Bleach: Grinning Revengers

[GR Admin]

Lend Me Your Strength,
And I'll Give You Mine

"I am content with my life...no pain. No sadness. No regrets. There is no need for my heart to linger in this world. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And goodbye."

These were the final thoughts of Kuchiki Rukia before she died. As tears rolled down her smiling face, her heart finally content with the fact that she her life was coming to an end, she watched on in waiting for the massive, phoenix-like entity known as the Sōkyoku to pierce through her- and the rest of Soul Society watched as well. In the end, it happened quickly, so quickly and so ferociously, that Rukia felt no pain, even as the fires of the spearhead incinerated her soul, tearing it from all existence.

The skies soon turned grey, rain pouring down through all of Soul Society, as if even the Gods were mourning the loss of an innocent soul. No matter what side one had been on, whether they believed the execution to be just or unjust, there was not a heart that had watched the death of Rukia without a pang of regret, but there was nothing to be done, not now. But how was anyone to be expecting such a thing- her execution had indeed been moved once more, and the Shinigami had been put to death three hours earlier. Those that had sought to aim Kuchiki had been too late to do so.

Kuchiki Rukia was gone.

Captain of the Thirteenth Division Ukitake Jūshirō and his subordinates, Kiyone and Sentarō, had arrived too late to save their comrade's life. Their mission to destroy the Sōkyoku had failed. Ridden with guilt, Ukitake, with the help and knowledge of his friend, and fellow Captain, Kyoraku Shunsui, decided to honor the final wish of Rukia, and, against the orders of the Commander-General, quietly gathered the drifters and returned them to the human realm. While they were scolded for their misdeeds afterwords, Soul Society made no motion to hunt for the ryoka any longer; they were free to go, excused of their crimes.

Months have passed since the execution and the Seireitei has seemingly regained its order, though not without its fair share of bad blood still boiling between the divisions of the Gotei 13. Due to the nature of the situation months prior, most actions by the perpetrated by Shinigami of any and all ranks have been excused as necessities of war. While some whisper that such actions should never be excused, and quite a few calling for the removal of a number of Captain's from their position, the Central 46 has made no motions to pass any such demands.

There was one, however, who was more severely punished than the rest, though many question if such consequences are severe enough. For the murder of Sosuke Aizen and for the act of attempted treason against the Seireitei, through evidence gathered by Hitsugaya Toshiro and Matsumoto Rangiku, Ichimaru Gin was stripped of his title as Captain of the Third Division and locked away within the Maggot's Nest. Many questioned how such acts could be dealt with with such lenient disciplinary actions, but it had been decided by the Central 46 and was therefore final.

Unbeknownst to the majority of Soul Society, however, Aizen Sosuke was still very much alive. In fact, he was, for all intents and purposes, currently in control of all Soul Society; secluded within the Seijotokyorin, using his Zanpakuto's ability of absolute hypnosis to fool any who enter the enclave. But he is no longer restricted to simply remaining in Soul Society. With his authority, Aizen, Tousen, and Ichimaru have all been able to make many ventures to the realm of the Hollow, Hueco Mundo.

There, the traitorous Captain of the Fifth Division has been using the power of the Hogyoku to create an army of Arrancar, Hollow that have gone through the process of Shinigamification. With them, he plans to gather 100,000 souls within Karakura Town, in order to create the key to the Soul King's realm, and then take his seat at the throne of all realms. Destroying Soul Society will just be an added bonus for him.

Meanwhile, in the realm of the living, specifically the town of Karakura, no one seems to have any recollection of a Kuchiki Rukia ever being a part of their class, or even attending their school- save, of course, for Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu. While none of them have truly gotten over the lingering grief of the loss of their friend, it is Ichigo who feels an unbearable guilt for being too late to save her, and has since fallen into a deep depression, which has his family and friends quite worried.

At the same time, the Vizard, a group of Shinigami that were forcefully given the powers of the Hollow and expelled from Soul Society, make themselves known to Ichigo and his comrades through a series of contacts with the group. Each of them offer the same deal to Ichigo upon their various meetings: "join us and we'll train you to become strong enough to take revenge on Soul Society." While his friends argue that revenge will bring nothing but pain, Ichigo is too determined to avenge his fallen friend to hear them.[/blockquote]

There is No End to Hypnosis