#[ he has killed so many hollow... and probably shinigami too.. ]

[my-my-my]

can you request jealous sex with yhwach x reader wife?

What a challenge!! I'm not sure if I nailed Yhwach's character quite the way I wanted to, but nonetheless, I had fun writing this. The only context behind this story is on the theory/headcanon that Yhwach has been reincarnated several times, and as such has been killed as many times.

This takes place prior to the 1000 Year Blood War/before the first Quincy-Shinigami war.

Summary: Birth, death, and rebirth. The cycle continues and you wait patiently as Yhwach returns to you as your husband. But this reincarnation tests you on your devotion and love.

CW: MDNI! Jealousy, early finish, cum eating, oral sex/face sitting (fem receiving), angst, minimal foreplay.

Word count: 2048

Read on AO3.

The first time Yhwach died, you wept endlessly. A boy birthed to be slaughtered, and you a little girl witnessing the brutality of Qunicies, humans and Shinigami alike.

His reincarnations remained as gentle as you remember. You waited for him patiently through the ages as he continued to grow for the Quincies, yet he continued to die for them as well. Birth, death, birth and death. No matter how many times you intervened trying to protect him, your husband would suffer the same cruelty.

And maybe this reincarnation was retribution for all his prior deaths.

Hatred filled the air when you saw Yhwach’s army slaughter your village.

Bitter was the taste of his blood pouring down your throat.

Rage echoed through your voice as you cried at him.

Yhwach would never bare his emotions so freely, yet you would do so for him. His other half as he would say, unlike Jugram who bore similar abilities to your husband. You were the manifestation of something else entirely, or so he claimed.

But you knew differently. You experienced things differently. You would clench your fists whenever you two spoke over meals. Glare at the soldats listening passionately to their leader, rallying them together to kill Shinigami.

It was too much for you. Your heart would pang as he doled out praises and the very rare compliments to his soldiers. You angrily pulled the curtain away in disgust as you watched the soldiers scrambling to Yhwach’s beck and call.

“Ah, is my lady suffering from a bout of anger?” A sneering voice echoed down the hall.

You rolled your eyes as the vice-commander of Yhwach’s army, Hubert, strolled into your view.

“It is none of your concern, Vice-Commander.” You murmured, walking past him towards your private study.

“But you see, it is my concern.” Hubert smirked, as he grabbed hold of your wrist, “Lord Yhwach instructed Captain Haschwalth to watch and keep you company while he’s away on his travels.”

“Travels?” You whispered. This was the first you were hearing of this. Your stomach turned in knots as anger flashed through your eyes.

Hubert’s smirk widened, “and he didn’t tell you? That’s a shame, he shouldn’t keep his lady in waiting.” You scoffed at his remark and pulled your hand away.

“My husband will let me know in due time. He probably thought it wasn’t important enough to discuss.” You murmured, though you didn’t believe your words, and with the way Hubert looked at you, he didn’t believe you either.

“Leave the lady majesty alone, Vice-Commander Hubert.” Jugram spoke, as he walked towards the two of you. You had only interacted with Commander Haschwalth on a few occasions, a man of few words, yet received high praises from your husband.

Hubert scoffed as made his way to the garrison, leaving you alone with Jugram.

“My lady, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I will escort you to your study now.” Jugram murmured, bowing to you. You nodded your head as the two of you walked in silence down the empty halls.

Jugram stood silently as you poured over your books, writing down notes, murmuring to yourself as you tried to learn more about the nature of Quincies and hollows. The setting sun dimming the library, startling you with how much time had passed. And still, Jugram stood silently, awaiting your commands. With his arm extended, he led you to the dining hall, where Yhwach awaited.

And Yhwach never did bring up his plan to travel – leaving you alone in your shared bedroom, as he rode with his platoon at dawn.

It had been two weeks with Yhwach away and Jugram’s attention on you. It unnerved you at first, how dutiful Jugram was to you, attending to your whims and even your fleets of fancy. But now a small part of you… relished this feeling, of being doted on and attended to. Behind Jugram’s stoic demeanor was a devoted soldier to your husband’s cause and that included you it seemed.

You were lost in conversation with Jugram, discussing the new book you picked up in the nearby town. When was the last time you laughed with your husband? Smiled and had a conversation that didn’t revolve around the Quincies and Shinigami? It was strange too, Jugram reminded you of the favourite parts of your husband. A wry smile crossed your lips as you remembered old memories of your time together.

It was refreshing… and sad. And with Jugram’s hand over yours, you felt like you were a world away from that life of brutality. But nothing more would come from it, you knew that much. Jugram would never cross that line, and neither would you. The strange, almost supernatural devotion the two of you shared for husband was the clear line in the sand.

You watched through the window of the great hall as Yhwach and his platoon were welcomed back into the castle on a successful excursion mission. A mission you were not privy to. You narrowed your eyes as the soldiers congratulated themselves, while Yhwach spoke to Jugram privately in the distance. You read your name being said off Yhwach’s lips, before he looked up at you.

You sighed and left the window. Dread and anxiety were pooling inside you as you instructed the chefs to cook your husband’s favourites and that his favourite wine be poured tonight. A feast wasn’t necessary, but for some reason, you felt like you owed him that much. You wondered what Yhwach had asked, no said, of you to Jugram in that brief moment you saw.

The dining hall was loud, filled with cheer as the soldiers continued to celebrate. A few words were said from Yhwach as he continued to echo the greater cause they were all fighting for, that this was a small step to the foundation of peace. You wanted to laugh, but kept quiet. The silence between you two went unnoticed by everyone else in the room.

Yhwach had requested your presence in waving farewell to the soldiers as they departed to their barracks. You gave them all a soft smile and a gentle wave as they departed under the moonlight.

“Jugram has told me of what you have been up to these past few weeks.”

You felt the hair on the back of your neck stand, anxiety crawling your body as Yhwach’s large hand found its way to yours.

You gave a nervous laugh, “he’s quite the gentleman, humouring my rambles.” Yhwach’s grip on your hand tightened, but not enough to cause you pain as the two of you made way to your bedchamber.

The door shut firmly, with Yhwach snapping his fingers to close the curtains, the lights mysteriously dimming.

“You must be tired, my majesty.” You whispered, as you cupped his cheek, feeling the faint stubble of his facial hair under your palm. “Let’s get you ready for bed.” You let your hand fall towards his chest, fingers hovering over the buttons of his uniform.

But Yhwach grabbed your wrist before you could do anything.

“Is that all Jugram did, ‘humour’ you?” He commanded.

You glared at him, and in a mocking tone said “I thought jealousy was an emotion beneath you, my lord.” Yhwach narrowed his eyes as he let go of your wrists. “And besides, it’s insulting not only to me,” you snapped, “but to Commander Haschwalth as well.”

“Here I was, thinking you might have missed me.” You murmured, “but instead” refusing to lose your eye contact with him, “you imagine scenarios of things that would never happen. What use is the Almighty –”

“Silence!” Yhwach bellowed as you rolled your eyes.

“What did Commander Haschwalth tell you?” Giving him a wicked smile, you began to strip in front of him “did he share with you what I shared with him? The Yhwach of youth? The Yhwach that protected the Quincies?”

Yhwach remained silent, watching you as the candlelight illuminated your beautiful figure.

“No, that wouldn’t be right. Yhwach – the Father of Qunicies, sees all.” You laughed, as the last bits of your clothing laid strewn on the floor. “You know exactly what we discussed, and yet you have the nerve to be jealous.”

Yhwach scoffed, but didn’t look away from you.

“No, you weren’t jealous of Jugram at all.” You chuckled, as you brought your naked body close to his clothed one, “you were jealous of yourself.” You murmured softly, cupping his face, bringing him closer to you. Your lips brushed against his, “jealous of what we had before…”

Yhwach closed his eyes tightly as his arms wrapped themselves around you, pulling you closer. His body grew warmer with your presence so close.

“Do you remember when we made love for the first time?” You whispered, as he brought you to the bed. “The very first time.” You gazed lovingly at him, as his brown, almost red eyes stared back at you.

Yhwach remained silent as he kissed you back softly. His body was hot to touch as his stubble pricked your skin. He pulled away from you as you tried to catch your breath.

He hastily undid his uniform, throwing it haphazardly on to the ground. His broad chest with a smattering of hair and faded scars, scars etched from centuries ago, from lifetimes ago. You trailed your fingers gently over him, taking time to run your fingers against them.

But Yhwach was impatient tonight, as he pushed you back on to the bed. He bit down gently on your neck, before making his way to your breasts. His fingers pinched and pulled on your nipples as you cried out his name. His lips soon replaced his fingers as he nipped at your breasts, leaving you wanton and panting. Out of reflex, you spread your legs for him, unashamed of how wet you were.

Lifting himself up, he watched in amusement as you spread your pussy lips apart from him, your fingers circling your clit. You licked your lips as his large shaft trickled with precum.

Yhwach tapped his cock against your clit, smearing the precum and your juices against each other. You whined loudly, before Yhwach grabbed your throat, his fingers flexing, tightening your airway.

And you only grew wetter.

Without a moment to spare, Yhwach entered you in one swift thrust, moaning your name as you cried out from the stretch of his length. Yhwach stayed still inside you, as you clenched around, feeling him full and deep inside your pussy.

But that didn’t last long. Yhwach grabbed your hips and roughly slammed himself inside you as you rasped his name, almost in a chant. You could tell he wasn’t going to last long, neither of you had been pleasured in ages, and without so much a warning, Yhwach spilled himself inside you.

You smiled as he rolled over, panting deeply as his thick, softening cock twitched with remaining spurts of cum trickling out. You found yourself between his legs, tasting your juices as you cleaned his cock, while pushing two fingers inside you, keeping his cum buried deep inside.

Yhwach called your name, pulling your hair as he lifted you up. You winced at the pain but once upright, he grabbed your hips, pulling your dripping cunt against his face. His facial hair pricked your sensitive spots as he flicked his tongue over your clit. You moaned deeply as he feasted on your cunt with an intense need. You threaded your fingers through his black hair, as you grounded your pussy against his face.

Incoherent words filled the room as you desperately chased your orgasm, before screaming Yhwach’s name, covering his face in your juices.

Your body twitched above him before he pulled you down, bringing you close to his chest. Your eyes were closed as you tried to calm yourself with Yhwach’s steady heartbeat helping you.

Yhwach’s deep, baritone voice startled you as he called your name, “that pleased you compared to before.” He remarked. You wondered if he meant to ask it as a question, but knew better than to ask.

You gave a quiet sigh.

Reincarnation after reincarnation, Yhwach seemed to chase the continuous, growing shadow of his past lives. You gave him a soft smile, whispering, “yes,” as your voice lingered with sadness.

Moi je te hais depuis le fond des âges, Mais quand même dans mon désespoir Je t’aimerais toujours bien d’avantage, Que toi tu n’aimes I’ve hated you throughout time, But even in my despair, I will love you much more Than you love yourself

Thank you for this request! I've never written for Yhwach before so this was definitely an interesting experience. As I said earlier, I don't think I nailed his character down, but I personally find him difficult to write - but I definitely enjoyed this request.

The lyrics at the end are from "Le Brin d'herbe" by Brigitte Fontaine, which inspired this story! These two tracks from Succession were also what I listened to as I was writing:

Nicholas Britell - Andantino for Brass and Orchestra in B Minor

Nicholas Britell - Concerto Grosso in C Minor + End Credits - "You Have To Be A Killer"

I hope you enjoyed this anon!

[hollownekomata]

talk about it! + people (coworkers! either the shinigami miele works with in 3rd division or their fellow arrancar from the cooperative unit!)

Talk about it!

--

I'll take the occasion to talk a bit abot the other Arrancars, though things might change in the future as I develop the other two known members and the Unit as a whole. Thank you so much!! (❁´◡`❁)

Being one of the most successful examples of an Arrancar integrating into Soul Society, Miele is eventually identified by the Gotei 13 as a representative for the Cooperative Unit. The Unit doesn't have a leader since its members are purposefully spread out across all divisions, but whenever there's the need to come up with decisions that concern the Cooperative Unit, the representative is called to bring forth eventual opinions or requests the Arrancars may have on the matter, and effectively act as a "bridge" between hollows and shinigami. ->

This forces Miele to get involved with each member of the Cooperative Unit in some way. They generally think well of those Arrancars who decide to join the Gotei 13 and do their best to act as a point of reference for them, though they still treat them with a bit of coldness.

(Disclaimer: I still don't know exactly how many Arrancars join the Unit by the start of TYBW. Probably not more than 10, the numbers need to be low for the Gotei to be able to control them).

They've known Gwynvere ever since the days of Baraggan's reign. She was only ever nosy and inquisitive with them, occasionally following them around when she got bored to loiter around the God-King's court, and made it clear from the start that she wasn't on anyone's side but her own. Thus, they never thought of her as anything more than a nuisance. Now that Gwynvere is effectively their coworker ...things haven't changed much.

She's too much of a yapper for their taste. Gwyn tries to get gossip out of everyone she meets and rarely has anything interesting to say herself. Her double-faced nature doesn't help: Miele knows she always puts herself and her interests first, but also that she's not foolish enough to get herself banished (or killed) now that her situation is much more advantageous than in Hueco Mundo.

All in all, Miele keeps her at a healthy distance. Things will change after the war, once Gwyn learns the true meaning of communal effort. She's the one who saves Miele from being finished off by zombie!Rose/zombie!Kensei, though she'll act disinterested about it once everything ends.

Rorkedras is ...a handful. Recently I've been thinking about assigning him with the task of pursuing and punishing other Arrancars who flee from Soul Society's control. He's competitive, stubborn, and likes to get into arguments ( especially with Shinji) - exactly the type Miele wishes they didn't have to deal with.

Just like Gwyn, he's smart enough not to get into too much trouble (he has VERY mixed feelings about existing in a community that isn't his old pack, food for another post) but making him behave is a pain nonetheless. He'll get snarky with Miele, often making fun of them and their "division of softies", eventually only cooperating if he's in the mood to do so. It takes Miele every ounce of their patience only to be in his proximity.

Like Gwyn, though, the war comes as a lesson for him. At the time of the first invasion he's made good progress in coming to terms with his aversion for community, and the amount of lives lost acts as a wake-up call for him: nobody will die again under his watch. He's furious with Miele when they inevitably fall into a depressive state after what happens to their Division and finally mellows out with them after they both suffer the consequences of using their resurrección during the second part of the war.

[goofyshinigami]

The short shinigami seen how the peace has returned, after everything they both been through. Remembering all the battles she fought, conquered with getting stronger. She didn't falter or give up. Always training with seeing that accomplishment made Hikari feel proud when they both first met she was still new to this 'killing hollows thing.' she was a third seat for a reason not just for faking anything. She worked hard to always train and at times goof off. Knowing her Captain had his hands full. She too would make it hard on him. 

A small smile appeared on her face, hearing the stories lieutenant Matsumoto would tell her. Knowing that she told her all about the times she been to the world of the living. It fascinated her to wanting to come here herself. However teasing Orihime was her favorite thing to do. A soft laughter escaped her lips in that moment as the wind blows her hair.

"I am so sorry! Hehe I just had to. I mean I heard you two got close is that true?" 

Stopping her laughter, she froze to remember what happened before she left to come to the world of the living. Attached to her large pink bow, a bell made a noise to indicate that the wind is blowing it as she never wears shoes when she goes out only her tights. 

"Eeeh?! Um ..um! Well I did get scolded because just before coming here I went out drinking sake till I got all drunk and..." Hikari paused to remember how bad she got. "well...Rangiku and I were so loud our Captain got called and he so scary when he yells! Do you see how scary he gets?" She was reliving it again remembering the singing with Rangiku. Being so loud that the other members had to call for their Captain and he was yelling which seemed like eternity. "Rangiku is the same as ever! You would laugh at all the times the Captain had scolded her. You could probably hear him yelling a mile away hehe!" 

Hikari missed these moments to move freely and relax after all the damage and the war they faced against the quincies. She didn't want to remember the horror and how everyone got hurt. Many lives lost. "How are all of you doing? I hope no one causing you trouble." She spoke softly before following after her. Her bells ringing just as they are walking but she made sure to not leave ice particles around as she was told that would be bad and having better control of knowing it not well to leave ice after where she walks since she loves to skate on the ice as a form of moving faster. 

Seeing Hikari-chan looking so happy to see her she felt the same way actually since it has been a very long time since they had even seen or hanged out together at least there were no battles to be fought toddy was a day to relax and have fun but if so she knows that she’d be by her side and they would protect each other having this shopping tripped planned out was so exciting it’s going to be alot of fun that’s for sure maybe they can even do something after cooking, or anything else she had in mind to do together walking by her side as they were both headed to the first clothes store maybe could go to alot of different ones and buy a lot of cute clothes to wear she’d blankly stared at Hikari full of embarrassment hearing the question she just asked her

“Eh????? Why would you ask me that Hikaru-Chan do I need to answer that?, wahhhh”

shaking her head back and fourth hiding it in her hands she felt her cheeks abit hot as a slight blush just hearing a question about Kurosaki-Kun made her feel abit nervous but there was no way she’d expect that kinda question from Hikari changing the subject abit

“ So what about you have you been behaving and listening to your captain’s orders ? what about Rangiku I hope she’s staying out of trouble !”

giggling softly she continue to walk beside just before they got to the store they were heading off to it was alot they really had to catch up on

[despairforme]

"You look delightfully like death was bred into your veins." -from undertaker 😅

     DEATH wasn’t the only thing that was bred into his veins. He supposed death was more of a consequence of who he was. Always seeking battle. Always seeking death. He had left countless of dead bodies behind him - and in front of him was an endless road of future kills. Not a SINGLE one of his kills had meant anything to him. Maybe that was part of being a Hollow, or maybe it was just part of being him. Nnoitra didn’t regret anything he had done. Whether or not this all made him, as the other put it ‘ delightful ‘? That was a different question. It was all the same to him. 

     ❝ Yeah? Ya like DEATH, huh? ❞ Did he WANT A TASTE OF IT? Nnoitra could easily deliver it to this creepy looking dude. Not that the guy had really done him anything, and Nnoitra didn’t feel compelled to kill him. Then again, only a small portion of his kills happened for a reason. He didn’t need a reason to fight - it was just WHAT HE DID. If he wanted to be strong - to get stronger, then surrounding himself with battle was the only way to go forward. Nnoitra didn’t think that this stranger had the same sort of philosophy as him. Few did. He seemed more playful than Nnoitra was.

[hitsugaya-toushirou]

If I can ask, what reads do you dislike from the fandom? It's ok if you don't want to answer, I was just curious.

I'm so sorry anon this ended up being extremely disjointed and kind of stream of consciousness 😭

In general there's too many to count honestly, but in reference to that post I made 👇

It's umm. Very bewildering to me to act like Ichigo is depressed in the Fullbring arc because he's living a normal life, instead of that y'know... He's powerless? More powerless than he's ever been in his whole life even? He didn't just lose the powers he gained over the series and get reset to zero, it went beyond that and he even lost the ability to see ghosts, which he's probably had since he was born.

Not only did he have to grapple with that, he was kind of uhh isolated? From the spiritual stuff. Rukia never visited in a gigai (she has a job to do I get it lol). His dad never feels the need to explain ANYTHING to him, leaving him open to Ginjou's manipulation. Urahara obviously has not been keeping contact with him seeing how Ichigo was so suspicious of Karin at his shop. (Neither of them stopping Tsukishima from attacking his friends and family is a whole other can of worms.) Watching his friends go off and fight Hollows while he has to sit there unable to do a thing? It's lonely. It's depressing. That's why he fell prey to such a shady group like Xcution! He was desperate for even a shred of his former power!

And you have to remember that the first half of Bleach before the timeskip takes place over... 6 months-ish? Give or take. Ichigo was constantly fighting for his life, or his soul, or his friends lives, or the worlds. He never actually got to rest with just the security of having his powers in his life lol.

Ah, it's also very funny to me to think Ichigo would join the Gotei when he dies lol. Like that is just nooot a good choice for him to make. If he was smart it would play out like this:

Gotei 13: Omg Ichigo u finally died! We have a spot open just for u!! 🤗

Ichigo: ...I'm a substitute tho 😐

And then he goes and kicks it in Rukongai with all his homies. Like obviously he'll visit plenty to hang out and give them a hand with things, but he shouldn't enlist. Could you imagine?

Let's just put him in two canon situations.

"Ichigo we need you to go slaughter an entire race of people because they won't do as they're told, and are making our jobs harder. We are giving up on diplomacy and going full genocide babey! Men, women, helpless children and elderly and all!" or "Hey! Things are kinda out of wack Ichigo :/ Can you go slaughter a bunch of Rukongai citizens to level things out? About 28,000. Thankies 😚"

Even if it's for the so-called "greater good" do you think he would do it? Absolutely not.

Okay so now what? Is he committing treason by refusing? Is he getting jailed? Is he fighting all his friends now to stop them from killing innocent people? Is he throwing a coup?

Being a Shinigami is NOT just cleansing Hollows, and Ichigo would have a deep moral opposition to a lot of it.

Like there's a group that's straight up assassinating people, and everyone knows it lol. There are people jailed not because they have committed any crime, but because maybe they could be dangerous some day. Who even knows what fully constitutes as dangerous? There's people like Mayuri obviously, but who's to say someone who advocates for switching to a new system of government isn't considered dangerous? And all we've seen is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

And to say Ichigo would change it all... Ichigo changed the hearts of the upper echelon of the Gotei a little bit but guess what... They're not in charge!!! The Seireitei is an aristocracy-based militia. The Central 46 make the rules, the Central 46 dole out the punishments. These rich haughty people who only care about their own self-interest are not gonna listen to Ichigo, they're not gonna be changed by him. So now what? Are we back to a coup? Lmao

Also like. On top of all that, for the entire series besides the epilogue, Ichigo is a teenager lol. I doubt he even understands the full workings of Japanese politics, let alone the intricacies of a feudal ghost aristocracy, that he only stepped foot in for... less than a month? And he was fighting tooth and nail for a large chunk of that lmao.

An entire government is just not something you can change with a punch or sword strike (Well I guess technically you could with a lot of sword strikes, but that's a tooon of bloodshed and not a route Ichigo would go down). Also like. It's not Ichigo's responsibility!!! It should not be on the shoulders of a child to overturn the corrupt layout of a world he doesn't live in!!!

I don't know where to end this so, apologies for the tangent <3

[hiyorisarugaki]

“Girl story time! How long did it take for noodle brain and you to hook up?”

"WEll... depends how long ya have. This ain't some story that'll take six minutes! I mean... we got loads'a years 'ta cover!"

"I've known him for at least 250 years. And I've liked him for at least 200 of them. Not that I'm countin' or nothin'. It started the moment he started tutoring me when I was in the academy. He'd tutor me, a gifted student- obviously- who had trouble with reading kidou and well... he was roped into lookin' after me. Back when he was a green bean shinigami in the twelfth division. Anyway, I treated him 'ta a meal cuz I'm a generous god and had passed the academy with his help durin' examinations, but when the order arrived, his plate looked better. He swapped ours round and well... I mean... nobody's done that for me before. It's not just the way he's casually feedin' me... but like givin' me something he was looking forward to as well. Who does that? Only... only like family does that. And I'd never had a family. Not a proper one, anyway. Certainly none enough to care 'ta give me a full portion of what they wanted. So... so I guess... I started thinkin' and noticin' him more. Seein' how popular he was. How strong he was. His talent was gonna take him far. More than just a seated officer. I had 'ta catch up if we could still be friends. It meant working my ass off every day. Especially when he became a captain and left the 12th division. I was desperate 'ta catch up and become someone important in the gotei, too. So I worked hard 'ta be lieutenant. I know some people think Hikifune-Taichou just gave me the position, but I never got anythin' just given 'ta me in my life except for my cute fangs. So yeah. I worked for everything. I made all the budgets and rotas and even filled in every position when a shinigami needed days off or wanted'a visit their family. I was relied on by Hikifune-Taichou. But yeah, I became a lieutenant. And that way, I was almost closer to Shinji too. But it still don't mean... he noticed me. Not like a woman, anyway. Like, he didn't sweep his cape of hair and go wow, that's a strong and cute woman right there. Let's make her my bride! Tch. As if. He was too busy going around flirting with so many girls. Geez. I don't even remember their long legs and stupid, swooshy hair." She obviously does remember them. Probably even better than Shinji, because she's grinding her teeth. If it wasn't for her bothering and pestering him for meals, she'd never have got his attention. And of course... she grabbed his attention in violent ways, too.

"Anyway... he never noticed a damn thing. So we get 'ta the night of the hollowfication where Sosuke reveals his slimy ass plan. We survive his experiments, but then... I kinda knew, that even if I did have a chance with him, I couldn't get with him. I mean, what.. he's stuck with me in exile, we actually got a chance now since there's no other competition... but, it ain't easy 'ta confess. Especially when Aizen's out there and we're all... dealin' with a mountain of shitty inner hollows. And then, on top of that... he's got this guilt about what happened since Aizen was his responsibility. It's too much for him. Being responsible for us and the situation and to put my feelings on top of that...?? That's... not good. Plus, I'd changed too. I... I'd lost my rank and prestige and... really anything I could offer him. I wasn't a good prospect for him. I also... had planned on killing Aizen or die trying. And... I almost did die trying. I wanted 'ta confess then,too... y'know when Gin got us. But... that would also have been shitty. Who would say no to the feelings of a dying girl?"

She takes a breath then. The things after that were murky. Or Hiyori had purposefully blanked them out because... Shinji had left. She has believed that there was nothing else she could really lose, other than her life. She'd lost her home already, her rank, her position, her ability to form rational thoughts... even her strength after the bifurcation. Really, nothing else was left for anyone to take.

But Soul Society decided it wasn't enough.

They took Shinji and her friends too.

Hiyori swallowed hard. She still does, hate Shinigami...

"Well... I guess... I guess he missed me when he became captain again. And I behaved less violently too. I mean, how can ya really smack a guy that lives a dimension away? He gained a thousand new friends in Soul Society. I was left with minus three. I think... he must've started worrying and thinking of me more then. That's how he came by often 'ta check on me. Then he kissed me. And we started courting each other and now we're married after I said I'd start looking for houses in Soul Society again. I was happy when he asked. It's like a dream come true..."

[bleachbleachbleach]

Fic: Away, Away

This was written for Day 13 of @hitsuhina-week! If you prefer, you can also read this on AO3. Which is my preference, because Tumblr keeps eating my spacing whether I use Rich Text or HTML so it looks absurd on here. >.>

Aftermath / Going on a Trip Together Hinamori Momo + Hitsugaya Toushirou Pre-Series

--

This will be the last time. 

(Whisper it, so he won't hear.)

--

Every spring, Junrinan finds its way to the western mountains. (The souls of Rukongai wander.) There is no grand procession: They disperse across the vast range, often alone and sometimes in twos. They are always careful not to cause disruption, because while one soul in a forest full of spirits generally isn't worth the effort, seven is a meal.

They are three. 

Soon, they will be two. Hinamori can't stop whispering her new name, hi na mo ri. It's early to be out here, but the snows were mild this year and new growth is already peeking from beneath the thick, rich leaf rot. She feels an affinity with this year's tender saplings, a feeling that grows hotter with every whispered repetition of her name. Her grandmother had given it to her, showed her how to write it. She'd studied her name harder than she had the exam.

Hinamori has an acceptance letter. In April, she is leaving. 

Hinamori nearly walks straight into a nettle spirit--the hair-eating kind--draped across the game path plain as day.

"Do you wanna be bald?" Toushirou grouses as he yanks her back just in time. "I guess it fits. You're acting like a blind old man." 

Hinamori blinks, brushes imagined hair from her face. It's the fifth time she's tried to walk straight through a spirit in as many days. 

"Studying is bad for your eyes," says Toushirou. He doesn't care for moony Hinamori. Momo had paid a lot more attention to what was in front of her. But she's Hinamori now. At least, that's the only name she'll write, dragging her thin stick through the dirt outside the house. So that's what he calls her.

Toushirou squeezes through a bumble of pot-bellied mushroom spirits and Hinamori follows him, stepping carefully into his tracks.

"You'll need to keep reading even when I'm not around. It'll go if you don't practice," she says.

Toushirou makes a noncommittal sound.

"I'll send you letters full of kanji and quiz you on them when I visit." I'll learn how to write them pretty, she promises, just like Baachan does.

"Will you write me back?" she asks.

"Probably not."

This hurts her. But Toushirou plans to go the rest of his life without writing a single thing. It's not personal.

"Why would I need to tell you what happens in Junrinan?" he says. "You already know."

--

And if I forget?

--

Life in Junrinan doesn't change. That's what Toushirou was promised. The winters are quiet and slow, and in spring they go to the mountains. Summers are for farming, and autumns for harvest. Then winters are quiet and slow again.

Spring passes with bracken and angelica in hand. It is counted in the spirals of ferns as their number grows in the baskets. Some are dried; some are steeped. Mostly, they are sold. Many of the men in Junrinan spend springtime waking before dawn to sprint to the mountain, forage the lowlands, and return to the village for evening revelries, but Toushirou and Hinamori and their grandmother have always spent the whole of the season between the trees. The mountains prefer it when you stay. 

This will be true no matter how long Hinamori is gone.

April 12th through July 20th, then our first break, she says, scratching numbers in the dirt. But Junrinan doesn't have dates the way the Academy does. She draws the way the trees will change. The change happens in a long straight line, and beyond July 20th there is an emptiness rather than a repetition. How do you draw an unwritten future?

Hinamori writes her name again.

--

In the spring, everything is full: Toushirou enjoys the wet green of it, the late snows and vernal flooding. The water flows down from the mountains ice cold and the forests are loud and thick with spirits.

The spirits have no names that are written and no faces that have ever stayed the same, unremembered but immemorial. They are loud. Most of them respect the borders of his body. They brush against his legs with thick wet fur or scrape his cheek with leathery wings. They coil around his throat, treating him like a tree or rock. Some of them are trees and rocks. They are the mountains and forest, just like the wandering souls of Junrinan. They all belong here, more or less.

Toushirou can see most of them. When the blurry ones pass through you, it's feverishly unpleasant for the split-second it happens and then is nothing at all. The blurry ones, Toushirou figures, aren't actually in this forest. They are like shadows at sunset, cast long and far from their bodies. Their true bodies roam a different world entirely.

That's what Hinamori wants to do. 

Hinamori used to clamor for shinigami stories any time one of them passed through town. She'd been told one time that all travelers carried stories and now expected it.

The shinigami never expected her. Unless commerce was involved they didn't tend to acknowledge souls, or even look at them. So they always seemed surprised by Hinamori, like it hadn't occurred to them that they'd meet a real, full person out here. Which is fair enough, Toushirou grudgingly allows--there are plenty of souls in Junrinan so old and staid they cannot move, nor speak. (Don't touch them. It's unlucky.)

We don't talk about those.

The shinigami talk story: The story of black dye. The story of a tall bathhouse. The story of grilled meat on sticks. The story of the time they saw a noble. The story of a big fish. The story of a bigger fish. The story of the bullet train. The story of my sister, who isn't very interesting but is the only thing that comes to mind right now sorry. The story of 19th seats should be paid more. The story of the soul who wanted a story. 

Almost none of the stories are about death.

"Little girls shouldn't go into those mountains," one shinigami once said, which is as close as a story ever came to it. "Nasty stuff in there. They're called Hollows, you know. Real bad guys."

The shinigami patted the sword at his hip. He'd just told Hinamori a story about the third son of a lesser noble whom everyone loved and thought deserved better than the shadows of his elder brothers. And how preposterous is it, really, that he should have to prove himself when his brothers never did? Pushed out here into the boonies, seeking honor and fame. He really feels for the guy. Don't you? Don't you?

"You seem to know a lot about 'this guy,'" Toushirou offered.

"I'm a master storyteller," said the shinigami.

I've killed a Hollow before, you know, boasted the master storyteller. He'd led a unit of twelve men into those mountains out there, which were so quiet you could hear your own heart beating. When you can hear your terror--that's when you're on the cusp of valor. His eyes lit up. I was the one who cut the mask, he said.

Twelve is obviously far too many (seven is a meal), and those mountains have never been quiet. Toushirou didn't think he'd really been.

In the spring, though, there's a dark scar where once there'd been a copse of trees. Shattered branches and burned ground. His grandmother says it smells like Hollow. 

"They see things differently," his grandmother half-explains, of the shinigami and their Hollows and the silence of their mountains. Of course this would seem a different place to them.

"They're idiots," says Toushirou, though suddenly he's not sure. The scar is hair-raising, and his stomach roils. Maybe they really shouldn't be out in the woods.

"The shinigami know more than you," says Hinamori, taking his hand in hers. She grips it tightly, reassuring, or maybe annoyed. Both. She has a lot of school spirit for someone who hasn't even been yet.

But she doesn't let go of his hand, even after they've returned to the cover of the live trees, kitsune fire nestled in the brambles at their feet.

Toushirou makes the mistake of noticing a spirit that tends to linger just out of sight. It feeds on your instinct to look, and it grows higher and higher the more you crane your neck, so sure you'll be able to sneak a glimpse of it. By the time you realize the trick, you've always been had. It's very annoying.

--

This will be the last time.

(Scream it.)

--

"It's so dark out here," says Hinamori, in spite of the kitsune and all the rest. Lots of spirits glow. She is still holding his hand.

Toushirou thinks of the small lamp Hinamori had bought to study by, the wild shadows it cast on the interior walls and the way it had made all hours bright. He thinks of all the hours she hadn't slept. All because some shinigami had told her a story about a school. 

Anything would seem dark by comparison. He can't remember the last time she hadn't had her lamp on when he went to bed.

Hinamori is going to snap the bones in his hand. He yelps. Tears prick in his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

She doesn't let go, and then she doesn't let go.

"It's so quiet," she says faintly. Her free hand wavers over her heart protectively.

It's so dark. It's so quiet. Quiet enough to hear your terror.

Except it's not. It's not dark.

It's not quiet.

The forest is full, air thick with chirrups and buzzing, screeching, hooting, chittering. Bodies clack and bones shudder. Reeds whistle and something large makes a whomping, resonating tone. Foxfire hisses as it makes sparks, throws phosphorous motes that dance high above. A heartbeat glow marches up the ridged spine of a lizard spirit. The forest is as it has always been.

Toushirou's eyes widen. 

"You can't hear them anymore."

To Hinamori, it is all darkness and silence. 

She sinks to the ground, burying her head in her knees as though to hide from the quiet. From the black. She drops his hand.

"Momo--"

She shakes her head. She opens her hands to the sky like she's waiting for a bird to land. For a split second, a small warm flame billows from her palms. 

Then the entire forest catches.

The thought had been innocent enough--to be her own light in the darkness, conquer her fear. But the forest only hears the conquering. It's the kitsune who don't take kindly to Hinamori's light. Their fire screeches up and outward and then all the spirits are in frenzy. A meal! scream some; and others, a threat! A danger to be expunged. A strange thing not of this forest, these mountains.

Outsider! the world around them hisses. Away.

away, away

Hinamori screams as the flames leap forward--the claws, the vines, the terrors and all in between. She throws herself in front of Toushirou. 

Toushirou can't find his voice at all. The wide whites of his eyes feel the propulsive gust of the forest coming down on them. On Hinamori. No! he can't shout, cold fear coiling over his frozen legs and pricking at his shoulder blades. Something serpentine rushes past him and he's on the ground. His head smacks hard against a writhing tree root and he tastes bile, feels nothing. 

Hears everything.

away

When he wakes, snow is falling, wet and sloppy. Kitsune are nibbling at the singed edges of a hanafuda. Hinamori is in her grandmother's arms. She's crying.

--

Before Hinamori started studying, with her bright lamp and her long nights and her feverish poetry scratched into the ground, before the hunger came, she'd woken one morning to a futon streaked with her blood. Her grandmother said that this was womanhood.

"The tea will stop the bleeding," she assured a tearful Hinamori as they scrubbed at her futon, pinking the waters. Toushirou beat at the stain with his feet, splashing everywhere.

"You don't have to touch it," Hinamori had said quietly, her eyes fixed on the water. "It's my mess."

"Baachan said I have to help," Toushirou objected. "Besides, am I supposed to just sit here and watch you bleed?"

--

Just one last time.

--

Hinamori isn't hurt, but she is in pain. The forest doesn't want her anymore. (She is leaving.)

"The forest sees them differently," his grandmother says, the other half of her earlier explanation. "Them," meaning shinigami. "Them," meaning Hinamori, now.

Shinigami see and are seen differently. They belong differently. Toushirou had only ever distinguished them by their black clothes, and sometimes their attitude. But his grandmother talks about reiryoku, about reiatsu, about the realms the shinigami travel through and the spirits they are blind to. The spirits that belong to different worlds than theirs, even when they're side by side. Some worlds are bound to one another, tied by fate and duty; others are repelled.

As Hinamori's reiatsu blossomed with her womanhood, slowly folding outward past her skin, beyond her body, her worlds were chosen for her. Like the bleeding, there's a tea to help this, too, but it's not the same. 

There is no going back.

"What're you looking at," Toushirou scowls at her. He's not sure what to do with her pain. There's nothing he can do for her pain. But she's looking at him differently, a little less like Hinamori and a little more like the rest of Junrinan does, and that scares him.

She asks him if he'd felt anything. Something cold.

She's asked him before. Every day since the incident, she's asked him.

His answer is always the same. No. Just fear.

He should be helping his grandmother. They're here in the forest for a reason, and that hasn't changed; they have foraging to do. But he doesn't want to leave Hinamori alone. 

"Don't be afraid of it, Shiro-chan," says Hinamori. Hinamori, who's now afraid of the dark.

Hinamori, who is leaving.

--

She doesn't have a choice. When her power comes into her she knows there is only one place she can go. It's a place she has always wanted to go. (She has always wanted to go places.) But now she has to.

She smiles. 

If she is going to go, she's going to fly. She will love, and yearn, and cry. She will give all of herself to the future before her, even when it means that precious things can be only memory. If there is something Hinamori leaves in him when she goes, it's flight. 

Someday, Toushirou will remember to remember that.

--

"Will you write me?" she asks.

--

--

(You will be written.)

--

She returns for the summer, then is gone again. Winter, then gone again. But she doesn't come home for the spring. They'll be going to the realm of the living. They will fight Hollows, just like the Gotei 13. She explains the meaning and stroke order of the characters, go tei,  though she doesn't explain what the Gotei 13 actually is. That part must already seem obvious to her. Shinigami stuff. That's all Toushirou will ever need to know. Seems pretentious.

When Junrinan returns to the mountains this year, Toushirou and his grandmother stay behind. "It's dangerous," she says. She squeezes his shoulders.

It's dangerous now. 

There is no going back.

Junrinan may not change, but life does, and by the second summer, Hinamori has mostly forgotten the shapes of the forest spirits. Toushirou is forgetting them, too. 

The difference is, Hinamori has found replacements. She talks about incantations and sword stances, friendships and histories. She has been to the realm of the living. It's only been a year, and already they have nothing in common but their memories, ever-receding. 

Sometimes she wakes up screaming. She doesn't say why.

--

Toushirou dreams of a chill ripping through him. He dreams of a place where there are no mountains as far as the eye can see.

--

He wakes to Hinamori.

[doudecim]

I want to say that 99% of the fics here are on FF.net for I have only recently discovered the wonders of AO3, and I still didn’t dig deep in there to find all the HitsuKarin goodies.

That being said, I will put the list under the cut because this will be one very long post. So, I hope you all enjoy it!

one-shots

A Constant Fascination, by back-in-a-bit. — 'Colour me blood red passionately.' Hitsugaya makes it his personal mission to get Karin to blush. Pity it's easier said than done. In fact, it might just take him a lifetime. [rated T]

A Fall in the Fall, by MeteorLeopard. — This was ridiculous! There she was, just looking at the fish, and the next thing she knows, she's up in a tree being held against her will! And it's all his fault! [rated T]

a little suffering is good for the soul, by the milliner’s rook. —  Future fic. If there are stupider ways to get courted, Karin can't think of them. [rated K+]

A Woman Scorned, by Glowing Blue. — The twisted fairy tale of Karin finding her own invite to the ball, though she's hardly looking for a Prince Charming. [rated T]

but leave the soul alone, by the milliner’s rook. — AU. Death, it's catching. Or: the one where Toushirou and Karin share night shifts at the hospital. And coffee. Terrible, terrible coffee. [rated K+]

Collection, by ichilover3. — A drabble/oneshot dump. Shenanigans, silliness, and sexy-times abound. Also alliteration, apparently. [rated M]

crawl into your shadow, by the milliner’s rook. — AU. There's a witch in this sleepy little village now that goes by the name of Karin, but nothing has changed since she's arrived. Not really. [rated T]

Delirous, by carved in the sand. — Matsumoto finds her captain to be a lovestruck teenage boy. [rated T]

duckling theory, by the milliner’s rook. — The first thing Karin notices is watermelon. Looking back, maybe it should have been startling green eyes. [rated K]

For You, by Glowing Blue. — Death had never been the paradise everyone wished it to be. But then they found each other. [rated T, two-shot.]

frostbitten, by the milliner’s rook. — Set during the time skip. The winter they meet is unkind with snow. [rated K+]

Frozen Moments, by CrazyAce'n'PokerFace. — 101 drabbles/one-shots that give a glimpse into Toushirou and Karin's life together. A love story told in snapshots. [rated K+]

funny valentine, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — I'll be yours if you'll be mine. [rated K+]

humour me, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — True love's kiss. That ought to do it. [rated K+]

i’m high on believing, by the milliner's rook. — For the record, he prefers his plain black shoes to her fancy red sneakers. [rated K+]

ice breaker, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — AU. There are better ways to get found out than making out in a closet and tumbling onto the ground. [rated T]

if my heart was a compass you’d be north, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Future fic. Give me a reason to believe. [rated K+]

In Every Season, by Adobo-chan. — A collection of HitsuKarin oneshots. [rated T]

In the Dark, by ichilover3. — It really wasn't anyone else's business. She should be allowed to fornicate with midgets if she wanted to. [rated T]

innocent guilt, by SebonzaMitsuki27. —  AU. Oh, I know! You're a tramp with wings! [rated K+]

Juxtaposition, by Lady Azar de Tameran. — Something within Hitsugaya Toushirou thinks that he may have met his match. [rated T]

keep me in your pocket, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Set during the timeskip. Don't stay out of touch, okay? [rated K+]

Kuchiki Rukia, the Glorified Courier, by MeteorLeopard. — Delivering super-top-secret messages between dimensions is tough work; believe me, I know. If it weren't such a rewarding experience I'd downright refuse to play the messenger. Honestly. [rated K+]

liliputians, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Future fic. It's alright, kid. I'm short too. [rated K+]

Lovely Complex, by Unknown lazy ass. — She slyly grinned, “Wow, you really are head over heels for me, aren’t you Toushirou?” [rated K+]

Momo knows Best, by MeteorLeopard. — Sometimes having a meddling older sister... sucks. [rated T]

of halos and wings, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Future fic. He had betrayed Hinamori with nothing but his heart. [rated T]

Old Haunts, by the milliner's rook. — Future fic. You were just gone, Toushirou, what was I to think? I thought—I thought you'd come back, and you did, twenty years too late. [rated T]

Peeping Tom, by Glowing Blue. — The love story of Hitsugaya and Karin, as seen from open windows and heard through thin walls. "Hisagi's eyes had a tendency to stray." AU. [rated T]

phantasmagoria, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Flickering through black and white, they find their perfect shade of grey. [rated K+, two-shot.]

put down your sword and crown, by the milliner's rook. — AU. When her old man dies to save Ichi-nii's life, everything changes. Days after the funeral, the word Quincy is spoken for the first time, and at five years old, Karin becomes defined by it. [rated K+]

Red, The Colour of Despair, by the milliner's rook. — It was strange how much difference one colour could make. [rated K+]

Revenants, by carved in the sand. — Hitsugaya ponders the ghosts that haunt the girl he still loves. [rated T]

Sports and Sex are Universal (but never the twain should meet), by back-in-a-bit. — Toushirou gives Karin a flat look. "I'm not high-fiving you over sex," he says. [rated M]

Subtle, by nublados. — Toshiro comments on the subtlety that is Karin Kurosaki. [rated K+]

The Art of Asking, by Felix02. — He should have known that her father wouldn't be able to keep a secret, especially from one of his daughters. [rated T]

The Art Of Getting By, by the milliner's rook. — AU. There's some difficulty between juggling flirting, killing Hollows and getting to class on time with the hottest guy in high school, but Karin's certain she'll get the hang of it eventually. [rated T]

The Staircase not Taken, by MeteorLeopard. — Perhaps it was a good thing that the stairs were destroyed, her brother acting demented and a violent fight going on without her just upstairs. After all, the visitor who happened to drop by was worth the wait. [rated T]

the winter sun smiled for things to come in spring, by the milliner's rook. — What is it with you! You're either too young or too old! What the hell! [rated T, two-shots.]

Urahara's Lawn Mowing Service, by MeteorLeopard. — Incorrect phone numbers are a messy business. Even messier though is the business that happens after said incorrect phone call. "Fine, but I bet your girlfriend didn't call back because your lawn needs to be mowed." [rated T]

velocity, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Aim for the goal, and don't look back, no matter what. [rated T]

where angels fear to tread, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — They belong in hell. [rated K]

You Taste Like Birthday, You Look Like New Year, by the milliner's rook. — Future fic. She likes his hands, Toushirou notices. Loves them, in fact. [rated M]

complete

lune, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — AU. Me and you and moonlight shivers. [[rated T] other main pairings are ByakuyaHisana, ShinjiHiyori and UlquiorraNel, so beware that HitsuKarin is not the only focus in this one.]

Waterlogged, Wind-chapped, and Sun-bleached. — They grow up together, and the slow progression of their relationship shapes their world. AU. [rated T]

Wendybird Chronicles, by the milliner's rook. — She wonders if they ever had a chance. If they might have missed it, somehow. [rated K+]

on going

Wrong Number, by Lunatasha. — Unknown (10:22): So! I just read all of the conversations I had last night while I was out drunk and thoroughly embarrassing myself and please let me apologise for bothering you (especially as I think you were working if you were in your office?) last night. I mean in hindsight I probably should have stopped messaging you as soon as it was clear you weren't who I was looking for, but drunk me apparently hates sober me so yeah, I'm sorry. That being said thank you again for helping me out even though I must have been bothering you, I appreciate it. [rated T]

Only in Dreams, by TullyBlue. — Brother, she had called him, but he spent the entire meal acting like she was a ghost. Eating with the twins, he can’t even imagine being that cold to his sisters. Yuzu’s laughter brightens his day and that admiring glint in Karin’s eye, that he only catches every once in a while, means the world to him. The so-called brother in his dreams makes Ichigo’s skin crawl. Everything else, though, he wants to see more of, to know more about, to understand. Old, wood floors, a spacious room, flowing black robes, and those swords... [[rated T] other main pairings are IchigoRukia, UryuuChad, GanjuHanatarou, so beware that HitsuKarin is not the only focus in this one.]

abandoned or on permanent hiatus, probably won’t ever post a new chapter again

Blizzard Blues, by the milliner's rook. — Future fic. I heard your brother had an eight pack, Captain Hitsugaya! That he was shredded! [rated T]

Catalyst, by Etiena. — With captain-level shinigami in her family, it is no surprise that Kurosaki Karin has potential. But it isn't family which triggers her change. Instead, a chance encounter with a young shinigami captain leads to startling revelations. [rated K+]

Go Against the Grain, by Adobo-chan. — Old law deems that only a son may become the Kurosaki House's next leader. Born from this ancient tradition, a tragic betrayal and her mother's sacrifice, Karin is brought up as Kurosaki Kazuto, the 29th head of the family. [rated T]

oh sinful rose, by the milliner's rook. — AU. Five years after the monarchy is overthrown, a noble finds a forgotten princess in chains. DISCONTINUED. [rated T]

Quandary, by Glowing Blue. — Funnily enough, meeting such a spirited single mother was actually part of his job description. AU. [rated T] (I love this one so much!)

Roommate For Sale, by SavageTrickster. — AU. There are many things in life that she didn't know, but the one thing Kurosaki Karin was certain of is that her overprotective brother is going to blow his top when he meets her new roommate.

[deivorous]

@colmilos​ replied: @deivorous where were you when they annihilated everyone then :/

Oh I am so glad you asked. I’ve been brewing this headcanon for  whole three days (legit. It’s super new.)

There’s really only two viable options for why Grimmjow wasn’t present during the Quincy massacre of the remaining arrancar.

1) He wasn’t in Las Noches and likely hadn’t been for some time.

This isn’t unlikely. Grimmjow owes no loyalty to Hallibel or Nelliel, he projects the facade of a solitary hunter, and without Aizen acting as a lynch pin to hold the Las Noches hierarchy in place, having that many strong hollows around is probably acts agaisnt his instincts. Conflict is bound to break out between such strong hollows in close proximity, territory boundaries would be pushed and tested, and until a natural hierarchy is reinstated, there is a massive power vacuum that other hollows would be vying to fill.

At the end of the Winter War, Grimmjow was grievously injured and fracción-less. The same can not be said for either Hallibel or Nel/liel. It’s not improbably that Grimmjow simply never returned to his territory in Las Noches...

However, I think he would have.

His desire to be the King is innate. It’s not a lust for power or authority but rather a survival instinct that drives him to seek safety in being at the top of the food chain. If he is the strongest then no one else can threaten his existence. To give up his seat at Las Noches is the equivalent of abdicating his claim to the throne. Even battered, defeated, and on the brink of death, his instincts would never allow that concession. 

This forces us to seek an alternative reason for his not being present.

2) He had been present.

If we are to conclude that Grimmjow would not leave Las Noches because of his desire to be King then he must have been there when the Quincy invaded. He clearly seeks to protect Hueco Mundo (though he disguises it as a threat to Kurosaki’s life), because he’s accepted some sort of responsibility over the realm. Though the Espada have been abolished he and Hallibel (Nel is excluded because we have no evidence that she spent any time in her adult form over the time skip) are still the two most powerful individuals in any sort of ‘leadership’ position over Hueco Mundo.

Furthermore, in CFYOW he exhibits no objection to Nelliel’s desire to rescue Hallibel, and in fact, aids in her extraction from the Royal Realm. He shares Nelliel’s goal in rescuing her. The paragraphs below show Grimmjow creating a diversion from the more injured Hallibel so that he can cover their escape back to Hueco Mundo, which he states in as many words “take the dead weight of yours and go back to Hueco Mundo ... You think the Soul Reapers will actually turn a blind eye to us? I’m not going to let them stab us in the back on the way out.” (Thank you @mindinmuken​ for the pages!)

This clearly indicates that Grimmjow and Hallibel have developed some sort of camaraderie or at least a mutual understanding - and he is willing to fight for her.

Therefore, excuses such as ‘he was away hunting’ and ‘he didn’t feel the need to fight’ when the Quincy attacked simply didn’t hold up. If his territory (Hueco Mundo inclusive), and Hallibel (his newest goal) and his throne were under threat, he would fight. He’s never been shown to be the person who backs down from a battle, no matter how suicidal (see Grimmjow vs Ulquiorra & Grimmjow vs Ichigo).

So if he was fighting along side Hallibel during the invasion, and only she was defeated in battle, where was he?

Simple. She told him to go. One of them needed to survive.

The Quincy were not shy about their goal - the total annihilation of the Soul Society AND it’s system. This system is clearly not a great thing for hollows - seeing as it creates them - but it does have some benefits. Death by shinigami permits the souls to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. Shinigami are regarded as a Hollows natural enemy. But this isn’t true. Where a shinigami purifies a hollow, a quincy annihilates it and all the multitude of souls it contains.

This balance of the worlds was a concept that was introduced very early in Bleach, and just about anyone who’s anyone seems to be aware of it (the narrator in this scene is Rukia). It’s not a stretch to believe that the Arrancar are also aware of this to some extent - either innately or via Aizen - and the Espada in particular are made of a huge amount of souls.

Grimmjow himself states that he’s eaten 3000 hollows - adjuchas - and those hollows would have eaten a vast number of souls too. Even if you keep that number small and say that on average eat 500 other hollows, that still means Grimmjow is comprised of 1.5 Million Souls, and that’s not including all the souls he ate as a gillian and before he became menos, and that’s likely to be low-balling the average gross size of the adjuchas he’s consumed. Hallibel and Nelliel are Vasto Lorde (at least one is canonically) and are likely even larger than he is.

A quincy killing even one Vasto Lorde strength hollow obliterates an enormous number of souls from the balance.

Furthermore, the Arrancar are likely unaware of the animosity between the Quincy and the Shinigami. As far as Hallibel, Grimmjow, and Nelliel know, the Quincy simply aim to destroy the current system then the solution is simple:

Kill Hallibel, Grimmjow, and Nelliel.

If these three and their contained souls were destroyed then there would not be a war to destabilize the realm system. The Quincy would have won before the Shinigami could do anything to oppose them.

This is a sentiment that is shared by Ichibe.

“If we carelessly purify or eradicate you... the balance of the three worlds WOULD collapse.”

That is strong language. Though there is some wiggle room in including ‘as things currently are’, if the Quincy eradicated the three surviving Espada they needed do much more to win the war.

Considering all of this, the moment Hallibel and Grimmjow realized the Quincy’s goal the strategy to their fighting would have changed completely. Nel was fortunately already hidden and protected as a child, however, neither Grimmjow or Hallibel likely know exactly how many souls needed to be destroyed to unbalance the world.

The goal became survival at all costs. Live to fight another day. Do not throw this war away by careless action.

Grimmjow was absent when the Quincy were anihillating the surviving Arrancar because he obeyed for the first and only time, the one order Hallibel has ever given him:

Run.

[midnightactual]

Kurayami’s Perspective

To understand Kurayami, it’s important to understand what a typical zanpakutō even is in the first place. Most of the available evidence in the series revolves around Ichigo, who is obviously unique, but it still gives us some insight into what the average zanpakutō is like.

ZANPAKUTŌ IN GENERAL

Ōetsu has the following exchange with Ichigo in chapter 523:

Ichigo: Oh yeah?! So these guys are the embodiment of asauchi! But... why are we being attacked by them?! Ōetsu: So close!! Ōetsu: Embodiment, huh? Yes, yes, yes. So close, so close. It’s a bit different, but that’ll do for now. But what’s more important... is that they’re angry at you. Ichigo: Angry?! About what?! Ōetsu: The way you two use your zanpakutō. Ichigo: How we use it...?! Ōetsu: You don’t understand? I don’t blame you. How you fight? How you swing it? No, no. Then what? It's something more fundamental! Ōetsu: Have you been using it as a tool? Have you been interacting with it as a subordinate? Have you been relying on it like a partner? As a family member? As a friend? A superior? A junior? Pet? Acquaintance? Lover? Mistress? Ōetsu: GIMME A BREAK!!! Ōetsu: This how they feel about you. This is what I mean by more fundamental.

Just from the way this is being discussed, we can say that zanpakutō are none of the things that Ōetsu lists off. When Ichigo eventually returns in chapter 538, the asauchi he selects takes on his appearance and hairstyle. In chapter 540, when Ōetsu disintegrates the asauchi for forging, it starts with a hole in the heart, like a Hollow. In chapter 541, “THE BLADE AND ME 2″, we get the following:

Ōetsu: Have you figured it out, Go-Ichi? Ōetsu: The reason why this asauchi turned white... the moment it touched you? Ichigo: ... No... Ōetsu: Perhaps you thought to yourself that... it’s just like... the Hollow in you. Ōetsu: That's right. This guy is... the Hollow inside you. I had that asauchi become the catalyst to draw this zanpakutō out. Ōetsu: Do you understand what that means? Ōetsu: This Hollow is... your zanpakutō, Go-Ichi. Ōetsu: The Hollow named White that Aizen created is made from layers of many Soul Reaper souls. Oddly enough... that is also how my asauchi are created. Ōetsu: That Hollow entered your body... and melded with your Soul Reaper powers. It became your zanpakutō. Ichigo: Wait a second... so then... Ōetsu: That’s right. I know you know... Ōetsu: ... About the man who's been... pretending to be a zanpakutō inside your soul!

We go on to learn that “Zangetsu”, the Old Man, is a manifestation of Yhwach, and Ichigo’s Quincy powers. Ōetsu and Ichigo then reforge both Zangetsu in chapter 541, “THE BLADE IS ME”, and Ichigo bids farewell to both, giving the following internal monologue before the title drop:“I won't ask... for your help anymore. I won't tell you to stay out of my way either. Nor will I ask... you guys to fight with me. I... will fight on my own. Thank you. Zangetsu. You are... me.”

All of this is very unequivocal: asauchi are created in the same fashion as artificial Hollows and become zanpakutō upon fusing with Shinigami powers. Once fused in such a fashion, they are their wielder and there is no real distinction between the two. It would seem from the actual Zangetsu’s behavior that he generally represents instinct, impulses, killing intent, and self-preservation instinct, although he is no mere “Id” given his relatively cordial interactions with “Zangetsu” in chapter 112. All of the talk of him being a Hollow and “taking over�� Ichigo is just that: talk to motivate Ichigo through fear. (Which is necessary for evolution, remember?) Zangetsu has no real interest or desire in taking over Ichigo any more than Zabimaru wants to take over Renji. He also can’t, since he’s already fused with Ichigo’s Shinigami powers and is Ichigo.

“Tensa Zangetsu” in chapter 409 tells us, “I don’t care. I don’t care what happens to things you want to protect. [...] Make no mistake, Ichigo... What you want to protect... is not what I want to protect!” In chapter 420, White Tensa Zangetsu says, “Tensa Zangetsu is you,” and “What I wanted to protect was... you... Ichigo!” This not only foreshadows what Ōetsu says, but given that both Zangetsu are fused at this time, we can discern that this is the desire of both, to include his “actual” zanpakutō. This reasoning is presumably why Isshin’s Engetsu refused to teach him the Final Getsuga Tenshō in the first place.

(This is not an Ichigo analysis, but it seems evident that Isshin and Ichigo’s Final Getsuga Tenshō would not be the same. The existence of White Tensa Zangetsu suggests that Ichigo’s Quincy, Hollow, and Shinigami powers are acting in unison and that what he uses against Aizen is in actuality likely a combination of what Isshin called the Final Getsuga Tenshō, Letzt Stil, and Segunda Etapa. It is unclear whether what Isshin called Final Getsuga Tenshō is available to all Shinigami, only Shiba, or only himself and Ichigo. By comparison with Letzt Stil and Segunda Etapa, presumably all Shinigami should have something similar as a final mode, but perhaps it’s a Shiba specialty, as it seems unlikely only Isshin would know of such a thing, and if ever there was a time for people who did know to use it, Thousand-Year Blood War was it.)

(This is also not a Tōshirō analysis, and I don’t presume to know what’s up with Hyōrinmaru in chapter -16, let alone The DiamondDust Rebellion if it’s taken as canon, but suffice it to say, based on what Ōetsu says his experience is clearly not typical in any event. Nor is it a Kaname and Kenpachi analysis, as it’s not clear what’s up with taking the zanpakutō off someone else who died. Nor is it an Arrancar analysis, as their zanpakutō seem very different.)

All this still raises several questions, such as ones like: why does an old and experienced Shinigami like Shunsui treat Katen Kyōkotsu in chapter 649 in exactly the sorts of ways that Ōetsu mocks over a hundred chapters earlier? That’s unclear. It could be that what Ōetsu reveals isn’t widely known, and that Shinigami are allowed to labor under false impressions of what their zanpakutō actually are for some reason (such as to limit their strength). Or maybe Shunsui just finds it entertaining despite knowing the truth.

Anyway, to recap, in general:

asauchi are created in the same fashion as artificial Hollows, and effectively are themselves weaponized Hollows (which fits well with the zanpakutō which Hikone used, Ikomikidomoe, which was made from a primordial Hollow)

the asauchi facilitate drawing out the “instincts” of their wielder into a manifestation which is similar to but distinct from Hollowfication, creating a zanpakutō and its attendant spirit (or at least manifesting this spirit if it existed a priori) while leaving the wielder seemingly unaltered

zanpakutō spirits are their wielder at base, and a zanpakutō is an extension of its wielder

zanpakutō view the protection of their wielder as an overriding priority

KURAYAMI IN PARTICULAR

Accordingly, it should be understood that Kurayami, like most zanpakutō spirits, is a reflection of Yoruichi’s base impulses and desires. Unlike most Shinigami, by virtue of her high office and family pedigree, Yoruichi knows this. She was thus increasingly horrified by what she saw as a result, and internally continued to otherize Kurayami...

... But she probably missed some things in the process, because she was too close to see them clearly for what they truly were.

Kurayami is a hardliner. Her attitude toward Yoruichi is similar to Zangetsu’s attitude toward Ichigo. As discussed, Zangetsu postures in the fashion he does to try and compel Ichigo to take steps that are necessary, but which Ichigo refuses to take. The ultimate examples of this are Zangetsu taking control of Ichigo’s body in an attempt to take down Byakuya, and likewise fatally wounding Ulquiorra. Kurayami’s constant admonitions of Yoruichi, advocacy of first strikes, and appeals to violence are her version of the same idea, as Yoruichi’s preferences for socializing, toying with her opponents, and avoiding killing might get her killed instead one day. (See also: Askin.) She always pushes for the maximal use of force, for overkill, because as Ripley says in Aliens: “I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”

Kurayami only cares for Yoruichi’s continued existence. Despite being perfectly aware of Yoruichi’s guilt regarding what occurred during her time in the Onmitsukidō and Gotei 13, Kurayami would happily kill a million, a billion, or a trillion people if it meant that Yoruichi continued to live. The lives of others aren’t meaningless, but they simply do not matter to her in comparison. It’s not exactly that she only views Yoruichi’s compassion, empathy, and sympathy as weaknesses, as they can be tactically advantageous, but she believes Yoruichi is too committed to them even when it imperils her.

Kurayami largely disdains others. Being Yoruichi herself, knowing everything she knows, Kurayami can reflect upon Yoruichi’s life and judge it from a somewhat different point of view than Yoruichi herself. What she finds isn’t great. Kurayami’s perspective is that others have used and abused Yoruichi, either blatantly to get what they wanted, or subtly through needing her. Her position is thus that almost everyone else can fuck off and die. “Leave Yoruichi alone,” and “You all don’t deserve her,” are fairly apt summations of her point of view. While this hostility isn’t (usually) actively violent or lethal, she is unlikely to treat most of those Yoruichi knows in any fashion other than condescendingly.

To summarize: Kurayami is actually Yoruichi’s biggest advocate and booster, just in her own way. She’s hard on and critical of Yoruichi because Yoruichi has been trained to be predisposed to learning best from that kind of input, and because Kurayami cares enough to settle for always being cast as a villain if it means Yoruichi goes on and succeeds. She believes that almost no one is worthy of Yoruichi’s time and attention, let alone her blood, sweat, and tears. And finally, she has an infinitely negative amount of compassion for anyone who would oppose Yoruichi, regardless of any and all reasons involved in any dispute or conflict.

She loves Yoruichi (and how can she not, since they’re one in the same?) and would gladly turn the universe to ash for her to keep her going even one more day. Lobbying for murderous rampages is in effect a posture she adopts to make a point rather than a desire she lusts for. She’s never actually at risk of losing control or going berserk—it’s always only ever about doing what needs to be done with minimal risk.

[recurring-polynya]

What are your thoughts on Bazz-B? He and Renji seemed to have developed a good rapport and I feel that they would’ve been good frenemies had be survived. I can imagine them exchanging fashion tips which would have interesting results!

I imagine that in another universe, they could have been friends, but I feel like the fact that Bazz grievously injured/ambiguously killed one of Renji’s best friends would put a big damper on that.

I really, really, really do not like the Sternritters. I don’t even like them as villains. Out of them, Bazz is probably the least objectionable, but I still don’t like him.

Here are a few thoughts on why, but I’m gonna put them under a cut, because that’s my policy when I say critical things about characters. If you like the Sternritters, I’m glad for you and please feel free to skip the rest of this post!

One of the major themes of Bleach has always been about moral ambiguity, that people are rarely pure heroes or villains. In the earliest episodes, Rukia warns Ichigo to kill Hollows from behind, to never try to glimpse the person they once were, advice that Ichigo roundly rejects as he’s constant turns enemies into friends/allies. This works really well at the beginning of the series and... less well each time we got through this.

My understanding is that Kubo’s original plan for Bleach ended after the Soul Society Arc, and that makes sense to me, because it seems so well plotted out to me, and then the subsequent arcs just seems to try to be recapturing the magic. The thing that is coolest to me about this arc is that the shinigami characters have real depth, and that our initial impressions of them are insufficient. The Gotei is going through an existential crisis, where an injustice (Rukia’s execution) is being prosecuted, and in addition, Aizen has laid a groundwork of mistrust and misinformation. You have characters like Renji, Kira, and Hinamori, who are torn between their orders and deep personal feelings. You have bystanders like Hisagi and Komamura, who don’t really have skin in the game, but feel a sense of unease about the way things are going. You have characters who seem sympathetic-- when Aizen comforts Hinamori that Renji won’t be fired, and the fact that Tousen seems to be someone who would be on the side of justice if only he had the full story, that turn out to be disingenuous. Then you have characters like Kenpachi, who, at least in the second half of the arc, is on Ichigo’s side, but not really for any noble reason, just because he likes Ichigo and also he wants an excuse to fight other captains. There’s Kurotsuchi, who is nominally on the side of the good guys, but is not, in fact, a good person. By the end of the arc, I feel like Kubo has done a really good job of presenting a diverse group of people who live in a flawed system and who were played by someone who took advantage of that. I have no objection at all to the idea that Ichigo considers many of the shinigami his friends afterward, including a very strong friendship with Renji, who is presented as a villain initially.

The Arrancar arc, is more of a mixed bag for me. I still think it mostly works. Arrancar are not humans. They follow Aizen, but in some ways, they are also his victims-- post-Arc, I don’t find myself begrudging any of the surviving Espada for having gone along with him. They are Hollows, and they come from a life of violence and anger and brutality. They have risen above that, which means different things to the various Espada. Harribel, Starkk and Nel are all sympathetic, even tragic characters. Nnoitra and Szyalapollo are monstrous, but in the way that terrible humans are monstrous. Grimmjow is an interesting character, because he falls somewhere in the middle.

I read a fair amount of GrimmIchi fic, because a) it often features Renruki as a side ship and b) there are a lot of really, really talented GrimmIchi writers, but I do not love the ship for it’s own sake, and it’s mainly for one reason: Grimmjow purposely hurt Ichigo’s friends in front of him, and I do not think that’s a thing Ichigo would take lightly. Now, one of the things that make GrimmIchi writers so good is that they are often willing to do the heavy lifting of examining Grimmjow’s brutality, and way Ichigo views the Hollow within himself (for some people, this is even one of the attractions of the pairing). We get a lot of canon scenes with Grimmjow in various situations-- when he backtalks Aizen, when he “rescues” Orihime from Loly and Menoly, when he tries to get her to heal Ichigo just so he can fight him again, when we see him willing to fight his fellow Espada. He’s a meaty character and there’s a lot to dig into. I would still, someday, like to see Ichigo say, “Hey Grimmjow, y’know, you badly hurt my friend Rukia and it messed me up a bunch and I am having trouble getting over it,” and for Grimmjow to have to deal with that. (Polynya, you say, didn’t Rukia kill one of Grimmjow’s Fraccion like 5 minutes earlier? Yes, she did, and whether Grimmjow would respond with “yeah, well, Rukia killed my friend and it hurt my feelings too!” vs. “yeah, well, Rukia killed my friend and you don’t see me crying about it!” are both really interesting ways you could take this)

ANYWAY, getting back to the Quincy. From our earliest introduction to Uryuu in the series, we know that Quincy ought to have a legitimate beef with Soul Society. For starters, there is their underlying philosophical difference: Quincy don’t think that the shinigami do enough to protect the Living World, and they have taken matters into their own hands. They want to see Hollows annihilated, rather than purified. Then, on top of that, the shinigami eradicated their people, and treated them like lab rats. You could spin a lot of gold out of this, but instead, we got the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.

The Quincy are, basically humans with powers, and yet they are extremely bloodthirsty and cruel. We see Bambietta killing people to blow off steam, they take glee in killing lesser opponents (both Hollow and shinigami), As Nodt tortures Byakuya rather than just killing him cleanly, Giselle takes over Bambietta’s body in a horrifying way. Yhwach chastises Yamamoto for having “gone soft”, and says “you used to be cooler when you were a murderer.” The Vandenreich isn’t about justice or improving the system, it’s just about revenge and power and proving racial superiority. Are y’all ready for the hottest take I have ever had? Here it is: The Bount Arc, which is bad and should feel bad, provided a more well-characterized and relatable set of villains than the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.

I mentioned earlier that out of all the Sternritter, Bazz is the best of a bad lot. He gets some good flashbacks and his story evokes both Renji and Rukia’s childhood relationship as well as Gin and Rangiku’s. He's shown hating Yhwach in his youth, but then it’s never really followed up on. Nothing about this works to make me like Bazz, though, it just makes me feel like Yhwach is terrible, a person who ruins lives in both big and small ways.

I honestly hate the scenes where Bazz and Renji banter. Up until this point of the story arc, we have been slammed over and over with how much worse the Quincy are than previous villains. They cause massive destruction, they maim and kill beloved characters. Then, halfway through the arc, Kubo suddenly tries to start walking this back. Byakuya and Kenpachi were supposed to never fight again, but, uhhhh, Byakuya got healed in the Royal Realm and Kenpachi... got better? Look, we fixed Kira! Mayuri brings everyone back as zombies, that’s cool? Let’s have some banter, ha ha, the Quincy are fun! I don’t want to blame Kubo on this because he wasn’t feeling well and also, all of this smacks of editorial pressure, but it doesn’t sit well with me. It seems out of character to me for Renji to joke with someone who has hurt his friends and destroyed his home, and I sometimes justify it in my mind by saying that Renji probably doesn’t know that Bazz was the one who hurt Kira, but in some ways that makes things worse.

To be honest, a much better way to humanize the Quincy would have been to do so through Uryuu. One of the huge flaws of this arc is that there is so little focus on him, the character who ought to tie all this together. Uryuu has been harping for years that shinigami are his enemy and that he’s proud of his heritage. This is literally exactly what he has always says he wanted, and the fact that I, the reader, never believed for a microsecond that his loyalties were divided speaks to how awful the Quincy must be. How did Yhwach first approach Uryuu? It would have been cool to be introduced to the Vandenreich via the narrative device of Uryuu’s introduction. Was anyone nice to him? Do the Quincy have any redeeming value? What if there had been a scene where Bazz-B is goofing around, maybe training with someone, and Uryuu says to himself, “He reminds me of Renji and I hate all of the feelings that are currently in my body”? That would make a cool fanfic, actually, and anyone who wants can have that idea because I will never, ever write fanfic about the Sternritter.

Finally, on a note about fashion, the Sternritter uniforms (along with all their other symbolism) skirts way too close to “Nazi” for my tastes, and one more thing I hate about them is that they have retroactively ruined Uryuu’s aesthetic for me.

[unohanadaydreams]

We know that Aizen taught calligraphy and Kira taught haiku at the academy at one point or another, so what other classes do you think there are? All Kubo mentioned was that there are 6 years, but what kinda progression plan would that be? There has to be more electives. I can't imagine hakuda, hoho, zanjutsu and kido manage to fill all 6 years full-time.

To be as far from in-depth or thoughtful as possible, I think the academy students probably pull a lot missions along with their classes.

With the way the Soul Society is arranged, there’s VASTLY more souls in the Rukongais and the nobles have a vice fucking grip on the upper workings of the Seireitei, so I think they get rid of a lot of Rukongai students in the academy. Because they’re not going to make a fair playing field; the majority of jobs are going to nobles and noble adjacents unless you’re GOOD.

If you’re not a noble with tutoring before hand or someone with proficiency that is destined for promotion, your time at the academy is probably a way to get rid of you.

I mean, look at how underlings IN the Gotei 13 are treated by captains like Mayuri. And captains treating underlings unfairly is common place, because Kubo goes out of his way to state that Aizen treats HIS fairly.

This is further driven home by the fact that Aizen’s calligraphy class is SO popular that students are in the fucking hallway to attend. Imagine how garbage an experience school probably is in this academy if Aizen treating students with basic dignity and respect is all it takes to get a packed class.

We know students go on missions because of Momo and the gang. Although we can surmise that THEY were attacked by hollows because of whatever Aizen was cooking up, I think it’s fair to say that plenty of students die to hollows.

I don’t think they ever state when in Momo’s schooling that happened, but I know they were supposed to be fighting replicas which makes me think early on. Probably fair to say students in the later years are applying their knowledge in field missions a fair bit in an attempt to weed out those Rukongai students who couldn’t work hard enough to fill the gap between their experience and the nobles.

Also, when Orihime and Uryu get lost, it’s immediately noticed. Part of this is Mayuri’s scheming, sure. But it me think students are REALLY trained on how the Gotei 13 works before they even get promoted to be shinigami.

Mostly because Kenpachi is the only character who gets routinely lost in the Seireitei and while some of it might not be genuine, I think it helps showcase that he didn’t come up through the academy.

The way Kidō corps chooses its member is lost on me considering some of the shinigami we know like Nanao and Momo are fucking BALLER at it but they were passed over. I guess Nanao has a valid excuse because Shunsui’s pull to keep her close was probably strong. But Momo had no ties outside of her desire to be near Aizen.

I’m guessing some of it might be personality based. The two members we know of are very calm, rational, and supportive of the groups they find themselves in. Momo having such an extreme allegiance to Aizen might have counted her out? (Sadder take: Aizen vouched for her to join the Gotei 13)

But yeah, I think they fill PLENTY of time doing missions. Applying their knowledge in the field with replicas and then real hollows as well as training up on the way their destined corps operate. Realistically, I think they probably know half way through where they’re going; it would be SUPER unrealistic to just...try to be as well rounded as possible for 6 years and hope for the best. It would be like training 6 years in college trying to be the best at everything but not wanting to focus on one thing TOO much because you have no idea where you’re going.

I think the less likely you are to succeed, the less training/teaching you get and more missions you do as a student. People with great power get fast tracked and seem to just go through schooling as a formality (think Hitsugaya).

I also think plenty of students are interning. If you’re trying to get into research & development, what’s the point of training to fight for 6 years? If you’re gonna work on the Seireitei Bulletin as your main job, probably need to learn the ropes before you get hired. Medical interns are probably very integral to the 4th. And the Kidō corps is so secretive; they’re picking people and throwing them in to swim or drown imo.

I also think this may be where students get picked off, other than missions. If you aren’t cut out for Kidō corps but you’ve already spent a year there and know more than the average shinigami? Well. Can’t have that. And I’m sure Mayuri just kills whoever the fuck he wants.

Since we have a corps focused on assassinations, I wonder if this is a large pool of them? Students who go back to the Rukongai as failures know enough to fuck with the way of things. I’m sceptical that many live tbh. In Bleach, it seems like you become a shinigami or you’ve never tried. The lack of flunkies seems telling. Also nobles seem fit to be thrown to the maggots nest as well. Why sully your good family name on a failed student or a dead one when you can just pretend they don’t exist! Erase them from history by throwing them in prison or the maggots nest and cutting them out of the family photos.

So in short, I think they are going on missions, interning, or getting thrown in the rats nest/killed off for technicalities. The usual school experience.

For funsies, I think it would be cool if they also had shinigami hippies who lobby for zanpakuto spirit rights. They’re sentient and have their own souls and like, aren’t your property, man. They too get got, but they fight valiantly in the mean time.

Also, Naruto-esque stadium fights. They’re mostly rigged if there’s a spawn of a great noble house competing but it’s a good time unless your opponent is a blood thirsty dick who fights to kill. They’d have specific areas of fight (Kidō, zanpakuto, hakuda, etc). Maybe some competitions for healing done on the wounded from the fighting comps. Mock trials. Sign up to take part in a fake assassination attempt where your life is not guaranteed and you must sign a waiver because the line between lethal and non lethal for poison can be hard and the students are still learning. Basically an annual thing that the humans are like ‘hahaha what the fuck’ when they find out about it.

And there’s probably a portion of shinigami that get trained to work in the human world specifically. That means classes on taxes, probably. And warning against the evils of human propaganda like intrinsic equality.

[darisu-chan]

whatever our souls are made of (his and mine are the same), pt. 21

Hi!

Welcome back!

Hope you guys like this one-shot too.

You can also read it here.

See ya!

i’ll be there to hold you in the dark

Prompt: supernatural

 Summary: Ichigo and Rukia watch a horror movie. What could go wrong?

There are many things that Rukia adores about the human world.

 From juice boxes to video games to, very recently, social media.

 And Ichigo enjoys showing her every single one of them.

 He particularly delights in watching her face light up each time she discovers something new.

 But, of course, there are some human things that Rukia likes more than others.

 Movies are one of them.

 With Yuzu she has watched several animated and romantic movies.

 He and Karin tend to prefer action films or comedies, and Rukia sits and watches them too.

 They have tried to watch several genres.

 Even dramas and tear jerkers.

 But there is one genre that they haven’t explored yet.

 Horror films.

 And it is not that Ichigo dislikes them.

 He just doesn’t care for them.

 Honestly, when you’ve been able to see spirits from a young age and when you’ve fought several battles against Hollows, Quincy and other Shinigami, they just aren’t very scary.

 He never would have thought Rukia would enjoy them anyway.

 After all, as a spirit herself, she’d probably find them unrealistic or insulting even.

 So, he’s never showed them to her.

 That is, until now.

 It is a Saturday and it is sunny outside.

 They’ve been out all day.

 First they strolled in the park, then they ate burgers in the mall.

 Somehow they ended up in front of the cinema.

 “Ichigo! Let’s watch a movie!” She says as she scans the posters for the current films.

 Ichigo chuckles and nods to her.

 “Sure. Choose one.”

 It’s not like they’ve got any plans and watching a movie does sound nice.

 Besides, there are a couple of good ones out there.

 An action movie, a drama based on a book Ichigo’s read, an animated film that seems interesting.

 Hell, he’d even watch the newest rom com if Rukia wanted.

 However, she doesn’t choose any of these options.

 Instead, she stands directly in front of a black and white poster and grins at it.

 “That’s it! I wanna watch this one, Ichigo!”

 His gaze moves over to the poster in question and he actively gapes at it.

 There is a woman ─ or at least he assumes that’s a woman ─ with long, black hair, dark eyes, inhumanly pale skin, an open mouth and her hand reaching out.

 The rest of the poster is black with red letters announcing the film.

 It is definitely a poster for a horror film.

 He believes it is that movie people have been hyping all summer.

 The one that has made grown men leave the theater crying.

 And that’s the one Rukia had chosen.

 “Sure you wanna watch that?”

 He asks her, just in case.

 “Of course! It looks fun!”

 Her answer comes off as strange until Ichigo remembers Rukia is an avid horror manga reader.

 Remembering her taste in books, the film is right up her alley.

 Because, instead of finding them frightening, she finds this genre funny for some reason.

 “Alright, but you better not grab me in the scary scenes.”

 He jests as Rukia rolls her eyes.

 “Please. As if I’d get scared over something like that.”

  So, that’s the end of the discussion.

 Two tickets, one large popcorn box and two large sodas later, they are sitting down on their respective seats, waiting for the movie to start.

 Rukia is positively excited.

 She can’t stay still as she waits in anticipation.

 Ichigo is much calmer.

 Although he has no interest in the film, he enjoys observing Rukia.

 Seeing her so happy makes him happy in return.

 So he relaxes and prepares himself for two and a half hours of comedy.

 Rukia follows suit and, as the lights go down, she positively beams.

 The movie starts with the death of a woman and her child and then the suicide of the husband.

 It is grotesque.

 And it is as cliché as Ichigo expected it to be.

 There’s a curse, an abandoned house, two spirits, and lots of killing.

 The gore is not excessive and the jump scares are fine, he supposes.

 It’s not groundbreaking or anything, though.

 He doesn’t scream or jump, although the rest of the audience certainly does.

 What it is really surprising is that Rukia is one of the ones to scream.

 At one point, she grabs his arm and starts digging her nails into his flesh hard.

 He would have teased her about it if it hadn’t been for the fact she was clearly scared.

 And, that is something he has never seen.

 Rukia.

 Frightened.

 Well, that is not true.

 He has seen her scared before.

 But only in life or death situations, when it was possible one of them wouldn’t make it.

 Furthermore, he had seen her scared for him.

 For his life.

 But never like this.

 Who would have known a dumb horror movie would make her react like this?

 And, maybe he can understand.

 The actress portraying the main ghost makes a good job seeming unnerving.

 She crawls and moves around unnaturally.

 Then each time she opens her mouth, a terrible guttural sound can be heard.

 All in all the film is eerie and it is dark inside the cinema.

 So he can understand why Rukia’s so scared.

 What he doesn’t anticipate is that, after the movie is over, she is still frightened.

 As they walk home, the sun starts to set.

 The darker it gets, the jumpier Rukia becomes.

 She grabs his arm and looks at every corner or at bushes, trees, or anything that could remotely conceal something.

 It would’ve been sort of funny to see a ghost frightened of seeing another ghost, but she is trembling.

 It’s clear the film had an impression on her.

 And not a great one.

 Yet, Ichigo figures that once they get home, she’s going to forget about it.

 And for some time it seems like she does.

 She has dinner with the family like normal.

 She and the twins talk about several topics, with Ichigo and his father chiming in every now and then.

 She makes fun of him as they tidy up the kitchen together.

 And Rukia even has the time to read one of her manga before going to bed.

 He figures she’s over the movie.

 There is no reason for her to be scared anymore.

 And so Ichigo goes to sleep without thinking too much about it.

 Until Rukia wakes him up in the middle of the night.

 Like around 3 am, she throws his door open and practically sprints towards his bed after closing the door.

 She’s trembling and, are those tears in her eyes?!

 “Rukia! What’s wrong?” He asks her once he takes a good look at her. “Are you sick?”

 She hurriedly shakes her head as she holds herself.

 “Nightmare.”

 Oh.

 Well that explains it all.

 “Because of the movie?”

 He questions and when she nods, he just sighs.

 “Come here. I’ll keep you save from ghosts.”

 He jokes as he scoots over so she can get in bed with him.

 “Not funny.”

 Rukia sniffs before looking around his room.

 “I want to sleep close to the wall. The closet’s scary. Something could jump out of there.”

 Ichigo is dying to reply that the only spirit that has ever come out of that closet is Rukia herself, but he bites his tongue.

 Now is not the time for that.

 He stands up and lets her crawl in bed until her back hits the wall.

 Then he follows suit.

 She scoots over towards him and presses her face on his chest.

 Like a reflex, he holds her tight.

 He looks up at the ceiling waiting for her to stop trembling.

 And it suddenly dawns on him that they are cuddling.

 That Rukia is in his bed with him.

 At night.

 In a cramped space.

 And they are cuddling.

 He blushes.

 It figures that the first time Rukia is this close to him would be because she’s scared and not for any other, far more agreeable reasons.

 That’s just his luck.

 So he pushes any weird thoughts out of his mind and focuses on the girl in his arms.

 She hasn’t stopped trembling.

 Not yet.

 “Are you that scared, Rukia?”

 Ichigo has to ask her.

 She simply nods with her face still pressed on his shirt.

 He turns her over.

 “Look at me.”

 He commands.

 And when Rukia turns, there are still tears in her eyes.

 It is such a pitiful sight.

 A lieutenant of the Gotei 13 had been reduced to tears because of a dumb movie.

 Ichigo needs to fix this.

 “Hey, don’t worry. I’m right here and I’ll protect you of anything, okay? So don’t be afraid anymore.”

 Rukia gives him a teary smile.

 “Okay.”

 And she closes her eyes, finally relaxing.

 He smiles and buries his head on her hair.

 Tomorrow she will probably deny any of this.

 She might even give him hell for his cheesy lines.

 But it doesn’t matter.

 Because as of right now, he’s going to hold her and keep it close for as long as she needs.

 (Also, after this incident, horror movies will be banned from the household)

[rinusagitora]

Another empty seat in the city of ghosts.

Fandom: BLEACH

Characters: Toushirou Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori, Kisuke Urahara, Tessai Tsukabishi, Ururu Tsumugiya, Jinta Hanakari, Yuzu Kurosaki, Ichigo Kurosaki, Karin Kurosaki

Pairings: HitsuKarin, others not mentioned

Words: 1.6k

Summary: Shinigami!Karin AU. Chapter 1/8. WARNINGS- mentions of suicide, dysfunctional families;  Karin has taken her life. What follows is a maelstrom of emotion.

AO3

It was hard to believe that, only days ago, Karin took her own life.

Toushirou saw it coming from miles and miles away. He was the one who cleaned up her cut wrists. Hurried over when she was suffering. But it wasn't enough.

Ultimately, Karin got what she wanted: a chance to be a shinigami.

Toushirou and Momo were being processed by the gate guardians. Following Aizen's desertion, they'd tightened up gateways to other dimensions. Now, captains and lieutenants were unable to travel without permission, unless they wanted to receive potentially fatal electrocution from the sigils staining their skins.

But they passed through later. Upstairs, Kisuke Urahara was showing them their gigai.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou, I'm afraid this is vastly different from your last gigai. Since your stay is short-term, it's more or less a... silhouette. Only purposes being harboring your soul, and suppressing your powers. Since it's a ceremony with so many powered folks packed together, we're trying this to avoid hollow attacks."

"Aye," Momo replied, nodding.

"Yours is similar, Hitsugaya."

Toushirou frowned. "It's Hitsugaya-taichou," he corrected Kisuke. Kisuke merely chuckled. He probably blamed Toushirou for Karin's suicide as well. Like he'd talk her into something so traumatic. Asshole.

"Yes... yours is similar, of course, except for... well, deadened nerves. Kurosaki Yuzu is livid."

"Fuck me..." he grumbled.

"I'd rather not, but I'd be prepared for a slap or two. Hopefully, she leaves the nether region alone, but if not, it is equally as dead."

"Thanks for the heads up," Toushirou said. "Where is Karin?"

"The temple, with Kurosaki Ichigo. He's kept a tight leash on her since the... the..." Kisuke couldn't finish. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Thank you," Toushirou said. As much as he hated Kisuke, Toushirou knew Kisuke was fond of Karin, perhaps as fond as his children were.

"Well, I will see you two there... I have to get ready for the memorial service."

"Thank you, Urahara-san. Take care."

He and Momo stepped into their gigai, prepped with black kimono, although Momo's hem and sleeves were adorned with flowers. Lilies and marigolds. How appropriate.

"You remembered the envelope?"

"Of course," Momo replied, straightening her collar. "The car is waiting. Shall we?"

"Aye."

On the drive over, Momo lit her pipe. Toushirou was never particularly fond of tobacco, or how his sister's habit ruined her skin, but given what was to come, he could sure use a puff. Or a drink.

Maybe he should've brought Rangiku... She didn't cope much better during funerals, but she, at least, would have something that she was willing to share to take off the edge. Very much unlike Momo. The only thing she ever really shared with him was conversation. Practically force-fed him, refrained from sharing the shit he cared about.

They came to a stop before the temple. Many were filing in. Toushirou recognized a few. Uryuu arrived just before them, Hiyori loitered in the doorway. Many he didn't recognize.

Jinta and Ururu were there with their other father Tessai. They bowed in unison.

"Yuzu is livid," Ururu said.

"So Urahara told us."

"I stand by her."

Tessai knocked Ururu upside her head. "Enough, honey," he warned, then turned to Toushirou and Momo. "Thank you for coming. Karin-chan will be pleased."

"I imagine," Momo replied, still smoking. "What should we expect from Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"We're keeping him in line if Yuzu doesn't," Jinta replied. "He agreed to keep the peace when Tou-tou and he talked."

"And the Kurosaki girl?" Momo asked.

"Yuzu?"

"Nay, the one we're here for."

Ururu looked inside. "She's... not crying. I think she's distancing herself from this ordeal."

"Perhaps it's for the better."

Tessai said, "Hand-off will occur before cremation. Kurosaki Isshin only agreed to allow us in for the service since Karin asked, but the burial is for family and Kurosaki Ichigo's close friends only."

"I see Kuchiki-fukutaichou as well."

"She won't be causing trouble. She's here as a family friend."

Toushirou and Momo bowed again. "Many thanks," Toushirou said. "We'll head in."

Rukia was the first to spot them. She strode over. "Neither of you are welcome. Please leave before Yuzu sees you."

"The deceased requested us, and the patriarch has permitted us entry," he replied. Everyone was so fucking hostile...

"No matter. Do you want to start shit?" she hissed.

Momo said, "We haven't started anything, Kuchiki-fukutaichou. Besides... do you think it wise to start shit here? Our powers are merely dampened, but I know for a fact there are enough of us gathered here to alert trouble if contention brews."

Before Rukia could reply, Yuzu stormed over. Rukia quickly escaped.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Your father said we were welcomed to the ceremony," he said.

She jabbed a finger against his chest. "You may as well have murdered my sister! I don't want you here!"

Toushirou sighed. "And I do?"

"And who is this skank?" Yuzu hissed, jerking her chin to Momo.

"My sister." Toushirou frowned. "Don't treat her like my mistress."

Momo encased Yuzu's hands. "We are here to grieve just as ye. I understand how difficult this is. My husband passed during a tumultuous time... We hadn't time to bury him, either."

Toushirou almost rolled his eyes. Momo learned how to lie from the best. But it worked. Yuzu relaxed.

"I'm sorry. It's been... it's been a long couple of days."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Kurosaki-san." Momo bowed. "If you need anything, please let me know. I haven't service at home, but Urahara-san can reach me if needed."

"Thank you."

"May we take a seat?"

"In the back, please. The front rows are taken."

"Aye. Thank you again, Kurosaki-san."

Momo and Toushirou took a seat. Because of their gigai suppressing their powers, Toushirou was unable to see Karin, although knew she was there. There were too many people of strong reiatsu concentrated in the temple. It risked a hollow attack. The dampening was meant as a security measure.

The Seireitei owed Ichigo too much to go against a small favor, however cruel it was to Karin.

"I can see why Kurosaki-san is so upset," Momo said.

"Karin was in pain," he insisted.

"I'm in no position to judge her," Momo reminded Toushirou. "But look at the Kurosaki family... Stiff as boards. The little one is the only one weeping, and neither of them is consoling her."

"They're... dysfunctional. I'm sure she refused it."

"For good reason?"

"Aye. They... nay, we all, have lied to her for years. I'm sure she harbors conflicting feelings."

Momo hummed. "Aye."

Toushirou took a good look at the altar, surrounded by white lilies. He frowned. White was never Karin's color. Blacks, reds... Hydrangeas or marigolds would've been more appropriate.

But she was beautiful in her photo. Smiling, youthful. It made him mad too. She was happy with him. With Jinta and Ururu, not some sad, doctored school photo.

Thankfully, Momo didn't seem to pick up on his internal tantrum, merely smoked.

The time came for the service. A priest stepped up and uttered a sutra. Toushirou admittedly zoned out during it. None of it concerned them. What did was Karin. She was in there, but he was unable to console her, take her to her new home, to ease her pain... It was bullshit. Complete bullshit.

Once the service came to an end, Toushirou and Momo quickly escaped, joining Kisuke outside.

"I don't have much time... I'm going to the cremation as well," he said.

They wordlessly stepped out of their gigai. They were tucked into the back of a van and covered with a shimmery sheet that made them completely vanish. Momo and he bowed.

"Best of, Urahara-san."

"Kurosaki will meet you by the aqueduct under an overpass. It's in the center of town," he explained. "Anticipate some... some shit from him too. He's very upset."

"Thanks."

With that as their goodbye, they sped off to the heart of Karakura. Toushirou saw Ichigo's hair from the sky, and they sunk to the ground.

The second Toushirou saw Ichigo, he wanted to strangle him. It felt like they were sizing each other up. Toushirou was sure to lose an arm, but it would've been satisfying clocking him.

Karin was sitting on a bench. There was still a generous amount of chain leftover, thankfully. Toushirou just hoped she hadn't experienced the chain consuming itself... the immense pain.

Toushirou couldn't bring himself to bow to Ichigo, but Momo did. "Thank you for allowing us into your sister's service, Kurosaki-sama."

"It wasn't my choice."

"Nonetheless," Momo said, smiling. "I'd like this to be done in an as expeditious manner as possible."

Karin hopped to her feet. Toushirou instantly wanted to sweep her off her feet and carry her like his bride into the other world, away from that mess. That nightmare. "Let's go," she said.

"Hang on." Ichigo stopped her with his arm out shooting. His eyes bore into Toushirou's, and he glared back. "I want him to admit his fault in this."

"Jesus Christ!" Karin shrieked. "I killed myself because there's nothing for me here! Toushirou had nothing to fucking do with it."

"Bullshit! He had to have said something."

"It's your fault I killed myself, alright? It's all your fault! I got tired of getting steamrolled and gaslit by you so I killed myself to get the hell away from you!" Karin ducked his arm and ran over to Toushirou. He happily accepted her embrace. "I'm going to the Seireitei. I'm becoming a shinigami... It's the only way I'll be happy. Fulfilled."

Ichigo looked hurt. Crying. Toushirou turned away, opening the senkaimon into the other side.

He had no idea what awaited them in the future. He hoped, at least, Karin's suffering eased.

[littleeyesofpallas]

Let’s talk about the Shunshunrikka Orihime’s power for a sec... (going over the 6 individual spirits makes this too long, so I’ve excised that bit and put it into its own post for later...)

『三天結盾』!! 『盾の外』の拒絶

"Satenkesshun: 3-Heaven Binding-Shield"!!

"Outside the Shield" rejection

キミと敵との間に「盾」を張りキミに与えられる「攻撃」を「拒絶」する

A 'Shield' will be placed between YOU and the enemy given to YOU to 'Reject' the 'Attack' that you are given.

This is just Orihime’s basic defensive combat shield.  All Orihime’s shields actually function on the same basic power, but in different directions.  This one rejects what is “Outside,” preventing it from coming “Inside.”  The strength of the shield is contingent on Orihime’s willpower, and implicitly on her understanding of her own powers and the target.  We learn a little later, in relation to a different shield power, that her powers “Reject” the abstract concept of specific events, (we’ll into that in a bit...) but this form of her shield is the one most similar to Hacchi’s Visored barrier, but where as Orihime with her primitive grasp of her own powers has her trying to physically block attacks, Hacchi’s barrier works by rejecting intentions.

ネコが... あんな広いところを まっすぐ 地面のフチみたいに歩いてる... 鳥も他の生きものもみんな近付かない... 近付かないだこの結界があるから

The cat... That vast space right in front of me. Walking like it's the edge of the earth's surface... Birds too, other living things, everyone won't come near.  It can't get close because this barrier exists

この結界が意識の中からこの建物と空間の存在自体を完全に消し去ってるからここに建物があること自体認識できない... ここに近付こうとする考え自体が思い浮かばないんだ...

Because this barrier completely erases the existence of this building and space from my consciousness, I cannot recognize that there is a building here... The idea itself of trying to get near here, I can't remember...

こんなに強い結界なのに...  あたしの盾舜六花の盾と少し似てる

Even though it's such a strong barrier... My shield, Shun Shun Rikka and it are a little similar

恐らくはその能力を持っているが故に彼女だけだが結界に覆われたこの場所を探知し...

Probably because she has that ability, only she can detect this place covered by barriers...

ウタシ結界をすり抜けて侵入できたのでショウ...  人・間・の・ま・ま・で・そんな能力を持っているなんて ...少し信じ難い話デスけどネ

To be able to slip through my barrier and invade, I wonder...  A.Hu.Man.As.It.Is, possessing such an ability ...it's a little hard to believe

This comment about Orihime’s powers being highly unusual for a human will come back up again in a bit...

==============================================

『双天帰盾』! 『盾の内』の拒絶

"Soutenkishun: Pair Heaven-Returning-Shield"!

"Inside the Shield" rejection

盾を張った内側という限定空間内『破壊』を『拒絶』するつまり 盾で覆った対象を破壊を受ける前の状態に戻すことができるんだ

We "Reject" the "Destruction" within the limited space inside the shield.  You can restore the shielded target to the condition before it was destroyed

This is Orihime’s basic “healing” ability, and it rejects events that have taken place “Inside” the shield.  As is specified later by Aizen, she doesn’t actually “heal” injuries, she undoes the event in which the damage was inflicted.  Her powers are first really elaborated on in the Arrancar arc when Aizen expounds on her powers because of his own interest in their usefulness

LUPPI: あいつの腕は東仙統括官に灰にされた! 消えたものをどうやって治すってんだ!! 神じゃあるまいし!!

His arm, Supervising Officer Tousen made it ash! How can you heal what's been erased!! You're not god!!

回復とか... そんなレベルの話じゃないぞ...

Such recovery... Such a LEVEL, you can’t suggest...

AIZEN: ウルキオラはこれを「時間回帰」若しくは「空間回帰」と見た

ULQUIORRA here, says it looks like "Time Regression" or "Space Regression"

LUPPI:人間が そんな高度な能力を... そんな訳ないだろ...!

A Human having such a high-grade ability...  Such nonsense, don't you agree?...!

AIZEN: その通りだどちらも違う それは「事象の拒絶」だよ

彼女の能力は対象に起こったあらゆる事象を限定し・拒絶し・否定する

何事も 起こる前の状態に帰すことのできる能力だ

I agree, both are different. That is, this is "Rejection of Events"

Her ability targets all events that have happened with Restriction:Rejection:Negation

Her ability can send the all that has happened to the previous condition

それは「時間回帰」や「空間回帰」よりも更に上

神の定めた事象の地平を易々と踏み越える

That is even more than "Time Regression" or "Space Regression" This easily tramples on the ground of God's determined events

There is a very deliberate focus on the talk of a “god” here, in that Orihime’s ability to not just “heal” wounds, but to undo whole stages of reality, albeit in localized spaces; and with Luppi and Hacchi both remark that a human having these powers is impossible.  This, in context of Aizen’s talk of there being no god in heaven but him, later developments in the arc in which both Chad and Orihime’s powers are clarified to be similar to Arrancar and Visored, and that their powers at this point are still supposedly derived from Ichigo (not yet retconned to being a result of the Hougyoku) all give the strongest suggestion that Ichigo was already a unique hybrid on his way toward the ascended god-form beyond Shinigami and Hollows that Aizen sought, and that Orihime’s powers, being derived from Ichigo’s are also expressly god-like.

Hacchi also teaches her this when he fixes Tsubaki for her, after he is destroyed by Yammy.  Orihime couldn’t heal him herself because she had been trying to collect the broken pieces of Tsubaki’s body and undo the specific wounds of each part.  Hacchi teaches her that their powers (as his Visored kidou work on the same rejection principle) that she doesn’t need a “thing” to heal, she just needs to know about the “event” in which is was destroyed and reject that.  It’s less explicit when Hacchi says it, but I also want to point out that this also establishes the nature of Hacchi’s powers by association.

This all becomes particularly frustrating when he eventually fights Baraggan and Kubo acts like his powers don’t work against Baraggan’s rapid aging power, despite the fact that we know from all this that Hacchi’s powers, like Orihime’s, supersedes time and space based manipulation by being abstract concept based.  His barriers should sensibly be able to completely reject the event of aging.

This power is actually Orihime’s most (theoretically) useful, and it’s both the one Aizen intends to exploit when he first abducts her, as well as the means by which she intends to make herself useful and reject the Hougyoku from existence... a plot hook that never gets revisited despite being the explicitly stated goal of Orihime’s entire projected character arc.  But despite resolving to save the day herself, in her own unique way, and refusing to be rescued... she does nothing of real note the rest of the arc and sits around waiting to be rescued...

Also I totally forgot to throw this in the first draft, but there’s also the time Ichigo realizes he can’t break out of Orihime’s healing shield during Zaraki’s fight with Nnoitra.  They don’t go any further into that at the time, but logically the implication would be that because of how her event powers work, she’s still actively undoing everything inside the shield, including any attempts to break out.  Theoretically she could actually “heal” an Arrancar, and they’d be unable to escape from inside, and they’d continue to have their “injuries” undone, including their masks breaking, reverting them back into a regular Hollow.

============================================== 

 孤天斬盾』!『盾の両面』の拒絶!

“Kotensanshun: Orphan Heaven-Decapitating-Shield"! “Both sides of Shield” rejection!

敵をブチ抜いて中に盾を張り『物質の結合』を『拒絶』する! 要するに敵を真っ二ツにするってこった!

SMASH the enemy, put a shield inside them and “Reject” the “Joining of Material”!  In short, I split the enemy right in two!...

Orihime’s woefully underused attack shield.  The translation can be a little odd sounding in English, but the idea is that her shield rejects “Both sides” as in “Inside” and “Outside” but like the other shields those aren’t the most clear definitions.  For the defensive shield, “Outside” is just whatever is in front of Orihime; for healing, “Inside” is just whatever is under the dome; and in this case the shield works almost like a blade, and rather than a real “Inside” and "Outside” it’s really just “on either side” of the shield. But the description Tsubaki gives here specifies that it rejects the “event” in which the thing being attack is in fact one singular/whole thing, effectively splitting it in two on a conceptual level.

Considering she doesn’t actually use this to beat any enemies after her very first fight against the hollow, Numb Chandelier, there’s not a lot to be said about this.  In her one fight in Soul Society with Ikkanzaka Jiroubou, Tsubaki establishes that her lack of killing intent is what left his shield too weak to effectively attack.

==============================================

This turned out way longer than I thought it’d be, and there really weren’t even all that many scenes with Orihime’s powers being explained.  But this is it.  This is basically everything of note about how Orihime’s rejection shield powers work.  I might do a different one tracing Orihime’s character development setup for the arc scene by scene before it just got totally ignored

[gunnerpalace]

How do you think how Ori would do as a villain?

In my view, Orihime’s pathway to villainy would be using her powers to reject all the events that get in the way of her getting what she wants (which is to say, mostly Ichigo). In other words, going Full Spooky Galadriel and deciding, “In place of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen! […] All shall love me and despair!”

Now, she could settle for the present where Ichigo already knows Rukia, and Aizen and Yhwach are off the board, but we already know what that yields because of 686: a universe where Ichigo is at his absolute happiest when he just sees Rukia again and argues with her, rather than when he marries Orihime or she gives birth to their son, or whatever typical things might be cited as the happiest moments of one’s life. And, honestly? From Orihime’s perspective? That must really fucking suck.

So, if Orihime is going Full Spooky Galadriel (Orihime Untethered), why would she settle? Surely she can do better than that. And the simplest way to do better would be deleting Yhwach and Aizen at the right times in history. 

The right time for the former would be during the late 1980s or early 1990s, and would keep Masaki alive and fundamentally alter Ichigo as a character (probably significantly dulling his focus on protection and removing his disaffection), and removes future problems associated with the Quincy coming back.

Doing the latter could only be done in the latter-half of the 1980s, after Ichigo had been conceived, but before Aizen set any of his other plans in motion. So the Visored and Urahara Shop would still be around, and Kaien and Miyako would still be dead. Regardless, doing this would keep him from doing what he did with Rukia.

Trouble is, the Hougyoku is already in Rukia’s soul by that time. And it seems highly likely that Aizen did not “send” Rukia to Ichigo, but rather that the Hougyoku bent Aizen’s machinations so that it happened. (Why would Aizen be immune to the Hougyoku’s effects?) In other words, the Hougyoku being stuffed in Rukia’s soul makes it seem likely that Rukia would still encounter Ichigo eventually, regardless of how normal and happy his life was, because their encounter is essentially fated. (Kaien more than likely reminds Rukia of Ichigo, in a non-linear framework, rather than Ichigo reminded Rukia of Kaien.)

So the trouble for Orihime Untethered is that she has to:

Delete two of the most powerful dudes in the series (admittedly not at their strongest) to get a lock on the guy she wants (i.e., by removing “incentives” for him to not want to be human, and to remove her main competition) when her powers don’t work on any sufficiently powerful reiatsu.

Her main competition still having a reality-altering device shoved into her soul which may or may not be beyond Orihime’s powers to mess with even if she could kill a merely Shinigami Aizen and a comatose Yhwach. (As it was never made clear whether she actually could destroy the incomplete Hougyoku with her powers, and it sure seems like Aizen is impossible to destroy with one in him in the present.)

So the question here is: where does Orihime Untethered get the kind of monstrous power that would be necessary for such feats? And the only place she could reasonably get it from would probably be if Uryuu decided to somehow lend her the power by going beast mode in a reishi rich environment. 

Whether Uryuu is stupid enough to do that for her without knowing what she really intends, for the sake of making her happy even if he’s not in the picture at all, is an open question. (Perhaps yes, because Uryuu can be dumb like that.)

So, Aizen and Yhwach get deleted and the Hougyoku is plucked out of Rukia. (I feel it’d be going a bit far for even Orihime Untethered to delete Rukia, and I really don’t think Uryuu would agree to that.) This of course means it is never around to be in proximity to Orihime herself and Chad, so she is also retroactively keeping herself from getting powers in the first place.

Oh, that’s a problem. It’s a one-way ticket. This isn’t Donnie Darko or The Butterfly Effect: if your powers get deleted from the timestream you can’t get them back and you’re stuck. Ooh. So maybe don’t delete the Hougyoku from Rukia, even if you can. But doesn’t that then mean you’re relying on encountering her…?

Masaki would probably teach Ichigo about Quincy powers once he was of age, so he’d probably have noticed and gravitated toward Uryuu in school?

But the thing is, even if Masaki (and Kanae) didn’t die, Souken still did. So Uryuu would still become bitter toward Shinigami. Maybe he would turn Ichigo onto that way of thinking too? So they probably still become embroiled with Soul Society.

Okay, so Orihime has to have deleted Mayuri too now, to keep Souken alive and keep Uryuu and Ichigo from fighting against Shinigami. Uryuu in the present giving her the power to change shit carte blanche would probably be cool with that.

So, Souken is alive too. His big thing was cooperation with Shinigami. Working with them to eliminate Hollows in a non-destructive way while protecting humans. His proposal seemed to have been working at least a little.

What’s to say that Rukia isn’t sent as Soul Society’s representative as part of that program? Or one of the people sent? Or that she isn’t sent to walk the beat in Karakura anyway, since it seems to be the 13th Division’s responsibility? Especially so if she still has the Hougyoku in her, warping events around to take her to Ichigo?

So, there’s Quincy Uryuu and Quincy Ichigo (with latent Shinigami and Hollow powers…) working with Shinigami, including maybe Rukia. If Rukia didn’t have the Hougyoku, and turned up like this, Orihime would have no ability to get her powers back and keep up. If you can’t get powers then can’t keep up if Ichigo and Uryuu start getting adventurous in this new, happier Bleach with more functional familial and friendly relationships. So she needs the Hougyoku to still be in Rukia no matter what.

She can’t remove the Hougyoku from Rukia, let alone delete her even if she wanted to, and her having the Hougyoku means she is almost assuredly going to show up. (Plus, even if you could delete her, karma is a bitch. Who’s to say she wouldn’t reincarnate even if you did delete her? Especially if you do it too early? She might just Senna her way back. Hell, even if it works, maybe Senna herself shows up to take her place! Especially since a lot of the filler is now being treated as semi-canonical.)

So, we go around in circles with the real problems.

The first real problem for Orihime Untethered is ultimately that Rukia is absolutely necessary to her own ability to have a role in Ichigo’s supernatural nonsense. Meanwhile, she can’t really strip Ichigo of powers because they’re fundamental to who he is. So there is no way to really undo things when it comes to either of them directly, just the things around them. Ichigo and Rukia are effectively “status locked” in a fashion similar to Doctor Who’s “time locked” concept.

The second real problem is that even without Aizen and Mayuri, Soul Society is still its corrupt self and likely to draw the Kurosaki and Ishida into its shenanigans. And even if Yhwach is eliminated, Wandenreich is also still out there. As are all the Espada. So some version of supernatural nonsense is basically guaranteed to happen, no matter how many other pieces you knock down.

At the end of the day, Ichigo and Rukia are going to meet. They are going to have adventures. They are going to develop a rapport. And her only real solution is going to be social engineering, not her powers. And the truth is, Orihime isn’t really that great at the Mean Girls game, and I doubt Orihime Untethered is either.

I see her trying to force, as much as possible, the series into being a slice-of-life school comedy series, and it kind of playing out like Groundhog Day as she selectively undoes things and redoes scenarios, and it just never works out. And that leads back to the fundamental issue she’s encountering: she is trying to fuck with something that is more or less written into the fundamental laws of the universe itself.

Even if she gets Ichigo, it’s always going to be some form of settling for less. She is always going to be the second-place prize. And she is also likely to be only a temporary one, because if souls are kicking around at a rate of aging ~30 years per 2000 years that pass, an awful lot can change. And that’s before taking into account the confirmed mechanic of reincarnation.

(And this is, ultimately, why 686 is stupid in addition to being a non sequitur: okay, IH and RR had kids. So fucking what? Divorces happen. People can change, grow apart, and move on. As I said once before, what is “five lifetimes” in comparison to like, 5000 years? Or an infinite cycle of maximally 5000 year reincarnations? Barring their souls being killed somehow, Ichigo and Rukia are going to be around for longer into the future than we are now from when the Pyramids were built. You think some possibly expedient marriages are going to keep them apart all that time? Or into their next lives? Yeah, no. That’s the thing: their story isn’t over even if Bleach is. That’s yet another reason that ending is so shit beyond its character assassination and ass-pull pairings: literally anything could happen beyond it. It is not definitive because these are not normal-ass normal people.)

So what does she do, trapped in this hell of her own creation? As I see it, she has three options:

She goes completely crazy and decides to delete existence itself or massively restructure it a la Yhwach. I also really don’t think Uryuu would agree to that and I can see it ending rather tragically.

She decides to just accept being second-best with a smile until it eventually burns her out, at which point she probably tries to find someone who actually appreciates her. (One guess as to who that is.)

She skips being miserable and instead grows up and realizes that Ichigo is never going to be as happy with her as he is with Rukia, and that she needs to find that person immediately rather than wasting everyone’s time, including her own.

So we’ll call (1) the really angsty ending, discard (2) because it’s just a drawn out and angsty version of (3) which admittedly a lot of real people fall into, and we’ll call (3) the happy ending because hey, at least Orihime’s selfish efforts to rewrite the timeline would have improved the pile of shit that is life in Bleach by restoring some sense of family bonds and healthy relationships.