Rise of the Fourth Reich Part 2

by Lichblade

Sorry it took so long. Part 2 took a lot longer to write than part 1, but here it is. The Nazis have invaded the Soul Society in full force, and are taking extreme measures to gain control. Ichigo & his friends must fight them, before it is too late.

Chapter 11

Ichigo was stunned by the comment that his friend made. "Emergency!? What do you mean emergency!?" he replied.

As he finished his sentence, Rukia quickly rose up from his bed, and just as quickly, pulled a paper fan from her coat and whacked Ichigo over the head.

"Was there wax in your ears!?" she said loudly and rudely. "There's no time to explain. Suffice it to say, the soul society needs your help."

Ichigo then finally began to fully pay attention. "Okay" he started to say "What does the soul society need me for?"

"They need you to stop an invasion." Rukia said.

"An invasion? You got to be kiddi..." Ichigo began to say, but was hit by Rukia's paper fan again.

"No I'm not kidding!" She yelled. "Now common, everyone else is already there fighting back." As she finished her sentence, she put a red glove with a flaming skull on her right hand, then proceeded to punch Ichigo right in the face. After that, his soul reaper form popped right out of his body, leaving it in a lifeless lump on the floor.

"Now common." Rukia began to say as she forcefully grabbed Ichigo's hand "They need our help!" After that comment they immediately disappeared in a flash.

Shortly there after, the two of them reappeared on a ledge overlooking the majority of the soul society. The sight that they saw could not be any more horrifying. They saw that sections of the city were completely ablaze, and sections that weren't ablaze were smoking ruins. Though the sound was faint, Rukia and Ichigo could hear the sound of marching, and even more faintly, squeaking of some kind.

"Rukia, what happened here?" Ichigo asked in a shocked tone.

"We still don't know who attacked us" said Rukia. "It is clear that whoever did, they did it quickly, precisely, and with incredible power. We need to move quickly, before whoever attacked us, spots us."

"Okay, lets be on our way." said Ichigo, and the two of them proceeded to walk towards the woods behind them. The two of the both agreed mentally that the woods would provide cover as they made their way to the city.

As they walked, they kept quiet, but they once in a while made eye contact with each other to take a mental analysis of the other person. About a half-hour later, they made it to a section of the city wall that had a gaping hole in it. As they walked through it, they noticed strange treads on the ground. They seemed to head straight for a couple of feet, then they seemed to turn to the left. Rukia paused her movement, then turned to Ichigo.

"Ichigo, what are those?" she asked as she pointed to them.

"Don't have the faintest idea." he said. "We should keeping walking, and we should stay quiet. Whatever made these must still be close by."

They unwisely decided to follow the treads. They went on for about 10 minutes, until they came to a small courtyard. They stopped shorted before the archway leading into the courtyard, when they noticed four men in grey uniforms standing around in a small circle, talking to each other in a strange language they the two of them could not understand. Ichigo pulled Rukia to the side so they couldn't be seen.

"What are they holding in their hands?" Rukia asked, as she pointed to the metallic objects in their hands.

"Guns" Ichigo said grimly. "We should stay out of the..." as he almost finished his sentence, he accidentally stepped on a piece of burnt wood. The four men immediately turned around, and one of them shouted "Stoppen!"

"Damn, they saw us." said Rukia. "What do we do now?"

There was no response, then she asked again.

"Ichigo, what do we do now?"

"I think we should put our hands up" he said.

"Why?" Rukia asked "Are we going to surrender to these four insec..." She suddenly stopped, as she turned to looking at him. She noticed six other men with the same uniform and guns as the previous four they saw standing in front of him. Their weapons were raised up, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Ichigo and Rukia raised up both of their arms above their head.

"Folgen Sie uns." said one of the soldiers. "Unsere Führer erwartet, dass die beiden von Ihnen."

Chapter 12

They had been leading the two of them toward a large courtyard that was a about a 5-minute walk away. Five of the soldiers were in the front, and the other five were in the back, and they had their guns at the ready in case they tried to escape. Rukia tried to start a conversation with Ichigo, but she had to do it in a whisper, incase one of the soldiers overheard.

"Ichigo" Rukia asked quietly "What are we going to do?"

"No idea" he said "We should stay quiet."

"Why?" she asked.

After she said that, one of the soldiers in the back of them walked right behind her, shoved her forward, and said "Bleiben ruhig und zu Fuß."

"Hey, you can't do that!" Rukia yelled at the soldiers. The other 9 just laughed at her comment.

"Rukia, you should have stayed quiet." Ichigo said "We need to play it safe, so we don't piss them off."

"You can say that again" she said right back.

They finally arrived at the doorway to the courtyard. The doorway was a typical torii archway, and it was painted bright red. It gave the feel of awe when one just simply looks at it, much less go through it. One of the soldiers walks right up to the door, and speaks with one of the two guards standing in front. The guard was in a black uniform, and was wearing an armband around his right arm. Ichigo noticed the symbol that was on the armband was one that he saw during his hallucination-like dreams, but it was different somehow. To him, it seemed more unified and orderly, and not like the random, chaotic images that he saw in his dreams. The guards finally finished their conversation, and the two that were dressed in black uniforms opened the door to the courtyard, where Rukia & Ichigo were commanded by their escort to walk inside.

The courtyard was massive in scale. The walkway to the main balcony in front of them was made of smooth, grey stone. As they were walking along, to the left of them they saw a small stage, where a brass band with percussions was setting up. Perhaps to greet the invader's leaders, Ichigo thought to himself. Along the walkway were twelve wooden polls about 15 feet long, and hanging from each of them was a red and white flag, each bearing the same black sun symbol that appeared to be just about everywhere these days, he thought to himself again.

"Ichigo" Rukia asked. "What is this sun-thing that I keep seeing?"

After she finished her question, a soldier that was walking on her right immediately pushed her to the ground and immediately yelled "Nicht herabgestuft werden die schwarze sonne mit Ihren Worten wieder!" After the guard finished yelling, Ichigo rushed to Rukia's side, lifted her up to her feet, and dusted her off.

"I got a feeling that no matter what we say, we're gonna piss the guys off." Ichigo said.

"No kidding." Rukia said. "Guess I should have listened to you earlier."

They walked to about three-fourths of the way to the balcony, when their short-tempered escort pointed them to a small group of seats, where they saw the guard-squad captains and their friends sitting down, apparently under obvious duress. There were two empty chair in the front row, and the guards directed Ichigo and Rukia to sit in them. At first hesitant, they sat down, waiting for their fate to come forth and face them.

"Ichigo, is that you?" asked an unknown, but obviously frightened female voice.

Ichigo turned to his right, and noticed that Orihime was sitting right next to him. She immediately gave him a big hug, as she usually does when she gets worried about one of her friends. She sat right back down shortly afterwards.

"I'm okay Orihime." Ichigo said, in a slightly happy voice.

"That's good to here" said Orihime. "I thought that these bad men would have shot you and Rukia."

"Na" said Ichigo "One of the soldiers that caught us said their...ah, I couldn't even understand what they were saying!"

"Their...leader?" Orihime said. "Was that what he said?"

"Yes." Ichigo answered "But how can you understand them?"

Orihime showed Ichigo her right wrist. It was a small sun tattoo, and it was solid black. She went on to speak.

"Apparently, these tattoos allow us to understand what the soldiers are saying. Or that's what the gentleman that gave me this said." Orihime said.

"What's the tattoo supposed to do?" Ichigo asked.

"The gentleman that gave this said that whoever has this can understand their language, or at least what they want you to understand." said Orihime.

"That seems strange" said Ichigo. "Why would they do tha..."

"Machen für den Führer!" shouted a guard that was standing at a doorway to the right, just before Ichigo could finish his sentence. He went to grasp the knob, and turned it open. A man dressed in a conductor's uniform walked out, and proceeded towards the band. He stood right in front of the band, where he picked up his conductor's wand from the stand in front of him. he grasped it in his right hand, raised up his arms, and immediately began moving them around. The band started playing.

The tune was very catchy to Ichigo, who began to hum it in his head. Everyone else he noticed found that the music was somehow pleasing, yet frightening at the same time. It began to rise in volume and tempo, and everyone for some reason was in rapture, as if someone important was about to grace them with his or her presence.

Sure enough, the door that Ichigo and Rukia had enter, had opened, and 12 soldiers came marching in. They marched to the beat of the band perfectly, Ichigo thought to himself. There was no hesitation. Everything that those 12 soldiers did during their march was absolutely perfect. Ichigo looked to everyone else that was sitting with him, and noticed that everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing that he was. Once the soldiers's march was done, each of them stood in front of one of the 12 poles that were setup along the walkway. They were as still as statues, as they stared at each other, waiting for their superior to command them.

The door was still open, and suddenly, the band stopped playing. The only sound that could be heard was the flapping of the flags in the wind. There was a feeling of expectation in the air, as if something incredibly important was going to happen.

Two of the soldiers that were standing closest to the door picked up trumpets from their belts, and placed them on their lips. They played a short tune, probably about 5 seconds long, and placed the trumpets back on their belts. The soldier on the left side of the walkway shouted out.

"Einführung, meister der schwarzen sonne, leiter des vierten reich...der Führer!!!"

Everyone leaned slightly outward, attempting to glance at the individual who was expected to enter through the archway. At first, they saw nothing, nor did they hear anything. A moment later, they heard the boot-laden footsteps of someone walking their way. The footsteps were getting louder, until they stopped just short of the archway. Everyone was still looking, waiting as to who this "fuhrer" person was. After this person began walking towards the balcony, they finally got what they were looking for.

The man walking towards the balcony had an aura of superiority around him. The captains that were in the audience could sense that this person's power rivaled their own, possibly even surpass them all. He was dressed completely in black, from his boots to the top of his cap. The only other colors that were one him was the red tie that he was wearing, the red & white armband on his right arm that showed the ominous black sun symbol, and his white hair and goatee. He wore a pair of glasses that hugged tightly to his face.

"That must be their "fuhrer"" Rukia said to Ichigo in a studder.

The Fuhrer stopped right in front of Orihime. His side was facing her, and he slowly turned to face her. He put his hands behind his back, and casually walked over to her. He stopped when he was about 1 foot in front of her. He left out a small cough, and spoke.

"My lady" he said "could you kindly stand up...please?"

"Yeeeessss sir" said Orihime in her studdering, scared voice. "Is their something you want?"

"No my lady." the Fuhrer said. "But I must give you credit. The fact that you know what the word "fuhrer" means shows that you have more intelligence in you than most people. It's a shame that whoever gave you the mark of the black sun must have done an imperfect job. He will be dealt with."

"Iiiiiifff you saaaaay so." said Orihime studderliy.

"Now if you can" the Fuhrer said "would you kindly sit back down in your seat...please?"

Orihime sat back down in her seat. The Fuhrer resumed walking toward the balcony. He stepped slightly towards the left and began walking up a flight of stairs. Shortly after, everyone could see him on the balcony. He then sat down in a seat that was in the middle of a row of 5 chairs, with the one that he was sitting in slightly higher than the others.

Everyone was completely on the edge of their nerves. They all felt panicky, yet they were waiting to see if anyone else was coming. They got what they wanted as the two guards by the archway grabbed their trumpets, and played again for 5 seconds. After they went done, the soldier on the right shouted out, much like the one on the left.

"Auch die einführung, die teilnehmer des Führer, die Jünger des schwarze sonne...das Kabinett des vierten Reich!!!"

As they looked at the archway, they saw two men and two women walk along the pathway. They didn't seem to be as remarkable as the fuhrer, yet they seemed to have an aura of arcane might around them. They didn't seem to pay attention to Ichigo and the others, yet they could tell that they were there. The two men walked up the left set of stairs, and the two women went up the right set of stairs. The two men sat on the right side of the Fuhrer, while the women sat on his left side.

"Aufmerksamkeit!" shouted a soldier standing in front of a wooden pole on the left side of the walkway closest to the archway. They immediately took 2 steps forward, pointed their rifles towards the sky, and fired a shot. Three seconds passed, then they fired another shot. They did this three more times, then they stepped back in front of the poles. After this, the fuhrer stood up from his chair, and walked towards a podium, which had a microphone setup. He tapped it to see if it was working, and a loud screech pierced the courtyard. The sound got into everyone's ear, and rattled in their heads for a moment. The sound went away shortly after.

"Hello Soul Society" said the Fuhrer. His voice could be heard by everyone. "You must all be confused as to why we attacked you. Why we have take over your way of life. It is very simple you see. For too long, you have allowed yourself to sink down to a low level. In doing so, you have opened yourself to corruption, deception, weakness, and betrayal. You couldn't even acknowledge the Hallows until they where all dead. It must have been a great convenience to admit to a mistake that you made when the source of it was completely gone. Sieg Hiel!"

All of the soldiers raised their right arm, and shouted the same thing: "Sieg Hiel!"

The Fuhrer went back to his speech "After recent events, me and my cabinet have decided that the time has come. The time has come to change your ways. Sieg Hiel!"

The soldiers raised their arms, and shouted "Sieg Hiel!" once again.

"It took me and my cabinet some planning, but the seeds of out labor are already beginning to sprout. Sixty years ago, a man by the name of Adolf Hitler tried to raise a reich. It was magnificent. It covered the entire continent of Europe, yet it presence could be felt over the entire world. During the existence of this third reich, Nazi Germany held unquestionable power. Our army was unstoppable, our technology incredible, and our will unbreakable. Sieg Hiel!"

As if on cue, the soldiers raised their arms, and the words "Sieg Hiel!" came from their mouths again.

"Yet, this third reich was not meant to last. Hitler was indeed a leader, but as time went on, his vision of a rejuvenated Germany changed. Instead of a Germany where the people and it's leaders were one, he decided to change his unifying dream. As time went on, he decided to change the system so that he and his cronies would reap all the benefits, while the common man wallowed in poverty and disease. To make sure that this disruption in power stayed, he made scapegoats out of jews, homosexuals, and other groups of people that supposedly went against his "vision". But all of that changed when the black sun was discovered. Before I go on, I must introduce you to my cabinet, and the individuals within it that will help me in managing this new reich."

The Fuhrer stepped from the podium, and walked towards the men that were sitting on his right. He walked until he was right in front of them, asked them to sit up and walk back to the podium. The fuhrer began to speak.

"Ladies & gentlemen, behold! Two of the most magnificant men within the reich! These men have the iron will and determination to spearhead the reich towards it new place in the world. To the left of me, stands professor Wilhelm Strassa, better known as Deathshead. Wilhelm leads the science division of the reich, where our technology is already adapting to your world. However, science is nothing without more practical applications, and that's where the man to the right of me comes in. This man is non-other than the infamous Heinrich Himmler, legendary commander of the Nazi army during World War II. He was as dissatisfied with Hitler as I was, and came to me seeking a better leader to follow."

As Ichigo & Rukia looked at the two men, they could see that these two men were very different from each other. Strassa for example, was dressed in a doctor's uniform that was completely black. He was very well kept looking, and even his bald head was clean. The monocle that covered his left eye gave him the appearance of a man who could see into all forms of dark science.

Himmler, on the other hand, looked like a man that would jump into the action at any moment. His appearance was also different from Strassa. While Strassa's clothing had few decorations, Himmler had metals from his war career all over his shirt. His hair was very well kept, and his beard was neat. What was noticeable the most about him was his glasses. Despite their simplistic look, they gave his eyes a very striking appearance.

"Gentlemen, would you kindly take your seats" the fuhrer said "Now, where men cannot command, women do. Their sultry looks and sleek brains give them the edge over men's blunt thinking. First up is Helga von Bulow. Helga, would you stand beside me please."

Helga von Bulow was a large woman. While not hideous, she did not have much in the way of looks. She kept her brown hair tied up in a bun, which gave her the appearance of a strict mistress. She wore a uniform that was typical of women officers during World War II, though it was obviously made larger so it could fit her frame. The single most striking feature about her was her left eye. It was completely white, as if a cataract was covering it, and a scar ran down from her forehead, across her eye, and down to her cheek.

"Miss Bulow is the head of the reich's spy network & logistics. She is my valued eyes and ears, and her agents are among you even as we seek. Helga, please sit back down." the fuhrer said.

The large woman sat back down. Rukia thought to herself that a woman like her has probably broken a lot of chairs in her life. Those thoughts were put in the back of her head as the fuhrer made a small cough, then began to speak again.

"Now, last but definitely not least, is the famed immortal witch, Madame Blatvasky. She leads the Bund der Schwarze Sonne, or Covenant of the Black Sun. Madame, would you kindly take you place by my side?"

The sultry woman stood up from her chair, then walked over until she was standing at the fuhrer's left side. The woman was unremarkable, save for her curly blonde hair, and a couple of occult tattoos all over her face. She was wearing a black cloak that covered her entire body, so everyone was making guesses as to what her body looked like.

"In 1943, Madame Blatvasky and a small group of witch were excavating a series of ruins under the city of Isensdaht. During the process, she and her sisters discovered a formation of crystals underneath the city. These crystals were attuned to a unique form of energy, one that has not graced this world, or your world, for quite some time. At first, the sisters could not determine what this energy was or how to harness it. Further excavation revealed that these crystals were connected to the Veil, a dimension where the Black Sun's power was unfathomable. It is because of Madame Blatvasky's arcane knowledge, couple with Wilhelm's scientific power, that we have come to the soul society to rule it and remake it in our image."

The Fuhrer stopped talking for a moment, and began to look over the entire crowd of soldiers and prisoners. His gaze was very domineering, and those that fell under it could not help but feel a sense of dread. He fixed his gaze on the captains, who throughout his speech, did not fully take in the fuhrer's words. He began to speak again, this time in a more sinister tone.

"You doubt the power of the Black Sun? Well then, perhaps it's time to give you all a sample of what we are capable of. Die in der ersten Gefangenen!"

The guard that was standing at the door where the conductor came out of opened it again. Two guards came out dragging a badly beaten body. At first, no one could tell who it was, cause the head was bent downward, and nobody could see the face. They dragged the body until it was halfway onto the walkway. The guards turned the body until the head was facing the balcony, and that was when everyone realized who it was.

Much to everyone's horror, it was the head captain. He had been beaten badly, and if he could be identified, it could only be through intense difficulty. Both of his eyes were almost swollen shut, and when he smiled, the majority of his teeth were missing. He was only wearing the most minimal of pants, probably to show how badly he had been beat, thought Ichigo.

An average soul reaper stood up from his seat and began to rush toward the head captain, all the while shouting "Hey! What gives you the right to do this?" As he finished, three guards stepped in front of him and pointed their rifles, ready to fire if he attempted to move past them.

"My good sir" the Fuhrer said "I suggest that you should sit back in your seat, lest you want to die because of your foolishness." At first, the soul reaper began to walk back to his seat, and the guards put down their rifles. As they were putting them down, the soul reaper drew his blade, and charged at the three guards. Unfortunately for the soul reaper, the guards picked up their rifles, and immediately placed three shots into his chest. His now lifeless body fell to the ground, and blood flowed from the three bullet holes. His blank face stared at the sky, and it showed no sign of his former life.

The fuhrer spoke, with a voice that had a "I told you so" tone. "The fool should have listened. Well, I guess we can make use of his lifeless body. Die körper entfernt*! Now, where was I, before I was so rudely interrupted. Ah yes, I was just about to show you the power of the black sun. Miss Blatvasky, will you give us a sample?"

"Certainly, my fuhrer. It will be a pleasure." said Madame Blatvasky in a sultry, sexy voice. She stepped away from the fuhrer, and walked down the closest flight of stairs. She then shortly appeared at the end of the walkway, and began to move toward the head captain. She stopped just short of a foot before the head captain. She looked at him for just a moment, then touched the clasp of her cloak that was at her neck, and then the cloak fell off. What everyone saw was shocking, yet alluring.

For clothes, she practically wore nothing. All that she had on was a black, bikini-like outfit, and long, black leather boots. Occult tattoos covered various parts of her body, with the majority of them in rather provoking places. Her body was streamlined, with not pockmark or blemish upon it. Her eyes were also very provoking, as the shade of brown that they were could hypnotize anyone they gazed at.

She began to utter something under her breath, something that noone could hear, yet tell that it was something dark & arcane. The chanting began to get louder, and she raised her right arm. The chanting got even louder, as she pointed at the head captain. Finally, with a few final shouts of arcane blasphemy, the courtyard got eerily quiet. Then, all of a sudden, a beam of green light blasted down from the sky onto Madame Blatvasky, which then shot out of her pointed finger. The two guards that held the head captain casually let him got, and just walked back to the door from which they came from. Then, a smaller yet equally immense green beam shot out of her pointer finger, and proceeded to hit the head captain.

The beam's energy, light, and color consumed the head captain so completely. He began to scream loudly, then shortly after he began to scream, the light exploded. A cloud of dust surrounded where the captain was, slowly settling down to the ground. After a minute, the only sign left over of the head captain was a pile of fine ash. Everyone was shocked on a scale that could not compare to anything else.

Rangiku was siting way in the back, and after the head captain fully disintegrated, she began to cry softly to herself. The head captain was one of her heroes, and the fact that he died in such a disgraceful manner, made the pain that much worse. Her crying got louder, so much that the fuhrer, who was high upon the balcony, could hear her.

"My lady, you shouldn't cry for this fool" said the fuhrer. "He had done things that cannot be forgiven. Things that would change your opinion about him and the Soul Society forever! Well, after our demonstration of the black sun's power, it seems you no longer doubt it. But...perhaps...maybe we should show you a little more, old-school methods of intimidation. Die in der zweiten gefangenen!"

Rangiku's crying softened greatly when the door that the head captain was dragged out of opened again. The same two guards that brought out the head captain brought out a completely different, yet equally shocking individual. It was none other than Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of the 6th squad. He was in much better shape than the head captain was, as he had his complete uniform on, and only had a black eye and a swollen nose as signs that he was treated poorly. Just like the head captain, he was dragged out until he faced the balcony. Unlike the head captain, he was not forced onto the ground, but was made to stand up. Both of the guards stood behind him, and had their hands on their pistols, just in case he moved.

"Now" said the Fuhrer "You will see what I am capable off." he stepped away from the podium, and proceeded to walk toward, then down the right staircase. He then strode proudly towards Byakuya, with a look in his eyes that spelt trouble. He then stopped right in front him, and proceeded to ask him a question.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of the 6th squad, do you know why you are here?"

Byakuya nodded slowly, as if he didn't know the answer. The sense of dread in the courtyard increased greatly.

"Well, it is fairly obviously my friend. You are here to die, just like the head captain. The exception for you is that I'm not going to waste the black sun's power on you. Instead, you will die in a more, executioner-style manner. Offizier! Geben mir ihre pistole, dann stehen neben*."

One of the guards that was standing behind Byakuya walked toward the fuhrer, took the pistol from his belt, and handed it to the fuhrer. It was a small gun, only slightly larger than the fuhrer's own hand. It was made of pure silver, and the shine that came off of it was brilliant. The Fuhrer paced back and forth in front of Byakuya for a moment or two, then stopped right in front of him. He spoke with him, but just for a moment or two.

"My good lad, unfortunately you must die. Your capabilities prove that you are two much of a threat to the reich. As we say in the Reich...abschied, mein feind." He placed the barrel of the pistol to Byakuya's head and pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed throughout the courtyard, and then a thump, as his body fell backwards onto the ground. A trail of brain and blood lead from his head, creating a gristly mosaic.

"Well" said the Fuhrer "there's one problem that's been taken care of. Bei dieser stelle weg als auch." the two guards that were standing behind Byakuya grabbed him by the arms, and proceeded to drag his corpse away.

As his body was being dragged off, Rukia stood up from her chair, and charged the fuhrer with full battle fury. "You won't get away with this!" she yelled as she was drawing out her zanpakuto. She was almost on the fuhrer, when he placed the pistol's barrel upon her head. He had predicted my move perfectly, Rukia though to herself.

"Lady Rukia" said the Fuhrer "Don't not end up like your brother. I'm amazed that you are even weeping for that shell of a man."

"What do you mean!?" yelled Rukia.

"Well" continued the Fuhrer "the fact that he abandoned you in when you were in the deepest of danger doesn't weigh on your mind in the slightest?"

"No! Not in the slightest." said Rukia.

The Fuhrer continued his talk from before. "It doesn't weigh on your mind at all? Well, if my brother left me to die because of some archaic law, it would weigh heavily every day until the moment I died. Now, could you sheath your blade, and take your seat. It would be a shame to kill someone like you."

"This isn't over!" growled Rukia as she sheathed her zanpakuto, then walked back to her seat. Thoughts of vengeance rolled through her mind like an ocean's waves against a ship. Plotting how to kill the fuhrer was the only thing that she was able to think about, even more so than the safety of her comrades. As she was walking back, she took one quick look back, and saw the fuhrer polishing the pistol with a white cloth. She saw a incredibly smug look on his face, one that she would gladly wipe off when the time came.

The Fuhrer was walking back to the balcony. His plan was going according to schedule. The only thing he was afraid was perhaps the only individual who could possibly defeat him: Ichigo Kurasaki.

Chapter 13

The guards were leading everybody to a newly constructed building. They didn't know what was inside it, yet they all had a uneasy feeling about the structure. As they were walking closer and closer, they could see a small tent, that had two men in doctor's outfits standing in front of it.

"I don't like the look of this." said Ichigo.

"What are you complaining about?" asked Rukia in a spiteful tone.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked back nastily. "Did you even have someone you loved die in front of you, and you couldn't do a single thing about it!"

Ichigo couldn't say anything. He just looked at her, and cried softly to himself. While he couldn't relate to her in this circumstance, he could relate to the fact that he lost someone special. Ichigo hoped that this wouldn't consume her, and spit her out into the shell of her former self. He then looked straight ahead, thinking about his fate.

The soldiers finally led everybody to the front of the building. It was an imposing piece of artifice. The build was at least 3 stories tall, painted in a drab grey. A large pair of iron doors was facing them. A sign was hanging above the door. Painted in black, it said "Gefängnis*" in bold letters. Noone knew what the word meant, but many guessed that it had something to do with confinement or imprisonment. There were no doorknobs to open them, just a iron chain on each door to open them. There were keyholes, but they didn't look like the average kind. They were shaped crudely like the black sun. What kind of key that could fit through the hole was left to their imagination.

Rukia & Ichigo were the first two people in the line. They both assumed at the same time that they were to be held here for unknown purposes. As they finished their thought, on of the doctors grabbed a small crate and a megaphone. He carried the both of them until he was in front of the line, then he put the crate down, stepped on top of it, then spoke into the megaphone.

"Attention, prisoners of the reich! You have been sent here to be imprisoned because you are perceived as threats to the fuhrer and his cabinet. First, my assistant will call out your name, then lead to the filing tent. Second, I will then imprint your prisoner number on the palm of your hand. Third & finally, the guards will take you to your designated cell, from which you are to stay at until you are called out to service the reich. If there are no question, then let the process begin."

The doctor stepped off the crate, then picked it up and walked back into the tent. Before he went in, he handed his assistant the megaphone, then took out a notepad with a list, and handed it to him as well. The assistant put the notepad in his front coat pocket, then walked over to the entrance of the tent to take the crate that the doctor placed there. He then walked back to where the doctor first was, and placed the crate back down where it was just a moment ago. He pointed out to two guards and shouted to them "Sie beide kommen und hier zu halten uhr*!" Two guards that were in the front of the line walked over and stood on his left and right side. The assistant took out the notepad, and proceeded to speak through the megaphone.

"Ichigo Kurasaki, step into the tent."

A soldier on his left lead him to the tent, then walked back to the line to guard it. Inside, Ichigo saw nothing more than the head doctor sitting at a small wooden table, a guard standing to the left of the table, and a small device on the table. The device looked like a stamp that you would see at the post office, except where the stamp end should be is a small bed of spikes.

"Mr Kurasaki, will you step to the front of the table please?" the doctor said in a boring, bland voice. Ichigo took a couple of steps forward until he was in front of the table.

"Now, Mr Kurasaki, could you please stick our a hand?"

"Which one?" Ichigo asked.

"It doesn't matter which one" the doctor said. "I would prefer that you stick out your right hand, so as to make this job a little easier on me."

Ichigo forcefully stuck his right hand out. The doctor took the device from the table with his right hand, then turned Ichigo's right hand with his left. The doctor then turned a small knob on the stamp until the spikes were in a pattern of the number 3. He then slammed it down on Ichigo's palm, then just as quickly took it away.. The pain was bearable, yet incredibly irritating. As he looked, he could see the number "3" in black on his palm.

"Why the number 3?" Ichigo asked.

"Because" said the doctor "we already have prisoners 1 and 2 in the system. It would be silly to put you as another 1, or 2 for that matter."

"Will I be imprisoned with anyone?" Ichigo asked naively.

"Yes" said the doctor "With prisoners 1 & 2, actually. Wache, diese Menschen zu sein, die Zelle."

The guard that was standing by the table walked toward Ichigo. He directed him toward the entrance of the tent, then suddenly put his hand on his shoulder, and whispered something into his ear..

"I don't know who your" said the guard. "I don't know how you think, or what you think about, but know this. You are in for something that your mind cannot imagine, and I wish you as much luck as I can give without being noticed."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ichigo asked.

The guard whispered "Let's just say that I like to give prisoners the heads up about the hell that they are going to face."

"Thanks for the warning." said Ichigo.

The guard led Ichigo into the entrance of the prison. Just before he went beyond the entrance, Ichigo heard the assistant outside say through the megaphone "Rukia Kuchiki, step into the tent." He could only wonder what else was going through her mind.

The halls of the prison were lit with small head lamps, giving the place a shadowy appearance. The shadows seemed to move in strange ways, and sometimes they looked like rays of the sun. As they were walking through the hall, they passed empty cells, where Ichigo saw nothing but a single bunkbed and a toilet in the left corner of the cell. The guard stopped Ichigo in front of a iron door, with a black sun painted at the top of the door, and a small sign with the words "Gefangenen: Eins, Zwei, Drei*" hanging from the middle of it.

"This is your cell, Mr. Ichigo." said the guard "Prisoners 1 & 2 have been expecting you."

"They have?" asking Ichgo shockingly.

"Yes." responded the guard "Better to not keep them waiting."

"There's just one thing I must ask you." said Ichigo.

"Yes?" asked the guard in a questioning tone.

Ichigo began to answer. "I've noticed that everyone else I've encountered speaks in some strange language. How come I haven't heard you speak a word of it?"

The guard answered "Because I like to level the playing field. In this regard, at least."

The guard opened the door to the cell, then directed Ichigo into the small room. After Ichigo entered the room, the guard closed the door, and the sound of a keyhole being locked came soon after. Once the door became locked, Ichigo took a look around. The room was small, barely able to hold three people. There was a toilet in the left corner of the room. A small, dirty thing that if anyone looked at it, they would puke. He looked to his right, and saw the bunkbeds that he saw in each cell. It was poorly constructed, yet it could hold up the two individuals that were sleeping under the covers. Ichigo poked at the individual who was sleeping in the top bunk, and the individual stirred in the sheets. When his face came out from the covers, Ichigo was shocked as to who it was.

"Unnnhh, who woke me up?" said the person.

"Chad, is that you?" asked Ichigo, in a shocking voice.

"Ichigo!" roared Chad as he hoped off the bunkbed. He went over to Ichigo, and gave him the strongest bearhug that he could. Ichigo felt the strength of it going through his body, yet he could feel that it was different somehow. "It's so good to see you."

"Stop with all the noise Chad. I'm trying to get some sleep." said the person who was sleeping in the bottom bunk.

"Uriu, you're here too?" asked Ichigo in the same shocking tone that he used with Chad.

"Ah Ichigo, it's you. It seems that the Nazis caught you too." said Uriu.

"How did they get you guys first?" Ichigo asked.

"That's an interesting story. You want the long version or the short version?" asked Chad.

"Depends." asked Ichigo "Which one has the better info?"

"I'd go for the longer version." said Chad.

"Well then, one of you tell me the long version." said Ichigo.

"Okay then. Here we go." said Uriu. "About a day or two ago, the Soul Society called Chad and me to come to their aid. Apparently, they said that they were being attacked by some new enemy, so they said that they needed our particular capabilities. We got here, then shortly thereafter, we got caught by the Nazis. Whoever knew that they were still around."

"Indeed." said Ichigo.

"Once they captured us, we were taken to their laboratory. From there, they experimented on us, trying to copy our powers to use for their nefarious plots. The experience was something that could never be forgotten. Chad, show him your scars."

Ichigo took a look at Chad's arm. There were scars all over it, and there was a brand on his shoulder. It was a brand of the black sun. For some reason, it was more stylized than the other versions that he had seen.

"If you think what I went through was bad" said Chad "You should see what they did to Uriu."

Ichgo then turned around to look at Uriu. His right hand was wrapped up in white bandages. He began to take them off slowly, making sure that he doesn't set off the injury that the bandages were covering. Finally, Uriu finished taking off the bandages, and the only thing that Ichigo could do was stare. The veins in Uriu's right hand were black, and they seemed to pulse when he moved his fingers.

"What did they do to you guys?" Ichigo asked in that same shocking tone that he used earlier.

"As I said earlier" said Uriu "The Nazis experimented on us. I think that they were somehow trying to copy our powers, and apply them to their own soldiers. I think they might have been successful."

"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo.

"Well" said Uriu "We heard them mention two things in their language when they were done with us. The first was something called the "Pfeil des Schwarze Sonne." The other was the "Faust der Schwarze Sonne." Whatever that means, I don't know. "

"I think I may have an idea" said Chad.

"You do?" asked Ichigo & Uriu at the same time.

"Yes" said Chad. "Because of the brand that's on my shoulder, I think I can understand their language. Well, a little bit of their language at least. From what I could make out, "Pfeil des Schwarze Sonne" means "Arrow of the Black Sun." That's obviously a reference to Uriu & his powers. "Faust der Schwarze Sonne" means "Fist of the Black sun." A reference to my powers."

"Did you see what they were talking about?" asked Ichigo.

"Not directly" said Uriu "But it was a good thing we didn't, because I don't think that sticking around would have made our situation any better."

"Well" said Ichigo "At least you two are still alright for the most part. Have you tried getting out?"

"We have" said Uriu "Chad tried punching the door down, and that didn't work. I tried shooting at it, but....."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a commotion in the front of the prison. Each of them tried to take a look out of the small window in their cell, but it was to little for all of them to look out of, and the angle wasn't good. What they could make out was the noise. They could hear shouting from the Nazis. The one thing their heard often was "Die gefangenen entkommen. Fangen ihn!"

"The prisoner is escaping. Catch him." said Chad.

"That's what it means translated?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes." responded Chad.

Just then, there was a tumble at the cell door. The three of them tried to get into a position where they could fight back against whoever was coming in. Ichigo tried to draw his zanpakuto, but for some reason, he couldn't pull it out of his sheath. The door opened, and the guard that lead Ichigo to the cell entered. He looked like he had an important message to tell.

"Well" said the guard "It seems that you aren't the only one with surprises."

"What do you mean?" asked Uriu.

"One of your own has escaped the line." said the guard. "A small fellow with white hair and blue eyes managed to get out of the line, and ran past the other guards."

"Captain Hitsugaya." said Ichigo.

"Well, whoever he is, he is in for major trouble." said the guard "They're sending a heavy trooper after him to make sure that he doesn't escape."

"A heavy trooper?" asked Chad. "What's that?"

"Something that can go toe-to-toe with any of your captains." said the guard. "I'll be surprised if he manages to get out of his situation in one piece. If it's who I think they sent, they I'll be more surprised if he'll even be alive after the encounter."

Chapter 14

Hitsugaya was on the run. On the run from the Nazis, on the run from imprisonment, and perhaps on the run from a personal demon of his. In any case, he was running. It must have been about 10 minutes when he noticed something. There's no guards around, he thought to himself, and he was right. There were no guards around to shoot at him, and the area seemed to be almost quiet, save for the rustling of his movement, as well as a small bird chirping faintly in the background. He ran for about 3 more minutes, until he stopped in front of a large warehouse. He opened the door, and went inside.

Once inside, he closed the door, then picked up a piece of wood and braced it to make sure it would take a bit to break it open. After he braced the door, he assessed his surroundings & the current situation he was in.

He currently was in hiding. All alone, and with noone to back him up incase he got in trouble. He was physically fine, except for a little bit of shock from what he was going through. Mentally, he was something of a mess. His mind was in a flurry of thought, and not all of it was helpful. He filed all of the helpful files into one part of his mind, then dumped the useless ones into a mental trash can.

As for his surroundings, he might have been in luck. The warehouse wasn't wide, but it was long. Enough room to maneuver in case of a fight, Hitsugaya thought to himself. Rays of light came through the holes of the roof, illuminating the dust that was floating around. There was a small balcony at the far end of the warehouse. Placed below it was a ladder that led up to it, where a small stack of crates provided some cover.

The windows of the warehouse were boarded up very well, save for a small few that had holes where light was shining through, illuminating more dust. As Hitsugaya was looking over the place, he was pondering as to what was being stored here. Whatever was stored here, it must have been taken out a long time ago, he though to himself. That obviously explained all the dust, he muttered quietly.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as there was a loud banging at the door. At first, he froze. Who could have found him so fast, he thought to himself. As there was no time to panic, Hitsugaya decided to do one of the few things he hated when an enemy appeared: Hide. He climbed up the ladder, and hid behind the crates. He made it behind the crates just as the enemy broke down the door, and began to search the warehouse.

Hitsugaya kept his breathing to a minimum, just to make sure that whoever was looking for him would have a hard time. He did breathe a sigh of mental relief, as there was only one individual looking for him. Whoever it was, it must have been a big individual. Whenever he walked, there was a loud clang, and vibrations all over the warehouse.

All of this was cut short, when a small amount of dust flew up into Hitsugaya's nose. At first, he felt nothing. Then about 5 seconds later, he felt a sneeze coming up. He held his nose with his finger to make sure that it didn't come out. He let go of his nose, and at first felt okay. Then, all of a sudden, that sneeze came out, much to his horror. He gasped at the fact that he exposed himself to the enemy.

At first, he heard nothing. Then a second later, he heard his foe take two steps towards his position, then just stopped. There was no noise for a few more moments, then Hitsugaya heard something like the sound of a small generator revving. A second thereafter, he noticed that the crates he was hiding behind were gone, then he was standing face to face with his foe.

His foe was incredibly intimidating to look at. He was incased in a metallic suit, complete with a helmet that had glowing, red eyes. There was a tank on his back, presumably to fuel the weapon that he was holding, which looked like a small car engine that could be held by two hands. Most noticeable was the black sun symbol on his belt, and the two green glowing canisters placed on his shoulders.

"Are you Captain Hitsugaya?" asked the armored foe in a deep voice.

"Yes" he responded "and who are you, if you don't mind me asking."

"Captain Hans Fredrick of the Heavy Trooper division" he said. "I have orders from the Fuhrer himself for me to take you in for questioning & experimentation, preferably alive. If you can't be taken alive, then you'll simply have to die, and be taken back as a corpse."

"Well, Mr. Fredrick" said Hitsugaya "You'll find that it'll be difficult to bring me in, alive or dead."

"Perhaps" said Captain Fredrick "But I'd rather bring back living evidence than dead evidence. Now, will you come with me willingly, out will you come with me in a body bag."

Hitsugaya began to draw his zanpakuto, when he heard that familiar revving again, and a green beam just shot past him. The beam hit a portion of the roof above him, and disintegrated in 2 seconds. He stopped drawing his blade after the portion of the room disintegrated.

"The black sun's uses aren't just for arcane purposes" said Captain Fredrick "It also has military applications as well."

"Impressive" said Hitsugaya "But let's see if you can get past this!"

He drew his zanpakuto in a flash, and charged the captain with his sword drawn. He figured that the two canisters on Captain Fredrick's shoulders were the weakpoints, so he set his sights on them. As he was charging the captain, Hitsugaya noticed that Mr. Fredrick had let partial grip of his weapon go, and was holding it in his right hand, leaving his left hand free. Maybe it's so he could setup an attack, he though to himself. He put that thought in the front of his mind as he was close to his foe.

"This is the end for you!!" yelled Hitsugaya as he raised his blade to strike the captain's left canister. To his surprise, he did not get the expected result. He got something completely different.

Captain Fredrick had caught Hitsugaya's zanpakuto in his left hand, then dropped his weapon down to his side, and grasped Hitsugaya himself with his right hand. "Nice try" he said, then threw him across half the length of the warehouse.

"How could you have seen that, much less catch my blade!?" a shocked Hitsugaya asked.

Captain Fredrick spoke. "This suit's attunement to the black sun focuses on my body. It's heightened by sight & strength to inhuman levels. There is nothing that can stop me. Not even a soul reaper like you." He took a small metal rod from a holster on his left leg, and pushed a button that was in the middle of it. The rod then transformed into a warhammer that was made out of pure silver, yet was as durable as the strongest steel. The captain went on to speak.

"Well. I have a weapon, and you have a weapon. I think that what's about to happen is very obvious...don't you agree?"

"Yes, I do." said Hitsugaya, and charged at the captain. This time when he was about to land a blow, Captain Fredrick raised the warhammer to block. There was a loud clang and a flash of sparks, then Hitsugaya jumped back to assess what had happened. He looked and saw that the warhammer suffered no damage, and Captain Fredrick was not stunned or dazed in anyway.

"Having trouble landing a blow on me?" asked Captain Fredrick.

"Perhaps" said Hitsugaya "But I'll defeat you yet!"

"Just make this easier for yourself and come with me." asked Captain Fredrick angrily.

"Never!" yelled Hitsugaya, and charged at the captain once again. He was certain that he would be able to land a blow on Captain Fredrick's canisters. Unfortunately for him, he would not be able to do so.

Captain Fredrick saw a small gap in Hitsugaya's defense when his sword was raised. Just as he was about to land his sword blow on his left canister, he ducked, then landed a blow with his warhammer on Hitsugaya's back, then another blow on his stomach when he stood up after the first attack. After the blow to the stomach, Hitsugaya was down on his back. He tried to get up, but didn't have enough strength, and collapsed into unconsciousness, due to the pain of his injuries.

Captain Fredrick walked over to Hitsugaya's unconscious body. "How pathetic" he said. "You only got hit by me twice, and you immediately were defeated. No wonder it was easy for us to take you over. Now it's time for me to take you to my superiors."

Captain Fredrick knelt down and was about to pick up Hitsugaya's body, when two small black objects landed against the back of his armor. They made a loud band, and a equally large flash. This disorientated the captain, but didn't disable him. Two more black objects landed against the front of his armor, and made the same bang & flash as before. With a spat of foul language, he went over to pick up his gun where he dropped it earlier, and charged through the back warehouse wall.

Two women jumped down from the rafters of the warehouse, and landed on both sides of Hitsugaya. One picked up his zanpakuto, and the other took his body and placed it on his shoulders. The two of them jumped out through the hole in the roof, away to an unknown destination.

Chapter 15

The Fuhrer was climbing down the ladder that the head captain, Hitsugaya, and Rangiku had climbed down earlier. Unlike them, the Fuhrer was climbing down to inspect the generator that was being housed in this location. A sense of pride was building up within him with each passing second. He stepped down on the ladder, and onto the floor where the Nazis treaded 67 years ago. A small cloud of dust blew up into his face when he stepped onto the floor. He let out a sneeze, they fanned the dust away.

With the dust cleared, he proceeded towards the sun painted door. Two guards in black uniforms, with light-green tanks slung over their back, and long tubes with triggers were held in their hands. The fuhrer stopped walking until he was between the two guards, raised his right arm until it was at the 10-o-clock position, then shouted "Zeig Hiel!" The two guards shouted "Zeig Hiel!" back at him, then opened the door.

The Fuhrer proceeded into the room, and the guards closed the door behind. In front of him was a large metal generator. It was peculiar in that it was in the shape of a giant astrolabe, and arcane runes were engraved along it's length. All around the generator were scientists, taking notes and studying the machine itself. Other scientists were busy reading the books held on the shelves, and one in particular caught the fuhrer's eye. He proceeded to walk towards this individuals, intent on asking him questions.

"Professor Strassa, how goes the research on the generator? We need to get it setup and operating as soon as we can."

The monocled scientist turned around to face the fuhrer, and began to speak. "All is going well, my fuhrer. We'll have the generator setup and running as soon as the others are."

"Excellent!" the Fuhrer said proudly. "Has there been any complications?"

"None, except for one." responded Strassa.

"What is the complication?" the Fuhrer asked.

"I know how you don't like or listen to excuses, my Fuhrer." Strassa said "But perhaps you'll listen to this one."

"Well" the Fuhrer said "you have my attention."

"The thing is" Strassa said "is that this generator is 60 plus years old. It's construction and capabilities maybe behind out current generators."

As Strassa was speaking, the Fuhrer was analyzing his face, noting that he seemed to be hiding something, or at the very least, leaving something out. "Is there something that you're not telling me?" the fuhrer asked.

"In actuality, there is." Strassa responed.

"Well" said the Fuhrer "what is it?"

Strassa began to speak. "I'm concerned about this generator's functionality. A couple of the other scientists & myself are concerned about what may happen when it's turned on. There are a few others that think that it may disrupt the energy web we're trying to make once the generators are all turned on."

"Well noted. I'll take your information into consideration." responded the Fuhrer. "If you are finished here, I need you to follow me. They're one aspect of this project that I must show you."

"Certainly" said Strassa "Just left me fini...."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a commotion outside of the room. One of the guards came in, and proceeded to salute the fuhrer. Then he began to speak.

"Fuhrer, there's a problem." the guard said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well sir" the guard said stutteringly "It's something that you should see for yourself."

"Very well" said the Fuhrer "I'll come out and see what the fuss is about. Strassa, I'll come back and talk to you in a minute."

"Yes, my Fuhrer." responded Strassa, who went back to reading the book in his hand. The fuhrer walked with the guard than came in to the outside of the room. The guard that was standing on the outside closed the door when the two of them came out.

"This, my Fuhrer, is the problem." The guard pointed to a man wearing a soul reaper captain uniform, and had a black & white mask covering his head. He seemed intent on entering the room by force, though he didn't seem to get very far. The Fuhrer walked toward this person, intent on getting some answers.

"Excuse me" said the Fuhrer "but who are you?"

The unknown figure began to speak. "I am Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and I've come to join you and your new reich."

"Interesting" said the Fuhrer in a coy voice. "What makes you think you can join my new reich so easily?"

"For too long I have wasted my talents for the soul society" Mayuri Kurotsuchi said. "They always considered my scientific beliefs to be too renegade in origin. I've come to the only group of people who will possibly accept by ideals & methods."

"Acceptable reasons" said the Fuhrer. "I must ask you one more question, if you are to join this new reich."

"Of course" said Kurotsuchi. "I'll answer anything that you ask me."

"Very well" said the Fuhrer. "Do you swear your allegiance to the Fourth Reich & it's Fuhrer? To uphold it's beliefs until the day you die? To hold the black sun's aura in your heart above all else?"

"Yes I do!" proclaimed Captain Mayuri.

"Then welcome to the fourth reich." the Fuhrer said proudly. "You can start working for us immediately. Just head inside and ask one of the scientists for help. I'm sure one of them needs it."

"Right away, my Fuhrer!" Captain Mayuri shouted.

The former soul reaper captain walked into the generator room. Three seconds later, Doctor Strassa walked out. He gave the fuhrer a confused look, then asked him a question?

"Sir...was that a soul reaper captain that just walked in?"

"Indeed Wilhelm" said the Fuhrer "That was a soul reaper captain that just walked in."

"I can't believe that we recruited one." said Strassa.

"I'm amazed myself." said the Fuhrer "Perhaps there's some hope for them yet. When you get back here later Wilhelm, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, my Fuhrer." said Strassa "What is the favor?"

The Fuhrer began to talk "When you get back down here, ask some of your assistants to keep an eye on our new member. There's something about him that isn't completely right."

"I'll do as you ask, my Fuhrer." said Doctor Strassa. "I agree with you as well. There's something not right about him."

"Well" said the Fuhrer "now that's out of the way, it's time I showed you the other aspect of the project. I think that you'll take a personal hand in it, once you see it."

Strassa spoke. "Of course, my Fuhrer. Just led the way, and I shall follow you."

The two of them proceeded to walk away from the generator, and down the hall. Supposedly, Strassa thought that he and the fuhrer were taking the ladder back up to the topside, but that was not the case. Instead, they took a right past the ladder, and headed straight for a large iron door. There was a large lock keeping it shut, and a small sign with the word "Verboten*!" painted boldly on it.

"What's inside?" asked Strassa.

"Something that you loved once, then lost." the Fuhrer said.

"What do you mean?" asked Strassa.

"You are about to find out." said the Fuhrer.

The fuhrer took out a small key out of his coat pocket, and placed it in the lock. With a small turn of the key, the lock fell off onto the floor. The fuhrer tapped the lock with his foot, moving it to the left side of the door. He opened the door, and used the lock on the floor as a stopper. Once the door was held open, the two of them took a walk inside the room, which was dark, save for a faint glow from a glass cylinder in the middle of the room.

"Fuhrer...what is that?" asked Doctor Strassa

The Fuhrer responded to his question. "When Project Resurrection was ruined, much of the research & technology was scrapped, by the orders of Hitler himself. A small few, however, took some of the leftovers that were not destroyed. I was one of those few."

"What did you take?" asked Strassa.

"Well" said the Fuhrer "Come see for yourself." As he was speaking, he happened to be standing right next to the cylinder. The cylinder was about 6 feet wide, and 10 feet in height. Tubes connected to the top of the cylinder, and they seemed to be pumping in some sort of green fluid. After a moment, the fuhrer beckoned Strassa to come closer.

"Take a look Strassa." said the Fuhrer "Come what you have loved, then lost."

Doctor Strassa walked forward toward the cylinder to get a closer look. He peered into the swirling, green fluid, but didn't see anything at first. He leaned in for an even closer look, and saw something that he hadn't seen in years.

"Is this real" asked Strassa "Is this what I believe it is?"

"Indeed" said the Fuhrer. "Once it is ready, I would like you to test it."

Stunned, Strassa spoke. "Of course, my Fuhrer. Especially when it comes to this."

The Fuhrer smiled to himself. He had added a key component to his plan, and at the same time, made a loyal member of the Reich happy. "Now if you'll excuse me" the fuhrer said "There's a new recruit I must interview." After a quick glance at Doctor Strassa, he walked out of the room.

Chapter 16

The fuhrer sat down behind an old, mahogany desk. There was little decoration on it, save for a small stack of paper with a fancy pen on top of it, a small folder on the left corner of the desk, two shot glasses, and a dusky green bottle. Despite the sparse decoration, the desk was very orderly, like a foundation for a skyscraper. As the fuhrer was seated at the desk, he surveyed the office that he was in.

The office was small, yet big if someone entered it for the first time. A dark red carpet covered the floor, which blended well with the light brown walls. Two small bushes placed on both sides of the door to the office contrasted with the totalitarian mood of the room. On the left wall there was nothing, but on the right wall hung the infamous black sun banner. Much like the desk, the room's sparse decoration gave it a feeling of order.

After surveying the room, the Fuhrer heard a knock at the doom. "What is it?" asked the fuhrer.

A guard opened the door just a peak, then spoke. "Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi is here as you requested."

"Wundervoll!" the Fuhrer said "Send him in. I'm eager to speak with him."

"Of course, my Fuhrer." said the guard, and opened the door completely. Captain Mayuri walked in, and stood right in front of the fuhrer's desk.

"You wanted to see me?" asked Captain Mayuri.

"Yes I did." said the Fuhrer. "Please take a seat, as I have a couple of questions for you. Guard, please close the door, so I may have some privacy with my guest."

"Yes, my Fuhrer" said the guard, who then closed the door.

Once the door was closed, the mood in the room changed. Before Captain Mayuri entered the room, it felt like a fortress that couldn't be broken through. Now that the captain was in the room, it felt as if a cathedral of glass broke in 3 seconds. Once the captain sat down in front of the fuhrer's desk, the tension lessened, but much of it remained.

"Well, it's finally nice to speak with you face to face" said the Fuhrer. After he spoke, the fuhrer grabbed the bottle, and pulled the cork out of it. It made a bang sound that was the equivalent of a pistol going off. "Would you like something to drink?" the fuhrer asked. "I broke out the 1938 Liquor for this occasion."

"Certainly" said Captain Mayuri "I'd love a drink."

The Fuhrer poured an amber liquid from the bottle into both of the shot glasses. The fluid reflected light that would touch it, giving it a mystical look. The fuhrer moved a glass to himself, and the other towards Captain Mayuri. Both gentlemen picked up their respective glasses, and with a simultaneous shout of "Cheers!" they both tapped the glasses, and took a drink.

"Ah" said Captain Mayuri "This is very good liquor. How long have you had it."

"For a long time" the Fuhrer said. "1938 Liquor was merely expensive back then. Now, it is incredibly difficult to find. Fortunately, I happened to have kept a bottle from back then for a purpose such as this. But enough about fine drink, this meeting is all about you. Are you ready to answer a couple of questions?"

"Yes, I am." answered Captain Mayuri.

"Good" said the Fuhrer "Then let's begin. To start off, how did you even find out where I was?"

Mayuri began to answer. "As you were bombing us, a small group of assistants and myself were down here were examining the contents of the generator room. Once the ground fighting began, we evacuated topside, and from there, scattered to our own little hiding holes. I managed to write down a couple of notes before I retreated to my private lab, and studied what I had found. It was logical that you would be down there, inspecting your find."

The Fuhrer was content with the answer. "All right" he said "Onto the next question. Did you join us on your own accord, or did you join to try and help your crumbling soul society?"

Mayuri seemed puzzled by the question. "Why would you ask me that?"

"I always ask that question" the Fuhrer said. "It's just a small precaution...that's all."

"Ah, I see." said Mayuri.

"Next question" the Fuhrer said. "What skills do you have that can be contributed to our cause?"

"Science." responded Captain Mayuri. "Science that is untouched and untainted by politics or religion. That is what I have to offer to the Reich."

"A good answer." the Fuhrer said "Before I go onto the next question, would you like another drink?"

"Yes, please." responded Mayuri.

The Fuhrer grabbed both glasses, and poured the 1938 Liquor into them. He passed Mayuri's glass to him, and placed the bottle back down on the table. The two gentlemen picked up their glasses, and with another shout of "Cheers!", they took their drink.

"Ah, that was splendid." said Captain Mayuri. "I wish I had my own bottle."

The Fuhrer looked at him, then responded to Captain Mayuri's statement. "You shall, in time. Just answer two more questions, then you can go."

"Very well." said Captain Mayuri. "Ask your questions."

"If a member of my cabinet, or myself, was in immediate danger, and you were nearby, would you come to that individual's aid?" asked the Fuhrer.

"Of course" said Captain Mayuri "I am duty-bound to assist any member of the Reich. That is a ridiculous question to ask me."

"My appologies." said the Fuhrer. "It's just another one of those precautionary questions I ask any new recruit. That's all."

"Sorry" said Captain Mayuri "I just get pushy when questions like that are asked."

"That's alright" responded the Fuhrer. "Now it's time for the last question. Are you ready ro answer it?"

"Yes, I am." responded Captain Mayuri.

The Fuhrer looked at Mayuri for a moment or two, then began to speak. "If the opportunity presented itself, would you betray the Reich to further your own goals?"

Captain Mayuri was silent for a moment or two, then finally responded. "No. That is a question that is utterly ridiculous to ask. As I've said before, my loyalty to you and your Reich is absolute."

This time, the Fuhrer responded in a aggravated tone. "I've said this to you before, and I'll say it again. That was simply a precautionary question. I'll accept this small outburst because you are new to the Reich. Don't let something like this happen again."

"I understand." said Captain Mayuri. "May I be excused now?"

"Yes, you may." responded the Fuhrer. "Just let me fill out so...."

Before the Fuhrer could finish his sentence, they both heard the sound of something large running up to the office door. There was a large banging at the door. One that could have possibly knocked down the door if that person wasn't careful.

The Fuhrer stood up from his chair. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Captain Hans Fredrick of the Heavy Trooper division." the individual responded.

"Captain Mayuri" the Fuhrer said "We're done here. Go back down to the generator room. I'll speak with you in a while."

"Of course, I'll be on my way." said Captain Mayuri. He got up from his chair and proceeded towards the door. As he was opening it, a large golem-like figured came storming in. Captain Mayuri took a look at him, simply nodded to himself, then closed the door, and walked off to his work.

"Captain Fredrick, I trust you have brought Captain Hitsugaya to the scientists?" the Fuhrer asked.

Captain Fredrick was out of breath, and it took him at least a minute before he could speak. One he was able to get his breath back, he finally spoke. "No. I was not able to bring him." he said.

"Why?" asked the Fuhrer angrily, then turned to face the windows in disgust.

"I was ambushed by the soul reapers." he said. "They seemed to be coming in from all directions, and I had now choice but to leave. They must have taken his body to a hidden location."

"I see" the Fuhrer said. "At least you have a good reason as to why you couldn't bring back Captain Hitsugaya."

"I do have some good news, however." said Captain Fredrick.

The Fuhrer turned around, apparently pleased by the statement. "What is it?" he asked.

"I managed to put a tracker on his body before I left." said Captain Fredrick. "Some of Himmler's men are already proceeding to Hitsugaya as we speak."

"Very good" said the Fuhrer. "I'm impressed that you could fix your mistake that quickly."

"Thank You." responded Captain Fredrick.

"Please leave now." the Fuhrer said. "There are some things that I must finish here."

"On my way, my Fuhrer." said Captain Fredrick, and turned around and walked to the door. He opened it, then left to walk back to the barracks. All the while, the Fuhrer was thinking to himself "Everything is going according to plan. All that is left is to tie up one loose end."

Chapter 17

Hitsugaya woke up to a pain on his back, and one in his middle torso. There was a bandage that surrounded his chest, so the pain wasn't as bad, but it was still there. The room is was in was mostly dark, save for a few lit candles. It gave the room an eery, yet comforting feel. As he was bending upward, he realized he was sleeping in a worn-out brown cot, with a equally worn-out brown blanket. The cot wasn't comfortable, yet he didn't feel any pain while he was sleeping, and the cot kept him comfortably warm.

He took off the blanket, and placed it on the right side of his cot. He stretched his arms, and let out a big yawn that echoed for a moment or two. It was then that, despite the bandage on him, he was completely naked. Embarrassed, he began to frantically look for his clothes. It was then that he looked down at his feet, and saw that his uniform was neatly folded up, a pair of wooden sandals were right next to it, and his zanpakuto was still in it's sheath ontop of his uniform.

He got up from the cot, and began to put on his clothes. As he was putting them on, he could feel the pain in his body coursing around. He felt ashamed that he was defeated so quickly. What made him feel worse was that he faced off against an opponent he never met before. He was putting himself down harshly, and was even beginning to question his abilities as a captain. He was halfway dressed when he heard a gentle knock at the door.

He picked up his zanpakuto, unsheathed it, and walked to the left side of the door to ambush his possible foe. "Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me." said a feminine voice.

Surprised, he sheathed his zanpakuto, placed it on the cot. He walked back to the door, and opened it. Much to his surprise, it was Captain Soi Fon.

"Soi Fon. What am I doing here?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Not even a thank you? You should be more appreciative to the person who bandaged you up!" she said.

"Sorry." responded Hitsugaya. "I thought that I was captured by the Nazis."

"I'm not surprised that you would think that." said another female voice.

"Yoruichi, is that you?" Hitsugaya asked.

A woman with dark skin walked out from behind Soi Fon. "Yes, it's me." she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." responded Hitsugaya. "Despite some lingering pain, I'm feeling okay."

"That's wonderful to hear." said Soi Fon "If we arrived a minute later, you surely would have been taken. If that metal-thing would have taken, who knows what would have happened to you."

"I see." said Hitsugaya "What are you two doing here. Didn't you get captured? For that matter, where am I?"

"No." said Yoruichi. "The head captain sent us away to gather anyone that wasn't taken. We've only managed to get you and a couple of others. As to your second question, we're in a safehouse for escapees."

Soi Fon took a small step forward, and asked a question that weighed on her mind. "Do you have any news on the head captain?"

Hitsugaya was silent for a moment, then he spoke. "No. The Nazis killed him in a public execution. All that's left of him is ash scattered in the wind."

"We'll have revenge yet!" shouted Soi Fon as she balled her left hand into a fist.

As she shouted, Hitsugaya was making mental notes about his comrades. He noticed that both women were wearing the same black uniform. Probably to blend in more with the shadows, he thought to himself. He also noted that the two of them seemed to be more closer to each other than they usually were. In such a time like this, Hitsugaya would be closer to Rangiku. Just in a professional manner, he thought to himself.

"We better get moving." said Yoruichi. "We need to start searching for more escapees. Hitsugaya, if you're feeling up to it, join us and help us out."

"Alright." responded Hitsugaya. "Just tell me what to d...."

Before he could finish, a loud crash came from above them. They must have been in the basement of the safehouse. Otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have heard the noise. Soi Fon and Yoruichi in particular were troubled by the noise.

"What was that?" asked Soi Fon.

"Not sure." said Yoruichi. "You and I should check it out."

"I'll come too." said Hitsugaya. As he moved, that pain he felt earlier came back. This time, however, it was much more sharp, and was concentrated mainly along his spine. He fell back onto the cot, trying to alleviate the pain.

"Looks like the pain hasn't completely gone away." said Soi Fon.

"You should stay here." said Yoruichi. "You need to heal. Don't worry, we'll take care of those bastards that are trying to break in. "

"No!" shouted Hitsugaya. "I got to fight. Those freaks killed the head captain!" He began to lean up from the cot, but the pain immediately came back, and he just as quickly fell back down into the cot.

"We need you in a better condition." said Soi Fon. "You aren't much use to your men if your in constant pain."

"Yeah." responded Yoruichi. "Besided, Soi Fon and I have been itching to take this guys on. Just stay here and rest. We'll come back down once we've kicked their asses."

Hitsugaya layed silent, then finally worked up the courage to speak. "Very well." he said. "Give em hell for me."

"We will." the two women said, then ran out of the room. Hitsugaya turned to his side, then began to sleep. Once he began to dose off, he began to question himself again. With what's been going on, he began to wonder if he still deserved his position as head captain. He felt so weak while he was sleeping in his cot. He wanted to fight what was perhaps the greatest foe he's ever come across, not wallow in a dank basement licking his wounds. Yet, he realized that perhaps a small amount of rest could do him some good, so he continued to sleep.

Ten minutes went by, and for some reason, he suddenly woke up. Why, he didn't know, but as he was thinking, it probably had something to do with the fact that Soi Fon and Yoruichi haven't come back down to check up on him. This got him to lean up from his cot, and stand on the floor. Most of the pain was gone, save for some throbbing all over his back. Otherwise, he felt fine.

He began to take a couple of steps forward towards the door, and found that he didn't fell much pain as long as he moved. He opened the door to the upper level of the safehouse, and the first sign that made him worry was the smell of smoke. With a rush of emotions, he climbed up the ladder to see what became of Soi Fon and Yoruichi.

He made it up to the upper level, and the second sign worried him. There were the bodies of four nazis in the room, yet no sign of his friends's bodies. Though there was some blood on the floor, there was too much to determined who's was who's. With a heavy sigh, he stepped out of the safehouse, and onto where his friends may have been taken.

Chapter 18

Soi Fon and Yoruichi's unconscious bodies were being dragged down a dark hallway. One that was most likely inside the Nazi's newly built prison. The guards were careful not to do anything that would damage their bodies as they were taking them to their cell, in case one of the scientists wanted to examine them. They arrived at the cell a moment later, and not a moment too soon. The two women slowly began to come out of unconsciousness, and the guards started to panic. Fortunately, a higher-ranking guard walked up to them, and unlocked the cell door, allowing the other two to drag the bodies in. They set the two down on the floor, then walked out. The third guard locked the cell door, then commanded the other two to walk to the prisoner registration office and sign out some papers.

The two guards saluted him, then walked off to do their job. He stayed just in front of door, and waited until the two women were fully awake. Sure enough, a minute passed, and the two women woke up. They at first were a little shocked as to where they were. They both were looking around trying to get a bearing on their surroundings. They were both looking, until Soi Fon noticed the guard standing outside the cell.

"Ah, so you noticed me." said the guard.

"Yeah asshole, I see you." said Soi Fon. "If you let the both of us out, I'll guarantee that we won't kick your ass."

"My darling, that just isn't possible." said the guard. "You are to be imprisoned here until the Reich demands you presence."

Yoruichi stood up from the floor, and charged the door. She raised her fist to punch the door down, but as she punched said door, a magical shockwave blasted out towards her. It hit her with the force of a sledgehammer, and propelled her towards the wall. She slammed against it, and slid right down it.

"Yoruichi!" screamed Soi Fon as she ran towards her. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah." Yoruichi responded. "I'm hurt, but I'll manage it somehow."

"You shouldn't resist." said the guard. "The power of the black sun permeates this cell. Your powers are nullified while you're in here. Besides, we don't want you harmed. You two are...special."

"What do you mean?" Yoruichi asked.

"You'll see. Auf wiedersehen, meine damen." said the guard, then walked away.

"You bastard, come back here!" yelled Soi Fon, as she was shaking the cell door. "Come back here so I can beat the shit out of you!" With that last statement, Soi Fon began to cry.

Yoruichi noticed that her friend was crying, and she put her hand on Soi Fon's shoulder. "It's alright." she said. "I'm doing better than you think. It'll take more than a blast like that to stop me."

Soi Fon rubbed the tears out of her eyes, and playfully punched Yoruichi on the shoulder. "Don't worry me like that again!" she said loudly. "You always make me worry."

Yoruichi softly laughed out loud. "Didn't mean to worry you." she said. "It's a bad habit of mine. I'll try not to do it again. Especially to you."

The two women stood up from the floor, and looked at their cell all over again. It was like a typical prison cell, with some strange differences. First off, instead of bunkbeds, there was a single bed. While it wasn't well made, it looked as if it could hold up two people. On top of that, there appeared to be at least three small windows with iron bars. These windows brought in sunlight, as well as some needed fresh air. Beyond that, the cell was very typical.

"Well, looks like we're gonna have to get all cozy for a while." said Soi Fon. "Which side of the bed do you want?"

Yoruichi gave her a look of both of confusion and curiosity. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Soi Fon looked at here, then repeated her earlier question. "Which side of the bed do you want? The left or the right?"

"I've always been a bit of a righty." responded Yoruichi. "Do you mind sleeping on the left?"

"Not at all." said Soi Fon. "As long as you are comfortable, I'll be fine anywhere."

The two women looked at each other, as if they found something. The two looked at each other a little longer, until a knock came at the cell door. Soi Fon & Yoruichi readied themselves for a fight, just in case they were about to be attacked.

"Excuse me?" asked a guard on the outside. "Is there anyone in this cell?"

"Yes, there is actually." responded Soi Fon. "Who wants to know?"

"I do." responded the guard. "I bring some news regarding some of your friends, as well as some other things. Is it alright if I come in?"

Still surprised, Soi Fon responded with a "Yes." The guard came in, bringing a wooden chair to sit down on. Both women were ready for a fight in case one would break out.

The guard came in, and set the chair down, then began to speak. "While I'm in here talking to you, you are not to reveal what I've told you to anyone who interrogates you later. Is that understood?"

Both women nodded in agreement. "Good" said the guard "because what I have to tell you is top secret information on the reich's next plans."

The two women sat down on the front of the bed, with an ear open to listen. The guard began to speak.

"In about a couple of hours, the Reich will test one of it's experiments against one of your own. They call it...Ubersoldat."

"Ubersoldat?" asked Yoruichi.

"Supersoldier." said the guard. "It's a remnant from our previous scientific exploits during World War II. It was an attempt to create the perfect warrior using biological engineering and cybernetics. While the prototypes gave flawed results, later versions were more stable...and more obediant. Apparently, the Fuhrer still had some documents on the Ubersoldat program."

"I understand why cybernetics would be used" said Soi Fon "but what is the biological aspect of the project?"

"That" began the guard "is where things get a little more gruesome from hereon in. In order to finish making a Ubersoldat, a human body is required. Though it is much easier to create one using a living body, with the proper modification, a corpse can be made into one."

"Just any corpse?" asked Soi Fon.

"No." said the guard "If an Ubersoldat is to be made from a corpse, it must have been an exceptionally powerful person. Like a head captain for example."

It was at the finishing of his sentence that the two women realized who the Ubersoldat may have been made from. The two women stared at each other, knowing the horror of who it may be. The guard began to worry, and jolted them with a tap of his gun on the floor.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

"A little shaken." said Soi Fon. "You said that you also had some information on our friends. Care to elaborate?"

"Indeed." said the guard. "The Ubersoldat is to be tested in a 1-on-1 fight. I overheard the Fuhrer and his cabinet talking about sending Rukia Kuchiki against it."

"Rukia Kuchiki?" the two women asked loudly.

"Yes." said the guard. "When I heard that's who was going to fight the Ubersoldat, I heard that the Fuhrer was going to enjoy the "Irony" of the situation. I have information on your other friends, if you are still interested in what I have to say."

The two women nodded at the same time in agreement. "Please continue." said Soi Fon.

"Okay" said the guard "Here's information on your friends Ichigo, Chad, and Uriu. They are located in a cell one floor below. Your friend Ichigo is fine, although Chad & Uriu were experiment on."

"Are they okay?" asked Yoruichi in a shocked tone.

"Yes." said the guard. " With the exception of a couple of scars, they're doing fine."

"Hey" said Soi Fon "You said that Ichigo and the other are a floor below us, right?"

"Yes." responded the guard.

Soi Fon got up from the bed and began stomping on the floor in an effort to get Ichigo and the others to hear them. "Ichigo!" she screamed "We're coming to get you real soon!"

"It's no use." said the guard. "Each and every cell in this prison is completely sound proof. They wouldn't be able to hear you even if you applied a jackhammer to the floor. In any case, I have one final piece of information on your friends."

"You do?" asked Yoruichi.

"Your friend Orihime with Lieutenant Rangiku. They're at a safehouse, taking care of anyone who manages to come their way. So far, their's been few that have seen them. The guard let out a big sigh, then got up from his chair. "Well, that's all the time I have to talk to you." he said. "One more moment of me talking to you, and I would have been caught revealing information to the enemy."

"I understand." said Soi Fon. "I just have two questions for you?"

"Hmmmm?" said the guard.

"Why did you reveal all of this to us so willingly?" asked Soi Fon. "And what is your name?"

The guard spoke "As I told the three below you, I like giving a taste of what's to come. Now get some rest. When the Ubersoldat test is going on, you may be summoned to witness it. As for my name, I'm not ready yet to reveal it." With that final statement, the guard picked up the chair, opened the cell door, closed & locked it, then left.

"Well" said Yoruichi "that was interesting. Did you get any weird vibes off of him?"

"No" said Soi Fon "but there was something strange about him. Not a nasty kind of strange, but more of a "Don't belong here" kind of strange. Maybe he's an ally in disguise."

"Perhaps" said Yoruichi "but let's stop talking and get some sleep. If the Reich is going to pull us out for some sadistic spectacle, we'll need all the rest we can get."

"Agreed" said Soi Fon. "You wanted the right side of the bed...right?"

Yoruichi nodded yes. The two of them sat down on their respective side, and took off their shoes. They placed them neatly by their sides of the bed for easy access when they woke up in the morning, or when the Nazi's would wake them for whatever sadistic desires came to their minds. They lifted up the covers, and with a respectful "Goodnight" to each other, they dozed off to sleep.

10 minutes later, the two of them were still fast asleep. Yoruichi was sleeping tranquilly on the right side of the bed, her mind in a place more pleasant than where she was when she was awake. Soi Fon, on the other hand, did not seem to be getting as good a sleep a Yoruichi was. On the left side of the bed, she laid still. All that came from her was some incoherent mumbling, which woke up Yoruichi. Yoruichi turned to see if her friend was alright, but once she turned to look at her, her face was directly in front of Soi Fon's.

Blushing, she quickly turned the other way, just incase Soi Foi peaked a look at her. Unfortunately, she turned away too late. Soi Fon managed to get in one look, thanks to the fact that her right eye was slightly open. After a moment, she spoke.

"Were you looking at me?" Soi Fon asked.

Yoruichi was still blushing from before. She also felt a little out of breath, thanks to the fact that the person closest to her managed to catch her in the act. Finally, she spoke.

"Wha....Why do yyyyyou ask?" asked Yoruichi, in a stuttering voice.

"Because" said Soi Fon "you were looking at me."

"I was just worried about you." said Yoruichi. "That is all."

"Are you sure?" asked Soi Fon coyly.

"Yes!" said Yoruichi loudly, who then leaned up from her spot in the bed. "Don't sound so naughty when you ask me questions. It makes me blush too easily."

Soi Fon laughed lightly as she leaned up into a sitting position. "You're upset about something? Wanna tell me what it is that you're all upset about?"

Still blushing slightly, Yoruichi spoke. "It's something so silly, you'll just laugh at me."

Soi Fon scooted till she was about an inch Yoruichi, and placed a hand on her friend's right leg. "Trust me" Soi Fon said as she gently rubbed her friend's leg "you have never said anything silly to me. We're friends, so you can trust me."

Yoruichi was looking down at the bed's blanket, thinking of how to word her next statement, so she wouldn't hurt her closest friend. She noticed that Soi Fon was still gently rubbing her leg, and it began to feel good. She finally spoke, hoping that her friend wouldn't get upset. "Well" she said "it's been a long time since you and I were this close. Physically speaking, of course."

"That's true." said Soi Fon. "We haven't been this physically close in a long time, but that's not a bad thing. Is this what's making you blush so much?" After she asked her question, she took her hand off Yoruichi's leg, thinking that it would calm her friend down.

Yoruichi seemed to be at loss for words, but managed to get out one question. "Yeah, it kinda is. I'm not trying to hurt you, but since I left the soul society, I've felt that I've upset you somehow. Since I'm so close to you again, I've been feeling that if I left your side, I would hurt you in a way that would be irreparable."

"That's not true." said Soi Fon. "I've realized now that you left the soul society for a good, personal reason. Although you are back to help us against this attack, you have an independent soul that many of us are jealous of...especially me." With the end of that statement, Soi Fon leaned in and kissed Yoruichi on the lips.

Yoruichi was stunned by what her friend had just done. She couldn't move because of Soi Fon's lips on her's. She couldn't believe that her friend had kissed her. What made the moment more shocking was that she seemed to enjoy it, and that she had a response for the kiss.

"That felt like a gentle breeze in my hair." said Yoruichi. "Kiss me again...my love."

Soi Fon looked at her, with a look of happiness & relief. "Of course." she said, and kissed her again. This time, it was longer, and had more passion behind it. As they kissed, an aura of the strongest love began to emanate from the two women, and it began to encompass the entire cell. A feeling of happiness also came into the room, creating a setting that could only be described as bliss. The two women finally stopped kissing, then the room feel silent, but the mood stayed. A moment later, Soi Fon asked Yoruichi the question that both knew was going to come up anyway.

"Wanna do it?" asked Soi Fon.

"Of course." said Yoruichi, and the two women got up from the bed, then began to take off their uniforms. Taking off the uniforms was rather quick, as it consisted of nothing more than a black, sleeveless, dress-like apparel. A moment later, and their clothes were off. The two women were standing there, looking at each other's bodies, admiring each other physical's beauty. Then the two of them walked towards each other, and embraced one another tenderly.

Yoruichi was laughing gentle as the two of them were hugging. "You know" she said "that if we make too much noise, a guard might come an see what the fuss is about. We should stay quiet, or do you want spectators?"

Laughing just as gently, though slightly louder, Soi Fon spoke. "We should stay quiet. It's more fun that way. Let's go to bed...my love."

Smiling at her lover's response, Yoruichi walked over to the bed and lied down on her side of it. With the sly movement of her hand, she beckoned Soi Fon to come over and lie right beside her. Her friend walked right over in a slow, sexy style that would fit in a cabaret. She reached the bed, and lied right down next to her lover.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Soi Fon asked.

"Of course." said Yoruichi. "With all of the danger around, it's got me pretty excited. Plus, I've finally have the chance to be this close to you. Now, kiss me my love."

The two women kissed, and the passion within them ignited into a wildfire. As they kissed, Yoruichi was sliding her hand into Soi Fon's inner thigh. This sent shivers of pleasures through her lover's entire body. With a moan of pleasure, Yoruichi reached the outside of her lover's clitoris. When she got to this point in her relation with Soi Fon, a flood of thoughts poured into her head. Would this damaged her friendships with other women? Would she have to hide her love for Soi Fon from everybody else she knew, including her own co-workers. A sudden grab from her lover jolted her out of her mood.

"It's okay." said Soi Fon. "Go on in. We'll both enjoy the experience."

From that little bit of encourage, Yoruichi placed her hand on her lover's clitoris, and slowly began to fondle it. Soi Fon let out a small moan, signaling that whatever Yoruichi was doing, she was doing it right. Sensing content, Yoruichi intensified massaging her lover clitoris, and actually penetrated it with one of her fingers. Soi Fon let out a small yelp, and Yoruichi immediately removed her hand.

"Are you okay?" Yoruichi asked in a startled & concerned tone.

"Just fine." Soi Fon said. "That actually felt good. Keep going, and don't stop till you hear me cry out your name...okay?"

Yoruichi nodded her head. "Of course." she said, and resumed stroking her lover's clitoris. For a moment after she resumed, Yoruichi though that she her Soi Fon purring. Smiling, she kept going at pleasuring her lover. A moment later, she began to stroke harder, getting Soi Fon to moan a little louder. Yoruichi began to stroke her lover more harder than before, and much more faster.

"Don't Stop!" shouted Soi Fon. "You're almost there. Just a little more, and then I'll release."

Smiling, Yoruichi continued her vigorous stroking. Sensing that her lover was close to release, Yoruichi intensified her stroking just a little bit. A moment later, Yoruichi heard the response from the woman that she loved. Yoruichi continued stroking just a moment more, when Soi Fon screamed out her lover's name. "YORUICHI!" screamed Soi Fon "I LOVE YOU!". After she shouted out her lover's name, she felt drained from the intense experience.

The two women scuttled closer until they were withing hugging distance. "You know" said Soi Fon "that the guard said that these cells are sound proof, right?"

"Yeah." said Yoruichi.

"We could have made a hell of a lot more noise!" Soi Fon said.

Pondering for a moment, Yoruichi began to laugh. "You're right." said Yoruichi. "We could have made a hell of a lot more noise!" From there, the two women began to laugh, and ponder the time that they just had.

Five minuted later, the guard that spoke with the two women earlier returned to the cell to check on it's occupants. Wondering if they were still okay, the guard opened the cell door window to observe them. He saw the two of them naked, asleep, and embracing each other. Smiling, he closed the cell door window and walked off, whistling a tune.

Chapter 19

Ichigo, Uriu, and Chad were sleeping soundly in their cell. A ray of sunshine came through the cell window, moving across the floor. The ray of sunshine kept moving until it reached Ichigo face, who happened to have been sleeping on the floor. He began to mumble, then got up from the floor. With a yawn and a stretch, Ichigo was fully awake. He walked over to the bunkbed where Chad & Uriu were sleeping, grabbed it, and began to shake it. "Rise & shine guys!" he yelled. "It's time to wake up to another boring day in this cell!"

Uriu, who happened to have been sleeping on the top of the bunk, began to stir from under his covers. He got up a moment later, his hair in a complete mess, and his glasses hanging on half of his face. He rubbed his face, trying to get awake. He managed to awaken a moment later, and turned to face Ichigo. "You didn't have to yell." said Uriu. "I was about to wake up anyway. Hey Chad, mister cranky wants us to wake up!"

For a moment, it seemed as if Chad wasn't moving from the bottom of the bunk. It took a wack to the head from Uriu's pillow for him to move around. Even then, he wasn't moving much. It took a couple more wacks to the head with the pillow for him to fully move around. He leaned up from the bunk, still sleepy, but able to converse with his friends.

"Uhhhhhhhhh." moaned Chad. "Who hit me?"

Ichigo pointed at Uriu, trying to pin the blame on his friend. Uriu, in turn, wacked Ichigo in the face with the pillow. It handed square in the middle of Ichigo's forehead, but it didn't seem to phase him. Instead, he walked over to the top left corner of the cell, sat down on the cell floor, and proceeded to draw in the dust with his right pointer finger.

Chad & Uriu gave each other worrying looks at each other, then walked over to Ichigo to see if he was okay. They got up from their bunks, and walked over to Ichigo. Both of them got to him not a moment later, and began to look at him to see if he was okay. He seemed fine, though he looked a little bit pale. Uriu tapped Ichigo's shoulder with his pointer finger, but he didn't budge. He tried giving a harder tap, but Ichigo still wouldn't budge. Finally, Chad moved Uriu out of the way, and punched Ichigo squarely on his shoulder. It was from this punch that Ichigo turned around sharply, and that was when they realized what was wrong with their friend.

Ichigo was staring at them, sharply. It was incredibly intense, as if someone was looking into your soul. What was most disturbing about Ichigo's stare was his eyes. The iris in each eye were a bright, glowing green that pulsed whenever Ichigo's breathing & mood changed.

"Ichigo...are you okay?" asked Uriu hesitantly. "What's with your eyes?"

After Uriu asked that second question, Ichigo quickly got up from the floor, and quickly pinned Uriu to the wall. He grinned menacingly, as if he was going to take a bite out of his friend's neck. He slowly let got of his friend, walked over to the bunkbed, and sat down. Chad walked over and attempted to get some information out of his clearly troubled friend.

"Ichigo?" asked Chad "Are you alright? What just happened? I haven't seen you that angry in a long time."

"Na" said Ichigo "I haven't been fine. That "black sun" energy the Nazis have been using seems to have been affecting somehow."

Uriu walked back over to Ichigo, pulled over a chair that was by the cell door, and sat down in front of his friend. "In what way has it affected you?" he asked curiously.

"Well" Ichigo "It all started a couple of days, before we came here obviously. I got a couple of bizarre visions, and each of them always had the black sun. Every time I got the visions, my spiritual pressure seemed to become connected to this new, dark power. It seems that it has finally began to affect my mind. Sorry for slamming you up against the wall, Uriu."

Uriu knodded. "It's alright Ichigo." he said. "We're all on edge, whether it's because of the supernatural or not. It seems you're in control for now. How long can you hold yourself together?"

Ichigo thought to himself for a moment, then spoke. "I'm not sure." he said. "I feel fine at the moment, but I'm not sure how long it will last."

At the moment he finished talking, there was a knock at the cell door, Chad, Uriu, and Ichigo immediately turned to look at the door, thinking that they were going to get taken to some laboratory for experimentation. Instead, it was something far less menacing.

"Hello. Is it safe for me to come in?" asked a familiar voice. It was the guard that had previously spoke to them, and to Soi Fon & Yoruichi just mere hours ago.

"Yes" said Ichigo "It's safe."

The guard took a key from his belt, and placed it in the door's keyhole. With a twist, the cell door was unlocked. He opened the door, stepped inside, and then closed the door.

"You seem to be taking a lot of guts coming here." said Uriu.

"I am" said the guard "but at least it for a good reason."

"Such as?" asked Ichigo.

After he asked the question, the guard noticed Ichigo's eyes, and rushed over to examine them. He was started by what he saw.

"Ichigo!" asked the guard loudly "When did your eyes become that color!?"

"Those two just noticed it a couple of minutes ago." said Ichigo as he pointed to Chad & Uriu. "As for me, I don't know how long they've been like that."

The guard was pacing back & forth, nervously thinking to himself. Uriu noticed the guard's face, and it's constant shifting form. The guard finally stopped pacing, which by then, he was right in the middle of the cell.

"I was afraid this would happen." said the guard.

"What would?" asked Ichigo.

The guard spoke. "Certain individuals have a weakness to the black sun's energies. Over time, any normal energies that they have slowly become altered, until they become fully corrupted by the black sun. Those that don't attempt at least some control over it disintegrate into dust, their soul obliterated by the dark energy that has consumed them."

Ichigo was staring at the cell floor, with a worried look on his face. The only thought that was on his mind now was when he would die. It seemed to drown out everything in the cell, including the guard, who was trying to talk to him. It finally took a massive scream from the guard to knock him out of his momentary depression.

"Hey! Are you listening to me!?" screamed the guard.

"Uhhhh....Yeah, I'm listening to you." said Ichigo, who finally snapped out of his depression. "Sorry bout that. Seemed to get lost in my own problems these days."

"Apparently." said the guard. "Now, you three need to come with me."

"Why?" asked Ichigo.

"The fuhrer & his cabinet apparently have decided to test an experiment on one of your own." the guard said. "They want everyone there, so they can see another display of the fourth reich's power."

"What are they testing?" asked Ichigo.

"Project Resurrection." the guard said. "It was the third reich's plan to take over the World during 1942. There was some leftovers of the project that were stored far away from the allies, so as to make sure that it wasn't taken by the enemy."

"Who are they testing it against?" asked Uriu.

The guard was silent for a moment, then he spoke. "You'll have to come with me and find out."

The guard walked back towards the door, and reopened it. He beckoned Ichigo and the others to follow him. The three got up, and followed him out of the cell. They didn't know what to expect. They also were concerned as to who Project Resurrection was going to be tested against, and a whole host of options were flooding into their thoughts.

10 minutes later, the four of them showed up at what appeared to be an arena-like structure. Ichigo, Chad, and Uriu were amazed by it's size, as well as curious as to why they haven't seen this building in the soul society before. The guard took a look at them, then spoke.

"It's a testing ground." he said "It's where the Reich tests weapons and black-sun technology."

"Where do they perform the occult rituals?" asked Chad. "Aren't they important to the Reich?"

"To answer your second question, they are indeed important to the Reich." the guard said. "As to your first question, I cannot tell you where the rituals are performed. Suffice it to say, they are done somewhere underground."

"I see." said Uriu. "Where the entrance to this place? I don't see any kind of door."

The guard chuckled to himself. "You're about to find out." he said, then walked right up to a section of the wall with an archway painted on it. He stuck out his right hand, and began to trace a sun-like symbol with his pointer finger. Once the pattern was drawn, he took a step back from the wall, and shortly thereafter, the rune began to glow with a green light. It then began to grew, until the sun-symbol encompassed that entire section of the wall under the arch. The brick that were encompassed by the symbol disintegrated into green motes of energy. Once the wall section was cleared, a perfect archway was right in front of them.

"Alright gentlemen" said the guard "it's time to enter the belly of the beast."

The four of them walked right into the structure. It was rather short, lasting about 20 seconds. Once they passed through the archway, the wall closed right behind him. There was a very different view in front of them.

The view was rather simplistic. The entire courtyard was surrounded by plain red brick, and at certain section of the wall, there was the same archway painted at matching intervals. There were flag hung at the four corners of the courtyard, and on each of them bore the symbol that they saw constantly. What was the most noticeable object in the entire courtyard was the large glass & metal cylinder in the center of the entire complex. It was filled with a green liquid, which made it difficult to see what was inside. The guard stopped walking, and Ichigo & his friends stopped just as suddenly.

"Over there is where you three will be sitting." said the guard, who pointed towards a long row of chairs, almost all of which were filled with the captains of the court guard squads, as well as Orihime, who was sitting at the far right of the row.

"Where will you be?" asked Uriu, who question was directed towards their guide.

"I won't be anywhere near here." said the guard. "I'll be at the other end of this place. Don't worry, I have a feeling that things will go towards your way. One word of advice: don't disturb the Scribes."

"Huh?" mumbled Chad.

The guard didn't say a word, and simply pointed towards a small group of bald men wearing black trenchcoats & goggles. They were standing in front of the chairs, with a feel of wild energy within them.

"Ah." said Chad. "Those are the scribes."

The guard knodded, then walked off, leaving Ichigo and the other to walk to their chairs. Chad & Uriu immediately saw their chairs, and walked towards them, leaving Ichigo to look for his seat. He finally saw his seat, which happened to conveniently be right in the middle of the row of chairs, right between Soi Fon & Yoruichi. Yoruichi happened to noticed Ichigo, stood up from her chair, and began to wave Ichigo over to sit between them. Ichigo quickly waved back, then walked over to sit between the two of them. He firmly sat down in the chair, then began a conversation with Soi Fon.

"Hey Soi Fon, you have any idea what's going on?" asked Ichigo.

Soi Fon turned slightly towards Ichigo in order to speak with him, and that's when he noticed something about her. She seemed to be less angry looking, and there was something of a glow around her. Most interesting of his observations was that she had something of a small smile on her face. In all the time that he's known her, he has never her seen her smile.

"All I know is that they're trying some experiment on Rukia." said Soi Fon in an unusually sweet voice.

"What!" yelled out Ichigo. "They're testing on....wait, what with the sweet voice all of a sudden?"

"What do you mean?" asked Soi Fon. "Is there's something wrong with the way I talk?"

Feeling a little bad for sounding rude, the only thing that Ichigo could say back was "Sorry. Didn't mean to sound so rude."

Still managing to maintain that new smile, she simply said "That's alright. Oh, can you do me a quick favor?"

"Sure." responded Ichigo. "What is it?"

"Could you switch chairs with me?" asked Soi Fon.

"Okay." said Ichigo. "It sounds unusual, but alright. Mind telling me why you want to switch spots with me?"

Soi Fon knodded, then leaned forward until she could see Yoruichi. She simply pointed at her, then leaned back in her seat. Ichigo at first was confused. He didn't understand, until it hit him. He smiled, they gladly switched seats. He sat in his new spot, they noticed that Soi Fon & Yoruichi were holding hands. Smiling again, he leaned back into his seat, wishing his friends good luck in their new relationship.

His thoughts were interrupted by radio static that suddenly traveled through the whole courtyard. Everyone, with the exception of the Scribes, covered their ears to reduce the pain. Fortunately, it only lasted for 5 seconds. After that, everyone uncovered their ears, and a voice spoke, using the Nazi's guttural language.

"Platz machen für den Führer und das vierte Reich kabinett!" the voice over the radio said.

Everyone got up from their seats after the radio message. They were greeting by a section of the wall at the south end of the courtyard that disintegrated into the same green motes of energy that Ichigo and the other saw earlier. Once the wall section completely disappeared, out walked the familiar leaders of the fourth reich: the fuhrer, and his cabinet. They walked down the courtyard, with a vigilant stride right towards the cylinder that was in the middle.

Once the reached the cylinder, each of them stood at the cardinal directions, with the fuhrer standing north of the cylinder. They grasped each other hands, and began to chant. The only difference was that it was not in their normal language, but that of ancient Latin. As they chanted, steam began to vent from the top, and the green fluid bubbled more violently. They finally stopped chanting with the phrase "Ascesa e la sveglia." and walked to the east side of the courtyard, where four chair were waiting for them. As with where everyone else was sitting, there were Scribes standing completely still & silent.

"Rise and Awake." Ichigo said to himself.

The cylinder was still venting steam, and the green fluid was still bubbling. A large wooden door opened at the north end of the courtyard. Two guards came walking out, and the guard on the left was dragging a long chain. It took a moment or two, but the figure that was at the other of the chain came into clear view. It was Rukia, and she seemed to be in remarkably good condition, save for some small scars on her hands. They walked her towards the cylinder, intent on setting her loose. Sure enough, they stopped until they were about 6 inches away from the cylinder. The guard that was on the right took a key out of his pocket, unlocked the manacles, then walked towards the fuhrer and his cabinet. Rukia rubbed her wrists, apparently relieved of they burden that they were. She took a glance at the cylinder, and was awed by the sight of it. Before she could look at it some more, the fuhrer got up from his seat, and shouted out a powerful command.

"Lassen sie das experiment beginnen!"

Once he shouted out, the scribes on both sides of the courtyard began to walk in line, chanting in Latan. They suddenly stopped, and clear blue walls of force sprung up. The scribes seemed to be standing at certain points in front of both the captains, and the fuhrer & his cabinet. They had their arms pointed out with their palms touching the walls, as if they were trying to maintain the energy.

There wasn't enough time for everyone to think about what was going on, because at that moment, the cylinder in the middle of the courtyard exploded, sending shards of metal and glass. The shards hit both of the walls, and carelessly fell to the ground. A cloud of steam was still floating where the cylinder once was. Then, all of a sudden, a large figure in a full suit of what appeared to be modernized full plate armor lumbered out of the steam.

The figure was massive, at least 7 feet tall. Ancient etchings of occult symbols were all over the armor, and they seemed to emanate a powerful energy. The only areas of the body that could be seen without armor were the joints on the arms and legs. The flesh was grey, yet it seemed to not smell or look as if it was decaying. The metallic figure did not seem to breath, but was moving as if it was. Rukia was stunned by the sheer size of the figure, yet she seemed to recognized it, as if she had seen it before somewhere.

She had no more time to think, for the metallic being picked up a metal pipe that was part of the cylinder that contained it. It began to start swinging at Rukia, who quickly jumped backwards to avoid getting hit. She landed back down on the ground, impressed with how fast the being swung at her. She kept an eye on hit, planning her next move.

As the fight began, Ichigo noticed that the Fuhrer didn't sit down with his cabinet, but was standing in front of his chair with his arms folded behind his back. He continued to watch for a moment, then began walking towards the left. He then stopped in front of a wooden door that Ichigo and everyone else didn't notice until now. He opened it, then walked right in. Ichigo could only guess as to where the passage went to.

Those thoughts were disrupted by the sound of metal clanging. He saw that Rukia drew her zanpakuto and landed a clean blow on the being's left shoulder. Though there was a good sized gash, the blow didn't seem to phase the being at all. Instead, the being grabbed her blade, then tossed her and her weapon behind it. Rukia came back down to the earth with a thud. She seemed stunned by the impact, but not completely paralyzed. Her blade landed right next to her. Still stunned, she began to reach for it. She didn't have much time, for the ubersoldat was lumbering towards her at a brisk pace. He got to her zanpakuto just as the being was ready to attack. He raised his weapon, and proceeded to strike. Rukia managed to block it with her zanpakuto, but the impact of the pipe against her blade was still heavy enough that her arm was slightly numbed for a couple of seconds.

The being took another swing at Rukia, this time landing a blow into her right side. The impact could be heard by everyone in the entire courtyard. As everyone heard the blow, Rukia flew a quarter of the way across the courtyard, and landed with a sickening thud. She could barely move because the pain in her right side was so immense, and she could do nothing but moan in agony.

"Common Rukia, get up!" yelled out Ichigo.

A scribe turned his head to look at Ichigo. The black stare of the scribe make Ichigo feel spiritually uncomfortable. Then the scribe turned his head back, and continued to maintain his hold on the wall of force.

Rukia was impressed by he foe. She hasn't encountered an opponent like this in a long time. The strength of his attacks and his persistence reminded her of her now dead brother, Byakuya. She put that thought aside, in an attempt to mentally numb the pain that she was still feeling. She had to do something fast, as the metallic being began to run towards her.

She now had to do one of two things: either find a way to numb the rest of the pain she was feeling, or somehow attack her foe while she was still down on the ground. She figured that she would surprise her opponent by attacking while still laying on the ground. She began to observe her lumbering opponent, and found what appeared to be it's weakness. As the metallic being attacked, it raised both of his arms to land a killing blow. When it was just short of 6 inches from Rukia, she managed to land a quick strike, and cut off his right arm.

The metallic being fell to the ground. As it landed, it made loud clang. When it fell, all of the captains got out of their chairs and began to cheer. Rukia finally got up from the ground, and breathed a sigh of relief. She finally vanquished her foe, and placed her zanpakuto back into his sheath. Once that was done, she began to walk back towards her friends. Just as she began to walk back, the metallic being was trying to rise. All that she could hear from it was a heavy breathing. She stood for a moment to listen to it. She could still hear nothing from it but the breathing. Then she heard three words that surprised her.

"Killlll me.....Rukia."

Startled, she walked over to the fallen being. When she got to it, she went down on her knees so she would be closer to the being. As she was looking at it, the being's left arm began to shake, and it gripped it's helmet. It took it off, and to the entire roster of captains, Ichigo and his friends, as well as Rukia, and unsettling image was before them.

It was none other than Byakuya, who was executed the previous day. Rukia could tell that it was him because of his eyes, as they were the only part of him that the Nazis did not change. She could also see that metal plating covered both the entrance & exit where the bullet traveled through his head. Rukia fell over onto Byakuya's fallen body and cried like she had never cried before. Everyone else, with the obvious exception of the Nazis that were watching, joined in with Rukia's tears.

Into her sorrow, Rukia felt a tapping on her shoulder. It was her brother, who was trying to speak to her. Wiping some of her tears off of her face, she payed attention to her fallen family member.

"Rukia" spoke Byakuya in a voice laden with sorrow "it's okay. With the exception of the pain that's coursing through me, I'm feeling okay."

"Brother...did you mean what you said a moment ago?" asked Rukia, while at the same time guessing at the answer to her brother's next response.

"Yes" he said. "Kill me...please."

"Why?" Rukia asked as she was crying heavily.

"Because" he said "It's my time to die. I can't go on anyone, not in my current condition. Please dear sister...Kill Me!"

Rukia, wiping more tears from her face, nodded to her brother request. She stood up, drew out her zanpakuto, and stabbed Byakuya in his heart. His metallic enhanced body shook for a moment, all the while blood leaking from his mouth, but a moment later, the shaking stopped.

Rukia stood there, with her blade still in her hand, crying like she has never cried before. She dropped down onto her knees once again, still clutching her weapon. It was around this time that her crying became more like the wailing of a banshee. Everyone could hear it, especially Ichigo, who could somehow feel her pain more than the others in the courtyard.

A minute later, two Nazi guards walked right up to Ichigo, and stood on his left & right side. The guard to his left spoke.

"Heir Ichigo" the guard said "der Führer würde gerne mit Ihnen unter vier Augen sprechen. Kommen Sie mit uns."

Chapter 20

The guards brought Ichigo to a wooden door, and stopped him when they were right in front of it. "Warten hier." said the guard that was on his right. He opened the door, and stepped in. Ichigo then heard the guard talk to somebody, presumably the Fuhrer. He tried to take a step forward to listen in on what they were saying, but the guard that was on his left placed his arm in front of him to halt his advance. Ichigo took a step back, but was still listening in on the conversation, trying to guess at what they were saying.

A moment later, the guard that went in earlier came back out, and closed the door. "Des Führer sehen sie jetzt." the guard said. Ichigo grasped the door knob, twisted it, then opened the door and walked inside.

Ichigo saw the Fuhrer standing in front of a window, with his back facing Ichigo. He had his right arm raised up to his face, swirling a drinking glass with an amber fluid in it. Ichigo was continuing to look at him, until the Fuhrer finally spoke.

"All the world's a stage, the men and women merely players, but one man in his time, plays many parts." he said in a dramatic voice.

"That's Shakespear." Ichigo said.

The fuhrer turned around to face Ichigo. "Ah" he said "you know your classic literature. You aren't as uneducated as I though."

Ichigo glared at him. "What is it that you want from me...Fuhrer."

The Fuhrer placed the drinking glass on the table in front of him. "Ah" he said "you want to head straight to business. Yet here I was, trying to start some friendly conversation before we got down to it. Oh, one thing before we start talking."

"What?" said Ichigo, all the while still glaring at the Fuhrer.

"No need to call me that." the Fuhrer said. "We are gentlemen. You can call me Faust."

"That's your name?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes it is." said Faust. "Now, please sit. We have important things to discuss."

Ichigo took the chair that was in front of him, and sat down. Realizing that there were wheels on the chair, he slid forward, getting closer to the Fuhrer.

"Now" spoke Faust as he was sitting down behind his desk "let's get to business. The fourth Reich has determine that you are of particular interest & importance to our goals. Tell me something. How is your spiritual energy feeling right now?"

Ichigo pondered for a moment, trying to figure out an answer that wouldn't reveal his current condition. Yet, he realized that if he lied, the Nazis would probably kill him and everyone else. So, he decided to play it safe, and tell his captor the truth.

"To be told" Ichigo spoke "my energy has been fluctuating every since I came here."

"Interesting." said Faust as he was stroking his chin. "Tell me more."

"I've been feeling the Black Sun's tendrils in my mind." said Ichigo. "It has been altering my power, and I haven't been able to fully control the change."

"That would explain why your eyes are green." said Faust. "That is the first sign that one will be consumed by the Black Sun's energy. It is remarkable that you have lasted this long."

"Can you please get right to why your Reich wants me?" asked Ichigo, this time putting a little more volume into his tone.

Faust got up from his chair, and began to pace to and fro, all the while speaking. "Well, mister Ichigo, to put it bluntly: I want you to join the Reich!"

"That all you brought me for?" asked Ichigo. "That's rather patheti..."

The Fuhrer stopped his pacing. "Hear me out before you insult my proposition. I can offer you more than just a position in the fourth Reich."

"Like what?" Ichigo asked.

Faust sat back down into his chair. "For starters" he said "we can ease the Black Sun's advance into your psyche. There are two other options, if you decide to take either of them."

"What are they?" Ichigo asked grimly.

"Option number 1" the Fuhrer said "is to continue working with the Soul Society. Continue being manipulated by their lies & misdirections, and to remain a tool in their plots. On top of that, you wouldn't get any help with your spiritual problems. I wouldn't want to be in your position if I took that option."

"Before we go on" said Ichigo "I just have one question for you?"

"Yes, what is it?" asked the Fuhrer.

"Why is it that you hate the Soul Society so much?" asked Ichigo. "What have they done to the Reich, and to you, for that matter."

"Ah" said Faust "now that was a question I was expecting to hear from you! Well, I suppose it's time to reveal the history behind our recent actions. Do you want the long version, or the short version?"

"Whatever gets the message across better." said Ichigo.

"Alright, the long version it is." said Faust "We'll start from the beginning. To the birth of the black sun. In ancient times, long before Germany became a country, it was under the control of Germanic tribes. Each of them were sun worshipers, believing that it was the source of all life. Then began to call the sun the Sonnenrad, or sun wheel."

"Was the Sonnenrad the creator of the black sun?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, but no." said the Fuhrer. "The Sonnenrad did not create the black sun. It did, however, exist just as long as the black sun, contrary to the beliefs of a few. I look at it a little differently."

"How so?" asked Ichigo.

"This is a theory that few belief in, including myself." spoke Faust. "This is how I look at it:"

"Before the universe was created, the black sun existed. It was in it own domain, where it held power that few have ever touched. There was nothing that could enter it's domain, and if there was anything that did, the black sun's energy would completely removed from reality. However, even the black sun's power could not be invincible for long."

The fuhrer stopped his story, then grabbed a shot glass and a bottle marked "1938 Liquor". He poured the amber liquid into the glass, grasped it, then showed it to Ichigo. "Care for a gentlemanly drink?" he asked.

Ichigo raised his right hand. "No thank you." he said. Faust made a small sigh, put the bottle on the bottom right corner of his desk, then drank from the glass that he just poured into, and placed the drinking glass right next to the bottle.

"Now then" the fuhrer said "where was I...Ah yes, now I remember:"

"The darkness of the black sun would not last for long. One day, millions of years ago, something came into the black sun's universe that would change all life for the rest of time. That something was the sun."

"The sun?" asked Ichigo. "Isn't that a little contradictory?"

"Only to those who don't know the story." said the Fuhrer. "The sun was exactly the opposite of what the black sun was. The sun was about light, while the black sun was about darkness. The sun made life, while the black sun destroyed it. Most importantly, the sun blinded life to the beyond, while the black sun showed us the greatest mysticisms."

"How does this relate to what is going on now?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm getting there." said Faust. "A couple thousand years ago, a group of mystics, scholars, and astronomers called the Thule Society discovered how they could manipulate the black sun. At first, they were only able to do simple things, that often created disastrous results. Over time, they learned from their mistakes, and were able to perform powerful feats that noone else could do. They spread the belief to the Germanic tribes, who were worshipers of the life-giving sun. They realized that they could not destroy their established faith, and instead incorporated the black sun into their belief system."

"Clever." said Ichigo.

"Indeed." said Faust. "Over time, the tribes began to see the Thule Society as the priests of the black sun. They worshiped them, and heaped lavish amounts of gifts upon them. This made the Thule Society very decadent and gluttonous. They also became very lazy, and their hold over the black sun began to wane. That's when the geists invaded."

"Geists?" Ichigo asked.

"Ghosts, in your language." said the Fuhrer. "They are the native inhabitants of the veil. As the Thule Society's grip on the black sun weakened, they began to come into the material world and wreck havoc. They killed both the Germanic tribes & the Thule Society in a mystic-fueled fury. In the aftermath, there were few survivors on both sides. They came to the conclusion that the power of the black sun should be used by noone. So they sealed up as many of the Thule Society's magical sites they could find, along with the spells & items they created. They parted soon after, never meeting each other again. Shortly after their grim mission, they died under mysterious circumstances, and they were supposedly never heard from again."

"Supposedly?" Ichigo asked, this time sounding more curious than before.

"A couple of centuries later" the Fuhrer said "numerous philosophers & thinkers stumbled across scraps of the great black sun writings. Believing that certain aspects of the black sun related to their way of thinking, they incorporated them into their works, giving them a more mystical feel." Faust raised his hand, stopping his conversation. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?" he asked.

Ichigo pondered for a moment, then said "Yes." The Fuhrer grabbed the 1938 Liquor bottle and a drink glass, and poured the amber liquid into it. He then slid the glass to Ichigo, who promptly picked it up and just as quickly drank it. Ichigo slid the glass back, and seemed to pucker at the taste of what he just drank. The Fuhrer let out a small chuckle at what he just saw.

"What's so funny?" Ichigo asked.

"I had a feeling that you would pucker up." said the Fuhrer. "1938 Liquor is an acquired taste, and very few acquire it. It seems that you're just not one of those people." He put the bottle back on the right corner of the table. "Shall I continue?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "Keep going." he said.

Faust began to speak. "As I said earlier, certain philosophers & thinkers incorporated aspects of the black sun into their ideology. In particular, Irminenschaft and Ariosophy obtained most of the original concepts of the black sun. The two philosophies became very respectable, and they gained much credit throughout Europe and the rest of the world. There was a single problem with this."

"What was that?" Ichigo asked.

"The problem" Faust said "was that the main philosophies eventually consumed the incorporated teachings of the black sun, and those teachings were eventually transformed simply into another aspect of those philosophies. Eventually, even these philosophies forgot the power of the black sun."

"There's just one problem." said Ichigo. "If the black sun was forgotten, then how did you and the Reich rediscover it?"

"That's easy to answer." said the Fuhrer. "The speech I gave yesterday. Do you remember it?"

"Yes I do." said Ichigo.

"More specifically, do you remember the part where I talked about the rediscovery of the Thule ruins & the crystals?" Faust asked.

"Yes." Ichigo asked.

"Well" said Faust "everything I said in that speech was true. In an effort to win the war against the allies, we traveled all over the world, seeking supernatural assistance. Little did we know, that we found the greatest weapon in our own backyard. In the late 1930s, a team of archaeologists & Nazi mystics was sent to the city of Isensdat, on a rumor that there were ruins around & beneath the city. As the team excavated the site, they found a massive Thule ruin, filled with books, artifacts, and crystals. The Reich them moved into the city, all in an effort to harness the rediscovered black sun. The rest of the story...is history."

"Intriguing." said Ichigo. "You left out one thing."

"Oh." Faust said. "What did I leave out."

"You left out the part about the team that came to the Soul Society." Ichigo said.

"Well" said the Fuhrer "it seems that someone is eager to pry into the Reich's private information. Why do you think I should tell you about that blot in our otherwise pristine history?"

Ichigo pondered for a moment, then spoke. "Because I think that the picture would clearer if you told me."

"Interesting choice of words." said Faust. "Alright, I'll tell you. There is one condition, that I hope you will follow."

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

The Fuhrer spoke. "If you tell anyone, other than those within the Reich, about this, then you will immediately die from the energies of the black sun that are within you. I'm sure you can see the circumstances surrounding this information."

"I do." said Ichigo.

"Then I'll begin." said Faust. "When we were researching on how to harness the black sun, we discovered that certain dimensions could absorb the black sun's energy easier than others. Through a few experiments, we found out that the dimension in which the soul society was held could absorb the black sun the easiest. Once that was discovered, a small group of soldiers & scientists, along with some equipment & books, were sent here to obtain some black sun energy in a short amount of time. They reached the soul society, and setup an outpost to perform their mission. I was put in charge of the operation. At the time, I was only a mid-level scientist, but was also considered next in line for leadership of the Reich, due to my extensive knowledge of politics, science, & the mystical."

"So, did you kill Hitler to become Fuhrer?" Ichigo asked.

"It was tempting" said Faust "but I didn't kill him. An American spy snuck into the heart of the Third Reich, and assassinated him. That tale I won't get into right now. I'll save it for later...If there is a later. "

He went back to his original story. "We had arrived in the soul society, and setup a laboratory. We brought with us a generator that would tap into the veil through this dimension, and absorb black sun energy. It proved too effective, as the court guard's science division caught notice of what we were doing. We were only in the soul society for two days, and they spotted us."

"Two days!" said Ichigo loudly. "How did they find you that fast?"

Faust let out a small cough, then spoke. "Their scanning equipment was somehow able to lock onto the veil's energy. They began to send men to attack us, all in an effort to try to stop us. The soldiers we brought with us were able to hold them off for a little while, thanks to the veil-enhanced weaponry they had, but it couldn't hold them off forever. Eventually, they made it through, and killed all of the soldiers."

"What about you & the other scientists?" Ichigo asked. "Didn't they try to kill you?"

"They did" said the Fuhrer "but they didn't. When they killed the soldiers, they captured the scientists & myself, and confiscated all the equipment we brought with us. They took us back to their own labs, to attempt to obtain information from us on the black sun & the veil. At first, we only gave them minor pieces of information, in hope that they would be satisfied. Unfortunately, the head captain..."

"Wait" said Ichigo "you mean the head captain that you killed the other day?"

"The very one." said Faust "As I was saying before you interrupted me, he wasn't satisfied with the information we were giving to the science division. He demanded that the information that we truly knew about be taken from us. So, they strapped us into these devices, and proceeded to extract the information through some psychic manner that still puzzles me today. As the information they were looking for was being extracted from the scientists, their mental stability quickly disintegrated. When they finally got done with them, they were so far gone, they simply killed them, and destroyed their bodies."

Ichigo, with a shocked look on his face, attempted to speak. "Yyyyou're serious? Wah-what happened to you? How did you survive the ordeal?"

Faust scratched his chin, then answered Ichigo's question. "Early in my occult career, I meditated, using chants created by the Thule Society. Through those chants, the black sun was introduced to my psyche, and hardened my mind to outside forces. Because of that, I successfully managed to resist the psychic extraction. Later, a group of Nazi soldiers were sent in, and able to rescue me. That ends my story, and my explanation as to why I hate the soul society."

Ichigo leaned back into his chair. He was shocked by what he had just heard. The soul society, the very organization he is working for, tortured individuals for information that they could have found on their own. In actuality, he was still hesitant to accept the knowledge he was just given, but there was something in the back of his mind that seemed to believe this. He now seem conflicted, but he stayed resolute to his view on the soul society.

Faust suddenly got up from his chair and began to speak, all the while pacing to & fro from behind his desk. "Well, I gave you option 1, and the explanation behind our actions." He suddenly stopped just short of the left side of his desk. "Are you interested in option 2?"

"Depends." said Ichigo. "Doesn't it involve something that I'll regret?"

"No" said the Fuhrer "it actually does not. It involves something a little more...self-centered."

"Self-centered?" Ichigo asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well" Faust said "This option would allow you to escape this conflict. You and your friends would immediately be taken to a private island. There, you would live out the rest of your lives, without having to get involved in any spiritual conflict. You would be safe, and your friends would also be under the same protection. Does this appeal to you?"

Ichigo pondered the thought. No more conflicts, and he would live out the rest of his life in peace, all the while staying with his friends. It was very appealing, yet there was a problem.

He still felt that he needed to continue working with the soul society. Despite the recent revelations, he wanted to continue working with them to destroy the hallows, and any other spiritual threats. The living were still important to him, and he still treasured his family & friends. Just then, he remembered that his family was gone from his house, and under mysterious circumstances. Perhaps he was paranoid, but he was now thinking that they somehow were captured by the Nazis. That thought was removed from his mind as the Fuhrer spoke.

"Well" said the Fuhrer "have you reached your decision?"

Ichigo pondered for a moment, then, he finally spoke.

"Yes...I have."