Bleached

Chapter 19: Year 2005 AD

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Bleach.

AN: Thank you for your love! And we're hittin' 40 000 words! Time-skip is approximately 100 years. And now, let's jump forward, to infinity and beyond!

...Yeah, I'll show myself out. Enjoy!

§ Captains' meeting, 1st of July, Year 2005 AD §

Urahara Kisuke was nervous, and tense. Two words normally not associated with the eccentric scientist. But the occasion was such that it generated a bit of fear into his heart. As soon as Urahara had found out about the impending rebellion of he Quincies, he's placed several devices across the three universes that would monitor and warn in case of immediate danger. One of the alarms had been activated several years ago, when there was an attack on the Kurosaki-Ishida family, the last remaining pure-blooded quincies. Of course he knew the significance of those names, as his photographic memory allowed him to remember almost everything. And that included every single detail of Ichigo-taichou's confession a hundred years ago.

The attack on the family of the "last" quincies had kicked everyone into action. Several high-class shinigami had been dispatched to deal with the hollows that somehow managed to overpower the Quincies. Of course being saved by the shinigami had led the Kurosaki-Ishida family's views to change, and the family had built a hesitant alliance with the Soul Society. Last he'd heard, their newest Heir, Ishida Uryuu was advancing quite nicely in his powers. But what ultimately had been the consequence of the attack was that the Seiretei's increase in war preparations. The Seiretei itself was a fortress, and there were guards stationed everywhere.

The citizens of Rukongai were also taken into consideration, and thanks to Kisuke's genius, would probably be safe in case of war. The plan was simple. As soon as the Quincy struck, the Rukongai would, in it's entirety, be transported to Hueco Mundo. There would of course be less strong shinigami officers accompanying the civilians, as they would only be cannon fodder, no matter how much they had trained. They would also be more useful against the lesser hollows as well. And Vasto Lorde usually kept to themselves, so it was a safe bet. The only shinigami left would be those which had mastered their shikai or bankai. Thankfully, due to the much improved training regime, that encompassed a good 500 hundred shinigami. As there were only 29 Quincy generals, they would be hard-pressed against the shinigami task force without the army, which would be overpowered.

Of course, the possibility of this plan failing was as big as it was of it working. Ichigo had warned them about the fact that many things could change due to his interference in the timeline. The captain turned politician had said that already there were many differences. Firstly there was the matter of the Kurosaki-clan. It seemed like Masaki Kurosaki, who had been Ichigo's mother in the past timeline, was currently single, and had taken the mantle as Clan Head of the Kurosakis. Not that it was an actual title, as there wasn't a clan. Instead, she lived with the Ishidas as the sister of Ryuuken, and apparently worked as a doctor at their family hospital. On the matter of her powers, she seemed to be strongest of the lot, her Blut Vene already known to be the strongest seen in eons.

Which led Kisuke to suspect that Ichigo himself had inherited more Quincy abilities than he was showing. The orange haired man had admitted that he never even released the full extent of his shinigami powers. And he sparred with both Juushiro and Shunsui on a regular basis, with both of them in their bankais. Yet, the man wasn't sure of he could defeat Juuhabach when he attacked. It made Kisuke shiver in fear. The scientist brought himself out of his reverie. This was not the time to sit idly. He cleared his throat, bringing the attention to himself.

"Excuse me for the interruption, Soutaicho, but the 12th division have picked up some strange readings from various areas in Hueco Mundo, though they seemed be concentrated around the area of Las Noches, the castle of the Vasto Lorde. That, coupled with the fact that there has been significant, I mean, significant, drop in Hollow activity these past couple of days, leads me to the conclusion that the Quincy are on the move." A thick layer of tension seemed to follow Kisuke's announcement. Yamamoto seemed to wait for it to sink in before he turned to Ichigo.

"How many days do you think we have left, Shiba-taicho?" Ichigo seemed pensive as he answered, though it was hard to tell with his frown. "I can't say for sure, anytime between to days, hours, or minutes, to two months, or years, though I would say that it seems likely that we may be under attack sooner rather than later." The tension in the room seemed to be heavier. Kisuke spoke up curious about his reasoning.

"What makes you say that?" Ichigo flashed a minuscule half-smile toward the scientist. "I got a connection to the madman in my head, Kisuke. Though Yhwach is nothing like Juuhabach, they still have the same pattern of thinking. And according to him, the Quincies are going to strike soon." An awkward silence enveloped the room at the mention of the fact that in the end, it was Soul Society who had driven Juuhabach to the extremes he was going to. Shunsui cleared is throat, trying to rid the awkwardness.

"Well, then we have to get ready won't we? Why don't we take a day off training, so we can be more prepared for the actual fighting?" It certainly did get rid of the awkwardness, but Shunsui was quickly shut down, or was about to get shut down by Yamamoto. "Unfortunately, we can't put off the training and take a day off right before a war, Kyouraku-taicho-" the soutaicho was suddenly cut off by an unlikely person.

"Actually, I agree with Shunsui. A day off would be good for everyone. And we have been preparing for the past century and a half. There isn't much we can do in a day." Yamamoto looked like he was going object, but sighed in defeat, muttering something suspiciously like 'I'm too old for is' .

"Very well, Shiba-taicho. But everyone is to be alerted, including the Royal-Guard. Urahara-taichou, prepare the shifting of the Rukongai. Meeting adjourned."

§ Shiba Mansion, following the meeting §

The mood in the usually exuberant house of Shiba was a somber one. There were 5 of them in the dining room, Kuukaku, Kaien, Ichigo, Isshin and Miyako. Miyako was Kaien's wife of 50 years, and his subordinate. She was a beautiful woman who was deceptively strong, and her shunpo was almost on par with Yoruichi. The only reason she had joined the 13th division was because of Kaien. Ichigo couldn't relate. Who would want to spend more time than absolutely necessary with his insane brother? Shuddering at the thought, the orange haired man shifted his attention to his would-be father.

Isshin had arrived shortly after the meeting. Apparently the Reio had sent him down to Seiretei as "extra-help", meaning that he could only help when it was explicitly necessary. Ichigo thought that it would happen sooner rather than later. The orange haired hybrid had a strange feeling towards the oncoming conflict. He felt...restless. Like his very being was preparing itself for something. It was therefore that he'd supported Shunsui's suggestion of taking a break. He wanted to speak with Shiro and Yhwach about this incredibly odd way his Soul was behaving. And he wanted to talk to his family.

During the 150 years Ichigo had spent here, he had grown extremely close to all those present in the room. Even though he'd only known Miyako for 50 of those. His relationship with Kaien was stronger than any other. His brother was exhausting at times, and generally behaved like an idiot, but he always managed to be there for Ichigo. Similarly with Isshin, he couldn't ask for more. Ever since the man found out that he was Ichigo's would-be dad, the man had tried his best to act like one. Ichigo often thought that this version of his father acted more like a father than the one who'd actually donated his sperm. His relationship with Kuukaku was somewhat rocky, though. The girl couldn't quite bring herself to forgive Ichigo for the fact that he'd lied about himself. Ichigo couldn't blame her for demanding the truth. After all, honesty was the trait of every real Shiba. Nevertheless, they were still close.

The five of them were currently sharing tea, and talking about mundane things, trying to distract themselves from facing the possibility of losing a loved one. Ichigo sighed, bringing the attention of the occupants of the room to himself. The orange haired man had been silent until now. Ichigo carded his fingers trough his hair, and smiled at his family, deciding to address the elephant in the room.

"The war approaches us at a rapid pace. We're here worrying about if some of us will die or not. You guys don't need to worry about that. I swear on my Soul that I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of our family. Now that the talk about our possible deaths is over with, why don't we enjoy our day off?" the orange haired man silently added Kurosaki Masaki in his promise- cause even though she had not borne him, she would always be his mother. Isshin snorted at Ichigo's nonchalance, and the mood finally became somewhat cheerful. Though they couldn't quite shake the feeling of finality Ichigo's statement had born.

Soon after, Ichigo excused himself. He needed to talk to his companions.

§ Ichigo's chambers, Shiba Mansion §

As soon a he entered his room, Ichigo headed for the bed. He lied down, and immediately entered his Inner World. His companions were already waiting for him. What surprised him though, was the state of his Inner world. The gray clouds were dispersing, leaving behind and oddly orange sun. Ichigo turned to Yhwach and Shiro and shot them a questioning look. He was met with silence. Then it finally dawned. Why his Soul was acting so strangely. It was indeed preparing itself. The orange haired man chuckled, though it was tinged with sadness.

"Ready for one last ride Shiro, Ossan?" the hybrid asked with a smile. His companions answered, one more somberly than the other.

"Of course, Ichigo."

"Tch, King. What is a horse good for if he can't follow his King? Of course ya idiot." Ichigo's smile widened. He had all he needed. And he would do everything to protect his everything. His family.

§ Elsewhere §

On the throne of Las Noches sat a middle aged man. He was seemingly sleeping, though his companion knew it to be something else. His King was observing.

Finally the Quincy King opened his eyes. The icy blue eyes were enough to instill fear in many a creatures. The Servant suppressed a shiver. Amused eyes fell on him, and the Servant blushed slightly.

"Get the Sternritters ready, Haschwalth. We are storming Seiretei tomorrow. From tomorrow begins the just reign of Quincies, and the end of the shinigami."

With that, the Quincy king went back to his "sleep". Jugram Haschwalth stood for a moment, letting the order sink in, before he turned on his heal, heading for the main hall.

The shinigami better be prepared.

After his Servant left, the Quincy King opened his eyes. Though they seemed to be as impassive as ever, a very keen observer could see a sliver of frustration in them.

"What are you...Shiba Ichigo?"

Next: 2nd of July

AN: So it begins! And 250 reviews, eh! Thanks to everyone for the love! You'll see a theme of dates as chapter titles from now on though. And, sigh, unfortunately, there will be delays. Hope you liked this one, though! Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Follow moi on tumblr. I go by iamadisco there as well. You can ask for prompts and such, and I will do my best to fulfill your requests. Not right now though, as the time is approximately 00.21 here.

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-iamAdisco aka iamAhypocrite-please-review