the world that considered them to be heretics, given their abnormality in comparison to the "normal" Humans.

Normality… Such concept was foreign to her, even when her father exclaimed such concept in pure joy when he informed her of the matter of ridding them of their Fullbring powers. She tried to wrap her head around such concept, only failing to do so.

'Normal… I wonder what that is…'

'Why?'

'Aren't Hollow powers the source of the Fullbring that father taught me?'

'Why must we hand it over to somebody else?'

'Do we have to eliminate it?'

'Then… Once we've done such a thing, I'll have nothing whatsoever…'

'What does it mean? To live a normal life?'

Those were the questions that popped into her mind when she tried to understand her father's jubilation. Though the answer never came to her, even as she lay in her room when her body was growling for food, hunger setting in.

And because of her father's confinement of her, her view of the world has been shaped as such. A world that was stagnant, one that would never be encumbered.

Tasteless. Odorless.

A world without color. Void of freedom.

A world where one cannot even discern what difference there was between hope and despair.

With only one thing to rouse her emotions, that being her father's cooking.

While she could remember his delicious home cooking, he already left for the man called Ginjo before it could form any foundation for her Fullbring as her attachment to the world. And he never returned.

Even Aura knew that some form of abnormality had occurred, despite her limited knowledge in general.

The hunger that was stirring within her continued to echo its demands for food, to which she had none. Some time had passed since her last meal, and she resolved to remedy the developing situation, as her hunger reached its limits.

Raising her hands to the walls of her "room", she drew out its soul with her Fullbring powers, set it to work, and then it took but a moment, as the walls that confined her were reduced to sand, disappearing from her presence.

With staggered movements, the young Aura made her first steps out from her room, the basement, towards the "outside world". However, she had yet to realize that her "world" was still part of the mansion known as her "inner world". She destroyed the locks on the door, which was applied seven-fold by her father, and kept walking.

However, as she was about to take her first grasp at the "world", in the form of a portion of the ingredients used in her father's cooking in the kitchen, she sensed something was coming towards her.

Had this followed the plan fate had already lain down for her, she'd eat that ingredient and taste the decaying ingredient within her mouth, completely nullifying any chance of her truly having an attachment for herself, and from then on, she would have no attachment for the world or the people in it. Keyword here being had.

As she gazed upon a window near the kitchen, finally witnessing the outside world for the first time, she was shocked.

On the other side of the window, stood a man, garbed in black clothing. She had no concept of the outside world, thus completely unfamiliar with his clothing. Aside from the modestly cut hair the man sported; she noticed his eyes. They were red. She stared before the man abruptly disappeared from her view, causing her to abruptly fall on her back. She sat up and stood back up, managing to turn around as she spots that very same man coming into her mansion, through some sort of… Black mass?

"Who… Are you?" She asked lowly.

The man smiled at her. "You may call me… Azem."

…..

Shugo was not expecting this encounter, let alone meeting someone that seems rather… Like him, or even the supposed Soul King. Not similar in the sense of personality, mind you, rather in the nature of their self. The only real threat to Shugo on this star was someone like the Soul King, and even then, there's no real threat from that personage, given that the man was never really seen outside his Palace far above the Seireitei.

He was amid a leisure walk around when he felt that bizarre signature. It felt more bizarre than that Hollow during the incident years ago. Going after the source of the signature, he was greeted with a bizarre sight. A girl was seemingly inside a mansion of sorts. That would not be weird, if not for the fact that she was seemingly intent on eating an ingredient that was already decaying, judging from the aether within the ingredient that was nearly gone.

'What in the hells happened…' He raised a brow at the situation in hand, when the girl finally turned to look at him, through the window.

Their eyes met, with him suddenly experiencing her past through the Echo. He pinched the bridge of his nose, over the usual headache that almost always accompanies the innate ability of his. As he opened his eyes after suffering for a full minute from the headache, alongside viewing her past, he could only sigh in full pity of her.

'His oversight has left her lacking in common sense. Twelve forefend…' He shook his head ruefully in such revelation.

Seeing such travesty, he decided to intervene, this time out of his own morality, not only because of the practicality of it.

He opened a portal and stepped into it, before appearing within the mansion, to be precise, in the same room where she was at: the kitchen of the mansion. He saw her fall on her behind onto the ground, asking for his name in a rather low voice.

"You may call me…" Pondering for a moment, he gave her a smile, and used his old office's name. "Azem."

She was silent for a moment before she gave her name in response. "I'm… Aura."

"Aura?" He thought for a moment before giving a nod. "Truly a name befitting you, child."

"Do wait for a moment." He said, gesturing for her to sit down on the dinner table nearby. "I shall see if there are any edible ingredients remaining."

She nodded absentmindedly and proceeded to sit down on a chair by the dinner table. He sighed at this. He then transitioned into the physical plane, making him visible to the normal Humans, if there were any around. At this point, it was as easy as breathing for him to do so. Following that, he snapped his fingers and changed his clothing, to match the current situation at hand.

His garb was a mix of clothing from different styles. He wore the same black shirt and jacket as the one Noctis wore, a recreation of the foreign prince's clothing. However, for his pants and shoes, he wore two different styles: the pants being the recreation of the Scion Adventurer's clothing set, specifically the bottoms known as the Scion Adventurer's Bottoms, while the shoes being the recreation of the Leonhart Set, the so-called Leonheart Boots.

He forgoes the gloves, given that none of the Humans here wear such a thing, unless they were one of those considered to not conforming to their common sense of fashion, or if they were practitioners of certain styles of martial arts.

This sight surprised Aura. 'What is he?' She wondered.

She only knew of what Hollows were. Her father neglected to give her at the very least the basic information regarding Shinigami. Granted, not many would even see a Shinigami, unless they're already dead or is a Hollow. Her father only met one, and even then, it was only a Substitute and that was shortly before he left and never came back. He never explained who the Shinigami were and what their role is.

Shugo did not notice her thoughts, as he walked over to the work area of the kitchen. Going over the various appliances there, he checked for any ingredients that was not spoiled yet. He frowned, as most of the vegetables there were already spoiled. It seemed that the girl's father hadn't returned for quite some time. He shook his head as he continued to search.

In the end, he only found some ingredients such as some meat that remained in the "freezer", a full complement of seasonings in the pantry that was still good for use for a while, some all-purpose flour, and a good supply of clean water.

"Hmm…" He furrowed his brows. 'Enough for a simple meal. Mayhap some steak with a flatbread for the side?'

Having experimented with some of the ingredients from the Human World that were available in the Soul Society, he was familiar enough with the general ingredients, as few as they were there, to be able to infer others based on the similar ingredients he had dealt with back on Hydaelyn.

Basing it off the usual steak recipes he was familiar with, he prepared himself to cook. First, he cubed the meat. He then proceeded to season the cubed meat with a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper, rubbing them all over the cubed meat. Heating up the pan on the stove available there, he poured some olive oil onto the pan and waited as it slowly got up to temperature. Finally, as it was sufficiently hot enough, he pan-fried the cubed meat.

The aroma that was wafting through the air certainly got Aura's appetite to work up, despite herself not showing it on her face. She was about to focus on him when he was already close to finishing the dish.

He sprinkled some garlic powder into the pan to further season the meat, giving it another round of aroma to blend into the whole mix. He stirred the meats on the pan furiously as they began to brown, all while controlling the heat carefully. Before long, it reached the doneness that he was satisfied with. After that, he poured the meat into a plate.

Aura's eyes never looked away from his hands as it literally moved blazingly fast. It didn't even take him a minute to prep and finish cooking the dish. This continued with the next steps he took, with her eyes never leaving him out of her sight.

He then put the pan back onto the stove and turned the stove on as he prepared to make the flatbread. Pouring the flour into a prepped bowl, he added a pinch of salt into the mix before making a well in the middle of the small mound of flour-salt mix. He poured around a cup of water into the well, before mixing the whole thing together. Little time passed as he formed it into a ball of dough, to which he immediately processed the thing. Kneading the dough for some time, he then cut the dough into three before shaping it into discs and tossing them into the pan, one at a time.

With sufficient heat and superb control of it, it didn't take long before the first disc puffed up and he turned it over for a moment before removing it from the pan. He then proceeded to toss the second disc into the pan and "cooking" it the same way as the first, before finishing and doing the same thing with the third one.

Within the span of five minutes, he had just finished cooking the meal for Aura. He plated the flatbread and brought the two plates to the dinner table, setting it upon the girl's side. He also got a pair of cutleries and a bottle of water for her. He watched with a smile as she almost immediately wolfed down the meal in front of her.

'Manners be damned in face of hunger…' He chuckled with the thought.

…..

Aura didn't have any second thoughts once the food was lain before her on the table, alongside the necessary cutleries. She almost instinctively picked up a fork and devoured the meat, while having another hand grabbing a flatbread and ate it after the meat.

It was so far from her somewhat refined look that its beggar belief. But she couldn't care less. Not now. Not towards the man who made the food and was now sitting at the chair opposite to her. She needed to satiate her hunger. NOW.

CHEW. CRUNCH. CHEW. CRUNCH.

Those were the only sounds she made as she greedily ate the meal in front of her. It didn't even take a fraction of the time he made the meal before she finished, and that was considering how fast he was in making the meal for her. She then opened the bottle of water next to her plates and chugged it down furiously.

GLUG! GLUG! GLUG! GLUG!

"Pah!" She exclaimed, rather unusually even for her to express herself that much.

She paused and evaluated herself on why she did that. She then blamed her hunger for that. Putting down the now-emptied bottle, she looked at the man who made this all for her.

She may or may not have realized it, but the fact that she was allowed to enjoy the one thing that would ever rouse her emotions remains the truth, and it would later help her in awakening her abilities down the line. As for her attachment? By pure bizarreness, even to herself, she felt… Something, for the man in front of her. He may not be her father, but he did prevent her from starving.

She was far too alien with the feeling that one would normally have towards someone that helped them in time of need, or rather, the concept of the feeling. It was there, but she couldn't comprehend it.

'What is this?' She could only ask in her mind, only to be disappointed as no answer came to her.

"Speak your mind." She was snapped back to reality as she heard him said those words.

She was silent for a moment. She contemplated a little before she spoke. "What is the name for this… Feeling?"

"Hmm?" He raised a brow. "Then speak of what you felt."

"I…" She promptly nodded, somewhat more at ease to speak out. "Am wholly unfamiliar with this feeling within me. It began after I finished eating just now. What is this feeling that I felt when I looked at you?"

"That, child…" He blinked for a moment before taking a breather and gave her a smile. "…is something known as gratitude."

"Gratitude…" She muttered after hearing it from him.

This was now her first time of learning such a thing. Shugo was less than surprised, given that her father went so far as to completely isolate the girl from any form of information regarding the outside world, except as mentioned prior, the very bare bones of basics. This was also the cause for her confusion, the fact that she doesn't even understand basic social tenets and the various moralities and principles that exists outside her "world".

He could not fathom how such a father could even neglect the possibility of him not returning to her, and it resulted in this debacle.

'What a fine mess you've made…' He utterly disdained Aura's father.

The very least that he could do… Is to point her at the right direction, while guiding her when he could. Was it perchance fueled by something within him? Of mayhap any lingering regret he may still had in the mess with Yotsuyu? Who knows?

Regardless, his actions would bear fruit in the following years. Whether it be good or bad, 'twould be a story for another day.