Disclaimer: I'm not a Japanese man making millions off a story about a carrot-top youth.

II

"Orihime, we're going," Rukia called, hoisting a sack of spices over her shoulder.

Rooting around in the underbrush, Orihime happily returned, "Ah, but I've almost- got it!" The squealing animal was grasped by the hoof and pulled out of its' hiding hole.

Ducking past a low branch, Ichigo re-adjusted her own satchel of chemicals.

"Oy, Inoue," she said dispassionately, poking the thrashing piglet in the other redhead's arms, "this won't even make a lump in the pot." Gasping, Inoue turned to her, hugging the struggling piglet tight to her overabundant bosom. "Kurosaki-chan, I'm not going to EAT him!" "Inoue, its meat. What else are you gonna do with it?"

"Well, I feel bad for him, since we took his mom," Inoue explained, making soothing noises at the wild-eyed hog, "so I'm going to care for him till he's old enough, and he can help defend the City!"

The taller female gave her a sidelong glance, as if asking, 'what?'

Rukia giggled at Ichigo's expression, urging Inoue forward while nodding at the latter's exclamations about the inherent super abilities in pigs.

"Kurosaki! I can't carry the mother on my own," Uryu complained behind them, striving to stay upright on the root-ridden path and balance the huge, spitted boar across his shoulders.

"Keep your tunic on, pencil," Ichigo huffed, coming up alongside him to take the other end of the bar, "you're the one who said we should take a short-cut off the regular road." "Don't call me that," he muttered.

"What was the point of your coming along if you're not going to carry anything?" he asked louder in annoyance, adjusting the lenses upon his face with one hand. "I came because we both know you suck at bargaining for anything other than needlework supplies," Ichigo smirked at him.

"Besides, I'm totally-" "Shh!"

The sharp sound from Ishida cut her off. She almost snapped back, but then she noticed it too. Something was off.

Ahead, Rukia had stopped Orihime. The brunette was scanning the area before her quickly; right hand going to the sheathed sword at her hip. "Show yourself!" Rukia demanded of a space to their group's left side, her eyes hard.

There was silence; then suddenly the 'wrong' feeling spread from its original location to surround them.

The boar hit the forest floor. Their loose line became a four—point formation.

Reiatsu flared as Ishida drew his bow from the cross tattooed onto his right wrist, and Ichigo's hand grasped the wrapped sword upon her back, the bandages unravelling in one sweep.

Then, a disembodied voice came from directly above.

"Kill the pencil."

OOO

They had been convinced to stay the night in the Healer's Home, much to Uryu's displeasure.

Continuous flashes of light illuminated the dark chamber; accompanied by the growling of thunder. Outside the room, murmured conversation floated underneath the closed door, tickling his ears with tidbits of their carers' worries.

A male voice, tinged with anxiety- Uryu could almost see his hands wringing. "I hope it doesn't rain. That would really hinder the recovery team." His jaw tightened at this result of his failure. A flash; white outlining the bedside tray with a glass and pitcher of water.

"I think this is just bluster- look, the clouds are moving too slowly," a female this time, reassured with a calming note.

"Are you sure, Kotetsu-san? I'm…" Their voices faded; Uryu assumed they had walked out of his range. Another flash, tailed by a deep rumble, highlighted his bandaged hands and torso; the latter just showing faint pink signs of new blood seeping through.

Sitting upright in his cot, he looked out of the mostly closed window at the black clouds which had concealed the moon. A mild breeze wafted in, cooling his skin. There was a rustle of fabric, followed by a low sigh. Uryu looked to his companion, blinking tiredly.

Inoue was turning in a fitful, drug-induced sleep upon the next cot; her brows drawn close under the thick bandage around her head. A part of him envied the girl's rest. She hadn't had to go over the full story again; nor listen to his father's unhelpful remarks.

"So you weren't of any use, were you?" Ishida Ryuken had asked, although it came off as a statement. Ishida glared at him, trying to unclench his aching abdominal muscles.

Ryuken's eyes couldn't be seen behind the shine of his lenses, yet Uryu knew what would be in his father's glance nonetheless. Mild disappointment; plentiful resignation, as if this was expected...

His fingers clenched in helpless fury. He had tried to defend them all; but his best was apparently worth nothing. 'Had he become lax in his training? Had he assumed his peak was achieved?'

"Stop sulking," Ryuken had said, rising from his seat and walking to the exit. "Recover, and show them what a Quincy is capable of." Uryu looked up in surprise at that.

His back to his son, the silver-haired man added, "You know where to find me," in a low voice, before leaving.

OOO

The spacious slats in the high ceiling let in the early moonlight, beautifying the otherwise plain woodwork. The rest of the long, occupied room was candlelit; the kido sticks giving off a soothing yellow light. The assembled men and women stood facing one another in dual rigid lines; bodies outlined in gold by the intervals of light stands between each attendant.

The atmosphere differed greatly from the ambience bestowed by the serene surroundings, the last arriving woman thought. Several of her associates were scowling; those more in control of their feelings were blank-faced, eyes blazing. 'Mayhap it is the candlelight,' Unohana mused, though not with much hope.

"Unohana, we have been waiting," rumbled the Chief from the grand seat at the farthest end of the meeting room, "Give your report." She paused to bow, before turning to her vacant position.

Falling in line with the others, she responded, "They are doing well, and despite her own injuries, Orihime-san was able to keep Uryu-kun stable enough to make it to the City's border. I expect both will make a full recovery in some weeks."

The congress nodded at her update, before grimly starting upon the bad news.

"How the hell did this happen? How did Arrancar get deep enough into our territory to kidnap two of our own?" Muguruma ventured tensely, glancing around at the dour expressions of his peers.

On Unohana's right, the only other woman present scoffed. "I think the more appropriate question should be 'How incompetent were they as to get caught in the first place?'" Soifon appended with the faintest sneer on her face.

"Hold your tongue, Captain," Byakuya cut in frostily, "you are in no position to speak of others' ineptitude." "Excuse me?" the petite woman turned to face the noble, eyes narrowed.

"Had the Onmitsukido been as active as you persistently declare, Arrancar wouldn't have come close enough to injure anyone, much less capture them." "Kuchiki-"

"Eh? Who'd they take anyway?" Zaraki jabbed in rudely, strolling into the conclave at the last minute. The angry brunettes sent him piercing glowers; ceasing their argument at the strike of the Chief's Staff. Yamamoto's disapproval positively permeated the atmosphere.

"Control yourselves," the aged powerhouse rumbled; his gnarled hands folded over the round wooden staff. Soifon grit her teeth, staring straight forward once more. Byakuya did his best to erase all traces of emotion; reassuming his controlled façade. Zaraki huffed, swinging himself nonchalantly into position.

Ensured of silence, Yamamoto turned a baleful eye onto the monochromatic Shaman. "Kurotsuchi Mayuri, what measures have you taken?" Upon being addressed, the strangely painted fellow flashed an unnaturally wide grin at the assembled group.

''The Wall will keep them within our lands," Mayuri said confidently, waving one hand with a frightfully long index nail, "I even had the foresight to modify its frequency and range to include non-native sentients, such as our intrepid Arrancar."

Chuckling, he added, "I must admit to being excited, though! How often do fresh samples just walk into your open hands? Oh, the possibilities…"

Zaraki glared at him as the disturbed genius went off on a new tangent. "Your scrawny wall had better keep them here long enough for me to get a piece of their cowardly asses."

Kurotsuchi's wide-eyed stare could have peeled flesh. "Oh, I'm afraid you won't go anywhere near the retrieval team. Sensitive spellwork and equipment do not mix well with overpowered beasts."

"What'd you say?" Zaraki's single visible eye was locked on the grinning madman across the meeting room, his hand already straying for the battered blade at his hip.

"Silence!" Yamamoto cut them off, his staff meeting the floor sharply. "Kurotsuchi, will the Wall hold up to assault?" Kyoraku hazarded, hands held up to placate the hair triggers before him.

The former huffed in annoyance, "Are you questioning my expertise? Of course it will hold!" "Well…"Kyoraku hedged, aiming a scruffy grin at the fuming man.

"Unless one of them knows kido…" Otoribashi inserted with a wry smile, blond waves flowing with his shrug. "Yeah, that kinda tends to screw things up a bit." Aikawa added with a frown, arms folded as he tipped his curly-haired head back.

"None of that will matter if we catch up to them before then," Ukitake stated; white brows furrowed at all the time being wasted in debate. "Very true, and it affords us a chance to gain information from a living Arrancar," Hirako asserted, eyes hard behind his full fringe. "I propose we send a speedy team to intercept them."

"I have already done so." Several surprised heads swung round to regard Byakuya, who had been silent so far. "How presumptuous of you," Soifon scoffed, "That was to be my Division's concern".

"No, his pre-emptive strike was well-advised," Yamamoto approved, rising from his seat. "And this meeting has lasted far too long for such a menial matter."

The twin rows of powerful soldiers stood at attention as the wizened commander strode past. "At our next briefing, I expect to see better cooperation between you all…" here he paused, "As well as several foreigners' heads."

"Dismissed."

'It was good while it lasted,' Unohana reflected, looking upon the straight, retreating back of their Chief. On both her sides, Kuchiki and Soifon exchanged stiff looks before departing; the others following suit with brief conversations starting.

'Peace is such a tenuous thing…'

OOO

Something was nudging him in the ribs.

He brushed it aside. It returned; more persistent this time, and accompanied by an infuriatingly reserved voice. "Get up."

Fully prepared to Cero off the offending appendage, which seemed to be a foot; Grimmjow opened one eye to glare at the slight figure standing over his pallet.

"Ulquiorra," he growled with a grimace, "piss off." "I could care less for your vulgarity," the brunet intoned, green eyes glowing in the dark, "but we must move."

"What for?" asked the still-relaxed fellow, rolling onto his other side, "It's barely been two fuckin' minutes." Facing Grimmjow's indifferent back sparked a mild anger into Ulquiorra's breast.

"You seem to think we are still secure," Ulquiorra said with a touch more force, "but your mens' escapade has put us in a risky position." He moved aside, his shadow over the blue head giving way to the rather bright moonlight. "Tch. We're fine," Grimmjow said with a flippant hand gesture. "Aizen-sama sent you with us to cast those pansy concealment kido, didn't he? And no one tailed us from Daichi- we saw to that."

Ulquiorra's gaze continued to burn the back of his head. With a groan, he turned and sat up, meeting the discontent stare with his own. "Or you're worried about a search party for those broads?" he asked with a sneer.

"If the reiatsu from the fight alone didn't draw their village's attention, the two that escaped definitely will," Ulquiorra stated, glancing towards the supposedly sleeping captives.

"Oh come on! I could see the pencil's guts," Grimmjow verbalized, standing and stretching, "and the booby chick couldn't fight against shit. Neither of 'em would've made it back to report anything."

"Even if they did, and they send some sorta rescue team," he intoned ominously in a louder voice, "I'll kill every last motherfuckin' hero."

The grin on his face could have slain small children.

OOO

Hearing that declaration, and sighting the deranged smile that followed it, Ichigo truly realized the dire nature of their situation.

"Rukia," Ichigo muttered in a close imitation of ventriloquism, "we need to get the hell out of here."

Both women lay on the fern-populated forest floor, mimicking sleep with greater talent than either thought they were capable of. Ichigo's eyes were open to the tiniest slit, allowing her to survey their surroundings in the dull illumination of the now cloud-covered moon.

A leaf dropped from the overhead canopy onto her companion's cheek, and the brunette twitched the muscle slightly to dislodge the ticklish foliage. Rukia's eyes remained closed, yet Ichigo could almost hear the former's brain processing their situation at lightning speed.

"That's… not possible, Ichigo," Rukia breathed so silently, the redhead almost missed the depressing statement. "What? Why?"

The brunette's brows furrowed in annoyance. 'I thought you'd have noticed by now!'

"They sealed our reiatsu," she said shortly, eyes opening to stare at the culprit across the clearing. The shorter man was still talking to the taller one; his face as impassive as ever, even when she'd attacked him. "Why do you think we're not bound so tightly?"

Ichigo was silent for a moment, as she searched her inner wells.

'My reiatsu- it's restricted somehow. No, I still have a substantial amount left. But not enough to fight and get Rukia out of here as well…' Damn.

"But… when?" Ichigo asked, her eyes following the two 'leaders' as they strolled over to the other alert males, apparently giving new orders.

"While you were fighting two of them," Rukia said a bit bitterly, face scrunched in remembered pain. "The pale one came up and slapped the back of my neck with some kind of kido..."

Ichigo thought of the faint burning sensation at her nape, and wondered when she had gotten sealed as well. She recalled screaming as Rukia dropped like a rag doll, only to see the shorter man vanish and…

"I can't even hear Shirayuki right now…" Rukia continued wretchedly, "At any rate, we can't-"

"Hey ladies," came a teasing voice from above them. They twitched to look upwards, but the man in the branches above them had already reappeared, squatting next to their heads.

Long blond hair, bleached white in the moonlight, framed a face Ichigo would have called attractive, if not for the condescending sneer welded onto that wide-mouthed face.

"Planning how to escape, huh?" Two sharp gazes met his lazy brown one; then he stood and lifted Rukia by her ripped tunic. Ichigo gasped in protest.

"Grimmjow, I think we should separate them," he said to the blue-haired man, pulling the weakly resisting brunette away, "and keep a closer eye on this one- she's the brains in this pair." The latter grunted in agreement as he began walking off.

"Release me, you-" Rukia demanded, before she was unceremoniously shoved towards the burly redhead. She slammed into his torso face-first, before his large hands closed around her arms in an unnecessarily tight grip. "Don't struggle," he rumbled as he lifted her onto his shoulder, "if you fall off, I might not catch you."

"We're moving out, men," the 'Boss', as Ichigo had termed him, stated in a loud voice, "You fall behind, you die, got that?"

The assembled men echoed their assent and took to the taller trees, flashing from branch to branch.

Now alone with the blond, Ichigo struggled to stand on her own; but he lifted her in a fire douser's hold, hands secure about her ankle and wrist.

"I'm Ilfort," he told her, as though she cared. "Just so you know, I'll probably have you second," he added in a conversational tone.

Ichigo started; eyes widening as her heart skipped a beat. 'What?'

He glanced back at her face over his shoulder, the licentious look in his eyes sending cold shivers over her exposed skin.

"Sometimes," he tilted his chin towards the cyan head at the lead of their procession, "he likes to watch while we break in the new girls," he continued as he adjusted her position, fingers trailing boldly over her bare thighs.

"All we need to do is get far enough to rest for a full night…."

Ichigo's face had lost its tan colour, replaced by a sickly white. "Then, you and I…" he trailed off, a gleeful laugh escaping him as he took off after the others, "We can get to know each other much better."

A/N: Chap 2 in all its glory. Don't run off without saying something!

If it wasn't clear; this chapter began with a flashback. A few of the following chapters will continue in this vein, so if anything the characters mention seems strange, just hold out for the next update and its accompanying past review. Thanks for reading!