Chapter 4: Reunions

"I see that it has come to pass Kisuke," Genryuusai's deep, powerful voice rumbled through the device. Urahara looked quite surprised at the fact that the 1st Division Commander seemed to already know what was happening.

"Yes, Genryuusai-dono, it appears that No-Name escaped into the soul of Masaki's son Ichigo, and with the passage of time and all the boy has been through, the seal finally broke. I have already resealed No-Name back into Ichigo's body, but he appears to have completely lost his powers through the resealing process." Urahara said respectfully, bowing before the tremendous presence of the ancient Shinigami.

Genryuusai displayed no outward emotions, but when he spoke his voice was touched with sadness. "A great loss to our cause against Aizen then," his eyes turned to Ichigo, who stood stiffly, still unbelieving of the one final blow that he had taken in such a tortuous day. "I am sorry Ichigo, but at least take some solace in the fact that you were not lost completely. I am sure your friends and allies will feel the same here and on Earth. Kisuke, I assume that you want to return to Soul Society at this time, there are many things to discuss with this latest development."

"That would be best after all, Genryuusai-Dono," Urahara said with some relief as he continued. "I'd like to bring Ichigo with me as well to see if there is anything I can attempt in Soul Society that I cannot here."

A brief shadow passed across Genryuusai's heavily lined face, but it was there for but an instant, and Ichigo could not fathom its intent. He pondered over Old Man Zangetsu's enigmatic statement, but could not make heads or tails of it. His mulling was cut off by the quick swish of Urahara's cloak as he turned to face Ichigo, turning off the device and letting Genryuusai's image fade.

"Well Ichigo, don't act as if all hope is lost! If you'd given up that easily when I sent you to Soul Society you wouldn't even be here today! Let us go to Soul Society and you can have some reunions of your own, no?" Urahara said in attempted high spirits, trying to brighten Ichigo's dark demeanor.

Ichigo silently dreaded meeting some of the Shinigami in Soul Society with his new lack of powers, but knew it was foolishness not to follow Urahara. "Alright, when do we leave?" he asked somewhat reticently.

"Please Ichigo, you make it sound like such a chore! I'll be right back and then we can leave immediately." Urahara whisked himself away into another room as he ended his sentence and loud noises of moving objects could soon be heard throughout the house.

Ichigo sat there for a few minutes, contemplating what he would do when he got to Soul Society, and not finding much he'd look forward to. What would the other Shinigami say when they saw that he was no longer one them? Well...he would have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"Ah! Here it is!" came Urahara's voice, followed by the man himself. He was carrying a small scrap of paper with runes scrawled on it. "I can't expel your spirit from your body at the moment so I'll just have to settle with transforming your body into spiritrons for this trip. Hopefully we'll have you back to normal by the time we're done in Soul Society," he opened a door and walked down a set of stairs. Ichigo followed with a mumbled "I highly doubt that," but didn't bother to contest it openly.

They emerged in the large underground area, and directly in front of them stood the massive spirit gate, covered in charms.

"No time to waste Ichigo, time is of the essence after all. Plus I've been waiting to go back to Soul Society for far too long!" Urahara exclaimed joyfully as he slapped the paper onto Ichigo's forehead. A slightly ethereal quality spread across his body and he started for the gate, but was pushed out of the way by Urahara who leaped enthusiastically towards it, disappearing into the gate. Ichigo sighed and walked slowly into the gate, shuddering as his body discorporated into spiritrons and recorporated on the other side. Once more into the breach he thought as he slowly trudged along.

**

In the darkness of Hueco Mundo, deeper into the shifting chaos of the dead world than even normal Hollows dread to walk, two consciousnesses stirred.

-Did you feel it?-

-Faintly, but yes-

-It is a sign from our Master-

-He requires our aid-

-The One With No Name has called upon us once again-

-Who will travel to the Material World to free him?-

-I will...the ones who hold him will not see me until it is too late-

-Yes...now that we know his location, his rising is assured-

-Go to the Montaña Miedoso and send a signal to those who dwell there-

-I will give them a message they will not ignore-

-Then may the rebirth of the Nameless One come swiftly-

-And the rise of the Hollow race soon follow-

**

Ichigo and Urahara found themselves in the stygian realm between worlds, white, ghostly hands reaching out at them from walls that began to close in. Ichigo sprinted forward ahead of the entrapping path, but Urahara walked sedately forward, seemingly unaware of the danger he was in.

"Urahara! Come on!" Ichigo shouted behind him to the slow-moving man. "If you let those things touch you they'll take your soul!" One of the hands boldly moved forward to grab at Urahara's leg.

To Ichigo's amazement, Urahara began to whistle nonchalantly, and unsheathed Benihime. A red mist spread out from the sword, pushing the hands and walls back into position. The curtain of redness spread out to encompass the entire path and Urahara continued to stroll along whistling a merry little tune.

"Why in such a hurry Ichigo? Might as well stop to enjoy the scenery while we're here," he grinned mischievously as he re-sheathed his blade. Ichigo stopped, somewhat dumbfounded, and Urahara caught up with him. They both walked at an even pace along the path between worlds, the dangers around them clamoring at the curtain of Benihime's bloodmist but unable to penetrate it. A light shone at them from the end of the tunnel, and flashed outward to encompass their vision. Ichigo covered his eyes for a moment, and when he looked again he was standing in Rukongai with Urahara, dwellers of the spirit world looking out of their houses at them.

Urahara took a deep breath from the spirit-rich air and let out a sigh of contentment, "It certainly is good to be back after 100 years of self-imposed exile. Come Ichigo, let us move on to Seireitei; there is much I must do before the day is out."

They moved towards the gleaming white buildings of the city of Shinigami, Ichigo trailing behind with a somewhat sullen demeanor; he still did not see why he had to come along now that he was no longer a Shinigami. He hoped the business would be over with and that he would be able to return to his world and eke out a somewhat normal life, though he looked forward to this less than he would have hoped. Being a shinigami had been dangerous, yes, but it allowed him to be able to protect those close to him. Still, with this...abomination inside of him how could he fight to protect Inoue and Chad and Rukia and the others when he might at any moment become their greatest threat?

A crashing noise brought him out of his reverie. He and Urahara had approached the city, and the great barrier walls of Seireitei had been conjured into being. One of the massive gates that were the only feasible entry into the city stood directly in front of them. Urahara walked determinedly up to the gate and tapped on it with his cane as if he were knocking on someone's door.

A few seconds after doing this, the ponderous gate began to rise up slowly, seemingly without any aid. Under it, Ichigo could see people standing in the courtyard, but could not make them out with the gate still partially obscuring them. Urahara then ducked under the rising gate and into Seireitei, with Ichigo reluctantly following. When he stood up, he realized with a gasp who was standing before them.

All 10 remaining veteran captains of the Gotei 13 stood before them, flanked by three replacement captains, those now in charge of the divisions left by Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen. One of the new captains looked very familiar...

With a start Ichigo realized it was Abarai Renji, who had helped him save Rukia from Aizen's plot after having a change of heart during the Soul Society fiasco. Well he certainly deserves to be a captain Ichigo thought, the man had shown himself to be a powerful combatant as well as willing to go against the rules in the end to save someone precious to him. For Ichigo, no character trait stood out as more worthy than the willingness to put oneself in danger for one's friends.

At the center of the line of captains, Yamamoto Genryuusai stood. Ichigo had never had much contact with him even after Aizen's defection, and was awestruck by the sheer presence of the ancient spirit. It was a tangible thing, overwhelming to the senses, and spoke of incredible power; beyond that of anything Ichigo had ever fought, Shinigami, Hollow, or otherwise. He was glad that he had never managed to cross zanpakutohs with Genryuusai during his rescue of Rukia!

Genryuusai stepped forward and took Urahara's hand, shaking it briskly. The other 12 captains bowed low to the ground, holding for several seconds. Ichigo was amazed by the level of respect Urahara was commanding, he must have been quite important 100 years ago!

"It is good to see you again, Urahara Kisuke. I am sorry that it took such necessity to bring you back to Soul Society, I would much rather a less solemn reunion," Genryuusai's voice spoke of great age and weariness, but also a conviction and strength unbreakable by the very flames of Hell itself.

"Oh I'm sure peace will break out eventually my old friend," Urahara said lightly, though his carefree tone bespoke of emotions concealed beneath the surface. "But for now we should be happy to live in interesting times."

Genryuusai only shook his head. "I have lived through more interesting times than you shall ever see Kisuke; peace isn't so bad. I can only hope the resolution to this conflict comes soon. As you can see I have already gathered the council of captains; the senior captains and I will meet you at the old Center 46 building to discuss our plans for the coming crisis. For now, welcome home." Genryuusai turned to the assembled captains and nodded. Most of them disappeared, flash-stepping away to other duties. Only Zaraki Kenpachi and Renji remained, Zaraki looking closely at Ichigo in a critical fashion for but a few seconds and then too disappearing.

As Genryuusai himself disappeared, Renji strode over to Ichigo with a smile on his face. "Ichigo, good to see you again! I'll never forget what you did for me and Rukia during your last visit to Soul Society," he extended his hand, and Ichigo took it somewhat diffidently. He could tell that Renji had already noticed something was wrong with him and was looking for answers.

"Renji...I don't know..." he began to say but was cut off by an intense stare from the new Captain. His own presence seemed to have strengthened since Ichigo had last seen the man; it was likely that the rigors of being a captain had forced him to increase his own power to keep up.

"I can see that you aren't in your Shinigami robes and I can't sense any reiatsu from you at all. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure you don't want to have to explain it more than once. Come on, I think I know someone who wants to see you," Renji began to walk off, his newly made Captain's robes billowing out behind him. Ichigo had mixed feelings about the reunion that was to come, but knew he shouldn't let his misgivings force him away from his friends. He followed Renji, as the Shinigami led him through a few of the maze-like corridors that made up much of Seireitei. They came to a door that had a 13 embossed over it. Renji walked in and Ichigo followed.

"It's been a while hasn't it Ichigo?" he heard a very familiar voice say as he walked in the door. Kuchiki Rukia stood there in the center of what was obviously her room in the Division 13 barracks. "I haven't seen you since the Arrancar attack on Karakura. Have you come to help us fight Aizen?" she walked over and gave him a quick hug then stood back and surveyed him critically. "That's strange...you're not wearing any Shinigami robes and..."

"Rukia...Renji," Ichigo cut in, feeling almost physical pain for having to tell them what he was about to say. "I...lost my Shinigami powers yesterday. I'm sorry, but I just came here because Urahara Kisuke wanted me to come; I can't do anything about the Arrancar anymore," Rukia stepped back again, unbelieving. Renji's mouth was open, having suspected something but not realizing quite the magnitude of the reality.

Rukia's eyes narrowed, "This isn't about the Hollow inside of you again is it? I already told you've got to fight it. I believe in you," she moved forward and gripped Ichigo's arms, looking into his face searchingly. He tried to turn away but was fixed by her stare, partly in shame, partly in sorrow.

"It...its not a normal Hollow," he started, trying to explain. "Urahara told me that 100 years ago there was an Arrancar that threatened to destroy all of Soul Society, and that he and Genryuusai, along with my mother and father managed to defeat him but could not destroy him. They were forced to trap the Arrancar in the soul of my mother, but when I was born it became a part of me instead. It...got free but Urahara managed to seal it back inside of me, except now that the seal is strengthened it takes all of my spirit energy to contain it fully, so I can never be a Shinigami again," he hung his head as the two Shinigami digested the story.

"You know," said Renji, "I remember 100 years ago that the captains received a message from an intelligent Hollow that said it was going to destroy Seireitei and kill all the Shinigami, but the captains told us a few days later that it had been taken care of. I didn't realize that it was so dangerous or that they had been keeping a secret like that for all this time..."

"This isn't the Ichigo I remember!" Rukia demanded hotly, shaking him. "Just because it's powerful doesn't mean it's undefeatable! If you fight it hard enough you could force your spirit power back out of it! What happens if the Arrancar attack Karakura again? Would you just leave Chad and Inoue to..."
"I can't!" shouted Ichigo, tearing his hands away from Rukia's grasp and turning from her. "What if I tried to fight and the Arrancar broke free? Then I'd end up killing everyone I was trying to protect! I can't risk that...don't want to risk that..." he trailed off, and looked at Rukia and Renji. He saw pity on their faces, which was exactly what he had wanted to avoid. He turned again and fled out through the door into the maze of Seireitei. He heard them calling from behind him but just wanted to escape for now. He ran for quite a long time until he finally collapsed from exhaustion, sitting down in his current alleyway to catch his breath. As soon as he looked around he realized he was completely lost, as one tended to get in Seireitei. He saw a door right next to him and opened it, entering without noticing the number 11 embossed over it.

Inside a large number of lower-ranking Shinigami were sparring. A large number of them were lying on the floor bruised and moaning, while the others were all squaring off against a tall, bald-headed man wielding two wooden swords. The man turned his head as Ichigo entered the room and grinned as he saw him.

"Ichigo! Come and take a sword, these guys aren't worth the time I'm spending to practice on them," he tossed one of the wooden sword at Ichigo, who caught it clumsily, and beat the rest of the standing trainees into submission in a few seconds.

"Uh...Ikkaku...I don't think..." Ichigo began to say.

"Yeah I already heard about what happened to ya, but I don't expect losin' your Shinigami powers to be an excuse to ditch an honest sword-fight," Ikkaku cut in slyly, leveling the point of his weapon at Ichigo. "C'mon...I bet you've been wanting to let out some frustration for a while."

Ichigo certainly did feel that way. He leaped at Ikkaku, battering the bald Shinigami with a flurry of strikes, but he countered them all expertly. They circled each other, attacking and defending in turn for a while as Ichigo lost himself in the battle, forgetting for a moment about the hardships of the day. Ikkaku seemed to be satisfied with his skill, as he continued to bring out complicated sword techniques to press him into adapting mid-battle. He wasn't sure how long they fought for, but suddenly he was distracted as the door he had come through flew open. Ikkaku took the opportunity to disarm him, sending his wooden sword flying into the air towards the door.

Urahara danced out of the way of the missile, catching it as he sidestepped it. "I think this is yours Ichigo," he said as he came into the room, handing the weapon to him with an amused look. "I'm glad to see you found something to occupy your time with...but Genryuusai said he wants to see you alone at Center 46."

"Oh...uh...thanks," Ichigo mumbled as he glanced at Ikkaku, who nodded and bowed, signaling the end of their duel. He stepped out of the room, followed by Urahara.

"What does he want to see me for?" Ichigo asked as they walked along the angled alleyways.

"Heaven knows, but perhaps he wants to see if he can do something about your loss of powers," Urahara said brightly. Ichigo found it hard to take the man's ability to never lose optimism sometimes, but brushed it aside for the moment. "Genryuusai is quite a bit older than any other Shinigami here in Seireitei...there are some things he knows that not even I am aware of. Perhaps he will know the answer where I have failed, and I truly am sorry for failing you Ichigo," he shifted into serious mode briefly, giving Ichigo a pained look.

"S'not your fault," Ichigo mumbled, feeling slightly guilty for the way he'd been acting now. Still though, he knew that he couldn't risk a conflict with the Arrancar anymore, after he knew the nature of his inner demon, no matter what Rukia or anyone else said. If Genryuusai was planning to try and talk him out of it too, then he might as well not even bother.

They arrived at the forbidding entrance to the old Center 46 building, currently being used to hold important military meetings with the captains of the Gotei 13. Urahara bid him adieu as the door opened for them, and Ichigo stepped inside.

He was met with the view of a large, circular room that looked somewhat like a lecture hall. The seats slanted downward from the outside edge in concentric circles, and at the center were two large chairs. One of them was occupied, and before Ichigo even saw who it was, he could feel the incredible presence pressing down on him of the Captain of the 1st Division, Yamamoto Genryuusai. He steeled himself against the massive pressure of the man's reiatsu, which he knew Genryuusai was not doing on purpose, it was simply a by-product of his ancient power. He walked down a narrow flight of stairs to the center and stood by the other chair. Genryuusai nodded at him and he sat down. The old man's eyes were closed, but he seemed aware of all that was going on.

"Welcome to Seireitei again, Ichigo," he said slowly and seriously. "I'm sure you are wondering why I have called you here to talk with me. As you might have guessed, it has something to do with the Unnamed One who currently is sealed within you. I can sense him within your body, a dark core of evil that wants nothing more than to escape and cause unimaginable devastation. I want to impress upon you the importance that he never be given that chance." he leaned closer to Ichigo, and his last words were spoken with such force that Ichigo could physically feel their pressure.

Ichigo opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a few seconds. He had been prepared for the 1st Division Captain to try to talk him into going through some weird process to get his power back to fight the Arrancar. He hadn't expected Genryuusai to be adamantly with Ichigo from the start. "I...was also feeling that way as well sir," he said somewhat unsurely.

Genryuusai looked at him penetratingly, then nodded as if he had confirmed something. He leaned back and said, "Let me tell you a story Ichigo...it is a secret that few Shinigami know other than myself and perhaps Urahara, Kyouraku, and Ukitake."

"A very long time ago, before man even began to build cities on the Material World, the balance between the 3 worlds was in jeopardy. No one existed to cleanse the spirits that stayed where they were not supposed to, and over time it built up into great imbalances. In places energy spilled over from one world to another; great rents in the fabric of space that passed through unimaginable horrors. To combat the imbalance, the first Shinigami was born. That first Shinigami was none other than myself, eight thousand years younger than I am today. I was imbued with the mission to bring other Shinigami into being and to combat the Hollow spirits that were causing imbalance. I rallied many to my banner, and the first generation of Shinigami came into being.

"Unfortunately, my second-in-command Oroinmaru wished to use the gifts the universe had bestowed upon us to advance his own interests. He sought forbidden ways to gain power, and I was forced to exile him. He took many Shinigami with him, those who were blinded by their own lust for power, and a war between Shinigami took place. "It was this terrible conflict that spawned the first Menos, for the experiments Oroinmaru and the other rogue Shinigami made upon themselves scarred theirs souls for eternity, and even in death were not cleansed to return to the cycle of reincarnation. The reason I appear far older than any other Shinigami here is because I am...the oldest still living other than I are Ukitake and Kyouraku, and they are merely 3 1/2 thousand years of age. The war between Shinigami completely wiped out the first generation except for myself."

"That's an incredible story, but why did I need to know this?" Ichigo asked, for it seemed that Genryuusai had come to a break in his tale.

"It allows me to tell you this," Genryuusai replied. "The Nameless One who resides within you is none other than the Vasto-Lord that resulted from the War of the Shinigami, and his mind is that of Oroinmaru's. You see...unlike other Menos, the Vasto-Lords only come into being under very specific circumstances. When a massive amount of death occurs in a short period of time in either Soul Society or the Material World, the filters that pass souls from one world to another become glutted. The cycle of reincarnation is brought to a halt in these times, and the universe has no choice but to eject the multitude of souls clogging the filters into the Hueco Mundo. The violence done upon the souls of the beings treated in such a way forces them to congeal into a single mass to continue existence. Such creatures have power beyond all other Hollows, and indeed are probably the most powerful beings in existence today, though there are few of them. The appalling death toll of the shinigami in the great war was easily enough to overcome this threshold, and thus a Vasto-Lord was formed that comprised the souls of all the first generation Shinigami with Oroinmaru as its driving personality. He remembers nothing specific of his past life—few Hollows do—but the scars remain, and the powers he accumulated through forbidden means spurred him to be the first among the Menos to become an Arrancar. It took even him thousand of years to do so, and his power now is far greater than Oroinmaru's had ever been. For that reason, those 100 years ago when he finally revealed himself, I was forced to use the ultimate technique that remains to us Shinigami when fighting something beyond our limits."

"Urahara told me about something like that...what did you do?" Ichigo asked.

"I invoked a seal upon my soul that allowed me to extend my ban-kai beyond the limits of my physical endurance. Thus, despite suffering grievous wounds in the battle with the Nameless Arrancar, my ban-kai remained and sustained me as well. However, such an action drained the very essence of my soul and weakened me permanently. I was lucky it did not kill me, but it allowed me the power to defeat Oroinmaru a second time. However, as I'm sure you might realize, I would not have the ability to fight him again. Therefore, were he to free himself and find his body once again, no being in the 3 worlds could stop him; that's why I ordered Urahara to accompany Isshin and Masaki to the spirit world despite his vehement protests." he stared at Ichigo intensely again. "I am telling you this because I want to impress upon you the importance of never letting the Arrancar sealed in your soul free.

Ichigo nodded grimly, amazed that the root of the problem extended so far back into the past. Civilized humanity had barely existed in any form 8,000 years ago! As he contemplated, Genryuusai stood from his chair, the grand robes of the supreme commander of the Gotei 13 swishing around as he turned.

"I respect the work you have done for Soul Society, and your conviction to save your friends. You will always have allies among the Shinigami, never forget that. For now, however, we have finished what preparations we can make at this time and it is time for you and Urahara to return to the Material World. I have also assigned Captain Renji and Captain Kira to accompany you for some time until we are more sure of Aizen's position. You may not see a return to your 'normal life' until the Apostate has been brought to justice." The old man began to walk up the stairs to the exit of the room, with Ichigo following behind.

They exited to the outside courtyard, and Ichigo started as he saw all the captains lined up again, with Renji and Kira standing directly in front of the great Reikai Gate that led back to the Material World. Urahara stood with them as well, smiling, but Ichigo could see a few lines of worry on his face. It was obvious Ichigo still didn't have his powers, and was probably going to stay that way.

Genryuusai spoke to the congregated Shinigami. "Kurosaki Ichigo has undertaken a great task for us, that of keeping the One With No Name, the Arrancar who threatens to destroy all of Soul Society. I expect you all to show your respects for him as he returns to the Material World. We face a perilous time ahead of us, but perhaps we can rest easier knowing that one threat at least is being kept at bay." He moved along the line of captains, looking at each one in turn and nodding. Ichigo moved behind Genryuusai, and each of the captains shook his hand gravely as he passed them. However, as he approached Zaraki Kenpachi, who did not proffer his hand as the others did, the look the 11th Division captain gave him froze Ichigo in place.

"You still haven't fought me again, Kurosaki," Kenpachi challenged him, a half-grin on his face. "Isn't it about time for it? I've been training to fight you ever since you left Soul Society back then," Kenpachi cracked his knuckles ominously. "How about it? You owe me a match."

Ichigo was taken aback, "I can't fight anymore, didn't you hear what happened? I've lost my power!" the way that Zaraki was looking at him ignited a small spark of indignation for presuming on his weakness.

Zaraki Kenpachi's look quickly changed from one of anticipation to one of disgust. "Crawl back to your pathetic life then, Kurosaki. I don't shake hands with cowards," he sneered and turned his back to Ichigo, beginning to walk away. The other captains stood speechless at the 11th division captain's display of sheer contempt.

The spark quickly flared up, "What do you want from me, bastard!" Ichigo yelled at Kenpachi's back. "It isn't my fault; I'm not a shinigami anymore!"

"That's just an excuse Kurosaki. You're just scared of fighting me and hiding behind excuses," Kenpachi said without turning around, still leaving.

"Scared of you!? That's a good one! If I could I'd kick your ass right here!"

"Then DO IT!" Kenpachi roared, spinning around to face Ichigo once again.

"I can't!" Ichigo shouted.

"No, you just won't!" Kenpachi shot back, his eyes glowing with anger.

"My power is gone and there's nothing I can do about it, god damnit!" Ichigo grated out, his eyes blazing with similar intensity.

Kenpachi shook his head contemptuously. "If you were truly strong, you wouldn't allow your power to be stripped from you so easily. Or perhaps your reasons for fighting are more pathetic than I believed."
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT MY REASONS FOR FIGHTING ARE!" Ichigo thundered, advancing on Kenpachi.

"TRY ME!" Kenpachi responded with equal volume.

"The only reason I choose to wield power is to protect my friends, which I doubt someone like you would ever understand!" Ichigo spat, lowering his voice somewhat but not losing an ounce of the burning intensity he was feeling.

"And I suppose you're going to protect your friends by hiding in a corner and crying while they get slaughtered by your enemies? What a good plan!" Kenpachi growled.

"If I tried to fight, that would only allow the demon inside of me a chance to break free! I'm protecting my friends by NOT exposing myself," Ichigo shouted, a wild look growing in his eyes at Kenpachi's last comment.

"WEAK!" Kenpachi roared.

"What did you say?" Ichigo said in a dangerously quiet voice this time.

"Only pathetic vermin would be afraid to fight because of what might happen. If you were as strong as I had believed you were you would still fight with all your strength and use that strength to control the damned Arrancar you hold, but instead you allow your fears to turn you into a decrepit weakling who would hide behind us as we do your dirty work. Disgusting! I no longer wish to look upon you, Kurosaki," he turned again and began walking. A number of the other captains, enraged at Kenpachi's audacity, moved to intervene, but were suddenly brought short as they saw what was occurring.

Ichigo's face had gone completely red with rage. Clenching his fists so hard that he almost drew blood from his palms, sparks began to fly from Ichigo's body. With a fierce cry, he flung himself at Zaraki Kenpachi. In a massive implosion, reiatsu appeared out of nowhere and coalesced with a blue/black blaze to form the blade of Zangetsu in his hand as he brought it down instinctively upon Kenpachi's back.

Grinning evilly, Zaraki Kenpachi drew his own zanpakutoh and whirled around to meet Ichigo's attack. "That's more like it, Kurosaki!" he laughed with maniac glee as he prepared to counter Ichigo's rage-filled blow. An explosion of power blocked out their forms to the other stupefied captains, and when the light cleared from their visions they gasped at what they saw.

Genryuusai stood between the two combatants, his naked blade blocking Ichigo's downward swing, and his scabbard holding back Kenpachi's pitted blade. Kenpachi had a look of one thwarted in his amusement, while Ichigo was simply stunned beyond word or action.

"STAND DOWN!" Genryuusai's voice filled the area with the power of a mighty storm, pushing back Zaraki and Ichigo with its sheer authority and presence. Kenpachi sighed, and with a frustrated look sheathed his blade.

"Maybe next time Ichigo. I'll be looking forward to it," he said and walked off, ignoring Genryuusai's piercing glare.

Turning the glare to Ichigo, Genryuusai sheathed his blade as well. "I had believed that from the conversation we had that you understood the importance of what I had to tell you. I see that belief was misplaced, and for that I am disappointed in you, Ichigo. Please leave Soul Society and do not become involved in the coming war at any cost."

Numbly Ichigo lowered his blade and strapped it to his back, too surprised to say anything. He looked away from Genryuusai's smoldering gaze and saw the collected captains of Soul Society staring at him with something akin to amazement. He reddened again, this time in embarrassment, and began to walk towards the portal back to the human world.

Urahara quickly swept towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he steered Ichigo forward. "Yes I think it is time to get going Ichigo; I believe that we have gotten what we came here for," he smiled gently as they stepped through and began their journey back to normalcy. Feeling something prickle on the back of his neck, Ichigo turned around as he stepped through the gate, and saw Rukia peering from behind a building in the background. She grinned as she saw him, and gave him a thumbs up signal as the in-between world swallowed Ichigo and Urahara.