#dragon of karakura

[sapphira-mydnyte]

@melodiousramblings @kaibanerdgang @usearki You know what? If we can have Christmas in July, then we can have Valentine's Day in August too! 🤭 Kids go back to school & we go back to reading & writing our smut fics.

Chapters: ½ Fandom: Bleach, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Seto Kaiba - Relationship, Uryu Ishida - Relationship Characters: Seto Kaiba, Uryū Ishida Additional Tags: Royal Lights, Smut, bleach x yugioh, Crossover, yugioh x bleach, seto x uryu, uryu x seto Series: Part 2 of Royal Lights Summary:

Uryu Ishida has planned a Valentine’s Day date night with Seto Kaiba himself, but like normal, nothing is ever normal for them.

[tredawakandan]

Being an Adult is realizing that :

Android Arc and Cell Arc are 1 Arc/saga 😁

Water 7 and Enies Lobby are 1 Arc ☺️

Hueco Mundo Arc and Fake Karakura Town are just 1 Arc😁

IDC what any official source says 😅. Thanks for coming to my Tre Talk 🫡

Still debating it but these may be my favorite arcs of each series (Can't decide if I like Water 7/Enies Lobby more then wano or marineford 😅) . The android saga introduced teen Gohan and trunks. Not to mention some of my favorite fights. Fake Karakura Town arc is slept on as well as hueco Mundo Arc. Folks only bring up Vasto lorde Ichigo and that's it😭. The arc and build ups were 🔥🔥🔥

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

An Unwavering Light - Chapter 2

Rating: T/Teen for violence (in this chapter) and mature themes, including ones about trauma and depression.

Setting: begins before the confrontation with Aizen and co. in Fake Karakura Town arc, and goes from there to the Thousand Year Blood War arc. This chapter takes place during the events of the manga from chapters 334-391.

Music to listen to: Recollection I (YT | Spotify), In Remembrance by Evan Call (YT | Spotify), Ceremony Commences by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), 1130 TYBW full of guitars by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), Nothing Can be Explained Instrumental by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), Nightmare by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify) Invasion by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify)

Fic synopsis: During the confrontation against Aizen, the unthinkable happens. For Hitsugaya, a vow is broken, and for Hinamori, her future is unknown. With everything in shambles, how can they piece their lives back together? Or their bond?

Chapter synopsis: Hitsugaya loses his focus after Hinamori's sudden appearance on the battlefield and he finds himself turning his attention to the man who started all of this. Hinamori sets out to prove why she is worthy of being the lieutenant of the Fifth Division.

AN: A warning that this chapter is particularly violent, with mentions of severe injuries, including self-inflicted (only for Halibel's fraccion if you remember how Ayon comes into being).

Other than that, this chapter feels like I'm going 'look at all the missing scenes!'. I didn't want this to be a complete a play-by-play for the whole battle (and for the moments I did, I simply to did it either to show another perspective or look deeper into how the character may have felt in that moment), so I found moments where I thought something may have happened. We're only moments away from the pain that is chapter 392/episode 293 ;_;

Hope you all enjoy this!

Disclaimer: BLEACH and it’s character’s belong to Tite Kubo.

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___________________________________

The crescent moon shone overhead against a starless sky.

Hitsugaya shielded his eyes to make it out. He’d never seen a moon so sharp and bright. Somehow, though, he knows he’ll eventually grow accustomed to it. That it will become as natural to him as the sun and moon in the real world.

Hello, Master.

The booming voice didn’t startle him. He lowered head and hand, but was slow to turn to the towering dragon behind him. Unlike the last few times, the creature doesn’t bring icy gusts of wind or crashing snow with his arrival.

“It’s you again,” is all Hitsugaya could say. He was not in awe or fearful, only confused. What was this creature? Did he have anything to do with the spiritual potential that woman mentioned? “I can understand what you’re saying this time.”

Do you know my name? he asked.

Hitsugaya shook his head.

The dragon lowered his head rather sullenly. You will hear it in time.

"You haven't told me what it is," he said.

I have tried, but you cannot hear it.

Hitsugaya didn't understand how that was possible. Rather than question the dragon, he stared at the ice beneath his bare feet. It’s cold, but it does not freeze him. A landscape like this should have him shivering at the very least, but it’s surprisingly not unpleasant. If anything, it felt liked he belonged here.

The idea made him frown. “What is this place?”

Your inner world. It is where all your potential and power resides, the dragon said.

“And why did you bring me here? Why are you in my dreams?”

You called out to me.

Hitsugaya raised his head. “What do you mean? I never did that.”

You did it without realising. I hear things you cannot. For years now, you have been calling out to me, and I heeded.

“No, you were trying to hurt Baa-chan,” Hitsugaya accused. “Why?”

I did not. That was a result of you not having control of your abilities. I had hoped you would hear my name, and in doing so, harness the power within you. The dragon gave a growling huff – a sigh, perhaps. However, despite the power you have, you are still a child, after all.

Hitsugaya bit back a barrage of arguments, knowing it would get him nowhere. He was also perplexed at the range of emotions this dragon was showing. Before he’d been stoic, but just now he’d sounded disappointed. Still, there’s a patience about him, a willingness to listen to him even when he knew it would get him nowhere. In a small way, it reminds him of the patience of his Granny.

He stared down at his hands. This power the dragon spoke of, did it come from them? If he directed his hands in certain ways, like how Hianamori did when she practiced those weird gestures on her breaks from the Academy, would it he be able to control it?

Without realising, he found his mind shifting, as if focusing on a sense. But this was nothing like the senses he knew. He didn’t see, smell, taste, hear, or physically feel anything. It was a sense beyond those, one that encompassed his mind. It picked up a presence in the land around him and the towering dragon before him. It radiated in icy, invisible waves. It’s immense, so much so Hitsugaya winced as he tried to break out of whatever this was.

With a yelp, he freed himself, but it sent him stumbling back and barely catching himself before he could fall on his backside.

“W-What was that?’ he murmured to himself.

You sensed the power within you. That is only the surface, like what you see immediately here.

He looked around again and noticed for the first time just how vast the icy plain was. It extended beyond what his eye can see, continuing past the horizon into darkness. Frozen trees and hills far as the eye could see, lit only by a small crescent moon.

Hitsugaya shook his head. “What’s my power?”

You will learn that in time. First, you must train. Then, you must learn my name. The more the learn about your abilities and mine, the better control you will have.

“And Baa-chan will never be hurt again?”

No, my power will be for you and you alone to wield.

Shinigami were supposed to use their spiritual powers to protect Souls and Humans from harm caused by Hollows. He’d seen, however, that Shinigami are not the revered figures most children saw them as. Like any adult, they have faults. Like any adult, they could disappoint you.

He raised his hands again, looking at the backs before rotating them to face the palms up. What things could he do with these powers? The same as other Shinigami? He never wanted to become a Shinigami, but it seemed he had no choice. If he stayed in the Junrinan, he would never learn how to control the cold that had nearly killed Granny. And Hinamori would be there at the Academy, at least. He tried to ignore the slight glee that came with that thought.

“How do I learn your name?”

____________________________

When Hitsugaya woke this morning, before the sun had risen and all of his officers were still asleep, he thought about seeing Hinamori. Try as might, he couldn’t dismiss the idea as he changed into his uniform, attended the emergency meeting, or ate a small breakfast, appetite lost at the thought of who he would be facing. Even after Rangiku joined him in the few hours they had left before the battle, he thought to ask his lieutenant to take a detour with him to Fifth Division before they met up with the other captains and lieutenants.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He needed to focus on what lay ahead for them. They weren’t just engaging Aizen in battle, but the Arrancars. He’d trained in the spare time he had to ensure he was better prepared than he had been in the World of the Living.

Hitsugaya would cross swords with Aizen, he would see to it that it happens. Because he would not cut him down out of malice or hatred. He would defeat him for the vow he'd made years ago, and for Soul Society as part of his duties as a captain of the Gotei Thirteen. He had earned the title fairly and without agenda, Aizen had not. He would stand as an example of what captain should be, and against everything Aizen is and believed in.

He would go to this battle as a captain, and return ready to help Hinamori through whatever came next.

Yet, as he and Rangiku had made their way to the Senkaimon, he’d extended his senses to detect Hinamori’s reiatsu. It was stable, much stronger than he thought it would be. He couldn’t help but let out a small, relieved breath. She’ll be safe here, he thought, they can’t get to her here.

It’s why the pulse of her reiatsu is a shock to the system. For a fraction of a second, he thinks he’d imagined it, but it’s stable and remains in the periphery of his sense. He hesitates mid battle, almost earning him a slash from the blonde Espada. He doesn’t have time to look around as Hyourinmaru clashes with her sword.

The Espada holds him there, matching his strength. “Your spiritual pressure was spiked for a moment.”

He keeps his expression neutral. Was this a tactic to catch him off guard? “What are you on about?"

Her gaze narrows a fraction. “What happened?”

He matches it. “I don’t know what you're walking about.”

He releases a flurry of ice, which she lunges away from with ease. At least it put distance between them. More than being perturbed by his opponent’s observations, his chest constricts at sensing Hinamori’s reiatsu is still in the area.

Hinamori…

She’s somewhere behind him, next to Rangiku. She was likely the source of that fiery explosion before that helped his lieutenant against The Espada’s fraccion. Just as he noticed this morning, her reiatsu is steady and strong, perhaps the best it’s ever been. Yet he is reminded of the last time he’d seen her.

Please save Captain Aizen!

He lets out a shuddering, quiet exhale through his parted lips. Why did you have to come?

What’s going on in her mind? More importantly – the very next thought makes his stomach churn and anger roil up at himself for even thinking such a thing – was she here for the Soul Society or for Aizen?

His opponent comes in for another strike, and he’s forced to forget about Hinamori for the time being. If she’s with Rangiku, she should be safe.

___________________________

It’s had been simpler to find the battle than Hinamori thought. It was simpler still to rush around undetected, setting up an invisible kido net that used a combination of the spells around Rangiku and attaching it to her lieutenant’s badge. It’s one of the many combinations she’d come up with while researching and reciting kido chants in her room. Depending on how they faired after this one, she may need to use another. As Genji had said, these opponents are far stronger than any they’d faced, she can sense it from the reiatsu that emanates from them.

Even as she stared down these opponents a few minutes ago, Hinamori couldn’t help but notice Rangiku’s worry in her peripheral. This is why she came here: to prove to her and everyone else she was no longer Aizen’s subordinate. She was the lieutenant of Fifth Division, and she would fight alongside them.

Around them, her fire now extinguishes to smoke. She pants for a couple breaths and a sweat has broken out on her face and arms from exertion and nerves. She inwardly chastises herself for the latter. She has been in many battles, some of which have had months long gaps between them. Why should this one be any different?

“Are you okay, Hinamori?”

“Yes.” She drops a hand from Tobiume’s hilt and turns to look at her fellow lieutenant. She musters up a smile – albeit an rueful one. “I apologise, Rangiku-san. That’s the first time I’ve ever used that king of kido combination.”

Rangiku smiles faintly. “Don't apologise. It was impressive.” She briefly glances at the slowly dissipating smoke around them. “That was Fushibi, right? I’ve never seen it so finely spread out before.”

Hinamori can’t help but embrace the tiny swell of pride cause by Rangiku’s words. She lifts her other hand from Tobiume and gently massages it with the other. “Well…I blended Fushibi with Shakkago. After that, I cloaked them with Kyokko and stretched it out like a net.”

Most of the smoke has dissipated, and she casts her gaze to the horizon. It’s one of the few places where she didn’t see a battle occurring. “I must admit, it was hard to do all of that under these conditions but…” She returns her small smile to Rangiku. “I’m glad it worked.”

At Rangiku’s widening smile, Hinamori dares to hope. Finally, one of her friends’ worry had vanished. She’d proven she didn’t need worry or concern. She can fight alongside Rangiku and the others. Now, she needs to confront –

One of the few plumes of remaining smoke shifts strangely. Then, not even a second after, “Thrust, Cierva!!”

The other two also emerge from the smoke, calling out what sounded like releases for their weapons.

Hinamori’s heart races. “What?!”

She takes in their changed appearance – one has become half humanoid half serpent, the middle one has horns, and the last one had a yellow mane coming from coming from a headpiece. But above all, they looked unharmed.

She shakes her head. “I knew it wouldn’t affected severely affect, but there’s unscathed!”

“They regenerate when they perform their resurrection,” Rangiku explains. “It's their most powerful attack."

So surprised by this revelation, Hinamori doesn’t pay attention to what her opponents say to each other. Both she Rangiku raise their blades, ready for their next attack.

For Hollows, Hinamori had a knack for being able to tell what sort of attacks they will likely use. There was usually a tell, perhaps in something unique about their appearance or in the way they moved across the battlefield. With these three, she has no idea. They’re a species she’s not confronted until now. She wishes she got more intel about them before coming here.

Then, without warning, all three Arrancar each violently rip one of their own arms off. Both she and Rangiku can only gasp in horror, and watch as they throw their limbs into the middle of their semicircle, where they knot over one another, then twirl and becoming a thick cloud of white smoke.

It expands, becoming monolithic and taking the shape of something inhuman.

“Wh-What is that?!” Rangiku stammers.

But Hinamori cannot reply. She has lost her voice, and all she sees is darkness. A strange terror has her in its clutches, one that sends ripples of cold through her and drags her closer and closer to the beast’s eyes that are as black as bottomless pits.

___________________________

A new presence has joined the battlefield. One which gives Hitsugaya pause. He’s never felt anything like it; a dark abyss of energy, one that threatens to suck in anything near it.

He doesn’t chance a glimpse in the direction of the reiatsu, focusing on the Espada as she lunges forward with a particularly hard strike. He deflects it with a grunt, sending her sword off to the right. He takes the chance to stab at her side, but she spins out of the way and comes for his side instead. He twists and blocks the attack, but it leads to them clashing swords again.

Neither budge, pushing their strength and weight into their weapons. There’s faint tremor in his limbs which he pointedly ignores. However, there’s something about the Esapda’s posture too, it’s a fraction more ridged than it should be. He hasn’t been much of a struggle for her up to this point, and surely crossing swords like this was not a challenge for her. Is she affected by this dark presence too?

“What is that thing?” he demands. “It’s come from your fraccion.”

Halibel considers for a moment, simply returning his glare. “It’s none of your concern.”

Before she can notice, he lands a kick in her sternum, sending her skidding back. The beginnings of Hyourinmaru's Shikai are on his lips, ready to use the chain to –

Rangiku’s reiatsu violently spikes up

He freezes, eyes widening at the shock of it. She’s severely hurt, bordering fatally. Matsumoto!

Faintly, he hears someone else scream her name. With a grunt, he realises it’s Hinamori. What’s happening? He needs to --!

The Espada is suddenly in front of him. Her slash at him sends him barrelling backwards, his feet in the air until he forces them to the ground to skid him to a stop. Heart pounding and a bead of sweat falling down his temple, he struggles to return his focus to his opponent. He goes on the defensive against the Espada while he senses what’s happening with the lieutenants.

Rangiku’s is falling, and so Hinamori. Judging from her stable reiatsu though, Hinamori isn’t injured. Again, she calls out his lieutenant’s name. Then, they come to a stop, and as he dodges a strike from Halibel, he sees below them and off to the far right a blur of blue -- some kind of kido net, he can’t tell which – and two figures in the middle.

He barely has time to feel an iota of relief. Not because of the Espada’s attacks sending him away from the view within seconds, but because that dark presence suddenly appears in front of Hinamori’s reiatsu. Only two seconds later, it strikes her.

The impact on her reiatsu is as sudden as Rangiku. She’s gone into shock, and her injures are almost as severe as his lieutenant’s. She’s being propelled backwards.

He almost falls back and drops out of the sky. Hinamori! No!

He quickly straightens and looks back in the direction of the lieutenants. He can’t see them anymore, but there’s the source of the powerful reiatsu. A giant creature stands in the air above the city building, looking like a Huge Hollow but having the height of a Menos.

That all too familiar violent anger boils up in the pit of his stomach. He goes to flash-step to Rangiku and Hinamori, ready to freeze whatever this vile creature was to the bone.

A stab from the Espada stops him. The point of her sword comes dangerously close to his temple, and he barely manages to evade it. Strands of his hair are off, flying into the air.

"Pay attention," she reprimands despite her flat tone. "Their battle is not yours."

Hisagi and Izuru’s reiatsu suddenly appear next to Hinamori’s. The creature hasn’t moved, keeping it’s distance from Hinamori but still far too close to Rangiku.

Can he leave it to them? Does he really have a choice? His opponent won’t let him leave their fight, and he can’t let her attack someone else. With that in mind, it pains him to return his full attention to the Espada.

___________________________

Hinamori can barely breathe. There’s a wheezing sound coming out of her mouth as she tries to get air into her punctured lung. She tries to ignore the coppery taste on her tongue and she’s distantly aware that Hisagi is battling Ayon, but she only keeps her hazy gaze on Rangiku.

Izuru has his back to her, bent over their fellow lieutenant as he heals her. Sweat drips down his face and arms, and his brow and lips are drawn down in concentration. The green-blue kido emanating from his hands stands in stark contract to Rangiku’s paling skin and the light blue of the Tozansho’s prism.

Rangiku’s bones and organs slowly heal, while her flesh knits over itself smoothly and quickly. It’s evident Izuru hasn’t performed this kido in years; the spell is supposed to heal both internal and external injuries at the same pace, but an inexperienced or rusty user ends up repairing one part quicker than the other. Still, it's beneficial, better than her bleeding out.

Without warning, Izuru goes rigid and twists to the looming threat approaching them with booming steps. Hinamori forgets to breathe. Where is Hisagi? Had he been defeated by Ayon?

“H-He’s coming!” Izuru says, more to himself. “I’m almost finished, I just need a little more time.”

The kido beneath his palms stutters out for a moment. Hinamori is about to call out to him, when a hole of blood appears in Ayon’s chest. When she notices the Captain-Commander, she doesn’t know whether to be scared or relieved.

Izuru stumbles over his words in the older man’s presence, who lectures him in return. She loses focus, not able to keep up with what they’re saying. A wave of dizziness and cold suddenly overcomes her. Has she lost too much blood? Or is this from pent up anxiety?

She rests her head against the kido beneath her, but turns her gaze back to Rangiku. She’s still taking shallow breaths, and her shattered ribs and injured organs are sealed over by skin. She’s safe for now, but it won’t be long until she’s back to being on the brink unless Izuru continues to heal her.

“Izuru-kun…” Hinamori rasps out.

She’s not sure if he heard her. A darkness creeps in around the edges of her vision and a fatigue sets into her limbs. Her eyes become hooded, trying to resist closing them all together. Something escapes her lips, but she can’t tell if it’s a slurry words or a just a sound.

Izuru becomes a blocky blur, but he twists around to her. Before she falls into the darkness, there’s a loud, terrifying roar, and as she shuts her eyes, she thinks she hears Izuru say, “I’m going to move you and Matsumoto-san! Hold on, Hinamori-san!”

___________________________

Hitsugaya spins away from another missile of water. It splashes hard into the top of a building, caving in the roof and several floors before pouring out on to the streets.

He stops flapping Hyourinmaru’s wings and flattens them, sending him gliding lower. The Espada is stronger than he anticipated, and he hadn’t understood her battle strategy before. She shoots with waves after wave of water he can easily dodge. However, as he soars over the streets, the collecting waters gave him the idea. She’s waiting for water to build up.

To think he would face an opponent like her. They can wield the same element but in opposite states. Had Aizen brought her here to face him for that very reason? There’s something that feels almost predetermined about their fight he can’t shake off. Nor can he forget how she’d threatened the Captain-Commander.

“I will avenge their deaths.”

He glances over his shoulder. She’s gaining on him, fast. She draws her weapon back, and his eyes widen at the yellow glow that builds up on the blade.

“Cero.” She slices the air, sending the beam in an arc. He flash-steps away, but not quickly enough. One of Hyourinmaru’s wings is cut in half, and he has to quickly find somewhere to land. He goes to the first rooftop he sees and lands on it’s balcony. The railing is slick with water, as are the walls beneath and the power-lines above it.

Another of Hyourinmaru's flower petals breaks apart. Considering the attack he’s come under just now and for how long he’s been in the Bankai state, he’s doing better than he anticipated.

In the back of his mind, something bothers him. Reaching out his senses, he curses under his breath. Izuru and Komamura’s reiatsu are close by – so much so Hitsugaya is confident if he looks over his shoulder right now he would see them be able to clearly make them out from this distance. Next to them are the weaker reiatsu of Hisagi, Rangiku, and Hinamori. He takes what little relief he can that his lieutenant and childhood friend are both safe and no longer on the verge of serious injuries. Still, the way Hinamori’s reiatsu flickers and wanes, is worrisome.

He wills his expression to neutral, but find himself fighting off a deepening frown. The Esapda has her back turned to him still, but she no doubt sense him. Based one how this fight has gone, he’s confident she won’t attack the others; she seems focused on finishing their fight first.

“Your tactics are strange,” he comments, drawing her attention. In his peripheral, Hyourinmaru’s wing regenerates; he needs to stall until it’s completely reformed. “But I have a feeling why that's the case. I'm guessing we're both waiting for the same thing to happen. For this battlefield to fill up with water, allowing either of us to strike a killing blow.”

She says nothing, and her expression remains impassive. Still, it’s all the confirmation he needs to say his theory was right. He’d said to her before one should save their greatest tactics for the greatest moments of crisis. Given who is not too far away from them and how the battles around him were going, he needs to help shift the tides in the Soul Society’s favour. Given her strength, there’s only one ability he had that can vanquish her at this point. What if it affected the others somehow? He's never --

"Are you concerned for them?"

He grunts, returning his gaze to her. "What?"

"Your allies just over there, are you concerned for them?"

At his lack of an answer, her expression briefly breaks into something reflective. "Right now, you have a choice to either sacrifice them or make yourself a sacrifice to save them. Regardless of what you choose, either you or they will carry the moment you made a choice forever." She raises her weapon, once again becoming stoic. "Choose carefully."

What was this? Is she trying to unnerve or goad him? He shakes it off, choosing to see this as a threat to those behind him.

“Fine. There’s no use both of us waiting.” He raises Hyourinmaru, and more to himself than his opponent, he says, “I’ve never tried this while in Bankai, but you leave me no choice."

“What are you talking about?”

Hyourinmaru’s wing is almost regenerated. He doesn’t have to stall her for much longer. “To tell you the truth , I don't need to wait for water to gather. Hyourinmaru is the ultimate ice-type zanpakuto.” He fully faces her and grips his zanpakuto with both hands. “All water is my weapon.”

The Espada lets out a quiet, startled sound and her eyes widen at the sky as what he meant dawns on her. The clouds darken and rapidly gather above them, blocking out the sun for half of the battlefield.

With Hyourinmaru’s wing back to its full form, he launches himself from the railing and shoots back into the air, coming to level with her. “The whole sky is under my control.”

“What is this?”

It’s most emotive she’s sounded. He thinks to just initiate the attack and not tell her; given the circumstance, it might the smartest strategy to use. However, he finds himself uncomfortable with the idea.

He goes on to explain his abilities to her, and she only listens, not moving to strike him when she has every opportunity to do so. Is she accepting her fate?

When he comes to the end of his explanation, he pauses. He was not blood thirty or a lover of fighting like Kenpachi, but she’s been a worthy opponent, the strongest he’s faced in decades. Then there was her threat to Captain-Commander that won't leave his mind…

“What is your name, Esapda?”

As if his words take her out of a daze, she schools her expression to impassive again and looks down at him. “I'm Espada Tres, Harribel Tier.”

“I’m Captain for the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya Toshiro.” He raises his blade. “Are you ready?”

___________________________

Both Hinamori and Izuru watch as the clouds part and form a circle above the Espada. The that snow descends in a cascading rush through the hole makes both of them gasp. It’s so glaringly white, she has to squint to still see Hitsugaya and his opponent, who goes to make an attack against his. It’s useless; the magnitude of the avalanche is something no one can fight off.

“I-Incredible,” Izuru murmurs, stunned. “What…What is that ability?!”

“Whatever it was, he risked much doing it this close to us,” Sajin comments, failing to keep the alarmed tone out of his voice. “But then, he didn’t have much of a choice.”

Within seconds, the snow rapidly transforms into a tower of spiky ice. It resembles a pillar of flowers, piled on top of one another as though growing from hundred of vines snaked around a column. The Espada is nowhere to be seen, likely trapped within the ice.

The clouds begin to thin and the sun returns, but Hinamori frowns when she notices Hitsugaya hasn’t moved away. He remains close to the ice tower, zanpakuto lowered. Is he gazing into the ice to check his opponent is there?

Eventually, he turns, lingers for several more seconds, then flies off. He's heading towards them. For a moment, she wonders if he’s coming to check up on them. However, he angles himself higher into the sky and passes them overhead. She loses sight of him and she can't help the tiny pang that pricks at her heart.

“Shiro…can.” She barely realises she’s said the nickname aloud.

It’s been so long since she last saw him, and now she’s only gotten to see him from afar. That will change after this battle is over, she’ll make sure of it. Whether he’s angry at her for coming to battlefield or happy to see her, she’ll find him after all of this and thank him for protecting all them.

A whimper comes from her left. She lolls her head to the side. Rangiku has her eyes shut still and her brow furrowed in pain, but her breathing is normal. Izuru has done the best he can, but Hinamori hopes Fourth Division will arrive to battlefield sooner rather than later.

On the thought of her friend, she tilts her head downward to look at him. He’s kneeling over Hisagi, working on his internal injuries. The Ninth Divison’s lieutenant is still conscious at least, but he grimaces as he’s being healed.

Izuru's forehead and temple glisten with sweat, and there’s a small tremor running through his arms. He’s getting fatigue. Soon, he won’t be able to keep this up without hurting himself.

“Kira-kun…”

“I’m almost done here,” he says, slightly clipped.

“Are you all right?”

He lets out a grunt, and finally his eyes reach hers, wide with bewilderment. “What? Why would you ask that?”

“Don’t…push yourself –” A cough interrupts her, causes a fresh trickle of blood to run down her lips. The pain returns afresh, and she winces as it explodes through her chest.

Alarmed, Izuru looks between her and Hisagi. She wants to tell him to focus on Hisagi, but at the former’s nod towards Hinamori, Izuru deactivates the kido and rushes to her side.

“You’re the one who shouldn’t be pushing themselves,” he warns, before activating the kido over her torso. The relief comes quickly, soothing the pain into smaller waves. Her breathing remains shallow, not able to take in full breaths.

Her gaze slips to behind Izuru’s shoulder. There’s the pillar of ice, which Hitsugaya has returned to. He's comes out of his bankai state, but his posture is one of vigilance. He watches the battle unfolding around the area, looking for a moment he can strike perhaps.

Further away, Yamamoto’s flames burn in a circle of high walls. Hinamori tries and fail to not detect the reiatsu emanating from behind the fire.

She looks at Izuru. “Have you seen any of them?”

He picks up on the implication quickly. His brows fall into furrow. “No, just sensed him.”

She can’t help but let out a relieved sigh. “I hope…you don’t have to.”

The corners of his mouth tighten. “Yeah…I hope so too.”

The spike in his reiatsu says otherwise. There’s a hint of anticipation there, buzzing along the weighed down whirl that is his reiatsu.

He hesitates as he deactivates the kido over her. They both wait for almost a full minute for another coughing fit or for her pain to return.

“Where’s Abari-kun?” Hinamori asks in a whisper.

“He and Kuchiki-san went to Hueco Mundo.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say for certain, but likely because their Human friends went there to save the girl that sided with Aizen.”

Hinamori frowns. If she’s a traitor, why would they go after her? An answer comes to the surface, one she desperately wants to dismiss. Are they like herself? Unable to accept the truth about someone they thought they knew? Or perhaps this girl is innocent in all of this, and had been tricked by Aizen into following him. Perhaps it’s the fatigue weighing her down or the last embers of hope, but Hinamori wants to believe the latter is true. “I hope Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san are all right.”

Izuru doesn’t respond. After a beat, he tilts his head to the side, pensive. “Why did you come here, Hinamori-san?”

She blinks. She shouldn’t be surprised by the question, but perhaps it’s because it’s coming from Izuru. A part of her had thought he’d understand without having to ask.

She lifts her gaze to battles happening above them in the distance. “I couldn’t stay behind. I had to be here, it’s a simple as that.”

He doesn’t raise his head. “You’ve always been like this.”

With how flatly he says it, she can’t tell whether it’s a fond observation or a critique of her character. “How do you mean?”

He shakes his head and shifts over to Rangiku. With his back turned, she can’t tell how he feels. “Nevermind.”

She wants to say more, but finds herself speechless. Is he disappointed that she came? Are there others who feel the same?

She watches the battles unfold, first with victory of Soi Fon over her opponent, and the battle between an Espada and Kyoraku and Jushiro.

Terror grips her as the sky splits a new Espada arrives with a fearsome, gigantic creature. The new Espada injures Jushiro and with a yell, breaks the ice encasing Hitsugaya’s opponent. Near her, Izuru goes rigid, his wide-eyed gaze solely on the events unfolding above them and the kido cast from his hands over Hisagi stuttering away to nothing.

He begs Komamura to go join the fight, but before Komamura can respond, a sounds comes the creature. It moves out of the split in the sky and comes to loom over the circle of fire. Pursing it’s lips, it blows a current of air flames, reducing them to streaks of smoke within seconds.

Hinamori forgets to breathe. Her vision is becoming increasingly blurry, but she can clearly distinguish Aizen. He’s there. He’s really there.

Izuru lets out a choking sound. In the end, he did see his former captain afterall. Despite their earlier interaction, she wishes she could stand by his side and they could help each other through this.

He falls forward, barely catching himself with his hands on the ground. “This is really the end!”

It must be. What can they do against Aizen? She came here and show he doesn't have a hold on her anymore, that she is worthy of carrying her title. In the end, she has ended up injured and scared.

And then, without warning, a new presence joins the battlefield. No, not just one, several. It's enough to pull Hinamori out of the spiral that threatens to engulf her. She barely registers the new arrivals, her senses so hazy she can’t quite distinguish each reiatsu from the other. There’s something strange about them. They’re Shinigami, but there’s something else within them.

She searches the sky, finding a group wearing clothes from the World of the Living. They’re directly confronting Aizen and the other former captains. Who are they? Are they on their side?

Perhaps her panic has gotten the better of her or her bewilderment is so great that she's lost her mind, but she can't help but feel an inkling of hope.

___________________________

The winds were harsh, screeching in his ears and threatening to push him over. It was the coldest it’s ever been on the frozen plains, it even burned the soles of his feet. Still, he remained standing. Still he kept his eyes closed. Still he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to raise his arms and block the wind from biting into his face.

He focused on the power of this place, burling around him like a blizzard. This was his, even if he didn’t fully comprehend it. He knew it had to be his. Only he can wield it.

He cursed and opened his eyes. The dragon towered over him, watching Hitsugaya, unflinching as a statue. He could hear him speaking, voice as loud as a thunder clap, but like all the other times, the words are lost in the wind. He listened, really tried to listen.

“Your name is…Your name is!”

He hissed out a frustrated grunt. No matter how far he tried to reach for it in his mind, it always slipped from his grasp. He’d been training this whole time learn it, and yet it had only taken him so far in learning his zanpakuto’s name. Was it that the dragon did not trust him with it?

He’s at his limit. The desperation clawed at his heart, twisting and clenching it. Where else could he go? This power was his. He wanted it, needed it…

He flung his gaze up to the dragon’s. “There are things I want to protect with this strength and power!” he yelled over the wind. “That’s all I will ever use it for!”

The vice around his heart squeezed even more, causing him to let out a strangled gasp. If he didn’t have this power and strength, how can he possible help those who helped him? How can stand by Hinamori’s side? How can he --?

It came out him as a scream, one that soared above the winds and plunged deep into the ice below his feet. “I want to protect her!”

There was a flash. Not before his eyes, but somewhere within him. Something like a locked door finally opened. One that had always been within him, hidden away until this very moment.

The power shifted, coiling around him, hissing in his ears and rushing up into his veins. He gasped at the cold of it, at the way is thrummed through his blood and against his bones.

“It’s…coming,” he murmured in wonder, staring down at his hands. Then, with more excitement, “It’s coming to me!”

Another flash, this time through his whole body. The power solidified, as if turning to impenetrable ice. It was a vital part that kept him together and whole; he doesn't knwo how he's lived without it for this long.

With widened eyes, he looks up to the dragon. He’d spread out his wings and bowed his head closer. The very action stopped the winds and brightened the moonlight shining down upon them.

The creature, he realised now, is truly a part of him. This power he held was this creature, and it carried in it a name. He spoke to him again. “ ‘My name is…’” Hitsugaya repeated back without realising.

He stood taller, hands fisted at his sides. He listened closer to the voice that whispered rather than roared in his ear, echoing from his veins and heart. From a part of him that had always been there, remaining unnamed until now.

He grasped on to what it said, in the voice of the dragon. “ ‘My name is Hyourinmaru!’ ”

He left his inner world through the moonlight, letting it consume him as the ice crackled and Hyourinmaru flapped his wings with a howl.

___________________________

Hitsugaya leaps forward, the air whistling around him and the world becoming streaks of color. He only sees the traitor he will cut down. He is far from anxious to face the Soul who had cut him down ad made him feel powerless. That boiling in his stomach roiled as he raised Hyourinmaru and brought the blade down harshly against Kyoka Suigetsu. It did nothing to rattle Aizen, but he half expected that would be the case.

“You came at me without much thought,” Aizen says, smiling faintly. “That was rather reckless of you, Captain Hitsugaya.”

Hitsugaya withholds a sneer; he refuses to show any emotion in front of Aizen. “Someone had to make the first move. I commend you for not activating Kyouka Suigetsu on your first strike.”

“Allow me to do the same for you…” Aizen says flatly, before deflecting Kyouraku’s attack to his side with a kido shield.

Hitsugaya knew Kyoraku would follow, had sensed it in the way he’d glanced at him briefly. Had he known he would strike first? Hitsugaya shakes his head; it didn’t matter.

He falls back, sensing the remaining captains, lieutenants, and their newfound ‘allies’ all coming towards them to join the fight. He and Kyouraku will have to keep Aizen occupied for the next minute.

He goes in for several attacks, as does Kyouraku, all avoided or blocked with ease. This is not the fighting style Hitsugaya has seen Aizen use before. This is a different Aizen, a truer version of him. He still has the same grace that comes when he deflects an attack with his zanpakuto and casts a kido at the same time, but there’s a fast pace to it, and a calculation behind each strike. It’s as if he knows their moves before even they do.

Swallowing the cry that wanted to come from his throat, Hitsugaya lunges again, bring Hyourinmaru down hard. He can’t let this frustration get the better of him. He can use it as fuel to keep him engage in the battle, but never as source of power. Never as his sole motivation. He is a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen, and the Soul before him had turned his back on that title.

Aizen brings his zanpakuto down, countering the attack and causing Hitsugaya to skid back. He comes to a stop a short distance away. As he stares the traitor down, he can’t get rid of the previous thought. Aizen hadn’t just turned his back on the title, but also on everything it stands for.

The words come to the surface, and Hitsugaya doesn’t stop them from reaching his throat. “Before, you said a sword without hatred is light an eagle without wings…that a sword swung out of duty will never cut you.” Aizen’s smile falters, falling to a straight line. Hitsugaya doesn’t gloat on the small victory, instead continuing as he lowers Hyourinmaru to his side, “You don’t seem to know the truth, and that is…a sword wielded from duty alone is what a captain always does. To wield one with hatred is nothing but violence. The Soul Society would never consider that a battle.” He stands a little taller. “It seems, Aizen, you weren’t ever captain material if you truly believe that.”

He was always planning the Soul Society’s downfall and their deaths along with it. He never cared for a single Soul or Human. He didn't even care for his allies, cutting down Harribel like she was nothing to him this whole time. The vision he had, whatever it was, had led him to this and dragged everyone in with it. To think he can hold such power, it sickens Hitsugaya.

“How interesting…” Aizen’s smile returns. “To hear those words from you, the captain who hates me the most out of all of them, is quite surprising to me.”

Hackles raised, Hitsugaya brings up Hyourinmaru again. He loathes how the comment struck close to home, that he has read him that well.

“Are you telling me you have no hatred in your sword right now?”

What’s he getting at with this?

“Or perhaps…did your hatred vanish when Hinamori-kun showed up completely recovered?”

It rushes up his spin, white hot and surging through every nerve-ending. It’s something dark and scorches like an ice burn. He’d experienced in the past few months on a smaller scale, in the moments where he struck a training dummy far too hard, or awoke in the middle of the night wanting to scream to the sky, or when he had last spoken with Hinamori and wanted nothing more than to kill Aizen right there and then.

Her near-death flashes before his eyes, far too vivid still. He can never forgive the traitor for that, could never let him walk away from this battle alive.

He’d missed whatever had happened between Aizen and Kyoraku as he'd gone into this state. Aizen turns around when Hitsugaya cries out his Bankai’s release. Behind him, Kyouraku becomes wary.

He ignores his fellow captain, zeroing in on Aizen alone. “You’re right, Aizen. My sword is filled with hatred. Hatred for you.”

Hyourinmaru roars in his mind, ready for this fight. The burning cold now flows through his veins and strikes through to his bones. He will become as cold and ruthless as he needs to be, as vicious as a blizzard that smothers all life caught in it.

Because truth of it all was he didn’t come here for the Soul Society. He wanted to fool himself into thinking that was his main motive, but he never could. Ever since the day he’d seen Hinamori dying on the floor of underground chambers of Central Forty-Six, this fight was never going to be about just protecting Soul Society. He'd thought of Hinamori this very morning, and how she would be safe. How he would ensure she remained safe.

“I didn’t come here to just do battle with you!” he bellows. “I came here to violently hack you to pieces!”

Let him be a hypocrite. In face of what this traitor did to Hinamori, what did his captaincy matter? If it meant he had to abandon it, then so be it. He’ll crush Aizen to nothing, will freeze him through to the core and shatter him to icy dust. His name will vanish in the decades, forgotten by all and only brought up when his demise was spoken of.

And what would become of himself? It didn't matter.

___________________________

They’d become specks in the distance, hard to see beyond the yellow of the kido shielding them. Hinamori had tried to keep her eyes open, but they were hurting and she ended up closing them and rolling her head to the side.

Now she cracks them open a fraction, able to see Izuru and Iba watching the battle. They’d stopped focusing on the injured and are completely still. Something must be wrong. She rolls her head to the other side. Rangiku, now conscious, has her gaze also above, but Hinamori can’t tell through the tussled blonde hair if her frown is one of concern or confusion.

She tries to make out the figures, and all but three are indistinguishable. The Ryoka boy – Kurosaki Ichigo, she corrects herself – stands a long distance away from the battle. Hitsugaya’s ice wings flap shooting himse forward at such a speed he becomes a blur before he attacks Aizen.

Other figures swoop in after that, and it becomes a chaotic scene. She loses track of the battle, seeing but not really concentrating on what is happening.

It’s why she frowns when, after Soi Fon engages Aizen in the confrontation, he vanishes.

She let’s out a surprised gasp when her view is suddenly obstructed. The white of the Soul before her is glaring against the kido. Without having to see his face, Hinamori’s heart seizes up and then races as her blood turns cold.

His shadow casts over her. A vague sense of kido, one of concealment, rolls off him. A blink, and Hinamori sees him more clearly as he casts his gaze to Rangiku. In the sickening seconds that feel like minutes, she hazily suspects he’s considering doing something to her fellow lieutenant.  

She makes a sound, the beginnings of a wordless protest, which draw his attention back to her.

Hinamori blinks again, and he bends forward and grabs her by the front of her uniform. His face is darkened by shadows, making his appearance all the more shocking to her.

With a violent jerk, he pulls her back off the ground, forcing a choked gasp out of her. Her head and limbs loll back, as though she were a ragdoll. Is this real? How did he get past barrier? Why is no one around her seeing this? Even if he is using a concealment kido, it would have broken with him grabbing her. Unless it's one stronger than any she knows. The power of him, the things she never knew. The things he'd done, to her and her friends.

She lets out a broken whimper. “C…Captain.”

Aizen pauses. Behind him, high up in the sky, Soi Fon has created an army of clones, but they’re a blur to Hinamori, her focus only on him.

“Why did you come here?” His voice, so familiar but somehow so different, breaks something in her.

She can only let out a strangled sound in response. How she wanted to tell him to his face she'd come her to face him and fight alongside her fellow lieutenants and captains. She should reach Tobiume, sheathed at her hip, or shoot a kido through him. She has the strength to do the latter, but she’s paralyzed.

“No, I already know why.” She can hear the cold smile in his voice.

With a tilting back of his head, sunlight and the glow of the kido around them illuminates Aizen’s face. His eyes finally reach hers. He says something else, but it doesn’t register. The disdain and coldness in his gaze pierces her. It tells her what she already knows, what she’d tried to deny weeks ago but realized before she came to this battle. it's what splints whatever in her had broken before. You never mattered.

With a brutal pull, she’s off the ground completely. Everything passes in a haze, and then all she sees is the sky, much closer than before. A sudden cold presses up against her back, and she’s losing her footing. Looking down, Karakura Town is sprawled out beneath her, and Soi Fon is rushing at her.

Aizen is nowhere to be seen.

__________________________________

“It’s over Aizen!”

Hitsugaya lunges forward, and with a flap of his wings, he shoots forward at great speed. He doesn't give the other captains a chance to deal the finishing blow. He keeps his grip on Hyourinmaru strong and his focus solely on the man frozen again the ice.

Seconds before the blade pierces through the traitor’s back, Hitsugaya thinks he hears Hinamori begin to call out to his name. It ends so abruptly he barely even registers it.

He stabs Hyourinmaru through the ice and into Aizen’s back, and it's all over.

_________________________________

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[queenmina37]

hi!! i found out your bleach x bnha crossover series last night and i DEVOURED it, i had such a great time reading it and it's so funny 😭 i just wanted to say thank you for sharing such a brilliant brainworm that will probably now live in MY brain forever 💜 i know it hasn't been updated in like a year but that won't stop me 😾 and since we're here i figure i'll ask something: how would aizawa react if he found out ichigo has two whole *kids*?

again, Thank You and hope you have a good day 💜

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA You're the person who left comments on Ghost Hunters of UA, aren't you?? I'm so glad you liked it!

This is an interesting thing because I could actually swear that I've written something about this? Actually, I just realized that I probably have some parts of the story written... that I haven't posted... because... I don't even know... I remember that I had the very last story for the series written, but I didn't want to post it if the rest of the series was still not finished, but I might actually post it at some point, if I can just remember to do that.

But I could swear I've written something about Aizawa finding out about Kazui and Ichika? It's possible it's one of the group chat chapters that I wrote and then decided not to go through with the idea at all? Yeah, actually, I just found it and it's definitely like that.

I'm not going to put this on ao3 (at least at this time), but since you asked, here you go! Please remember that it was written before the first chapter of Ghost Hunters of UA, so it might not be entirely accurate, for example with what happens in that story, but, yeah, anyways.

Karakura Gang + Stragglers (Group chat name)

God’s Antithesis (Ishida)

Ichigo

God’s Worst Mistake (Ichigo)

Uryuu

God’s Antithesis (Ishida)

[A picture of the living room of the Ishida Residence. Sitting in front of a dark wine red couch and the low table in front of it, on the floor, are two boys around the same age. One of them has wild, spike orange hair that is just slightly smoother than Kurosaki Ichigo’s spiky hair. He’s grinning brightly, his purple eyes alight. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a baby blue hoodie. The other boy also had orange hair, though of a different, darker shade than the other boy’s. He was beaming. He had dark blue eyes. Both boys were staring right at the camera.]

Why is kazui in my house

Assno (Asano)

asdfghjkl

Reject Universe (Orihime)

Oh!

I didnt know kazui was over!

Dragon (Tatsuki... I think?)

Oh my god what the fuck

Arrancar Translator (Chad...?)

Huh

Queen (Rukia)

Oh my god how is he over there?????

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

omw dont let him leave

God’s Antithesis (Ishida)

Bit late for that

Reject Universe (Orihime)

I just got home and he just ran out (°-°)

Dragon (Tatsuki)

Is he scared of u?

This is like the third time he has done that right?

Reject Universe (Orihime)

Oh no surely not right?

I dont want kazui to be scared of me!!

Queen (Rukia)

He isnt scared orihime I promise

God’s Worst Mistake (Ichigo)

He just gets similar alarms ringing like when rukia smiles when he has done something he shouldnt have done

Also im coming over, see if I can hold him down long enough for renji to drag him back home

Karakura Red (Karin)

Caught the little shit

Bringing him home but ichi-nii should still come keep an eye on him

Me and yuzu have shit to do

God’s Worst Mistake (Ichigo)

omw

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

I will be there in a few hours once these idiots get the senkaimon going

Queen (Rukia)

Might be good

Kazui has been taking it rather hard that ichigo is on such a long mission

A bit of time alone with his dad will do him some good

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

Im sorry

Kurosaki has a son?

Dragon (Tatsuki)

Wait we didnt tell u?

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

No????

Improvised Molotov Cocktails (Mizuiro)

He has a wife and a husband too

Assno (Asano)

Some of us cant find one and he went and got himself two

Arrancar Translator (Chad)

Actually he has two kids

Son and daughter

Reject Universe (Orihime)

Oh but renji is actually ichika’s dad

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

What

Improvised Molotov Cocktails (Mizuiro)

Kazui and ichika are twins

Ichigo is kazui’s dad

Renji is ichika’s dad

Simple

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

In what universe

Dragon (Tatsuki)

Well I mean they have the same mom and are twins so its pretty simple

Must Protect (Yuzu?)

Aww!

[A picture of Ichigo laying down on the couch in the living room of the Kurosaki Residence. He has one hand under his head, while the other is wrapped around Kazui, who is laying between him and the back of the couch, his head on Ichigo’s chest. Both have their eyes closed. Ichigo is in his shinigami uniform.]

They are so cute!

Queen (Rukia)

Is he purring?

Karakura Red (Karin)

Of course hes purring

This is ichi-nii we are talking about

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

I’m sorry

Kurosaki

Purrs?

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

Like an engine yeah

But only when he naps with the kids

They love it

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

??????

How???????

Improvised Molotov Cocktails (Mizuiro)

You havent heard him purr before?

Arrancar Translator (Chad)

He was already doing it in middle school but it escalated in high school

Queen (Rukia)

It escalated even more after he died

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

And then it became exclusive to the kids

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

????????????????????

God’s Antithesis (Ishida)

Wait

What do you mean its exclusive to the kids

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

Its exclusive to the kids?

He only purrs when he wants to nap with the kids?

Queen (Rukia)

It calms kazui down and he falls asleep within seconds

Ichika too but thats because shes been conditioned into it rather than it being natural like with kazui

Why?

Karakura Red (Karin)

He does it with me too tho

Yuzu too

Reject Universe (Orihime)

He did it to uryuu once too!

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

What??????

Karakura Red (Karin)

Urahara said its a hollow thing

Pack thing and all that

Must protect little ones

Hes trying to calm down and put to sleep any younger relatives essentially

Must Protect (Yuzu)

Yeah I hear the visored do the same with him too

But he never does it to them because they are older than him

Karin has done it to me too

Karakura Red (Karin)

Yuzu!!!

Dragon (Tatsuki)

Oh my god

Assno (Asano)

Y r u guys so pure?

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

Im not sure what about having a bloodthirsty cannibal in your head is pure but u do u buddy

Assno (Asano)

Wait no!!!

Panicked into Solutions (Renji)

Also I will be there in another 30 mins

Must Protect (Yuzu)

Stay for tea until they wake up!

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

I

I hate to break this to you people but kurosaki is expected at school tomorrow morning

Karakura Red (Karin)

Thats what shunpo and sonido are for

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

What does that even mean

Improvised Molotov Cocktails (Mizuiro)

He fast

Caterpillar Man (Aizawa)

That explains literally nothing

Queen (Rukia)

It explains literally everything

[goodwhump-temp]

Ichigo; Bleach Whump Zanpakto to Arrancar Finale Arcs

Arrancar Arc (S6-S8) Bount Arc (S4-S5) Shinigami Arc & Soul Society Arc (S1-S3)

The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai Arc

9x02 / Ep 169 New Development, the Dangerous Transfer Student Appears! - Pancaked 9x03 / Ep 170 Desperate Struggle Under the Moonlit Night, the Mysterious Assassin and Zanpakuto - Blinded/lost consciousness multiple times 9x06 / Ep 173 The Appearance of the Great Evil! The Darkness in the House of Kasumioji - Elbow to the head multiple times, piled on 9x07 / Ep 174 Break the Mirrors Boundary! Ichigos Captivity - Blinded unconscious, paralyzed 9x10 / Ep 177 The Reversal of Rukia! The Rampaging Blade - Blinded unconscious 9x11 / Ep 178 The Nightmare Which is Shown, Ichigos Inside the Mirror - Trauma, emotional pain, choked, hollowfied, knocked back 9x13 / Ep 180 The Princess's Decision, the Sorrowful Bride - Kicked off the roof, panik 9x14 / Ep 181 The 2nd Division Sorties! Ichigo is Surrounded - Stabbed, bleeding, punched multiple times, wanted 9x15 / Ep 182 Amagis True Strength, the Released Zanpakto - Soloing the new captain 9x21 / Ep 188 Duel! Amagai VS Ichigo - Thrown, fireballed to the ground twice, hollowfied/Rukia reaction, trapped by fire rods, pain, fall, mask sliced 9x22 / Ep 189 The Fallen Shinigamis Pride - Knocked back, hit with fireball, briefly unconscious, exhausted, collapse

Arrancar vs. Shinigami Arc

10x01 / Ep 190 Hueco Mundo Chapter, Restart! - Hollowfied, exhausted, shot, bloody, stabbed, dies (recap episode), stabbed, leg punched, knocked down 10x02 / Ep 191 The Frightening Banquet, Szayelaporro Theater - Exhausted, headbutted, knocked down 10x03 / Ep 192 Nels Secret, A Busty Beauty Joins the Battle!? - Kicked, knocked back multiple times, weak, punched multiple times, arm slowly broken, extreme pain, carried, squeezed unconscious 10x06 / Ep 195 The Ultimate Union! Pesche's Seriousness - Knocked down, unconscious, back stomped on, limp, knocked down multiple times, painfully squeezed, passes out, thrown against a wall, head squeezed, arm snapped 10x07 / Ep 196 Joining the Battle! The Strongest Soul Reaper Army Appears - Weak, kicked in the gut, kicked in the face multiple times, almost passes out 10x10 / Ep 199 Holy Birth, The Resurrected Szayel Aporro - Weak 10x12 / Ep 201 Nnoitra Released! Multiplying Arms - Hand electrocuted 10x14 / Ep 203 Karakura Town Gathers! Aizen VS the Shinigami - Thrown

Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura Arc 12x14 / Ep 226 Fierce Fighting Concludes? Towards a New Battle - Knocked down, sliced

Zanpakutō Unknown Tales Arc 13x03 / Ep 232 Sode no Shirayuki VS Rukia! Confused Heart - Knocked down, half frozen, pain, bleeding forehead 13x04 / Ep 233 Zangetsu Becomes an Enemy - Thrown around, pinned, soul taken out of body, pain, knocked against a wall, blasted, weak, hollowfied, sliced multiple times, convulsing, tearing himself from the inside, exhausted, passes out 13x05 / Ep 234 Renji Surprised?! The Two Zabimarus - Unconscious, paralyzed, arms pulled outside of him, extreme pain, collapses unconscious 13x06 / Ep 235 Clash! Hisagi VS Kazeshini - Hollow form restrained/pain 13x09 / Ep 238 Friendship? Hatred? Haineko & Tobiume - Knocked down, briefly restrained 13x10 / Ep 239 The Awakening Hyorinmaru! Hitsugaya's Fierce Fight - Trapped 13x11 / Ep 240 Byakuya's Betrayal - Restrained, betrayed 13x16 / Ep 245 Pursue Byakuya! The Confused Gotei Divisions - Inhales toxin, collapses unconscious, panic of treatment, still sick, restrained 13x17 / Ep 246 Special Mission! Rescue Captain Commander Yamamoto! - Chained/restrained, burned hand 13x18 / Ep 247 Decieved Shinigami! The World Collapse Crisis - Plot to trap Ichigo/In danger, exhausted, trapped by fire 13x19 / Ep 248 Dragon of Ice and Dragon of Flame! The Strongest Showdown - Trapped by fire, attacked by the fire multiple times, caught on fire, pain, trapped in fireball 13x24 / Ep 253 Muramasa's True Identity Revealed - Entrapped 13x25 / Ep 254 Byakuya and Renji, the 6th Division Returns - Trapped 13x26 / Ep 255 Final Chapter: Zanpakuto The Alternate Tale - Trapped, unconscious, restrained, knocked down multiple times, bloody forehead

Arrancar: Downfall Arc 14x02 / Ep 267 Connected Hearts! The Left Fist of Certain Death - Hit by powerful blast 14x03 / Ep 268 Hatred and Jealousy, Orihime's Dilemma - Hit by powerful blast 14x04 / Ep 269 Ichigo and Uryū, Bonded Back to Back - Knocked down, sliced, collapse, bleeding 14x05 / Ep 270 Beginning of Despair… Ichigo, the Unreachable Blade - Huge explosion, mask shatters, weak, absolutely beaten up, thrown/kicked/punched multiple times, choked unconscious, shot through the chest 14x06 / Ep 271 Ichigo Dies! Orihime, the Cry of Sorrow - Shot through the chest, dies, true hollow form, Orihime + Uryu reactions, badass oh my GOD 14x07 / Ep 272 Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra, Conclusion - Rukia/Chad/Renji reactions, horn sliced, mask breaks, collapse 14x21 / Ep 286 Ichigo's Return! Protect Karakura Town - Mask evaporates, squeezed, falls, Kenpachi panic, scared of Kurotsuchi 14x27 / Ep 292 All Out War! Aizen vs. Shinigami - Getting absolutely disrespected by Aizen 14x31 / Ep 296 The Shocking Truth…The Mysterious Power Within Ichigo! - Hollow shocked right out of him, headbutted, kicked off the roof, smothered 14x32 / Ep 297 The Extending Blade?! Ichigo vs. Gin! - Knocked back, sliced 14x36 / Ep 301 Ichigo Loses His Fighting Spirit!? Gin's Expectation! - Face sliced, mask knocked off, weak, bullied x3, headbutted, depressed 14x37 / Ep 302 The Final Getsuga Tenshō!? Ichigo's Training! - Drowning, thrown, sliced, knocked down, stabbed, hollow ripped out of him, pain, blood 14x41 / Ep 306 For the Sake of Protecting! Ichigo vs. Tensa Zangetsu! - Knocked down, bleeding in real life 14x43 / Ep 308 Goodbye…Rangiku - Holy badass im freaking 0ut 14x44 / Ep 309 Fierce Fighting Conclusion! Release, the Final Getsuga Tenshō! - Caught in nuclear-explosion, burned arm, choked, sword broken, knocked back, bleeding, thrown, weak, stabbed in the chest, makes Zangetsu cry, sacrifices his powers, collapse 14x45 / Ep 310 Ichigo's Resolution! The Price of the Fierce Battle - Sad, collapses unconscious, extreme pain, wakes from 10-day coma

[akaluan]

Uryuu wishes he could have just one day -- just one! -- where trying to take a break to work on a personal project isn't interrupted by the arrival of a young dragon out to claim Karakura as their territory.

A rewrite of an old tumblr oneshot, enjoy!

[littleeyesofpallas]

can you do Bleach Name game for ichigo's friends in Karakura Town?

Ya know it's weird that i haven't done it already... I kinda thought I had, honestly. Yeah, let me resurrect this long dead series of posts...

Inoue Orihime[井上 織姫] read most literally as something like "Well+Top"(as in the top of a well(for water)) and "Weaving+Princess" but of course the name Orihime is just taken directly from the mythological figure behind the tanabata festival. It's possible the name Inoue in that context could be used to reference the Well Mansion, one of 28 categories of constellations in Chinese astronomy. Although in Tanabata Orihime refers to the star Vega, which as far as I can tell is not part of the Well Mansion.

In any case, the myth of Orihime and Hikoboshi was the basis of Kubo's original Bleach one-shot, which itself got reworked into the plot with her brother Sora, the hollow Acidwire. Ichigo lost prettymuch all of his associated hikoboshi themes in the transition from the one-shot to the serial title, so her name is kind of vestigial. The one lingering detail that was never built on was how her rejection powers were said to verge on the territory of god, and in the tanabata myth Orihime is the daughter of Tantei[天帝]:"Heaven Emperor" one of several epithets for the Jade Emperor, a figure hailed as a human ascended to immortal, the First God, and a supreme ruler over other gods. But despite that very slight thematic alignment, she was never given any divine origins.

Her bother, Inoue Sora[井上昊] reads, "Well+Top" and "Sky/Heaven," where Sora[昊] is a synonym with Ten/Ama[天]: "Sky/heaven" and both a synonym and homonym with sora[空]: "sky/heaven/void." (And it's a bit of a tangent, but that last one is the same word Kubo uses in the name Kuukaku[空鶴], Karakura town[空座町], and when Aizen says, Ten no za no kuuhaku[天の座の空白]: "The Throne of Heaven is Empty.") He was a rewritten from what was originally Orihime's late grandfather in the one-shot, which aligned more obviously with the father Heaven King role of myth.

Sado Yasutora[茶渡 泰虎] I think I've mentioned before, reads "Tea+Ferry" and "Peaceful+Tiger" which just seems to literally describe him as an immigrant(traded over on a boat, like tea) and as a gentlegiant type. It's also very possible Kubo just wanted to nickname him "Chad" and found a name he could squeeze into that, rather than worry about the meaning of the name first.

Arisawa Tatsuki[有沢 竜貴] I don't really know how to parse part of her surname here, "Posession/Existence+Swamp" seems to be the literal breakdown? It's also just an actual surname people have, as is Inoue --Sado by comparison however, is not. In any case, her personal name is "Dragon+Noble/<indicator of high rank or status>." This is why she and Orihime get a paired Princess and Dragon motif.

Asano Keigo[浅野 啓吾] reads "Superficial+Rustic/Unsophisiticated" and "Disclose+Me" basically just calling him surface level, simple, and open. He's exactly what it says on the label. Can be read like an open book. Then there's his sister...

Asano Mizuho[浅野 みづ穂] and her name is the phonetic MIDZU+"the ear of a plant/head of a spear/tip of a brush." There are kanji that could go with that but for one, I'm not just gonna take blind stabs, and besides if Kubo had wanted to ascribe obvious meaning to it, he'd have done so. No idea what to make of that one. Considering she's extremely minor and secondary to an already minor character at that, I'm willing to bet he just picked it to be aesthetically pleasing.

Kojima Mizuiro[小島 水色]: "Little+Island" "Water+Color," that is of course as in "Color (of) Water" and not to "water color paints," those have a different name entirely in Japanese. I don't know that his name really says much about him, but considering a lot of weird little details of his fairly minimal appearances across the series, I have my own crackpot theories about Mizuiro, but this isn't the time or place...

Honshou Chizuru[本匠 千鶴]: "Book+Artisan" and "1,000+Crane(s)" the association of paper craft and cranes points pretty obviously to origami, and 1,000 origami cranes (senbazura[千羽鶴]) which evokes a meaning of longevity and recovery from illness. Also the Bookishness vibe seems to be evoked in her general glasses girl design.

Kunieda Ryou[国枝 鈴]: "Country+Branch" and "(Small)Bell." "County" like a "nation/kingdom," not like "rural" as in Asano's name. The small bell evokes a clear but subtle ring, which is kind of reflected in her quiet and intelligent demeanor.

Ogawa Michiru[小川みちる] "MICHIRU" is phonetic so no attributed meaning, but her surname just means "brook/stream" (lit."Small+River") a very on the nose nod to her diminutive size. I never noticed until now but she always has different sheet music notation hairpins.

Natsui Mahana[夏井 真花]: "Summer+Well" (again, like with Inou, the structure you fish water out of, not the adverb) and "Pure/Genuine+Flower." She's an extremely minor character so I don't see there really being much overt meaning to this. Summer seems to evoke her tan*, and Flower beauty, and she's a busty tan girl. (*you know I said that on reflex, but now that i think about it, I don't know that Kubo himself ever actually drew her in color... that may have been an anime thing.)

Ochi Misato[越智美諭]: "Surpass+Wisdom" and "Beauty+Admonish" which I guess I've never looked at before now. It's not that she isn't a cute character design(and I've got a thing for kind of homely teacher characters anyway...) but I didn't realize Kubo was trying for, like, a "hot teacher" thing with her?

And those are basically all the important ones, and frankly a couple not so important ones... I'm not getting into any of Kubo's little inbetween doodles, or god forbid that ridiculous number of random Karakura High students he dumped into Burn the Witch.

(sorry i got lazy and didn't finish digging up pics for everyone, but I at least made sure to have reference for the obscure characters that some people might not remember)

[school-of-all-time]

Qualifying Rounds

After 851 submissions and 346 total schools, submissions are now officially closed. The bracket rounds will consist of 256 schools. All schools that got two or more submissions are guaranteed a place in the bracket rounds. Schools that got only one submission will have to go through qualifying rounds to get to the brackets. There are 214 schools with only one nomination, and 125 available spots in the bracket. Following the qualifiers, schools will be seeded according to the number of submissions they received.

Qualifiers will consist of 43 polls, with each poll containing five possible schools. The polls were created using a randomizer. The two schools with the most votes will immediately advance to the bracket round. The school with the third most votes has a good chance of advancing as well, but not guaranteed. There are 38 spots available for the 43 third place winners. Thus, I'll be eliminating the 4 third place winners with the least number of votes (numbers as opposed to percentages).

(I know this all seems very convoluted, but I am an English major trying to do math, this is about as well as it was ever going to go.)

I'll be posting six polls a day (except for the last day where I'll be spicing it up by posting seven!) Below the cut you can see which polls will be posted each day. If the school you submitted doesn't appear in the qualifiers, then congratulations, that means it got two or more votes and has immediately advanced to the bracket stage.

Saturday:

Poll 1: Neptune High (Veronica Mars); St. Claire’s Boarding School (St. Claire’s); Ashford Academy (Code Geass); Miyamasuzaka Girls Academy (Project Sekai); X Middle School (Fillmore!)

Poll 2: The Elgen Academy of Pasadena (Michael Vey), The Magaambya (Pathfinder 2E: The Strength of Thousands Adventure Path), Karakura High School (Bleach), The Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too (Zoolander), Magic School (Mahou Tsukai Precure)

Poll 3: Tanz Academy (Suspiria), Jade Mountain Academy (Wings of Fire), Seisho Academy (Revue Starlight), Drearcliff Grange School (Drearcliff Grange School), Blue Heron Institute (Pale)

Poll 4: Budo-ga Oka Middle & High School (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Furinkan High (Ranma ½), Malory Towers (Malory Towers), The Guild School (The Monster in the Hollows), Ericson's Boarding School (The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series)

Poll 5: Hemery High (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), The Academy of Unseen Arts (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Discipline Cottage (Circle of Magic), Lawndale High (Daria), Shiratorizawa Academy (Haikyuu!!)

Poll 6: Beekman College Center (Flowers for Algernon), Happy Harbor High (Young Justice), King's Dominion (Deadly Class), Brooklyn House (The Kane Chronicles), Raimon School (Inazuma Eleven)

Sunday:

Poll 1: Wammy House (Death Note), Elite Way School (Rebelde Way), Strange Hill High (Strange Hill High), Westbridge High (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Namimori Middle School (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)

Poll 2: Yokai Academy (Rosario + Vampire), The School in the Sky (Dragon Tales), P.S. 118 (Hey Arnold), A. Nigma High (Detentionaire), Themis Legal Academy (Ace Attorney)

Poll 3: Cat School (Cat School Worldwide Angkor Wat Secret), Harding-Pencroft Academy (Daughter of the Deep), S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), ACDC town Elementary (MegaMan Battle Network), Boring High (Everything Sucks!)

Poll 4: Welton Academy (Dead Poets Society), Miss Robichaux's Academy (American Horror Story), New Rome University (The Heroes of Olympus), Lanford High School (Roseanne), Shinonome Academy (Dream!ing)

Poll 5: Sinegard Academy (The Poppy War), Haunted High (Monster High), Mars University (Futurama), The Academy of Natural Philosophy (Dishonored), Akademi (Yandere Simulator)

Poll 6: Club Penguin University (Club Penguin), The Professor's School (La Casa de Papel / Money Heist), Seirin High School (Kuroko no Basuke), Sanshu Middle School (Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero), Kamiyama High School (Project Sekai)

Monday:

Poll 1: PK Academy (Saiki Kusuo no Sai Nan), Third Street School (Recess), St. Joseph's Prep (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Flashburn's School of Swordfighting (How to Steal a Dragon's Sword), Salt Middle School (Mob Psycho 100)

Poll 2: Wildcliff, School of the Arcane (Trials and Trebuchets), Mugen Academy (Sailor Moon), Video Game High School (Video Game High School) St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses (Star vs. the Forces of Evil), Edgar Allen University (All for the Game)

Poll 3: Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Roman Academy (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun), Fukurōdani Academy (Haikyuu!!), Bayfield University (Happy Death Day), School House (Over the Garden Wall)

Poll 4: Strumlotts (BomBarded Podcast), John Adams High School (Boy Meets World), Easton Magic Academy (Mashle: Magic and Muscles), North High (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), You Show Duel School (Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V)

Poll 5: Shirahamazaka High (Tari Tari), City College (Community), Itan Private High School (Komi Can't Communicate), Uranohoshi Girl's High School (Love Live Sunshine), Cackles Academy (The Worst Witch)

Poll 6: Royal Academy of Diavolo (Obey Me), Et Fran de Muse Academy (Fairy Ranmaru), Yancy Academy (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), San Dimas High (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), Academia (Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V)

Tuesday:

Poll 1: Galaxy Garrison (Voltron: Legendary Defender), Echo Creek Academy (Star vs. the Forces of Evil), Alice Academy (Gakuen Alice), Awakened Academy (Eleceed Webtoon), School of Friendship (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)

Poll 2: Point Blanc (Alex Rider), Spy School (Spy School), The School (Sparkle on Raven: The Life of Drillgirl), Deepdean (Murder Most Unladylike), Coolsville High School (Scooby Doo)

Poll 3: Barden University (Pitch Perfect), Ella Mentry Elementary (My Weird School), Inkblot Art Academy (Splatoon), Land of Departure (Kingdom Hearts), J.P. Wynne High School (Breaking Bad)

Poll 4: Shuchiin Academy (Kaguya-sama: Love Is War), Oxenfurt Academy (The Witcher), Chamberlain High (Carrie), Gallagher Academy (Gallagher Girls), The Fire Nation Academy for Girls (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Poll 5: Royal Academy (Ascendance of a Bookworm), Wu’s Academy (Lego Ninjago), Glasshouse Primary School (Bluey), Starlight Academy (Aikatsu), Clyde Nite’s Night Knight School (The Adventure Zone: Graduation)

Poll 6: Wellston Private High School (UnOrdinary), Princess Charm School (Barbie Princess Charm School), Avengers Academy (Marvel Comics), Phoenix Drop High (My Street: Phoenix Drop High), Bullworth Academy (Bully)

Wednesday:

Poll 1: Baxter High (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Sakuragaoka High (K-ON!), Ayanagi Academy (Starmyu), Pacific Coast Academy (Zoey 101), Ridgeway Junior High (iCarly)

Poll 2: Hillerska Boarding School (Young Royals), Chalet School (Chalet School), Groosham Grange (Groosham Grange), Kinzville Academy (Webkinz), Gravity Falls High School (Gravity Falls)

Poll 3: Doki Doki High (Doki Doki Literature Club), Massachusetts Academy (Marvel Comics), Tremorton High (My Life as a Teenage Robot), Clone High (Clone High), St. Vladimir's Academy (Vampire Academy)

Poll 4: Brookhants School for Girls (Plain Bad Heroines), Atlasdam Royal Academy (Octopath Traveler), Ikenfell (Ikenfell), Knight Academy (Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword), Whitechapel High (My Babysitter's a Vampire)

Poll 5: Crystal Cove High (Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), The University of What It Is (Welcome to Night Vale), Bayside High (Saved by the Bell 2019), Assassins’ Guild (Discworld), Webster High (A.N.T. Farm)

Poll 6: Cherryton Academy (BEASTARS), Wunsoc (Nevermoor), Kamome Academy (Toilet Bound Hanako-kun), Charles Darwin Middle School (My Gym Partner is a Monkey), The Borderlands (In Other Lands)

Thursday:

Poll 1: Lydian Private Music Academy (Symphogear), Vincent Clortho Public School for Wizards (Key & Peele), Strixhaven School for Mages (Magic: The Gathering), BL University (Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko) The Fire Nation school from "The Headband" (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Poll 2: Seiyo Academy (Shugo Chara), St. Pigeonations (Hateful Boyfriend), Hudson University (Law and Order), Yoba Academy (D4DJ), Forks High (Twilight)

Poll 3: New Mushroomton High (Onward), San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (Big Hero 6), H.I.V.E. (H.I.V.E.), Skolala Refujeyo (Curse Words), Warren University (Bunny)

Poll 4: North Shore High (Mean Girls), Ridgemont High (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Winding Circle Temple (Circle of Magic), The University (The Kingkiller Chronicles), Spooky Academy (Monster Prom

Poll 5: Ban Ard (The Witcher), Magnostadt Academy (Magi), Blades Academy (Blades and Magic), Bronson Alcott High (Clueless), Moroboshi High (Megaranger)

Poll 6: CHERUB Campus (CHERUB), Haven Academy (RWBY), Nockfell High (Sallyface), Megurigaoka Private High School (School-Live!), Spenser Academy (The Covenant)

Friday:

Poll 1: Nekoma High (Haikyuu!!), Witch University (Return to Halloweentown), Stokely Grammar School (Young Dracula), Atlas Academy (RWBY), Crypt Grammar School for Orphans (Team Fortress 2)

Poll 2: Flying Rhino Junior High (Flying Rhino Junior High), Mayview Middle School (Paranatural), Miskatonic University (Lovecraft), Schoolhouse Rock (Schoolhouse Rock!), Aretuza (The Witcher)

Poll 3: James Buchanan High School (Welcome Back Kotter), St. Freya Academy (St. Freya Academy), James K. Polk Middle School (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide), Split River High School (School Spirits), La Fiesta Tech (The Sims 2: University)

Poll 4: Konoha's Ninja Academy (Naruto), Suppalo (The Eclipse), Worm College (Adventure Time), Harper Hall (Dragonsinger), Yomiyama North Middle School (Another)

Poll 5: Totsuki Culinary Academy (Shokugeki no Soma), Shermer High (The Breakfast Club), Sycamore High School (The Hatchetfield Series), Creekwood High School (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda), Dotheboys Hall (Nicholas Nickleby)

Poll 6: Lily Piper University (Musical Pipers Webtoon), North High (Malcolm In The Middle), Nevermore Academy (Nevermore Webtoon), Royale High (Roblox), Moperville South High (El Goonish Shive)

Poll 7: Saotome Academy (Uta no Prince-sama), Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children (The Wayward Children), Springfield Elementary (The Simpsons), Jae Won High (Lookism Webtoon), American Eagle Christian High School (Saved!)

[fractoluminescence]

So, I felt like I needed to add this to my reblog in case it didn't fit in the tags (bear with me, this is going to seem off-topic at first, but I'll get there. Also, I wrote this on my phone, so do point out any typos or repetitions, rereading myself is hard like this)

First off, my headcanon is that the places that are the densest in spirit energy in each dimension attract each other. Otherwise using portals to other dimensions could be used as fast travel. Think about it: if Soul Reapers could open Senkaimon to anywhere in the human world, that would be so OP. You could start in Karakura, open a Senkaimon, then open one back and end up in New York.

So my headcanon is that they can't. That they only reason they can just straight up open Senkaimon to Karakura is because it's so close. Like spheres with magnets stuck inside them that rotate so that the magnets are right up against each other.

This makes in-universe sense, too, because:

It's basically said that spirit energy affects other instances of spirit energy, more or less (with the powers of people waking up after hanging out with Ichigo or encountering Hollows)

It would explain why the "Wstern Branch of Soul Society" has little to no Hollows compared to Karakura. You'd think a place with so much magic would have Hollows - but no. Which means it's likely not spiritual energy at all over there. My hypothesis is that Hollows and dragons are mutually exclusive - that they kill each other when in the same area. So Hollows stick to the ones where they have good prey and no dragons, because Soul Reapers kill dragons as they see them as a threat (stated in BTW canon) and just don't want to be bothered with keeping such an ecosystem alive. As a result, people who can deal with Hollows pool where Hollows are, hence they go to Japan

Hence, Soul Reapers only really have to deal with Hollows in the area where the Juureichi is without needing to stray too far - which is convenient, because that's where their Senkaimon tend to lead.

Now. We don't know how big Hueco Mundo is, but the fact that the main cast still managed to reach Las Noches so quickly does indicate it wasn't that far (comparatively to the whole dimension - it was still some ways off of course). Imo, that's because, after Aizen settled there, way more strong Hollows pooled there than there used to be, especially after he made them stronger. So Las Noches was in the process of aligning itself with the other spiritually-dense areas of other dimensions - making it close, but not as close as Seireitei and Karakura were to each other already.

Now, what's the link with languages. The link, imo, is that the only reason the areas of Soul Society and Hueco Mundo that we know speak the same language as the main cast is because they do actually speak Japanese - and they do so because the general areas where their respective Juureichi are have been roughly aligned.

So. For Soul Society, it's simple - second headcanon, when Souls die they go to whatever oart of Soul Society or Hueco Mundo that is "closest" - so if the area with Karakura has had the Human Juureichi within it for a while, and Seireitei has been the Juureichi for Soul Society since its foundation, most of the Souls that arrive around Seireitei are from Japan, and over time that influenced the culture and language and made them line up.

For the Quincy, I think they started in Germany area-wise, but moved to Japan over time because they felt it was their mission to deal with the Hollows there - and since there were dragons in Western Europe, Hollows stopped showing up as much. They brought their language along with them, but it got lost along the generations and eventually only certain Quincy-specific terms remained in German in their vocabulary. And, when naming their techniques and the like, it just made sense to keep using German as a nod to tradition. The war with the Soul Reapers then started because their territories overlapped and because Quincy found a lot more Hollows to kill in Japan than they did back in Europe.

For the Arrancar, their personal powers are in Spanish, so it probably isn't passed down - then again, we don't really know how the names of personal powers get assigned, so. But still, I'd think if you didn't speak any Spanish at all, your powers wouldn't have a name in Spanish, and I doubt Arrancar are trying to give a nod to previous generations like Quincy - they're too individualist and isolated from each other for that.

Imo, what happened with the Hollows is that the Juureichi of Hueco Mundo didn't used to be Las Noches. It became Las Noches because Aizen made it Las Noches by gathering a bunch of strong Arrancar there, but the area where Las Noches was built used to be over Spain. The old Juureichi used to be over Japan, and had Japanese as a first language since the Souls that arrived in the area were Japanese. But most of the strong Hollows and natural Arrancars in Hueco Mundo were spread out so much that that Juureichi wasn't stable. So when Aizen picked Las Noches as his new base (because he wanted to take down the dimension's supposed king and thought it'd be fun to settle where he used to be), which was over Spain but wasn't the Juureichi because it wasn't that big a settlement despite housing a king, and made it into an outright forteress in which he managed to (more or less successfully) bring together very strong Arrancar, including multiple Vasto Lordes that he made even stronger, the Juureichi shifted.

The Hollows in the area, imo, probably originally had dialects similar to Spanish that had been brought in from the Human World - but as Aizen's influence grew, and he imo probably didn't bother making an effort in learning the local languages properly, they were partly forced, partly had to concead to using the language he himself used. It also allowed them to pretend like they weren't from different areas with different dialects, erasing what used to be their own culture in favor of sharing part of the Soul Reaper culture that Aizen had brought in. But he didn't care what their powers meant, because all he cared about was ordering them around, so he let them keep the names of their powers in the languages that sounded like home to them.

Imo, there's no way dimensions have official names, especially not Hueco Mundo. I think that was the local name of Barragan's area, not necessarily what the entire dimension calls it. As for Soul Society, I think that while Seireitei is the place with the most military power, the furthest out you go, the less reason people have to speak Japanese - because they don't care about Seireitei, and because the Souls that arrive there are from other parts of the Living World that aren't Japan.

Hell is a different matter. I do have headcanons for it, but they're not even fanwanking at this point, they're just plain me-making-shit-up. So I'll keep those to myself lol.

Anyway, that's my take. Hopefully this is readable. (Curious at to what @bleachbleachbleach think, in case you don't mind being tagged.)

EDIT: Spain or some Spanish-speaking place, at least. Same for German if there are other Germany-speaking places out there. Sorry about my I-live-in-Western-Europe bias coming through 😬

So, Bleach has an interesting language phenomenon that gets glossed over in favor of moving the plot along (a perfectly reasonable authorial decision), but I think has world building potential:

The Karakura kids and Shinigami all speak Japanese- they have Japanese names (even Chad), and call their Zanpakuto and flashy attacks Japanese names.

The arrancar have a variety of name origins, but all live in Las Noches, and call their special attacks and military rankings Spanish names, so it's reasonable to assume they're all speaking Spanish.

The Quincy again have a variety of names but are VERY German, with German weapons, ranks, techniques etc.

...but everyone can trash talk everyone else without a language barrier. How's that work?

[kiddphel]

thinking abt Noko and what he would actually be up to during Bleach canon and honestly this dude is just chillin he doesnt wanna get involved in all that weird stuff going on

[incorrctbleach]

Ichigo: "Look at me, I'm Ishida! Please love me, daad!"

Ishida: That's a terrible impression.

Chad: But not inaccurate.

[minuitdanslalune]

dream team

[freeusemuses]

"Seriously, Rangiku?~" Drake chuckled, and shook his head. This wasn't the first time that something like this happened. And with Beacon aware of the situation in Karakura, Team CLWD had been dispatched to assist. Of course with Drake being a Faunus with an outstanding feature, and Karakura having never hearing of his kind, Soul Society R&D had provided the dragon Faunus with a gigai.

Popping one of the special pills that allowed him to come out of the temp body, the Dragon Faunus revealed himself to one of his many mates. "Still up to your old tricks of seducing people to get what you want?~"

@ofdarkestdesires

Open RP Starter: Let Me Stay the Night?

Rangiku sighed as she perched herself on one of the untaken desks in the classroom. She’d just arrived in Karakura for yet another strange invasion to investigate, and much to her own dismay, already there was no place for her to crash. Normally she’d bunk with Orihime, but she was out of town.

…and the only other option…was Urahara…

She shivered at the thought, before sighing and glancing around the room again. After a moment, she grinned, and made her way over to the first unassuming student. “Heyyy~ so, I’m the new girl, and I don’t really have a place to stay tonight—can I stay with you?” She winked and flashed her ample cleavage. “I’ll make it worth your while~”

[ichinoue]

Question! Why are certain people mad that orihime didnt say by to tatsuki but to ichigo instead in the hueco mundo arc. I see a lot of blame at kubo for destroying orihime and tatsukis relationship and how she should have been the more important person to orihime and that ichigo didnt even pay orihime any mind/didn't care for her. I'm assuming they ship orihime with tatsuki which is why they say shes the more important person and that orihime was reduced to ichigo "cheerleader"...

They don't actually care about the Orihime and Tatsuki friendship, they just like to jump on any excuse they can to bash Orihime/IchiHime. Orihime didn't have any unfinished business with Tatsuki; there wasn't anything she needed to tell her before she left that she hadn't already said. She had already spoke of their bond and trust and friendship and how much she cared about Tatsuki in the "Princess and the Dragon" chapters. And, she also already had a goodbye scene with Tatsuki before she left for SS in chapter 68 (x) where she talks about going to a place where Tatsuki can't follow but promising to come back to her side. Her feelings and friendship for Tatsuki were already cemented in canon; there was nothing left to say.

The same couldn't be said for her and Ichigo--she still had the unfinished business of her unspoken feelings that she wanted to confess. Even though he wasn't awake to hear them, she was still in a sense leaving her heart behind with him before seemingly walking to her death. Like, is the story telling aspect of that, of Orihime confessing her love to the main protagonist, her future husband, *really* that difficult for people to comprehend? lmao like I know they don't think Orihime's feelings for Ichigo were important or significant but they were clearly significant to Kubo since he dedicated practically an entire chapter to them. And he's talked about her love confession being one of the scenes he's most proud of.

People want to blame Orihime for "neglecting" Tatsuki, but the simple fact of the matter is that none of the school friends like Tatuski, Keigo, and the others were featured as much as they were in the first arc as the story progressed; they all faded into the background unfortunately because there wasn't much for Kubo to do with their characters as most of the story took place outside of Karakura town. But he still took the time to remind us of their friendships when the opportunity arose. Even in the final chapter, they're still all hanging out together ten years later.

[iluffyouxo]

𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 || 𝘬𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘰

Bleach — Kurosaki Ichigo x black, female OC

I had never believed in fate, and I’m sure it’s likely that he hadn’t either, but there was a fateful day, one starless night, as I exhaled the fire from deep within my soul and cut down the crisped hollow that I had been hunting down for months.

That’s when I saw a boy with hair that adorned the same color as the inferno that I breathed and the kimono of Soul Society clothed his back, the largest zanpakutō I had ever seen rested against his shoulder. Its shape like that of a butcher’s knife, wrapped in bandages.

The boy had already peaked my interest.

My own sword was just as long but lacked the girth that his exhibited. What an odd weapon he had.

I sheathed my katana before landing gracefully on the ground in front of him. And glanced up into his chestnut eyes. Though, his face remained stoic, his irises gave away his confusion. In my quietness he demanded to know who I was.

And I smiled.

“I am a dragon,” I started, “Mitsurugi Tatsu. You must be the substitute soul reaper, Kurosaki Ichigo, correct?”

He nodded, dumbfounded, but continued to ask his questions. “How do you know who I am? And what do you mean you’re a dragon?” His voice was loud and arduous and, oh, so attractive.

“Who doesn’t know who you are? You’ve done what no one’s had the guts to do and wreck Soul Society with your friends—and you’re on the hunt for the once honorable Aizen.”

He blinks.

“And starting tomorrow, we’ll be going to the same school.” Turning on my heel, I lift my hand up in a gesture emphasizing my depart from the desolate park.

•

As promised, I showed up the next day clad in the uniform of Karakura Ichikou…, and, coincidentally, Ichigo’s home room.

“Ichigo, it’s good to see you again so soon.”

He glowered at me from where he sat at his desk. “Sorry but, do I know you?” I raised the back of my hand and chuckled against it. “I expected as much; it’s me, Tatsu from last night.” It takes a moment for my words to register in his mind before he comes to an abrupt stand, hands slamming down on the desk, “Dragon girl?” I laugh again. “I suppose that’s one way to remember me…carrot top.”

His eye twitches at the nickname. “Don’t call me that!”

“Why not? It suits you.”

“It does not!”

And there bloomed a friendship bounded by soul and fate. And my love of strawberries increased ten fold.

•

It wasn’t long before troublesome teenage romantic feelings began to fester.

I had gone on almost every adventure with the gang. Ichigo, Uryū, Chad and Orihime. Even though, I hadn’t been there since the beginning of Ichigo gaining his powers (and in turn, Orihime and Chad acquiring their own), they treated me as if I had been.

Fighting the Bounce and going to hueco mundo and being at Ichigo’s side as he gradually lost his spiritual pressure after defeating Aizen.

We all stayed at his side as his friends…but, every day the urge to be something more to him grew to become an immense burden that was starting to prove difficult to hide.

One day I found myself at a tea shop with Orihime and, without thinking, I blurted out my gnawing heart. “Orihime…I think—no—I am in love with Ichigo.” She blankly blinks at me for a while, a calculating expression etched on her face, before a wide grin is stretched so far, it looked as if it hurt. “I knew it!”

“You did?” I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I take a bite out of my strawberry crème cake. “Of course! Since I’m dating Chad, I knew you’d either have to like Uryū or Ichigo—“ she leaned in close across the small, round table, “—Uryū doesn’t seem like your type. So, it had to be Ichigo!”

She sat back down in her seat, staring down at her tea with a more saddened smile, “To be honest, I liked Ichigo, too, for a while,” Orihime looked up through the window we sat next to. “But, I know him too well…it wasn’t hard to guess.”

The ginger pauses and it seemed as if she didn’t want to finish her thought. “Hard to guess what?” She looks at me again and shakes her head. “You’ll find out soon enough, it’s not my place to tell.”

I huff. I wanted to know now.

•

Ichigo would never admit it, but he smelled of fresh strawberries and evergreen rain. And everything he owned held the same exact comforting aroma.

His school bag. His notebooks. His room. His mattress and the sheets that covered them. And his clothes. Specifically, his black shirt and white jacket that were about three sizes too big for me and I was currently dressed in them while my own clothes dried in the bathroom.

We had been helplessly caught in the rain as he was walking me home. Thankfully, his place wasn’t too far and we made a run for it. In the end, however, it didn’t matter, we both ended up drenched to our socks.

“Here. Milk and five sugars, right?”

Ichigo handed me a mug containing hot coffee filled to the brim. I smiled over the rim before taking a sip. “Oh, that’s good. Thank you.”

I glanced over at him to find a prominent blush embellished his usual grim scorn. The expression was rather less intimidating when his face matched his name, like his sweet and earthy scent.

“You okay, Ichigo? You’re looking a little red,” I chuckle. Taking a bite out of the few strawberries that I had left over from lunch.

He rolls his eyes as he takes a seat at his desk. “Oh, haha.” Though, he was being sarcastic to hold his façade together, he wouldn’t look at me as his blush grew a deeper shade of red. “I’ve just…never had somebody wear my clothes before.”

“What?” I laugh again. “It’s just me.”

“Yeah, I know it’s you. It’s because it’s you.”

“Huh?” I stared at him in complete shock. He was squirming and seemed uncomfortable, as if he’d just revealed his darkest secret.

I stand up from where I sat on his bed, placing my empty mug on the desk next to his arm. I place my hand on top of his evidently larger one and he flinches at the contact.

Intimate touch was never his forte.

And I kiss the top of his flame colored tresses. He jumped back a bit but, without uttering a single word, leaned his head into my chest and I squeezed his hand, resting my chin atop his head. “How about we try this out? Hmm?”

•

With Ginjo defeated, Ichigo’s powers restored and graduation around the corner, our one year anniversary was in just a few days.

And just as we met, I saw orange hair peaking behind a hollow I had set aflame before slicing it in half. “How about a kiss for the hero?” I joke as I land in front of him. But, he sweeps me off my feet and kisses my lips gently.

We lay on the grass a few hours later at the river not too far from the clinic looking up at the setting sun of the skyline. My ears perk up at the sound of Ichigo rustling around before he, suddenly, stops.

Several seconds pass when another sound of him taking a deep breath rings in my ear. “Hey, I know it’s a bit early, but I got you something.”

Ichigo sits up and I do the same. He hands me a ring with an orange diamond in the middle. “Ichigo,” I exhale tenderly taking the ring from his fingertips and examining it. He clears his throat and I know he’s nervous. “It was my mother’s.”

My head snaps up to look at him with wide eyes. He’s already looking at me with a tender smile. He takes the ring from me and gingerly slips it onto my finger.

“When we’re older…will you marry me?”

I blink.

The question was so out of character for how dense and unaware he is. However, it didn’t stop me from tugging him towards me by his collar, his lips met mine halfway. “Yes,” I whispered against his mouth. “I love you.” And I smiled. For him to say it first almost brought me to tears as I pecked his lips. “I love you.”

I’ve always had a particularly soft spot for strawberries, and he is where the strawberries grow the sweetest.

[akaluan]

DE: Tatsuki Requests Training Part 1

Part 1 | ????

((Because i have this partially written, and I might as well toss some DE stuff out there after all this crossover AU stuff))

((This is set after the invasion, before Aizen is dead, and before the relaxing together set))

“Teach me.”

Kaito blinked and looked up from organizing the shoten displays, focusing on Arisawa. He glanced over at the open door and arched an eyebrow at Jinta, who just gave him a shrug.

“Teach you what?” He asked as he turned back to the display. They’d had a few customers that day, so the candy was a bit picked over, and one kid had pulled things out of order. It wasn’t terrible, but it did need to be taken care of.

Arisawa sighed and moved to lean against the display where he had already cleaned up. “How to do that… spirit stuff that Orihime’s gotten involved in.”

“’Spirit stuff’?” Kaito asked in amusement, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “I’m afraid I don’t—”

“Oh cut the crap. Orihime’s told me /everything/.”

Kaito’s hands stilled, and he gave her a wary look. ‘Everything’ could mean any number of things, depending upon how much Inoue trusted Arisawa, and there were plenty of things that Kaito would really rather Arisawa not know.

“Mhm,” Arisawa continued, one hand on her hip and a dangerous smirk on her lips. “/Including/ that time you first trained Chad and her in how to access their powers. In /detail/.”

Which was absolutely the /last/ thing he wanted Arisawa to know. Kaito shifted back a bit, turning his body to face her properly, and tried to keep himself from coming off too defensive. “I’m surprised you wish me to teach you, then, if she told you about that.”

“Please, you think I’m going to just let her go somewhere I can’t follow?” Arisawa scoffed and jabbed a finger at Kaito’s chest, glowering up at him as she did. “You’re all /idiots/, frankly, and if I have to go through hell to keep up, /you can’t stop me/.”

“I can refuse to train you,” Kaito told her coldly, knocking her hand away.

“Then I’ll just start hunting down Hollows. Orihime already agreed to watch my back.”

(*She ain’t gunna back down, Koneko,*) Shiro piped up, amusement and respect in his tone.

(*Tatsuki was always a stubborn person,*) Ichigo agreed. (*I don’t know why Orihime talked with her this time and not in our timeline, but she’s got the bit between her teeth now.*)

“I’m no shrinking violet,” Tatsuki growled, taking a step closer and trying to be as menacing as she could.

Not that it really worked, Kaito mused as he nudged her back again. After facing everything he had, one nearly-powerless teenager wasn’t very terrifying. “I did not consider you to be, but what you’re asking that I do… I would prefer not to.” He grimaced a bit and shook his head. “I don’t actually /know/ any better way to unlock your powers than what I put those two through, and I only did /that/ because I had no choice.”

“So you would prefer that I put my life at actual risk?” Arisawa gave him a look of disbelief. “That’s not the impression I gained from the stories Orihime’s told me.”

“Inoue-san has a rather… idealized opinion of myself—”

“Nope, not buying it. She’s a bit of an airhead, but her instincts tend to be spot on. You’re /all about/ protecting people, to the point of ridiculousness. You give Ichigo a run for his money, from what I’ve heard.”

Kaito grimaced and ran a hand through his hair, tugging on a few longer strands at the back of his neck. He really couldn’t say anything to dispute that, not without coming across as a liar. There really wasn’t any other option that he could see available to him, because she was /right/. He would much rather add more literal blood to his hands than to stand back and allow Arisawa to get in over her head and nearly die in an attempt to catch up with the others.

(*I’ll fight ‘er!*) Shiro volunteered cheerfully. (*Once ya get her able t’see our spirit form and t’stand our reiatsu, I’ll take o’er!*)

(*Shiro…*) Kaito sighed and wondered if he dared allow it. So far, none of the other teens knew about any of his other spirits, not for certain. It would mean that Arisawa knew about Shiro /first/. (*Are you sure?*)

(*Yeah!*)

(*I don’t think she’ll take it poorly,*) Ichigo said after a moment’s thought.

Movement at the back of the room drew Kaito’s gaze away from Arisawa, to where his father had entered the storefront from the back. Urahara gave him a questioning look, then beckoned him over.

“Well?” Urahara asked quietly, once Kaito had excused himself from Arisawa and walked over to him.

“She… wants training,” Kaito answered.

Urahara hummed softly in acknowledgment. “She has potential, as I’m sure you’re aware. It’s up to you, however.”

Kaito shook his head. “Not much of a choice. Not when it’s either train her or hope she doesn’t get killed by a Hollow…”

“Ah.” Urahara gave him a sympathetic look, then rested a hand on one of Kaito’s shoulders. “There’s no need to rush her awakening, you know. Treat it like any other training, and allow her skills to come forward naturally.”

He supposed that was true. He didn’t know if there were any more wars on the horizon, but at the moment there was nothing pressing, nothing deadly looming overhead.

“Fine,” Kaito grudgingly agreed, before turning from his father and moving back to Arisawa and addressing her. “If you agree to /not/ go hunting Hollows until I say you’re ready, I’ll teach you. This is not going to be as quick as how Inoue-san awoke, however.”

“That’s fine,” Arisawa said. She followed him over to the trapdoor and looked down at the massive ladder with a touch of apprehension. “I’ve done martial arts for most of my life, you know. Learning a new skill doesn’t happen overnight, and I’m aware of that.”

He couldn’t help the ragged bark of laughter at her words, thinking back on everything that had happened. Really, how many of them had the opportunity to actually develop their skills the way Arisawa had? His archery was about the only thing he could think of; the others had all learned as they went, as best they could. Even in this timeline, with extra training, they still had very little formal training in much of anything.

The look Arisawa gave him made Kaito grimace, wondering what she had read into his actions so far that he was unaware of.

“Let’s go.” Kaito dropped through the trapdoor and used shunpo to cover the distance to the ground. In the time it took Arisawa to climb her way down, Kaito had paced away from the ladder and sat down on a nearby boulder, leaning back on one hand and staring up at the fake sky above.

“How the fuck do you do that,” Arisawa muttered as she stalked over to him, rubbing at her arms and flexing her fingers in the process. “Who decided to make a giant fucking ladder the only way into this place?”

“A man who really doesn’t need to use it,” Kaito told her with amusement. He sat up and considered her, reaching out with his senses to get a better idea of what he was working with. There was… he could sense her strength, simmering just below the surface, but it wasn’t yet capable of reaching beyond her.

Arisawa narrowed her eyes at him, then planted a hand on her hip and demanded, “Well?”

“This will probably hurt,” Kaito warned her, before abruptly relaxing his hold on his reiatsu. Since he was still in his gigai, it took more effort to limit himself properly, but the way Arisawa was at the moment, she wouldn’t be able to see his soul form.

To his surprise, Arisawa didn’t drop to her knees, not immediately. Instead, she braced herself and tilted her chin up, staring at him defiantly.

“That all you got?”

Kaito hummed and increased his output, watching her carefully. He didn’t want to overwhelm her senses and send her into unconsciousness, after all. She wasn’t as close to being active as Inoue and Sado had been, which confused him; wasn’t she one of Ichigo’s oldest friends?

(*Sort of? We spent time together off and on,*) Ichigo told him. (*I’m not really sure why she doesn’t have the same strength as the others.*)

(*More likely, it’s the reverse,*) Zangetsu informed them. (*She has both more strength, and more restraint. Of all of you, she has grown without needing to exert her will to continue on, each and every day. So instead, the strength she gained to remain around you settled into a deep well within her soul, available but hidden.*)

Kaito pondered that, even as he slowly increased his output until Tatsuki was straining beneath the weigh of it. With a gasp, her legs finally buckled and she fell to the ground, but instead of hunching over she forced her spine straight and continued to stare at him in defiance.

“You are a strong one, aren’t you,” Kaito murmured.

“I will do /anything/ for Orihime and Ichigo,” Tatsuki replied. She winced as he increased his output again, but forced herself to remain unbowed.

He could see the effort it was taking her to do so. There was pain evident in the way her eyes squinted slightly, and how her shoulders trembled just enough to be visible. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were a stark white, and the muscles in her arms were strung as tight as a bowstring.

“Even be tortured?” Kaito swallowed back revulsion at the word, knowing it was true, knowing he had agreed to this, even if only to prevent a greater tragedy. “Even submit yourself to the sort of training that an average person would rightly consider /insane/?”

“Even that,” she growled.