A.N: Well this took longer to write than I expected. Oh well, I finished in the end. Anyways, on the subject of what's actually going on in Bleach right now, Unohana and Kenpachi are duking it out, and I've got to tell you: Unohana's real personality seriously freaks me out. A total 180 from the sweet nurse everyone knew ever since she was introduced. But hey, Kubo had to reveal the truth behind Unohana's 'scary smile' at some point. I just never would've guessed that she was the person Kenpachi named after Yachiru. Let alone the original Kenpachi. Here's to hoping both emerge from that fight alive. Soul Society needs both of those monsters to win the war.

Hope y'all like the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: March into Hell

"I don't understand," said Komamura. "Just a few days ago we were all opposed to this. Am I correct in saying this?"

The Head Captain had announced his intentions to send a party of captain and lieutenant-class fighters to invade Hueco Mundo. There was a stunned silence among most of the captains present. All except Akio, who had a somewhat blank expression on his face. Yamamoto nodded. "That is certainly true, Captain Komamura. However, circumstances have changed. In case none of you have noticed, morale is dropping due to the deaths of two very popular captains. That's why we're sending a party of lieutenant and captain-class fighters. Morale would continue to drop if a large number of casualties occurred on our side, regardless of the outcome. Therefore, if we send a small group that successfully attacks wherever our enemy is in Hueco Mundo, we may be able to restore morale."

Yamamoto paused to allow this to sink in. "That's why I'm choosing to only send Soul Reapers who are on the level of captains and lieutenants. We have gained a good understanding on the enemy's strength and it's clear that sending regular Soul Reapers would be a waste of time. It's a high risk, but I trust you all."

Yamamoto opened one of his eyes. "I know you can pull off this attack. So are there any volunteers?"

Akio stepped forward. "You know I'm in. I've good a score to settle with those bastards."

Momo Hinamori stepped forward as well. "If Captain Yamamoto is going, then I'm going as well. It's a lieutenant's duty to follow her captain into battle."

Komamura saw Akio's determination and stepped forward. "Head Captain, myself and Tetsuzaemon will accompany Akio."

Tetsuzaemon Iba nodded in agreement. "I shall go as well." Said Tōshirō Hitsugaya. "And Rangiku is coming with me."

"What?" Rangiku said in shock. "But Hueco Mundo is supposed to be dusty and icky."

"True," said Hitsugaya. "But I would never trust you with running the squad while I'm away. So you're coming with me."

Rangiku groaned. "I will go," said Nemu. "I must."

Everyone looked at the Squad 12 Lieutenant. "I must confront Mayuri. I can't move on until I do so."

Yamamoto thought it over. "Very well." He decided.

"Hey, Old Man," said Kenpachi Zaraki. "Mind if I come along? There's got to be some strong guys down there."

Yamamoto nodded. "Very well," he said. "But I need the rest of the captains to remain here. Captain Soifon will take over Captain Abarai's post in the Fake Karakura Town and will work with Lt. Kira and the high ranking Squad 3 officers. The rest of us will remain here to defend the Soul Society."

"If that's the case, you're gonna need some extra help."

Shinji Hirako entered the room. "What the hell is with you showing up dramatically Shinji?" Akio asked.

Shinji grinned, but kept a serious demeanor. "It's cool."

Shinji quickly got back on track. "I'll lend you Love, Hachi, and Hiyori. If you're gonna keep seven of the ten remaining captains. I'll send you some of the Visored to balance it out."

"Granted," said Yamamoto. "Many thanks Commander Hirako."

Akio spoke up again after remembering something. "Sir, what about Rukia? I know she's dying for a shot at the Arrancar."

Akio saw Byakuya shoot him a glare. "Out of the question," said the elderly captain. "You know of her current state. And besides, she is currently training with Kisuke Urahara, she left yesterday and she will be gone for today and tomorrow."

Three days, that sounded familiar, but Akio didn't have time to think about it. "Then give us three days to prepare. A lengthy invasion will require preparation. And besides, I think I can keep her under control. This may be the only way for her to recover." Akio insisted.

Byakuya's glare at him remained. Yamamoto conceded. "Very well," he said. "Are there any others that the captains would like to propose?"

The only one who spoke up was Kenpachi Zaraki, who chose to bring 3rd Seat Madarame and 5th Seat Ayasegawa along with Yachiru. "Meeting adjourned." Yamamoto concluded.

As Akio left the meeting room, he was stopped by Byakuya. Akio glared at him. "This is the only way Byakuya." Akio insisted. "I'm going there for closure and I'm bringing her with me so she can too."

Byakuya returned his glare. "You can't force her to move on Akio."

"Believe me, I won't," said Akio. "But this is for the best. She can't recover if we don't give her the chance to."

Akio walked past Byakuya. "Don't interfere with me Byakuya. I mean neither you, nor your sister any harm. I promise you, when we come back, Rukia will be herself again. She may still be upset over Ichigo, but her emotional state will have recovered."

Rukia panted as she blocked yet another strike from Sode no Shirayuki. When Urahara had showed her the device that Ichigo used to achieve Bankai she didn't believe it at first, but then she stabbed her Zanpakutō into it as he instructed and in a matter of seconds, Sode no Shirayuki appeared before her.

It was difficult at first, keeping up with Sode no Shirayuki and her attacks. The woman had a style that matched up well with Rukia's counterattack-style attack. She would often follow up her attacks with new ones that had the grace of a dancer. These quick follow-up attacks would end any chance for a counterattack. Combined with her knowledge of Rukia's attacks and abilities, Rukia had spent the first day just surviving Sode no Shirayuki. The second day, however, was different. Rukia was now able to keep up with Sode no Shirayuki. Screaming out a battle cry, Rukia summoned as much strength as her small body could muster and knocked Sode no Shirayuki off balance. The Kuchiki Heiress then quickly moved in to strike her Zanpakutō spirit.

Kisuke Urahara stood off on the sidelines, watching Rukia match her spirit blow for blow. She's doing much better than yesterday, that much is for certain. He thought. I always knew that she had the resolve to do it. But now, the more I watch her fight with Sode no Shirayuki, the more I think that she could actually pull this off.

"Hey, Kisuke!" Called a familiar voice.

Yoruichi Shihōin walked towards Kisuke Urahara's side. "How's she doing?" Yoruichi asked.

"Better than yesterday," Urahara replied. "She just might be able to do it at this rate."

Yoruichi nodded. "Another Bankai user never hurts."

Urahara grunted in agreement. Yoruichi then gave her old friend a hard stare. "You've got problems, you know that?"

Urahara grinned. "Yep, I'm lazy, a shifty salesman sometimes, and a bit of a pervert."

Yoruichi shook her head. "No, it's that tendency of yours to overdo it in repaying someone." Said Yoruichi.

Yoruichi gestured to Rukia. "If you're just doing this because you feel like you still owe Ichigo, you're wrong, you know that right?"

Urahara was confused by Yoruichi's words. "Everyone's moved on Kisuke, nobody blames you for what Aizen did. Stop acting like you owe everyone."

Urahara paused, he then chuckled. "What?" Yoruichi asked.

"This has nothing to do with any debt I may be in," said Urahara. "I'm doing this because I want to, not because I have to. Rukia wants to get stronger to be more useful in the upcoming battles and I want to help her do it."

Urahara paused once more. "She's gonna need all the strength she can get too," he said grimly. "I sense a storm coming Yoruichi, and it's gonna be a big one."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "You're thinking it's gonna come to an end pretty quickly huh?"

Urahara nodded. "The Old Man's not gonna take Ichigo and Renji's deaths lying down, neither is the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The end of this war is gonna come pretty quick. And when it does, it's gonna have the fury of a hurricane."

Urahara winced as Rukia just missed getting hit by a strike from Sode no Shirayuki. "The only question is, which side's gonna come out of the storm, and which side's gonna get washed away?"

Ichigo panted as he collapsed to one knee. Dammit, he thought. She's...so...freaking...strong...

Nelliel smiled lightly at Ichigo. "You're improving every day Ichigo. It seems you've made a full recovery."

"How do you know?" Ichigo asked. "I didn't exactly last long against you."

Nelliel shrugged. "Not many do. Believe me, you've recovered."

Nelliel turned to Renji. "So, Renji, would you like to train next?"

Having watched Ichigo spar with Nelliel, Renji, his eyes wide with horror, shook his head. The busty Arrancar was frighteningly strong. Strength that made her worthy of her former title as the Third Espada. Nelliel turned to Dondochaka and Pesche. "Are there any of Benito's Cazadores nearby?" She asked.

The two idiot Arrancar shook their heads. "No Master Nel." Pesche replied.

"Trust me, we'd go crazy if them Cazadores were nearby doncha' know." Dondochaka added.

Renji looked annoyed. "I'll gladly train with those two though. I could use some good punching bags to get my strength back up."

"I don't think so." Said Nelliel, annoyed that Renji would say that about her 'brothers.'

Ichigo soon brought up a subject he had been hoping to get out for awhile. "So what exactly are we gonna do now? Now that everyone's healed up and all."

Nelliel looked at Ichigo. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Ichigo looked at her. "I mean are we really going to just sit here and wait while Benito plans another attack?"

Nelliel sighed. "We've been over this Ichigo," she said. "No matter how strong any of us are, we cannot hope to break into Las Noches due to the Los Retazos current military strength."

Nelliel's expression darkened. "And if Benito attacks us, we're doomed."

Dondochaka and Pesche's expressions saddened as Nelliel continued. "As good a man as he once was, Benito is still a born killer who would cut just about anyone down with a smile on his face if they dared to provoke him."

Nelliel paused before continuing. "And up until the last war, he was the only man to have ever matched Aizen in single combat. He is without a doubt the strongest Arrancar alive."

"He certainly doesn't seem like he'd be a close friend of yours." Ichigo noted.

Nelliel nodded. "With the way things are, you're right," said Nelliel. "But you didn't know him like I did all those years ago. That is why I try to stop him without resorting to bloodshed."

For awhile, the five individuals did not say anything. Ichigo spoke up again. "So...we still wait?" He asked.

Nelliel nodded again. "Yes," she said. "But I doubt we will have to wait long."

"Wait for what though?" Renji asked.

A small smile formed over Nelliel's beautiful features. "Your friends will be coming soon, there's no doubt in my mind about that."

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques delivered a bone crushing kick into the luckless Arrancar's chest. The soldier fell to the ground, bloodied and heavily injured. The former Espada, growled as he stood over 100 defeated soldiers. All grievously injured, but none of them dead. "Why don't you just kill us, General?" His final opponent groaned. "It's obvious we're useless."

Grimmjow paused, if it were a couple years ago he would've definitely killed them. But circumstances have changed from the time when he would've done so. "I won't," he finally said. "You may have lost but you're still an important part of the King's Army. So live."

"Good choice of words, Grimmjow." Came a familiar, chilling voice.

Grimmjow's eyes widened with fear as he slowly turned around. Benito Muerta slowly walked towards him, minding the fallen men around him. "You're finally starting to understand that I have rules in this palace."

The bastard was mocking him, Grimmjow knew that for sure. It had been just like the day the two men had met. Benito had even mocked him then. Not much had certainly changed.

Once again, if it had been a couple years ago, Grimmjow would've reacted with rage. But once again times have changed, and there was no way Grimmjow was going to risk angering Benito.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques had always considered himself fearless. But after the years he spent under Benito...the very sight of the powerful Arrancar made Grimmjow shake with fear. "Whatever." He simply muttered in response."

Benito looked across the sandy field of injured men. "Preparing for Ichigo Kurosaki?" He asked.

"Hell yeah," Grimmjow replied. "Since the bastard survived you kicking his ass I've got to be prepared so I can be the one who killed him."

Grimmjow paused before speaking again. "If anyone's gonna smash him to pieces it's me. Nobody else."

Benito's gaze narrowed in slight anger. He knew Grimmjow was directing that statement towards him, but he wasn't going to call him out on it. His efforts to 'educate' Grimmjow had been a success after all. There was no reason for him to jeopardize that success by overdoing it. "Very well," he simply said. "While every member of this army has a chance at Ichigo Kurosaki's head, I respect your wishes to be the one who kills him."

Benito turned away. "However, don't disappoint me, Grimmjow."

With that Benito walked away, intending to get doctors onto the field for the injured men. Grimmjow glared at the man from behind. Bastard. He thought.

Rukia Kuchiki gave a sigh of relief as she returned to the Squad 9 Barracks. The fight she had with Sode no Shirayuki was probably the second hardest fight she had ever experienced, the hardest being her fight with the Espada, Aaroniero. She then noticed that Akio Yamamoto was waiting by the entrance. Is he waiting for someone...he doesn't know anyone in the squad besides Ichigo and...oh, he's waiting for me. Thought Rukia.

Akio then noticed Rukia's presence and gave her a friendly smile. It doesn't seem that he's angry with me anymore, that's good. Rukia thought, relieved that she wouldn't lose another friend.

"Good to see you Rukia." Akio said kindly.

Rukia nodded, smiling. She then noticed the sadness in Akio's eyes. "I...hope you're not mad at me over what I had said." Akio continued.

Rukia shook her head. "No, you were right," she said. "I should be the one who's sorry."

The two just stood there for awhile, looking at each other with a mutual understanding of one another. Akio then decided to get to the point. "Rukia...the others have been doing some thinking, and we've decided to invade Hueco Mundo." Akio said bluntly.

Rukia's eyes widened in shock. "At the rate the war's going, an invasion is our only option due to low morale among the Soul Reapers outside of the captains and lieutenants."

Akio paused. "And I'd like you to come along."

Rukia was shocked even more by Akio's last words. "But...why?" She asked. "Doesn't everyone think I'm emotionally unstable?"

Akio nodded. "Some do," he said. "But I made them all see that this may be the only way people like you and me can obtain closure."

Rukia understood what Akio was talking about and nodded. "I understand that you must be exhausted, but I need you to pack any materials you may need. We're leaving tomorrow." Said Akio.

Rukia was once again surprised, but nodded. The petite lieutenant quickly went inside the barracks to pack. Akio sighed. Can you prove that my faith in you is correct? He thought. Or have I overestimated your mental strength?

The day of the invasion had come. Akio looked out at the invading force that he had been chosen to lead. Captains, lieutenants, seated officers, and Visored alike stood, waiting for the gate to Hueco Mundo to be opened. Kisuke Urahara was also among the group. The reason for this was because he had developed a technique to enter Hueco Mundo. "Akio," came a familiar voice. "A word?"

Akio turned and followed his father. When the two were out of earshot, the elder Yamamoto spoke. "Tell me boy, are you nervous about leading this invasion?" Yamamoto asked.

Akio shook his head, trying to maintain the facade of bravery and confidence. In truth, he was quite nervous. They were marching straight into enemy territory after all. Yamamoto could tell he was lying, but chose not to point that out. "Very well." Said Yamamoto.

The two remained silent for a moment. Yamamoto then spoke again. "Akio, listen, there's something I have to tell you before you leave."

Akio nodded and listened. "In case something happens...should one of us die in the upcoming conflict-and I hope that that never happens-I just want you to know that I have never regretted adopting you. I'm proud to call you my son."

Akio didn't understand why his father thought he, himself would die, but didn't care at the moment. Tears were threatening to fall down his eyes. His adopted father had been the disciplinarian-type parent ever since he had taken him off the streets of Rukongai. He had never shown any affection. And now that he was, Akio was speechless...and so happy. For those were the words that he had wanted to hear for a long time. "Thank you." He simply said.

With that, the two Yamamoto's returned to the invasion force. Both men smiling inwardly, both happy that they met the other.

"Attention!" Yamamoto's voice boomed, returning to his usual strict demeanor. "Prepare for entry into Hueco Mundo!"

The invading force gathered around and stood at attention. Some eager to get to Hueco Mundo (those were the Squad 11 and former Squad 11 members), some solemn, knowing that they were about to take part in a dangerous mission. Urahara stepped forward. "I am about to cast a spell known as the Keikaigi, a spell that I had developed myself. Once I finish the incantation, a Garganta will open. Step into the Garganta quickly as soon as it is opened." Said Urahara.

The Soul Reapers nodded. Urahara then began the incantation. "My right hand is the stone that bridges worlds. My left hand is the blade that binds reality. The black-haired shepherd is hung from a chair. Stratus clouds come, and I strike down the ibis."

The Soul Reapers looked on in shock as a Garganta opened in front of them. Akio quickly overcame this shock and spoke up. "Move!" He ordered. "It is time we enter Hueco Mundo!"

Rukia and the other Soul Reapers nodded and ran after Akio, who started running towards the dark gateway. As the last Soul Reaper entered, the portal closed, leaving Urahara alone with Yamamoto. "And there they go." Urahara simply said.

Yamamoto nodded in agreement.

The small force of powerful Soul Reapers ran for a long time on the path created by their spirit energy. Akio, who was at the head of the group, eventually noticed a break in the darkness. It was another portal. We're almost there. Akio thought to himself.

Everyone else seemed to notice this and sped up along with Akio. One by one, they leapt out of the portal and onto the sands of Hueco Mundo. Akio surveyed the dark, sandy desert before him and his group. "All right, lets begin." Akio said. "And be on guard. From here on out we're in enemy territory."

The determination on each Soul Reaper's face was evident. Especially Rukia's. "Lets go." Ordered Akio.

A.N: Thus the seeds of battle are sewn. The only question is, who will battle first? Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Just as I hope you enjoy the next. ND2014, signing off.