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Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love. 

Note : Bleach is a show I love, but because of all the filler it was one that I kept coming back to on and off for years. I’ve recently had a resurgence of interest due to the introduction of the new series, and decided to give a crossover that’s been buzzing in my head a try. 

Note : It really shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point that this is a Harry x Multi story. 

Note : Time works funny in the Soul Society and I’m not sure if they ever explained that in the manga, so I’m working on the idea that time moves more slowly over there. 

-Also, with how out of phase the Soul Society is, I’ve had a little fun with upgrading their “areas of responsibility”.

Chapter One - A World Beyond Our Own

Harry sat alone at the top of the astronomy tower at Hogwarts and stared blankly up at the stars. They were so clear from this height, so beautiful, and not for the first time he felt as though they were calling to him. As he clutched one shaking hand tight to his abdomen, feeling the measure of crimson fluid escaping despite his efforts to hold it in, he wished desperately that he could answer. That he could ask what it was they were trying to say, what message he was blessed enough to be receiving from the heavens. 

The battle had been… difficult to say the least. In spite of Voldemort’s exorbitant numbers advantage, the Hogwarts wizards and Order of the Phoenix had maintained the fortress that was the school as well as the high ground. That last had especially come in handy considering the wards of the school prevented apparition from the outside to the inside, forcing the death eaters and their monster allies to run uphill to the bridge and the main gates where they entered a veritable killing ground. Eventually though, after heavy losses, the dark forces had made it inside and a full pitched battle had begun. For a long time Harry had been in the thick of it, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back with his friends and mentors, but when Voldemort’s snake had showed itself he’d branched off to take its head. 

The other horcruxes, including the diadem, had already been dealt with by that point, and just as he’d planned the moment the great anaconda died, Voldemort himself had entered the fray with the fires of wrath in his eyes. An angry opponent is a sloppy one, as Hermione was so want to tell him, and that final battle proved no different. 

For two hours Harry and the dark lord flitted amongst the halls, classrooms, and towers, meeting spell with spell, battle transfiguration with battle transfiguration, and death curses with bombarda’s and cutting hexes. Harry had long ago ceased using the disarming spell. Experience had taught him that putting an enemy down was far preferable to giving them the chance to get back up again. They were evenly matched, despite the odds. The dark lord had a wider repertoire of spells and decades of dueling experience, yet even with a resurrected body he was old, infirm, and Harry was faster and stronger than he could hope to match. It became a clear matter of experience versus endurance. 

Eventually though, they finally reached the end of their epic contest in the astronomy tower. Voldemort finished a complicated spellchain with one last drilling curse that finally managed to puncture Harry’s shield, taking him in the abdomen and punching hard up through his ribs. 

Sensing victory, the evil wizard had taken a moment to gloat, holding his wand in a lazy fashion as he began to monologue about the inevitability of this outcome. It was the chance Harry needed. Swallowing his pain and letting it fuel him, he swung his wand forward, and cast the last spell he ever desired to see leave the tip of his wand, “Avada kedavra.” 

Voldemort’s eyes grew huge as the massive beam of emerald light rocketed toward his face, and true to form his instincts kicked in to raise his own wand to counter with a spell of his own, but even as the brother wand effect kicked in and the attacks merged together, Harry’s green light overpowered that of the defensive red. The boy who lived’s attack had too much literal pain, anger, and victorious delight held within to ever be withstood, and it was further backed with the conviction of knowing it would be the last spell he ever cast. 

In but a few seconds the only light that remained was his own, and soon enough it fully consumed the dark light in its verdant brilliance. When it too finally faded away all that remained in its wake was a shriveled up black cloak and a knobbed wand that slowly rolled across the floor to his falling hand as if it had a mind of its own. By then the young man was too tired to care. Harry had stumbled laughing into the nearest wall, and slid down it to end up in his current position, sat on the floor, and staring with wonder at the night sky. He found himself suffering the realization that he was no longer feeling any pain, and that the effort of holding his hand to his wound was proving too much to keep maintaining, the limb falling limply to his side to allow the blood flow unmitigated access back out of his body. That was bad right? He thought it was supposed to be at least. But wait, what was he thinking again? His thoughts were getting thick, sluggish, and the dim light around him was getting ever and ever dimmer as the seconds ticked on. 

Was this it? Was he dying? He’d always imagined that the end would be a bright flash of emotion and power, a true rage against the coming of the night. He smiled at the thought, it was his and Hermione’s favorite poem. Instead, it almost felt… like… falling…. asleep… His head lolled down until his chin was resting on his chest, and Harry Potter breathed no more. 

Had anyone else been present that night they’d have witnessed something remarkable after the boy who lived breathed his last. Though his body lay prone, movement was clear to behold. A shimmering hooded cloak of black descended upon his shoulders, a ring of burnished silver with a clouded ruby flowed onto the fourth finger of his right hand, and the wand in his hand began to glow with an inner flame before sticking to his dead palm and morphing in shape. A moment later the objects, and the body they were attached to, disappeared. They were never seen in England again. 

Soul Society - District Eighty

Harry expected wide open fields, his parents smiling faces waiting to greet him, and an eternity of bliss. Instead he awoke to a blazing sun, tree branches waving overhead, and the sound of angry voices arguing incomprehensibly far off in the distance. That was funny. The last thing he remembered was bleeding out after fighting the greatest foe of his life. Wasn’t heaven supposed to follow something like that? He sat up groggily and made to wipe at his eyes to try and wake up in full, only to smack his head with something hard. 

“Ow!” He proclaimed, coming fully awake at once. He glared down at his hand and took note of something strange. When had he picked up a sword? Though he was inexperienced in such matters, the weapon had a strange yet eye-catching beauty to it. The hilt was a long length of wood wrapped in an intricate mesh of crimson cloth. The pommel appeared to be a flat disk of gold, and the scabbard was smooth black ash if he was any judge. Pulling the sheath out enough to see the blade revealed an entrancing sight of metallic swirls that he associated with damascus steel. 

“Hello, beautiful.” He mumbled. “Just what are you?”

He was understandably shocked when a feminine voice chuckled merrily in his head, {I believe the Chinese call me a Jian, but I thank you for the compliment.} 

“What? Who said that?” Harry spun around to search for the speaker, and found that his surroundings had changed once more. Instead of the glenn he’d woken in he was now standing in the great hall of a dark castle. “What is this?”

{Your mind.} The voice returned, and he spun once more to meet it, this time being confronted with the clear form of a woman contained in a black silk robe and hood that obscured her features. {And it is quite sparse at the moment. I shall have to begin decorating at once.}

“W-Who are you?”

She tilted her head. “I have had many names, and forms, but most recently I was the wand, cloak, and ring that you collected.”

“Then you’re… you’re Death?”

The stranger chuckled into her hand, a dainty thing of pale skin and pink nails. {Oh, heavens no. Or… at least not quite. I believe that I am a miniscule part of him.}

“I don’t understand.” And Harry meant it. This entire situation was starting to make him feel very uncomfortable. 

The woman saw this and rushed to ease his worries. {You need not be afraid. I could no sooner harm you than I could myself. You see, by collecting all three parts of me you have become my master, and for my part, I have merged with your soul. This creates a bit of a conundrum. You see, normally that would mean I keep you alive for all eternity. I cannot kill what I serve after all, except you had only just died when our merging was complete. Thus it was your pure soul that I combined with instead of your body.}

“What does that mean?”

{I was just getting to that. Because of our bond, you are neither alive nor truly dead. You are in between. Oh don’t make that face, there are countless others in the same boat. This entire realm we now inhabit is one such gathering point for them though there are others. I have brought you to the Soul Society. A place where the souls of the dead are brought to await their chance at rebirth and reincarnation. Sadly it can take a while for most. Oftentimes several centuries.}

“Why?”

{The varying dimensions of creation are large, but not infinite. If every soul reincarnated the moment they died and crossed over then every resource that exists would be consumed in a matter of seconds to provide for them. It wouldn’t be sustainable to the balance of creation. Thus these waypoints in the cosmic order exist.}

Harry rubbed his face and nodded. Though he hated to admit it, this made sense, and it was just his luck. Of course he would die and end up somewhere other than where he wanted to be. “So what is there for me now? Can I go back to see my friends?”

{It is unlikely they would be able to see or hear you in your current state. On top of that we are on the far side of the world to them now. It was here that my pieces were first separated and scattered, so it is in this place that we have landed. On a modern map the closest mortal plane is Japan. Your best bet is to start life anew here, and I have done all that I can to give you your best chance.}

“How so?”

The hood raised slightly and Harry beheld a pair of blood-red lips turned up in a smile. {Harry, we are one now, and I would not have you be less than you could be. The highest level of society down here are the Soul Reapers, or the Shinigami as many refer to them, and it would behoove you to join their ranks. If nothing else, they have the best food and lodgings around.}

“What do they do?”

{They protect the mortal world from hollows.} Heading off his inevitable next question she elaborated, {Hollows are spirits that have surrendered to their pain, rage, and misery, and end up existing only to feed their insatiable hunger for life by consuming the living and innocent spirits of the recently deceased. Soul Reapers exorcize them, and escort the dead to this plane of existence.}

“Hm,” Harry thought about it and moved over to a nearby bench, sitting down for a moment with his thoughts. “I thought my days of helping people were done. I gave everything for my friends and the Magical World. Haven’t I done enough?”

The spirit’s smile became downright warm and she moved swiftly in front of him to take his hands. {Of course you have, Harry. But we are connected now, which means we both know you would find rest and relaxation to be boring and dull. Furthermore, you enjoy helping others in your own way. Free of being forced to by that fool Dumbledore I think you could find true purpose and happiness here.}

“You really think so?”

{I do. It will be hard at first, and you’ll no doubt need to carve out a niche of your own, the shinigami are far too structured in their current state for your immediate liking, but yes you can find a place here.}

Harry looked at their clasped hands and commented, “All of this comfort and reassurance, and I do not even know what to call you.”

The smile never slipped from her face as she answered, “As I said, I have had many names, but you may call me Tiamat. It is what serves me most in this form. Now, the sword you hold is my physical form in this world, and it will serve as a magical focus for you as well as granting you even greater power. Hold still, and I will show you how to use it.}

“What?” Harry wanted to ask more, but a moment later the woman released his hand and clamped both of her own on either side of his head. At once the wizard’s mind was filled with endless memories of stabbing, slicing, parrying, and images of magical feats beyond anything he’d imagined before. When it was all said and done he gripped the hilt of the Jian once more and it felt as natural as if he’d been doing it all of his life.

Tiamat took note of his look of wonder and said simply, {I would not let my master wield me without the knowledge of how to do so well. Shinigami frequently patrol the streets of the towns in these districts. When next you see one challenge him or her to a duel. Should you win they will be honor bound to take you back to their base so that you may train to join their ranks.}

“Just like that?”

{Just like that. Worst case scenario I suppose we could just invade their complex and demand a spot amongst them, but let’s try the diplomatic approach first.}

“Alright, how do I do this?” All around him the world changed back to what it was before, the castle of his mind falling back to the trees and grass. Directly in front of him was a town in the middle of a rural area, and people could be seen milling about in all directions. 

{I’d recommend going for a stroll. Who knows what you might find?}

So that’s just what Harry did. He got some strange looks from the people he passed once he reached the town, and small wonder, from what he could tell he was the only westerner here. Tiamat must have been right about different places having their own versions of the Soul Society. He was all set to start asking people if they’d seen any Soul Reapers lately, when a random teen body was sent flying out through the air from a nearby alley. A few seconds later it was followed by an apparent teenager who seemed about Harry’s age with a chipped sword resting on his shoulder. 

The stranger seemed all set to follow his apparent victim when he noticed Harry, and the sheathed blade in his hand. A dark grin crossed his face and he proclaimed, “Finally! A real challenge!” And launched himself at the westerner. 

The fight that followed put them both to the test and ended with the two of them lying side by side on the road gasping for breath as a crowd of onlookers stood as far back from them as was possible. Thanks to Tiamat, Harry had enough mental knowledge of swordcraft to be one of the deadliest men alive with a blade. Unfortunately, his body had not built up the muscle memory to use it all effectively yet. In contrast, the stranger had intense natural instincts and strength, but no finesse or fine skill. It had turned into a battle of endurance, and the two had ended up being rather evenly matched in that regard. 

“Hey,” in spite of his current circumstances, Harry couldn’t deny that he’d enjoyed pushing himself as he had. And his opponent’s face during the clash of swords had just been so earnest and open. There were no ulterior motives with him, no agenda, he genuinely wanted to fight because he enjoyed it. There was a kind of purity there. “What’s your name?”

“Zaraki.” The guy got out between deep breaths. “I didn’t lose, ya hear me. We’re just taking a breather before round two.”

“Fine by me. I’m Harry by the way. Figure you should know who’s knocking you down.”

“In your dreams, man. Just you wait and see, I’ve got a feeling we’ll keep fighting until one of us finally beats the other into the ground.”

Two Hundred Years Later

The silence of the picturesque afternoon was broken by a massive explosion going off near the boundary of the eleventh division barracks. Byakuya groaned at the sight, and from her place serving him tea his sister asked, “What is that, big brother? It’s the eighth explosion this week.”

Byakuya Kuchiki gave Rukia a commiserating look. He had only recently brought her into his household after the death of his wife and he was still trying to figure out how best to interact with her. “That would be Captain Kenpachi of the Eleventh Division and his Vice Captain Harry Potter. The two go after each other every chance they get.”

“Why would they do that? I thought members of the officer rank could only offer  challenge for each other’s positions on specified examination dates?”

“That is true.” The man agreed, “but they are not fighting for rank privileges. Rather, they do it hoping one of them will finally win, and because they know their constant collateral damage annoys the rest of us a great deal.” Another explosion sounded and he stood up. “I suppose I should go and deal with this. My bankai is the only one that has even a chance of interrupting them.”

He was surprised when Rukia stepped right up to his side. “What are you doing?”

“You may need assistance, and I need to learn my way around.” 

Byakuya’s first instinct was to say no, but he couldn’t deny that if the girl was to be seen as a member of his house, being with him when he performed his duties could only increase her perceived regard inside the Seireitei. “Very well, but say nothing.” The regal man folded his hands into his sleeves and marched off at a steady pace toward the source of the violence. He’d made it halfway when the wall ahead of him exploded and a dark haired man crashed into the stone at his feet hard enough to carve a trench with his passing. 

It wasn’t even a second before the same man hopped to his feet, started wildly waving his sword around over his head, and shouted, “Ha! As if that would put me down, you oversized porcupine! Have at thee!” He went to charge back in, only to be stopped by Byakyua’s hand on his shoulder. 

“Vice Captain Potter, don’t you think this is a bit excessive?”

The stranger looked up, and Rukia took note of his long dark hair, bright green eyes, and the dusting of black hair along his jaw. Physically he looked like he was perhaps in his early twenties. “Oh, Byakuya, what’s up, ya surly bastard?”

The taller man groaned at the informal term of address and said, “You know exactly ‘what is up’, Harry. You’re destroying the Seireitei.”

“Now I resent that.” The man sheathed his sword at his hip and continued, “Can you point to even one structure that I’ve had a part in wrecking?” Behind him a nearby tower collapsed under the weight of a suspiciously Harry sized hole in its base. “Besides that.” Before the captain could attempt to reprimand him for his actions, Harry took note of the girl by his side and grinned suavely before literally breezing past the man to take her hand in his own. “And who are you, beautiful?”

In spite of herself, Rukia blushed as the Vice Captain pressed his lips to her hand. She was still getting used to this high class portion of the Soul Society, and was unused to such flirtation. “I-I am Rukia Kutchiki.” She managed to get out, struggling to maintain the serious bearing that everyone in her household held. 

“Rukia, a beautiful name.” He purred with a wink, only to be dragged back out of reach by the collar of his robe by her very annoyed looking older brother. 

“Stop it now, Potter. Your womanizing ways are well known and I will not have it with my sister.”

“Is this because my subordinate is hotter than yours? It’s not my fault you have a thing for red headed dudes.” 

As if summoned by the topic, a generously proportioned girl in a black kimono with her long hair pulled into a single braid marched through the rubble to gently pull Harry out of Byakuya’s grasp. 

“Vice Captain, allow me to cleanse you.” The woman shot a palm out that stopped an inch from Harry’s chest and a high powered kinetic blast of wind forced every bit of stone dust from his uniform. 

“Thank you, Nemu. Your help is much appreciated.”

“Of course, and Captain Kenpachi has sadly left the field. Apparently he was summoned to a meeting with Captain-Commander Yamamoto.”

“Of course he was.” The man sighed, “Well, if the fun is done we should be moving off.” In a blur of movement Harry was back in front of Rukia, “I hope to see you around, Ms. Rukia.” Then both he and the black haired girl were gone.

Meanwhile Byakuya was staring at the rampant devastation and lamenting the fact that no doubt he was the one that was going to be asked to deal with it. 

Elsewhere

Harry was employing one of his preferred methods of spending an afternoon, meandering around the roof of the Seireitei. Tiamat had been right when she’d said he could find a place for himself. In spite of all of his reservations he loved the direction his life had taken. He had a great position in the Soul Society, there were several friends he was close with, and when he wasn’t off fighting hollows he was free to do pretty much whatever he wanted. Of course if he was a division captain then he’d have more responsibilities to occupy his time, but he was more than happy to leave that to Kenpachi. Harry was lazy, and he owned it. He may have been denied eternal rest but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to relax. Behind him, Nemu Kurotsuchi followed at a sedate pace and watched his back. 

As she did, the woman marveled at her Vice Captain’s form, easy bearing, and general attitude. She had admired him since the day he’d saved her life, and had made it her mission to serve him in every way possible from that day forward. 

Flashback

Nemu didn’t know what day it was, or how long she’d been strapped to that table. All she knew was that this was where she had been born. It was where she was made aware of what she was. It was where her father cut her open and examined what made her tick. She was pretty sure it was where she would die as well. Mayuri, her creator, had informed her that she was not the optimal design he had envisioned, so naturally she was only living on borrowed time. But what was she to do about it, really?

With her head as restrained as the rest of her, all she could see was the swinging lamp overhead, but her ears were clear enough to hear her father muttering under his breath as he putzed around his lab, filling a tray with all the tools and equipment he’d no doubt need to carry out his latest examination of her body. That was until there came a loud crashing noise and motes of dust rose to hover in the dim light overhead. Nemu knew better than to speak up and ask what it was, but she did listen. 

“Well, well, well, Mayuri, what do we have here?” The voice was young, but powerful, full of confidence.

In contrast, her father was wary, yet fascinated. “Harry Potter, Vice Captain of the eleventh division. Why are you here?”

There was a pause, and then the other voice began to travel, was he moving? “A little birdy told me you were playing with souls, and torturing the ones you managed to create in the name of ‘science .’” The sarcasm was impossible to miss, and he’d later informed her that the spirit of his sword had somehow known of her plight. “I’m here to remove that innocent from your perverted hands and drive home the message that as long as I live such experimentation will no longer be allowed in this compound. The others here may put up with your bullshit but I’ll not have it.”

A cruel edge entered her father's voice as he answered, “You should remember which of us is a full captain, boy. And besides, how can you tell anyone when you too are strapped down as one of my experiments? Hyah!” There was a dull clang followed by a thump and a crash. Groaning in obvious pain, Mayuri demanded, “How did your skin withstand my needle? It’s sharper than the edge of a razor and harder than diamonds!?!?” 

“Fuck you, that’s how. Oh, not gonna get up? My, those twisted legs look like they’d certainly make it hard for you. Why don't you be a good little psychopath and just stay there while I address the victim.”

A second later the light overhead was blocked, and Nemu took in one of the most beautiful sights she’d ever beheld: a dark haired man with eyes of pure emerald. “Hello there, my name’s Harry Potter and I’m here to rescue you.” 

Flashback End

That had been the start of it all for her. The beginning of actually living her life. Harry had taken personal responsibility for her, and sponsored her training in the Soul Reaper Corps. Once she reached the rank of lieutenant she’d petitioned heartily to be his personal aid, and had been approved nearly at once. Her superior had tried to have Mayuri kicked out of the Soul Reapers completely after saving her, on the grounds that they existed to protect souls, not experiment on them, but sadly he’d been denied by their commander, Yamamoto. The mad scientist had proven too useful with his creations to the Society as a whole to be let go for an offense like that. He was however put on probation and warned away from ever interacting with Nemu again, and Harry had ended up taking the win rather than fighting a battle that was doomed to fail. 

Thus had begun their long service together. Hary called her his subordinate, but in truth he never really treated her that way. She was his closest confidante, his friend, an ear to bounce ideas off of, and if she had her own way then soon enough they would be much, much, more. She was no fool, she’d seen the way his eyes wandered over the women of the Seireitei, but she was more than willing to share him as long as she got a piece of her personal hero soon enough. Based on all Nemu had seen of him she knew she’d need to make the first move, but she needed to find the most opportune moment. 

“Vice Captain, where are we going exactly?”

“Oh, who knows, my lovely, adorable, subordinate. Who knows. Wherever the world takes us.” As he spoke, the hilt at his waist began to glow, and a circular portal came into being ahead of them. “Looks like it wants to take us somewhere in particular. On me, Nemu, we have some work to do.” 

Time Jump

Rukia adjusted her lieutenant patch and entered the Captain’s office of the thirteenth division. There had been much talk about the fact she’d not been entered into the same ranks as her brother, but it had been decided that there would be less accusations of favoritism this way. Ahead of her was her captain Jushiro Ukitake, coughing lightly into a handkerchief before stowing it to give her his full attention. 

“Ah, Rukia, that badge looks fitting on you. What brings you to my small domain.” He gestured to the bare expanse of his office. The man was far from a braggart and insisted he only work with what he needed. 

A loud boom came from outside, and she quirked a brow. “That. Sir, now that I’m a lieutenant I was hoping someone could tell me why exactly Captain Kenpachi and Vice Captain Potter are allowed to continue causing mayhem as they do without repercussions?” 

The silver haired man sighed and gestured to the chair across from him. “Take a seat, this might take a minute or two to explain. And you’re right, you’ve ranked high enough to know. Though I wonder if your curiosity has to do with his continued flirtations…” The man trailed off and smirked at the blush that had begun adorning his subordinate’s face. Intermittently from the day he’d first met her, Harry had been popping out of nowhere to follow her on her walks of the grounds, compliment her appearance, and even talk about the weather. She’d be a little creeped out about it if he wasn’t so damned charming. 

“Yes, well, it goes back to when the two of them first arrived at the Seireitei.”

“Arrived? They weren’t recruited?” 

“Harry said later that they searched out reapers to show their skills to, but none ever approached their district. I personally looked over the records of deployments and found that sadly he was right. Many of our poorer districts do not receive the attention they deserve.”

“That’s terrible!” She well remembered her own troubles before she was rescued by her big brother. 

“Indeed, and Harry has since made it his job to walk through them all at least once a year. Many fresh recruits have been found that way as a result. Anyway, they showed up at our gates and auditioned for entry.” The captain began to chuckle heartily at the memory. “An audition they called it. Harry snuck in somehow and opened the gate, then he and Kenpachi single handedly beat down every current student in our academy. However that was only the start. Once they were admitted they beat up their teachers for their positions, then the lieutenants, then the senior officers, and finally the captain and vice captain. What takes an average Soul Reaper centuries to achieve took them two years, tops.”

“That is remarkable.”

“Yes, especially when you consider that Kenpachi cannot perform a bankai, but Potter can.” Easily seeing the follow up question that was coming, he continued. “Yes, Harry is more powerful than Kenpachi, and yes, he lets him be captain over him. According to the young man, he’s been in a position of power before, and would rather let someone else be stuck leading this time around.”

Clearing her throat, Rukia hid her shock and stated, “That doesn’t answer why they are allowed to constantly destroy the Seireitei.”

“Oh that’s simple. No one wants to piss them off by saying they can’t.” 

“Huh?” All of the regal bearing she’d learned from Byakuya escaped at that statement. 

“Rukia, I just explained how the two of them earned their positions. They actually enjoy fighting, and Kenpachi alone would take four captains at once to have a chance of subduing him. As for Harry… Yamamoto might be able to take him down, but we aren’t quite sure.” 

“Whatever do you mean by that?”

“We don’t think he can actually die.”

Rukia blinked slowly at that statement. “Of course he can. All things die, even us. When a soul reaper is killed we are put right back into the cycle of reincarnation and born again in the land of the living.”

“Typically yes, though with him that doesn’t seem to be the case.” Ukitake folded his hands in front of him. “Harry claims that he is unable to die, that death is his companion, and he has shown enough evidence to somewhat prove it… after a fashion. Each of us Captains have at one point or another personally seen him die and come back; and no it is not regeneration. He has been killed sparring with Kenpachi, died in the service of protecting others on missions, and even just fallen headfirst off the tallest tower in the Seireitei while drunk. Every time he comes back within a few seconds, completely fine, and grumbling about nosy dragon ladies. Whatever that means.”

“That-That’s impossible.”

“Not for him. We’re pretty sure getting burned to ash by Yamamoto might actually end him for good, but for obvious reasons we aren’t very quick to check that theory. Any flame that hot would likely cause extreme collateral damage.”

“So you let those two continue to brawl throughout our home because pissing them off could make things even worse?”

“Pretty much. The lives they save far outweigh the inconvenience of having to rebuild a few walls and buildings here and there.”

“And his… flirtations towards me?” 

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s well known that Nemu has him wrapped around her finger and that he’s an incorrigible flirt. If you find him attractive too, why not see where it goes? If you don’t like the attention then simply tell him and he’ll cease at once. Rangiku did that and now the two are simply cordial comrades. No harm, no foul.” 

“I’ll think about that.” Rukia agreed. 

Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love. 

Note : For those that are unaware, an onsen is a Japanese hot spring and bathhouse. 

Chapter Two - Let’s Have A Date

The calm of the morning dawned on the Seireitei and for once it wasn’t broken by a series of explosions. So odd was that fact that many denizens of the locale woke with sheer shock to find they’d actually managed to sleep in for once. One such person was Nemu Kurotsuchi, who awoke in her bedroll and immediately went to check the room beside her own. Empty. Interesting. 

The homunculus thought it over and decided that if her superior officer wasn’t off tearing up the landscape with his best friend then there was really only one other place he might be. Quickly donning her kimono and exiting the eleventh division barracks she set a course through the streets of the facility, smirking internally at the wary way others were only now just starting to head out onto the thoroughfares once more. It was rather humorous how nervous the people seemed at the renewed peace, especially since it wasn’t likely to last for long. 

It took about half an hour to walk all the way to the first division’s area of control, and from there she hopped lithely from rooftop to rooftop until she reached the tallest structure in the vicinity. She was only partially surprised to find Lieutenant Nanao Ise waiting for her with her arms crossed. “You’re late.” The woman accused. 

“I slept in.” Nemu defended. “Are you telling me you couldn’t handle this on your own?”

Nanao grew a bit red as she answered, “I knew you’d ‘want’ to help.” And so saying she pushed in a hidden door behind her that led into her Captain’s office. The sight that met them made Nemu incredibly glad her friend had waited. Sprawled out on the floor of the office were Harry, Zaraki, and Shunsui. And they were all… naked. Indeed with all the empty sake bottles scattered around it was clear the trio had indulged in their on-again, off-again, practice of trying to drink each other under the table. No doubt at some point they’d even gotten into a game of strip poker to pass the time as well. How was that last conclusion reached? Because on further inspection of the room there were also the slumped over forms of Rangiku and Captain Soifon, and both of them were still clothed in their underwear. Both were known to be very good at cards, and the others were known for the opposite, so the present outcome was not exactly unexpected. 

Nemu purred at the sight of Harry and declared, “You were right to wait for me.”

“I’ll take mine, you take yours?” Nanao queried.

“Sure.” As one they crossed the distance, lugged their captains over their shoulders, marched back outside, and promptly threw them off the roof. Shunsui woke the moment he felt air whizzing past his face and grabbed onto the lip of one of the windows out of reflex to halt his fall. Harry, being considerably more drunk, fell the rest of the way and crashed hard into the ground head first. 

“I’ll still never get used to that.” Nanao grumbled as she saw the dust clear and watched that same man stand up as if nothing had happened. He stretched for a few moments, uncaring of the free show he was giving a group of squealing trainee girls on the ground floor, and then flash stepped back to the roof where Nemu was already holding up his robe and pants, retrieved from where they’d lain in the corner of the room. 

Harry lazily slipped his legs into the pants and threw the robe top loosely over his shoulders. “Nemu, I’m pretty sure I had a rule about killing me so early in the morning.”

“Yes, and it was that I should only do it when you’re drunk.” The homunculus answered verbatim. 

The Brit grinned, “Damned right. No hangover for this guy, woo hoo! New body for the win!” 

“Oh shut up.” Shunsui groaned as he pulled his wretched-feeling self over the lip of the roof to plop down in front of them all. “Not fair, Potter. No one should have such an easy hangover cure.”

“You call dying easy?”

“It’d be easier than how I feel right now.”

“Fair enough.” 

From inside the room Zaraki weakly called out, “Pussy!” 

“Look who’s talking!” Shunsui called back. “Who knew your ass was as spiky as your head!?!?” 

The wizard and his aid shared a look and by mutual agreement flash stepped away. That conversation was bad enough but neither wanted to be present when Soifon woke up to her own current predicament. The small woman was a flirty drunk but incredibly prudish when sober. 

So as they began strutting over the rooftops Harry, still open chested to the world, asked, “Well, what is on the agenda for today, my dear?”

“A date.” Nemu answered simply. After taking a moment to enjoy her superior’s flabbergasted expression she said, “Indeed. I have grown weary of waiting for you to make the first move and would like you to take me on an official date.”

“Huh, well alright then.” 

Nemu blinked, “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Harry smiled down at the woman and said, “It’s not that I haven’t wanted to get closer to you, Nemu. It’s that I felt weird about making a move first as your superior officer. That said, if you ask me out, then that solves the issue rather nicely. Where would you like me to take you? I assume you have a place in mind?”

The homunculus reached behind her back and seemingly from nowhere produced a rolled up magazine that she quickly presented to him. Much like every other aspect of her life she’d over prepared for that moment just to be safe. “The Shinigami Women’s Association published an article last month about the top ten places to take a special someone. I have circled four that I would very much like to attend with you, so please choose your favorite.” 

Harry took the item, more than a bit amused at Nemu’s clearly eager preparedness, and perused them before nodding. “Would you be alright if I add something after?” 

“Of course.” The brunette woman seemed rather shocked at the idea she wouldn’t take his preferences into account. “Where are we going?”

“Well it is the morning, so how about we go to this little bakery you circled in the market district. It’s supposed to have good tea and pie.”

“What is it with you and pie?” Indeed, the artificial Soul Reaper had on several occasions witnessed the man’s deep love and appreciation for the fruity treat. Honestly his appetite for the substance put even Rangiku’s legendary stomach to shame. 

Harry shrugged and looped his arm through hers, “It’s nothing, Beautiful. It merely reminds me of something I used to love when I was alive. That’s all.” 

“Oh.” Nemu delighted in the feeling of his arm on her own as she asked, “Do you want to talk about it?” When he remained silent she asked, “Your life before? You do not often speak about it and I would like to know more about you.”

The Vice Captain let out a long breath and agreed. “If we’re going to make a real run at this then I suppose you deserve to know it all. You see, it all began a long, long, time ago in a cupboard under the stairs.”

The Next Day

Rukia had had quite the long week and was enjoying a rare chance to attend the women’s onsen. After so many hours spent having to show the burly men of her division exactly why a little thing like her had earned her position as their Lieutenant, it felt absolutely sublime to ease her weary muscles in the heated spring. So relaxed did she become that she didn’t even realize she was no longer alone until she began to hear a pair of voices speaking up through the heavy steam cover. 

Her curiosity piqued, the Lieutenant began silently gliding through the water to better hear what was said. It didn’t take long to recognize the speakers as Rangiku and Nemu. She’d met them both countless times at Lieutenants meetings and the biweekly gatherings of the Shinigami Women’s Association. With the heavy steam cover she still couldn’t see them, but the conversation was certainly of interest to her. 

“So,” Rangiku spoke with her usual bubbly personality, “I hear you finally got that Vice Captain of yours to take you out? How was it?”

Nemu’s voice was its usual monotone, but to those that knew her it held a very noticeable tinge of pleasure as she answered, “Fantastic, thank you for asking. Harry was the perfect gentleman.”

Rukia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A Vice Captain romantically pursuing a direct subordinate? It was scandalous! Of course there weren’t any rules against it that she was aware of in the Shinigami handbook but still! She should move away, she knew, and not involve herself further. That would be what her elder brother would advise. But she couldn’t make herself turn away. The brunette was far from a gossip hound, but the topic of Harry Potter was one that already had her interest and the chance to learn more about him was too much to resist. 

“He took me to a local bakery where we shared stories, pie, tea, and crepes.” Nemu continued, “And then we went over to the mortal realm.” 

Rangiku’s gasp luckily covered Rukia’s own as the busty blonde bombshell exclaimed, “You just went over to mortal realm? Without authorization?”

“Of course, Harry does it all the time.” Nemu’s voice was incredibly nonchalant as she said it. “Somehow his sword has a habit of taking him directly where he’s most needed, and that includes the mortal realm. Anyway, he wanted to take me to do an activity called mini-golf.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a delightful little sport where you use a club to push a tiny ball across a field into a hole.” Though Rukia couldn’t see it, she could swear she heard a blush enter Nemu’s tone as she added, “He held me from behind the entire time to ‘help’ me direct my swing.”

Rangiku squealed at the thought and splashed closer to the other woman. “That’s so romantic!” 

Nemu sighed, “Yes, it was. And when we got back he kissed me as well. His light beard was scratchy, but in a nice way.” 

“Um, hm.” The blonde’s voice was full of knowing happiness. “I’m sure it was. So you two are officially an item now?”

“Yes. He was quite amenable once I made my true desires known.”

“So he’s going to stop flirting with other women?”

“Of course not.” Nemu sounded shocked that her friend would suggest such a thing. “Harry has needs. I can’t meet them all, especially not his emotional ones. I am well aware of my personal failings and emotional health is one of them. I am still learning in that regard. It would be cruel to expect Harry to limit himself with only me. Especially after Yoruichi…”

Rukia swam a little closer and it was only doing so that allowed her to hear Rangiku’s shocked whisper of, “I thought we weren’t supposed to say her name anymore?”

“We aren’t.” Nemu verified. “But as long as Harry isn’t present to hear us say it we should still be fine.” For the first time since she’d met her, Rukia actually heard anger enter the artificial Soul Reaper’s voice as she muttered, “That bitch hurt him far too much when she left. And now that I know about his past I know exactly how much being abandoned really cut him. If I ever see her face again I’m going to tear it to pieces!” 

Knowing she was already pushing her luck, the rather short woman slowly eased away from the duo with several thoughts bubbling through her mind. Chief amongst them was what the former Captain of the second division could have done to anger the Vice Captain so that even the utterance of her name had become anathema.

Elsewhere

“Feeling better, Little Bee?” Harry literally popped into being beside the scowling Captain of the second division. The woman was still quite pale and was sitting in front of her koi pond with a large mug of green tea in her hands. 

Shooting the annoyingly chipper looking man a glare she took a vindictive sip and muttered, “It’s not fair that you can recover from a night of drinking so easily. You drank an entire case of sake on your own!” 

Harry chuckled easily and sat down beside her. “You know, you’re the second person to make a comment like that. But you didn’t answer my question.”

Soifon sighed and nodded, “I feel a little better. Still have a headache though. Thanks… for inviting me. I didn’t want to be alone.”

Harry didn’t say anything, instead he merely wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her lean into him. The other night’s drinking binge had not been a random event. Rather, it had been a time of coping. The hundred year anniversary of Yoruichi abandoning the Soul Reapers, and thus them as well. 

The British man had met Soifon the same day he’d met her Captain, but back then she had been a little girl following the older woman around like she was a god personified. Harry had quickly become a surrogate brother to her, and the abandonment they’d both felt at Yoruichi’s loss had bonded them closer than anything else possibly could have. 

“I didn’t want to be alone either. So it’s a good thing neither of us were. Gotta say though, Little Bee, you definitely pulled your weight. Who knew a little thing like you could outdrink Rangiku?”

In spite of her still semi-hungover state, the leader of the Shinigami Ninja Group couldn’t help but smile at the praise. “That blonde bimbo’s only real advantage is her bust size. I outclass her in every other respect, especially drinking.” She proudly boasted. “But how are you though? I heard you finally took that cute subordinate of yours out on a date. Are you finally moving on?”

Harry raised a brow, “Does everyone know about that now?”

“Of course. It was put out in the daily newsletter.”

“Damn gossip mongers.”

“It is what it is. But the question still stands.”

“You, oh sister of mine, are nosy.” When all Soifon did at that statement was raise her nose, he sighed and added, “I don’t know. I don’t think you can just ‘move on’ from someone like Yoruichi. Hell, it’s been a century already and the anniversary of her absence still hurts enough I need to drink myself into oblivion. But I am tired of being alone.”

Soifon scoffed, “If I recall correctly you haven’t been ‘alone’ in quite some time. Do you know how many of my agents have come to me complaining about hearing women screaming your name while out on their patrols?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. You want an emotional connection again. And that Nemu is a good girl, so you better treat her right.”

“I intend to.” For a while they just stared at the fish as they meandered around the fluid surface of the pond, then he asked, “What about you? Anyone catch your eye yet?”

Soifon raised a brow, “You planning on doing the scary big brother act?”

“The thought had crossed my mind.”

“Well you’re safe there. I’m still happily single. We can’t all be lecherous philanderers like you, big brother.” 

Harry chuckled at the thought. “True enough. And on that note,” he stood up and patted her head lovingly, “I have another girl to put the moves on today. Love you, Little Bee.”

“Love you, Harry.” Soifon smiled warmly up at the only reason she’d made it through her own abandonment and relaxed back into the peace of the garden as he took his leave once more. It wasn’t a far stretch to say that Harry had saved her from herself more than once, and she honestly wished him all the happiness he could find in his endeavors. That Kutchki girl had no idea what was coming for her. Additionally, the look on Byakuya’s face when the inevitable happened as a result was bound to be absolutely priceless.

Elsewhere

Rukia was still pondering the discussion she’d overheard in the onsen two hours later and the question was absolutely nagging at her so she decided to take a walk to the hall of records. Inside were kept every written dispatch and official order ever made within the Seireitei and as a Lieutenant she had a right to view all but the most secret of notices. The librarian gave her a stern warning to not cause a ruckus or make too much noise and then she was on her way, stumbling down the various shelves until she reached the section that noted open warrants. 

She admittedly knew nothing of great import about the former Captain of the second division so she assumed if she’d been removed from her position then a warrant would be open for her in that section. After about twenty minutes of searching she found it, and the answer made no sense. 

“Dereliction of duty?” She whispered to herself. 

From the shadows a new voice said, “That does tend to happen when a Captain up and leaves her post without telling anyone where she is going or why.” 

Rukia spun around and of all people she found Harry leaning against a neighboring stack of scrolls and smiling at her. “A curious little thing aren’t you?”

“I-I”

“Oh relax, I’m not here to grill you about why you’re looking into that. I really just wanted to see you.”

Rukia gulped and shoved the warrant back onto its shelf. “How did you even find me? How do you always find me?” She had long wondered how the persistent Vice Captain kept sneaking up on her. 

“Oh that’s easy. I followed the map.”

“Map?”

Harry breezed over to her side, threw an arm around her and pulled a roll of parchment from seemingly nowhere that he passed over to her. “Here. Simply tap it with your finger and say, ‘I solemnly swear I am up to no good’. See what happens.” 

Rukia rather thought she should say something about how overly familiar the older man was being with her, but… she couldn’t deny that his arm felt rather nice, and he was kind, and handsome… in the end her curiosity beat out her propriety and she did as directed. Her eyes grew huge as the various streets, alleys, and buildings that made up the Seireitei filled the pages and amongst them all were several series of footprints with very familiar names around them. “What is this?”

“It’s a variation of something called the Marauder’s Map.” His voice breathed in her ear. “Do you like it? I hope so; it took me over twenty years to replicate after all.” 

He was very close now, and the young Kutchki suddenly found herself short of breath. She’d heard the stories of course. Harry Potter was an incorrigible flirt, he was a womanizer, he was… persistent. And though his interest was clear he had never been overly inappropriate. In fact, he’d provided several opportunities for her to severely brush him off if she wanted to. She just found herself so tongue tied in his presence. “W-What is it that you want with me, Vice Captain Potter?”

“Hm?” His voice was amused now. “I should think that is rather obvious, but for now I will say that I was hoping to invite you on a walk.”

“A walk?”

“Yes. I like to peruse the different districts of the Soul Society in my free time and it has been a while since I went through the seventy-fifth. Would you like to join me?”

“To what end?”

“Oh several. To show the people that the Soul Reapers haven’t forgotten them, offer the skilled a chance to challenge me and earn a sponsorship if they show promise, try out the local cuisine, and most importantly spend some quality time with a beautiful woman.” Rukia turned to look up at the rather tall man’s face and saw none of the smirk she expected. Instead his smile was warm, genuine, welcoming, and very open. “You are a beautiful woman, Rukia, and I would like to get to know you better.” 

Rukia’s mouth went very dry. Admittedly her experience with men was very sparse, but the look in Harry’s eyes as he spoke was not one that she could associate with that of a player looking for another score. He meant what he said. “Why me? You’ve been popping in on me for weeks now and I’ve not seen you do that with others. And what about Nemu?” She knew from earlier that the homunculus didn’t mind sharing, but she was curious about how he saw the situation. 

Harry nodded, “That’s a fair question. I guess it’s because you’re so… pure. What you see with you is what you get. You’re straightforward, to the point, and you say what you mean. I respect that. You’re equally studious and committed to your position and responsibilities. I admire that. Finally, you are beautiful and the depth of compassion within your soul is plain to see with the love that you show for your brother. I am entranced by that. Others offered me physical gratification but you… I can see far more with you if you give me a chance.”

“As for Nemu, well, she has made it very clear that not only is she alright with me having other partners, she also very actively wants me to find more. She’s been quite pushy about it actually.”  

“Yes, I imagine she has.” Rukia didn’t mention the conversation she’d overheard, but it did run through her mind. From what she knew of Nemu the woman was a perfectionist, and if the artificial Soul Reaper could not give her man everything she thought he should have then Rukia supposed it stood to reason that the woman would try to rectify that state by pushing him toward others that could fill the gaps. “Well, I… wouldn’t be opposed to touring the districts.” She finally allowed. If her brother inquired about it later she supposed she could just say she’d been on official business. 

“Excellent.” Harry took her hand and then to her shock she felt a pulling sensation on her navel followed by her world disappearing with a crack before she found herself deposited rather roughly somewhere else, with only her guide's arms to hold her up as she began to shudder. “Easy there, Rukia, just take a few deep breaths. The first apparition is always the worst.”

“What-What was that?” She gasped. 

“A form of teleportation. Admittedly it sucks, but the reduction of travel time is well worth it.”

“What?” The girl’s head rose and her internal discomfort was replaced with shock as she saw her view of the hall of records replaced with that of a bustling city district below. She and her absconder were above it all on a high hill and she could also see the Seireitei far off in the distance. “This is beyond any level of Flash Step I have ever seen. How advanced is your kido?”

“Nonexistent.” Harry laughed deeply at her shocked look. “I can’t use the stuff at all. It’s a level of energy manipulation that my body doesn’t seem capable of using. No, I use good old fashioned magic instead.”

“Magic?” 

Harry’s palm wrapped around the hilt of his word and a moment later a bouquet of flowers popped into existence in his free hand that he swiftly passed over to her. “It’s an ability I had in my last life. One that has been refined with over two centuries of practice. I can’t use kido, but I’m just as deadly with my own brand of combat.” 

“You just keep getting more and more interesting, Vice Captain Potter.”

“Harry.” He interrupted. “Call me Harry.” 

“Harry.” Rukia savored the name on her tongue. After the constant pressure to always maintain propriety and rank in the Kutchki household it felt nice to cast such things aside. “So shall we get to it.” 

“Yes, let’s.” 

What followed was certainly an eye opening experience for Rukia. At first they were met with reverent bows and  kind words, but the further in they went the more scoffs and cold shoulders they were shown. She was aghast. Sure she’d grown up in a poor part of the Soul Society but even in her home the Shinigami were shown reverence… or at least fear. 

“This is what happens with neglect.” Harry answered her unspoken question. “There are only so many of us and we can’t be everywhere. I’m trying to change that, but it’s slow going.”

“How do you mean?” As they continued on their way, she took note of a few hoodlums falling into step behind them. She went to say something, but Harry’s arm tightened on her own, nonverbally instructing her to just keep walking. 

“I mean,” he continued, “that there are many in the Seireitei that have certain views about which commoners should have the opportunity to become full Shinigami. And certain districts have been given an insane amount of priority over others in terms of scouting and resources. It’s one of the many reasons our ranks are not near as populous as they should be. I’m sure you’ve noticed just how many empty barracks there are. The numerous graduates I’ve selected from these areas have helped skew many opinions away from that, but old views are notoriously hard to eradicate. Let’s go in here.” He led her down a dark alley and then waved her ahead while he turned around. By that point a group of four had followed them in. 

The two groups stared each other down for a few moments and then they charged. Rukia’s hand moved to her sword, but Harry waved her back and waded into the fray with fists and feet snapping in equal measure. Within seconds all of the men, boys really, were all groaning on the ground. The girl expected a harsh reprimand, but instead Harry dropped a gold token on the apparent leader’s chest. “You show heart.” he spoke with clear interest. “Show that token to the East Guard at the Seireitei and say Vice Captain Potter sent you for training. If you want to excel and rise above your station then the Soul Reaper Corps could certainly use you.” 

As the young men scrambled away Rukia skeptically commented, “Those are the kinds of men you sponsor?”

Harry looked at her and asked, “Why not? If nothing else they had the sheer gall to try and rob two obvious Soul Reapers like you and I. That shows courage. Stupid courage, sure, but courage all the same; and whether we like it or not we need more of that in our organization. If they have what it takes to make it then all the better for us, and if they don’t, well, trust me, they’ll bless my name for all the free meals they get in the meantime.”

“Perhaps.” Rukia allowed before moving to loop her arm back through his. “But for now I believe we have a walk to complete.”

Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love. 

Chapter Three - Meetings And Training

The standard morning booms erupted as an early wakeup call to the denizens of the Seireitei announcing the start of Captain Kenpachi and Vice Captain Potter’s morning exercises. Said exercises were bound to level at least a few buildings but that was neither here nor there for most of them. 

For her part, Rukia was finally used to the noise and was finishing tying the sash of her robe closed when she turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden realization that she was not alone, and for once her intruder wasn’t Harry. Instead her eyes beheld a tiny girl in a Shinigami uniform with pink hair and a pink zanpakuto on her waist. The entire thing was so outlandish that the Lieutenant found herself shocked dumb long enough for the little girl to tilt her head and ask, “Are you stupid?”

“W-What?” Rukia blinked out of her stupor and shook herself to full wakefulness. 

“I asked, are you stupid? I’ve been sitting here for two minutes already and you haven’t said a word?”

“Who are you!” She nearly screeched. 

“Better!” The girl clapped her hands happily. “My name is Yachiru. I’m Captain Kenny’s personal aid.”

Realizing that ‘Kenny’ could only be Kenpachi, The Kutchki girl cleared her throat and asked, “Why are you in my room?”

“Oh, I wanted to meet Harry's new lady. You’re a lot less pretty than he said you were.”

Blushing a bit at the knowledge that Harry had mentioned her apparent beauty, Rukia grumbled, “That’s a rude thing to say.” 

“Nah, you’re just sensitive.” Yachiru waved off her statement like it was nothing. “Look, I need your help with something. Can you go and break up Harry and Kenny’s fight?”

Rukia gulped at the very thought of attempting to get between such titans as the Captain and Vice Captain of the eleventh division. “Why would you want me to do that? They should be done soon anyway, right?” It had already been forty minutes after all and they typically only sparred for an hour before one of the other Captains inevitably got fed up and went in to break them up. 

The other girl cleaned her ear with a finger nonchalantly as she declared, “Harry gave the cooks a special recipe for cinnamon french toast last week and they’re finally making it for breakfast today. If I wait until they’re done fighting on their own the other seats in the division will get all the best slices. Then I’ll be upset, which will make Kenny upset, and Harry will start pranking people to make us both feel better after that.”

“Pranking?”

“Yeah.” Yachiru looked at the other woman like she was dumb. “Don’t you know? Harry is the resident pranking king of the Soul Society. He won the title fair and square from Yoruichi.” The pinkette’s eyes suddenly grew wide and she clamped her hands over her mouth, “I shouldn’t have said that.” Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper she said, “We don’t mention the cat’s name, ya know? I was really naughty just now.”

Not for the first time Rukia found herself wondering what in the Kami’s name Captain Yoruichi had done to earn Potter’s ire so, but she dutifully replied in the same tone, “I won’t say anything about it if you don’t.”

Yachiru sighed happily at that and said, “Good. So are ya gonna break up the fight?”

“How would I even do it?” 

“I don’t know. You’re a woman right? Flash your boobies at Harry. That usually works. I’d ask Unohana but she refused to do it this time.”

“This time!” The Kutchki girl didn’t know why, but the thought of the regal captain of the medical corps flashing Harry somehow made her unreasonably angry. “She’s done it before?!?”

“Oh yeah.” Either Yachiru didn’t notice her anger or she didn’t care as she elaborated, “She’ll do anything to keep collateral damage to a minimum. But apparently she got too many new patients experiencing blood loss from nosebleeds last time so she said she wouldn’t do it anymore cause she didn’t want to risk it again. So now you gotta do it.”

Rukia clutched her robe top tighter and muttered, “There’s no way I’m doing that. We only just started dating a few weeks ago.” 

“Well ya better do something cause I ain't missing that french toast.” Yachiru crossed her arms defiantly. “Now are you gonna get off your but or what?”

“I-”

Sensing hesitation, the small girl’s eyes latched onto her target and the air became stifled with compressed spiritual pressure. “I could always make you.”

The Kutchki girl could hardly believe the amount of power she felt coming off of that child. It was equal to her own! “There’s no need for that.” She raised her hands in a calming gesture. “I like my room and do not wish it to be destroyed in a brawl. Look, I can’t promise anything but I will try to mitigate the quarrel.”

All at once the spiritual pressure vanished and the pinkette gave a wide, close eyed, smile as she chirped, “Thank you very much.” Then she hopped to her feet and took off to who knew where. 

Quickly sliding her zanpakuto into her waist sash, Rukia ran out of her room and took off into the streets. She had a feeling her uninvited guest wanted the situation handled sooner rather than later. Finding the current battleground didn’t take long, she just followed the booming crashes, and like a major hit of deja-vu she eventually came upon Harry getting yeeted through a wall and driven like a hammer into the street before her. 

As he hopped out without a scratch and made to run back into the fray she tried to put on her most demure smile and called out, “Harry!” The man stopped at once and halted mid rampage to enjoy her new look. An action that certainly raised her confidence more than a few notches. 

“What’s up, Rukia?”

“You’re destroying the Seireitei.”

“I’ll have you know that it has been very well established that I am not. Zaraki is the one that keeps throwing me into buildings. I’m more than happy to stay up close and personal.”

Trying another tactic, Rukia declared, “Well you’re also keeping Yachiru from french toast.” 

Harry grew very still at that, his eyes shot wide open, and then he looked at the location of the sun before screaming back at where he’d come from, “It’s time for breakfast!”

In the distance an answering call of “Shit!” was heard followed by a cavalcade of retreating crashing sounds. 

“What is that?” She asked. 

The westerner sheathed his weapon, wrapped his arm around her waist and started walking off as he answered, “Only a fool gets between Yachiru and sugar. The last time Kenpachi kept her from her treats the kitchen was serving cinnamon rolls and she dyed his hair purple in his sleep. I reckon he’s literally running through the nearest walls to save time reaching her.”

Rukia gasped in shock, “And she’s still alive?” In the back of her mind she buried the memory of her own rather scandalous reaction to those treats. The first time she’d had one she’d actually moaned out loud. The horror. 

“Of course. Kenny would never hurt his Lieutenant. Now come on, the kitchen doesn’t often use my recipes but when they do it is certainly an event and you don’t want to miss this.” 

Rukia found herself in agreement. The french toast was absolutely sublime and the Kutchki girl found herself wondering if all western treats were that good? If Harry was to be believed they were, but he seemed ‘really’ excited about the prospect of something called pie. After their rather unhealthy breakfast the man had suggested they work off the calories with some training, and so he had led her to a secluded training ground. To hear him tell it the space was reserved for him and Kenpachi to use but they had a nasty habit of driving each other out of it every time they ended up wanting a spar. 

They were ten minutes into locking blades when out of the blue Harry asked, “Is that it?”

Rukia blinked and hopped a few paces back to gain some distance. “What are you implying?”

“You’re only using the standard forms taught to all the division trainees. Didn’t your superior officer teach you anything new? I could have sworn he mentioned something about a Moon Dance?”

The woman grew very still at that phrase. “You knew Lieutenant Kaien?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, and I know what happened to him. It wasn’t your fault Rukia.” He held up a hand to forestall her expected tirade. “I know you don’t believe that but it’s true. And he wouldn’t want you to handicap yourself by not using the techniques he helped you to develop. The only person you hurt by doing so is yourself.”

“That’s not true,” Rukia whispered, “I could hurt you too. I don’t think I could bear seeing my blade pass through another man I cared about.”

“Could you? Could you really hurt me?” Harry got an odd look in his eyes, raised the edge of his blade to his own throat and yanked hard. A spray of blood covered the grass and the light left his eyes, but before his body could even hit the ground he had already recovered and found his balance again. “See. Even if by some miracle you managed to kill me nothing bad would happen.” Having said his piece he crossed the distance to the stunned girl and pulled her into a hug. “Losing those you care about always hurts, Rukia. But I’ll tell you a secret if you’ll listen. The fallen don’t want us to stop living our lives. No, they want us to live on and become bigger and better than we ever were before. There is nothing they enjoy more than knowing we are succeeding.”

“Now show me what you really have it within you to achieve. More than that, show it to Kaien, cause I can guarantee he’d want to see it.”

“First Dance: White Moon!” The girl’s zanpakuto grew a long white sash from the hilt as it entered its secondary state and as she raised the blade to a high guard the field began to fill with snow. 

Harry grinned and entered back into his own ready stance. “That’s what I’m talking about. Now come at me!” 

That Afternoon

Harry and Rukia, post deadly combat, were walking down the street enjoying each other’s company. They were continuing their new habit of touring the outlying districts when they ran into a spectacled man in a captain’s robe with a diminutive, shy looking, brunette walking in his shadow. 

“Ah, Vice Captain Potter, fancy running into you here.” The man spoke pleasantly with his hands folded before him in his sleeves. 

“Aizen.” Harry greeted, his tone level, but Rukia could see the tight distrust held within his eyes. “The fuck you doing here?”

Behind the spectacled man, his subordinate Hinamori exclaimed, “Show Captain Aizen some respect!” 

“It’s alright, Hinamori.” Aizen waved off his irate aid as he looked the wizard in the eyes. “You know, Vice Captain, I can’t help feeling a bit of distaste coming off your latent spiritual pressure. Why is that? To my knowledge I have never been anything but cordial with you, yet you have constantly made a point of avoiding me. Is there something about me in particular that you dislike?”

“It’s your glasses.” Harry answered easily enough, earning shocked blinks from all present.

Aizen, voice full of confusion, asked, “My glasses?”

“Yeah, glasses are my thing. You see anyone else down here with glasses besides me and you? It’s suspicious as hell. So I don’t trust you. Plus, no one is as happy as you look all the time. You're fake as can be and I know it. I can’t prove that you’re up to anything nefarious but I definitely have my eye on you.”

“Well everyone is entitled to their own opinions I suppose.” That same damned smile never left the man’s face as he addressed his subordinate once more. “Come, Hinamori, we have errands that need completing.” As he took his leave, the Captain of the fifth division found himself once more incredibly annoyed. It was remarkably difficult to find the Vice Captain of the eleventh division when he wasn’t sparring with Kenpachi, and every time he did manage to track him down he found himself peeved at the fact that he couldn’t figure him out. To date none of his past illusions had worked on the Westerner and in fact it seemed his sword’s unique abilities were near useless with him in general. It was remarkably vexing. 

As he continued down the street Aizen mused that the man’s clear interest in Rukia Kutchki was equally troublesome. He couldn’t believe that anyone else shared his suspicions about the Hogyoku’s container, but allowing the two to develop a further bond could be troublesome for his plans in the long run. Perhaps it was time to speed along her advancement and thus attempt to separate them…

Two Weeks Later

Harry and Rukia were sharing tea in his quarters served by Nemu when a massive boom rocked the building and knocked the pot over onto the floor. The homunculus visibly steamed at the sight and Harry was quick to wrap her in a hug. He knew how much his subordinate prided herself on perfectly carrying out the intricate actions of tea ceremonies and now it was all ruined. As he looked at his guest’s raised eyebrow he scoffed, “What? I was here the whole time! For once this is definitely not me.”

From outside came the clearly distinguished insidious laughter of his captain before another boom exploded through the air and that same eyebrow rose higher as Rukia commented, “Well something has your Captain excited at least. Shall we go and see what it is?”

Harry groaned at the ruin of such a fine date but nodded before latching his hand onto her own. 

Rukia blushed at the forward action and haltingly asked, “H-Harry, W-What are you-”

“Interruption or not we are still on a date, Rukia, and I refuse to be anything less than romantic with you for as long as you are with me. So hell yeah I’m gonna hold your hand in public. Come on.” He led the way outside where they found a gaggle of their soldiers relaxing on the wood walkway and watching explosions puffing into existence in the yard below where the shadow of their captain could be seen waving his sword around in his usual chaotic manner. Of his opponent they saw no sign. 

Looking at a nearby bald soul reaper Harry asked, “Ikkaku, what the hell is going on?”

“Eh?” Ikkaku looked up at who was talking and immediately jumped to attention as he announced, “Captain Kutchki broke open the gate to our compound and demanded to see you. Captain Kenpachi was doing his morning exercises and took the opportunity to offer an insult. The rest, well, you can see the result. We’d have stepped in to help but the Captain said to stand back and watch, so that is what we are doing.” 

“Of course he did.” Harry groaned before waving the reaper down and plopping down to sit beside him with his feet hanging freely over the edge in the air. Considering her hand was still held within his own Rukia was forced to follow, though she wasn’t really complaining as she quickly found herself pressed to her suitor’s toned torso with his arm wrapped familiarly around her shoulders. “Comfortable?”

“Very.” And the young woman found she actually meant it. Harry was just so warm and comforting. He never pushed her and always welcomed her. What was more, he never expected her to be the perfect Kutchki heiress that her brother and his family tried to insist she should be. As the fighting continued down below she decided to be a ‘little’ forward herself and leaned up to kiss his neck. Nemu had told her that their shared boyfriend’s love language was touch and it seemed she’d been right as usual with the beaming smile that came to his face at the act. Delighting in the way her actions made him shudder, she asked, “Do you think this is about us?” Normally such a thought would terrify her, but there was just something about being in Harry’s presence that made her feel safe and secure. His performance in their training so many days ago had gone a long way toward convincing her that he wouldn’t be so easy to remove from her life. 

“Very likely.” The Vice Captain chuckled lightly and said, “Byakuya doesn’t like me very much, mainly because I tend to call him on his bullshit, and I imagine someone finally let the cat out of the bag to him about ‘just’ how much time you and I have been spending together. If I were him I’d think I had defiled you.”

Now Rukia was blushing again as she stuttered, “B-But you h-haven’t done anything of the sort!” 

Harry’s grin turned predatory as he leaned down and nipped at her ear, “Well we’ve come pretty close haven’t we? Who knew you were so aggressive? I swear every time we finish making out I need to kill myself to get rid of all the bruises and bite marks.” The wizard laughed through the vicious punch to the chest his words earned him and carried on watching the fight below for a while before getting bored at only hearing the clashing of metal through the dust cloud. 

Raising his hand and pointing his palm at the conflict he incanted, “Ventus Maxima.” At his words a gale force of wind pushed out on the scene and within moments the dust blew away completely to reveal a sight that shocked Rukia to her core. Her brother… losing. Indeed when the full scope of the conflict became clear she beheld Byakuya and Kenpachi locked in a vicious bladelock as they attempted to overpower each other, yet only the former was injured. Kenpachi was grinning like a lune while her brother was liberally coated over his torso with shallow cuts that stained his white Captain’s robe red. 

That action had not gone unnoticed and when Byakuya saw that his target was sitting calmly above with his arm around his sister he immediately flash stepped to their location and brandished his weapon high. “Potter you fiend! Unhand my sister at once and prepare to meet your doom!” 

Harry blinked at such a statement and asked, “Why?”

“You dare to ask why? You defile my innocent sister and get confused when-”

“I am not defiled!” Rukia protested, though she made no attempt to break away from her man no matter the clear bloodlust coming off of her brother. She figured the safest place possible was next to an immortal after all. 

Byakuya didn’t lower his weapon but his eyes did move to her. “Do not worry, Rukia, I shall save you from his lecherous clutches.” 

The weapon moved and the girl butted in, “Big brother, please don’t try to kill my boyfriend.”

The Captain grew very still. “Boyfriend? So, he hasn’t seduced you with his mystical ways for a single night of dark passion?”

Blushing hard enough to light up a dark room Rukia answered, “Not yet at least.”

“Hm… it seems I received some bad information then. I was concerned he had seduced and used you like so many others.” Byakuya sheathed his weapon and stared down at the couple as below Kenpachi grumbled at the sudden end to such a fun fight and called Ikkaku and five others down to pick up the slack. He was too warmed up to stop. “However, whatever could you be doing with a deplorable, womanizing, despot like him?”

“Geez, tell me how you really feel, why don’t ya.” Harry joked. In return Byakuya rapidly drew his sword, leapt behind him, and cut his head off. 

“Big brother!?!?!?” Rukia squealed as she found herself coated in a geyser of blood from her partner’s neck for several seconds until it just… stopped. From there one of the corpse’s arms reached down, grabbed the head, and plonked it down onto his shoulders once more where the seam of the slice immediately disappeared. 

Harry clicked his neck a couple times and asked, “Now what was that for?”

“Putting your hands on my sister without asking for my permission.”

The wizard slowly began to inch the fingers of his hand toward the hilt of his jian. “You know, Byakuya, I just realized something. We’ve never really cut loose against each other. Do you really want today to be the day where you find out what fighting Death looks like?” 

The long haired captain took a moment to examine the pleading expression on Rukia’s face and finally sheathed his weapon. “Very well, I shall concede that you are here of your own volition, sister. But the question remains, why him? Surely there are more appropriate choices for a paramour out there.”

Rukia shared a look with Nemu who had approached the scene in absolute silence in case she was needed before answering, “Harry sees me as me, not as a Kutchki.”

Byakuya spared the couple another serious look before turning away entirely. “Very well. For the sake of your happiness I shall not murder him today.”

Harry scoffed, “As if you could.”

For the first time since she’d met him Rukia saw her brother lose his cool as he shouted, “There has to be a number of times you can die before you stop coming back and if you break my sister’s heart I swear to Kami that I will find it!” And with that he flash stepped away. 

Harry hummed to himself for a moment before noting, “Well, that went better than expected.”

“He cut your head off!” Rukia exclaimed. 

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure that was more therapeutic than anything else. He knows well enough that that wasn’t going to really hurt me. Speaking of, though, do you want a bath to get rid of all that blood? I’m more than happy to get in with you and wash your back.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively but Rukia merely blushed anew and answered, “I-I’m not ready yet.”

Harry’s teasing tone leveled out at once as he said, “I’m not trying to rush you, Rukia. I wouldn’t ever. That said, I do look forward to the time that you are comfortable enough to let me in.” 

Nemu strode forward and pulled her friend into her arms. “Come along and I’ll get you cleaned up.”

A short time later the two of them were soaking easily in the onsen with towels wrapped around their hair and the shorter of the two found herself asking, “Nemu, you’ve slept with Harry right?”

“I have.” The normally expressionless woman agreed. 

“What was it like?”

“Immensely pleasurable.” Nemu answered without much pause. “Harry is a very skilled lover and knows many ways to please a woman.”

“Oh.” Rukia slowly sank in the water down to her nose and the act was enough to clue even the normally out of touch homunculus into the fact that something was wrong. 

Quirking her head curiously, Nemu asked, “Are you concerned about your own lack of experience?”

“A bit.” Rukia admitted. “I mean, he’s probably had way more experienced lovers than me, and I’ve come to terms with it, but I don’t want to be a disappointment in bed, ya know?”

Nemu nodded, “This is understandable. If you would like, I can tell you where all of his erogenous zones can be located. That should aid you in providing him the greatest source of pleasure during the act.”

“T-Thank you, Nemu.”

“No thanks are necessary. You make Harry happy, so I want you to be happy as well. It is logical.”

“I guess. But also… I received some new orders earlier today and my brother decided to make his big entrance before I could tell Harry about them over tea.”

“What orders?”

“I’m apparently being sent on a rotation to the human world and I’m likely to be gone for a minimum of a few years. He’s been so patient and attentive with me and I’m gonna be forced to leave him before we even do the deed.”

Nemu stared into her friend’s eyes for several moments before asking, “Did you forget that Harry can easily warp over to the human world at will? If you think for one second that he will allow any great amount of time to pass without going to see you then you are in for quite the surprise. I imagine he might even use the opportunity to join you and move in together for a while.”

Hope began to grow in Rukia’s eyes as she asked, “You really think so?”

“If you asked him he would say yes without hesitation.” 

“And the Captains would just let him go off and do that?”

Nemu scoffed, “Please, your brother spoke a good game today but he knows as well as everyone else here that no one can make Harry do or not do anything. He’ll do what he wants. After all, what can they do? Kill him? He finds that more amusing than anything else.” 

“Wow.” Rukia’s face burned from more than the heat of the water as she dreamily mumbled, “I’m actually going to be living with my boyfriend!” Yes it was a bit sooner than she’d planned in her mind, but she couldn’t deny that the thought made her absolutely giddy. 

Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love. 

Note : The transformation depicted in this scene is only the second stage of Harry’s zanpakuto. I have not revealed his bankai yet. 

Chapter Four - Enter Karakura Town

Harry happily hummed to himself as he finished packing his last bag and stacking it on a pallet with the others. He had clothes enough for several weeks, food, tea, and a fantastic magical tent ready to be set up at a location of Rukia’s choosing. She’d been in the world of the living for about two weeks by that point and was supposed to have found them a good spot in that time. It had just taken this long for him as he needed to get the right clearances and official permissions. Could he have left without them? Yeah, but not at least asking first might cause some trouble for Kenpachi. 

As it stood, Ikkaku was stepping up to take over his duties in his absence and get some leadership experience in the process. Heh, the kid still thought they didn’t know he was training to learn his bankai. Ah, the obliviousness of the young. The idiot actually thought acknowledging it would force him to challenge either himself or Kenpachi for position. As if either of them were pushover enough to fall regardless of the techniques brought against them. 

“Well, Nemu, that’s the last of it. Are you ready to go?”

“Indeed, Vice-Captain. As you can see, I have brought all the necessities.” 

Harry eyed the single gym bag over her shoulder and raised a brow. “You could fit maybe three uniforms in there. We’re gonna be gone for quite a long time, are you sure you don’t need more?”

Nemu raised a brow of her own as she noted, “This is one of your space enhanced bags so it really holds a lot more than it seems. However, in regards to your concerns about my clothing supplies, I’ll only be wearing anything at all out in public so my laundry needs will not be near as great a concern as your own. I have decided, due to our past activities, that clothing within our home is not necessary. Uh, Vice-Captain? What’s with that look?”

Indeed, The shinigami leader was literally drooling and staring off into space as he muttered, “Naked Nemu walking around the tent…. Daddy likey.” 

The subordinate sighed at the silliness of her superior. “Harry, you’ve already seen me naked on plenty of occasions.”

“And it absolutely never gets old. Your body is absolute perfection.”

Nemu blushed happily at her love’s clear and open appreciation for her physical beauty. It was nice to be desired so openly. “My thanks. But I do believe we’ve left our third member alone for too long already. Who knows what could have happened in her time away.”

“Please, Nemu, Rukia is a professional. I’m sure everything is fine.” He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his weapon and grinned as a gateway warped into existence ahead of them. “Looks like Tiamat is as eager to be off as we are. Time to go.” 

A Short Trip Through The Gateway Later

“Hm.” Harry looked left and right from his position atop the tallest building. “That’s strange. I can’t sense Rukia’s spiritual pressure anywhere. Nemu, this is the right place isn’t it?”

Beside him, the homunculus checked her handheld computer and nodded. “This is indeed her registered area of supervision. For a Soul Reaper of Ms. Kuchiki’s caliber we should easily be able to sense her. Something appears to have indeed gone wrong. Do you want me to say I told you so?”

“No, that isn’t necessary. I suppose now we could just look around a bit.” His hand was still on his hilt so he turned his mind inward and asked, {You picking anything up, Tiamat?}

From the depths of his mind a deeply amused feminine giggle came into being followed by an answer of, {Oh yes indeed. This town is remarkably haunted. As for your little girlfriend, I cannot be sure. Her presence is… shrouded, but not absent. It is as if it has been diluted and corrupted. I can’t explain it.}

Harry released his grip and looked out on the city proper. “I guess we should just start looking. It seems the only thing to do.”

“Yes,” Nemu slid her hand into his own and offered, “consider it a date. You aren’t violently tearing the city apart looking for our third member. You are taking me out for a walk around the town while keeping an eye out for her.” 

And that’s just what they did. The duo nimbly hopped from roof to roof hand in hand and made an experience out of their little search that they were sure to look back on later with fondness. There were even a few ice cream cones consumed and shared before it was all said and done. That said, all good things had to come to an end eventually and a huge spike in reiatsu and spiritual pressure did that better than most possibilities. 

“Hey, Nemu, do you feel that?”

“Vice-Captain, if by ‘that’ you mean over three hundred hollows appearing out of nowhere in the general vicinity of this city then the answer is yes.”

“Good, then that means I haven’t lost my mind yet.”

Nemu raised a brow, “I believe the majority of the Captains and Vice-Captains would disagree. However, I find your general lack of sense quite charming. Now, shall we get to work on these monstrosities? I’m sure Rukia is working on this issue as well so surely we will find her if we carry through.”

In response a bloodthirsty grin developed on Harry’s face as he readied his jian. “After you, my dear.” 

Nemu drew her much thinner zanpakuto and leapt lithely from the building with her boyfriend hot on her heels. They could feel combat taking place in several different locations all around them, but one had a very high concentration of children so they went there first. Utilizing enhanced flash-step they arrived on the scene of a soccer field where the surprising sight of a large latino young man with a weird-ass looking right arm was carrying a little girl on his back and dodging blows from a low tier hollow. The low grade of the beast explained how he was still alive at least. 

“Well, I already know way too much about what that guy does in his free time. You got this, Nemu? I got a bead on another fish that needs hooking.”

“Go, and leave the other hollows in the immediate vicinity to me, I will be fine.” After watching her man flash away, Nemu launched herself at speed at the corrupted soul and slammed her katana to the hilt in its head before it even realized she was there, the tip of her sword piercing through its mask as a result. A flash of light followed before it disappeared entirely. The soul reaper was all set to carry on her way when she felt the eyes of the two she’d saved locked onto her form. Out of curiosity she looked back at them and asked, “Can you see me?” 

Meanwhile Harry was flitting towards a rectangular building that seemed to be a school of some kind. Landing atop an antenna on the tallest point of the structure he began searching for the spike of spiritual pressure that had called to him and found it almost immediately. The reason he’d chosen to focus on this hollow in particular was that he’d felt it tied to the lives of over twenty people, and they were starting to wane; now he could see why. The hollow in question was a leech. A demonic entity that survived off of sucking the life force out of others and it was currently feasting off of a clutch of youths while attempting to attack two others. A tomboy looking girl with spiky hair paired with a very fit body, and a blonde of all things. Funny that; he hadn’t thought they were all that common in Japan. 

Well, time to be a hero. Harry set one foot out in front of the other and dropped straight down to the ground hard enough to create a crater and dust cloud around him. By the gods he loved a good entrance. On that note… “Dynamic entry!!!” He kicked off the earth and a millisecond later his right sandal slammed into the monster’s mask with enough kinetic energy to  send it crashing into the opposite wall hard enough to dislodge all of its captives from the numerous tentacles that had been writhing all along its torso. 

Wrapping his hand around the hilt of his sword he summoned each of the bodies to his position before banishing them towards the two conscious girls. “Here, take care of this lot, would ya?” Not waiting for a response, but finding the looks on their faces hilarious nonetheless since it appeared they might actually be able to see him, he jerked his still sheathed blade out of his sash, charged over the ground, and slammed the hilt on the rising hollows head hard enough to shatter both its mask and cranial bones at once. It screeched as it faded but he didn’t even stop to think about it before taking off into the sky once more. There were more people the city over that needed help and he really needed to figure out why that was. He’d come to the mortal world expecting a romantic vacation and had instead dived headfirst into what felt like a series of sprints. He vowed then and there that he’d be kicking someone’s ass for making him bust out the cardio so early in the day! 

Elsewhere Rukia was running through various alleys as she worked her way between the lowest tier hollows she could, firing off kido blasts where possible and helping everyone she met in her path. Ever since she’d lost her Soul Reaper powers that had been the limit of her abilities, and until she could make it back to the Seireitei somehow she wouldn’t be able to regain the power she’d once held. The flow of spiritual pressure was just too limited in the physical world without access to her full shinigami regalia. All the same, her present circumstances were no excuse to avoid helping people in need; so while Ichigo and Eryu were off facing the big guns she was doing her own part. In fact, she was so focused on doing that part that she ran right past the form of a prone shinigami lying on top of a nearby fence saying “Sup” for five whole meters before skidding to a stop, running back, and staring up at him with eyes opened wide in shock. “H-H-Harry?”

“Miss me, babe?” Harry slipped off the fence and dusted himself off just in time to receive a flying missile hug from his second girlfriend. 

“Oh Harry!” 

“Hey, hey, I’m here.” Harry held the shaking woman in his arms for a few moments before asking, “Is it weird that that school girl outfit you’re wearing is really turning me on?” He grunted from the sudden gut punch his words elicited from the shorter woman and chuckled deeply before leaning down to kiss her soundly. “Gods, I missed you, woman. Now what’s the situation?”

“What took you so long!” 

“I only took a couple weeks to pack and handle paperwork like we discussed.”

“It’s been four weeks!” 

“Damn time distortions. Sorry, love. The question still stands, though. What happened?” 

Rukia groaned but didn’t pull away from his chest. “A Quincy descendent dropped a bunch of hollow bait to prove something to Ichi-... another Soul Reaper. He thought he could handle the few that were going to show up by himself but instead we ended up with a hoard.”

“I take it he’s an idiot then?”

“The biggest.”

“Great. We’ll deal with him after we’re through. Well, suit up.” 

The brunette woman suddenly developed a shifty look in her eyes as she answered, “I… can’t.” 

“What?” 

“Look, a lot has happened since I left and I’ll sum it up later but we should really stop wasting time and get back into it.” 

Harry really didn’t like that look, or the fact that his spiritual girlfriend was insisting on staying in her remarkably breakable gigai, but he could understand that the needs of the operation were more important than backstory at the moment. “Fine, but you bet your deliciously pert backside that we’re gonna be talking about this later.”

Rukia blushed at his innuendo, but nodded nonetheless before hopping onto his back. In her current state he could run far faster then her, and the fact that it allowed her to grope his muscular chest had absolutely nothing at all to do with it. “Where’s Nemu?”

“Already fighting the good fight.” Harry answered as he started running along the fence and hopping onto buildings. She’s taking the B-tier hollows, and it feels like you got the weakest ones already exorcized before we arrived, which only leaves the strongest bastards. Luckily they all seem to be congregating on the same place now.” 

Rukia gulped at the thought. If she was right then the hollows were trying to consume the largest sources of spiritual energy around, which likely meant that was where they would find Ichigo and Uryu, and she really wasn’t looking forward to what would happen when her boyfriend met Ichigo in particular. Keeping Urahara away from him was going to be hard enough as it was, considering her silence to all members of the Soul Society about his location had been the price for her current gigai. 

Those concerns were quickly falling by the wayside however as the horde finally came into focus and she saw exactly what it was that they were facing. The blonde and glasses wearing duo were in the midst of a monstrous crowd over a hundred strong, and they were holding their own… for the moment. The only silver lining was that whatever bait had lured them seemed to have reached its end as no more new hollows seemed to be joining the attempted slaughter. 

Her ride slowed to a halt on top of a neighboring building and took in the scene in full. 

“I thought you were the Soul Reaper assigned to this sector?”

“I am.” Rukia defended. 

“Then who the hell is that strawberry asshole with the comically large sword? Clearly he’s trying to compensate for something if he’s letting it look that big.” 

“He’s… a substitute shinigami.”

“Ah, so he’s non-union.”

“What?”

“Personal joke, I’ll fill you in later. Can you draw your zanpakuto?”

“Sadly, no.”

“It just gets better and better.” Harry grumbled. “Well, you’ll need to stay up here then. I’m assuming you want me to leave those two alive?”

“The blonde at least. This is all that other guy’s fault so whatever you do to him is fine by me.”

“Alright, but he looks annoying. Are you sure I can’t just yeet him back to the Soul Society?”

Rukia offered a shy smile and, as Nemu had instructed her, she placed a finger to her lips, began swaying her hips back and forth, and spoke in an octave two pitches higher than her normal tone, “I’ll make it worth your while…” Now, Rukia was far from adept at using her feminine wiles to get what she wanted, but she was pretty sure her boyfriend’s nose wasn’t supposed to start bleeding from something so simple. Then she remembered she was still wearing her school uniform and it suddenly made sense. “Get out of here already, you big pervert!” 

“Oh you know you love me.” Harry laughed heartily before taking a step backward and dropping heavily off the edge of the roof. 

Out of curiosity Rukia looked over and saw him picking his shattered body up off the ground and strutting off towards the fighting as his limbs jerked their breaks back into place. It was an interesting thing she’d noticed about Harry Potter. Sometimes his skin seemed harder than Kenpachi’s. Others, the most mundane things could hurt him. When she’d asked Nemu about it the homunculus had merely replied that Harry liked to ‘feel’ things sometimes. It was a habit that had the heiress more than a bit worried for the mental state of the man she loved. 

Meanwhile Harry had finally reached the edge of the hoard and decided it was finally about time to end the shenanigans surrounding him. He’d had a long day already and he really just wanted to curl up with his girls before a fireplace with a glass of whiskey and a good book. Of course clothing would be optional and the book would have a lot of pictures, but he had a feeling that none of them would be paying attention to the words on the page anyway; yet the experience would be relaxing all the same, and these fuckers were keeping him from getting there. 

So it was that with a scowl on his face he pulled his still sheathed sword out of his waist sash and rested it on his shoulder in a position of ease before releasing every restraint he kept on his spiritual pressure. At once every hollow gathered, and the two teenagers in the center of them found themselves squashed face-first into the earth. Well, that was easy. 

As the monsters continued screaming their outrage the Vice-Captain began walking in between them and swinging his hilted weapon into their masks as if they were golfballs and he a pro on the T. They shattered like porcelain before his assault and after ten minutes he was finally finished and standing in front of the teenagers tapping his foot with impatience. “You done goofed, kids.” 

“W-W-Who the h-hell are you?” The blonde managed to wheeze around the pressure being exerted on his chest. Interesting, he hadn’t lost consciousness like his friend. 

“I’m your worst nightmare, blondie.” Harry squatted down in front of him, “Someone who doesn’t like mysteries; and you are most definitely a mystery. Why don’t you explain how a reaper like you came to-” The undead wizard stopped speaking as an unearthly roar split the air and drew his eyes to the sky like a viper. What he saw was something that turned his former apathy into white hot rage; the beak nosed mask of a menos grande, a hollow the size of a high rise building, was tearing its way through the boundary between realms.

“That glasses wearing fucker is lucky to be alive for drawing that thing here.” Harry growled as he raised his jian before him and ripped it free of the scabbard at last. “Roar for me, Tiamat! Embrace the fires of eternity!” 

Ichigo, from his place on the ground, could only stare on in shock as the stranger that had single handedly massacred the enemy that had been about to overwhelm him (though he’d never admit that) was consumed in a pillar of flame before launching off the ground and soaring through the air straight at the slowly moving titan above; only this time instead of a sword he was wielding a massive black scythe held firm in twin armored gauntlets. The farther the stranger flew the less gravity seemed to hold him down, and Ichigo reclaimed his feet at last in time to witness the amazing sight of that same scythe carving a bloody furrow up the titanic torso of the enemy before finally eviscerating its mask. Yet that wasn’t the end of the carnage. No, somehow the weapon seemed to be glowing like a star as the dying menos screamed for a mercy that would never come and was… sucked up into the blade. The noise only ceased when every part of it had been absorbed and the tear it had created in reality disappeared with its absence. All that remained where it had once been was a dramatic scattering of astral dust to mark the physical passage of such a large body. 

Indeed, the Reaper cut quite the figure with his scythe, billowing robe, and victory clear to see for all. So it was a rather unfortunate time for a certain candy shop owner in a bucket hat to show up with his retinue in tow proclaiming, “Fear not, Ichigo, I felt the buildup of spiritual pressure and I’m here to save the day- Holy Shit Is That Potter !?!?” The last was nearly a squeal as the full force of the attention from the Soul Reaper above became leveled on the speaker.

On top of a nearby building Rukia physically smacked her head with irritation. Of course Kisuke would choose that moment to show up. This was not going to end well. A fact that was proved right for her when on high Harry suddenly screamed, “Urahara!!!!!!!!” 

Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer : I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love. 

Chapter Five - Fallout

“Ban-” * Smash *

“Ban-” * Smash * 

“Ban-” * Smash * “Dammit Urahara!” * Smash *

Ichigo’s eyes slowly dragged open and he finally came back to the realm of reality. What he was experiencing though didn’t make any sense. Sounds of carnage came from his periphery but he appeared to be lying on the ground staring up at a cloudy sky. Except the clouds weren’t moving. Instead they seemed fixed in place as if they were… painted?

“Oh, he’s awake!” A perky feminine voice squealed before the young man found his torso suddenly pulled up and his head rested on something incredibly soft. The fringe of red hair falling over him would have clued him into the identity of the speaker if the overly large… pillows, think of them as pillows, Ichigo, didn’t serve as a prime identifier. It seemed Orihime was supporting his upper body with her own, and his new position allowed him to see the rather worried grouping of faces gathered around to check on him. Uryu was there, bandaged from head to toe, but alive and well, leaning against a wall of some kind. Next to him was Chad and… Karin!?!? What the hell was she doing there?

More than a bit worried now he craned his head around and saw Tatsuki talking to a thickset dude with a pink bowl cut hairdo and mustache combo, while on the other side of them was a strange black haired female soul reaper and Rukia both staring off at a massive cloud of dust several meters away. The former’s features could have been carved from stone, but the latter was actively wringing her hands with worry and biting her lip with nerves. 

Shaking himself out of the delightful position he currently found himself in, the substitute soul reaper shakily regained his feet, wobbled in place for a moment, and then grew steady at last. “O-Orihime, what the hell happened? The last thing I remember was fighting that army of hollows and then some guy came out of nowhere and…” His voice trailed off as the accented timber of the constantly cut-off voice interspersed with explosions in the distance jogged his memory. “He sounded just like that!” 

The redhead shared a look with Tatsuki and then answered, “Well, you see, we all kind of had issues with Hollows at the same time too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We’ve all started seeing them recently and this time they got violent. Luckily Mr. Urahara and Rukia’s friends were here to help. They smashed those monsters to bits and then… sort of…”

“Went ape-shit.” Tatsuki finished for her. “The English dude single handedly took out the biggest monster I’ve ever seen and then he took one look at old Bucket Hat and went berserk.” She jerked a thumb at the pink haired man, “Luckily this guy knows some mambo jumbo or something and before any massive damage could be wrought on Karakura Town we ended up here.”

“And where is here exactly?”

“Under Mr. Urahaha’s candy shop.” The pink haired man answered stiffly before giving a thumbs up. “My name is Hachigen Ushoda, and I am a seal Kido extraordinaire. It was a simple matter to warp us from the field to this training ground. Far less risk of upsetting the mundanes, don’t you know.”

“Uh, yeah… sure.” Ichigo hedged as he moved his hands to peruse his tightly bound ribs. Their level of soreness implied bruising, but not necessarily any breaks. Had the spiritual pressure that subdued him really been powerful enough to cause that much damage on its own when an entire hoard of hollows hadn’t even managed to make him bleed? His gaze moved once more to the distant carnage and it irked him beyond measure that he couldn’t make out what was happening within the dust cloud. “I’ll be right back.” 

Leaning over to retrieve his sword, and using it as a makeshift staff, he hobbled over to the lone forms of Rukia and her associate and only stopped when he drew level with them both. “Hey, uh, I’m-”

“Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute soul reaper.” the strange woman spoke in a dull monotone. “Rukia has informed me of your personage as well as the circumstances of your empowerment. Worry not; neither I nor Harry shall inform any of the higher ups about what has occurred. It would be far more trouble than it is worth to try and explain to them.”

“Uh, okay. Rukia, what the fuck?” 

Rukia sighed as a fresh boom paired with a rather colorful amount of cursing came from the space ahead of her. “Ichigo, this is Nemu. I guess you could say she’s kind of my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?!?!?”

She pointed ahead of her at the fighting duo and added, “And over there is my blockhead boyfriend, Harry.”

“Okay, now I’m really confused.”

Nemu tilted her head and remarked, “I’m getting the feeling this is not an unusual state for you.”

Rukia nodded. “He is rather slow on the uptake. You have no idea how stressful training him has been.”

` “Hey!” *Boom* 

“Ban-” “ Boom *” 

“Okay, seriously, what is happening over there?”

Rukia shared a look with Nemu and answered, “Well, Harry eventually got tired of just beating the stuffing out of Urahara and decided to try using his bankai to finish him off. Urahara is pulling out all the stops and slicing him in half every time he tries to stop him from doing so since he really has no defense for it if it’s unleashed.”

“Bankai?”

“Sometimes I forget how little I’ve actually had time to teach you.” the brunette groaned before gesturing to her friend. “Nemu, could you just clear the field, please?”

“Of course, you needed only to ask.” The taller woman reached out one arm until the palm was facing flat at the dust cloud and a moment later the strawberry blonde found his face drawn taut with surprise as a massive blast of wind completely blew the obstruction away. What he saw next almost struck him dumb at how absurd it was. The straw haired man in a bucket hat was clearly on his last legs, liberally coated in his own blood from head to toe, bruised and cut beyond all probability of mortal survival, and leaning all his weight onto a thin zanpakuto as if it were a cane. The crazier thing was what the man had apparently been fighting. 

When Rukia said he’d been cutting someone in half Ichigo had thought she was being metaphorical, but really there were two perfect halves of a tall man with black hair bisected vertically down the middle. Literally, the two halves were on the ground spilling brains, intestines, and all other visceral insides along the rubbled earth as if this were the front entrance of a horror house at a carnival. Yet before his eyes the two halves rose as if pulled by the strings of a marionette back to their feet and began knitting back into each other at a speed that was downright frightening. 

Then, the moment its lips reconnected it started to chant, “Ban-” only for Urahara to lurch into motion faster than the eye could track, swinging his blade for all he was worth and sending with its path a torrent of crimson light that cleaved the other soul reaper into two pieces once more. 

Seeing that his vision was now unobstructed, Urahara chose to break his pattern and ran full out across the field to their position before crouching down behind Rukia’s body and pushing her torso in front of his own. “Save me, Rukia!” His voice was practically a girlish squeal by that point, and small wonder, he looked like absolute shit. Whoever this Harry guy was he’d seriously put the beatdown on this guy. “I was there for you when you needed me wasn’t I? I gave you a brand new gigai for practically nothing!” 

Back in the cratered ground of combat Harry finally drew himself back together and started his usual mantra of “Ban-” only to realize that his foe wasn’t even there anymore. “The hell?” He looked around wildly and finally saw the new position of the candy store owner. If it was possible he looked even angrier at the new realization. He charged toward them in a blur of flash-step movement only to be brought up short by Nemu clotheslining him to the ground and Rukia leaping down on top of him, planting her lips firmly on his own in a move that finished driving him to the floor. 

“Calm yourself, Harry.” Nemu said sternly, “This behavior is unbecoming of a Vice-Captain.” She turned away from the very amorous couple and the free show they were offering and told the still cowering man in the bucket hat, “And you… grovel.” 

Seeing the shop owner immediately start kowtowing to the strange man that was liberally groping his unwanted roommate, Ichigo bellowed, “What the hell is going on!?!?!?!?” 

The noise finally broke the mood for the finally reunited pair, and Harry reclaimed his feet without removing his arm from around the shorter woman’s waist. Instead of answering the youth he started walking down the line of people, his rage seeming to have been put aside for the moment as curiosity took hold instead. “Hm.” He stopped in front of the pink haired man. “You and I are gonna have a long talk soon.”

“U-Understood, good sir.” The man bowed and the reaper carried on to Tatsuki. “I see you survived. Good. You have shown great strength and admirable promise.” 

“Thanks, I guess.” The black haired martial artist hedged. 

“Nemu,” Harry offered, “mark this one for personal training.”

The spectacled reaper took a small notebook from her sleeve and jotted down a note. “Done.”

“Excellent.” Harry delighted in the feel of Rukia’s cheek against his bare chest as she nuzzled him and he carried on to the kid. “What’s your name?”

“K-Karin Kurosaki, mister.” Karin stared wide-eyed up at the tall British man. 

“Karin. An excellent name. You have a remarkable spiritual pressure, you know? I think I could do a lot with you. Would you like some personal training as well?” Any answer he might have gotten was cut off by a sandal-clad foot to his face that sent both him and Rukia tumbling over the ground. 

“Stay the hell away from my sister, freak!” Ichigo shouted. 

Rukia felt her boyfriend go very still beneath her and her swift mind quickly recalled the short list of things Nemu had told her to never let Harry be called under any circumstances. The number one item was ‘freak’. “Harry?” He rose from beneath her like a demon, his face schooled completely blank, but most telling of all was that his arm had fallen from her waist and moved so his hand could rest lightly on the hilt of his jian. At once she rushed to Nemu’s side and together they ushered the civilians several yards away. They noticed a certain shop owner made sure he was at the direct back of them all. 

“Be very careful about what you say next, boy.” Harry’s voice was deceptively calm and his sharp gaze locked onto the youth with the oversized cleaver. “I am graciously choosing to overlook your vast oversteps and mistakes; not least of which was setting my girlfriend up to be powerless and alone in this city. So the least you could do is be polite. I won’t insult you provided you do the same for me. However, you are very, very, close to crossing a line that you really don’t want to cross, little boy.”

“The fuck you calling little?” The brash youth roared as he waved his sword aloft in a gesture of pure threat. He was tired of being confused and had thus fallen back on his tried and true method of dealing with problems. Violence! It was an action that had his sister, Tatsuki, and Chad all palming their faces in dismay. At least they could see the forest for the trees. 

Harry looked at Nemu and said, “It looks like the mistake wants to fight. Should I oblige him?”

Nemu knew her superior well and thus knew that he’d already made up his own mind about the course of action he would employ. The writing had been on the wall from the moment that carrot topped youth had chosen to open his big mouth. “Do what you must.” 

Rukia rushed to add, “But don’t kill him please. I put a lot of effort into him that I don’t want to see lost; and we don’t know what happens to me if my powers die with him.”

Harry sighed and pulled his weapon free of his sash, sheath and all. “Fine, then.” He tossed it to a surprised Rukia and stared down the youth. “Ten seconds.”

“Huh?” Ichigo asked with open confusion. 

“You have ten seconds to hit me. Then I’m putting you in the ground.” He spread his arms wide. “Take your best shot.” 

Ichigo didn’t need any more permission than that, it seemed, as he charged straight at him with cleaver raised high and ready to slice the confusing man in half. 

Harry merely groaned at the ragged simplicity of the movement and stepped aside at the last second before bending his body back at an unnatural angle and flipping over the kid’s head, offering a smart kick to his rear as he did that had the boy stumbling in the dirt. Of course that was for only a second before he started coming at him again with a flurry of blows that, while full of strength and youthful vigor, lacked any true skill or finesse. 

“Pathetic.” The wizard stopped the next strike with the tip of his finger, cast a disarming spell that sent the weapon tumbling into the distance, and jabbed the annoying brat’s stomach hard enough to double him over and cause him to spit up blood. “But you know, I did promise to put you in the ground.” And with that he swept one his legs up over Ichigo’s kneeling form and slammed it into his back hard enough to send his temporary opponent cratering into the earth. “Next time think before calling someone infinitely stronger than you that filthy name.” Harry spit into the hole and marched over to his women before throwing his arm back around Rukia and marching over to the strangely restored looking Urahara. The man himself stood tall again with his ever-present hat on his head and cane-sword sheathed in his hands. The way Harry seemed to walk into a brick wall of crystal clear air, turning to protect Rukia at the last second as he did, showed why. 

The Vice-Captain tested the obstruction for a few moments before looking around wildly. Hachigan was gone. 

“Stay calm, Harry.” Rukia rubbed his chest through his torn robe gingerly and his eyes slowly returned to the soft hue that she loved to see. From their other side the busty redhead was bowing incredibly low. 

“Please forgive Ichigo for his rudeness.” She began. “He really is a nice person once you get to know him. He just tends to… fly off the handle a bit.” 

“That’s an understatement.” Tatsuki grumbled as she joined her friend’s side and also bowed. “But in all seriousness, thanks for saving our lives.”

“No problem.” Harry waved her off. “It’s kind of my job to look after humanity.” He jerked a thumb at the hole. “You lot take care of him. I got business with old hat-and-clogs here.” The kids ran to do as ordered and Harry went back to staring at the newly confident man. “Where the hell is she?”

Urahara raised a brow. “Whoever might you be talking about, Harry?”

“You know damn well who!” Only Rukia’s hand on him was keeping the Vice-Captain from ripping a hole in reality to get to the bastard. “Tell me now.”

“Would you believe I don’t know?”

“Fuck you!” He ripped his sword free but Nemu grabbed hold of his wrist to halt his movement. 

“That ward is likely booby trapped. We don’t want to know what Hachigen might have prepared for us. I know it’s hard but don’t act rashly.” 

Harry growled deep in his throat and literal smoke began to pour from his lips as he sheathed his sword in a swift motion. Then he gave the other man a look that would have made the kami shudder. “I will find her. Your stalling tactics won’t work forever. Not now that I know where you are.”

Kisuke shook his head sadly. “She always loved you, Harry.”

“She ran away to be with you!” 

“Do you really believe that?”

Harry turned away and started walking toward the sole ladder in the massive space leading out to the world above. Not stopping, he said just loud enough to be heard, “You were the only one she would have left for. The only one who could convince her to walk away from everything she’d built and all those she cared for. You get to live for now, but I will find the truth and I will make you suffer. But until Yoruichi finally shows herself you’re better off alive at the moment.”

“Oh I’m so glad!” Kisuke called back at him sarcastically.

As the trio hopped lithely up the ladder Karin looked back at the man and asked, “Was it really wise to rile him up?”

Urahara waved happily and let the barrier down. “Oh don’t worry. I know Harry pretty well and if he’d wanted me dead I would be. No, he wants to hurt me and that’s far more manageable if equally unpleasant. With him that primarily takes the form of cruel and unusual pranks. I just need to be on the lookout for oddly placed thumbtacks and legos on the floor paired with pressure released kunai shoots. I’m used to it.” Mentally he was thanking kami that Yoruichi had been hiding as a cat in the store above. Though she was famous for loving cats, that little trick of hers was one that no one else knew but the two of them. As long as she stayed low Harry wouldn’t find her, and she wouldn’t need to face him. It was really what was best for everyone. 

The Kurosaki Household

Ichigo had finally trapped Kon and got his body back after the Hollow army debacle and as he walked through the threshold of his home he was prepared for many different possibilities, such as his father’s usual homecoming sneak attack. What he was not prepared for was the sight of his sisters eating ramen at their kitchen table with Rukia and Nemu while Harry-fucking-Potter reclined with his arm around his father’s shoulders while both of them chugged from bottles of sake. 

“Ichigo!” Harry called happily, the tint of his cheeks giving answer to his level of inebriation. “Why didn’t you tell me your old man was Isshin? Gods, I missed my old drinking partner!” 

“Me too!” Isshin crowed, slapping Harry on the back hard enough to send his face crashing into the table. He rose again without any apparent harm regardless of the faceprint he’d left imprinted in the wood. “Nobody puts em back like Harry Potter!” 

Karin sweatdropped at the sight she was receiving and after swallowing her latest mouthful asked, “Should you really be getting drunk in front of your impressionable young daughters, dad? It’s kind of lame.”

“I’m not lame.” Isshin whined. He turned to Harry, “Am I?”

“Naw, we’re fucking studs.” Harry slapped his chest happily. “Right Rukia?” 

The brunette blushed and leaned against him. She’d not let herself be more than a foot away since he’d finally come back. So happy was she to have his reassuring presence close by again after the stress of her ordeal. “You’re my stud at least.” 

“The fuck!?!?!?” Ichigo exploded. 

Ishin grinned at his oldest and said, “Meet our new roommates, Harry and Nemu. They’re renting some roof space for a tent of theirs. You didn’t tell me Rukia had a fiancee?”

“The hell was that about old drinking buddies?”

“Oh nothing crazy,” His father waved him off. “We’ve just crossed paths a time or two professionally.” 

Ichigo blinked. “You’re a medical doctor and he’s… dead.” 

“I’m a very good doctor. And I have a lot of clients.” Seeking to distract his son, Ishin grabbed another bottle and offered it to him. “Drink up, my boy!” 

“I’m a teenager! Shouldn’t you be telling me not to touch that stuff!?!?!?” Ichigo balked. 

“You’d be a lot cooler if you did.”

“Gah!” The next thing anyone present saw was the blonde’s foot crashing into his father’s face, the distraction having worked to perfection.

Some Time Later

“Are you sure about this spot?” Harry asked as he crawled into the opening of his magical tent and reached out a hand to draw Rukia in after him. “Nemu and I have that other tent on the roof after all.”

The younger soul reaper blushed at his gallantry, and understanding, and molded herself into his side as she came into the magically expanded space. The only light was from a self contained fireplace and the thick fur rug ahead of it looked absolutely dreamy. “Ichigo still has my powers, and I need to be close by to deploy him if my scanner detects any Hollows in the area. I… I know this isn’t what we wanted, and I’m sorry about-”

“Hey,” Harry cupped her cheek and raised her eyes to his own. “None of that. What happened wasn’t your fault. You wanted to save lives and you did. That’s all that matters. The rest… we’ll handle it as it comes. As for this location… admittedly I’d not imagined our romantic vacation spot being in Kurosaki’s closet, but the entrance is soundproofed and warded against mortals, so we can still make do.” 

“It’s really soundproofed?” Rukia bit her lip nervously as her man nodded. 

“Yeah. That’s standard with all my tents.” 

“Good.” Sporting a near full body blush, Rukia moved forward a bit so that her body could become outlined in the light of the flames, and then she slowly pulled the collar of her shirt until the buttons popped free and the material pooled down to her elbows. 

Harry could only stare at the heavenly sight that met his eyes. Rukia, illuminated in fire and shadow, her torso completely bare to his gaze. 

Sudden confidence filled the younger woman’s mind as she saw the clear appreciation her boyfriend held for her form, and she shocked herself by raising one hand smoothly and crooking a single finger at him. “Harry,” she spoke slowly, and though nervous, she had never felt more sure of herself. “Take me to bed.” 

“Your wish is my command, love.”

Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer : I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties therein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love.” 

Chapter Six - An Odd Choice

“Oh, Harry, yes!” Rukia shrieked in final ecstasy, all of her muscles seizing within her at once, before falling limply onto Harry’s chest for the last time, all energy and strength fading from her body in equal measure. He’d already carried her through five releases of her own that night, but this last she’d insisted on being on top to make sure he could at last get his in, and dammit she’d finally succeeded. 

For several seconds she couldn’t even hope to move, but the light rumbling of her man’s chest beneath her cheeks got her to raise her head at last to look at him. The smile he gave her when their eyes met warmed her soul better than the fire from any hearth she could remember ever sitting at. 

“Well,” he asked as he raised a hand to comb some of the loose strands of her hair that had come free in their passion back behind her ear, “was I worth the wait?” 

“Beyond worth it.” Rukia purred, wrapping her arms around his body to snuggle closer as her man summoned their bed’s blanket up to cover them once more. “I… I honestly have no words. How did I ever go so long without this?” 

“Well I live to please.”

“And please, you do.” Rukia laughed at the innuendo, and soon enough Harry was joining in as well, though his laughter dried up instantly once he saw the thin trails of tears that were slowly working their way down her cheeks. 

At once he was cupping her face, his expression transformed into one of intense worry. “Rukia! Are you alright? Did I hurt you? Are you-” 

“Harry,” The brunette woman soothed him as she covered his hands with her own and pulled them down to rest in the space where their chests met. “It’s nothing you did. I’m just… now that I have a moment to think, I can’t help realizing that… that…” 

“What is it, Rukia?” 

“This!” Rukia pushed her pelvis forward and lifted herself on one hand so she could gesture to her body with the other. 

Harry spent a moment trying to figure out what she meant, and then offered, “A beautiful view?” 

“Ooh!” Rukia, seconds ago absolutely delirious with pleasure, began to steam more than a bit as she explained, “I’m in a gigai, Harry! You made love to a gigai; a false form. I wasn’t… I wasn’t all of me. I wasn’t the real me. You deserve more than-” 

“Hey, now,” Once more his hand rose to her cheek. “You know I love you no matter what. And I don’t think that something that basically amounts to the question of screwing with a condom on, or a condom off, would be enough to make you cry, so what is really going on?” 

Rukia sighed, and relaxed herself back down on top of him, circling a spot on his hip with her finger as she continued, “This body is a crime, Harry. It represents my sin. I gave my power away to a mortal, something insanely against the laws of the Seireitei, and now a human is empowered to a level that is unnatural.” 

“Well, I’d agree that his sheer lack of skill certainly is unnatural.” 

“Be serious, Harry.” 

“I’d rather be me.” 

“What?”

“Old joke. Continue.” 

Rukia huffed again, but refused to stop snuggling no matter how frustrated she became. “I’m a criminal now, Harry.” 

“Oh please.” Harry made a shooing gesture with his free hand. “It’s only a crime if the people in power learn about it. I’m certainly not gonna tell anyone.” 

“Yeah… about that….” Rukia hedged slowly, “You didn’t read the local area briefings before coming here, did you?” 

“I… skimmed them.” 

The shorter woman let out a deep breath to keep herself calm. “I thought so. We aren’t the only Reapers here, Harry. There’s at least two more in the neighboring towns, and I actually ran into one of them while helping Ichigo with a particularly nasty Hollow at his mother’s cemetery.” 

Harry groaned and rested his head back on the pillow, already starting to get an idea where this was all going. “What did he say his name was?” 

“Zennosuke Kurumadani.” 

“Well fuck. That guy is a major snitch. If he saw you in that body without you letting off any latent spiritual pressure then it’s probably only a matter of time before the entire Seireitei knows.” Harry thought about that for a moment or two before deciding, “Well, I suppose it’s rampage time.” 

“Eh?” Rukia gaped as she watched a look of cunning cross her boyfriend’s face. “Rampage?” 

“Well, I’m definitely not gonna let you get arrested for something as stupid as this. You did exactly what you were supposed to, everything physically possible to protect human life. I won’t let the ancient fuckbuckets in the Seireitei punish you for it. They’d kill you. So that leaves my only option as, you know, killing everybody else ‘but’ you.” 

“You can’t be serious.”

He shrugged. “Honestly it wouldn’t be that hard. I can’t die, Nemu can handle most of the Lieutenants one on one, our squad members can keep the ground troops busy, and Kenpachi would probably revel in the chance to test himself against the other Captains. The main problem would be dealing with old Yamamoto, but I’m pretty sure I can tire him out.”

“He could just burn you to ash.” the short woman pointed out. 

“Eh, it’d only be a flesh wound.”

“A… A flesh wound?” One look at Harry’s face and she knew he was serious. The man had become so accustomed to dying that even being atomized seemed normal to him. At once she hugged him even tighter and whispered, “Please don’t try that. I couldn’t bear the thought of it happening to you.” 

“Alright, you win.” The vice-Captain ran loving fingers through her hair and kissed her head as he added, “Luckily, if that option is nixed, there’s always plan B.” 

“Plan B? What’s that?” 

“The greatest practical joke the Seireitei will ever see. Mwahahahahahaha!” 

Meanwhile

Outside the window to the Kurosaki Household a lone black cat sat despondently on the edge of a nearby roof. No normal critter would have heard anything past the crazed combination of silencing wards mixed with a sleeping Ichigo’s snoring, but this feline was far from the normal variety. Its keen ears, backed by heaps of spiritual power, had been listening in abject misery to the goings on within the home and tent for the last hour, and it was a lesson in constant misery. 

Idly, Yoruichi wondered why she was subjecting herself to such sorrow. Was it regret? Longing? A need to punish herself for such a hasty decision all those years ago? Perhaps a bit of both. Stepping away from Harry had been the right move back then, the only one, she knew that. Kisuke wouldn’t have lasted a week on the run without her direct hand to help him set up a new identity in the human world and make sure he didn’t blow it; but sitting there now, so close, yet a world apart as far as her love knew; listening to him make another woman scream the way he had once made her; listening to him discuss his clearly continued love of mischief; each aspect was a fresh knife to her heart. 

Finally unable to stomach anymore, and feeling she’d flagellated herself as much as was necessary for one night, the black cat stood up on her disguised legs and started leaping off into the night. Things were being put into motion, only a bit of which she understood, and if nothing else came of her suffering that night then Kisuke needed to be warned to keep his head down as much as was possible in the near future. 

The Next Day

Tatsuki was trying to come to terms with the craziness she’d been subjected to with all those Hollows in the only way she knew how… kicking the stuffing out of a training dummy in her dojo. It was rather early in the morning, but her family owned the place so she had a key to let herself in, and for the last hour she’d been working up a sweat and ordering her mind, and she was finally starting to find her center once more when the sudden appearance of the black haired woman that had followed the new Soul Reaper to Karakura Town threw her final kick out of whack, nearly sending her sprawling for lack of balance. 

Luckily the strange woman was quick on her feet and caught the human’s heel with one of her palms, halting what would have been quite the embarrassing fall onto the mat below. 

Tatsuki blew a fallen strand of hair free of her face and resettled her balance, gingerly pulling her foot free of the formerly iron grip as she adopted a stance of wariness. In theory, she knew that this woman likely meant her no harm, but with how her boyfriend had reacted to Urahara, well, she couldn’t be blamed for being a bit wary. 

“Hey, uh, Nemu, right?” 

“That is indeed my name.” the elder brunette nodded. “You were just practicing karate, were you not?” 

“Yeah. It’s kind of my hobby. What are you doing here?”

Nemu slid her zanpakuto free of her waist sash and rested it easily against the nearest wall before moving into the center of the empty training room and crouching into a low stance, her arms spaced evenly in front and behind her. “Harry has decided that you show promise. As such, I have elected to begin your instruction in the arts of Soul Reaper unarmed combat. Come at me.” 

“Look, I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think-” 

“Your elevated internal temperature and pheromone scents the other day when young Kurosaki engaged my Vice-Captain in combat were quite clear.” Nemu interrupted the girl without raising her voice, only her slightly arched brow giving note to the annoyance that being delayed was truly causing her. “Come at me now, or I shall inform your friend that his mere presence turns you on.” 

“Y-Yes ma'am!” 

Elsewhere

Chad was feeding the ducks at his favorite park when the bench seat next to him creaked with the weight of a new arrival. Only after dispensing with his last handful of bread to the hungry birds did he turn and see the robed form of Harry Potter, reclining easily against the wooden seat with an arm thrown lazily over the back. 

Taking a moment to center himself, the Latino-born Japanese teen commented, “I was not aware that the dead carried weight.” 

Harry shrugged, “I’m a bit of a special case. Suffice it to say I’m not really dead, but I’m also not really alive. I’m somewhere in between the two; and so, yes, I carry weight. But if you call me fat because of it we’re gonna have some problems.” 

Chad raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “I mean no offense to you, Mr. Potter.” 

“And I implied none, young man.” The Reaper smiled warmly at the youth then. “You know, out of everyone in Kurosaki’s group back in that basement, you were the only one that actually seemed to carry respect and bearing in your demeanor.” 

“My abuelo taught me to have reverence for things I have yet to learn, else I would appear the fool. Knowledge and understanding breed peace. Rash action and impertinence lead to suffering.” 

“Your abuelo sounds like a wise man.”

“He was.” 

“Then I am sorry for your loss. Though I do wonder how a conscientious young man like you became friends with someone as crazed and impetuous as Ichigo.” 

“It is a long story.”

“I have nothing but time.” 

Chad stared long and hard at the other man. “You do not strike me as someone that approaches others for no reason. Is there something you intend for me? Or perhaps something I can help you with?” 

“Well,” Harry kicked one leg over the other and lazily pointed at the human’s right arm. “I wanted to talk to you about training that arm.” 

Chad warily folded it into his lap. “I apologize for any miscommunication you might have inferred, but I prefer women.” 

Harry burst out laughing at that, and only started to come down once he saw the human begin to do the same. “Damn, kid. You play the straight man in a joke perfectly. Who knew you had a sense of humor? But seriously, there’s a great deal of latent life-energy leaking from your arms at a rather staggering rate. It’s probably why you managed to hold your own against your Hollow for as long as you did before being stomped into a pancake.”

Chad took a moment to process those words, and then asked, “What are you suggesting?” 

Harry finally took on a more serious expression as he leaned forward. “If there is one thing I hate, it is letting potential go to waste. As such, I would like to work with you to see about making your power usage a conscious act, rather than mere desperate instinct. What do you say?” 

Chad slowly reached his hand over to shake on the matter. “I too do not enjoy wasteful things. If there is strength in me that might allow me to protect the lives of others, then I would wish to learn how to wield it.”

“Outstanding.”

“But what about Ichigo?” 

Harry quirked his head in confusion at those words. “What about him?” 

Explaining his thoughts with his usual measure of care, Chad elaborated. “You are clearly highly ranked amongst the Soul Reapers. Surely there is much you could teach him about protecting Karakura town?” 

“Yeah, I could.” Harry confirmed nonchalantly. “But there’s one thing you haven’t taken into account.” He waited for a moment, but when Chad offered no examples that he could make fun of, the Reaper finally explained, “He royally pisses me off. I mean seriously, what kind of guy rips off a Soul Reaper for her powers, a process she allows so that he can protect his family, and then makes her live in his closet? A fucking asshole, that’s who. Any decent man would have at least offered to give her his bed. No, Ichigo doesn’t deserve my help, no matter how awesome his dad is.” 

Chad slowly raised a hand and asked, “Perhaps you could elaborate on that last point?” 

“Nope.” Harry cheerfully smashed the bench out from under him with a concussive spell, and as Chad scrambled to reclaim his balance, the older man launched a hard kick towards his torso. “First lesson! Dodge!” 

Three Weeks Later

Kisuke Urahara was just closing up his shop when he suddenly found his hand frozen in place with the key still half embedded in the lock. A quick test proved that not only was the limb frozen, it was also stuck fast to the point that not even his own prodigious strength could free it. His hand, the lock, and the door it was all connected to, might as well have been a two ton anchor for the effect they were all having as keeping him locked into one singular spot. 

The former Captain could only think of one possible reason for his present circumstance, and it filled him with dreadful expectation. Not turning his head, already knowing what he’d glimpse behind himself if he did, he commented, “The old ‘Why Leave So Soon’ maneuver? Yoruichi mentioned that was how you first met-” He was cut off by a forceful grip suddenly latching onto his hair that soon sent his face careening hard into the wooden doorframe, shattering it at last and sending his torso flopping after it; an unfortunate state of affairs considering his hand was still stuck to the portion that remained. Had he been human his wrist would surely have been shattered into a dozen tiny pieces from the act. 

Now able to see through the new opening, Kisuke gulped at the forbidding image of Harry Potter. The man was stonefaced, breathing heavily, and he was already wrapping strips of cloth torn from his robe around his knuckles. Well, this didn’t bode well for his immediate future. 

“Where is she?” The Brit asked slowly, voice filled with absolute menace. 

As was his way, the shop owner attempted to plead for time. “Why, you’ll need to be a bit more specific, Harry. I’m sure you remember that I tend to get quite a lot of action and-” He was cut off as the wizard crossed the threshold, knelt over his body, and slammed one wrapped fist into his kidney. 

“I don’t give a fuck about your sex life and you know it. Now, I’ve been patient because Rukia has practically been begging for your life. I’ve given you a few weeks to get your affairs in order. But my patience is pretty much at its end. So you’ll either tell me what I want to know tonight or I’ll wipe you from existence. Plain and simple.” Leaning down so their noses weren’t but an inch apart, he added, “You know I can do it, Kisuke. Imagine, no reincarnation. No second chance. Not even another few centuries in the slums. Just oblivion.” His fist reared back for another round, “But first” * Smack* “a great deal” * Smack * “of pain!” * Smack *.

“Harry.” 

The sudden onset of a modest feminine voice had the man looking up from his epic beatdown to find Nemu standing just outside the shop with her hands folded formally into her sleeves. “I’m kind of in the middle of something here, Nemu. Pausing somebody mid-rampage is just bad etiquette.”

“I am aware.” Nemu walked onto the deck, stepped lightly over the ruined remnants of the door, and smoothly fixed her boyfriend’s robe closed to smooth out the sight of the tears he’d made in it. Rage was no excuse to look slovenly in her opinion. “I sensed a pull on the Veil Gate. A passage has been opened to this world from the Seireitei.” 

Harry grew very still. “So they’ve finally made a move.” 

“Indeed.” 

“Fuck!” The Captain sent a final kick into Kisuke’s side and started stomping off in the direction Nemu was pointing. “And he was just about to give me everything I wanted.” 

From behind them, the still-bucket hat-wearing man wheezed, “I-In your d-dreams, Potter!” 

“Fuck off and die!” Harry yelled back before clutching his Lieutenant to his side and apparating away.” 

Once he was sure the man was gone, Kisuke gingerly pulled his ‘trapped’ hand free and shook it for all he was worth. Could he have freed himself sooner? Yes. His quick mind had found the loophole in the spell’s effect within a few seconds. But would Harry have killed him if he had? Most likely. “Had him right where I wanted him.” 

A trapdoor opened in the floor and Yoruichi came strutting out. “Not from where I was standing. Any further and I’d have had to step in to save your ass.” 

Kisuke folded his legs under him and shook his head to clear some of the ringing out of it. “That’s just what he’s hoping you’d do. I’m his only link to you and I’m guessing he waited this long to ‘give me time to contact you about his arrival’ so now he thinks if he causes me enough pain and trouble you’ll come swooping in to save me. I’d almost admire his foresight if my ribs weren’t making it so hard to breath.” 

“So he’s gonna keep beating you in the meanwhile?” 

“Maybe. But I think a new variable has come onto the scene to ruffle his feathers. Something tells me he’s about to have more on his plate to worry about than scheduling enough time in the day to provide me with a steady diet of knuckle sandwiches…..” 

Elsewhere  

Rukia forced her trembling hands to still as she looked out the window of the kitchen in the Kuroski household where she’d been heating up a mug of tea. She was only partially surprised to see the stoic forms of her elder brother and his second in command, Renji. Of course it would be them that were sent. The two were walking out of a floating gate in the air and stepping down an invisible staircase on a direct path that would lead them to the home’s front door. 

Nemu had warned her that it likely wouldn’t take long until someone was sent to bring her in, but she’d been hoping for at least another couple weeks of blissful vacation before having to deal with the politics of the Seireitei once more. 

Setting her now useless mug in the sink, she reached to the locket hanging from her neck and squeezed it in her hand. Once it began to vibrate she let it go. Now Harry knew that the Reapers had arrived, and on the off chance he didn’t make it in time the portkey would take her to a place of safety. Failsafes within failsafes as Nemu would say. 

She needn’t have worried. A moment later a second vibration followed the first, signaling that Harry was now in the area and ready to move in when she gave the signal. Another dish clinking in the sink had her turning to see none other than Ishin now standing by her side. 

“Did Harry tell you about me?” 

“He mentioned that there were things that I didn’t need to know unless you wanted to tell me, but that you were trustworthy.” She answered. 

“Hm.” The doctor, an uncharacteristically serious expression locked on his face, asked, “You gonna need help with the two that are coming?” 

“You can sense them too?” 

“I can. Luckily the girls are still too young to understand it so they’ll sleep right through the visit. That said, you’re my guest. That means if you need help I’m both happy, and honor bound, to provide it.” 

Rukia smiled up at the man and shook her head in the negative. “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Kurosaki, but Harry and I already made a plan for this eventuality. We’ll be alright.” She bumped into his side teasingly and added, “Though I guess this means you’ll be missing out on further rent from us.” 

Ishin chuckled easily and started moving off towards the stairs. “Don’t worry about it. Harry paid in advance for the next three months. I’m well covered no matter what happens with your living situation.” 

Once the man was gone, Rukia took a deep breath, smoothed out the wrinkles of her dress, and finally crossed the distance to the front door and pulled it open. Byakuya and Renji were just completing the final steps to meet her when she did, stopping right on top of the rather ironic (all things considered) welcoming mat. 

“Big brother.” The woman steeled herself and nodded to the redhead. “Renji. May I ask what it is that brings you here?” 

The stoic man in white Captain’s robes stared imperiously down at the shorter woman. “I believe you know exactly why we are here, Rukia. Though if we are mistaken to be so, you may assuage the concerns of the Council by removing the gigai you wear and providing an example of your spiritual energy.” He waited for a few moments and when no such effort proved forthcoming, he crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture of finality. “I am afraid that this is exactly what we thought. I am sorry, Lieutenant, but from this moment I declare you to be under arrest.” 

Beside him, Renji pulled a scroll free of his own pocket and presented it to his oldest friend, his formerly cocky expression turned to one of clear regret as he did so. “This is a record of your arrest warrant. Upon proof of your sin we were authorized to serve it and return you to the Seireitei to stand trial.”

Rukia took the warrant, slid it open, and read through every line carefully. It was a bit sparse on the fine print, but all the relevant signatures were present. Damn. Dropping the document to the ground, she held both arms up and pressed her wrists together before her. “I knew this might happen. Big brother, I formally surrender…” The Captain made to reach for her wrists, but was firmly rebuffed as she turned her torso ninety degrees to the right. “...to Vice-Captain Potter of the Eleventh Division.” 

At the conclusion of her words, Harry popped into existence in front of her and swiftly bound her wrists with a silk sash (that he ‘might’ have requisitioned from their bedroom) and tossed her amused body over his shoulder. “I got this, boys. Feel free to take a hike.”

Byakuya’s brow began to twitch with clear frustration at what he was seeing. This was supposed to be a simple arrest. No one had informed him that Potter, of all people, would be here with his sister. Honestly, he’d been hoping the time on an extended deployment would cure the foolish girl of her infatuation with the man. “Vice-Captain, I must protest your actions here.” 

Eyes growing cold, Harry settled his free hand on the hilt of his weapon and nearly growled, “Are you challenging my authority to make an arrest, Byakuya?” 

“Well, no, of course not-” 

“All officers above the rank of Lieutenant have the right to fulfill warrants and take criminals into personal custody, do they not?”

“You know that they do, but-” 

“Then, I’ll just handle the transfer myself.” Harry’s smirk returned, and with a clench of his hand on the hilt of his jian a swirling vortex came into existence behind him. Meanwhile he pointed to something behind the others and added, falling back into his portal as he did, “But you might want to deal with that before following me.” 

As the Englishman faded from view, the others spun on the spot and took note of a teenager with a large bow racing right at them with a strawberry blonde youth in Reaper garb charging in on his heels with a comically large cleaver clenched in his hands. 

Byakuya rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, his anger at the situation dangerously close to actually becoming visible in the lines of his face. “At least we know where Rukia’s powers went, then. Renji, deal with this quickly. Severing the chain of life in that imposter should hopefully begin the process of returning Rukia’s powers to her soul; at least then she’ll face her death as a full Soul Reaper once more. Then we need to make haste back to the Seireitei. I don’t trust Potter alone with my sister, no matter what he claims about being her arresting officer. That man is clearly up to something.” 

Renji scoffed and settled the blade of his Zanpakto on his shoulder as he waited for the newcomers to get into his personal range. “No shit. When is he not?” 

Chapter Text

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Harry Potter or Bleach. All properties herein are those of their creators. I am only a writer working on my skills with worlds and characters that I love. 

Chapter Seven - Training & Infiltration

“Rukia!” Ichigo woke with a scream, rushing to sit up on pure instinct as he did; an action that immediately flattened him back to the ground in a rictus of pain as his mind exploded in pure agony. It was as if every single nerve ending in his body had decided to catch fire at once!

“Woah, easy,” a familiar feminine voice spoke up as a soft hand came to rest on his chest, holding him down until the pain subsided once more and he at last came back to himself enough to realize that his head was slightly elevated and… very comfortable. Huh? 

Once his toes stopped twitching with aftershocks he finally had it in himself to open his eyes and discover he was looking up into the worried frown that was currently marring Tatsuki’s face. He seemed to be laying on her lap. 

“Wha… what happened?” 

Tatsuki gently started to soothe her secret crush by running her fingers through his hair. She knew what she was about to say would likely anger him, but he needed to stay calm or risk opening his wounds again. “You almost got yourself killed, that’s what happened. You were two steps away from having your Chain of Life And Death severed by that redheaded dude until Mr. Urahara showed up. He chased the Reaper off, but not before-” 

“Rukia.” Ichigo groaned with remembered frustration. Though the additional memory of what had happened the last time he’d moved stopped him from trying to rise again. “I… I couldn’t…” 

The brunette could hardly believe what she was seeing. Ichigo, her best friend, the rival that had constantly inspired her to make herself tougher and faster in her martial capabilities, looked… lost. Unsure of himself… scared. More than ever before she was glad that old Mr. Bucket Hat had dropped them off at her family dojo after the incident. As late into the evening as it was, there was no one to see this reaction but herself, and she knew that was the only way Ichigo would want it as well. “Hey, it’s alright.” 

“No… no it’s not.” Slowly, hesitantly, he raised one hand, as if afraid it would fall off; and when it proved willing to stay attached to the limb it called home, he settled it over Tatsuki’s own on his chest. “Tatsuki, I was so sure… so sure that I could beat them. The idea that I’d lose never even entered my mind until that redhead broke my sword. Then I knew. I knew I was going to die. It was going to be the end and I just… I just… I froze.” His voice cracked on the final word and, wounds or not, the martial artist couldn’t help but lean over and pull his head into her chest. 

She didn’t say anything as he shook against her. She didn’t say anything when his arms circled her waist and he began to cling to her as if his life depended on it. And she didn’t say anything when he finally released her and at last began to relax again. She just knelt there and waited. 

“I’m… sorry about that.” Ichigo’s cheeks burned and he looked away from the kind eyes of his friend. 

“Don’t be.” Tatsuki cupped his chin and pulled his eyes back to her own. “I’m your friend, Ichigo. I care about you… a lot. And you shouldn’t feel the least bit weird about coming to me for comfort. I want to provide it when I can.” She honestly wanted to provide a lot more, but she could afford to be patient. 

“How can you even stand to look at me? I’m a failure, and I let Rukia down.” 

“No, you just lost a fight. Every hero does once in a while. But you’re only a failure if you let it keep you down for good.” She smiled softly. “And I don’t think you’re going to want to do that. No, I know you better than you know yourself, Ichigo, and I know that deep down you’re burning to get even.” 

He nodded against her legs. “You’re right, as usual. I am.” 

“And I’m betting that you want to rescue Rukia from her fate.” 

“I do.” 

“And you want to put your fist straight into that Potter guy’s face!” 

“Hell yeah!” Ichigo reflexively tried to sit up again to enthusiastically fist-pump the air, but immediately fell back down. “Uh… maybe I can start this revenge rampage in the morning?” 

Tatsuki’s small smile turned into a large grin. “That’s probably for the best. And for what it’s worth, you won’t be tearing shit up in the Soul Society alone.” 

A curious expression came to Ichigo’s face at those words. “I won’t?”

“Nope.” Tatsuki began softly running her fingers through his hair again. “Rukia wasn’t just your friend, you big dummy. We all care about her. And old Hat-and-Clogs made it clear that she was going to be facing an execution in her homeland if no one did anything to stop it. There’s no way we can just sit by and let this happen.” 

Ichigo was aghast. “Tatsuki, it’s far too dangerous for you to-” He was cut off as his friend raised a palm to stall him. Then she turned it toward the wall behind her where a heavy banner hung with her family dojo’s kanji stitched across it. A second later and a sudden gust of wind hit the item with enough power to knock it up into the ceiling and hold it there. 

Deciding to cut her shocked friend some slack, she explained, “Before they took off, I was doing a lot of training with Nemu to harness my spiritual pressure effectively. I know that Chad was training with Harry, and Uryu has already promised to come along as well. I think it hurt his pride a lot to be taken out so easily by Soul Reapers.” She thought about the next part and finally noted, “Karin and Orihime wanted to come too, but I convinced them to watch the city while we’re gone. Without you, Harry, or Rukia, there won’t be anyone to look after the peaceful souls and living ones should new Hollows show up.” 

“Karin?” Ichigo blinked. “What’s my sister have to do with anything?” 

Tatsuki raised a brow. “You do know that she’s just as sensitive to ghosts as you are, right? I mean, Harry offered to train her after giving up on killing Urahara.” 

“I… thought he was hitting on her then.” Ichigo admitted ruefully, remembering the rather unfortunate way he had handled that entire mess, along with its fallout. “Looking back, I might have overreacted.” 

“You think?” Tatsuki asked sarcastically. “From what I’ve seen of the guy, Potter is definitely a perv, but he isn’t anything near a child molestor.” 

From the other side of the room, a deep voice announced, “You couldn’t be more right, Ms. Arisawa.” Both pairs of eyes turned with shock to behold a regal-looing black cat on the mats across from them, sitting for all the world as if it had always been in the room. The hell? “Harry Potter is a man of singular honor and action. He’d never lower himself to something so horrifying.” 

Ichigo took in those words and growled, “If he’s so honorable then why the hell would he arrest Rukia when all she was doing was trying to protect people? And how do you even know who he is? Wait, no, fuck that, how the hell is a cat even talking right now? Did I get brain damage tonight too? Ow!” He rubbed his head seriously as a millisecond later the cat was sitting right by him and a fresh concussion seemed to have alighted in his skull. Had the feline struck him? 

 The cat stared him down, as if waiting to see if its victim was going to continue talking stupid. Then it explained, “He likely arrested Rukia because Byakuya and Renji’s presence made it impossible to ignore Seireitei law without enacting open rebellion. Yet even now, knowing him as I do, I imagine he is not making the situation on the other side any easier for them.” 

The cat swished its tail lazily through the air and added, “I know Harry Potter because I used to work very closely with him. And yes, I am a talking cat.” 

Tatsuki picked up on some of the subtext first. “If you worked with Potter, does that make you-” 

“Dead? Yes, after a fashion. Though in reality nothing ever truly dies for good. It’s all about perspective. For instance, my perspective is that you lot will only get yourselves killed if you go off half-baked and half-cocked into the Soul Society. An old fashioned rampage is all well and good, but in this case you need tact and a plan. I am willing to provide you with both.” The feline’s slitted eyes locked onto the injured strawberry-blond. “But before all of that, we need to get your Reaper powers back and upgraded. You’ll be training with Urahara first thing in the morning to make that happen.” 

Before Ichigo could respond with a snarky comment about how he couldn’t even walk yet, the cat stood back up and jumped out of the nearest window in a single bound, leaving the duo alone once more. 

“So,” the blonde grumbled, “we’re taking orders from cats now?” 

Tatsuki shrugged, trying like hell to keep the joy she felt from continuing to hold her crush close from showing on her face. “If nothing else, it’s a cat that seems to know what to do next. That’s more than we have at the moment without him.” 

“I suppose.” Ichigo allowed. “But if I’m gonna be training tomorrow, then I need to get as much healing sleep as possible first.” Suddenly turning a bit red in the cheeks, he said, “I hate to ask… but would you mind staying put a bit longer? I just feel like I’ll sleep better with you close.” 

“I-I would have absolutely no problem with that.” Tatsuki smiled. “Just close your eyes and listen to my humming. Let it help you drift to sleep.”

Time Dilation of the Slipway Between Realms 

Captain’s Meeting 

Captain-Commander Yamamoto slammed his staff on the ground to call the weekly meeting of his Division Captains to order. “We shall now begin proceedings for our weekly briefings. Before starting, is there anyone present who wishes to raise concerns for undertakings of the Seireitei?” 

Standing up at once, Byakuya stated firmly, “I would like to raise concerns on one matter of order.” The noble Captain pointed one imperious finger to the space behind and just to the right of Captain Kenpachi. “Why does Vice-Captain Potter consider it appropriate to spit in the face of the Seireitei’s laws? And why does he insist on keeping my sister so… detained?” The last was said with a level of discomfort that many of the gathered warriors shared. 

And why was that? Maybe because Harry Potter was sitting cross-legged behind his ‘superior’ with the soon-to-be-convicted Rukia Kuchiki held securely in his lap… and by securely, it would likely be more apt to describe her as… restrained. Indeed, Soifon had even commented, upon first seeing the setup, that the Kuchiki girl looked like she was set for a domination show-room scene. What with all the leather straps and ropes cinched at ‘opportune’ places to hamper movement, but not cause undue discomfort. Said ropes and straps also secured her rather firmly to Potter’s person. For her own part, Rangiku had seen the ensemble and immediately found herself wondering just how the Vice-Captain had managed to sneak it out of her closet in the first place. 

Continuing on rather stiffly, Byakuya stated, “Soul Society law dictates that the prisoner is supposed to be confined to the White Tower for the duration of her sentencing. A place they may remain in quiet dignity to prepare themselves for what may come. Not enduring… whatever sick fantasy that pervert is currently entertaining.” 

“Hey!” Harry exclaimed, “Now I resent that statement. Yes, I am a self-confessed pervert, but this is nothing related to my tastes. I’ll have you know that I am merely keeping Rukia as secure as is physically possible. And there’s literally no place more secure than being tied to my person where I can keep my eye on her at all times. You know, every day, every night, every morning, and even in shower times to make sure she’s safely getting every possible inch of her skin clean and not slipping and falling on a random, dangerous, bar of soap…” The former Brit was ‘cut’ off as Byakuya rapidly drew his sword, flash-stepped across the room, and separated his head from his shoulders. 

Of course, the act was met by mass groans from everyone else present as their formerly pristinely white robes became drenched in the geyser of blood the victim’s neck became… until of course the man fell over, retrieved his head, and plopped it back on his shoulders, turning it left and right until a click was heard and the cut disappeared entirely. 

Harry blinked a couple times as sense returned to him and looked down at Rukia again. “What did I miss?” 

“My brother killed you again.” The condemned woman explained. 

“Really?” He looked up at the attacker, still standing over him with his blade clenched in furiously tight fingers. “Really, Byakuya? You know you can’t do anything to really hurt me.” 

In answer, the Captain shoved the tip of his sword through his adversary’s neck and leaned in close until their noses were nearly touching. “Maybe not, but it does make me feel just a bit better about existing in the same realm of reality as you.” It irked Byakuya more than he could say that the bastard started laughing as he viciously ripped his sword free and started back to his place in the meeting formation. It made no sense that Potter could still recover as he did ‘and’ feel no real pain. It made threatening him nearly impossible! 

“But my point remains.” He continued after smoothing his robes once more. “Why is the Vice-Captain being allowed to do this thing? It flies in the face of our rules and traditions.” 

“Cause fuck you, that’s why.” Harry answered. 

Beside the Brit, his own Captain developed a grin of shark teeth. “Please. Please. Please , somebody have an issue with this. My boys have been itching for a good fight for decades now.” 

All came to silence once more as Yamamoto slammed his staff into the ground for order to be restored. Then he stated solemnly, “Though it be unusual to our current circumstances, there is precedent for those of the Vice-Captain rank maintaining a direct guard over condemned and accused criminals within the bounds of their Division Headquarters. I will admit that Potter carting this one around is… odd. Yet he is also right in his own argument. There is no possible way for Rukia Kuchiki to escape him. Considering the fact that he has not tried to spirit her away, I am willing to provide him with the benefit of the doubt in this case.” 

Captain Kurotsuchi spoke next. “That aside, Captain-Commander, perhaps you might convince the Vice-Captain to instead cease his open disrespectful rants against the ‘Laws’ of our realm that have led to this scenario? I believe last week alone he was seen in the central pavilion singing a tune about how idiotic and irrelevant the Central Forty-Six were, and passing out literature including pamphlets with several pages worth of pictures of the judges and litigators in the nude, splayed out in compromised positions.” 

“Keep talking, Mayuri.” Harry growled at the multi-colored man. “See what happens. I just need one fucking excuse to crush you like the bug you are.” 

As the Captain in question rapidly retreated back behind his fellows in line, Soifon leaned over and asked, “Where did you even get those pictures?” 

“Little Bee, I’ve got to have some secrets of my own. Otherwise you might unseat me as the prank king of the Seireitei. And those old fucks deserved it.” 

Yamamoto cleared his throat to regain the focus of the group and declared, “I’m afraid I must take this complaint with the utmost seriousness. That type of behavior could easily lead to all-out anarchy.” 

Kenpachi laughed outright at the thought. “Fuck yeah!” 

“Not the time, Captain Zaraki.” Yamamoto leveled his harshest glare on the man and found himself annoyed that it only slightly seemed to dim the man’s mood. Was he losing his touch? “Vice-Captain Potter, you will cease these antics at once.” 

“Fine.” Harry leaned back on one hand and started combing his fingers through Rukia’s hair with the other. “I guess I’ll just need to think of something else to get my point across before our next meeting. Wouldn’t want you all to run out of things to complain about.” 

Eyes suddenly lighting up with excitement, he added, “On a totally unrelated note, has anyone ever kidnapped members of the Central Forty-Six and hung them from their underwear on the Seireitei walls before? I’m definitely not gonna do it, but if I did, I’d want it to be an original prank. Nothing worse than copying other people’s work, ya know?” 

There was a geat deal of grumbling following those words, as many found themselves wondering how they were even going to begin trying to stop this man from doing what he was ‘cleary’ planning to do, but before anything else could be said on the subject, the multitude of alarms spaced around the room all began going off at once. 

Everybody started reacting in moments, coming to attention, drawing weapons, looking for signs of whatever could be the matter and, when nothing presented itself as a cause, running to the chamber doors. Though it wasn’t until they ended up crowding around the same balcony, jostling each other for position, that the cause of the disruption became clear enough. 

The half-dome barrier that lined the skies over the Seireitei was crumbling from a point of apparent catastrophic impact. The cause was shown as a falling red orb that, even as they looked on, disintegrated, dispersing several occupants at speed to a bunch of randomized locations around the varying Division grounds. 

“Huh.” Harry took it all in with a smug grin. “Intruders. Rukia, I won the bet.” 

The captive woman pouted and leaned into his chest; by that point having gotten well used to playing along with his games. “Ah, but I don’t want to walk around our room in nothing but whipped cream.” 

“Too bad, I won fair and square.” 

“Gah!” Byakuya was nearly ripping the hair off his head upon hearing those words, and immediately started speed-walking toward the door in an attempt to escape before his psyche could be assaulted by such mental imagery. In an attempt to save some sort of face, he declared, “Captains! To arms! Rally your divisions and take to the streets! We have intruders to hunt!” 

For their part, everyone else gathered seemed pretty hyped by the prospect, but as the last to leave, Kenpachi had to ask, “They friends of yours?” 

Harry shrugged. “Couldn’t say for sure. If they’re who I suspect they are, then some of them probably want me dead.” 

“So I’m good to fight them?” 

“Run wild, brother. Meanwhile, I’ll… guard the prisoner some more. And collect on my winnings.”