A/N: So here's the tie up to this whole battle thing. Couldn't decide quite what to do with it, so I tried to work it as well as possible.

Orihime and Rukia valiantly swung their swords at the endless waves of decaying Assente, cutting down corpse after corpse. Unfortunately, when one would fall, several more would phase into existence to replace it. The flow of these new enemies was literally maddening, and to make matters worse, the hordes of teeth and claws were forcing the two females towards the battlefield where four incredibly powerful entities were going head to head. Rukia skillfully used a killing swing to chance a look at said battlefield and swore under her breath.

"Damn… If we get caught in that were done for."

Yet the petite shinigami could find no way to burst past the overwhelming wall of Assente and so decided to pray that somehow she and her auburn-haired companion would survive the slaughter they were about to fall into.

OoOoO

The healer's thoughts were along the same lines, although she was a bit more worried about the 3rd Division's Captain and the Thirteenth's 6th Seat. She had seen both of them engage the two humanoids and could only guess that they were leagues above the small fry she was currently slicing through. This was not going to end well.

OoOoO

Enzo had moved a bit too late to dodge Kanaye's killing intent but a bit too early to be lethally injured by it. The wave of reiatsu had been nearly twice the size of the one that the young Soul Reaper had used against the honorable 3rd Division Captain, and could have easily decimated his opponent. Damn that Enzo for moving so quickly.

Kanaye grimaced from the pain of his wounds. He was quite certain that most of his ribs were broken, not to mention the clotting gash in his back and the various smaller injuries he had received over the course of two battles. He couldn't take any more abuse in his state and had so attempted to end the fight in a single blow. Now he had exhausted the last of his available energy and lost sight of the larger man: a lose-lose situation. So it was no surprise when a burst of pain bloomed in Kanaye's abdomen from the impact of a long dart.

Enzo blurred into view several feet away from Kanaye's broken body and the bulky demon laughed as the smaller man slumped to his knees. One bloody hand clung to his zanpakuto and the other gripped the dagger lodged in his stomach.

"HAHA! Ya little punk. I finally stuck you!" A swift kick that sent the shinigami to the dirt. Silver eyes struggled to gaze through matted black hair. "You gave me the run around for a good while. Thought you had me there too. Too bad we Respinto are resilient."

Another stomp to the fallen man's chest. A fountain of blood gushed from his lips. Enzo frowned deeply. "Tch. You're no fun anymore. Take some advice and enjoy your last seconds while you bleed to death." The brute scratched his nose and glanced behind him, at which time a wide grin split his face. "I'm gonna have some fun. Don't go anywhere."

The victor snickered at his own joke and flew off the ground in the direction he had been staring. Kanaye mustered enough strength to look up and lost what breath he had left when he saw the people Enzo was aiming for.

"Seems like it's my turn, Boss."

OoOoO

"Out of my way!" the bulky intruder roared as he made his way for the petite shinigami and the one with brilliant hair. He tore through several Assente, dropping them where they stood, never showing an ounce of remorse for cutting down his comrades. The two Soul Reapers before his eyes looked like the most delicious he had ever seen, and since his other toy was already broken, he figured that it would be nice to have a mid-battle snack to sate his bloodlust.

He destroyed another Assente and loomed over the smaller of his two prizes. She hadn't noticed him yet and he grinned happily at the thought of literally scaring the woman to death. He reached out a giant paw, stretching out to grab the unsuspecting shinigami, but he was soon interrupted.

"NO!"

A thin beam of orange light careened into Enzo'side, knocking him off balance and ushering a grunt of displeasure from his throat.

"Rukia, move!" Orihime shouted as Tsubaki returned to the six-petaled flower that was the tsuba for Orihime's zanpakuto. There was no need to inform the petite woman, for she had heard Orihime's earlier shout and immediately flashed to a safer position. However, she was quaking from the powerful reiatsu oozing from the recovering demon. This pressure was completely different from Soul Reapers, Hollow, even Vizard. It was dense and raw and entirely evil, as though these invaders were denizens of Hell itself.

With a mighty roar, Enzo released a column of brilliant green light that swirled and thrashed about him like a living creature. He held one of his sharp daggers in each hand and he brandishing them evilly. "You little bitch," he growled at Orihime, "you couldn't butt out. Guess I have to eat you first."

In response, the shinigami tightened her grip on her zanpakuto and slipped into a defensive stance. But it was no use. Enzo leapt at her and rammed his daggers into her sword. Metal clanged on metal, and though her blade was substantially larger than her opponent's, the force with which he slammed into her guard turned her arms to jelly. Rukia watched helplessly as she tried to slice through hordes of Assente, but the mindless beings congregated in numbers that her shikai could not thin. So Orihime was left to fend for herself, and that was not a good thing. Enzo swung with his weapon again and this time, Orihime was unable to keep her footing and fell to the ground, her zanpakuto skidding out of her reach.

For the first time in a long time she felt like a helpless little girl and it was all she could do to keep the tears from spilling over. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave her family again. She didn't want to be taken again.

"Ha. Time for a snack." Enzo pulled his dart back and lunged forward, aiming for her heart. Orihime closed her eyes and prayed for something – anything – to save her. Clang.

"Wha-?"

She cracked her eyes and gasped when she saw a head of black hair and a lean, unclothed torso casting a shadow over her. In her savior's hand was a gleaming silver sword held point down and blocking the tip of the dart precariously on the cutting edge. That blade was effectively blocking the killing blow of a very surprised Enzo Esposito. The mysterious man turned his head to look over his shoulder and Orihime's eyes widened with shock. Covering the right half of his face was a black mask resembling the face of a wolf. Three grizzly golden stripes reminiscent of claw marks ran vertically from the top to the bottom of the mask, missing only the eye socket and grinning fangs. But the most shocking thing was his eye. The sclera was pitch black and the iris was shimmering red.

"Hi, Princess. The Boss didn't want you to die, so I suggest that you get the hell out of here while you can." He turned back to Enzo, who by that time had jumped away and was glaring, puzzled, at his opponent: a revived Kanaye Ronin. The masked man deftly flipped his weapon so that the tip was now facing the demon. He grinned maniacally as the black material that composed his mask ever so slowly encroached upon the rest of his face. "'Cause once I get started, I'm not stopping until this guy is a shit stain on the ground."

OoOoO

Meanwhile, Ichigo crashed to the ground, blood streaming like so much water from a massive wound starting at the juncture of his left shoulder and spanning the length of his torso. A perfect vision of Senna, the sweet girl - who wasn't really a girl at all - who had only ever wanted to live as a normal person, knelt beside his head and smiled happily as she swept a speck of his blood from his mouth with her finger. She examined the liquid curiously before licking it and shivering with delight. It was all Ichigo could do to keep his eyes open as blood pooled under him and this thing devoured his life.

"Oh, Ichigo, your soul is delicious!" she crowed, bouncing up and twirling like a schoolgirl. Aimone watched stoically, never moving even as his creation crooned over the taste of his opponent's blood.

"Not yet," the armored intruder said when the false Senna made a move to break her conquest's neck. "Lord Victor ordered that the guardians be kept alive lest out plan be foiled."

Senna looked confused for a split second, quickly recovered, and bounded over to stand beside her master. The young Captain Kurosaki gasped as, with great effort, he pulled himself into an awkward lying position. He glared hatefully at the thin man and spat a glob of blood in that direction. "How could you, you bastard? How could you defile her memory like this?"

No answer. Instead, Aimone turned his head as if he had heard something, then began to float towards the shimmering doorway he had first entered through, a happy Senna clone following close behind.

"My apologies, Captain. As I said, I would prefer my attacks to be more direct, but psychological warfare is just as good at getting the job done." Aimone halted his assent for a moment and spoke over his shoulder, "Regretfully, my creations exist until they are destroyed. I am afraid you will be seeing much more of your old friend."

As Aimone floated away, Ichigo Kurosaki released a sorrowful roar.

OoOoO

"'Cause once I get started, I'm not stopping until this guy is a shit stain on the ground."

Enzo didn't know how this had happened. He had stomped the life out of the little Soul Reaper himself. And now the boy was back, brandishing his sword as though he had never been injured to begin with, and wearing a mask with colors inverted from a normal Hollow's. Together, all of these things naturally confused him, but they also made him very, incredibly angry. With a great roar, he stomped the ground and sent out a wave of reiatsu.

"I don't know HOW you came back to life you puny shit! But you can bet that I'm gonna crush your-"

"Enzo! Our objective is complete. Leave the garbage alone."

Enzo glanced upward to see that his companion was stationed next to their entrance and huffed angrily. He drew back and snarled.

"Oh?" Kanaye snickered as he tilted his head. "Mommy's calling, little Enzy. Better go before you get in trouble. HAHAHA!" The masked shinigami's howling laughter irked Enzo, but the larger man contained himself and leaped into the air. Aimone stepped through the doorway, but Enzo paused before making his exit.

"Next time, you crazy asshole. Next time, I'm gonna rip your head off."

As soon as Enzo stepped through, the doorway disappeared and the remaining Assente shimmered and dissolved. The shinigami who were fighting breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately began taking stock of the situation.

Kanaye – or whoever he was – sheathed his blade, the scabbard appearing on his back held in place by a silver-linked bandolier chain. He swiftly appeared at Orihime's side, extending a hand and chuckling at her cautious expression. "Come on, Princess. Tasty as you look, you don't think I'd go ta all that trouble to save ya and then just turn on you. Do you?"

At that, she relaxed a bit and accepted his help, stumbling to her feet and mumbling her thanks.

"Well just because the Boss is a pussy doesn't mean that I'm gonna sit around and watch you die. Speaking of the Boss, I don't think he'd appreciate it very much if anyone found out that he let me out to play."

"And who is 'the Boss' you keep talking about."

Kanaye looked to his right, where Rukia had appeared and was frowning profusely. She was obviously trying to decide whether this thing was friendly or not. She knew what he was, but didn't know what to make of him. Kanaye laughed again.

"Who do you think, midget?" Rukia fumed upon hearing that. "Point is, don' t tell anybody I was here. You never saw me."

Before either woman could ask another question or interject, the Ronin warrior flashed away, leaving the both of them confused, but willing to keep quiet until they gathered more information about their new ally.

A/N: Oh dear. Kanaye has a mask and Ichigo was beaten by a girl. Intriguing. Read and review, let me know how you liked it and all that.