SailorStar9: After getting the prologue out, this is Chapter 1 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ishida/Hasu, minor pairing Hitsugaya/Karin

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny. Heck, even the pairings aren't mine.

Chapter 1: Mission! The Shinigami Have Come

"Kuchiki!" one of the Class 1-A students gawked at the shorter girl standing on the windowsill. "She just came through the window. So that's why we haven't seen her at school in so long. What's with the red-haired guy and the skinhead?"

"Rukia, can't you just greet him like a normal person?" Hasu deathpanned from the window the Shinigami was standing on after Rukia kicked Ichigo in the face.

"What the hell are you doing, Rukia?" Ichigo snapped, only to have Renji hold him in place for Rukia to slap him across the face.

"What's with that cowardly face, huh?" Rukia retorted. Using her Gokon Tekkō, she pulled Ichigo's Shinigami form out. "Come with me!" she leapt out of the window with her captive.

"I knew this would happen." Matsumoto noted.

"Yup." Renji agreed. "This guy always need looking after."

"Well, if someone stuck their cowardly face out like that, I'd wanna do that too." Ikkaku stated.

"Really?" Matsumoto wondered. "Even as sullen as he was, he looked pretty excited by all that."

"What?" Yumichika fired back. "He wasn't excited at all."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, did I, Yumichika?" Matsumoto retorted.

"So, who are you seeking agreement from?" Yumichika glared. "Ikkaku?"

"You guys." Hitsugaya snapped. "Just be quiet.

"What happened to Kurosaki?" one of the classmates inquired. "You can see the whites of his eyes, right? This is bad. Is he dead? Those guys look dangerous. That one's got red hair and tattoos."

"Don't let it bother you, Renji." Ikkaku voiced. "It's just humans running of at the mouth."

"A blond girl with big tits." the classmate gawked. "A silver-haired middle-schooler, a bob-haired pretty boy, a bald due carrying a wooden sword."

"Hey..." Ikkaku twitched. "Whoever just called me bald, get over here."

"Madarame..." Hasu warned. Turning to her former classmates, she gave them a very scary smile. "No one saw anything."

"Yes madam!" the onlookers squeaked and fled the scene.

All the male Shinigami looked at their Commander-in-Chief awestruck. Kowai, seriously kowai.

Later that afternoon, after school...

"Nee-san!" Kon teared joyously, jumping towards Rukia who had opened Ichigo's room door.

"That's just like you, Kon." Rukia stopped the perverted plush toy with a foot grinding on his head.

"Quit playing around." Ichigo chided. "If you're coming in, then hurry up and come in."

Outside the door...

"What's this?" Karin wondered, seeing her father and sister eavesdropping on Ichigo. "Just when I was wondering why no one was downstairs. What are you two doing?"

"It's terrible." Yuzu hushed her twin. "Onii-chan brought a girl home with him."

"He's been bringing girls home with him since he was in middle school." Karin reminded. "Although it was just Tatsuki."

"She's different from Tatsuki." Yuu argued. "She's more... girlish."

"Tatsuki's become a bit sexy since she entered high school, you know." Karin pointed out.

"Seriously!?" Isshin perked up.

"Don't get excited about that, you stupid dad!" Karin slammed a kick on her father's face. "At any rate, I'm not going to be surprised unless he brings home a girl the same level as Orihime."

"I see you're still keeping Goat-chin in check, Karin." Hasu teased the abrasive younger sister.

"Hasu-nee." Karin nodded at her sister.

"Nee-chan!" Yuzu was more responsive as she tackle-hugged her elder sister.

"I'm sorry I took so long to come back." Hasu knelt to her sisters' eye level. "I'm returned, father." she greeted Isshin.

"Shut up!" Ichigo roared, flinging his door open.

"I'm sorry!" Yuzu wailed and fled.

Hasu clicked her teeth and let herself into Ichigo's room.

In Ichigo's room...

"More importantly, tell me about them already." Ichigo pressed. "What the hell are those Arrancar? And why are they after me?"

"Wait up." Renji voiced. "We'll explain all of that to you. Hey, Ichigo." he popped his head out from the ceiling light, cracking the glass cover upon landing. "It's been a while, I guess not."

"What did you guys do to my light?" Ichigo hissed, Matsumoto and Yumichika landing on the bed.

"We tried to put in a new light bulb." Matsumoto joked.

"Those are..." Kon immediately spotted Matsumoto's bust. "A woman wearing the terrible weapon called a school uniform. Onee-san!" he jumped the busty Lieutenant, only to be silenced by Matsumoto's punch.

"The Arrancar are Hollow who have removed their masks and gained power of both the Hollows and Shinigami." Renji explained. "Up until now, there were a few of them and they were all incomplete. But complete Arrancar have been created due to their contact with Aizen, and his use of the Hōgyoku. And those were two from the other day. At first, Soul Society just planned on quietly watching Aizen until he started to move. Then, we suddenly lost three Captains to the enemy. And on top of that, we're still in a mess after the whole Bount affair. But they're achieving complete forms quicker than we had anticipated. Once they were sent to the real world, we could no longer just hang back. Ever since they were killed by Aizen, Central 46 has been left vacant. So, Hasu-sama has been making the big decisions alongside the Captain-Commander. So, when Hasu-sama requested for a frontal assault team, Rukia was selected. I'm the closest to Rukia out of all of the available fighters, so I was chosen. And then, I was told to pick out some fighters I could trust below Captain class, so I asked Ikkaku to work together. And then, Yumichika insisted on going. When Rangiku heard the commotion he was making, she said she wanted to come since it seemed interesting. Rangiku wouldn't hear about being left behind, and so Captain Hitsugaya had to come along as the leader."

"Or something like that." Hasu piped in.

"Is this a picnic?" Ichigo gawked.

"At any rate, Aizen has definitely developed an interest in you, Kurosaki Ichigo." Hitsugaya voiced from the windowsill. "Arrancar are certainly born when a Hollow removes his mask. But the resulting maskless Hollow is not much of a threat. If he was really going to go to war with Soul Society, then his objective of creating Arrancar is to come up with something even greater than the Menos."

"Greater than the Menos?" Ichigo echoed. "It sounds like you're implying that there is an even higher level than the Menos."

"More specifically, there are three subdivisions among the Menos." Hitsugaya clarified. "The first are the Gillian: they're the lowest level, and in human terms, you might liken them to foot soldiers. One of their characteristics is that they all look the same. Although they appear to be big, their movements are slow and their intelligence level is that of a beast. It wouldn't be difficult for someone at Captain class to defeat one. The problem starts here. The second one is the Adjuchas: they're smaller than the Gillian and fewer in number, but they're highly intelligent ans several times more powerful than the Gillian in battle. They look after the numerous Gillian. And the third class is the Vasto Lorde: they're the greatest of the Menos. They're the same size as humans and there are very few of them. It's said that they are only a few of them in all of Hueco Mundo. Bluntly put, a Vasto Lorde's battle abilities are even greater than a Captain's. By changing the Menos into Arrancar, they come into possession of an incalculable amount of power. With three of our Captains now on their side commanding all those Menos, all we can say is this: if, that this point in time, Aizen manages to bring ten Vasto Lorde under his control, then it's the end of Soul Society."

Omake: Kon-sama's Ultimate Shinigami Illustrated Guide

Outside the Squad 7 barracks...

Komamura: Tetsuzaemon, it's been a long time since I was ordered to go to the real world. Why do you think that is?

Iba: There's probably no reason to send a Captain to the real world, sir.

Komamura: I always have a Gigai ready, just in case.

Iba: Captain Komamura... in a Gigai? (Remembers Komamura's Gigai is a brown dog faux body)

Komamura: I wonder...

Iba: That's...

SailorStar9: In the next chapter, a severely displeased Grimmjow takes a group of five Arrancars, Shawlong Qufang, Edorad Leones, Ilfort Grantz, Nakim Greendina and D-Roy Linker, to kill any being with spiritual power in Karakura Town. Now that's done, read and review.