Touch Down

The Garganta wasn't very impressive. The lilac-path below me stretched out as I ran, its vibrant appearance lighting up parts of the void surrounding me. Oddly, staring down into oblivion wasn't nearly as terrifying as I'd imagined.

My reishi-constructed path wasn't perfect, though, glimpses of the dark depths appearing through cracks in the trail. Travelling through had proven to be a task in and of itself, with parts of the side cracking and breaking off as I ran across. Even despite my immense spiritual pressure, applying it properly and using it efficiently had proven to be quite the task. Using it as a means of travel, as opposed to my excessive use of Sonido, was still something I needed to work on.

Regardless, I was making steady progress as I ventured towards the Soul-Society. A portal-like gate lay up ahead, its gates shut.

'Kisuke better get that opened…'

Glancing back, the path was slowly evaporating as I neared the gate, the portal Kisuke had opened back in Hueco Mundo was now a speck of dust in the distance.

'Considering what he'd used… Isn't there a chance I'll appear somewhere unnecessary?'

This hadn't crossed my mind before leaving. I'd planned on entering the Soul-Society undetected, but what if I was thrust into an open, largely populated area of the Seireitei? Picking a fight with the Captain's wasn't something I had in mind, at all.

As I approached the gate, its heavy doors swung open, revealing a fractured, opaque box. There was one man standing in it, bandages wrapped around his head.

"Kisuke Urahara had said someone was coming over… I didn't expect an Arrancar, though."

'This is…'

"My name is Akon. I'm the Lieutenant of the Twelfth-Division and Vice-President of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. Nice to meet you," he said, stretching his hand out as he wobbled away from a machine, greeting me as I hopped through the portal.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Lance." I met his hand with a firm grip, smiling as I walked past him towards a crack in the box.

"Before I let you go, I'm afraid you'll need to be guided to the Captain-General. We can't have anyone running around the Seireitei at the moment," Akon sighed, pointing behind his back with his thumb toward a set of stairs.

"I understand."

As expected, Kisuke seemed to have stuck a stick in the spokes of my bike. Whether or not his intentions were hostile or not wasn't apparent, but he'd done so for a reason.

'Should've expected him to get involved...'

With that, we both began scaling a spiral staircase towards the destroyed Seireitei, flames still kicking up as Soul-Reapers tended to the destruction. Much of the damaged buildings had been boarded up, but there were still enormous, gaping holes left untouched, likely the aftermath of Genryūsai Yamamoto Bankai.

"What's the date, Akon? And the time, if you would." I asked, jogging down the side of the building with him.

"The 16th of June… It's currently Noon."

I'd arrived just on time, then. My training with Grimmjow had lasted a little longer than necessary, but this was still all within the scope of my plan. That said, things were about to escalate drastically. The 17th of June was a long day. I needed access to Muken before then. Working around that was something I'd have to work with along the way. Kisuke Urahara had changed my plans.

"Lance," Akon said. "What is it you have in mind with the Soul-Society? I'm aware you're not an Espada, yet your spiritual-pressure is easily that of a Captain. A peculiar individual, indeed."

What was it I had in mind? An interesting question, in all honesty. While I didn't have anything I wanted to do within the Soul-Society itself, it was most definitely involved. I'd likely find myself stuck here for the foreseeable future, unfortunately.

"There's someone I wish to speak with," I replied.

"If you're looking for Kurosaki Ichigo, I'm afraid he's entered the Realm of the Royal-Palace."

"No, no, someone else. Someone a little more interesting, I think."

"...Huh? Someone more interesting than him… Who on earth could you want to speak with?" Akon asked, his voice layered with a degree of shock and awe, as if Ichigo was the epitome of all things interesting.

'Suppose he is if you really think about it…'

"It's nothing crazy," I said. "Though, you might hear about it at some point or another."

Having said my share to Akon, he guided me to a large building, its tiles still sliding down as it shook. I began walking up the wooden-stairs, the dried out cherry-blossoms laid out along its surface as I made my way up.

With the door slightly open, I slid through the crack, entering a dimly lit room. It was mostly empty, only barrels of water and a double-door. A slim woman stood near the door, her hair pinned back behind her head, bangs tucked behind her ear.

"The Captain-General will see you shortly," she said, her downcast eyes tilting up slightly when I approached.

Her head tilted up slightly as I got closer, her slender hands pushing her glasses up, "Ah... I hadn't realized… You're an Arrancar."

"I am."

The tone of her voice had shifted slightly—her sensible, pragmatic demeanor had vanished, replaced by hostility.

"I'm not an enemy," I said, my spiritual pressure leaking out as I glanced at her.

Nanao Ise was a mature woman. As a member of the First-Division, she had a degree of professionalism to uphold within the Seireitei. Her usual demeanor was easily shaken, though.

She soon dropped to her knee, my spiritual pressure coiling around her like a snake. A moment later, I stopped, sitting myself down on one of the barrels as I waited.

"That was unnecessary…" Nanao sighed, adjusting her glasses as she stood back up.

"Would you have accepted my presence had I not?"

"I… No, I don't think I would have," she admitted. "But I don't believe enforcing your power on others as a means of acceptance is wise. You'll soon find yourself ostracized if you carry on, Arrancar."

Before she could carry on, the door to her left creaked open, revealing a flamboyantly dressed man, his gaze hidden beneath his straw-hat. There was a level of humor surrounding him, somehow. An atmosphere unlike most of the people I'd met in my life. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was as if there was a crowd of invisible men around him, each of their cries cheering him on as he went about his day.

"A cute girl shouldn't be rude to a guest upon arrival, Nanao."

Shunsui Kyōraku, the recently appointed Captain-General of the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions.

"I misspoke. I apologize, Arrancar."

"Don't be. I scared you, after all. Sorry about that." I said, glancing at Nanao briefly. Our eyes met for a moment, but her composure was now unwavering. It seemed my presence wasn't all that impressive while I restrained myself.

Shunsui left the door hanging open as he marched back in, "do come in, Mr. Arrancar."