CHAPTER 7: THE QUINCY'S WHEREABOUTS
Head Captain Yamamoto nodded slowly as Ichigo and Yoruichi relayed Lieutenant Matsumoto's words. These findings disturbed him greatly. If the Quincy named Ishida Uryu is capable of possession, what other dangerous things is he capable of?
"The location of the Quincy, at this very moment, is of top priority," Yamamoto declared, "Kurosaki Ichigo, I am sending Shihoin Yoruichi, Fourth Division Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane, Fifth Division Lieutenant Hinamori Momo and Sixth Division Captain Kuchiki Byakuya to join you. The Quincy may have become incredibly powerful; and with Arabai Ranji, Kuchiki Rukia and Hitsugaya Toshiro now in his ranks, you are going to need all the help you can get."
Ichigo clenched his fists as his glare burned into the floor. He took a deep breath then looked back up at Yamamoto.
"Are they to meet me here?" he asked with his glare still present.
"That is correct, Ichigo," the Head Captain nodded, "If you and Yoruichi would kindly wait here, I'll have your assigned comrades informed and gathered within minutes." Yamamoto left the room with the close closing behind him as he began speaking with lower-level Shinigami.
Ichigo stepped toward the nearest wall and proceeded to lean against it, arms folded in front of his chest. He leaned his head back and exhaled rather heavily. This worried Yoruichi quite a bit. She strode up to him and caressed his shoulders.
"Are you going to be okay, Ichigo?" the Flash Step Goddess asked. The carrot top said nothing at first. He exhaled once more then move his head to look at Yoruichi.
"I just can't believe Ishida would do this," he lamented, "We may not have been on the friendliest terms, but he was a comrade I could count on when things got bad." The former princess looked to the side for a moment, thinking further about what Ichigo just said, before looking him in the face once more.
"If it's any comfort," she assured, "Two of your assigned comrades for this operation also have their own motivations for going after the Quincy." Ichigo knew one of the two she was talking about was Byakuya. Ishida had both his sister and lieutenant and has them doing his bidding.
"I know about Byakuya," the carrot top asked, "But who else would personally go after Ishida?"
"The other one is Hinamori Momo," Yoruichi informed, "She and Captain Hitsugaya were childhood friends and have remained close."
The door opened and Head Captain Yamamoto entered the room with Isane, Byakuya and Momo in tow. The five assigned comrades gathered in front of Yamamoto for further orders.
"You five have been gathered for the task of locating and eliminating the threat that is the Quincy, Ishida Uryu," the Head Captain explained, "Since we still currently have no information on his whereabouts, it will be up to you to gather information by any means necessary. Are these orders clear?"
"Yes sir," Ichigo's assigned comrades replied in unison. The Substitute Shinigami simple nodded his head.
"You have your orders," Yamamoto concluded with a strong tap of his cane, "Dismissed!" The five comrades gave a slight bow before leaving the room.
As the day went on, the group went around Soul Society. They spoke with both fellow Shinigami and commoners, turning up nothing for a long while. That was until Momo received a tip from a lower-level Shinigami that she saw Rukia and Renji earlier that day running across rooftops. Momo then took this information to the rest of the group as they met up in a sushi bar. Yoruichi was greatly disturbed by this revelation.
"If what you're saying is true," the former princess figured, "The Quincy sent them to spy on Soul Society and he now knows Ichigo is involved."
"Are you saying he could find a way to exploit my inner Hollow?" Ichigo questioned.
"That's a possibility," Yoruichi replied, "But what I actually had in mind was the fact that he knows you well. He could possibly find leverage against you."
Ichigo suddenly became unresponsive. His mind began to wander to his family. He remembered that day when he fought his way to the deepest parts of Hell to save Yuzu, only to discover she was already dead. Sure she miraculously came back to life, but what if that doesn't happen this time?
"Ichigo!" the carrot top snapped back to reality thanks to Yoruichi.
"Are you okay?" the former princess asked softly. Ichigo slowly shook his head.
"I don't mean to sound selfish," he explained, "But I do honestly believe I the most things at stake in this ordeal."
"You don't sound selfish at all," Momo spoke up, "You're good friends with Rukia and Renji. Not to mention other friends and family who could possibly be in immediate danger."
"Just remember that you have comrades to fall back on when you need it," Isane chimed in.
"You have been good to Rukia," said Byakuya, "I owe you that much to join forces against the enemy."
At that moment, a man came running into the building.
"Ichigo!" the man exclaimed as he fell to his knees, "You have to help me!"
"Ganju?" Ichigo tried to calm the man making a scene down, "What are you doing here? What happened?"
"Your Quincy friend destroyed our home!" he explained with his voice faltering, "He came arrived with three Shinigami, claiming to need to discuss assistance with a brewing problem in Soul Society while mentioning you were already in Soul Society, trying to help out. As we were taking them inside to begin discussions, they suddenly attacked and destroyed everything we had."
"What about Kukaku?" Ichigo pressed further, "Did she get out okay?" Ganju immediately started bawling as he tightly gripped the black fabric of Ichigo's clothes.
"She's dead, Ichigo!" he cried out, "I didn't want to leave her there but she urged me to run and find you. I looked back as I fled and saw the Quincy impale her between her eyes." Momo and Isane gasped at the last detail.
"Did you make sure you weren't being followed?" Yoruichi demanded. Ganju turned to speak- only to die in a burst of blood, the tip of a Quincy arrow exiting out through his forehead. Momo gave a yelp as Ganju's body hit the floor. Ichigo looked up at the sushi bar's entrance and immediately became enraged at the sight of Ishida Uryu.
"Ishida!" Ichigo drew his Zanpakto and pointed it in Uryu's direction, but lowered it in shock upon seeing a certain girl in his grip.
"Lay down your Zanpakto, you and the other Shinigami, if you wish to keep Inoue alive," Uryu demanded. Orihime squirmed and tried to say something, Uryu's hand over her mouth was preventing it from happening. The Quincy drew on his special arrows, holding it as if it were a sword, and held it near the healer's throat.
"Wait!" Ichigo cried out. He held his Zanpakto out in front of him and let it drop from his hand, sending to loudly clanging on the floor. Uryu smirked then, before anyone could react, whipped around and stabbed Captain Hitsugaya in the chest.
"TOSHIRO!" Momo cried out. Uryu ignored her as he continued to look into the captain's eyes.
"You actually thought I wouldn't see through you acting as if you were really under my control?" he taunted, "If possessing you actually worked, I would have known."
"Then….why….didn't you….just….try again?" Toshiro struggled to say from the floor.
"Simple, I needed you to believe you have fooled me," Uryu explained, "You didn't want any Shinigami to die needlessly through my seals on Renji and Rukia if you took action. Through that, I was able to have you take of some necessary destruction." Toshiro coughed up blood and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Then why let Ganju escape?" Ichigo demanded.
"It's simple, Ichigo," Byakuya spoke up, "If he allowed him to escape, he would find you and therefore lead him to you."
"Why?!" Ichigo was furious, "What are you trying to accomplish?" Uryu looked in Ichigo's eyes for a moment then sighed in disappointment.
"Do you know what it's like to know what the Shinigami did to your kind?" the Quincy asked, "Have you ever felt the intense burn of hatred that follows?"
"Ishida, listen to yourself," Ichigo tried to reason, "You're better than this. I hated Soul Society myself at one point-"
"Refusing to help one person is not the same as eliminating Quincy to near-extinction!" Uryu spat.
"That is enough, Ichigo," Yoruichi reasoned, "He's at the point where he can no longer be reasoned with."
"I will destroy you, Kurosaki," Uryu spoke up again, "Then I will destroy Soul Society and avenge those who died at their hands."
As he finished speaking, he saw Yoruichi start to Flash Step. His enhanced Quincy powers allowed him to catch her going for Orihime. His body, however, couldn't keep up and only left a small wound in Yoruichi's side as she rejoined Ichigo and company with Orihime in her arms.
"Damn you all!" the Quincy growled. He then charged at Ichigo with Rukia and Renji doing the same.
