Bleach: Unwanted Past

Chapter 3

The world of dark purple surrounds the group in a heap of remembrance. They've been through the Dangai many times before; it's nothing short of a train to get them to another place. The group has soon ignored the uneasy quietness as they follow each other to the other end, with Kisuke Urahara at the front of the line. All but the sounds of their footsteps bouncing off the purple gooey walls breaks the silence.

Ichigo Kurosaki could tell Kisuke was in a hurry. Not only that, but the worry was dripping off of him like a waterfall. So easy to tell, yet a bit surprising, given this is their first time seeing the man in green like this. The orange-haired male was worried, too. Kana helped them through thick and thin. Trying to give her life away just to save a mere human like him and his friends.

"I have lived a long life." He remembers her telling him, hunched over and holding onto her injured side. She was his shield as he sat on the ground, unable to move during Aizen's fight. "But you...you haven't, Ichigo. You still have much to learn."

The words stuck to him like super glue. After that day, he respected and looked up to the girl. He may not know much about her, but her willingness to give her life away for a stranger was something he wouldn't be able to let down about her. Nonetheless, he owes her so much after all this time.

Which brings him to this situation. Returning to the Soul Society to confront the Head Captain about the missing girl. Someone he partly fears, as strong as the man is. He could easily throw them out or kill them with a snap.

Ichigo catches up to Kisuke, running side by side with him. "So, why was she banned?" He pants from the running. He swears the Dangai gets longer and longer with each visit.

Kisuke side glances at him. "I already told you; Kana never explained why."

Ichigo smirks. "And yet, you're the only person she talks to. There's no way she didn't tell you once she received her memories."

A small smile graces Kisuke's lips. "You've been catching on quick," he says, "Kana told me the Head Captain did it for one particular reason."

"I remember..." She quietly says to her friend. He sat patiently, waiting for her to continue. "Right before he took my memories...he said it was for the greater good. He said that my power was too strong for the Soul Society and that I needed to control it to come back home."

Kisuke could feel how she felt at that very moment. She doesn't shed tears very often, and seeing them run down her cheeks made his heartache. More so than he'd like to admit. She was broken, her pieces falling down a pit where no one could catch them. She was confused and angry about what her grandfather had done to her. Her only family threw her away like it was nothing.

"That's quite a stupid reason." Uryuu comments. The other three have caught up to them, listening to the conversation.

"Couldn't they have trained her there?" Orihime chimes in.

Kisuke chuckles at their comments. "Trust me; she's a lot stronger than you think. She doesn't quite know her strength, either."

Chad hums in thought. "Besides that, if she was too powerful for the Soul Society, wouldn't she be too powerful for Kurakara Town as well?"

Ichigo stares at Kisuke with that thought in mind. "Chad's got a point."

The man in green feels a gust of wind whisk by. He holds his hat down to ensure it wouldn't fly away. "I wonder that, too. Maybe it's because he knows I'm here to watch over her."

"So then...how did she get kidnapped if she's so strong?" The orange-haired girl brings up a good point. One that all four of them wandered.

"That's exactly why..." Kisuke starts, his eyes focused on the bright light getting closer to them, "this is so serious."