Chapter Thirty-Two: What Must Come, Will Come (Part I)

Chapter 32: What Must Come, Will Come (Part 1)

After finishing his explanation to Ichigo regarding the Quincy, the history of their hatred toward the Soul Reapers, and their eventual demise, Shuster treated him to dinner and then walked him out of the hotel.

"Well then, goodbye! Take good care of Rukia for me, Ichigo!" Shuster called out, waving his hand.

"No problem!" Ichigo replied over his shoulder, his mind naturally unable to grasp the deeper meaning behind those words.

Watching Ichigo walk away, Shuster gave a faint smile and looked up at the moon, muttering, "That was likely the last time we’ll ever meet."

Standing on the second floor, Lolita watched Ichigo’s departing figure through the window with a wry smile. If it weren't for the fact that this was their final meeting, she would have made him pay for interrupting her plans earlier.

Once Shuster returned to the room, changes began to unfold in Karakura Town...

...

Above Karakura Town, a Senkaimon gate slowly opened. A short-haired man draped in a white silk scarf stepped out, took a deep breath, and looked down at the city below. "So, this is the place? I have arrived, brother..."

"Now then, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, where shall we begin our search?" He sensed the surrounding spiritual currents; there were eight areas with high spiritual pressure nearby.

"Renji."

"Here!"

"Begin the search at the nearest location." With that, Byakuya Kuchiki vanished from the spot.

"...As expected of a captain. His power has only grown in recent years..." Abarai Renji whispered to himself, watching the spot where Byakuya had stood.

...At the hotel where Shuster was staying...

"Oh? Have they arrived?" Shuster looked up, having just sensed two new spiritual pressures.

"Sigh, it's time to go," Lolita said as she stood up and began packing.

"It is time to return. But before that, I must ensure that idiot stays away from here. Stay here; I’ll be right back. Go wait for me at the park!" Shuster stood up and vanished. Even without his energy, his realm remained; the space would open for him regardless.

Shuster appeared before the Kurosaki residence.

"Hah, the last time I’ll see this place. Very well... Five-Element Barrier, triple output, activate!" A five-colored barrier enveloped the Kurosaki home before slowly fading into invisibility.

"Time to go. Goodbye!" He said softly toward the light still shining in the second-floor window, and then he vanished.

...

"Is it done, brother?" Seeing Shuster appear before her, Lolita stood up from the park bench.

"Yes, let's go." They nodded at each other and walked side-by-side along the street in front of the park.

"Tell me, how do you think they’ll greet us?" Lolita suddenly asked with a smile.

"Oh, that’s easy—they’ll drop from the sky and slash down at us! Just like this..." Shuster extended a finger, pointing at a shadow in the sky.

*Clang!* Two katanas locked together, throwing off sparks.

"Long time no see, Renji," Shuster said, holding back Abarai Renji’s Zanpakuto with his *Blood Dance Moon-Spinner*.

"Same here! Kuchiki-senpai, I never imagined you would end up like this. What am I supposed to do now?" Though Renji was surprised that the man had blocked his strike using a human gigai instead of dodging, he pulled back his blade to offer a greeting.

"So, have the pursuers from the Soul Society arrived? Heh, I didn't think a dead man like me would be worth such a grand effort, brother," Shuster said, keeping his head bowed.

Amidst the swirling cherry blossoms, Byakuya Kuchiki appeared behind Shuster and Lolita. "Shuster."

*Clang!* Shuster blocked the blade aimed at his back and pulled Lolita close. "Yes, you have another younger sister now. Aren't you going to greet her?"

"Is that so?" Byakuya cast a cold glance at Lolita and performed a formal aristocratic greeting appropriate for a relative.

"Brother Byakuya, my name is Lolita Kuchiki. Please take care of me." Lolita returned the gesture.

"..." Byakuya said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.

"So, Renji, aren't you here to capture us? Let's go, then!" Though he knew the success rate was low, Shuster decided to try.

"I’d like that, but passing Soul Reaper powers to a human is a grave sin! Kuchiki-senpai, even though you have been missing for six years, now that we know you are alive, you are no longer a 'dead man.' While our primary mission is to bring you back, if we kill the person who stole your powers, your sentence will surely be lightened," Renji said earnestly.

"Is that so? Heh heh heh..." Shuster shook with laughter. Lolita let out a soft chuckle as well.

"...What are you laughing at?" Renji looked at them, confused.

"Well, since you haven't discovered it yet, never mind. In any case, I am a man returning to be executed; there is no need to drag an innocent soul into this. So, let’s just— *Urgh!*" Before he could finish, Shuster spat out a mouthful of blood. His Five-Element Barrier had been forcibly shattered, causing a backlash.

"Brother!" Lolita caught him, blue light glowing in her hands.

"I'm fine. It’s just... Urahara, is it..." Shuster looked toward the direction of the Kurosaki house and muttered.

"Sigh," Lolita sighed helplessly.

"Hm? This spiritual pressure... it’s at the seated officer level, nearing that of a lieutenant..." Renji remarked, sensing the distant energy.

"Forget that for now. Kuchiki-senpai, if you won't reveal who stole your spiritual power, you aren't leaving today." Renji lunged at Shuster, who was still being supported by Lolita.

*Clang!* Lolita held her *Blood Dance Moon-Spinner* against Renji's blade, but his sheer strength was overwhelming.

"I’m surprised by your arm strength, but there is still a gap between you and Kuchiki-senpai! Hah!" Renji exerted force, knocking Lolita aside. She was forced away from Shuster, leaving him caught in the middle.

Without anyone to lean on, Shuster grabbed a nearby railing and sighed. He lamented Ichigo’s fate, which was unfolding just as in the original story, and he sighed that his barrier being broken had left him with no combat power. Lolita had not yet fully synchronized with her body, leaving her at less than eighty percent of her true strength, and he himself had nine-tenths of his energy sealed...

"In terms of swordsmanship, I can say for sure you are no match for me, Miss Kuchiki. But what can you do without spiritual pressure?" Renji suddenly unleashed his spiritual pressure, blasting Lolita away, and brought his blade down while she was defenseless.

"Look out!" Shuster cried.

*Whoosh!* A beam of blue light cut through the air with a piercing whistle, forcing Renji to retreat several steps.

"Who’s there?" Renji’s eyes turned cold as he watched a figure approach.

"Two men armed with weapons, attacking a defenseless girl—that’s a sight that really makes me uncomfortable... I really don't like... things like this..." With steady footsteps, a young man with a bandage wrapped around his hand, carrying a plastic convenience store bag, stepped out from the shadows. As he finished his sentence, his glasses flashed with a white light, obscuring his eyes.

"Is that... Uchiha... Sasuke?" Lolita turned to look at the familiar voice, shocked. After all, they had completely forgotten about this person.

"It’s Uryu Ishida, you idiot!" Sasuke—no, Uryu Ishida—roared, then adjusted his glasses to regain his composure.

"You saw us? Who are you?" Renji asked, surprised.

"I’m just her classmate, a man who hates Soul Reapers," Uryu said, adjusting his glasses.

"Hey! Ishida, what are you doing here?" Lolita asked, though she already knew.

"It’s Sasuke! Ah! No, it’s Ishida! Damn it! I’m here by coincidence! If I have to say, I just happened to want to visit the 24-hour 'Sunflower Sewing' chain store, so I was passing through this area late at night," Uryu said, adjusting his glasses again. "I didn't sense the spiritual energy of a Soul Reaper and come running out of concern, nor did I bring a plastic bag from home just to have an excuse... Never mind, it's not like I meant to startle you..." Uryu’s words were cut short by Renji swinging his blade.

"I think you’re just purely incapable of lying," Shuster, leaning against the side, wiped the blood from his mouth and quipped.

"!" Although furious that his intentions had been ruthlessly exposed, Uryu focused on the matter at hand. "Listen well, remember my name! I am Uryu Ishida! The man who will defeat you!"

"!" Feeling the provocation from a brat whose spiritual pressure didn't even reach the level of a seated officer, a vein throbbed on Renji’s forehead. He sneered, "That’s it! I’m going to kill you!"

"Let me handle this! You are no match for—" Lolita started to block Uryu, but was interrupted by a figure who hadn't moved until now.

"Lolita, is it? Please stand aside and watch..." With a calm voice and a firm tone, Byakuya Kuchiki walked up to her.

"..." Outmatched, what else could she do? Lolita helplessly lowered her *Blood Dance Moon-Spinner* and returned to Shuster’s side.

"Sigh, let it be. It’s no longer within my control..." Shuster looked up at the gathering dark clouds in the sky and let out a helpless sigh.

...

"Damn it! Urgh!" Uryu fell to the ground in frustration; losing to a Soul Reaper was a stain on a Quincy’s pride.

"Next, I’ll deliver the finishing blow! Before you die, remember my name... Abarai Renji! The name of the man who killed you... nice to meet you!" Renji swung his blade down with all his might.

*BOOM!* The ground where Renji stood collapsed into a massive crater.

An orange, spiky-haired youth stood there, holding a massive blade twenty centimeters wide in his hand, dressed in a black shihakusho. Ichigo Kurosaki had arrived.

PS: Readers, please use your brains. This isn't a brainless story. Aside from the protagonist, everyone else has an IQ above nine. Every character is flesh and blood. While the story centers on the protagonist, the side characters aren't idiots either! They all have their own thoughts.