Chapter VII

-The Henker-

After falling down for around a half day through the hole in the middle of the staircase Ichigo finally got to see the Soul Society underneath him, or better say, the Seireitei which had changed it's look after the Vandenreich HQ had appeared.

"Somewhere down there... is Shizuka." He muttered as he turned around to land safely on his feet instead of on his head.

Ichigo could feel the reiatsu of his allies who were fighting with all their might against the Quincy and decided to help them as much as he could the moment he finally landed on the ground. The impact of his arrival was creating a huge shock-wave which destroyed a lot of buildings and Ichigo looked around. Everything did changed in here, Ichigo didn't recognized anything at all but he decided to follow Kisuke's reiatsu and moved as fast as he could over there to meet up with him. On his way he could see a lot of rubble and corpses, just like the first time the Vandenreich had invaded the Seireitei. He squinted his eyes as he then finally reached a building which supposedly was once the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

He did only a few steps in there as an explosion close occurred and he was surprised to feel Yui's reiatsu, wondering when did she get here since she had been in the Soul King Palace when he left.

Finally Ichigo reached the room where Kisuke was and the shinigami raised his head in surprise.

"Oh, Kurosaki-san. Welcome back." He said with a smile upon recognizing Ichigo underneath all his new clothing. "You know, I barely recognized you underneath all this clothes."

"I know, I know." Ichigo said. "Urahara-san... how's the condition of Soul Society?"

"Right now it's a good thing, even through the Quincies released their Quincy: Vollständig." Kisuke said, hiding his face behind his fan. "Nakamura-san is helping out a lot, but the Quincies are in superior number and it's also not very good to underestimate them."

"I see. Did Shizuka..." Kisuke shook his head before Ichigo could end his sentence.

"Until now I haven't noticed anything at all. Even through this is the Vandenreich HQ I still can't feel her reiatsu."

Hearing the worry in Kisuke's voice Ichigo only nodded.

"I'll get her back, Urahara-san. I promise." He said and Kisuke smirked hearing this and nodded.

"I know this. I guess she also does believe in you saving her." He said. "Now, you should go and take a look. I guess there are some low-class shinigami around so try to take them into a safe place." Kisuke said as Ichigo was about to head out.

"Yeah, surely." Ichigo said before he dashed off, back the way he came. Ichigo found some low-class shinigami nearly immediately, under them Ryunosuke and Shino.

"Hey there!" He said as he landed next to him.

"Oh, Ichigo-san, good you've arrived!" Ryunosuke said, running up to him. He had some scratches and also was bleeding from some of them.

"You alright?" He asked worried as Ryunosuke was about to say something but Shino stopped him.

"Wait, Ryunosuke. We should say it an other way!" She shouted. She also had got some bad injuries and Ichigo wondered what she meant with this.

"What do you mean, Shino?" He asked but heard then screams from behind him as supposedly some of the low-class shinigami were killed.

This was when Ichigo felt the reiatsu. The reiatsu he knew best because it was the whole time around him.

Slowly he turned around and found a female figure standing above a pile of shinigami corpses. With emotionless eyes Shizuka looked down at Ichigo, having no expression on her face and wearing Quincy garb.

"Shizuka..." He muttered shocked as she then went down from the pile of corpses and made her way up to the remaining shinigami. Ichigo noticed the Quincy garb had some blood stains on it. Ichigo thought he was going to attack him but instead Shizuka used Shunpo and Ichigo heard screams behind him again, turning around he saw how she again killed other shinigami, only Ryunosuke and Shino who were standing close to Ichigo were alright.

Shizuka turned around again and walked up to them and Ichigo quickly drew both Zangetsu and held them before Ryunosuke and Shino so Shizuka wouldn't attack. She also stopped before them and looked without any emotion at him, probably searching for an opening.

"What had happened to you?" Ichigo said shocked. "What did they do to you?"

Shizuka however didn't replied and raised her arms. A bow of reishi and an reishi arrow appeared in her hands and Ichigo quickly pushed the two low-class shinigami behind him and put his blades up for defense but as Shizuka was about to shoot her hands started to tremble and she made a strained face, as if she was fighting deep down against it. With a small hiss she let both Quincy weapons disappear and ran off using Shunpo. Ichigo quickly told Ryunosuke and Shino to find a safe place to hide before he started to follow Shizuka. He was surprised how fast she was but noticed he could follow her easily but also felt a force leading him there where she was going and without even checking he knew it was Kyuketsuki no Yurei who was leading him.

Soon he got to see her and tried to move his legs faster to reach her. Finally he was able to grab the hem of the dress she was wearing and tried to pull her back but Shizuka nearly kicked him. As she looked in his eyes she hissed once again before pulling her leg back and instead ripped his hold off and went on, faster than before.

"Wait!" Ichigo shouted but Shizuka still went on and didn't stopped. She only stopped as she reached a Quincy Ichigo did recognize. It was the one who had broken his Tensa Zangetsu.

Shizuka did land next to him and told him something and Haschwalth looked up.

"Oh, so soon to see you again, shinigami?" He asked but didn't sounded surprised at all. Feeling anger that he broke his Zanpakuto and also took away his girlfriend and turned her against him Ichigo drew his Zanpakutos and tried to attack him. Haschwalth however was agile enough to dodge Ichigo's attack and appeared behind him.

"Still not fast enough." Haschwalth said.

"I don't fuck a shit about this!" Ichigo shouted enraged as he took a look over to Shizuka who still stood without any expression or emotion in her face there. Her emotionless was making his heart pain as he bit down his teeth seeing her like this as he continued to attack Haschwalth.

As Ichigo tried to attack him he felt the explosion next to him and out of the rubble appeared Yui who looked surprised at him. She was stroking over her cheek which got a bleeding scratch. Yui also wasn't wearing her kimono anymore, she was wearing chinese clothing.

The woman looked over to Ichigo in surprise and then took a glance over to Shizuka and her eyes widen.

"Shizuka..." She muttered as she went up again. Haschwalth only looked at the Royal Family member and then made a sign with his hand while looking at Shizuka.

"Henker, you know what you have to do." He said and Shizuka then leapt forward at her mother without any hesitation and attacked her – unlike when she tried to attack Ichigo where she was trembling or looking stressed. Shizuka jumped into the air and made a roll mid-air while attacking her mother from up. Yui quickly raised her arms and crossed them above her head to guard against Shizuka's powerful attack whose impact destroyed the surrounding.

"You shouldn't look away while fighting." Ichigo then heard from right next to him and looked around in shock. There was Haschwalth charging at him and Ichigo was fast enough to raise his blades to protect himself from the attack. While he fought he could feel a weird sensation deep in his chest and he wondered what was going on until he realized that this was coming from Kyuketsuki no Yurei. He knew this feeling, she wanted to get reunited with her owner but Ichigo knew this wouldn't be good if he would do that. Even through Shizuka looked right now like she wouldn't be able to commence something with her katana. The attacked Haschwalth several times but still it didn't seemed like he was being serious about fighting, probably because he still thought Ichigo was weak as back then, when he attacked Yhwach to try to get Shizuka back who seemingly got brainwashed by them. Haschwalth then stopped and looked at something in his pocket. As he found it he made a sign to Shizuka who then stopped attacking Yui and returned back to Haschwalth through Shunpo.

"For now, we'll stop the attack. But you should know that we will return to invade the Soul Society further." He said and then he and Shizuka – who was looking at Ichigo – disappeared. Ichigo only stood there and then went over to Yui who was sitting on the ground and wiped off the blood from her mouth corner.

"Are you alright, Yui-san?" He asked and she nodded as she let Ichigo help her up and looked up to him with sad eyes.

"Yes, but I guess I was right with my presumption that they had made her fight for them." She muttered and Ichigo only watched his girlfriend's mother who had gotten quite a beating from her daughter but Ichigo knew why; Yui probably wasn't able to hurt Shizuka because she was her daughter.

"Yeah. Let's return to Urahara-san for now, I bet the others will be there, too." Ichigo said and together with the hurt Yui he returned to the former 12th Division barracks where – just as he thought – everyone else was. Including Renji and Rukia.

"Oh, Ichigo!" Rukia said once she saw him. "So you're back, too?"

"Yeah." Ichigo said as he then finally sat on the ground. Nearly all the captains and the lieutenants were here and got healed by the 4th Division just like Yui who got really badly beaten.

"I've felt Shizuka-chan's reiatsu. Did you saw her?" Asked Shinji who had sat next to her. He knew quite good how close Ichigo and Eliza were, after all he had witnessed how even Ichigo's Hollow had tried to defend her as Hiyori attacked Shizuka during his training to get control over this Hollow.

"Yeah. Brainwashed and under control of those damn SternRitter." Ichigo replied and sighed. "I guess taking her back will be really difficult."

"Don't let your head hanging. You've gotten your true Zanpakuto now, you should be able to do this." Shinji said. "Although the situation is futile right now, with your new-found powers we can win."

Ichigo didn't responded him and only looked at all those people who were treated, wondering what Shizuka was doing right now.

Following Ichigo's thought Shizuka as the Henker did arrived at the for her assigned room in the Vandenreich HQ and wondered why she couldn't attack that orange-haired boy. One of the attendants appeared and the Henker looked around.

"Henker-san, Your Majesty is calling you." The female attendant said and so Henker made her way to Yhwach's throne room. The door was opened and so she could go through the door and saw the King of the Quincies sitting on his throne. She knelt before him to show her respect.

"Your Majesty." She said. "You called."

"Indeed I did. I heard from Haschwalth you were unable to attack Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I was. I am terribly sorry."

"I think I know why. I have tried to delete all those useless emotions stored inside of you while you were brainwashed into a new person by us. However, I couldn't delete the feelings of you, that's why you weren't capable to hurt Kurosaki Ichigo who was your beloved." Yhwach explained while still not moving from his throne. "So I have another quest for you, Henker. Because you are not capable to hurt nor attack Kurosaki Ichigo then hide all of your reiatsu and bring him here. Make a trap so he will follow you here without the others."

"I will, Your Majesty." Henker replied and stood out when Yhwach made a sign with his hand for do so and so she raised to her feet and for the first time caught a glimpse on Yhwach's successor who was looking at her with great shock. Not trying to bother she waited until Yhwach told her to retreat to her room for now and bowed before walking off.

In her room she waited until it was deepest night to fulfill her order. While she waited she was wondering about Yhwach's words about her being in love with Kurosaki Ichigo and noticed that she felt relieved for a moment when she saw his face.

As soon as the moon showed between the clouds Henker stood up and went to fulfill the order she got from Yhwach.

Ichigo was meanwhile sleeping after thinking a lot about what happened and that he might not have the powers to save his girlfriend and never be able to be together with her which made his heart ache. He found himself in his Inner World which still was dark and rainy and he couldn't see his two Zanpakuto spirit anywhere until he felt a presence behind himself and looked around. There was Quincy Zangetsu standing.

"Oh, Zan-"

"You wonder why it rains in here and why it got so dark? I told you once, this world can reflect your feelings. Your desperation not being able to save Shizuka had made it rain and the depression not being strong enough made the whole place pitch black. You have to gain back your self-confidence, Ichigo!" He said and Ichigo looked surprised at him.

"Zangetsu..." With this words Ichigo woke up when he got something in his side and noticed it was someone's foot. Some of the shinigami were sleeping to get some rest before more battles and so also Ichigo slept in who hadn't get a good sleep in some hours. With a little sigh considering that was Zangetsu told him Ichigo rose to his feet and then made his way outside. Standing on the top of the stairs he looked over the whole place and was surprised that not so long ago this place was filled with sounds of war; now it was quiet and peaceful, almost as if never something happened.

He took a deep breathe as he then noticed a presence close by and looked around. On the bottom of the stairs stood Shizuka, gazing up to him.

"Shizuka." Ichigo gasped and made his way down to her. She instead didn't moved at all and only stared at Ichigo. "What are you doing here?"

Shizuka opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but closed it then again. She only turned around and then started to dash off the moment when Ichigo was about to grab her arm.

"Wait!" Ichigo shouted. "I said wait, Shizuka!"

He started to follow her again, not giving up this time. He would catch her and try to get her back to her senses.

Shizuka stopped by a big staircase and looked around to Ichigo who then arrived there, too. He stopped surprised before her.

"Shizuka, what's going on?" He asked but she didn't said anything. She did only opened her mouth.

"I'm... sorry..." She got out before Ichigo felt a hard hit on his neck and everything around him turned dark for a moment.

"Well done." Haschwalth appeared and had grabbed Ichigo who got unconscious. "He did truly let his guard down. What a bad idea."

With Ichigo having been caught the SternRitter and Henker returned back to the Vandenreich HQ, putting Ichigo into a jail and chaining his feet and arms. Haschwalth also took his Zanpakutos from him and placed them on the wall in front of the cell. Then he ordered Henker to guard the cell so no one would appear and try to free him or watch out he won't try to get his Zanpakutos.

Haschwalth then left and let Henker alone standing there in front of the cell, having her back turned to the shinigami behind her.