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Chapter 383: Chapter 347

"We are in Japan, yes?" She finally spoke.

"In Karakura town which...I don\'t actually know where in Japan this is." Now that I thought about it, maybe I should have looked into that?

"Southern Kanto,should be close to Tokyo." She immediately replied, still looking just slightly dazed.

"...huh."

"What?"

"Just surprised you could tell."

"Wilhelm, I literally created Japan." She deadpanned.

"Right....I forget that sometimes."

She shook her head. "As long as I\'m in Japan, I can tell where I am. Even....this one, I\'m still connected to it."

"So, your Authority is working fine? This is a first for me to bring....a God outside of their home – Big G in the Spear doesn\'t quite count I think."

"I still feel as If I can carve out the mountains and rivers just as I could back home, so I am assuming so. However, there is something distinctly different here that makes me feel more.....I\'m having trouble describing the feeling. It\'s as if my Authority, as you call it, is more pronounced."

"Stronger?" I questioned.

"No, not stronger in any meaningful way." She shook her head again. "I\'m having trouble describing the feeling. Could it be because of this Reishi you told me about?"

"Spiritual matter, it is something we don\'t really have back home. And you\'re a Goddess of Death, you have Authority over spirits and the dead, and this being Japan makes it doubly so. Some sort of strange resonance or feedback being sent your way?"

"I suppose that is as good an explanation as any. You already told me about what\'s going on here, but feeling it myself is an entirely different experience." She smiled softly, her hand held up. "Ah, I can see it if I focus." She grabbed something translucent, her hand clenched and she brought it down infront of her face. Slowly, her fingers unfolded and a small, blue, mote of light drifted away back into obscurity.

"That\'s kind of terrifying considering how hard it is for me to grab hold of Reishi by my own means...."

"Are you jealous?" She quirked a smile.

"I wonder if I use my own Authority if I can bullshit like you are?"

"I am not bullshitting anything. It is my right as a Goddess of Death!"

"Cough, bullshit, cough."

She pursed her lips and gave my shoulder a little smack.

I missed her. I\'ve been really busy recently. I haven\'t had time to spend together just doing whatever. Hell, we fought that Godzilla knockoff in America, and I have its back spike sitting in my front yard. And we hadn\'t done anything that exciting since.

She\'s one of my first friends.

".....you can let go of my hand." She said quietly.

I forgot I was still holding it.

....awkward.

"Are you able to feel Yomi here?" I decided to change the subject.

"I can\'t." She furrowed her brow. "There are other things here, but not Yomi nor Takamagahara."

"Oh? You can sense Soul Society just by being here?"

"Maybe. I haven\'t actually been there to know yet. I can vaguely sense the flow of Souls towards somewhere and an afterlife out of my \'peripheral\' vision, so to speak."

That makes sense, again, Goddess of Death and all that entailed. An interesting interaction though, one you can\'t be entirely sure would work due to differences between world-lines.

"I briefly told you about this place, you got any questions?"

"Can I see one of those swords you mentioned?" She asked.

"A Zanpakutō, yeah I got a few." I didn\'t want to hand her mine, just because I didn\'t know how it would react while it was still imprinting on me. I did still have a couple I took before, and I had been meaning to drop them back off in Soul Society. But they\'re useful now at least. "Here you go." I casually handed her one of the ones I took off an idiot I bricked.

"Strange." She muttered, holding it up to her face. "There is a nascent spirit present within. I can vaguely feel it just as you told me."

"....are you able to influence it at all?"

"Perhaps with enough force, but not willingly on its part." She shrugged before handing it back to me. "I have a feeling that any action I attempt to take against the will present inside the sword will result in damaging the sword."

"Something to note for later." I was curious to see what damaging the sword meant. "There\'s still plenty of other things for you to see."

"Yes, a world full of unknown things. I\'m looking forward to it." She smiled beautifully.

I couldn\'t help myself. "I missed you." I said, bringing her in for a hug, one she happily reciprocated. "I know I haven\'t been around the past few weeks."

"Wilhelm, I\'m aware that you have been busy. This miniscule amount of time means very little. Do not forget how old I am." She reassured me. "However, I am surprised that you reached out to me."

"Well, I\'ve been meaning to take you out like this for a while." I scratched my cheek. "I guess I haven\'t really focused on that though."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, that\'s not what I meant." She shook her head. "I am referring to your tendency to run head first into trouble or interesting situations and only call once things reach a certain point. I believe this is the first time you\'ve called someone for help before the situation devolved beyond your control."

".....It\'s usually only myself I have to worry about so I can bear any consequences. Now I\'m being responsible for some kids trying to do something stupid, I don\'t want a repeat of what happened in Chaldea."

Her expression softened considerably. "And how are you doing after that? I am aware of what occurred with the other Artoria."

"You know, logically – rationally, I know. I understand that the woman who appeared there was not my Artoria. I know better than most about the infinite possibilities that are present. And that there are an uncountable number of Artorias in existence all with their own unique history. I knew it would happen one day; it was an inevitability. But emotionally, it tore my heart up to have to see the woman I love become that. And then having to put an end to her own self-inflicted misery. I don\'t think I\'m good at handling losses."

She pulled me into another hug, and I let myself sink into her embrace. "You make it sound like there\'s a proper way to handle loss."

"Well, diving headfirst into a monster that slapped me out of the World-line isn\'t the ideal way to cope." I snorted, noticing that she smelled good as my face was pushed against her chest. "But I\'m doing better. The time I spent with Artoria helped a lot. And now that I have an actual goal in mind and I\'m making progress on it I feel good."

"I am pleased that you are handling yourself well." We finally separated and there was a hint of.... bashfulness present on her face. "And I will make sure you don\'t get into too much trouble."

"Is there a threshold of trouble that I\'m allowed to get into?" I snorted.

"That depends, what do you feel comfortable explaining to your harem?" She retorted.

"...point." I couldn\'t argue with that.

"And it is the job I have been assigned as I did tell Yasaka and Artoria that I would be coming to assist you. I am sure they relayed the message to everyone else."

Hmm, that\'s to be expected. Not that I really had anything to hide...

But she didn\'t immediately come over, we waited a few days for her to square everything away. As much as she has a lot of free time, that doesn\'t necessarily mean she can drop what she\'s doing to come and help me. She does lord over Yomi and while that\'s not something as stringent as Meridia\'s position, it\'s still something that needed consideration.

"I have the barest understanding of what is going on here. Do you want me to go meet these children?" She asked.

"Well.... I did plan for a little bit of free time before we go meet everyone. In case you wanted to play around a little bit...?" At the very least, I did want her to have some fun and explore a little.

"Oh? Then can we go seek out that strange Spirit I sense?"

"Strange spirit?" I tilted my head. "What does it feel like?"

"Like a conglomeration of many souls wrapped around a dark vessel. I believe you called them \'Hollows\'?"

"You can sense a Hollow?" Cause I didn\'t notice any here.

"I spread out my senses once I arrived. I can detect quite a few spiritual beings within the city."

"....That\'s some bullshit."

"My powers are not bullshit!" She huffed cutely. "My Authority persists over the matters of the Dead, it should be obvious that I can better sense their existence. I\'m sure if there was something related to the Sea or the Storm, you would be extraordinarily more adept at it after stealing my Son\'s Authority."

"Let\'s trade."

"Stop speaking nonsense." She slapped my shoulder again. "Besides, do you know how awkward it would be if my son came and my Authority was a copy of his? It\'s already difficult for Gods of other Pantheons to be close to those of the same concepts."

"Don\'t you have a good relationship with the other Death Deities?"

"That\'s different. Death is the end step of existence. It isn\'t something to fight over or compare and hoard. By nature, Death is a melancholic peace."

Huh, that\'s an interesting perspective.

"Alright, alright. Wanna go play with that Hollow?"

"...yes I would very much enjoy that." She smiled despite the eye roll that accompanied it.

[***]

"No! Leave me alone!" A roar shook the surroundings. The words literally rattled the windows nearby

".....this is not what I expected." Izzy looked at the Hollow clawing at the ground, trying to crawl away.

"I didn\'t know they could talk....."

"Really?" She looked at me.

"Yeah...this is kind of weird to hear a soul eating monster cry and beg for mercy."

".....I didn\'t do anything."

"I think you scared it."

"I merely stood here!" She huffed. "Don\'t you dare say anything!" She held her finger up with indignation.

Right, as soon as we got close a big ol\' Hollow basically jumped out of its little hidey-hole, thinking he found a good meal. It spoke, which took me utterly by surprise, because that\'s a first for me. I guessed my earlier hypothesis regarding an increase in intelligence the more it consumed was correct.

It said something arrogant, but as soon as it laid its eyes on Izzy it paled, and visibly shuddered. Like...a primordial fear seeped into every pore of his being. He tried to run away,but I obviously stopped him.

But now.....he was literally crying and trying to crawl away.

"I wasn\'t aware they could cry either." I noted. "Honestly, I think it\'s kind of impressive."

"....Thank you, Wilhelm." She groaned.

"So....what do you want to do?"

"I do not know, this thing....repulses me. There are dozens upon dozens of souls within this monster and they\'re all scrambled and assembled into its current form." Izzy\'s lips thinned. "I am disgusted by it and I want it gone."

As soon as she said that, she raised her hand, and it was like the shadows on the ground became animated with grotesque hand-like appendages crawling along the ground, wrapping it up. The hands lifted the monster up, holding it completely still and overlapped on its large maw, making it unable to speak.

"You feed on innocent souls and trap them, consume them for your own selfish desires. I can see the weight of karma inside your own soul. You don\'t merely eat others to continue your own existence, you do it because you enjoy it." Her words accompanied the temperature dropping. Her steps made it struggle further, but it could not budge an inch within her grasp.

It was at this moment that I was reminded of her true nature. She was Izanami-no-Mikoto, the Goddess of Death and Creation.

"How dare you touch the children born under my Daughter\'s Sun." Her hand lashed out, sinking into the Hollow\'s chest. The strange humanoid\'s shape jerked and back arched. And she pulled something out. A bright light erupted and the Hollow cracked as her hand ripped free. They shot up to the sky immediately.

Souls, dozens of them were immediately freed.

"Go, Children." Izzy said softly and they dissipated, moving onwards to their next destination. As soon as they disappeared from view, she turned back towards the Hollow. "You will have a much less pleasant experience."

The Shadowy hands that held it down bored into it, tearing it apart. The creature fell to the ground, or rather what was left of it and dissipated quickly.

Izzy took a deep breath, and the shadows receded.

She seemed to remember I was watching and looked embarrassed. "I\'m sorry....I didn\'t mean to show you something like that. I must have looked – "

"It was kind of hot."

".....don\'t say stupid things like that." She looked away with a faint blush.

"Did you figure out everything you wanted to? Or do you want to go find another Hollow?" I changed the subject.

"I think seeing another one right now would put me in a worse mood." She casually dusted herself off. "Let\'s go meet those people of yours. You can continue explaining things about this place to me."

[***]

"Is this the place?" Izzy asked.

"Nondescript white van outside a candy store." I replied. "Yup, looks like the place."

Immediately, the front door slammed open, revealing a familiar face. "Wilhelm-Dono!" Tessai greeted me excitedly. He then turned to Izzy and it seemed like any words he spoke died in his throat.

I honestly did not know how a Shinigami would react to her after seeing what happened with the Hollow. It seems like as Spiritual beings they could almost unconsciously recognize her existence but at the same time, didn\'t have any context on how to properly process it.

The thing was, Izzy wasn\'t even trying to project her presence. It was just her natural existence that was completely throwing them for a loop. He was a Spiritual Being, and on the scale of hierarchy, Izzy was theoretically much higher due to her Authority over the Dead. Not to mention the place being Japan likely made the feeling even more pronounced. However, I\'m sure if Hades appeared, he would be drawing a similar reaction.

And I\'m sure that the fact that she doesn\'t possess any Reiatsu just made matters worse.

"It\'s nice to see you again, Tessai." I took pity on him. My words seemed to allow him a moment to mentally reboot.

He quickly pushed up his glasses, clearing his throat. "I am pleased to see you come, Wilhelm-Dono. And....friend" He was careful and polite with his wording.

"Thank you for inviting me into your home." Izzy returned evenly.

"The Shopkeeper is waiting for your arrival." He dipped his head, gesturing inside.

Once we walked inside, there didn\'t seem to be anyone there. It wasn\'t until we followed Tessai behind to the back room where he moved a rug to reveal a hatch on the ground. He opened it with a loud clamoring, and a bright light shined outward, a huge ladder descended downward.

"Please." He gestured again.

"This isn\'t suspicious at all." I snorted, taking to the ladder. But I did begin descending as I did trust Tessai and I knew this wasn\'t a trap or anything like that.

And my curiosity was piqued as the fluctuations of space here were distorted.

"Interesting." Izzy commented above me.

I glanced upwards unconsciously and couldn\'t help but admire the view. She....really fills out those pants well. Though I caught myself from staring too much.

She was right though; this was a neat little area. It seems like someone expanded the space underneath the shop. Or to put it simply, it\'s bigger on the inside down here.

Not only that, the \'sky\' appeared to be somewhat identical, but static. And the terrain here was that of some rock formations and dirt. It was pretty big, big enough that people could train and what-not here without much issue.

They appeared to be all gathered there. Yoruichi and the Candy Man were standing next to one another, and the group of kids were all together. Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and even Ishida were there waiting.

Though, there was the most curious reaction from them all. Well, mostly from Urahara and Yoruichi. Yoruichi, in her cat form, went defensive. Like how a cat would, her fur stood up and she looked like she was about to hiss.

Urahara had a fan in front of his face, but his eyes were slightly widened, and it looked like he was trying to analyze what he was seeing.

"It seems like everyone is here." I clapped my hands. "Nice place you got here. Perfect for hiding all the kids you trick into your van, mister Candy Man."

"Ara, Schweinorg-kun." Urahara was the first to react, slapping his fan closed. "I see you brought a friend." He said that, but his eyes never left Izzy. they were wary.

"I\'m pretty sure I told Yoruichi I was bringing someone." I pointed out.

And having her name called, she relaxed a tiny bit.

"Why the hell are we even waiting for him?" Ichigo huffed. "Actually, why are you even coming if you let Rukia go in the first place."

"Well my little strawberry, I\'m not going because of her. I\'m going because you\'re a group of kids doing something exceedingly stupid and my conscience won\'t let me sit by while you throw your lives away. Therefore, I, along with my friend here, are going to be your chaperones for your little field trip to Heaven."

He looked at me and scowled. "You brought a.....housewife?" Ichigo snorted as he eyed Izzy.

And now that I thought about it, she was wearing her normal clothing. She did look like a traditional housewife, so I couldn\'t fault him on that. But....I think his survival instincts needed work.

"I think introductions are in order!" Urahara tugged back on Ichigo\'s kimono, which I might add, was the Shinigami uniform.

As in, he had a sword wrapped up on his back and it looked much different than his previous one. Just through the wrappings it almost looked like a giant Khyber knife.

About the same size as his previous sword though.

"Nice sword, still compensation for something, eh?"

"You wanna go, asshole?" His eye twitched. "I got my powers back, and I\'m stronger than ever."

"That raises an interesting question. How exactly did you get your powers back?"

"Waddya mean?" He tilted his head.

"Shinigami powers don\'t work like that."

Ichigo blinked and shrugged. "Hat-n-clogs over there tossed me into a hole and destroyed my soul chain. Got them back at the last minute before I turned into a Hollow."

I turned towards Urahara. "...what?"

"It\'s complicated." He waved the question off.

"Right, yeah...." I rolled my eyes at his obvious question dodging. "And if I asked where you got an Asauchi?" I asked Ichigo again.

"A what?" He looked clueless.

I glanced back at Urahara. "Uh huh."

How many red flags was that at this point?

"Schweinorg-kun, why don\'t you introduce your friend." Urahara smiled innocently, changing the subject.

"Everyone, this is Izzy." I introduced her. "I specifically asked her to come help."

"It\'s a pleasure." She said without much expression.

"That\'s it?" Yoruichi jumped up onto Urahara\'s shoulder. "Is that even your real name?" She asked with a little skepticism.

"No." Izzy didn\'t even pretend. "However, if I told you my true name, you would most likely run away in fear."

".....I somehow kinda believe that." The cat muttered.

"No offense or anything....but...can you even do anything?" Ichigo asked bluntly. "I can\'t even feel any Reiatsu from you."

"My, that\'s a good point." Urahara unfolded his fan again, holding it in front of his face. But I knew for a fact that he had a shit-eating-grin. "Schweinorg-kun, I can\'t very well let someone go along without confirming they can protect themselves."

"Says the guy sending a bunch of fifteen year olds." I said dryly.

"They\'ve all proven themselves." He retorted. "Ichigo here has impressive Reiatsu with the return of his Shinigami powers –"

"Speaking of, I did notice that. Are you like...permanently in Shikai? Cause your Reiatsu is overflowing and still flowing out like a torrent."

"Huh, I guess." Ichigo shrugged. "That\'s what my Zangetsus\' are sayin."

"Oh, is that the name of your sword?" I asked.

He had a hint of pride as I asked. "Yup, that\'s my Zanpakutō."

"Slaying Moon, not a bad name." It sounded nice at least. "Wait, did you say \'Zangetsus\' as in plural?"

"Huh? Yeah. When I got my powers back, I met both my Spirits. Well, they were arguing a lot and one of them was a lot more helpful than the other."

"Neat, I didn\'t know you could have two Zanpakutō spirits." That proposed an interesting question with my own sword due to my weird nature. "Anyways, continue with your bullshit." I gestured back at Urahara.

"Orihime here has gotten very good with her own powers and is a talented \'healer\'." He emphasized the last bit and I nodded at that. I hadn\'t stuck around for much of their training after the first few days, but I could imagine she was exceedingly talented just due to the nature of her powers. "And Chad here has come a long way as well. He and Ichigo were sparring not too long ago and he was able to hold his own."

Chad gave a nod of agreement.

"And Uryū here did his own training."

The Quincy looked at me silently before adjusting his glasses.

I glanced at Izzy and she just shrugged. "What do you propose then?" Fine, let\'s play along.

"A spar." He slapped his fan closed again. "With Kurosaki-kun." He quickly added.

"Oh, what the hell." Ichigo scowled.

"Now now, Kurosaki-kun. You\'re the strongest one of your group, shouldn\'t you be the one to test any additional members?"

"Whatever." He grunted.

"Very well." Izzy was being a good sport. Honestly, I think she was amused by this whole thing. To her, this was a fun adventure, so she wouldn\'t mind the supposed \'disrespect\'. She walked a little bit away, standing there patiently.

"Guess I\'m doing this now." The Orange haired kid sighed. "Hey." He looked at me.

"What?" I questioned.

"I never did thank you for what you did for me. Sorry for getting on your case like that. I already owe you for your help."

Well, wasn\'t that a nice surprise. "Apology accepted."

"I\'ll make sure to take it easier on her since she\'s your friend." His pride shined through once more.

[Well, he\'s dead.]

Indeed.

"Hey." Yoruichi jumped over onto my shoulder as Ichigo walked over to face her. "Who the hell is she?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don\'t play dumb. I mean what the hell did you bring here? Is she even human?"

"Nope." I hummed ignoring her, and turned to the others. "Hello Orihime, how have you been?"

"I\'ve been good." The girl smiled happily.

"A certain fairy isn\'t giving you any trouble, is he?"

"Nope." She shook her head.

"Good." I nodded in satisfaction. "And Chad, how has your training been?"

He flexed his arm, that same purplish hue enveloped it, encasing it into that strange armor.

"Your Reiatsu seems sharper and firmer now as well." I was a little impressed.

I think he could easily be called Mid-Class by my birth-world\'s standards.

"And Uryū, how was your training?"

The Quincy stiffened a little before relaxing. "I am prepared."

"Nice outfit." I admired it. He was wearing something reminiscent of a friar\'s clothing, but white and pristine with a hint of elegance.

"He made it himself!" Orihime helpfully added.

"Hmph." He snorted.

"What\'s wrong with him?" I blinked.

"Ichigo was giving him crap for sewing it all himself." Yoruichi replied.

"That\'s stupid. Those are some good seams." I stepped forward to take a closer look. "Are you a hobbyist or is it something you\'re thinking about doing in the future?"

"Pardon?" He blinked.

"Sewing. It looks like you got some talent. I have a friend who does my clothing." I gestured to myself. "I can tell the quality when I see it. There are some noticeable marks of a novice here or there, but that\'s probably due to your inexperience." I rubbed my chin. "But good work overall."

".....thank you." He said quietly.

Ah, poor kid. I don\'t think he gets very many compliments.

Maybe I should introduce him to Medea at some point? If he\'s really into it, she might be able to give him some advice.

"Stop messing around, they\'re starting." Yoruichi slapped her paw against the side of my head.

"Oh yes, wouldn\'t want to miss the show." I turned back to face them.

Ichigo grabbed the massive sword on his back. As soon as he grabbed the handle, the white cloth unraveled to reveal the blade. And It was exactly as I thought, a huge Khyber knife.

"Hey, you got a weapon or something? Hurry and take it out." Ichigo hollered.

Izzy just smiled lightly. "Make your move, child."

I wondered how long it\'s been since someone dared to take a shot at her? She must find this whole thing absolutely amusing.

"Are you sure...? I don\'t wanna hurt you." Ichigo furrowed his brow.

And it didn\'t come off as condescending, more like genuine concern.

"I was told your friend over there possesses exquisite healing capabilities. Don\'t worry and give it your best shot." Izzy was still treating him gently.

Hmm, I did tell her of Orihime\'s abilities, after all I trusted her completely.

"Alright, you asked for it." Ichigo grunted, taking a few steps forward. However it was clear his heart wasn\'t in it. Well, it would be a good lesson not to underestimate people in the future. He moved forward and slashed his sword downward.

And it was stopped.

Izzy held up a single finger, pressing it against the blade of his sword and it didn\'t budge an inch.

I could see Ichigo\'s eyes dilate and the shock spread across his face. He immediately retreated a few steps. And I could see the moment where his pride overrode his common sense and he attacked again.

His blade flashed out faster than before, and clearly with the intent behind it. But every swing was met with her finger again.

It must have been a dozen swings before he finally stopped and stared. "....what the fuck?"

"Language." Izzy lightly chided and flicked his forehead. The Orange Haired kid was knocked backwards.

He nursed the tiny bump on his forehead before climbing back to his feet. "How the hell are you doing that!?"

"Child, I am very old. You have much more growing to do before you can think about laying a hand on me." Izzy smiled gently. "I believe that is a good enough showing?"

"What kind of monster did you bring?" Yoruichi muttered only enough for me to hear.

"Yes, that should be good enough." Urahara said simply without that jovial tone he had before and he once more hid his face behind his fan. It was hard to guess what he was thinking at that moment. "Make your final preparations, I\'ll get started on activating the gateway."

[***]

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