Chapter 3

Hummer's POV

Fortunately since Ichigo is an idiot he picked a fight with that other guy and left me alone. We stayed in the village for a night getting ready to go meet whoever Mom had to see.

"This is it." Mom said looking at the house "We've arrived."

I looked at the house, it was a simple home with a big chimney and two big fist shaped arches holding a sign reading "Shiba Kukaku."

I thought mom said they liked quiet places!

"Suspicious people don't pass." Two big burly guys said blocking the way "Leave or die…Oh you're with Yoruichi-dono! Right this way."

They let us in without a problem, the house was just a basic home but the back closet opened a staircase into the basement. The one guy lead us downstairs and opened the door to a room with a futon, on it was a woman with messy hair loosely tied up and not wearing much especially over her…womanly chest.

"So it's a woman." Ichigo said "Wow."

"She's not that special." I shrugged.

"Are we looking at the same person!" he yelled "I mean look at…" he hovered his hands over his body "Her boobs are huge!"

"I personally prefer slimmer ladies." I smiled "those big things just get in the way."

"Will you two be quiet." Mom hissed.

"Yoruichi." The woman smiled "It's been a while. Who are those guys?"

"I came for a favor." Mom said dodging the question.

"Figured as much." Kukaku sighed "It's not like you to drop in so casually all the time…is it complicated?"

"I think so."

"It's been ages since we had this sort of conversation." The woman laughed "Tell me, I love complicated stuff!"

Mom went into a long winded explanation for how we ended up in this situation of needing a new way into the city.

"Well since Urahara is part of this I can't really refuse." Kukaku sighed "I'll accept it, but just cause I trust you doesn't mean I trust those kids so I'm sending one of my men with you to make sure. Objections?"

"Of course not." Mom said staring sternly.

"Who is he?" Ichigo asked.

"My little brother." Kukaku said "He's annoying but good enough."

She walked over to a door "You better be nice, I'm opening the door."

"Right Big sis!" a voice said.

Wait that's.

"Hello!" the man bowed "I'm Shiba Ganju, pleased to meet you."

"IT'S THAT GUY!" we all yelled.

"Uhh…you know each other?" the woman asked.

"GRR!" Ichigo started growled "Stupid idiot!"

"I ain't working with him!" Ganju snapped.

"Knock it off." His sister punched both him and Ichigo "No fighting in my house! Now shut up and follow me!"

We were once more led down the halls this time to a room with a giant cannon in the center.

"It's big." Ishida said.

"This is what I'll be using to send you to the city" Kukaku explained "From the sky!"

"Sky?!"

"Well I am Shiba Kukaku, a world class fireworks master!" She smirked.

The room rumbled a bit and the ceiling opened and the pipe rose up out of the ground and high into the air.

"You plan on shooting that thing?!" Ishida said "There's no way we'll die-GAH!"

Kukaku threw some ball at the boy, bouncing it off his head to Ichigo.

"What's this?" he asked.

"A Spirit Core, give it your spirit energy."

"Uhh…how do I do that?" Ichigo asked.

"Just give it energy like you would with a demon art." Kukaku said.

"Uhh…how do I do that?"

"Are you stupid?"

"He's not a real Shinigami." Mom sighed "Officially speaking."

"Give me that." I grabbed it and the core glowed and created a forcefield.

"Good." Kukaku smiled "There's your cannonball. The city has more than just the wall, it has a protection field as well, trying to fly into it normally would turn you to dust, but with the shell you can break through."

Later

I basically skipped the training for the spirit core shell, I didn't honestly need held regulating it right now. Ichigo was stuck in training but the rest of us were done and got to it.

I remember Mom teaching me something like this when I was Ten.

"You're all giving me a look." I said as we ate "I'm guessing now that we have a moment to relax you all have questions, why and I here, why am I helping? Stuff like that?"

"Y-Yeah." Orihime nodded.

"You don't have to be nervous." I laughed "I'm helping because I was asked to help, and it's a chance to see the Soul Society, fight strong opponents and get a closer look at you people."

"You people?" Ishida asked.

"Ever since Rukia showed up the number of Hollow related incidents in town went up." I said "I wondered how they were all managed but now it makes more sense, you're all pretty strong, especially Ichigo…he's interesting, I wonder if he can take a punch?"

The whole room suddenly rumbled again and there was an intense wave of spirit pressure passing over the room.

"What is that idiot doing?" I sighed.

We all quickly gathered at the source of the power surge, the training room. Ichigo was finally getting a knack for using the core but he was overcharging it big time.

"Hey idiot!" Kukaku yelled "Focus and refine your energy!"

The pressure focused down and swirled around Ichigo before forming a hard shell.

"Hey, I did it!"

"Yay Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime clapped.

"Yeah!"

"Don't lose focus!" I yelled.

The shell suddenly cracked along the top.

"Watch out!"

The shell exploded out and shook the room with it's built up pressure, fortunately most went upward, sparing us any of the real damage.

"I said it would explode if you lost focus!" Kukaku kicked Ichigo "Didn't I?!"

"Yes you did." He groaned.

"Whatever now that you've all got a hang of it we can prep the cannon, you leave in the morning."

The Next Day.

"Is your tail gonna be okay?" I asked Mom.

"It'll be fine." She hissed "Hurts like hell though."

"Hey where's my idiot brother?" Kukaku asked.

"I don't know." Ichigo shrugged "Let's leave without him!"

"Hang on!" Ganju rounded the corner "The hero always arrives last!"

"What's that outfit?"

"Ganju special battle suit." He smiled.

"What do you need a battle suit for, aren't you here to say goodbye?" Ichigo asked.

Is he that forgetful, she said he had to go with us.

"HMM!" Ganju gave Ichigo the evil eye "My older brother was killed by a cold-blooded Shinigami."

"That's enough!" His sister.

"Shut up!" he snapped "Just listen!"

"He was a genius, passed the entrance exam on his first try, he had spirit power of level six, on par with the vice-captain of the 13th division. Finished six years' worth of training in two, and became a vice-captain in just five years. But then he was killed, betrayed by his partner! I was still a kid back then, but I'll never forget the cold eyes of the one who brought him here, and that smiling face made when thanking my brother, I don't know why my brother never spoke out in hatred against Shinigami, I want to know why he believed in them till the end. You're different so I know that if I go with you I can find that answer. So I'll help you out…this one time."

"Seems like you made up tour mind." Kukaku said "Just don't chicken out mid fight. Enough waiting, let's get you moving!"

"We're gonna have to make another cannon ball with that core aren't we." I said looking at the cat "Can you do it?"

"Put it down on the ground." She said.

I took the core from Ichigo and placed it down and she hopped up, a shell instantly forming.

"GAH!" Ichigo groaned "I trained so hard to make that."

"For me this is as easy as breathing." She smiled "What's wrong, feeling inferior?"

Kukaku punched the cannon and the front of it opened up "Alright get in, all of you! Once the sun rises I'll shoot."

We all walked into the tower like structure and stood around the orb.

"Once we get in don't wander off." Mom said "And if you encounter a Captain level enemy just run. Our objective is to rescue Rukia and that's it, don't take any unnecessary risks."

The whole cannon suddenly jerked and rumbled.

"It's started!" Mom yelled "Focus your energy!"

The bottom of the cannon's floor shot up and sent us skyward in a blink.

"I expected more of an impact." Ichigo noted.

"We've only just started." Ganju explained.

The orb jerked towards the main city, throwing us all to one side.

"HMM!" Ganju pulled out a paper scroll.

"Now's not the time for reading!" Ichigo yelled.

"This is the Follow-Up Incantation, without it we'll run out of speed and land too soon, if you wanna live through this don't bother me." He explained "Now since I have to focus on the incantation I can't regulate the shell with the rest of you, you'll have to compensate for me."

"Hmm." I had my arm out "Go down Ichigo you're overpowering Orihime."

"Uh Yeah…"

"Lower Kurosaki." Ishida hissed.

"I said I know!"

"Ichigo." Chad sighed.

"SHUT UP I'M TRYING!"

"AH Crap I read the same line twice!" Ganju yelled "Stop distracting me!"

"Don't yell at me!" Ichigo snapped back.

"Shut up both of you." I said "Fight about it later when we're not in danger!"

"Look…" Chad pointed "Outside."

The main city was in finally in view and we were approaching fast.

"We're gonna crash into it!"

"It's unavoidable now!" Mom said "Just strengthen the shell as much as possible!"

The force inside the orb practically tripled and we slammed into the forcefield around the city, our shell melted into the field and we phased into the city but floated in the air.

"We're in but not falling!" Ichigo yelled.

"Don't get separated!" Mom warned "The shield was melted this only temporary, there's going to be a tornado of energy, if we separate we'll all fly in different directions.

The hole we had made started twisting closed and the air was sucked out with it. The air swirled and pulled us all in a different direction.

"Grab the person closest too you!" Mom warned.

"You're it." I grabbed Ishida's cape.

"Not so rough!" he hissed.

"Don't squirm you're gonna!"

*Rip*

The cape tore at the back and Ishida and I we separated.

"Shit!"

"HMM!" Sado kicked off Orihime and grabbed Ishida throwing him back to her.

"Grab on!" I threw my arm out.

I felt the tornado of energy dying out.

"We're not getting back to them in time!" I warned "Get ready!"

The air warped and the shaggy haired boy and I were launched across the town, away from the others.

"You have a way to keep us from becoming a stain on the ground?" he asked.

"Air Shot!"

I punched as we approached and knocked us back up slightly and made a crater

"Will that work." I smirked.

"This way." He grabbed my collar and pulled me into the bushes as a patrol came running by, no doubt looking for us "Well now what?"

"Find the others or find information." I said "You pick."