Thunderous Soul 11 (Patreon)

. -]|[- How long had it been since he’d felt such volcanic rage as he was feeling right now? Before him, one of his two greatest students wa

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-]|[-

How long had it been since he’d felt such volcanic rage as he was feeling right now? Before him, one of his two greatest students was sweating, not from fear of him, though there was a healthy amount of that, but from the sheer heat his body was outputting even with Ryujin Jakka nowhere in the vicinity.

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni had not felt anger this great since that day more than a millennia ago. Back before his first battle against the upstart Quincy King. The only reason his rage wasn’t being felt in the Seireitei was that Shunsui had come prepared and had set up a barrier around them. “So you are telling me-” Even his voice sounded like two rocks grinding together, “That not only is Aizen-Taichō likely still alive, but he was the orchestrator of the events that cost me eleven promising and dutiful Shinigami over a hundred years ago as well as one more Captain eighteen years ago.”

Shunsui nodded, while Ukitake continued to gape in shock at his best friend. “How?!” The white-haired man asked the question on Genryūsai’s mind.

“It’s his Zanpakutō.” Shunsui said softly, taking a sip from his sake. “He’s shown it to all of us over the years, hasn’t he? His ‘Flowing Water’ Kyōka Suigetsu.” He chuckled, “Clever bastard. Lisa told me that what it truly does is snare you in complete hypnosis of all senses. And once you see its release once, you’re ensnared forever.”

“Then Tōsen…” Jūshirō rubbed his chin, before starting to cough.

Shunsui nodded as he patted his best friend on the back, “We all wondered why Kurosaki would kill him and spare literally every other Shinigami he’s faced.”

“He’s a fool.” Genryūsai snarled.

“He’s a child, sensei. We all made mistakes when we were young.” Jūshirō corrected him now that his coughs had subsided.

Genryūsai shook his head. “If this story you’ve been fed is true, then all he’s done is alert Aizen.”

“Unless, of course, it does not matter if Aizen knows.” Shunsui countered. “It begs the question: What is Aizen doing while the rest of us are busy thinking he’s dead? And why fake his death now? Could it be because his plans are in their final stages anyway?”

“What did your former Lieutenant believe to be the case?” Genryūsai asked.

“I don’t know, Yama-ji.” Shunsui sighed, “I suspect she knew more than she let on, but she withheld the information. She had that cagey look on her face. Though why she wouldn’t tell me then is a mystery.”

“This is complete guesswork,” Jūshirō said with a small smile, “But I suspect it was to avoid waking a sleeping dragon.”

Shunsui cracked a smile, “Yes, that would be a good reason to not point us directly at him.”

Genryūsai opened his mouth to respond but closed it when his Lieutenant opened the door to his office. “What is the meaning of this, Chōjirō?” His irritation leaked through as Shunsui dropped the barrier, “We asked not to be disturbed.”

“My apologies, Eijisai-dono.” His Lieutenant bowed, “But there has been a…complication.”

Shunsui closed his eyes and adjusted his Sugegasa, “Why do I have the feeling I am not going to like what I’m about to hear?” He asked without really wanting an answer.

Chōjirō stepped aside and allowed Akon to walk in. “Sōtaichō, Kyōraku-Taichō, Ukitake-Taichō. My apologies for interrupting your meeting.” He bowed to them, still looking incredibly pale.

“What is it, Third-Seat Akon?” Genryūsai was very close to allowing some rudeness to escape.

Akon swallowed, “It… might be Lieutenant now.” He stiffened at the oppressive feeling that ripped through him as the leader of the Gotei 13 opened his eyes, “Or maybe even Captain.” He managed to squeak out.

This much rage could not be good for him at his age. “EXPLAIN.”

“Kurotsuchi-Taichō is dead.” Akon blurted, sweating bullets, “And Kurotsuchi-Fukutaichō was taken by the enemy.”

Shunsui could feel his sensei’s glare on the back of his neck. “Tell us everything.” He commanded.

And so Akon did. He explained everything. In excruciating detail. Perhaps even a rambly level of detail given his nervousness. And then he pulled out the projector and showed them the footage, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Ukitake was again in utter disbelief, “He-He defeated two Captains already… without releasing his Zanpakutō??? Who is this kid?”

“A Shiba, clearly.” Shunsui let out a dry chuckle, “Dye your Lieutenant’s hair orange and they’re practically twins. I suppose that means that brat Isshin is still alive.” He chuckled a little more.

“And what, precisely, are you finding funny, Kyōraku-Taichō?” Genryūsai made Shunsui wince as he broke out the commander voice.

Shunsui was sweating a little, but smiled at Akon nonetheless rather than respond, “Who was watching this footage?”

“Uhh, the… the entire Division, sir.” Akon stammered for a moment as attention was drawn again.

Shunsui’s smile grew, “The entire Division.”

Genryūsai’s eyes widened, “No.” He said, his voice so flat one might have tried to use it as a table.

Shunsui told Akon to leave, before putting the barrier back up, “You saw the footage, same as me. You’re telling me that’s not talent you want to nurture, Yama-ji?”

“He is an immature brat.” Genryūsai clenched his teeth.

“And Kenpachi isn’t?” Shunsui retorted dryly.

“He flew into a complete and utter rage-”

“Over the fact that Kurotsuchi had and was torturing his mother.” Shunsui interrupted his sensei, something he was never comfortable doing. “I can’t say that I would find myself feeling too rational either if I discovered Kurotsuchi had done that to my little Nanao.” Genryūsai’s teeth clicked shut, “It’s been decades since we began advocating for putting Kurotsuchi on a leash. Preferably before he did something that could not be forgiven. Well, it’s happened. Just more permanently than expected.”

“All the same, the level of immaturity he showed should disqualify him.” Genryūsai drew a hard line in the sand.

Jūshirō was still looking confused, before the light seemed to turn on, “Wait, Shunsui, you’re not suggesting-”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Shunsui chuckled, “No matter how this ends, we’re down three. Minimum.”

“You’re… not wrong.” Jūshirō deflated slightly.

Genryūsai’s jaw ground for a moment before he finally said, “Get proof of this story of theirs before you start having crazy ideas, you damn brat. Dismissed.”

Shunsui chuckled as he rose as well, “See you next time, Yama-ji.” The two students left their master to his thoughts.

-]|[-

Ichigo buzzed into the hideout they’d all been informed of. He found it pretty amusing that Urahara had built another one of these pocket dimensions directly beneath the Sōkyoku hill. And useful. No matter what happened next, they’d easily be in range to interrupt the actual execution if it went that far for whatever reason.

The entrance was boarded up, but Ichigo had the ‘key.’ A simple tap with his finger with a bit of Reiryoku pulsing at a specific frequency had it swing open, allowing him and Nemu (still in his arms) inside. He then walked over to a specific stone and tapped it as well, opening it up so that he could drop inside. It closed after him.

He fell to the ground and Nemu looked around in interest, “Well now, this has never been detected before.”

Ichigo chuckled, “I’m sure it hasn’t.” He muttered. “This place is great. Urahara-san built some heali-” Nemu sadly did not get to find out what ‘healing’ thing Urahara Kisuke had built, because between one instant and the other, Ichigo’s face was full of cat. “YEOW!” He yelped as Yoruichi buried every single claw into his face at once.

“YOU REIŌ-DAMNED IDIOT!” The cat howled at him. “DO NOT KILL KUROTSUCHI MAYURI! DO NOT. IT WAS A SIMPLE FUCKING SET OF INSTRUCTIONS!”

“Ah, Ichigo-sama!” Nemu yelped, trying to reach up with her still-sorta-paralyzed arms and not really succeeding.

“GET OFF, YOU DAMN CAT!” Ichigo was unfortunately stuck between not getting clawed out and not dropping an already-injured Nemu. He managed to adjust Nemu enough to free one arm, but Yoruichi just backflipped off his face. “Owowowowow.” He rubbed his face before his high-speed regeneration took over healing. He growled as a vein pulsed above his eye, “Yoruichi, I’m gonna-”

And then Lisa kicked him in the head. He staggered for two steps before turning to face her, “What is this, ‘target Ichigo’s face’ day?” He ground out as a bolt of electricity crackled next to him.

“All of the Seireitei felt that Berry boy!” The dark-haired woman snarled, “I had JUST managed to get Shunsui on our side! Now who knows what Yamam-”

“HE HAD MY MOM IN HIS FUCKING LAB!” Ichigo’s voice thundered through the hideout, causing a literal rumble. “MY MOTHER WHOSE SOUL I JUST FREED FROM THAT FUCKING GRAND FISHER NOT EVEN A MONTH AGO!”

There was silence for a moment as the two women ran that through their heads. And then Yoruichi swore. “That fucking clown.” She snarled in disgust, before letting out an exhausted sigh and pawing her own face. If she had fingers at that point in time, she would have been pinching her nose. She knew there was absolutely no way Ichigo would have been able to control himself in those circumstances. It was a miracle he didn’t end up in that berserker state again. She abruptly transformed so she could actually pinch her nose. “Fine.” She huffed out as Nemu stared at her, bug-eyed in curiosity. “But you damn well better hope this doesn’t get Yamamoto on our cases, because as powerful as you are, Yamamoto would burn you to a crisp.”

“Yeah, yeah, I fucking get it.” Ichigo sighed, “Now can you get Nemu into the healing springs? I need to go relax. Or break something. Either or.”

“This way then.” Yoruichi turned and started walking off, smiling slightly as she felt his gaze burning on her perfect ass. “Nothing more relaxing than those springs in here.”

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think Nemu would be comfortable with mixed bathing.” He said, not saying anything about her or Lisa. All three of them would be absolutely eating the eye candy if it was just them.

“Ah.” Nemu said, “Please wash my back, Ichigo-sama.”

Ichigo blinked, “What’s with this ‘sama’ stuff, Nemu? Just Ichigo.” He said nothing else in protest. If she was fine with it, then he was too.

…

In just a few minutes, the four of them were relaxing in the waters. Nemu was incredibly interested in how her strength rapidly returned and even dove down deep into the pool the second she had her mobility back. When she surfaced, she whipped her hair back. “Well, aren’t you a cute mermaid.” Lisa teased.

Nemu blinked, “What is a mermaid?”

“Ha! I suppose that’s a human world thing.” Yoruichi chuckled, “A creature from human myths that are quite popular. Think half fish, half woman.”

“Ah.” Nemu said, before swimming back and settling next to Ichigo. He had his arms spread on the rocks, so she slotted in quite nicely at his side.

“Well, look who’s popular.” Yoruichi smirked at him.

He shrugged and Lisa let out a snicker, “Maybe we should just go grab Rangiku now. Have a regular old party.” Her breasts were in full display as she relaxed as well.

“Nah.” Yoruichi shook her head, “We’ll have no way to predict Aizen’s moves that way.”

“Aizen-Taichō?” Nemu asked, “Perhaps you are misinformed, Yoruichi-sama.” She may have never met the legendary former leader of the Onmitsukidō, but she certainly knew her history. “Aizen-Taichō is dead.”

“Yup, a Captain killed instantly without any sign of a struggle with his own sword. Not sus at all.” Ichigo snarked.

Nemu blinked repeatedly, “Interesting. You suggest he is not only still alive but that he is playing us for fools.”

“That’s exactly what he’s doing.” Lisa told her.

“How?” Her analytical mind wanted details.

“His Zanpakutō is not a flowing water type. Its power is absolute hypnosis.” Yoruichi informed her. “Seeing his release just once is enough to ensnare you, and as far as we know, there are no countermeasures.”

“Fascinating. He’s shown half of the Seireitei his release in various demonstrations. All the Lieutenants and Captains have seen it.” Nemu replied, before her eyes widened, “Ah, I see now. Tōsen-Taichō was in on whatever scheme you believe he is pulling.”

“Well, aren’t you a smart cookie?” Ichigo chuckled and she smiled in pleasure. Praise… when was the last time she had been praised for anything? “That’s right.” He turned to Yoruichi, “What’s the plan for that, by the way? I’ll blind myself if I have to, but I don’t think I’m going to be too happy about having to regrow my eyeballs.” He deadpanned.

“And he goes right for mutilation.” Lisa deadpanned.

“Blindfolds can be removed.” Ichigo shrugged, “And would you put it past him to just open someone’s eyes manually?”

“Hmm, I believe Mayuri-sa-… Mayuri created fifteen separate medicines which induce blindness.” Nemu volunteered.

The three turned to gawk at her, “What in the world did he need fifteen of them for?”

“Well, the first couple felt like you had acid poured in your eyes.” Nemu said, “Which lasted for the entire duration. Of a week.”

“Nope.” Three voices sounded at the same time.

Ichigo shook his head, “Well, whatever. Push comes to shove; I’ll just slice my eyes. Thank the Reiō for high-speed regeneration.” Nemu made another noise of interest. She had so many questions! “Anyway, how is everyone else?”

“Fine, for now.” Yoruichi said.

“Tatsuki faced my former Captain Kyōraku Shunsui and got a nice spanking.” Lisa chuckled, “Was fun to knock him good upside the head again. I missed doing that. Anyway, he knocked her out, and little Nanao-chan brought her to the Fourth Division for healing and imprisonment. We’ll have to grab her later.”

“‘Hime and Chad had a bit of a harder time.” Yoruichi said, “They eventually ended up facing Third Seat Kuchiki Rukia and Lieutenant Shiba Kaien near the Senzaikyū. They tried to get your cousin on our side, but didn’t really have any proof about what they were saying, so it turned into a fight.” She scratched her chin, “A much bloodier fight than I expected, honestly. All four of them were knocked out by the end.”

“Are they okay?!” Ichigo demanded, shifting his posture.

“They made friends with someone from the Fourth, apparently.” Yoruichi said, “He got them into a hiding spot for recovery. They should be fine.”

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief, “‘Hime will be able to heal them back to full quickly, so I suppose I better make my next appearance with them.” He closed his eyes, “…And my mom?”

“I hate to say it, but not even I would be confident in getting her out of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute without bringing down half the Seireitei on my head.” Yoruichi grimaced.

“Nemu.” Ichigo said authoritatively and Nemu straightened up, “How do you think the rest of your Division will react if they learn that I killed Mayuri over her safety?”

“They already know.” Nemu said, matter-of-factly.

“Ehh?” Ichigo looked down at her, “How the hell?”

“One of the favorite pastimes of my squadmates was collecting data for our Captain on the rare occasion he fought. The entire division sans Mayuri and I were likely watching via our spy bugs.” Nemu explained.

Yoruichi and Lisa both performed picture-perfect spittakes. The spray was beautiful. “A-Are you serious?” Lisa coughed out.

“Yes.” Nemu nodded plainly.

“Bwahahaha!” Yoruichi let out a full bout of belly laughter. “Oh, that’s the best fucking news I’ve heard all day!”

“Why?” Ichigo asked, utterly befuddled.

“Never you mind, boyo. Nemu, don’t tell him. It’ll be hilarious.” Yoruichi had a cat-like grin on her face, “But I’ll just thank you in advance for the entertainment if all goes well.”

“Yare, yare.” Ichigo shook his head, “Well, whatever then. But wait, aren’t we compromised here if they were watching?”

“Oh, the spy bugs are nowhere near fast enough to keep up with you, Ichigo-sama.” Nemu said, “And besides which, they’re fairly short-lived, so we can’t keep them active at all times.”

“Well, good then.” Ichigo sighed in relief, “So again, how will your squadmates react to seeing me kill the clown?”

“My Division is full of scientists, not warriors.” Nemu told him, “So unless I very much misunderstood something, I have little doubt that Masaki-san is currently getting the royal treatment over their terror of you.”

He sighed again, “Alright, good.” He smiled tiredly, “Have to say,” He groaned, “I really hadn’t been expecting that. I… I knew she would have been freed, but I never expected…”

All three women smiled at the innocent look on his face.

-]|[-

Orihime’s face scrunched up as she started to wake up. She grimaced at the throbbing she could feel on her belly. “Agh!” She cried out as she woke, her hand reaching for her belly. Someone caught her wrist to keep her from touching herself.

“Oh, Orihime-san. You’re awake.” Hanatarō’s face swam into view above her. “Don’t move. Your wounds aren’t closed yet.”

“Wou-” She started to slur, before her eyes widened, “Sado-kun!” She started to look around, “Where-Where’s Sado-kun?!”

Hanatarō grimaced, “He was far worse off than you.” He told her, “I had to use my Zanpakutō to get him out of danger, but he could still use some work. I couldn’t use it on you because of it.”

“B-Bring him here, please.” Orihime said, “Or me to him.”

“But you’re hurt!” Hanatarō exclaimed.

She tried to smile at him, but because of the throbbing in her gut, it looked more like a grimace, “I’m a healer too.”

Hanatarō sighed but quickly got her onto a makeshift stretcher and dragged her over to Sado. She noticed that his wounds were closed but she could feel his Reiatsu fluctuating heavily. “It’s really lucky that I actually had my Zanpakutō on me.” He said, “If I hadn’t… I don’t know that I could have done anything.”

“Thank you, Hana-kun.” Orihime said, “We owe you a lot.” She managed an actual smile as he placed her down next to Sado. “Thank you so much. Sōten Kisshun, I reject!”

Her shield appeared above them, and she sighed in relief as it immediately went to work. Hanatarō’s eyes widened in shock as he watched her wounds melt away into nothingness. Sado’s as well. His jaw practically unhinged as he then noticed that their clothes were being repaired. Even the blood was vanishing.

It took quite a while this time. About ten minutes. But in the end, other than their low Reiryoku, both Sado and Orihime were healed to the point that neither of them even looked to have been in a fight.

“That- what is your power, Orihime-san?!” Hanatarō looked utterly shocked, “That-That wasn’t healing! I don’t even know what to call that!”

Orihime beamed at him, “It’s my ability!” She put her finger over her lips like she was shushing him, “Keep it on the down low, okay?”

“O-Okay.” Hanatarō agreed softly.

“How long were we out for?” She asked him.

“It wasn’t long. Just a few hours.” Hanatarō told her.

“Makes sense.” She yawned, “I still feel exhausted. Did anything happen while we were out?”

“I don’t think so?” Hanatarō said, but then remembered something, “Oh, your weird soul pager pinged a few times.”

“It’s a cell phone.” Orihime said as she got up to grab it. She read the messages and bit her lip when she realized Tatsuki had been captured. She knew her girlfriend was alright, but there was no way she wasn’t going to fuss about that. And then she paled when she got the messages from Yoruichi that Ichigo had killed one of the Captains. She teared up when she read why. “Oh, Kurosaki-kun…” She let out a breath.

She then read their plans for the next phase and sighed in a bit of relief that they wouldn’t need to go charging out of the sewers for at least a little while. She snapped off a few messages to reassure them that they were alright and then went back over to Sado. “Get some rest, Hana-kun.” She yawned again as she snuggled into her man, “Tomorrow, we head for the Senzaikyū.” She drifted off almost immediately, not even hearing what Hanatarō said in response.

-]|[-

Hitsugaya Tōshirō had not been having a good quarter. It seemed like everything that had happened since his Lieutenant’s drunken bender months ago had just made things go from bad to worse. He did care for Rangiku. The woman was like that lazy older sister he’d never had, no matter how much the woman infuriated him now that the roles were reversed and he was the Captain. And that fury he felt when his paperwork for several months was destroyed led to him demoting and practically banishing her.

He’d long-since cooled off once her punishment period expired, and yet she never showed. Months later, she was caught cavorting with humans, one of whom she’d clearly given her Shinigami powers to. He’d been devastated to know that she was optimistically going to end up in the Maggot’s Nest for it. He hadn’t argued when the Sōtaichō had decided to send Tōsen instead of him to collect his wayward Lieutenant and had been dumbfounded to see the man get his head cut off.

Rangiku had been completely unrepentant. It felt like she had changed in the human world, and he resolved to harden his heart when it was revealed that she would be executed. And then he overheard the conversation between his fellow Captains: Aizen and Ichimaru. Well, less conversation and more pointed but subtle accusations from the former against the latter. Aizen was a trusted Captain and someone he greatly admired. At that point, he’d started becoming wary of Gin and had later warned his dear friend Hinamori Momo to be wary of the man as well.

Then Aizen had died. Impaled by his own Zanpakutō. And Momo had lost her mind, attacking Gin due to his warning. She was lucky she was just in prison and not dead, but there was another consequence to that.

Tōshirō was now feeling like his decision-making was incredibly suspect. Everything started from his decision to banish Rangiku for a few months, and every decision he’d made since then seemed to be incorrect, leading to his current dilemma.

He was currently staring at Aizen-Taichō’s final words, addressed to Momo. Any other Captain would already have submitted it as evidence. His natural gut feeling, on the other hand, was to give it to the young woman. After all, she would be honored to know his final words were for her. And yet his gut feeling had been wrong every single time the past couple of months.

He stared at the folded-up letter for several minutes, before closing his eyes and sighing, “Sorry Momo.” Maybe he’d have better luck going against his gut feeling? He picked it up and pulled on the black string to unravel it.

He began to murmur the words to himself, “Hinamori-san, if you are reading this letter, it means I was unable to return. I’ve caused you much grief, and there are no words to express my gratitude to you.” He began to wonder if this was a good idea. “I never spoke to you about my concerns, but that was only because I did not want to get you involved. I hope you will forgive me for involving you now.” Tōshirō’s eyes narrowed, “I am probably no longer alive, so, to you whom I trust more than anyone, I will reveal all that I’ve discovered here. The truth of why Matsumoto Rangiku must be executed, and why the execution date got moved up.” He had thought it was strange that her execution date had been moved up.

“In the course of my investigation, I reached a simple conclusion: the goal of the execution is not to kill Matsumoto Rangiku. What the hell?!” Tōshirō exclaimed, before continuing to read, “The execution has been contrived so that something may be stolen. That thing is the Sōkyoku itself. That weapon’s seals are only removed for executions, and it has the devastating power of one-million Zanpakutō. The stand has the defensive power to match it. Furthermore, when used to execute a Shinigami, its power can momentarily be increased by several dozen times.”

Tōshirō was feeling rather clammy. Now that it was put on paper, he was finding that the conclusions were incredibly obvious. Of course there was something strange about Rangiku’s execution. The Sōkyoku was used for Captains, and Captains who had committed incredibly heinous crimes at that. Using it on a Lieutenant over a crime that hadn’t even been considered a crime for one hundred years yet was ludicrous. He had to know more.

“The one who has plotted Rangiku’s execution intends to use the Sōkyoku to destroy not only the Seireitei, but the entire Soul Society as well. The name of that despicable person is…” Tōshirō stopped short, his face warping in incredulity, “Hitsugaya Tōshirō?!” He gaped at the letter, “What in the absolute hell is this?!” He growled, scrunching up the paper. “Did someone plant this letter in Aizen’s home? No, it’s definitely his handwriting. What the hell is this?!” He ground his teeth before unfurling the letter again and reading it again just to be sure he hadn’t hallucinated. And when he confirmed he had not, he held it over a candle and set it aflame. “What absolute drivel.” He set the burning letter on a tray and held his mouth and nose between his hands after taking a seat.

He now had more questions than answers but felt confident that he had made the right choice in reading the letter first. The information in the letter, right up until the very end, was too well deduced to not have some basis in fact. “There’s definitely a conspiracy here. The facts line up too well for there not to be. But the accusation completely muddied it. What the hell was Aizen doing writing that? No, it probably wasn’t Aizen, no matter how well the handwriting lines up.”

Tōshirō let out a groan, now having more questions than answers. “I have to figure this out.” He said, “Before the execution.”

-]|[-

Ichigo appeared in a burst of Sonido right where Orihime’s text told him to. The stairs leading up to the area where the Senzaikyū sat were very close by. “Huh, there’s nobody here.” He mused as he looked around. “They know what our goal is, right? Why the hell is nobody here?” He then noticed a flagstone moving and zeroed in on it. He smiled as he saw Sado’s head. “Yooooo!”

“Ichigo.” Sado smiled as he helped Orihime up and out of the sewers and then hauled Hanatarō up as well.

“Kurosaki-kun!” Orihime beamed and then glomped him.

“Hey ‘Hime.” He hugged her back. “Anyone else feel like this is weird? Where the hell are the guards? Also, who is this?” He pointed at Hanatarō.HaH

“This is Hanatarō.” Sado said, “He led us here and treated our wounds after the last fight. He helped hide us when we were unconscious.”

Ichigo smiled at the very intimidated Shinigami. “Thanks Hanatarō. You’re a good guy.”

Hanatarō shook his head, “Don’t thank me for that. This execution is wrong.” He murmured.

“I’ll thank you anyway.” Ichigo rolled his eyes, “Just accept it. Anyway, what do you guys think?”

“Well, it’s not like sending the cannon fodder at us was doing anything.” Sado shrugged.

“Maybe they weren’t expecting us to come back so quickly? We were pretty injured.” Orihime said.

“No, something feels off.” Ichigo shook his head, “Regardless of you guys being injured or not, they know what our goal is.” Neither of them really had an answer. “No doubt there will be at least some defenses here. If we run into any Captains, you know what to do.”

“Right.” The two nodded, and Hanatarō blinked, having no idea what that was. They all took off towards the stairs. There were no guards, so they raced right up. And up.

And up some more.

And they ran. “How fucking tall are these stairs?” Ichigo grumbled as he picked up Hanatarō to run faster. Finally, they reached the top and he put the man down.

“Still no one?” Orihime was breathing a little heavy. “You’re right, Kurosaki-kun. This is weird.”

“Let’s move.” Sado said, before they all took off again.

And then an almighty Reiatsu pressed down on their shoulders. Orihime almost fell over and had to catch herself. Hanatarō fell to his knees. Sado picked him up and carried him despite the sweat all over his face and the lump in his throat.

The only one who wasn’t feeling utterly crushed by it was Ichigo, and even he was sweating just a tad. “Haa… that’s some insane pressure.” He grinned, “That’ll be Kenpachi, yeah?”

“P-Probably” Orihime wheezed.

They continued to run, and no matter what, it felt like they weren’t moving any closer or farther from the source. The cold sweat on Orihime and Sado’s brows was getting heavier, and Hanatarō was nearly insensate. ‘It-It’s like I have a sword at my throat.’ Orihime let out a whimper, feeling like she was a character in a snuff film.

‘Th-This pressure is insane. I think it might be stronger than Ichigo’s.’ Sado couldn’t get rid of the lump in his throat.

Elsewhere, Kenpachi Zaraki was grinning and practically licking his chops. “Which one is it?” He eyed the useless lump over Sado’s shoulders. “No.” He then looked at Sado himself, “Not bad, but I don’t think so.” He eyed Orihime, “Ah, the one who kicked Ikkaku’s ass. Still no.” He then laid eyes on Ichigo and his grin widened to insane proportions, “Are you the one?”

And Ichigo froze and looked right up at him as if the wind had carried Kenpachi’s words into his ear. The other two stopped and stared as well. And both of them seemed to have a panic attack. Both Sado and Orihime felt like the man staring Ichigo down had killed them. Orihime felt like she’d had her throat pierced, and Sado felt like he had been cut in half. Both of them sagged, feeling terror as they clutched their wounds, only to find that they were both perfectly okay.

And then Kenpachi vanished, appearing behind Ichigo. Or at least he would have, if Ichigo hadn’t whirled around to face him. “Kenpachi Zaraki?”

“Oh, you have heard of me. Good. That makes things easier.” Kenpachi grinned, “I’m here to fight you to the death, Kurosaki Ichigo.”

“Oh, but that’s no fun.” Ichigo’s smile was just about as wide as his opponent’s, “If we die then we don’t get to fight again.” If anything, that made Kenpachi’s grin widen. He then looked over at Sado and Orihime. “You two go on and get out of here.”

“K-Kurosaki-kun…” Orihime managed to rasp out.

Ichigo then looked over at Sado, “I got this, Chad. Stick to the mission.” He looked at Hanatarō and sweatdropped, “Uhhh…”

“Heeeey!” And then something small and pink popped out from behind Kenpachi, standing on his shoulder and pushing his head out of the way. He had a completely deadpan look on his face. “He’s drooling!” Ichigo sweatdropped as she jumped and landed right on his shoulder. “Wow, he must be really scared of Kenny. Poor guy!”

“Is my shoulder comfy?” Ichigo asked dryly, staring up at the young girl. “Shall I get you some candy as well?”

“Teehee.” She giggled and backflipped away, landing near Kenpachi. “I like him!” She pointed at Ichigo.

Kenpachi snorted, “Of course you would.”

Ichigo just looked back again, “Go.” He growled, and Sado swallowed, before he picked up Hanatarō. The huge half-Mexican and Orihime ran off. Ichigo raised an eyebrow, “Not going to chase them, pint-sized?”

“Nope!” The pink-haired young Kusajishi Yachiru chirped, “I’m gonna stay and watch Kenny fight!” She cheered.

“Well, have fun.” Ichigo snorted as he summoned his Zanpakutō. “Thanks for chilling out, Kenpachi.”

“I told you. I’m only interested in fighting you. Your friends and the girl are of no interest to me.”

“Good.” Ichigo said as he pointed his blade at Kenpachi, “So how about you draw that thing and we start this party?” He said before releasing some of the shackles on his power and allowing his Reiatsu to explode out of him.

Kenpachi’s grin widened to insane levels, “Ooooh, that’s the stuff. I thought you felt kind of weak for someone who kicked Komamura’s ass. Good, good. I’d normally give my opponents a handicap to at least make things a little fun…” He drawled as he grabbed his Zanpakutō’s guard, “But I don’t think that’ll be needed this time.” He started to draw his blade, revealing a chipped and ragged edge, “Do me a favor and don’t die too quickly, yeah?”

Ichigo matched his crazy, “That’s my line!” And he was off like a shot, bringing down a crushing overhand blow on the much larger man.

Kenpachi finished his draw in a flash, blocking the blade with only one arm. “Ahaha! Finally, another opponent who doesn’t give a damn about fairness!” The two swords were creating sparks against each other, shaking in their owners’ grasps. He pushed, breaking the blade lock and flinging Ichigo back. He quickly dove after the younger man and copied him, bringing down his blade with an excited roar.

Ichigo’s feet cratered the floor beneath him as he caught the strike as well. He didn’t leave it in a blade lock though. He knocked the blade to the side and vanished in a burst of Sonido.

Kenpachi dodged the blade as Ichigo sailed past him. Or at least he thought he did. “What?” He muttered as his hair fell down over his eyes. He shook his head and turned, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Take those fucking things off.” Ichigo turned and pointed his sword at Kenpachi, “I’m not an infant who needs some dinky little bells to know where my opponent is.”

“Hehehe!” Kenpachi grinned widely, “Oh, I only use these to make the fight more interesting. Most of my opponents are just so boring. Most of them can’t even shake the rust off my sword.” He quickly flicked his wrist and cut off the other bells, before shaking his mane. “I suppose with you though, that won’t be NECESSARY!” He was off like a shot again.

This time, the impact of their blades created a shockwave that knocked down a nearby building. Kenpachi didn’t skip a beat either, not caring about the literal tons of stone coming down on them for a moment. He aimed for Ichigo’s head, and Ichigo deflected it to the side. Ichigo let go of the sword with his left hand and clenched it.

With a thunderous boom, Kenpachi shot backwards like he had been fired out of a cannon. He crashed into another building and broke right through it with his bulk. Yet another building around them fell to the ground, and this one Yachiru actually had to jump off of. “Teehee, Kenny must be having a lot of fun with Ichi!”

The building hadn’t even finished coming down yet before the falling rubble burst outwards as he came flying back out. “THAT’S THE WAY, ICHIGO!” Kenpachi roared, attacking wildly. Ichigo’s eyes widened as he was forced to pick up the pace. Kenpachi was moving a lot faster than before, and the blows he caught were much harder too. The sounds of clanging swords filled the air as the two battle junkies did their level best to try to connect solidly.

Kenpachi managed to break Ichigo’s guard with a rising slash that knocked his Zanpakutō arm into the air, and with a quick motion followed up with a stab at close range. Ichigo raised his other arm and caught the tip of Kenpachi’s sword in his palm. The impact by itself forced him off his feet and through another building, but he was back in the fight in moments.

“You’re going to need to do better than that if you’re going to cut me, Kenpachi!” Ichigo yelled at the man.

“Bahahaha! This is great! Usually it’s my opponent that’s failing to cut me!” Kenpachi laughed madly as he continued the attack.

But this time, it was Ichigo’s turn. He ducked under a swipe and thrust his own sword forward. Kenpachi barely managed to avoid getting skewered but suffered from a fairly shallow slice across his ribs on his right side. The concept of ‘pain’ was apparently foreign to him as he didn’t skip a beat. Ichigo had to dodge back, and he felt the wind of Kenpachi’s swing try to cut through the Hierro on his nose.

The fight quickly reset, and the two vanished in bursts of speed. After all he’d heard about Kenpachi, Ichigo was actually a little surprised that he even knew Shunpo. The deadly dance began anew, with small little spurts of blood flying from Kenpachi while his sword only managed sparks from Ichigo.

Despite that, Ichigo was still deadly focused on the battle and not taking his opponent lightly. ‘Is he getting faster?’ He thought to himself in wonder, ‘Or is he holding back less?’ Ichigo’s own instincts were sharpening as well. Kenpachi was probably the best whetstone he could get. He inclined his head back to dodge the tip of Kenpachi’s sword, and his own scored a gouge on the man’s cheek.

Ichigo had to blur out of the way of an incoming swipe, but Kenpachi sped up as well, swinging his sword for Ichigo’s left side. Ichigo raised an arm and blocked his blade, grunting as the impact launched him. He caught his feet and blitzed forward, again managing a gouge on Kenpachi. His thigh this time. And again, Kenpachi seemed to speed up. As he ducked under a swipe from Kenpachi’s sword, he heard the sound of the building behind him getting carved up just from the wind.

Ichigo scored another hit on Kenpachi but wasn’t expecting just how fast the return swing would be. The tip of Kenpachi’s jagged Zanpakutō caught him right on the chest and then sliced right through his skin. He hissed in pain as he created some distance.

Kenpachi grinned and didn’t pursue. Instead, he flicked his sword a few times, before jerking it sharply. Just that motion shattered the ground next to him. Once the dust settled, he said, “Ah, that’s better. I suppose it’s been so damn long since I’ve had a decent fight that I forgot how to swing this thing. But I’m used to it now.” He licked his lips, “Your hardness.”

‘Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say-’ Ichigo chanted internally as teenage idiocy reared its ugly head, “That’s what she said.”

Kenpachi snorted but didn’t say a word as he charged once more. And this time, the battle picked up to a brand-new level of danger. Both of them were riskier. Kenpachi’s swings were wild but controlled. It was clear he didn’t know a damn thing about fighting with a sword. He got by on pure talent, physical might, and a sheer lack of attachment to his own health.

Ichigo landed five hits for every return one he took, but every step of the way, he had to increase his own speed to keep ahead of Kenpachi. Both of them were cut up and losing clothing. Kenpachi’s was already in tatters and Ichigo had lost part of his cloak. His bandages were slowly soaking red, and many stinging lacerations decorated his body.

In the end, they were blurs of motion, their swords nothing more than flashes of light that occasionally splattered blood around the formerly pristine, white floors and buildings of the Seireitei. Finally, they returned to a speed that normal people could follow, with Ichigo planting both feet in Kenpachi’s chest in a brilliant dropkick.

Another shockwave shattered the floor around them as Kenpachi was launched back, smashing into the floor and rebounding half a dozen times like a ragdoll. When he rolled to a stop, he immediately got to his feet, laughing wildly. “I knew it! I knew you were the one after I heard you beat the bitch out of Komamura!” He reached up, “For the first time…” He grabbed his eyepatch, “I really think I can go all out!” And tore it off.

Immediately, a towering yellow pillar of Reiatsu shot into the air. The earth quaked beneath his feet as his very Reiatsu demolished the floor around him. Ichigo let out a startled laugh of his own. “Hey, what’s that thing? Your Reiatsu skyrocketed! You got some Dōjutsu or something over there?”

“Ha! You think I’d cheat?” Kenpachi sneered at the thought, “Nah, this is something I had the eggheads over at the research and development department whip up for me.” He turned it, revealing that the side that had been touching his face was full of tiny little jaws full of fangs with an eye over each set. “These little monsters gobble up my energy, always leaving me with little of my total power. If I didn’t wear it, I’d kill every opponent I fought in one blow.” He dropped the eyepatch and switched his sword back to his dominant right hand. “And now…” He swiped once, and the building he was right next to was sliced in half, “I can use every bit of it to kill you.”

The building began to slide down cartoonishly before beginning to collapse. Ichigo let out a chuckle, “I have to admit. I was a bit disappointed after Komamura, Tōsen, and that bitch Kurotsuchi.” His smile split his face, “This is much better!” He yelled as he pushed his own power to the max as well, matching Kenpachi’s. A lightning storm engulfed him, making Kenpachi and even Yachiru high above smell the ozone. ‘There’s no point trying for Blut Vene. His sword is sharp enough to cut right through it. Instead…’  Ichigo’s veins lit up red. “Let’s go, Kenpachi!” He roared as the two dove for one another.

This time when their swords clashed, there was a massive explosion of force that scoured the area they were in clean. A massive crater formed around them, with the force of their swords blasting buildings off their foundations away from them. Lightning from Ichigo crackled around them as he opened his mouth, an electric Cero forming instantly.

Kenpachi’s eyes widened in shock as he dashed backwards, before raising his hand and catching the doom blast with his bare palm. He deflected it up into the sky, roaring in laughter, “Oh, you’re a riot, Ichigo! I’ve never had so much fun in my life!” He roared as he swung his sword down.

Ichigo dodged out of the way as a brand-new canyon formed next to him. “Try this on for size!” He yelled back as he transformed his blade into his cannon.

“What?” Kenpachi’s voice was almost deadpan as he swung for the massive cannon shell of Reiryoku that came blazing at him. “The hell is this?! Bring the sword back!” He demanded as the two halves of the ‘bullet’ went wide around him and took out another two buildings.

“Tch.” Ichigo clicked his teeth and did as he was bid, appearing above Kenpachi and swinging with a roar. Kenpachi blocked, only to be forced to his knee as yet another shockwave ripped through their surroundings. Ichigo landed and immediately hit him with a roundhouse kick that Kenpachi could feel breaking his ribs.

With an exclamation of glee, Kenpachi’s hand flashed out like a snake and grabbed Ichigo full on by his face. “!” Ichigo only made a muffled sound of surprise before he was slammed head-first into the crater beneath them.

Kenpachi was practically mounting him as he drew his sword back, “Thanks for the fight, Ichigo!” He yelled in rapture as he thrust his sword right for Ichigo’s eye.

Ichigo felt a moment of panic as he switched to Blut Vene, pouring every bit of Reiatsu he could into his right eye as he shut the eyelid. The tip of the blade smashed into his head and held for a moment, before both deflecting and slicing through Ichigo’s flesh. Ichigo let out a yell of pain as Kenpachi’s Zanpakutō buried itself into the dirt next to him, and the big man didn’t even have a moment to be surprised as Ichigo grabbed his arm with his free hand.

In a moment, he had maneuvered himself so that he had Kenpachi’s arm in an armbar with the elbow between his legs. With a roar, Ichigo jerked his hands back and thrust his hips forward, shattering Kenpachi’s elbow and bending his arm back the wrong way. A second later, a brutal kick had the huge man flying away as Ichigo panted. “Holy shit man.” He muttered as he staggered to his feet, shaking his head. He put his hand on his right eye and felt the gushing blood between his fingers. “Damn it, this is going to suck.”

“Tch, did you have to break my arm?” Kenpachi found his way back and was gripping his Zanpakutō with his left hand. “I can’t fight as well with this one.”

“You took out my eye.” Ichigo retorted.

“Ahh, fair enough, I guess.” Kenpachi chuckled and pointed his sword at Ichigo.

Before he could speak, Ichigo grunted, and Kenpachi’s eyes widened as every single injury Ichigo had bubbled up with white fluid and then disappeared. Even his eye was healed. “Well, it’s been fun, Kenpachi. Most fun I’ve ever had in a fight!” He put his sword over his shoulder, “Shall we kick it up another notch?” He grinned madly again, “Engulf the World and Blacken the Skies, Gōzen Raiu!”

And there was thunder. The sky blackened above them with angry black clouds. He held the hammer loosely in his hand. “Come on. Hurry up and release already. I can’t wait to see it!” Ichigo flipped the hammer.

“My Zanpakutō has no name.” Kenpachi said, and Ichigo froze.

“Bullshit.” Ichigo spat, suddenly incensed. “You’re fucking with me!”

“Tch, why the fuck would I do that? This thing is bare. It was never sealed, because my Reiryoku is so great that it can’t be contained.”

Ichigo let out a growl as Gōzen Raiu reverted to its sealed form. The clouds above immediately dispersed. Thor was invisible to Kenpachi as he stood behind Ichigo, “Can you hear it now, boy?” He felt the huge man’s hand on his shoulder. “Every fucking time you two clashed, I could hear it.”

“Yeah. I can.” Ichigo glared at the Zanpakutō in Kenpachi’s hand. “It’s fucking screaming in agony. How did I not hear it before now?”

“Aye. That lunkhead is so terrified of never having a good enough fight in his life that he’s clogging those ears of his.” Thor rumbled, “They’re clogged up worse than your ass was before you had that stick removed.”

“Fuck off.” Ichigo grunted before stabbing Gōzen Raiu into the ground.

“Ehh?” Kenpachi tilted his head, “The fuck you doing that for, Ichigo? And what are you mumbling about over there?”

Ichigo stomped off towards him, his Reiatsu spiking ever higher.

Kenpachi grinned, “Well, if you’re that eager to fight-” He blitzed forward, only for Ichigo to catch the hilt of his sword. Ichigo squeezed, crushing Kenpachi’s fingers, before a right hook thundered into the man’s jaw. Kenpachi tried to attack back, but Ichigo was relentless. He rained blow after blow on the huge man, until finally, he fell to a knee. The damage had caught up to him. All it had cost Ichigo was Reiryoku when he healed his injuries. Kenpachi’s arm was still broken, and the accumulated damage took its toll. And then Ichigo reared back and smashed his forehead into Kenpachi’s. The light left his opponent’s eyes as he fell unconscious.

Ichigo yanked Kenpachi’s Zanpakutō out of his hand and stared at it for a moment. He then cast his senses over at the Senzaikyū and pursed his lips when he felt the strength of the man standing between Yoruichi and Rangiku. ‘Looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer, Ran-chan.’ Ichigo walked back and grabbed his blade from the ground and made it vanish. “Hey, Yachiru!” He called out.

“You made Kenny so happy, Ichi!” The pint-sized little girl bowed. “Thank you!”

“Well he made me not so happy.” Ichigo said, before he tossed her the man’s Zanpakutō. She caught it and looked at it in confusion. He went back and hauled Kenpachi onto his shoulder. “Follow me. I’m not done with him yet.”

She grinned brightly, “Un!” She vanished half a second after he did.

-]|[-

“Oh, Hana-kun, you’re awake!” Orihime smiled at him as he finally was able to raise his head.

“Orihime-san…” He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut before blinking a few times. “Wha-” His eyes bulged, “Wait, where’s Ichigo-san?”

“He’s back there, fighting that man.” Sado rumbled, still sweaty from his brush with death. He had thought he was stronger than this.

“N-No way! That was Kenpachi-Taichō of the Eleventh Division! The name ‘Kenpachi’ signifies one who loves to fight the most! Who has slain more than any other person in Soul Society! That name means that no matter how many times he gets cut, he’ll never fall! Ichigo-san will be-”

“Fine.” Orihime said. “Kurosaki-kun will be fine.” She smiled, “If the Reiatsu we felt was any indication… then he’s our Kenpachi.”

Hanatarō could only stare at her in shock. “Ichigo asked us to leave it to him.” Sado rumbled next to him. “And even if we tried to help-” He ground his teeth, “Orihime and I could barely stay on our feet even with how strong we are. You couldn’t even stay conscious.” He continued to run, “Ichigo is the only one who can stop him.”

“We came here to save Rangiku.” Orihime said, “He’s entrusted that mission to us. We have the most important job of all. So let’s go and do it.”

…

“There it is.” Hanatarō said rather unnecessarily as they stared across a small gorge to the bridge leading to the Senzaikyū. They flinched as another tremor rocked them. “It’s… it’s still going on? This is impossible! How strong is Ichigo-san?!”

“Like Orihime said… he’s our Kenpachi.” Sado said, “Now let’s go.” He grabbed Hanatarō and Orihime and leapt.

At the end of the bridge facing it, two Shinigami were quaking in fear, “Th-This Reiatsu is insane. How are we still feeling it all the way out here?! Who in the world is fighting?! They’ve already demolished the eastern half!”

“Are you that scared?” His compatriot laughed, “Don’t be so pathetic! You’re shaking in your sandals!”

“Wh- So are you! Who the hell are you calling pathetic?! You’re pathetic!”

“What was that? Why am I the-” A green, viscous liquid landed on his forehead, and he jumped, “Ugh, what’s this?! Bird…” He wavered as his vision started to blur, “Poop?” He fell face forward, smashing onto the wooden boards.

“Hey! Are you okay?! Who-” His words were choked out as Sado’s arm wrapped around his neck.

“Sleep.” The giant said softly, holding him still until he passed out.

“What was that liquid?” Orihime asked curiously as Hanatarō descended.

“This? It’s called Shinten. It’s a tranquilizer. One drop on the skin and a person with low Reiryoku will get dizzy and pass out. It’s very useful in keeping injured Shinigami from exacerbating those injuries.”

“Wow, that’s useful!” Orihime clapped for him, before they made their way down the walkway. “We made it! Now how do we get in?”

“Stand back.” Sado said, cracking his knuckles.

“Uhhh…” Hanatarō got his attention, before pulling a wooden thing on a rope from inside his Shihakushō, “I borrowed the spare key from the cell lock storage room last night. In the underground waterway.”

“Hehehe! You’re awesome, Hana-kun! Go on and open it!” Orihime beamed at him. He nodded and inserted the key before twisting it. In seconds, Sado pulled the door up, “Rangiku-chan!” Orihime called out, watching as the woman sat up on her bed.

“Well, well, well!” Rangiku laughed as she eyed the group and walked forward. She accepted a happy glomp from Orihime. “You were even quicker than I thought you’d be.” She laughed as she hugged the other busty girl. Then she raised an eyebrow, “Where’s Ichi?”

“Fighting Kenpachi!” Orihime chirped.

“That man.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, as long as he’s enjoying himself. Thanks for coming to save my butt, tiger!” She winked at Sado, before her eyes landed on Hanatarō, “And even Yamada-kun too. Looks like I’m pretty popular!” Hanatarō blushed slightly.

“Why didn’t you guys tell us?” Orihime murmured.

“Sorry ‘Hime.” Rangiku murmured back, “But we were keeping things close to the chest until it was go time.” She let go of Orihime. “Now, what’s been going on? I didn’t think Ichi would release, but I saw that huge thunderstorm even from here.”

Orihime and Sado winced, “…About that…”

“Oh no. What did he do?” Rangiku’s face fell.

“…The clown guy had his mother’s soul.” Sado finally said.

Rangiku’s eyes bulged. “Fuck. He’s dead, isn’t he?” Orihime nodded, and the redhead pinched the bridge of her nose, “Damn it all. I hate Kurotsuchi. He didn’t harm Nemu, did he?”

“Uhh, last we heard of her, she was trying to wash Ichigo’s back.” Orihime said somewhat cautiously and was surprised when glee shone in Rangiku’s eyes.

“Yes! Oh, Nemu’s one of my favorites around here! She’s going to blossom without fucking Kurotsuchi around.” Rangiku beamed happily.

“Not that this reunion isn’t great, but we should get out of here before-” Sado started to say, and then they all paled and had to set their feet as a massive Reiatsu pressed on their shoulders. Rangiku almost fell over, and Hanatarō did.

“Oh no.” He said in terror as he turned around, “It’s!” The man taking a leisurely stroll towards them had the countenance of a nobleman. He wore a white Captain’s haori over his uniform but also had these things in his hair styling them, and a white scarf that was probably worth more than all of their houses and apartments combined. “Kuchiki Byakuya-Taichō of the Sixth Division!”

Rangiku was starting to sweat as her weakness from the time in the Senzaikyū showed itself, “This would be a really great time for Ichi to show up.”

But Ichigo was still far away, dealing with Kenpachi. Orihime and Sado looked at one another, “…It’s not as overwhelming as Kenpachi-san’s.” She offered.

“Still more than ours.” Sado rumbled, “…Rangiku, you can’t Shunpo like that, can you?”

“Not a chance.” She wheezed as the pressure started getting heavier, “I’ve lost too much Reiryoku from being kept in here. And even if I could… he’s one of the fastest Captains around.”

The couple looked at each other once more, nodded, and stomped forward. “Hanatarō, if you see an opportunity, get out of here with Rangiku-chan. We’ll hold him off.” Orihime said, clenching her clammy fists. They didn’t wait for a response as they walked out onto the bridge.

Byakuya stopped before them, “I sensed a slight presence moving to the Senzaikyū. I came here to see what terrible foe had gained entry by concealing its Reiatsu.” His voice was incredibly cultured and confident. The placid expression on his face didn’t change a bit. “But it ended up being only a couple mice. How absurd.”

“Sorry Taichō-san, but would you mind moving?” Orihime clapped her hands with a pretty smile on her face, “We have a friend to rescue.”

“I think not.” Byakuya responded, his expression still unchanging. His grey eyes looked at them with utter contempt.

“El Directo!” Sado instantly changed his arms and fired a blast of energy at the Captain.

“Interesting.” Byakuya raised his hand and held back Sado’s attack effortlessly. “This is not unlike a Cero, albeit weaker than one of those.” He casually flicked the attack into the sky. “Perhaps you are not mice after all, and rabbits would be more appropriate.” He walked forward, “A pity for you that vermin is still vermin.” He flashed forward in Shunpo, and then sat still as he was surprised to have found no resistance for his blade. Orihime and Sado had barely managed to dodge his strikes, with the orange-haired beauty losing a few hairs and Sado touching a hairline scratch on his arm.

He turned around, “I see how you made it all the way here. I would not have expected either of you to be capable of dodging so well. Would you happen to be the ones who defeated my sister and her husband?” He asked, causing both Sado and Orihime to swallow heavily and pale a little. He inclined his head minutely. “Very well then. Your expressions say enough. I apologize for misjudging you. Be honored.” He drew his Zanpakutō, “I do not draw my blade for just anyone. Scatter…. Senbonzakura.” He said, and they gasped as his blade dissolved into what looked like sakura petals.

“Rokuten Yoshun!” Orihime yelled in panic as her hairpins flashed. A full spherical shield appeared around her and Sado, and not a moment too soon. Immediately, it started to sparkle as a thousand cherry blossoms made of ultra sharp metal started to batter away at it. Each hit caused a new flash that made the shield look almost like it was being rained upon.

Byakuya attacked from every direction, but against a sphere it did not matter. “…Impressive.” The nobleman said, begrudgingly. “But I can see you sweating heavily, young lady.” He commented, and indeed, Orihime was starting to huff and was sweating profusely, “How long can such a shield hold, I wonder?” He noticed that the shield’s color was also changing. In the instant it had formed, it had been a bright orange. Now, it was a blood red. ‘Does that signify that it is close to shattering, or something else?’

‘He’s right. I can’t keep this up! Chad, we have one shot at this!’ She thought to herself before yelling, “Tsubaki!” The shield flashed once, before every single bit of energy it had absorbed exploded outwards, shattering the bridge and causing most of it to fall.

“Bakudō 81: Dankū.” Byakuya said evenly as the explosion smashed into the pane of glass. It didn’t so much as waver despite the power behind it. He began to float in the air, and then looked up, seeing Sado above him.

“LA MUERTE!” Sado roared, punching down.

“Futile.” He closed his eyes as he expertly dodged and grabbed Sado’s wrist. He flung the man at his girlfriend, and they both crashed into the wall of the building right at the head of the bridge. They both hacked out as they landed. “You were impressive. I can see how my sister and her husband could fall if they took you lightly.” Senbonzakura had formed back into the blade, “But now, it is time for this farce to end. Scatter, Senbon-”

A piece of cloth wrapped around the blade of his Zanpakutō, and his eyes widened in shock. And then he was plummeting to the ground beneath them, his head held in an iron grip. He managed to wrench himself free and landed on his feet, raising his eyes to meet golden, catlike irises and a wide, cheshire grin, “Well, if it isn’t little Byakuya!”

“Shihōin Yoruichi.” He rose to his feet, “So, you’re involved in this debacle. I suppose we haven’t been taking this seriously enough.”

She chuckled, “Yeah, it’s kind of sad at this point. We’ve given the Gotei 13 a right proper thrashing already. Standards apparently fell drastically in the last hundred years.” She goaded him. “Of course, it could be that my students are just exceptional.”

“They were certainly impressive, but nothing worth bragging about.” Byakuya responded evenly. “You’ve been thought dead for over a hundred years. Why reveal yourself? Especially over one criminal.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” She responded, “Everything will be revealed soon enough.”

“Yes, I suppose with you in prison, it will be simple to collect all the details.” Byakuya agreed, “Starting with your murder of Aizen-Taichō. Seeing you here now makes his death make sense. You’re the only one who could have pulled something like that off.”

“Nope. Wasn’t me.” Yoruichi disagreed, “But I doubt you’ll believe that. Instead, I’ll ask you this: Who exactly will be the one putting me in prison?” She leered at him, “You? You’ve never even beaten me in a game of tag.”

“I suppose you are correct. Shall we rectify that?” Byakuya responded, before instantly blurring away.

She smirked as she appeared in his exact spot, watching as he swung where she had just been. “Wow, that must have been some fly!” She said, using her hand to make a visor. She then ducked under a slice from his blade and casually knocked her fist into his rib in a flash. He grunted before chopping down, slicing her in half.

“I’m curious.” She called out to him, sitting on a roof, idly kicking her feet, “Did you perhaps think I’ve been sitting on this perfect chocolate ass for the past a hundred years?”

“Scatter, Senbonzakura.” He said, having narrowed his eyes as the first stirrings of irritation engulfed him. This woman could always bring out the worst in him. “Even you won’t be able to escape from these one thousand blades.” The cherry blossoms all converged on Yoruichi, before she and his petals vanished.

“Is that so?” Her voice came from behind him and his eyes widened in shock. He whirled around, and his jaw almost unhinged at what he saw. Every single one of his one thousand blades was caught between her fingers on both hands. “And what exactly do I need to be escaping from?” She cackled at the look on his face as she flung his own Shikai at him. They all transformed back into one mass and became his Zanpakutō once more.

Byakuya’s face had hardened as he held out his sword with the blade pointed to the floor. “I see even I’ve been taking you too lightly. Be honored, Shihōin Yoruichi. You’re the first one in decades to push me this far.” He dropped his blade, “Bankai.” The nobleman said as the sword seemed to flow into the Seireitei’s ground. And then a dozen giant blades rose up behind and beside him, before turning pink and shattering into a billion sakura petals. “Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.”

Even Yoruichi’s eyes went wide at that. “Shit.” She hissed, before her orange jacket blew off. Yellow lightning crackled around her and disintegrated the cloth. “Shunkō.” She called out as she vanished in such mind-boggling speed that even Byakuya lost complete track of her.

“Where?” Byakuya looked around rapidly, before choking back a gasp as she appeared in his guard. Her fists were crackling with lightning as she punched out at him, only to have to abort her attack as a gigantic mass of glowing pink blades crashed down where she had been standing.

“Got to say, little Byakuya…” She said as she reappeared a ways away from him, “This Bankai of yours sure is a pain in my ass.”

“I will take that as a compliment.” He said, before raising his hand towards her. The petals surged, moving at twice the speed in an attempt to capture her. She vanished in another blur, and this time his eyes kept up. But then she vanished again. And again. And then there were two of her. And then three. And then Byakuya was astounded to find himself surrounded by dozens of copies of Yoruichi. He couldn’t even begin to tell which one was the real one. He sent bursts of Senbonzakura through some of the clones, but they passed right through, revealing them to be afterimages.

And then one appeared in front of him, “Hadō #4: Byakurai!” He called out, pointing a finger and piercing her head with it. A burst of blood erupted from the deadly wound as all the other clones vanished, and he almost sighed in relief.

And then a tiny foot hit him square in the back, launching him forward and directly into the white walls of the Senzaikyū. The nearly indestructible material almost broke his nose as he crashed into it, but he didn’t waste a moment getting back to his feet. He then created a whirlwind of sakura petals, trying to sweep her up and cutting off all avenues of escape.

She clicked her teeth, ‘Looks like I’m going to have to break that move out.’ She sighed before landing in the middle of the petals relatively close to her opponent. But they couldn’t touch her as lightning erupted from her once more, forming a set of balls in a ring formation behind her back with loud cracks. And then more lightning than Byakuya had ever seen engulfed her, “Shunkō: Raijin Senkei!” She cried out as she raised her hand and then brought it down. Lightning powerful enough to disintegrate stone crashed down all around Byakuya.

He was completely incapable of defending himself and let out a scream as his nervous system flashed erratically. He still stood when it ended and huffed out a puff of smoke, even as his Bankai was forcibly dismissed and Senbonzakura fell on the floor due to his twitchy fingers. All around them was a massive crater, except for a little plinth right where she had been standing. Then she was in front of him once more, “Sorry, little Byakuya.” She sounded genuinely apologetic as her palm crashed into his chest and launched him backwards. He landed in a heap and did not get up.

The lightning vanished and she slumped, resting her hands on her knees, “Shit… That always takes it out of me.” She panted before shaking her breath and leaping back up to where the bridge had been. She was so tired from her attack it took her three hops rather than one.

“Holy cow Yoruichi-sensei!” Orihime had stars in her eyes, her right foot in the air behind her like she was stretching, and she was clapping for her.

“Thank ye, thank ye, I’ll be here all day!” Yoruichi smirked as she landed.

“Oh good! That was quite the show!” A new voice called out and Yoruichi went completely stiff. She whirled around and saw one opponent she utterly dreaded standing lazily in the air in front of the Senzaikyū. Kyōraku Shunsui. She really hoped Lisa had been convincing enough and that Ichigo hadn’t ruined things by killing Mayuri.

“Heya, Kyōraku.” She put on her best smile. “Don’t suppose I can convince you to just let us grab Rangiku and skedaddle?”

“No can do.” Shunsui chuckled, “I’m afraid Yama-ji would have my hide.” Even though his countenance was utterly lazy, she knew it would only take him seconds to have the three of them trapped in games they couldn’t win. Especially if Irooni was the game chosen and he called pink. She certainly didn’t have any on her. Katen Kyokotsu was an utterly broken Zanpakutō, and she wouldn’t dare face it without ample warning and time to prepare herself. And she especially wasn’t facing him after tiring herself out with Shunkō: Raijin Senkei.

“Well… shit.” She said, and his lazy grin widened just a tad, “Guess we’ll just have to retreat for now.”

“You sure you can do that?” Shunsui asked, and she knew exactly what he was talking about. Both Takaoni and Kageoni could potentially let him cheat his way into beating her in a speed battle.

“Well, you could chase us, but Little Byakuya could definitely use a hand.” She replied.

“You’re right, of course.” He then blinked and turned his head, “Well, I’ll be. Looks like Zaraki lost. That Kurosaki-san of yours sure is something.” He turned back and snorted when he saw all three of them were gone. He could still sense the other two, but barely. “As fast as ever, Yoruichi-chan. And you couldn’t even let me watch you walk away, huh? More’s the pity.” He turned around and smiled at Rangiku, “Sorry Matsumoto-chan, but it looks like it’s back in the cell for you.” He walked on the air towards her. “And you are in trouble, young man.” He said to Hanatarō, “Though I’ll leave that up to Unohana-Taichō. Stay out here.” ‘Here’ being the short strip of bridge that still existed.

Hanatarō seemed to have his spirit try to leave his body, “Y-Yes sir.” He said, looking like he was already dead.

Rangiku sighed, “Darn, I was hoping to join Ichi in the hot springs.” She allowed herself to be ushered back into the Senzaikyū and then blinked as Shunsui’s smile dropped.

“No, you’re right where you want to be, I think.” Shunsui said.

“…‘Need’ more than ‘want.’” Rangiku said, “Does this mean you’re on board?”

“The second Nanao-chan informed Unohana-Taichō of what Lisa had told us, she realized what she had been finding so wrong about Aizen-san’s corpse. That being that it was no corpse at all.” Shunsui said.

“Should you be revealing that openly?” She asked in worry.

“No method of spying would work inside the Senzaikyū. Not even this Zanpakutō of his. The Sekkiseki would disrupt even it.” Shunsui chuckled, “Though I can’t stay in here long. They might have spies watching the place.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you on the other side?” Rangiku asked.

“That you will.” Shunsui turned and walked away, shutting the door behind him. “Well Fourth-Division-san-” Hey, the kid wasn’t even in his division. He couldn’t know every Shinigami in the Seireitei. He hauled Hanatarō up and held him under his arm. “Let’s get you to Unohana-Taichō.” He said, before he leapt down and collected Byakuya. He winced when he saw his fellow Captain’s condition. Byakuya wasn’t in any real danger, which was the only reason he’d stopped for a friendly chat beforehand, but the man was still in rough shape. Shunsui vanished towards the Fourth Division Headquarters.

-]|[-

And that’s a wrap.

Hope you guys liked Ichigo vs Kenpachi. I have some fun shit planned for that.

Some fun stuff happened this chapter too, like Hitsugaya’s section. I really didn’t have his role in this arc planned all that well, so this being what ended up happening was rather fun. Don’t think I’ve ever seen this done in a fic before. LOL

And my precious Yoruichi finally got a REAL chance to shine. “No one there could have fought Byakuya and lived.” What in the shōnen?! Nah Yoru, you’re best girl and you know it. Fry that noble ass.

Also, I’m aware that the actual tower Rangiku is being held in is called the Shishinrō… now. I’m aware of that now. And at this point, I’ve been mistakenly calling it the Senzaikyū for several chapters because that fucking word wasn’t mentioned on the wiki page, but rather on the sekkiseki page. FML So fuck it. The Senzaikyū is now the tower itself. 

Anyway, I’m nooooot too sure what will be getting posted on August 1st. Might be more TS, might be ch4 of Not So Solo Leveling, might even be A Týrable Idea since I seem to be back on my Game of Thrones kick. I honestly have no idea. All depends on what the muse goes with and if I manage to actually finish whatever that might be. In any case, see you all in two weeks.

Later!