Chapter 3

Ichigo was sure several more years had passed, almost as much time as had already passed since she unlocked her ressurecion, after she had woken up from the strain of first using her form Nel had cornered her on her feelings for a certain black haired espada. The moment had been highly embarrassing and had ended with Nel shouting at Ichigo to stop being in denial and that Ulquiorra had already said that he had feelings as well. Ichigo rolled her eyes at the memory, the following conversation with Ulquiorra after he had overheard all of Nel's shouting had resulted in a very awkward conversation that was mostly silent, eventually it was interrupted when Grimmjow got up, pushed them together and said quite irritably, "Skip the damn confessions, Nel did that and just get together so I can tease 'Mr. emotionless' that he has a girlfriend."

Shaking her head, Ichigo returned to the present. Looking to her left she saw Ulquiorra sleeping, over the years they had started leaning on each other when they fell asleep for the night. Her eyes softening Ichigo looked out to her new family, they had taken her in, helped her, taught her and trusted her, and she had fallen for them. She loved each of them and didn't know what she would do if Soul Society wanted them dead, but she did know that she would fight for them till her last breath. Ichigo closed her eyes, savoring the moment and enjoying having Ulquiorra's arm draped around her shoulders and her head leaning on his. 'I wonder what everyone else would think of me falling for the guy who technically killed me…probably call it cliché or try and chase him off.'

Chuckling to herself Ichigo looked over to Pesche and Dondochakka sleeping in a heap, and sprawled out on the sand, then to Nel and Grimmjow in near identical positions to their own, wait. Ichigo blinked the sleep from her eyes and stared back to the other two members of their group before a grin spread across her face, payback was so sweet. Deciding to share the moment she leaned up Ulquiorra, and quickly kissed him, causing him to wake up and return it before he asked why she was up so early, how he could tell it was early Ichigo was unsure, perhaps because everyone else was asleep. "Ichigo, what is the reason for waking up so early?"

The grin still on her face Ichigo gestured with a nod of her head to Nel and Grimmjow. When he caught sight of their positions, Ulquiorra's green eyes widened before he looked back to Ichigo, who had a predatory smirk on her face. With a slight smile of his own they got ready to hunt for breakfast, and left quietly so as not to disturb the pair they were sure to harass later on their way out. "I say it is about time, don't you Ulquiorra?"

The slight smile still present, "I agree, and it would be entertaining to return to Grimmjow all those times he kept making jokes at our expense. They have been dancing around each other ever since they got us together."

"I agree, and they do look sweet. Darn, now I sound girly like Orihime."

With shared laugh and a wide grin the two sonidoed in a random direction away from camp to hunt for their morning meal, upon arriving Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu as Ulquiorra did with Murciélago, the smooth steely hiss of steel against scabbard was a familiar sound as the couple stretched out with their senses to find any nearby hollows. After a minute both frowned, the landscape was empty, unusually empty and a sense of anticipation hung in the air. Ichigo quickly sheathed her blade and turned to Ulquiorra, "Something isn't right, it's too quiet. We should leave."

Nodding in agreement Ulquiorra sheathed his blade as well, the two were preparing to sonido back to the others when they felt it, the spike in reiatsu coming from the direction where their friends were sleeping. Her eyes widening in worry Ichigo immediately sonidoed to the camp, a sense of dread at the lack of responding spikes of pressure, behind her Ulquiorra followed silently except for the low buzz of his own sonido. Arriving at the camp Ichigo was stunned, Bawabara lay dead, his form already dissolving into spirit particles while Nel and Grimmjow were unconscious with syringes in the back of their necks. The two were bloodied and torn, their zanpakutos lay several meters away from them and they laid face down into the sand, but what truly chilled Ichigo's spine was the missing forms of Pesche and Dondochakka. "No, no, NO! I failed, they were family and I failed them,"

Ichigo felt her knees grow weak, "Why? Why again?"

As she fell to the ground Ichigo stared at her hands, her eyes burning dryly as she refued to cry. Soon she felt a hand on her shoulder and looking up she saw Ulquiorra looking at her with sadness in eyes. Looking at his eyes was the only way to truly tell his emotions, over the years Ichigo had managed to do what Orihime could not, and although he still hid what he felt behind a blank mask most of the time Ichigo could always tell what he was feeling by looking into his eyes. "I do not think they are dead. Their reitsu signatures are fading, but by distance rather than death."

Blinking Ichigo concentrated her piquesa, he was right, Dondochakka and Pesche were being taken away, but they could not catch up in time to stop the perpetraitors. Opening her eyes Ichigo looked back down to Nel and Grimmjow, "we better try and wake them up, we'llneed their help to rescue Pesche and Dondochakka."

Ulquiorra gave a small nod before they both got up, as they stood Ichigo gave him a quick hug, her face burried in his neck as she held him tight, "Thanks Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra blinked, before he returned the affection closing his eyes as he held Ichigo close, a few stray strands of her orange and white hair tickling his chin. He loved when he held Ichigo close, she seemed to understand him without saying, and only she could read him and he could read her, even through her usual scowl.

Breaking apart the two sonidoed down to their close friends, and after carefully pulling out the now empty syringes poured some of their reiatsu into the prone forms of Nel and Grimmjow. After they had nearly exausted half of their stores the two began to stir, Grimmjow being the first to wake up he quickly grabbed Ichigo, who had been trying to wake him up as the pain from the wound on his back -a large diagonal slash roughly a foot long and moderatly deep— hit him. He did manage to hiss out some words between clenched teeth though, "Damn that Baraggan! The Bastard sent some of his fucking minions after us!"

Ichigo's mind halted, "Wait! He was supposed to be dead!"

Grimmjow glared at her, angry at having been attacked from behind and worst of all beaten. He had acknowleged that Ichigo and Ulquiorra would perhaps always be stronger than him but to be beaten by a minion of Baraggan's was humiliating and a blow to his pride he refused to take. "Apparently not. His fucking minion was one of Aizen's old numeros judging by appearance, came here screaming about how we were traitors for harboring a shinigami and that we were too be punished for our crimes against his majesty."

Grimmjow spat out the word "majesty" with such force and venom that Ichigo almost couldn't understand the word. But she understood the rest of the sentence, the attack was her fault. "No," Ichigo's eyes were wide as the truth hit her, "No," she recoiled from Grimmjow in shock, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault again."

Grimmjow blinked as he looked at Ichigo, "Again? What the hell you talking about? And do you really think we blame you for this? You're just as hollow as we are now, and an honorary Espada."

Looking back to Grimmjow Ichigo could just stare, "Ichigo, listen it isn't your fault-"

"But it is! Dondochakka and Pesche could be dead or worse because of my presence! Just like how it was my fault my mother died..." She trailed off, the confession shocking Grimmjow and the others.

Nel then spoke up from where she sat near Ulquiorra, "Itsygo, I don't blame you and I am sure you wern't at fault for your mother's death, it was Grand Fisher who..."

Ichigo looked to Nel, and her mournful face, so out of place with her normally cheerful demeanor. "But it is my fault, I was the one who fell for the lure and that led to my mother's death. And now it was because you took me in that this-" she gestured to the surrounding area "-happened!"

Ulquiorra went up to Ichigo, "Ichigo, we don't blame you. Like Grimmjow said, you are one of us, you are not just a shinigami." As he drew closer he wispered into her ear, "And I love you."

Ichigo looked away, she didn't feel as though she deserved their friendship, all it did was put a target on their heads. But as she looked to Ulquiorra, Grimmjow and Nel she knew she couldn't seperate herself from them, for then she would truly be dead. Looking back to the others she gripped Zangetsu's hilt so hard her fingers turned white and her finger nails dug into her palm, creating four bloody crecents. "Thank you, it is time I returned the favor." Her eyes gained a hard glint, "Baraggan will pay, it is time to show him why nobody messes with the ones I love." She looked back to Ulquiorra, "I love you too, you all are my family now."

Grimmjow was grinning, "Heh, ya know somthing Nel?"

Nel looked up from her saliva applications, "Hmm?"

"I am so glad that Ichigo's on our side now, Baraggan has no idea what's gonna hit him."

Nel nodded, looking back to Ichigo she saw the hard glint in her eyes, as she stood with Ulquiorra and they began planning how to get to Baraggan's fortress within the Menos Forest now that Las Noches was practically in ruins. "The wrath has been invoked and the darkness shall fall."

After questioning several hollows on the location of Baraggan's fortress, Ichigo and the others discovered that it was located in the forest beneath the desert sands, directly under the ruins of Las Noches in fact.

"Why are you attacking the king! He will kill you, he iss the strongest!" the unnamed and froglike hollow said, "No one can defeat him," it made an odd swallowing gulp sound; "It is hopeless to try! It is safer to serve him, yes, yes, safer! Precious and safe! For the king has death in hiss pocketss." Ichigo didn't know what else to do with the weird hollow but let it go, it had answered their questions after all, though she would be happy if she never encountered it again.

As they descended into the forest Nel's slightly gross but effective healing method had returned Grimmjow and herself back to prime condition, and soon the time came that the small group stood before the gates of Baraggan's near carbon copy of Las Noches in its former glory. Ichigo, Grimmjow and Nel turned to Ulquiorra as he returned from the nearby shadows between the crystalline trees. He had been sent to gauge the forces Baraggan had at his disposal. "Baraggan has an army of regular hollows, all below Vasto Lorde rank and the majority below Adjuchas that seem to be serving him out of fear of death. Judging from what we know of Baraggan though he is keeping the Vasto Lordes near him so he can keep an eye on them and so he can use them as body guards."

Ichigo nodded, "Were you able to locate Pesche and Dondochakka?"

Ulquiorra shook his head, "No"

Feeling her eyes burn, Ichigo closed them to prevent tears though one escaped, the shimmering liquid traveling down her face and along the curve of her mask. "Then our assault is for nothing... we were too late."

"I wasn't able to locate them, but there is always the chance that Baraggan is holding them in a cell that suppresses their reiatsu."

Nel spoke up, "So there is a chance."

Looking over Nel and Grimmjow, Ichigo saw that they were ready to fight, but as she watched Ulquiorra her eyes lingered on him. "When we do this, I want you all to stay safe; I don't want to lose you, I can't lose you."

Ulquiorra walked up to her and placed one hand on her shoulder the other held her chin, and lifted her face to meet his, "You won't lose us, we will always be with you as you are with us."

They all nodded, even Grimmjow adhered to the somber mood. "Then let's go."

The infiltration of the fortress of the King of Hueco Mundo had begun.

The cover of darkness concealed four figures as they quietly ran from pillar to pillar. Not a sound escaped them as the slowly made their way to the center throne room, each of them had suppressed their reiatsu and evened their breathing, discovery would lead to an early death. Soon the doors were in sight, tall and white they stood out amongst the black walls of the surrounding area, the architecture was near identical to the ruins of Las Noches with few differences but the patrols of various Adjuchas had kept the group on their toes. After spotting a window that lead up to the throne room without going through the front door Ichigo silently pointed it out to the others before she gripped the wall and began climbing, her fingers clinging to any hold she could find as she slowly made her way to the window. Normally she would just solidify the air beneath her feet using reiatsu, but the use of spiritual pressure would be sure to alert their adversaries to their presence, something the group could not afford if they wanted to get to Baraggan first. As she reached the window Ichigo looked down upon the skeletal throne of Baraggan, he was hosting a banquet with several Vasto Lordes, roughly five in number. Helping the others up onto the window sill, Ichigo watched from the shadows as Baraggan called out to a waiting Adjuchas something, she couldn't make out the words but she thought she heard "prisoner"

Her thoughts were proven correct however as Pesche was brought out in front of the self-proclaimed king and forced to his hands and knees in a mockery of a bow. Her eyes narrowed in anger as Baraggan said a few harsh words to which Pesche seemed to defy, if Baraggan's next order was any indication. He had ordered that his Zanpakuto be brought out, the large axe hefted into his hand as he prepared to raise it to end the life of the one before him. Knowing that the time for stealth was over if she wanted to rescue her family Ichigo gave a quick squeeze to Ulquiorra's hand which she had been holding when he reached the window sill and quickly sonido-ed down to stand in front of Pesche, raising her hand and grabbing the lazy swing that Baraggan had intended to use to cut her brother down.

With the low hum of a sonido signifying the arrival of the others, Ichigo glared darkly at the former segunda espada. "We have done nothing to threaten you, your majesty, so why do you act the tyrant and threaten my family?" she hissed, spitting out "majesty" as if it were a foul curse.

Baraggan's arrogant voice was thick with anger, "You are one of the foul shinigami, you should be executed for your existence as the enemy of our kind and yet, you have poisoned the minds of five hollows! Family? Bah! We are hollows! We need not bonds of family! I shall kill you, scum beneath me! You need to acknowledge your betters!"

Although Baraggan's words incensed her, Ichigo held her anger to herself, maintaining an icy demeanor with her burning amber eyes being the only indication of her rage. "You are a fool, you enslave your fellows on your own false arrogance and your own self proclamation. You are no better than the blinded and biased whom you wish to destroy! You see in black and white and forget!"

Baraggan withdrew his axe from Ichigo's hand, and she gripped Zangetsu with preparation, "Enough! I will not listen to your qualms ant, I am King, I am a Hollow, I shall kill all shinigami within my relm!"

Ichigo drew Zangetsu, behind her Ulquiorra, Nel and Grimmjow did the same, "You have forgotten that we were all once human! Shinigami and Hollow both! We had families, friends, we were mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters! Death does not change that! You have forgotten what you were, and that we all once were the same!"

Behind her the Vasto Lordes began to mutter amongst themselves, "Enough of your treasonous words! You speak with a silver forked tongue shinigami!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, "I am neither shinigami or hollow, I have a mask, I have a Zanpakuto. I have a family of humans, of shinigami, and of hollows…"

Baraggan had apparently had enough, "SILENCE!"

With his roar he leaped at Ichigo, who quickly held Zangetsu parallel to the ground to block the first heavy blow of Baraggan's axe, "Nel, grab Pesche and find Dondochakka! I'll hold him off! Grimmjow, cover her! Ulquiorra-"

Ulquiorra's voice broke her off, "I'm staying."

With a nod Ichigo retaliated, lashing out a Baraggan with a slash to his left only to meet the haft of the king's axe. The two exchanged blow for blow, neither breaching the other's defenses as the sounds of their battle echoed through the halls, waking the hollows of the surrounding battlements. Ulquiorra had released his first form, his vast black bat-like wings stretched wide as he held a glowing green lance in a defensive position, ready to block any moves made by the Vasto Lordes. Yet as he watched them warily he noticed that they made no move to interfere each watching with rapt attention as Ichigo fought Baraggan.

"Why do you make no move to defend your king?"

The lead one, with a skeletal mask and similarly themed body with spikes coming from his elbows spoke, "Baraggan is no king of ours, merely the strongest, forcing us to serve through fear. The words spoken by the orange haired girl were odd; she is shinigami, so why does she support us? We will not interfere with the fight, this is between the two."

Ulquiorra nodded, understanding the other's curiosity and remembering Ichigo's words when they had met after she had defeated Aizen, 'The enemy of my enemy, is my friend.'

Back with the fight, Ichigo was straining beneath Baraggan's axe, she held the flat end of Zangetsu's sealed form with her free hand, supporting her blade against her adversary's immense strength, "You see ant? You cannot hope to defeat me!"

A strange gleam leapt into Ichigo's eyes, "That is what you think, BANKAI!"

As the brief shadows swirled around her form, Ichigo threw the axe off her sword and retaliated with a raw shout and swing of her obsidian blade, "Getsuga Tensho!"

The dark energy lashed out at Baraggan, obscuring him from view as the throne behind him shattered upon impact and the large arrancar was thrown back. As she landed back down Ichigo launched another wave of dark energy, knowing that one attack had not finished off her foe. Her black bankai coat flaring out behind her with the energy she released, causing another deep gouge to be cut into the stone. As the dust cleared Ichigo could see Baraggan, standing with a slash on his abdomen, slowly oozing blood as a similar but smaller gash on his leg could also be seen. The king let out a roar of anger before held his hand before him, "CERO!"

Quickly launching a cero of her own the two blasts of red and black energies meet in the middle of the room before exploding, blasting all occupants away from the epicenter. Ichigo gritted her teeth in pain as she collided with the hard stone walls, her back sore as she crashed through two of them before she lost enough momentum to fall to the ground. Getting up she looked to the holes opposite to her where Baraggan had gone through, her eyes darted to her left seeking Ulquiorra before she let out a sigh of relief at him getting up along with the rest of the Vasto Lordes from where they had been thrown down the hall way and into the doors that marked the entry to the throne room.

Feeling Baraggan's furious presence closing in, Ichigo sidestepped a downward swing from the massive war axe, quickly darting past Baraggan's defenses as he struggled to get his axe out of the stonework in time to block her to no avail. Blood spattered the floor as Ichigo slashed at Baraggan's ribs, the cut deep and bleeding profusely as Ichigo followed it up with a hard kick at Baraggan's already wounded leg before she had to back away from another swing of the king's axe, aimed to cleave her in half.

"Enough! Rot Arrogante!"

Baraggan released his blade, turning him back into the skeletal king form he held prior to his transformation into an arrancar, "You shall rot before time's eternal assault! But first…"

Ichigo felt a spike of fear as Baraggan launched a nearby spike of stone off to the side after having charged it with his potent and corrosive reiatsu, straight towards Ulquiorra. "NO!"

Ichigo knew she couldn't reach him in time, and could only watch as the man she loved was pierced in the chest with the stone, she heard Ulquiorra's shout of pain as he removed the piece of shrapnel, his regenerative abilities being the only thing preventing him from rotting away, and struggling to close the wound.

Ichigo could feel the world crumbling around her, she wouldn't, she couldn't lose Ulquiorra and damn the one who tried to take him from her. Looking to Baraggan's laughing form she felt and saw a red haze descend over her vision, throbbing in unison with her pulse as she straightened from her defensive crouch.

"You will pay. Engulf in shadows, Zangetsu!"

The resulting explosion of darkness sent shivers up the spines of the watching Vasto Lordes, the raw fury, and wrath emitted from where Ichigo stood was suffocating. Baraggan stopped his laughter as he looked to Ichigo's new form with slight fear, her tail lashing back and forth like an angered cat the sickle carving grooves in the stone with ease as Ichigo let out a feral growl. Holding out a hand Ichigo materialized a shadow of Zangetu's shikai form, the cleaver a solid black void as she threw it towards the false king who barely managed to avoid it before it collided with the solid stone wall behind him, embedding itself up to the hilt before dispersing back into the shadows it was made of. Turning to look at Ichigo with a stunned expression, Baraggan could barely retaliate as she launched a furious assault. A furious scream tearing itself from her throat with a haunting echo, Ichigo materialized two more Zangetsu blades and used her wings to propel herself to Baraggan, her assault relentless and merciless as she slashed at him again and again. Never did she give any ground to her adversary and even when he managed to get a cut in through her defenses Ichigo's own rapid regeneration quickly healed the wound. Barrigan fared much worse as his futile attempt to block both of the giant cleavers lashing resulted in him only getting a deep gouge across his back from Ichigo's tail, the sickle digging into his back and tearing off chunks of Baraggan's form and leaving a jagged, gaping wound. Finally separating himself from the vengeful demonic angel, Baraggan quickly released his cloud of corrosive reiatsu only for Ichigo to launch two Getsuga Tenshos simultaneously, the two crescent moons of black energy blasting away Baraggan's attack and obscuring the rapidly forming cero of blood red energy forming between Ichigo's horns. As the darkness cleared Baraggan looked up, only to see Ichigo's face with a fanged snarl and eyes glowing amber amid deep pools of black before everything vanished in a sea of blood red.

Ichigo didn't even wait for Baraggan's headless form to hit the floor before she rushed to Ulquiorra, "Please, please don't die, don't die on me."

Ulquiorra had managed to remove the shard, his regenerative abilities slowed as it fought Baraggan's corrosive assault on his body, recovery would take a while but Ulquiorra knew he would survive. As Ichigo came close she gently held him in her hands as her wings sheltered them any possible attacks, "Ichigo, I'll be fine. I just need to take time to recover."

At his words Ichigo felt relief wash through her, holding Ulquiorra's emerald eyes with her own amber she stared hard at him for a minute before gently –so as not to aggravate the wound— hugged him, screwing her eyes shut as she felt tears leak out, "I thought I had lost you"

Ulquiorra was shocked; Ichigo's eyes had shown with so much love, care and fear that he felt his breath catch in his throat. He had never seen fear in her eyes and it seemed wrong, she was always defiant of fate, always strong in her beliefs and resolve, and when he heard her whispered fear and felt the hot tears on his shoulder he realized just how afraid for him she had been.

Ichigo reverted back to bankai as Grimmjow and Nel arrived with Pesche and Dondochakka, the four of them staring in shock as Ichigo supported Ulquiorra since he refused to be carried and the two hobbled back to rejoin the group. "What the fuck happened? We could feel your transformation all the way from the dungeons! What did that bastard do to make you that angry? I knew you were going to hold him off till we got out but what the hell happened? That shockwave when you entered ressurecion shook the whole fucking place!"

"That bastard took a cheap shot at Ulquiorra, impaled him through with some of the rubble after coating it in his rotting reiatsu. I kinda lost it after that."

Grimmjow looked to Ulquiorra who merely nodded, "Damn, I almost feel sorry for the guy. Then again, He deserved it."

As the group prepared to leave there was movement from behind, turning to face the Vasto Lordes Ichigo saw the lead one who had spoken to Ulquiorra before stepping forwards.

"Hail the new queen, what would you have of us?"

Ichigo blinked before letting her usual scowl fall over her face, "I'm no queen, and have no wish to be queen. Baraggan's throne was false, live your lives, find friends."

They seemed shocked, "But the concept is the same, Baraggan was the strongest of us and thus was king, you have defeated him and now you are queen."

"No" Ichigo shook her head, "I don't want to be queen, share the rule amongst yourselves if you wish but I only fought Baraggan on a personal level. He threatened my family, so I had to retaliate to keep them safe."

The Vasto Lordes murmured to each other, "You are a strange one, neither shinigami nor hollow and yet you are accepting of both. We will follow your decree, but you shall always hold our respect. You are queen by right of strength and combat, and your strength will be respected."

As the Vasto Lordes bowed Ichigo looked to Ulquiorra with a face that screamed for help. "Let's go, we need to rest and they can run things for the hollows to used to Baraggan's rule."

Nodding Ichigo helped Ulquiorra as the family left, each of them under the curious scrutiny of the Vasto Lordes until the door closed behind them.

As the group settled down to sleep after having returned to the desert of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo looked around. They were currently staying in the ruins of the original Las Noches, they always returned here every once and a while, it provided shelter and still held the supplies for their outfits that inevitably got ruined through their innumerable fights. They were currently going to sleep in what was previously Aizen's meeting room, none of them liked the memories the room brought, but it was the best sheltered against the cold now that Bawabara's previous bulk no longer provided it.

As she stepped back into the room, her arm laden with blankets she filched from the bedrooms of various fraccions she gave two to Grimmjow and Nel, two more to Pesche and Dondochakka and set two aside for herself and Ulquiorra.

"Thanks for saving us don'tcha know, Baraggan wanted to kill us, and it was because of that you almost got hurt as well."

Looking over to the two she now regarded as little brothers who always got into trouble she gave them a small smile. "You are family; nothing stands between me and keeping my family safe."

"That is true, and true for friends as well."

Turning around Ichigo saw Ulquiorra, his wound was mostly healed thanks to his own regenerative capabilities and Nel's own administrations. Although by the way he seemed to be favoring his left side while laying down Ichigo knew he was still feeling sore. "Come on Ulquiorra, let's get some sleep. It's been a long day."

Walking past the already asleep Nel and Grimmjow, she would tease them for cuddling later, Ichigo settled down next to where Ulquiorra was. Resting her head on the side of his chest that wasn't injured she curled up next to him, her blanket already around her shoulders. Silently, Ulquiorra wrapped his arm around Ichigo's waist as the two easily fell asleep in each other's arms.

Only a few hours had passed when she felt it, a disturbance similar to an opening garganta. Ichigo opened her eyes blinking away sleep she removed herself from beside Ulquiorra,

"Ichigo?"

Looking over to him she responded with a finger to her lips and a whisper, "I sense a garganta, I know it has been a while since I felt one but…"

Ulquiorra looked shocked, "But Hueco Mundo was sealed by Yamamoto himself, so how-?"

Ichigo shook her head, "I don't know but I'm going to stand near the door, I'm sure you can also sense the reiatsu of the newcomers."

It was true, there were two who had entered the garganta were doing nothing to suppress their signature. Studying it Ichigo thought they had a familiar feel like a memory just out of reach, but her musings would have to be put off as the two started to head in their direction. With a low growl in the back of her throat Ichigo suppressed her own reiatsu till it was indistinguishable with the rest of the area before she hid herself behind the open door, Zangetsu's sealed form unsheathed and held ready. Looking back to Ulquiorra Ichigo gave him a nod, which he understood to go back to pretending to be asleep, trusting Ichigo he laid back down, using an arm to cushion his head and closed his eyes after one last look at the shadows in which Ichigo hid, her form indistinguishable despite wearing white.

It wasn't long before footsteps could be heard on the stonework, the rhythmic clacking steadily growing louder as the intruders drew closer. Ichigo tightened her grip on Zangetsu as she waited till the right moment, 'Just a little closer,'

Soon she could see the indistinct figures of the two intruders; their outlines seemed familiar one being much shorter than the other which had some strange spikes of hair. Both however held their blades ready, the moon's pale light making them flash silver as they ran closer, they entered the room, not even caring to check for danger. Their heads moved left to right, searching for something as they drew to a halt before noticing the sleeping and fake sleeping figures of the others. 'Now!'

Ichigo silently materialized behind the two figures, having used flash step to prevent the warning hum of a sonido, and pressed Zangetsu's edge against the throat of the taller figure while she kicked his blade out of his hand and held both arms behind his back with her free hand. All of this took not even a second as Ichigo had her hostage and demanded with a voice that left no room for negotiation. "Who are you, how did you get here and why have you come?"

Her hostage stiffened in her hold, his back ramrod straight as his partner let out a gasp of shock the wide eyes flashing purple in the moonlight as Ulquiorra sonidoed behind her while she was distracted. With the same movements as Ichigo he had incapacitated the second intruder. "Answer the questions and we may spare your lives."

Ichigo's hostage squirmed, trying to break her vice-like grip to no avail as the girl let out a slight whimper. "The seal on Hueco Mundo finally wore off..."

Ulquiorra tightened his hold, "We realized that when we felt two shinigami arrive through a garganta. Now why are you here?"

Ichigo's hostage now spoke up, his voice rash and tickling her memory, "And why should we tell you espada? Still hanging around your old master's fortress hoping he will come back?"

The insinuation caused a brief rise in anger, her support Aizen? Ichigo let out a growl, "We are the furthest of those who support Aizen, that bastard is dead and good riddance." She dug her blade into his skin, drawing a small line of blood "Now why. Have. You. Come?"

The girl answered, "We came for a friend, she was lost in the battle with Aizen and we were trying to find her. Urahara had found a focused blast of her reiatsu in this area and we were sent to find her."

Ichigo felt as though she were dumped in a vat of icy water, at the mention of Urahara she removed her blade and thrust her hostage away from her before materializing a small cero the size of a golf ball, the red light cast upon the figures showing their scared and defiant faces,

"Rukia? Renji?"