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stephanericherthanyou · 2 years

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Ch101-120

Ch101: Split Under the Red Stalk

that’s a HUGE red herring but i love now non-obvious the real answer is (at least to me, even knowing)...like it wouldn’t be fed to us so straight up but what is it, actually...and then gin rubbing what hitsugaya doesn’t know in his face...nnn

Ch102: Nobody Beats

ichigo really is bad with names

ASLDKFJLK CHAD SMITH

see uryuu if you call ichigo dumb he’ll start to believe you! don’t give him low self esteem

wrow ichigo you can feel his spiritual pressure~

a close up of shunsui’s foot...well ok

is the eye he’s hiding the one he loses?

Ch103: Dominion

holy shit aizen really set momo up

Ch104: The Undead

love that ichigo’s go-to insult (at least in this translation) is ‘punk’...

KENPACHI OPENING HIS SHIRT PLS

...i would unironically enjoy a spinoff manga about the sewing club where uryuu and orihime occasionally show up

Ch105: Spring, Spring, Meets The Tiger

lmfao chad

Ch106: Cause for Confront

NANAO PLS

shunsui: yare yare me: saiki.....my beloved......

well, (pours drink) if one of the swords is nanao’s....which is it? and how does he do the fake shikai/bankai?

(aw hey sewing senpai 2004....i didn’t have a cell phone then!)

Ch107: Heat in Trust

would the governments do that, let chad be adopted by his abuelo in mexico? ig he could have had dual citizenship (iirc if you’re a minor with a foreign parent in jp you can have it?)

....BUT NOT FOR ME

(asldjf “five ambulances” ICHIGO P L S)

Ch107.5: A Wonderful Error

kubo really had his finger on the pulse of what it is to be a teenager, yknow? again, like all the stuff with orihime’s feelings about ichigo and her feelings about her feelings about ichigo i didn’t appreciate it at the time, but from a distance it really tracks...like as much as reading this is applicable, directly, to me writing better bleach fic and getting a handle on the characters/world, it is also a great lesson in writing teenagers that feel like teenagers. anyway.

(mizuiro: how come you know that much about hoodlums nnnnn)

Ch108: Time for Scare

has anyone made one of those video edits where ichigo says ‘zangetsu’ and then it cuts to bachgetsu and it plays ‘that’s not my name’

CUTTHROAT NANAO-CHAN <3

“i can’t die here...if i do, everything i hold dear will be destroyed!” you don’t know how true that is ichigo, heh. (i am waiting for my beer to get cold to play the drinking game)

Ch109: Like a Tiger Treading on the Flowers

so it’s not a puppet corpse to unohana’s eyes....so did he kyoka suigetsu them all into thinking the corpse was him or into denying the evidence or what? ik he will explain his villainous plan soonish but...

tosen & komamura :((((

Ch110: Dark Side of Universe

KUBO!!!!!!

oh!!! realgetsu shows up sooner than i’d remembered...interesting tactic to have bachgetsu give him the sword....but also ‘wielding me’ is perhaps ambiguous...? ‘me’ = ‘the quincy power in your sword’ ig

come to think of it, quincies using/harnessing the reiatsu around them....well that’s basically what ichigo’s been doing the whole time....it’s all coming together B)

Ch111: Black and White

well, technically, realgetsu /is/ ichigo since yknow, the sword is you....

realgetsu, speaking of himself in the third person....amazing. but aw ichigo he gave you the clues, know zangetsu!

so lemme get this straight....ichigo was fighting the manifestation of his shinigami powers, who was holding his physical manifestation, and called out to the manifestation of his quincy powers for aid, using the name of his shinigami powers, and thus his quincy powers made him swap swords with his shinigami powers which made him wield the physical manifestation of his shinigami powers against the metaphysical representation in his mind......is my beer cold yet i need a drink

Ch112: The Undead 2 (Rise & Craze)

“Train him well, because one day that power will become mine.” (”That power”, presumably meaning his sword power or whatever)

the revival....i bet it reminds him of unohana /drink

Ch113: The Undead 3 (Closing Frantica)

‘he has never listened to that voice’ well hasn’t he? i guess not ~as a blade~ but....actually, isn’t this similar to starrk and lillinette...creating something for yourself/from yourself and not listening to it as it is, but as you wish it were. kenpachi wishes for yachiru in this form as a person, but doesn’t listen to the way she is as a sword. or soemthing

wrow.....ichigo and bachgetsu trust each other....

(or maybe it’s that kenpachi just doesn’t believe in the idea of zanpakutou? he has an easier time believing in a real human with their real blade, so that’s yachiru)

ahh they impaled each other....no choice but to ship it i guess /shrugs away

Ch114: Everything About the World Soon to Collapse

so when does he get that bankai training anyway....doesn’t he fight byakuya or something? and yoruichi drags him to a hot spring and shows him her human form? i keep thinking it’s about to happen and it doesn’t

huh...yachiru thanking him....is she thanking him for listening to her as a sword, really listening, i wonder

nnn and the parallels with kenpachi waking up to yachiru and ichigo waking up to bachgetsu....nicely done, kubo. i guess that’s why it had such traction as a fan theory. and yachiru saying ‘that was two on one’ bc ichigo was fighting with ‘zangetsu’ meanwhile yachiru was watching from the sidelines....

i do like that the first captain ichigo holds his own against is kenpachi, who like him does not use kido and has no formal training, relying only on raw strength, no shikai/bankai. his style is really only suited to go up against kenpachi (and kenpachi would hold back to a point as well).

getting stronger together, huh...

Ch115: Remnant

ah so this is when ichigo gets the bankai training

O SHIT IT’S BYAKUYA!!

Ch115.5: Omake

urahara looks really good in a suit! tbh i’m surprised gin and toshiro are so popular....the fans are so fickle, forgetting all about tatsuki and don kanoji :(

(i’m really surprised orihime and chad didn’t mae the top 10 tho damn...i wonder if the rankings is what drove kubo and/or the publisher to focus more on the shinigami plots to the detriment of everything else)

i knew it already, but kenpachi is indeed.....a scorpio.....wait ichigo is cancer....cancer-scorpio pair.....(thinking emoji) and it also applies to uryuu

also how long it takes him to style his hair lol

Ch116: (??? there’s no title on the scanlator)

death by a thousand cuts eh....peel sebonbanana

OH MY GOOODDDDDD THEY SAW EACH OTHER I CAN NTO TAKE IT

like....this whole scene.....redacted as hell

Ch117: Remnant 2 Deny the Shadow

DAMN THE FUCKEN TENSION AND THEN YORUICHI CUTS RIGHT THRU WITHOUT A SWORD

Ch118: The Supernal Tag

i was so caught up i didn’t take any notes lmao

Ch119: (also missing a title)

orihime just casually mentioning that tatsuki thinks she’s a black belt...

Ch120: Shake Hands with Grenades

so yoruichi understands him well enough now huh

damn uryuu why are you so mean about everyone in your inner monologue? well i guess that’s more of the Realistic Teenager stuff....heh

#richer rereads bleach #text post #long post #i feel like half of this is me just going 'ichigo pls' but.....ichigo pls #everyone pls #i do love ichigo so much and somehow i'd forgotten that?#he's a good kid haha #bleach

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fallenqueen2 · 4 years

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UraIchi Week 2020 Day 2

UraIchi Week 2020

Day 2: In Another Life

Used Prompts: Genderbend | Different Family

Ao3 Link

UraIchi Week 2020 Tag

Tags: UraIchi Week 2020, Genderbend, Different Family, Female Ichigo Kurosaki, Ichigo Hirako, Shinji and Ichigo are sibling, Shinigami Academy, smitten Kisuke Urahara, Academy student Ichigo, AU

~~/~~

“Why are we going to the Academy again?” Kisuke grumbled as he squinted at the sun as he and his fellow Tachio’s headed towards said Academy.

“Cuz ya moron, ma imouto is fighting in a tournament today!” Shinji gently cuffed the Tachio of the 12th over the head making Hiyori cackle as her Tachio pouted like a child.

“You have an imouto, oh that poor girl.” Hiyori shook her head, grinning widely when Shinji shot her a scowl.

“Ichi-Chan is adorable and a total badass. As expected of a Hirako.” Shinji beamed with pride as he thought of his imouto.

“If she is anything like you, then the Gotei 13 is in trouble,” Kisuke muttered, wanting nothing more than to head back to his lab.

“Ugh, they’re here again,” Shinji grumbled as the Academy came into view along with Kyoraku and Ukitake Taicho’s.

“Why are they here?” Hiyori asked curiously and Kisuke silently tipped his head to the side, now he was interested in Shinji’s Imouto if she warranted the attention of two of the most powerful Taicho’s in Gotei 13.

“Ichi-Chan’s Shikai is a dual-blade, the first one since those two and they’ve been by as often as I have to see her progress. No doubt with offers to join their squads when she graduates.” Shinji admitted and rolled his eyes when he saw Kisuke perk up, new interest gleaming brightly in his grey eyes.

“Ah Hirako Tachio, Urahara Tachio, Sarugaki Fuku-Tachio. You’ve come to see Hirako-Chan fight?” Kyoraku asked pleasantly while Ukitake smiled warmly at the newcomers.

“I never miss a chance to watch Ichi-Chan fight,” Shinji crossed his arms over his chest, he had been there for his imouto since he could remember and always would be.

“This baka dragged us,” Hiyori jerked her thumb at Shinji and laughed as she ducked the elbow Shinji aimed at her.

“Well, Hirako-Chan won’t disappoint,” Kyoraku, said cheerfully as the group headed to the outdoor arena where Academy students were gathered. At their arrival, many began to whisper and they shuffled out of their way until the group could get a clear view of those currently fighting.

Kisuke could feel Benihime rouse in interest as a wave of bloodlust caressed him like an old friend. Kisuke found his eyes drawn not to the larger than life student that was lumbering around inside of the arena but the small, lithe orange-haired female that was dancing around the other.

“Kick his ass Ichi-Chan!” Shinji hollered, a wide excited look on his face as he watched.

Kisuke felt his lips twitch up when he felt the bloodlust rise and he was unable to look away as Hirako Ichigo spun gracefully in the air to dodge her opponent’s strike, long orange hair flowing out around her as she held up her black Katana.

“Pierce the heavens, Zangetsu!” Ichigo’s voice rang out clear and crisp as black and red laced reiatsu exploded from her and when it cleared she was holding a large black Khyber blade and a smaller black trench knife in her other hand.

Ichigo lunged forward, dancing around her opponent easily, slashing and slicing with her dual-blades until her opponent could no longer stand. The cuts she and her blades created were shallow but precise and made to take her opponent down without permanently injuring him.

“Yield,” her opponent gritted out as he fell to his knees, curled over in pain and her trench knife hovering over his throat from behind.

Ichigo stepped back, twirling her trench knife with the classic Hirako smile wide on her face. She and her opponent bowed to each other before he was helped off the field to get treated for the numerous cuts Ichigo had left behind.

“Shinji-Nii!” Ichigo perked up when she spotted the longhaired blond and waved her Khyber blade at him before slinging it over her back and shoving her trench knife onto a holster on her hip. It was clear she did this often and jogged over to the watching Tachio’s.

“You fought well Hirako-Chan.” Ukitake complimented.

“Arigato Ukitake-Tachio.” Ichigo bowed to the Tachio before yelping when Shinji pounced on her.

“Ahh, Nii-San!” Ichigo griped as she wiggled in Shinji’s tight hug, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“You were amazing out there Ichi-Chan!” Shinji cooed as he rubbed his cheek against her hair.

“Nii-San, don’t make me stab you again,” Ichigo warned and to the other’s amusement Shinji backed off showing that he must have been stabbed before when threatened.

“So cruel Ichi-Chan,” Shinji huffed.

“I’m sorry about my Nii-San,” Ichigo apologized to the others.

“We’re used to him,” Hiyori waved it off before sticking her hand out to Ichigo.

“Sarugaki Hiyori, Fuku-Tachio of the 12th.” She introduced herself, aching to fight with the youngest Hirako.

“Hirako Ichigo, nice to meet you Sarugaki-San.” Ichigo shook Hiyori’s hand with a small smile on her face.

“That moron is my Tachio,” Hiyori was prepared to make the usual introduction for Kisuke as he never made his own.

“Urahara Kisuke, Tachio of the 12th. A pleasure to meet you Ichigo-Chan.” Kisuke stepped up and took Ichigo’s hand in his, pressing his lips to her knuckles as he looked up at her through strands of light blond hair.

“Pleasure to meet you Urahara Tachio.” Ichigo’s cheeks turned pink at the action of the blond Tachio.

“Oy!” Shinji yelped but he was ignored as the two stared at each other.

“Ossan and Shiro like you, they say you smell of blood.” Ichigo blurted out before pursing her lips as the blush on her cheeks darkened.

“My Benihime says the same about you Ichigo -Chan.” Kisuke purred, he could feel the power and bloodlust from the youngest Hirako spinning around her like a hurricane and she entranced him.

“Well, Juu-Chan I think we may have some competition for Hirako-Chan.” Kyoraku sounded amused as he tipped down the brim of his hat while Hiyori had to hold a fuming Shinji back.

“So it seems,” Ukitake smiled serenely as he watched Ichigo and Kisuke get lost in the other while their Zanpakuto’s responded to each other in the same way their wielders were. It was an interesting match up and sure to have a just as interesting result.

#uraichi week 2020 #Day2 #Genderbend #Rule 63 #Different Family #AU #female ichigo Kurosaki #Hirako Ichigo #Shinji and Ichigo are siblings #shinigami academy #smitten kisuke urhara #fallenqueen2

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cheshiresense · 6 years

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for your SP au if u have time, how about a scene with injured/close to death!ichigo and kisuke losing it big time? idk i just feel like in this universe where even tho they're surrounded by people they know, theres also a sense of them only having each other, and after everything theyve been thru, one of them facing the possibility of losing the other could be rly trauamtizing.

Uhhhh… okay. Wow, alright, let’s see…

This takes place sometime far into the future. Well, not that far but like at least a couple years after the convo with Kaien and Shinji I guess?

Pinglist: @yoshifics @bewarethemandragora @runeofluna @selenedreamwalker@hypnos28 @verticallychallengedintrovert @fandommaniac2401 @lovingempress @cynthia-of-the-wallflowers@pairp @warriorofbooks @charlottedabookworm @lyra689 @sheyrenawyrsabane @sora-the-empress@xadriannax @yumeniai @oceanshimmerspirit-blog @stereden @lirial89 @midnight44442@srs2160 @running1way @midnightkaito

Later, Kisuke would be able to tell you exactly what happened. His mind automatically breaks down an attack blow by blow, every strength and weakness catalogued just in case he would need to counter it in another fight, because that’s just how his brain works, and for once he wishes it wasn’t.

He’ll have nightmares about it for years to come.

One moment, they’re scattered across the skies of Soul Society, either fending off the hoards of Hollows Aizen has released into the heart of Seireitei or confronting Aizen himself, and the next, Kisuke loses track of the traitor for a split second, too many illusions overlapping each other and too many useless bodies in the air who haven’t the first idea how to shake off Aizen’s Shikai but insisted on fighting anyway because Yamamoto ordered all Shinigami Ninth Seat and up into battle.

He feels more than sees what happens next, at the very edge of his peripheral vision. He and Ichigo have split up, both of them still in the same piece of battlefield but no longer covering each other’s backs because they’re too busy trying to simultaneously make sure Aizen doesn’t gut one of their colleagues or friends and launch an attack that’ll actually stick at Aizen himself at the same time. Of everyone here, Ichigo and Kisuke are the only ones who’ve gone toe to toe with Aizen, which was a difficult enough task without throwing in the dozen or so handicaps around them.

One moment, Aizen is smirking, monologuing, boasting about everything Kisuke’s long since learned to tune out. The next, the Fifth Seat from the Ninth Division rushes him like an idiot, and as if on cue, half the other Shinigami also surge forward as if they think Aizen has left any openings for them to get a hit in. It distracts everyone there, and Kisuke mentally curses when more than one person obscures his line of sight. He shifts, steps to the side, trying to keep all his senses honed on Aizen, but a breath and a blink later, the man has disappeared, and Kisuke is turning before he’s even consciously aware of doing it, his gaze cutting through the throng of Shinigami around him, searching frantically for-

Aizen doesn’t attack Ichigo. Of course he doesn’t. But Fujiwara Asuka is there, and to her credit, whatever illusion Aizen weaves around her doesn’t make her hesitate from bringing her Zanpakutou up to block a strike Kisuke can’t see, nor does it stop her from following through, just as Ichigo taught her. She remains on the defensive, wary of attacking and hurting a comrade, but she doesn’t stay in one place, deflecting whatever sword she sees and then throwing herself to one side, obviously trying to get clear.

It’s just not enough, because she throws herself to the left, and Aizen materializes there to meet her, Kyoka Suigetsu thrusting forward and-

Kisuke knows what will happen before it even happens. Somehow, the sound of a Kidou spell eating through flesh echoes loudly even with people shouting all around him and the shrieks of Hollows in the distance.

These are the things Kisuke notices in a single snapshot of time: Fujiwara’s wide, distraught eyes; the smug, satisfied smile on Aizen’s face like he expected nothing less; and the shock-tinted pain splashed across Ichigo’s features as he shoves Fujiwara to the side with one hand and deflects Kyouka Suigetsu with Zangetsu, only for Aizen to bring his other hand around, the light of a Raikouhou already glowing in his palm before he releases it straight into Ichigo’s abdomen, a sizzling ball of yellow lightning that slams through one side and out the other and leaves the stink of burning flesh behind.

Ichigo staggers, chokes, wobbles in the air like someone’s cute first attempt at Shunpo, and for a long frozen second, Kisuke tries to draw breath and can’t seem to find the lungs for it.

Then Fujiwara screams Ichigo’s name, and it’s as if everything fast-forwards again, flooding the area with noise and colour all at once.

Kisuke covers the distance between them in one desperate flash-step. The incomplete Espada that gets in his way is bisected right through the middle, Benihime singing through the air like a cacophony of screaming symbols, and the nameless Arrancar doesn’t even slow Kisuke down. He barrels into Ichigo, catching his lover just as he begins to fall. He barely notices Kyouraku covering his retreat, appearing a half-beat behind him, dual swords swinging at Aizen to force him back, his eyes a hard slate grey as he stares down the traitorous would-be overlord.

Instead, Kisuke’s already trying to calculate the damage before they’ve even reached the ground - front torn open, shattered ribs, not as much blood as there is charred flesh, but Kisuke can see his insides anyway and it’s a mess of hemmorhaging viscera.

He lands on a rooftop, out of the way of any immediate enemy fire, and sets Ichigo down as gently as he can. Even then, Ichigo convulses and then coughs, spilling slick crimson over his bottom lip, and the spasms that wrack him shifts his broken ribs in ways that can’t be good for his continued survival.

“Ichigo, it’s going to be alright, just try to hold still-”

Ichigo makes a rough sound that’s half-laugh, half-splutter of pain, and then he coughs again, unending and terrible, and Kisuke can see the way blood is bubbling up and around the hand Ichigo’s instinctively braced against his front.

Fuck. Fuck.

Kisuke is usually calmer than this. He prides himself on remaining calm at all times, no matter how dire the situation. But right now, as he pins Ichigo down with one hand to Ichigo’s shoulder to prevent him from doing more harm to himself while his other flickers green in an attempt to start healing the worst of the damage, he can’t seem to stop the way either of them are shaking. There’s a funny roaring noise in his ears, and every time he blinks, all he can see is Ichigo lying too still, Ichigo’s face twisted up in agony, Ichigo dead and gone and leaving him behind, and he can’t-

A hand appears in his line of sight, and he’s not even holding his Zanpakutou anymore, having dropped it beside him the moment he landed, but Benihime’s still unsealed, and her signature reiatsu snaps out like the fangs of a beast and nearly takes the limb off, hand and arm and all. Whoever it belongs to swears and snatches it back just in the nick of time. Kisuke doesn’t even look up, too busy staunching blood flow and holding the ribcage together and making sure nothing slices into a lung and-

Fuck. Fuck. There’s just so much damage, and at the end of the day, Kisuke’s no master healer-

“Urahara-taichou, you will get a hold of yourself.” A female voice calls, not quite raised but sharp enough to cut through the haze of terror clouding his mind. Coupled with the hand that suddenly finds his, slippery with more blood but with enough coordination to squeeze down hard and anchor him back to the present, Kisuke suck in a breath, then another, then another, until he’s almost dizzy with it.

He looks at Ichigo first, and while his face is white and creased with pain, he meets Kisuke’s gaze steadily enough, and it’s enough for Kisuke to at least shove aside the panic and think.

He looks up next, right into the looming figure of Unohana, waiting for him to shuffle aside so she can tend to Ichigo. She’s already casting a critical eye over Ichigo’s injuries, and Kisuke should, he should move over right now because on a regular day, if Kisuke could have his pick of healers, Unohana would be at the top of the list. There is literally no one better for the job, and he should be thanking the Soul King that she was even nearby enough for someone to fetch her here so quickly.

But even just the thought of passing Ichigo’s wellbeing to anyone makes him want to lash out.

Benihime, Kisuke thinks for one wild moment. Benihime could probably fix him. Even if it means a patchwork of scars inside and out by the end-

She’s never had to restructure so many broken pieces of bone before though, never had to work with half the internal organs fried and nerve endings destroyed by such a close-range, point-blank electric explosion. What if she can’t-

Benihime stirs at the back of his mind, all affronted pride and snarling wrath with a seething sort of fear underneath. And yet-

He looks at Ichigo. Ichigo, eyes at half-mast and dazed now, Ichigo who is depending on him to make the best choice for him. And-

And that’s enough. Barely, but enough.

He rounds on Unohana again, and if he looks a little manic and more than a little mad, no one calls him out on it.

“If he dies under your care,” He bites out in a voice even he almost doesn’t recognize, soft and flat and no less vicious for either. “The Fourth Division will require a new captain by the end of the day.”

There are scandalized gasps from more than one person, and Yoruichi hisses a warning, “Kisuke!”

Only Unohana remains entirely unperturbed, looking back calmly even as she inclines her head in a nod. “I understand.”

Kisuke watches her for a moment longer, weighing her answer, then he turns back to Ichigo. The stasis spell he resorted to earlier begins fading as he lets it go, and he takes those few precious seconds to reach up to cup Ichigo’s face in his hands instead, bending low until the brim of his hat brushes Ichigo’s forehead. “Ichigo, you listen to me.”

Eyelashes flutter like it’s a struggle for Ichigo to keep them open, but he opens them anyway, and even though it takes a few blinks, his eyes are clear and focused when they look at Kisuke, and Kisuke holds that gaze.

“You will live. Do you know why?” His fingers curl into Ichigo’s hair, probably gripping harder than he should, digging bruises Ichigo can’t afford into his skin, but he needs this, needs his promise, needs his word. “Because if you die, you know perfectly well I will follow you and I will find you, no matter how many reincarnation cycles I’ll have to tear apart, even if that means razing the Soul King and his whole palace to the ground. So you will live because I will set the universe on fire if I lose you, and you have too much of a saviour complex to let that happen.”

There’s a hush all around him, the kind that comes from a stunned, maybe even appalled, sort of disbelief.

Kisuke ignores them. None of them matter right now.

(And if they don’t believe him, don’t believe he’s capable of it or don’t believe he really would do it, then the joke’s on them.)

All his attention remains on Ichigo, who blinks at him once, twice, and then even manages a hoarse chuckle as a bloodstained hand comes up to tangle in Kisuke’s own hair, as possessive as Kisuke at his worst and not at all ashamed to show it.

(Yoruichi knows what people say about Kisuke, both within and outside of the Onmitsukidou, with admiration or with contempt. But Kisuke’s problem has never been an inability to love. His problem has always been that he loves very, very few, and of those he does love, he loves with a world-burning passion that halts for no one and nothing and consumes everything in its path if allowed to run its course.

It makes her wonder, sometimes, whether Shiba Ichigo is very brave or just very oblivious.

Or maybe he’s like Kisuke, loving with a ferocity that’s equally devastating and unstoppable, and isn’t that a terrifying thought?)

Ichigo swallows, and his reiatsu surges with the solid resolve shining in his eyes, not even slightly dimmed, even now. Or perhaps especially now.

“You’re such a drama queen, Kisuke,” Ichigo rasps out, but his grin is all teeth, stained with blood but bold and bright and brilliant. “Go kick his ass. I’ll be right behind you.”

Kisuke gives himself another second, curled over Ichigo like he could protect him this way, clutching at him like he’s Kisuke’s last lifeline.

(He is. He has been for so long now.)

Then he exhales and lets go. He presses a kiss to Ichigo’s temple and then eases back and clambers to his feet, retrieving Benihime on his way up. “I’ll buy you time. Catch up when you can.”

Ichigo nods, and Kisuke steps away, finally letting Unohana take his place. He starts walking, and the Shinigami in his way automatically part for him. There’s Kaien, whom Kisuke vaguely recalls as the one who tried to get his attention and almost paid for it with his hand.

Kisuke might apologize later.

Then there’s Yoruichi with Suì-Fēng at her side, Rose and Love look like they’ve just arrived, and Matsumoto stands a few feet away, her arm around Fujiwara’s shoulders. Hachigen is farthest away, hands pressed together and a yellow barrier erected around them. A handful of battered-looking seated officers Kisuke never bothered remembering the names of complete the ensemble, and up above, Kyouraku and Lisa are keeping Aizen at sword-point.

Or at least Aizen is allowing them to keep him at sword-point. It’s about time Kisuke changes that.

He strides forward. Three feet and he’s shrugged out of his captain’s haori. Five feet and he’s dropped it behind him. Seven feet and his hat follows. He’s in full Shinigami garb today, all black uniform and flat sandals meant for fast and easy movement.

“Open it,” He orders in placid tones as he approaches the barrier, and Hachigen wastes no time releasing one wall of the barrier.

The moment Kisuke steps out and looks up, Aizen glances down and smiles like he’s been waiting for this.

“Urahara Kisuke,” He calls out with his trademark mockery lilting each syllable. “You should keep a closer eye on your-”

Kisuke disappears from the ground and reappears behind Aizen, Benihime angled for the man’s heart. Aizen dodges, but he also has to stop talking, and he doesn’t see the glint of silver in Kisuke’s other hand before the dagger sinks to the hilt in the soft flesh just above Aizen’s hip.

“Hadou #11,” Kisuke intones as Aizen’s smile thins. “Tsuzuri Raiden.”

An electric current sparks and crackles down the hilt just as Aizen wrenches himself off the blade and Shunpos away to safety.

He’s still smiling when Kisuke looks over. The injury is already healing with the power of the Hogyoku even as blood drips from the dagger in Kisuke’s hand, and yet something uneasy lurks in the tightness around his eyes, like he wasn’t expecting Kisuke to attack him so ruthlessly.

Kisuke hasn’t the faintest idea why. Everybody knows which military organization groomed him after all.

Ah well. He’ll learn.

Kisuke tosses the blade aside, then twists his fingers together, activating the seal he planted underneath the Tsuzuri Raiden just as he recites, “Bakudou #61, Rikujoukourou,” and six beams of light bursts from the newly healed wound in Aizen’s side, enveloping him in a brief burst of yellow before settling evenly around his midsection and paralyzing him to the spot.

Aizen looks momentarily surprised before his usual confidence slides back into place. “Do you think such a simple Bakudou can capture me?”

Kisuke huffs out a breath that’s barely a shadow of his usual laugh. “Capture you? I don’t want to capture you, Aizen-san.”

He brings Benihime up with a deliberate sort of careless grace, and this time, for the first time in this time, when he looks at Aizen Sousuke, the Shinigami is no longer smiling. Maybe he finally sees the rage in Kisuke’s eyes, pulsing with every breath he takes and every beat of his heart.

“I just need you to stay still for a bit,” Kisuke explains lightly, and behind him, her reiatsu jolting with an abrupt sort of urgency, he can hear Yoruichi yell for Kyouraku and Lisa to get back, right now.

“Bankai,” Kisuke commands, and distantly he hears the triumphant laughter of his Benihime’s bloodlust. She laughs, and he smiles. “Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame.”

#bleach #uraichi #urahara kisuke #kurosaki ichigo #myscrap #uraichi in sp verse #msg #anonymous

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akaluan · 6 years

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I was reading through all your drabbles (to sustain myself on Kaito stories, because I just wanna give that kid all the hugs), and I read the one where the three spirits are pulled out of his head and Ichigo and Ishida discover the truth. I enjoyed that concept, but I kept thinking about that. How would Kaito feel without those three in his head? With Ichigo now free essentially to leave if he wished? Would it be too quiet? Would his abandonment issues come screaming back? What're your thoughts?

Okay, so not entire what you were probably expecting as an answer, but! Have a drabble I wrote today~

The silence in his head was almost deafening, Kaito admitted as he dropped to sit on the ground and lean against a wall. He hadn’t really been able to think /too/ much about it during the initial chaos of chasing after Muramasa and trying to put the rogue Zanpakutou down along with his equally rogue — and equally insane — former wielder, but now that everything was almost cleared up?

Now the emptiness was a jagged hole in him that refused to close and refused to be ignored.

Ichigo dropped to sit at his right side, leaning heavily against him, while Shiro took his other side and Zangetsu gracefully sat in front of him, bracketing him in away from anyone who would dare to approach.

“This is weird,” Ichigo finally spoke up.

“No fuckin’ kiddin’,” Shiro muttered into Kaito’s shoulder. “Also, I’m fuckin’ tired.”

“I don’t remember this being so annoying when we had to deal with it.” Ichigo stretched a bit and leaned more heavily against Kaito. He pulled the blue oni mask from his head and fiddled with it, spinning it so that the red stripes blurred together. “Also, masks. These are really annoying.”

“But necessary if you want no one else to recognize you,” Zangetsu reminded them.

Kaito grunted and jabbed Shiro in the side, making the Hollow grumble and shift in a position more comfortable for Kaito. “Bad enough I’ve got /three/ spirits hanging around me.”

Zangetsu shot Kaito a faintly sheepish expression, then shrugged. “I tried?”

“I know, thank you,” Kaito agreed. Zangetsu had kept at a distance for at least part of the chaos, but the Quincy spirit was a bit too invested in him to leave him be completely. There had been more than one instance of a Quincy arrow striking an enemy at a critical moment, and Kaito had taken advantage of every one of them. “Still, Ukitake and Kyoraku are going to have… /questions/.”

“Will it actually be too bad, though?” Ichigo asked.

Kaito frowned a bit, unsure. The two Captains had accepted Shiro without too much trouble, especially once Kaito had explained at least some of what the Hollow was to him. He was pretty sure they were under the assumption that Hollowfication of a Shinigami produced a dual blade, mirrored Shinigami and Hollow, and he… hadn’t really disabused them of that notion. He hadn’t supported it, either, which they were a bit too old and wily to have missed.

So… he wasn’t sure. Would being a partial Quincy be the final nail in the coffin of acceptance? He had no answers for that.

“Think we can finally go back?” Ichigo gave up on getting an answer to his previous question and instead aimed a new one at the other two spirits. “Muramasa’s dealt with, so… his powers should have run out, right?”

The words jolted Kaito out of his thoughts, and he gave Ichigo a wary look. “You don’t… want to just… stay out?”

Shiro growled and used the horns of his mask to jab Kaito in the side. “Idjit. Course we don’t. We’re yer fuckin’ spirits, an’ we don’t belong out fer this long.”

Ichigo gave him a sheepish smile and a nod, “Shiro’s right. It’s… it’s nice being out like this, but…” He made a wordless noise and gestured vaguely with the hand holding his mask, unable to put his feelings into words.

“This ain’t our world,” Shiro continued. “It’s yer world, an’ its yer friends, an’ seriously fuck tryin’ t’live like a human.”

Kaito gave a hollow, broken laugh, not sure how to feel. On the one hand, he was relieved that they wanted to return to him, but on the other… on the other hand it still felt like he was tearing Ichigo’s choice away from him.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Ichigo told him softly, gripping Kaito’s hand with his own. “Shinigami… they’re supposed to be able to manifest their spirits, right? That’s how bankai training usually works, instead of through the shortcut we used. So… just learn how to do that, okay? Then we can be out if we feel like it, or /not/ if we don’t, and it’s our choice.”

That was not the suggestion he had expected to hear. “Are… you sure?” Kaito couldn’t help but ask as he stared at Ichigo, wary and afraid of what he might see in his friend’s expression.

“I’m sure,” Ichigo told him firmly. “Having some freedom… that would be nice, and I’d really like that, but I’m /not/ going to leave you alone. I’m not, Kaito. Please, trust me on that.”

“Yer stuck with us, Koneko-chan.” Shiro grinned at him. “Y’give us plenty a’tention, an’ y’don’t make us do e’rything for ya, an’ y’listen jes fine. I ain’t got no complaints. You guys?”

Zangetsu shook his head. “None.”

“Same,” Ichigo agreed. “Looks like you’re stuck with us.”

Kaito’s smile was small, twisted with bemusement and disbelief. He wasn’t sure how much he believed Ichigo’s words, but… he would take them. He would take them, because he was a selfish, terrible man, and the idea of living without these three gave him chills and made him want to /die/. He could never return to the teen he had once been, and he never /wanted/ to even try to do so.

If Ichigo was willing to accept his selfishness, Kaito would treasure that for as long as the other allowed.

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entergamingxp · 4 years

Text

Bloodstained’s Zangetsu and Randomizer Are a Mixed Bag of Replayability

May 18, 2020 11:30 AM EST

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night received two of its promised stretch goal DLCs, with one being far superior to the other.

Earlier this month, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night got the long-awaited Zangetsu and Randomizer modes in a free update on PS4, PC, and Xbox, and while they are both fun, one is superior to the other. As a bit of history, two of the stretch goals for Bloodstained‘s Kickstarter were to get the demon-hunting samurai, Zangetsu, as a playable character and another being a roguelike mode that would randomize the castle each time you played. Unfortunately, due to issues that arose while the team tried to implement the roguelike features, it was deemed impossible and the direction was changed to the new Randomizer Mode.

First up, the Zangetsu Mode, unfortunately, is the disappointing portion of this DLC pack. The idea of being able to run around the castle in Bloodstained as a demon-hunting samurai voiced by Solid Snake (aka David Hayter) is tantalizing, and in that regard, it’s just as good as you imagined it would be. Every attack and move that you saw him use in the main game against you are now at your disposal. From charging up your blade with different elements to dashing through enemies leaving pillars of flame behind, they are now all yours. Controlling Zangetsu and slaying all the demons is a blast.

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The disappointment sets in though soon after you realize just how much has been stripped away from Bloodstained in this mode, making it feel more like a fan-made concept more than an officially released mode. Gone are all the NPCs in the town, all the treasure chests to find stuff in, any sort of customization, alchemy, or anything that makes it a Metroidvania. With treasure chests gone, you will often stumble upon empty rooms, because they held an item previously, and even though enemies still drop coins, you have nothing to spend your earnings on. With the townsfolk gone, so are all the quests that you could spend time with. Every door is unlocked from the start, and you can access all areas with the skillset you start with. The abilities you start with are the only ones you have and need throughout the whole experience, with even access to items and food denied to you.

Duals you would have with Zangetsu in the story mode as Miriam in the main game are unchanged, leaving you to fight a doppelganger. The rest of the boss encounters are lackluster as well, missing the banter and conversations you usually get while playing as Miriam. With your demon-hunting moves, even late-game bosses are a cinch at lower levels. The whole experience just feels hollow after the novelty of Zangetsu wears off. With this coming nearly a year after Bloodstained‘s release, I would have hoped that after such a wait, we could at least expect for maybe some unique moves we hadn’t seen before or some sort of customization. The lack of any new dialogue or new lore to flesh out this exciting world is a shame. There aren’t even new trophies or achievements for the hunters out there to try for. Had this been released shortly after launch, the shallow nature of this mode would be far more excusable, but at this point, it seems more like an insult. Zangetsu Mode is a fun romp for a short time, but it just stings that it could have been so much more, and should have been. So much has been stripped away that I found it hard to stay interested for more than an hour. The saving grace is that this is free.

“Zangetsu Mode is a fun romp for a short time, but it just stings that it could have been so much more, and should have been.”

Luckily, the DLC finds its salvation with the Randomizer Mode, which allows players to start up a brand new playthrough (as Miriam only). When you start up a randomized playthrough, you can select from a variety of options that will mix up the game, from what items and shards enemies drop, the contents of treasure chests, to even where the save and teleport rooms are. From the creation screen, it will generate a seed, which serves as a unique code that tells the game what is randomized and where things are at, letting you share the code with friends so you can all play the same experience.

Randomizers are great ways to get more life out of games, and as I mentioned previously, I love them. It tests you as the player to think on your feet and problem solve each time, removing previous knowledge of the whereabouts of things. The way that the Bloodstained team incorporated it here–giving players direct control over what gets shuffled–is a perfect way to ease those unfamiliar with this style of modification (or who may not have an in-depth knowledge of the game) to get into things. The care put into it this mode shows. There is so much replayability with the randomizer that it accentuates the lack thereof with the Zangetsu Mode, which is a shame.

“When you start up a randomized playthrough, you can select from a variety of options that will mix up the game, from what items and shards enemies drop, the contents of treasure chests, to even where the save and teleport rooms are.”

These won’t be the last of the additions to Bloodstained we get. Players are still eagerly awaiting several of the promised stretch goal additions, including online multiplayer, local co-op, a boss revenge mode, and a third playable character. With very little word on any of them, hopefully it won’t be another year before we get these. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the quality and added features of these modes will be more in line with the fantastic Randomizer Mode, though.

Note: Both of these new modes are open to players once they get the True Ending, but some players have experienced a glitch where they still don’t appear at first, myself included. To fix this, you have to beat the final True Boss and see the True Ending again, and that should do the trick. Hopefully you kept your endgame save!

May 18, 2020 11:30 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/05/bloodstaineds-zangetsu-and-randomizer-are-a-mixed-bag-of-replayability/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bloodstaineds-zangetsu-and-randomizer-are-a-mixed-bag-of-replayability

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