Ichigo and Uryū quickly devise a training routine on the way to the palace. They've got three days to prepare for war. If they do this right, three days should be plenty. It's Keigo and Mizuiro that worries the ginger in terms of battle, but he's got an idea for that.
Rukia declares that she'll over look training while Ichigo and Uryū get some one-one-one. Yeah, they got the wrong meaning with that phrasing. They stop outside the palace doors to stare at her.
"You want to use your mother's cross. That's why you carry it everywhere with you, right?" She asks.
Subconsciously, Ichigo holds the cross up to look at. There's something sad and reminiscing about this cross. It brings him both comfort and confliction at once. It also reminds him of his mother's death. Reminds him of her image being used in the clutches of the Grand Fisher. She was merely a pawn to that monster. And that Hollow bastard got away.
"Yes and no. It's also a reminder, I guess, but I would like to learn how to use it," Ichigo confesses.
"A reminder for what?" Uryū asks not unkindly.
"How my mother died."
The silence is suffocating. Uryū and Rukia share a concerned look that gives Ichigo chills.
"That's not what I meant," Ichigo says nervously. "I just want to not end up how she did is all."
"A puppet for a Hollow?" Rukia quirks an eyebrow, concern still there.
"I guess. My Hollows aren't going to do that to me. I'm more worried about Aizen."
"So not a Hollow. A monster," Uryū corrects.
"Basically."
The Quincy nods. "I'll teach you how to use the cross."
Ichigo and Rukia already knew he would, but the confidence and determination in his voice is a nice touch. It means he's serious about it. Rukia shoos the two off, and she gathers the rest of the fracción inside.
"Where the hell are we supposed to go?" Ichigo grumbles.
"Outside? There has to be some kind of courtyard here, right?"
"I guess we'll find out."
Ichigo whips up an in-world-garganta, and the two step through it. The smaller garganta reveals the fake blue sky of the dome of Las Noches. They are outside for sure, but they stand on top of a pillar. It's quite large, bigger than the fracción quarters and it's flat.
"I'm not sure this is good enough. We need a target of some kind," Uryū states.
They survey the outside of Las Noches, walking around the pillar for a better angle. The ground is, of course, sand, and it looks to be abandoned. Ichigo narrows his eyes on a courtyard. And Uryū is right again, that know-it-all. The courtyard is made of the same white stone Las Noches is, and there are hip tall walls surrounding it. There are stairs leading to the courtyard from the sand and more stairs on the other side leading to a door inside.
"What about that?" Ichigo points.
Uryū hums. "Yeah, actually. Wait, where is that exactly?"
"What do you mean?"
"We should probably make sure we aren't destroying someone else's property," the Quincy deadpans.
"Oh. Yeah."
Ichigo focuses, channeling his Reiatsu and using it to find Rukia's. He finds her in an instant.
"This is our palace," the ginger confirms.
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FanfictionWhen Ichigo shows no interest to Shinji's lures of joining the Vizard, the group of ex-Shinigami end up taking to slightly extreme measures. Ichigo is now being held against his will, and refuses to do what is told of him. One day, he overhears his...
