Dreamers and Successors

**Dreamers and Successors** is the sixth episode of the Bleached Wolf's Rain series.

Learning of Zali and his pack's way of life, the group reflects on what it means to reach Rakuen.

## Summary

As the group recovers from what happened, from Ichigo's battle with Renji, to the situation at the train station, Toboe tends to the injuries Kiba sustained from Zali's pack members. He asks Ichigo if he's okay, but he assures him he is. Getting hungry, Hige decides to look for some food for them. That's when Tsume starts to head out for a walk to clear his head. Before he goes any further, Ichigo stops him, wanting to know if he stills thinks that he's not part of their group. All Tsume does is admit that he doesn't think much of that anymore.

During that time, Zali takes a walk through the town alone. The next thing he knows, he's found by Renji, prompting him to ask him about what happened to him. He goes over his battle with Ichigo, which has convinced him that he's different from any Soul Reaper he's met before. It's after a while he asks Zali if he thinks the life they have been living is actually what it should be, or if maybe there was something more for them. When he says the life they have is good enough, until a voice wants to know otherwise. It's Cole who shows up, telling him that he used to be determined to find Paradise, like Ichigo and the wolves are. Zali says nothing, until she reveals that the gas in the service tunnel is gone, and tries convincing him that he could go back on the path and try again. But he argues that there's no point, remembering all the friends they lost. That it's finished, and that this is their life now.

At that moment, Toboe has cover Kiba's chest with herbs, stating that his body is healing, but he needs to go out and find more. With that, Ichigo informs him that he'll stay and watch after Kiba, allowing Toboe to set out and find more herbs.

Now alone, he decides to ask Kiba what happened to him, but he doesn't say a word. After a while however, he eventually says that there were once flowers that bloomed in the land he was born, and that they were lunar flowers. Listening, Ichigo learns that the land was ravaged by a fire, killing all the wolves there, leaving him as the only survivor. Kiba then wonders why he was the only one who survived. Why he was spared, but believe that doesn't matter, and that all that matters to him now is reaching Paradise.

Meanwhile, Hige doesn't seem to have luck finding any food in the outskirts of town. At first he's disappointed, which when he finds some venison on the ground, excited. However, when he goes to pick it up, Hige ends up triggering a steel cage that entraps him. A while of being worried, he sees Moss and two other of Zali's pack members coming over. Moss makes a comment on him getting caught, which Hige laughs off about as he asks them of they can help him out.

Seeing that they don't appear like they're going to, he asks them what their problem is, to which Moss answers that he and his friends have been getting in their business for too long. Once Hige says that he and his friends are nothing but mere dogs and lower than humans, this gets to Moss, who knocks him out. Some construction workers come over to find out what's going on, so he lies to them about it being a stray dog they caught. Hige is being hoisted onto the back of a truck, Toboe having seen the whole thing, and hurries off to find the others.

Back at the graveyard, Tsume returns to check on how Kiba's doing. While Ichigo says that he's doing better, that's when Toboe shows up, and starts explaining what happend to Hige, taking them by surprise. Managing, Kiba is able to move while getting some help from Ichigo, and says they should make their way into town. At the rate he's moving, Tsume thinks it's taking too long, so he hoists Kiba over his shoulder, and breaks into a run, along with Ichigo and Toboe. Further into town, Kiba tells Tsume that he's fine and can move now, so he puts him down, when Ichigo notices Cole.

The group follow her, only to find that she leads them to Moss and Zali's other pack members. Once there, Toboe points that he and his friends were the ones who caught Hige caught, but they say nothing. Just then, Zali shows up, wanting to know what's going on, when Ichigo reveals that Moss got Hige caught. This makes Moss deny it, but Toboe claims that he saw what happened, and that he let Hige get caught by humans. Again, Moss acts like he doesn't know what they're talking about, when surprisingly, Renji shows up and says that it's a lie because he saw everything; he saw what happened. Zali is slightly infuriated with this, and asks Moss if it's true. but says nothing to admit that it is. Before Kiba can do anything, Zali stops him, and hits Moss, declaring that it's his pack, then asks Moss why he sold out their friend. All he wants to know is why not, since he has been selling them out to the humans. That he makes them work like dogs, and for that they don't need him anymore, causing him and the others to start ganging up on Zali. Cole begs for them to stop, when Ichigo finally stops Moss, Zali reminding him that they're his pack. But Ichigo doesn't care, stating he refuses to let someone who can't fight back to get ganged up on like that, for it's his belief. Taking this in, Zali is helped up by Renji, and agrees to help rescue.

Coming to, Hige finds that he's being hauled away somewhere, trying to get the driver's attention, but to no avail. Things change when the other wolves cut off the truck that has it crash. Once he sees that it's them, Tsume suggests for him to break the bars, but he "doesn't to break his delicate teeth", so Kiba works to break him out. The passenger sees what's going on, he brings out a handgun and starts shooting, but Zali stops him, knocking him down, allowing him and the others to make a getaway.

Elsewhere, in Freeze City, Orihime thinks about meeting going over to Ichigo's place, hoping he will be there. The next thing she knows, she runs into Kisuke. They talk for a while, leading her to find out that he knows Ichigo, and she asks if he's seen him.

However, he explains that he was supposed to question him about an incident in the shooting of a dog, but he never got the chance, so he hasn't seen him since. Kisuke then decides to go, telling him to take care, although this leaves Orihime with questions.

Bringing the group into the service tunnel, Zali tells them that it will take them out of town and where they need to go. After Kiba thanks him, Renji shows up to reveal that he, if the group is willing to let him, wants to join them, much to Zali's surprise. The group welcome him, Zali asking him if this is what he wants, Renji admitting it is. Thanking him, he tells them to take care, and with that, the group heads out, Zali believing that they will be the ones to find Paradise.

## Appearances In Order

* Kiba
* Toboe
* Ichigo Kurosaki
* Hige
* Tsume
* Zali
* Renji Abairi
* Cole
* Moss
* Pack Member #1
* Pack Member #2
* Pack Member #3
* Pack Member #4
* Construction Worker #1
* Construction Worker #2
* Orihime Inoue
* Kisuke Urahara

## Notes & trivia

* This episode is the second part to Episode 5: Fallen Wolves
* Renji is the sixth person to join the group.
* Like in the *Bleach* series, Ichigo feels obligated to help others who are unable to fend for themselves.