A.N: Currently, I'm off to orientation at my new college. Good news though, I've got my laptop with me, so the flow of work isn't going to change.

Anyways, this chapter focuses on another showdown between a Soul Reaper and one of the Royal Fracciónes. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Complacency

The Royal Fracciónes had trained together for years. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. Well, not so much for weaknesses. After years of training under their master and king, the six of them had been certain they had covered up all their weaknesses to better serve the man they all idolized on the level of religious zealots. That was why when the remaining five felt Mathias Lourdes' spiritual pressure vanish, they were all stunned.

Well, it was not just because of an arrogant sense of superiority that had come from training under the king himself, it was also the fact that each member was close with one another. Because of the years Benito had preached harmony, they had all taken it to heart and got along better than most groups of Arrancar in general and had a mutual respect for one another. So it was not just shock that came from feeling Mathias die, but also sadness.

Fielhombre Guardia sighed as he lowered his head in a brief prayer out of respect for his fallen comrade. "It appears that the Royal Fracciónes will from now on be just five…His Majesty would never replace any of us."

"Your king has got you under his thumb, hasn't he."

Fielhombre glared at the owner of the voice. Kensei Muguruma looked down at his opponent. "Since Rose is giving it his all, I guess I can't be caught slacking off."

"I see, and this Rose is the one who defeated Mathias?"

"You bet your sorry ass he was." Kensei grinned, proud of his comrade.

"Che, Mathias may be dead but I'd appreciate it if you didn't underestimate us." Fielhombre said angrily.

"You shouldn't talk so big when one of your buddies dies, pal." Said Kensei. "It just sounds like crappy bravado."

"I won't allow you to belittle a comrade of mine like that, Soul Reaper. I advise you to stop before you anger me. Angering me will be the biggest and last mistake you will make."

Kensei grinned at this. "Make my day, pal." He said, pulling down his Hollow Mask.

The remaining members of the Royal Fracciónes were not the only ones to sense Mathias Lourdes' death. Halibel's Fracciónes had sensed it as well. The three girls were already well aware of Mathias' reputation as an effective torturer who could kill you without much effort on his own part. So to come to the realization that he had been defeated and killed by an enemy was shocking for the three of them.

Emilou Apacci felt something else: Frustration. And she was taking it out on the nearest Soul Reaper. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" She screamed, kicking the downed man repeatedly.

"What's got your panties in a bunch, Apacci?" Mila Rose smirked. "Don't tell me you were crushing on Mathias? Didn't know you liked tattoos."

That was Mila Rose' way of coping, trying to make light of the situation. That of course did not sit well with Apacci. "Oh screw you, you cow! You know that's not why I'm upset!"

Apacci looked down at the ground. "The Royal Fracciónes…the six of them are monsters in their own right. They always seemed so out of reach for the three of us. And then for one of them to die so early in the invasion just pisses me off."

For once, Mila Rose agreed with Apacci. Sun-Sun simply remained silent throughout this tirade of Apacci's. "Well, if things go the way we planned, we'll be remembered too." Said Apacci.

The deer-woman turned to her two compatriots. "Well, come on! It's not too far away, right?"

Leocadio Lope was in shock as well. He shook his head in sadness, knowing that his opponent would not dare attack him with his guard down (Leocadio could tell he was the honorable-to-a-fault type).

"Mathias…damn…" He muttered sadly.

"I'm surprised that your comrade's death is affecting you so much." Jūshirō Ukitake admitted.

"Mathias was a comrade, one who the rest of us shall pay our respects to once this is over." Leocadio said sternly.

"But before that," Leocadio continued, "when this particular battle is over I should track down the guy who defeated him. Revenge is good closure after all, and I certainly can't let it slide that the guy who beat Mathias had the nerve to embarrass the Royal Fracciónes. I just hope I get there before Fielhombre or Palmira beat me to the punch, those two have been preaching retribution ever since Lady Alondra's death."

"Umm…could you stop talking to yourself and focus on our fight?" Jūshirō asked.

"Argh!" Leocadio realized his mistake. "I can't believe I got distracted like that again. Palmira always said I shouldn't be so careless."

What is with this guy? Jūshirō thought, sweat-dropping at the serious looking man's childish quirk.

"All right," Leocadio decided, "no more getting distracted, I need to kill this guy and then hunt down the bastard that killed Mathias."

Leocadio pointed his Zanpakutō at Jūshirō in the manner of a challenge. "Taking that into consideration I'm on a rather tight schedule. That being said, I do hope you'll give me a good challenge, Captain Ukitake."

Jūshirō raised his own Zanpakutō in response. "I intend to," he replied, "just remember that you asked for this."

I need to end this quickly, Jūshirō thought, this is an enemy I can't afford to take too long with and run the risk of making my tuberculosis flare up.

"Let's rock!" Leocadio screamed, making the first move in the fight.

Leocadio grinned and leapt at Jūshirō, swinging the short sword at the Squad 13 Captain. Jūshirō quickly blocked the attack with his own Zanpakutō. With his grin widening, Leocadio threw a punch straight at Jūshirō's face. Because of how close they were, Jūshirō could not dodge the punch and was pushed back several feet.

Damn, Jūshirō thought, I had no time to dodge that. It's almost like sparring with…

Not wanting to give his opponent any time to recover, Leocadio ran towards Jūshirō as he recovered. Screaming with maniacal joy, Leocadio swung at Jūshirō repeatedly. Jūshirō, gritting his teeth in frustration, blocked each attack with little effort. This continued until Leocadio suddenly attempted to sweep Jūshirō's leg. While doing something in a sword fight would normally be impossible, the close proximity between Leocadio and Jūshirō permitted the Royal Fracciónes to do something that most would consider quite underhanded.

Jūshirō managed to balance himself to avoid falling over, only to see Leocadio's blade coming straight at his face. Eyes widening, Jūshirō quickly blocked the blade. I have to make some distance, Jūshirō thought, his fighting style may be that of a berserker but…

Jūshirō's thoughts were suddenly cut off by Leocadio's fist flying at him again. Jūshirō quickly raised his hand. "Bakudō #8, Seki!"

Leocadio's fist was reflected off Jūshirō's hand. The Arrancar's eyes widened in surprise at this. Wanting to send him back, Jūshirō followed up with another spell. "Hadō #4, Byakurai!"

Leocadio cried out as the pale lightning went straight through his body. He leapt back as Jūshirō regained his full balance. The two glared at one another.

"I'm actually surprised you've managed to keep up so far," Leocadio admitted, "aren't you sick or something?"

Jūshirō nodded. "I am," he replied, "but every once in awhile I'm healthy enough to take part in fights like this."

Leocadio smirked. "Lucky me," he said.

"I beg to differ."

Leocadio chuckled. "Heh, you talk like I'm the arrogant one, yet here you are using low-level Kidō thinking that can stop me. Do you take me that lightly?"

"Not at all," Jūshirō replied, "I simply had to make some distance between us, otherwise you would've been permitted to continue your berserker-like strategy."

Leocadio raised an eyebrow as Jūshirō looked at the short Zanpakutō he held. "That's a very small sword you hold," said Jūshirō, "I guess you prefer getting up close and personal, huh?"

Leocadio was surprised. He then quickly got over his surprise and chuckled. "Yeah, you're right, I do."

"So I guess my theory was correct."

Leocadio nodded. "I use the size of this blade to get in close with my enemies. Once I'm close, I throw bone crunching punches and kicks that only a master of Flash Step, Sonido, or any one of those speed techniques can dodge."

Leocadio smirked. "I'm actually impressed," Leocadio admitted, "tell me, how did you manage to figure that out?"

Jūshirō smirked back. "My closest friend uses a similar strategy," he replied, "he uses the short blade to get in close, and once the enemy cannot dodge his attack, he strikes with a longer blade."

"Ooh, interesting," said Leocadio, "but nostalgia can't be the only reason you figured me out."

Jūshirō nodded. "You were careless," he told him, "you shouldn't reveal your main strategy so early in a fight. What you should've done was lull me into believing something else was your strategy. Afterwards, you would've changed it and caught me off guard to the point where I could not recover."

Leocadio narrowed his eyes. "Damn, I was careless again."

"Oh well," he continued, "I guess I'll just have to step up my game."

Leocadio was suddenly cloaked in a crimson red aura of spiritual pressure. "As I'm sure you've discovered by now, the Royal Fracciónes are all Captain-class fighters." He said. "Fighters who were trained by His Majesty himself."

Jūshirō simply remained where he stood as Leocadio continued his speech. "Now, each of us have our own special talents. Fielhombre is a hand-to-hand master, Pastor is the fastest of the six of us, you get the idea. But me, I prefer versatility. Why do you think I fight with my blade and my body."

Leocadio smirked evilly. "What I'm about to show you is the true picture of versatility, Captain Ukitake. Once I enter this form, it matters very little if you fight me at close range or long range, because I'll still get you!"

"Now raze, Dragón!"

Jūshirō narrowed his eyes as Leocadio's body changed. Red wings sprouted from his back, red scale-like armor formed all over his body. Realizing what he had to do, Jūshirō quickly acted.

"All waves rise and become my shield, lightning strike and become my blade, Sōgyo no Kotowari!"

Jūshirō's one sword became two attached to a chain. Leocadio laughed as he took on the form of a human dragon. "Really now, what did I say about taking me lightly? All you're going to do is release your Shikai against me?"

Jūshirō gritted his teeth in frustration at this. It's not that I'm taking him lightly, Jūshirō thought, but the last time I used my Bankai…I was hospitalized for months. That was the worst my tuberculosis had ever been.

"Well, I guess I can just force you to use it. I've got no problem with being forceful to achieve the ends I or my superiors desire." Leocadio smirked before adding evilly. "How do you think I attained my title, Leocadio of the Burning Sands?"

Jūshirō's eyes widened at what his opponent was implying. "I sure as hell didn't get it from holding nice, peaceful tea parties with those who would defy His Majesty's will." Leocadio continued.

Jūshirō, for the first time in a long time, glared at his opponent with pure hatred. "You're a monster."

"Sticks and stones, Captain Ukitake, it's not like I didn't give them a choice." Said Leocadio. "Because I gave them a choice. Hell, we all did. If you're going to be angry at someone, be angry at the guys who were stupid enough to refuse His Majesty's offer."

"But, I'm getting distracted from the task at hand…again. I didn't come here to justify burning my leader's enemies to a crisp. I came here to fulfill his desire for world peace. Clearly you're in the way, so I'm just going to have to add you to a very long kill list."

Leocadio flew into the air. "Now stop, drop, and scream, Captain Ukitake!"

Leocadio breathed fire out of his maw. Jūshirō calmly reacted and absorbed the flames into one of his blades. The energy traveled through the chain connecting the blades. Jūshirō held up the other blade and sent the flames right back at Leocadio. Leocadio folded his wings and dived down, dodging his own attack.

"So that's what his Shikai does." Leocadio mused to himself.

Well, I guess burning this guy to a crisp is out of the question. Bah, what do I care? I did say this is the picture of versatility. So, let's show some versatility. Leocadio grinned. Hell, who knows, I might still burn him.

Folding his wings, Leocadio sped towards Jūshirō. The Squad 13 Captain readied Sōgyo no Kotowari. "Los Garras!"

Leocadio bared his claws at Jūshirō. He thrusted the first claw, which Jūshirō caught. He quickly followed up with the second claw that Jūshirō knocked away with his free blade. Leocadio grinned at this.

Gotcha! He thought.

Leocadio spat more fire at Jūshirō who did not have Sōgyo no Kotowari to defend him this time. The flames struck Jūshirō and enveloped him, sending him backwards. Leocadio grinned as he watched the flames dance around Jūshirō's body. The flames were suddenly dispersed by a blast of Spiritual Pressure. Jūshirō was charred, but looked otherwise okay. He looked at Leocadio.

"Those are strong flames, but they're nowhere near Master Genryūsai's." Jūshirō deadpanned.

Leocadio smirked. "Based on the dossier we got on that old geezer, not many flames are. But comparing my flames to that of Ryūjin Jakka is just not fair, especially when mine can still get the job done."

Leocadio flew at Jūshirō once more. Thinking he would try the same tactic he had used before, Jūshirō prepared to counter. However, Leocadio surprised him when he grabbed the blade he had held out in front of him. "Garra!"

Leocadio drove his free claw into Jūshirō's chest. Jūshirō gasped in pain at this. Leocadio knew Jūshirō still had one more free blade, so he chose not to breath fire. He opted for a more barbaric attack instead. "Los Colmillos!"

Leocadio leaned forward and bit Jūshirō on the neck. Jūshirō fired out at this. Leocadio then pushed off of his opponent's body, taking a chuck of Jūshirō's flesh with him. Jūshirō clutched his bleeding neck and glared at Leocadio, who was smirking while wiping the blood from his mouth. He groaned in discomfort at the taste of Jūshirō's blood.

"As much as I enjoy causing pain, I really do hate the taste of blood." Leocadio groaned.

Jūshirō raised an eyebrow. "Than don't bite people."

Leocadio's eyes widened. "Dammit!" He cursed himself for his lack of common sense…again.

Leocadio brandished his claws. "Okay, no more biting," he said, "let's just finish this off with my best attack!"

Leocadio charged Jūshirō at extremely high speeds. "Caza del Dragón!" He shouted.

Jūshirō's eyes widened in surprise at Leocadio's speed. Leocadio was soon in front of him, slashing at him repeatedly with his claws. Jūshirō cried out repeatedly as Leocadio continued his vicious onslaught him. Leocadio finished his barrage with two simultaneous slashes in the form of an X that sent Jūshirō backwards.

Leocadio laughed as Jūshirō struggled to his feet. "You really shouldn't be getting up after that." He said arrogantly. "Than again, you're probably still alive because I took out the part where I tear your throat out with my teeth."

Jūshirō gasped, coughing up blood that was not due to his tuberculosis. I won't win if I keep fighting like this, Jūshirō thought grimly, I thought I could win this with just Shikai, but I can't.

He sighed. I guess that's my fault. I've been getting lazier by the year because my disease has forced me to rest more often.

He looked at Leocadio. This guy…he's strong, Jūshirō continued, he'll kill me unless I do something about it.

He quickly came to a decision. There's no choice, he decided grimly, Captain Unohana will understand…I hope.

"I was hoping I could beat you with Shikai." Jūshirō admitted.

Leocadio looked at Jūshirō. "But I messed up, I'll admit that." He continued. "You're strong. In fact, you're stronger than me when I'm using Shikai."

"So, it begs the question," Jūshirō deadpanned, "are you stronger than me when I use Bankai?"

Leocadio's eyes widened. "Bankai," Jūshirō's blades started shining, "Sōgyo no Handan."

The blades merged and then split into three balls of light. The first ball of light formed into a katana that rested in Jūshirō's hand. The other two formed into two giant fish. Leocadio raised an eyebrow at this.

"The hell?" Leocadio was confused. "You're going to fight me with two giant fish?"

Jūshirō let a rare smirk grace his lips. It had been a long time since he had used this power. It was just like old times when he was a confident Academy Student with Shunsui.

"I'm not sure you realize the situation you are in," said Jūshirō, "my Bankai is incredibly unique."

"Yeah, it's unique alright. Unique in the sense that it's probably the only edible Bankai." Leocadio deadpanned.

"Wrong," said Jūshirō, "my Bankai is unique because it is the only Bankai capable of thinking for itself."

Leocadio's eyes widened in surprise at this. "While Sajin Komamura's Bankai creates a new warrior in the form of a giant, it is incapable of thinking for itself. It is bound by Komamura's movements and commands."

"Sōgyo no Handan, however, is different," Jūshirō began, "it creates two beings, these fish, that are capable of thinking for themselves. They strategize and fight together, without my guidance."

"In fact," Jūshirō continued, "the only thing I tell them is who the enemy is and that if I die, they die as well."

Leocadio was shocked at this powerful ability. Oh man, he thought, how much spiritual pressure does this guy have to be able to create and maintain live beings?

"No wonder you've been a captain for such a long time…and no wonder you haven't succumbed to your disease yet." Leocadio noted.

Jūshirō nodded. "That is true," he said, "in fact, I haven't used this Bankai in years because of that very disease. It takes so much out of me that my tuberculosis will act up in a very bad way."

Fighting three on one is not a good idea. Leocadio thought.

However, he continued, I won't back down. If I retreat now, I will damage the pride of the Royal Fracciónes and His Majesty himself! Damaging His Majesty's pride is something I could never forgive myself for! I will continue to fight!

The twin fish flew at Leocadio. Leocadio spat fire at the fish, only for one to absorb the flames. The other vanished and reappeared behind Leocadio and breathed the fire that the first fish had absorbed.

Crap! Leocadio cursed.

Leocadio flew into the air. He looked down at Jūshirō, who looked calm in spite of his injuries. He mentioned that if he died, those damn fish would die. It's like His Majesty once said: 'Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies.'

Leocadio flew at Jūshirō and swung one of his claws at Jūshirō, who effortlessly blocked the attack. Leocadio raised his free claw. Jūshirō smirked at him again.

"Tell me something, if the fish know that if I die, they die as well, what do you think would happen if I am threatened?"

Leocadio's eyes widened at what the Captain was insinuating. A fish suddenly appeared off to the side and spat fire at Leocadio. He did not have time to dodge the attack, and was sent backwards from his own flames. Leocadio cried out in pain. The flames the fish used were just as strong as his own. The charred Arrancar recovered quickly and glared at Jūshirō. "You bastard," Leocadio spat, "why the hell can't you just lay down and die?"

"I think the tuberculosis has made it clear that I am rather hard to kill." Jūshirō retorted.

"You think you can just act so cocky when you're covered in blood?" Leocadio shouted angrily. "Forget that! I'm gonna tear your damn face off! That'll shut you up!"

Leocadio flew at Jūshirō. "Caza del Dragón!"

Leocadio prepared his ultimate attack once more. only for a wall of fire to separate him and Jūshirō. Out of the corner of both eyes, Leocadio saw the fish breathing fire.

Both of those damned fish could use my fire! Leocadio thought. This Bankai was also an advanced version of his Shikai! If one absorbed my flames, the other can use it as well!

Leocadio then saw Jūshirō leap into the air. "Bakudō #63, Sajō Sabaku!"

Golden chains wrapped around Leocadio. No! Leocadio thought frantically.

The fish then appeared at Leocadio's sides. "You called me cocky," said Jūshirō, "while you are probably right, it is also the pot calling the kettle black. You got complacent in your own power and forgot about that one thing you prided yourself on, versatility."

"You did not adapt to Sōgyo no Handan, and now you must pay the price."

Leocadio watched in horror as both fish breathed fire. The flames struck him on both sides, simultaneously.

The combined flames were powerful enough to cause fatal damage to the Arrancar. By the time the flames dispersed. Leocadio was nothing more than a charred, blackened form of his old self that quickly crumbled to ash.

Jūshirō breathed a sigh of relief, seeing his opponent defeated. His Bankai dispersed in a flash of light. The second this happened, Jūshirō doubled over and started coughing up blood violently. His tuberculosis was starting to act up violently. Even worse than it had the last time he used Bankai.

In spite of the pain he was in and the fact that he was having difficulty breathing, Jūshirō managed a smile.

It was worth it, he thought, it was worth it.

With that, Jūshirō Ukitake blacked out from the pain he was in.

Pastor Olegario gasped in shock as Leocadio's Spiritual Pressure vanished from his senses. "Ah hell," he muttered in shock, "Leocadio too?"

He sighed. "Damn," he said, "well, at least the guy he fought has a faint Spiritual Pressure at the moment. I can pay a quick visit to him after I'm done with this one."

He smirked as he held Nanao Ise aloft. "You were too damn slow, you know that?" He said disdainfully.

"I don't blame you," Pastor continued, "speed kills, especially when it's my speed."

Pastor held up his hand. "His Majesty wanted us to spare the captains so they could watch their precious Seireitei burn. I don't see a Haori on you, so I hope you've made your peace, Lieutenant."

Before Pastor could deal the finishing strike, a new enemy sped towards him. Pastor noticed this and dropped Nanao. He grabbed a fist that ended up being inches from his face. He then grabbed a second fist that quickly followed up the attack. He locked eyes with his assailant.

"And who the hell are you?" Pastor asked.

Yoruichi Shihōin smirked. "Someone who's faster."

A.N: Yeah, probably saw that one coming, huh? Pastor is the fastest Arrancar alive, so yeah, of course he's going to go head to head with the Flash Master herself. Personally, I'm looking forward to writing that fight. You would not believe how many things changed from the original ideas I had for this story. This was actually one of the things that remained constant.

So, about Jūshirō's Bankai and Jūshirō in general. I liked what I came up with for its design. It's basically a powered up version of his Shikai that actually has the ability to think for itself. Now, with Jūshirō, I like to think that he could actually be as strong, if not, stronger than Shunsui (who's easily one of the strongest in the series right now), if not for his disease. It's clear that his disease is slowing him down. Think about it, even with the disease he's been a captain for at least 200 years. I'd like to know how strong he'd be without the disease, hence the powerful Bankai.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, keep an eye out for the next one!