Bleach Fanstory:

The New Order

By Michael Xu

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters that appear that were created by Kubo, apart from original characters that I created myself.

This is the sequel to A Bleached Honeymoon, and the second part of the New Order Trilogy. Parts of it will overlap with Shinigami Academy, the third part of the trilogy.

Story so far: After the inauguration of Urahara Kisuke as President of Soul Society, Kuchiki Byakuya and his lieutenant Ise Nanao announced their intention to marry. In the following two weeks their relatives and friends made their preparations for the ceremony. On the day of the wedding, the ceremony proceeded without interruption and with the blessing of the priests of Izanagi, Byakuya and Nanao were married, sealing the union between the Kuchikis and Nanao's adopted family, the Kyorakus...


Chapter 9: Cry of the Pantera

After Byakuya and Nanao's wedding, the following two months saw the gradual transformation of the thirteen Shinigami divisions into full fledged civilian bureaucracies. Ichigo started taking his role as headmaster of the Academy more seriously and actively got involved in its daily management. The other division captains also adjusted to their roles as civil servants, although some like Unohana, Tessai and Soifon continued to have military roles. Having been outsmarted in the election and subsequent political struggles, the Laodemon and Julius clans gave up their assassination attempts. Peace seemed to have to come to Soul Society at last. However, this peace was to be broken in the most dramatic way possible…

"Man I'm tired," a guard from the eleventh division yawned. The eleventh division had been reassigned as the police force of Rukongai, patrolling the three hundred and twenty districts.

"Here, a bit of sake will keep you awake," a fellow eleventh division member, Aramaki Makizo, handed the first guard a jug from his belt.

"No thanks, I've already pissed from drinking too much of it."

"Ha, ha, ha, your tolerance is pathetic!" Makizo, also known as Maki-Maki, laughed at his comrade. The two of them were patrolling an area of Karakura Cho that was rather infamous- the streets near the former Kurosaki clinic that had been the site of the first Arrancar invasion. Most of the houses in the vicinity were already occupied by Rukongai citizens. Hence there was a greater concentration of Shinigami guards in this district than in the rest of the city.

Just as Maki-Maki and his friend were about to head into the convenience door around the corner, an enormous spiritual pressure appeared in the sky above. The two Shinigami looked up and saw a garganta slowly opening up. Standing in the middle of the giant tear in the sky was a familiar teal-haired arrancar.

"What the hell, I thought this place was destroyed," former Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegarjaquez said as he descended to the ground. He landed directly in front of an absolutely terrified Maki-Maki and his friend. Before the two Shinigami could react, Grimmjow grabbed Maki-Maki by the throat.

"Listen up, Shinigami, if you don't want to die, tell me where Kurosaki Ichigo is," Grimmjow is.

"The captain of the fifth division? What business do you have with him?" Maki-maki asked.

"I want to kill him!!" Grimmjow shouted. Maki-maki's friend suddenly made a run for it, but Grimmjow disintegrated him with a cero that also blew up two nearby houses. The display of power so horrified Maki-maki that he literally defecated his pants.

"Uh, okay, I'll tell you where he is! Just please don't kill me!" Maki-maki cried for mercy. "He either stays at the fifth division barracks, or he's at the Shinigami Academy. Other than that I don't know much about him." Grimmjow threw Maki-maki onto the ground in frustration.

"Tch, he's locked away in that city eh?" he said to himself. "Alright then, go and tell Kurosaki Ichigo to come to the front gates of Las Noches by tomorrow. Tell him that Grimmjow Jaegarjaquez is waiting for him. If he does not come I shall return here and kill everyone in this city!" With that Grimmjow headed back to the garganta, closing it behind him. Maki-maki was left to wallow on the ground, both terrified at what he had experienced and relieved that he was still alive.

A few minutes later, another Shinigami came running over. It was the third seat of the fourth division, Yamada Hanatarou.

"Hey, what happened here?" Hanatarou asked a still quivering Maki-maki. "It looks like a huge explosion happened and-is that a dead body over there?" Maki-maki hastily grabbed Hanatarou's shirt.

"Please, take me to see the Commander at once," he begged Hanatarou.


Early next morning, Ichigo was woken up at the Shiba Manor by a knock on the front door. For the last two months he had spent more time with Rukia as her baby bump swelled even further. He kissed a still sleeping Rukia on the cheek before heading downstairs again.

"Who could be asking for me at this time of the day?" Ichigo asked himself as he opened the door. He was surprised to see a messenger from the second division's secret remote squad.

"Captain Kurosaki, the Commander has called an urgent meeting of all captains right away," the messenger said.

"Unohana-san's called a meeting? Tell her I'll be there right away," Ichigo said. After the messenger disappeared, Ichigo quickly got dressed in his Shihakusho and haori and Shunpo-ed to the first division barracks. Upon entering the office, he saw the other captains and Unohana, along with two other figures. One was Hanatarou from the fourth division; the other was some grunt from the eleventh division he had seen once before.

"At last you've come, Captain Kurosaki," Unohana said. "This meeting today especially concerns you."

"This meeting concerns me? What exactly happened?" Ichigo asked. Unohana motioned to the eleventh division grunt, Aramaki Makizo, to speak.

"Last night, my drinking buddy and I were patrolling the Sakura Bashi sector of Karakura Cho when all of a sudden an arrancar appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. He grabbed me by the throat and fired some sort of beam that killed my friend and blew up half the street!"

"Can you tell me what he looked like?" Ichigo asked. Maki-maki nodded.

"He was of medium build, had bluish hair, a broken mask fragment around his right jaw and a hollow hole in his stomach." Maki-maki's description shocked Ichigo to the core of his body.

"Did he say anything to you?" Maki-maki nodded.

"He told me to send you a message: that you have to come to the front gates of Las Noches by the end of today or else he'll come back and kill everyone in Karakura Cho. He told me his name but I was so terrified that I couldn't remember it." Maki-maki suddenly broke down into a sobbing fit. Unohana ordered Hanatarou to take him away.

"Well then, do you know who this arrancar is, Captain Kurosaki?" Unohana asked.

"It's Grimmjow," Ichigo said. "The former Sexta Espada who survived the Arrancar war."

"Wasn't he the one who assisted us in escaping Hueco Mundo after Aizen trapped us there?" Kenpachi asked. Unohana, Byakuya and Mayuri all nodded.

"He wanted to challenge me again the previous time I visited Hueco Mundo to find Urahara," Ichigo said. "He must have gotten bored of waiting for me."

"This sort of situation demands an immediate response," Unohana said. "I shall send a group of captains to Hueco Mundo to eliminate this arrancar."

"No!" Ichigo strongly objected. "He only wants me and me alone. I'll go by myself to fight him. I don't want anyone else to risk getting hurt." Several of the captains were about to object but Unohana overruled them.

"Alright, I grant you permission to head to Hueco Mundo and defeat this arrancar, Captain Kurosaki," Unohana said. "Until Captain Kurosaki returns, Seireitei and Karakura Cho shall remain on high alert." With that the meeting ended. Ichigo quickly Shunpo-ed back home to find Rukia still in bed, reading a book.

"What's wrong Ichigo? You look all nervous?" Rukia said.

"Grimmjow appeared in Karakura Cho last night, and challenged me to fight him," Ichigo replied. "I have no choice but to leave for Hueco Mundo now."

"I don't understand; why would Grimmjow still wish to fight you? I thought he had settled his grudge with you," Rukia said. Ichigo sighed heavily.

"Hardly. The only reason he didn't attack me the last time we met was because I told him that Aizen was the bigger target. I promised him that he and I would have a rematch as soon as Aizen was defeated. I guess he got tired of waiting all this time."

"I understand Ichigo. Please, take care of yourself and come back alive. I wouldn't know what to do without you," Rukia pleaded. Ichigo smiled and kissed her on the lip again. Then he went out the door.

Half an hour later Ichigo arrived at Urahara Kisuke's office and knocked on the door.

"Kurosaki-san, it's a surprise to see you at this time of the day," Urahara said sarcastically.

"Knock it off Urahara. I need you to set up a garganta to Hueco Mundo," Ichigo said. Urahara knew what he was referring to. He lowered his slouch hat.

"It can't be helped I guess," he sighed. "I'll have the garganta set up in no time." After fifteen minutes, Urahara had a garganta large enough to handle Ichigo's reiatsu set up in the courtyard of former royal palace.

"As you requested, this garganta leads straight to the front of Las Noches," Urahara said. "Unfortunately it can only stay open for twenty-four hours. You'll have to finish your job by then or else you'll be trapped there forever."

"Don't worry, I'll well and truly finish my business by then," Ichigo said. After Urahara wished him some luck, Ichigo headed through the garganta and Shunpo-ed as fast as he could until he got to the other end of the garganta. As soon as he exited it he found himself back in Hueco Mundo again. The imposing fortress of Las Noches lay in front of him, looking even worse for wear than ever. But Ichigo's attention turned to the figure coming towards him. It was a figure he had been long used to seeing.

"I knew you would come," Grimmjow Jaegarjaquez grinned as he walked within ten metres of Ichigo. "You just can't resist putting your life on the line for those innocent people, can you?"

"Grimmjow, why did you attack and kill those civilians in Karakura Cho?" Ichigo asked.

"To get your attention! I was sick and tired of waiting for you to come back here. When I heard that Aizen had been defeated and killed, I thought you'd come back straight away to uphold your promise, but for nearly a whole year you never came!" Grimmjow shouted. Ichigo knew something like this would happen.

"I had hoped you would give up on challenging me again, but it seems your resolve is as strong as ever," Ichigo sighed.

"Damn right it is. I still haven't paid you back for what you did to me during our last battle," Grimmjow said. "I've increased my power many times since then, more than enough to finally kill you with my bare hands!"

"Hmph, you're as bloodthirsty as ever. I thought becoming a Vasto Lorde would have made you more rational and intelligent, but the way I see it you're still succumbing to your base instincts."

"So what if I am? The other Vasto Lordes eventually pandered to their base instincts too. Plus this time, there's more at stake than me wanting to kill you. I was completely humiliated when you spared my life and chose to protect me against Nnoitra. I want to pay you back for completely insulting my honour!" Grimmjow yelled.

"I see. So you wish to fight for your honour. Very well, I shall place my honour at stake with this fight as well," Ichigo said. He unsheathed his sword and held it above his head. "Shine your light, Zangetsu." As he lowered his Zanpakto it changed into the trademark giant meat cleaver.

"Shikai eh? You're going to fight me in that state? I hope you don't have a death wished!" Grimmjow laughed as he pulled out his sword.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on dying," Ichigo grinned. "There are people waiting for me back home." The two fighters stared at each other for a moment, before charging towards each other, their blades causing an enormous shockwave as they clashed.


"I wonder if Ichigo is okay," Rukia said as she finished the book she had been reading. Though Ichigo had been gone little more than an hour she was already worried about his safety. It was well past midday and Rukia thought about getting up to get some exercise. But at more than eight months pregnant she didn't have the energy to move about much.

"I just pray he comes back alive," she said. A moment later she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and screamed out loudly. Somehow the waters inside her womb were churning about and Rukia could feel the feet and hands of her babies move inside of her. The pressure near the end of her womb started to increase, causing the pain she was feeling to worsen.

"Oh no, don't tell me they're coming out!" she cried. As she struggled to think of what to do, she heard voices coming from downstairs.

"Rukia Nee-san, we're home!" Karin and Yuzu called out. Rukia failed to reply. A few minutes later she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"There you are Rukia-san," Karin said. "We searched all over the house for you."

"Wait Karin-chan, something's wrong with her!" Yuzu exclaimed. "Her face is all red!" Isshin quickly went over to and checked on Rukia. He felt her waist and noticed the contraction motions coming from her womb.

"This isn't good; the babies are about to come out, aren't they?" Isshin asked Rukia.

"I think so. The motions started a short time ago," Rukia replied.

"There's not much time left then. Karin, Yuzu, help me lift Rukia onto my shoulders," Isshin ordered his daughters. "We have to take her to the fourth division's medical bay."

"Is Rukia going to give birth?" Yuzu and Karin both asked. Isshin's expressed told them everything they needed to know. Without hesitating they gently lifted Rukia up, taking extra care not to hurt her abdomen. Rukia placed her arms around Isshin's neck and grimaced in pain as Isshin's strong arms lifted her up. Isshin carried her down the stairs as gently as he could and then with Karin and Yuzu by his side he exited the Shiba Manor and walked as quickly as he could to the fourth division's barracks. Within twenty minutes he, Yuzu and Karin reached the front doors of the barracks.

"Captain Shiba, what are you doing here?" the guards standing at the front door asked.

"No time for questions! Let me through at once! This is an emergency!" Isshin shouted. The doors were swiftly opened. Isshin and his daughters walked all the way to Tessai's office and stormed inside. Both Tessai and his lieutenant Hachigen were shocked to see him.

"Isshin, you look exhausted. What business brings you here?" Tessai asked. He then saw the feverish figure of Rukia draped over Isshin's back.

"Rukia's waters broke a short while ago and her womb's begun to contract," Isshin said. Without asking any further questions Tessai quickly ordered Isshin to carry Rukia to the nearest emergency treatment bay. Isshin slowly lowered Rukia onto the well padded bed, but the contact with the surface still caused a sharp pain to strike through Rukia's body.

"Hachi, get as many obstetricians over immediately!" Tessai yelled out. "We're going to have to start emergency childbirth procedures as soon as possible."

"Yes, Tessai-san," Hachi nodded and quickly ran off to get the few medical officers in the division who had experience with child birth. In the mean time, Tessai, Isshin, Karin and Yuzu did everything they could to make Rukia feel comfortable. Rukia however, only had her mind for Ichigo. Come back as soon as possible Ichigo. I don't want to give birth without you at my side, she thought to herself.


Ichigo however was still locked in a ferocious battle with Grimmjow. The two of them had exchanged numerous blows across the deserts of Hueco Mundo and Grimmjow had managed to land several cuts upon Ichigo's face and arms.

"This is pathetic, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow shouted. "You can't even touch me. Go and release your Bankai right now. Or else I shall kill you on the spot." Ichigo didn't reply. Instead he fired a Getsuga Tensho directly at Grimmjow's head. Grimmjow swatted it away with his bare hands. Without stopping Ichigo twirled Zangetsu around in a circle, charging spiritual energy into the blade.

"What's this? I've never seen you do this trick before," Grimmjow said. Ichigo finished charging his spirit energy and gripped Zangetsu with both hands. He then Shunpo-ed in front of Grimmjow and thrust his blade forwards. Grimmjow blocked it with his Zanpakuto.

"You'll be surprised at the moves I've developed," Ichigo smirked. "Starting with this one: Chouseki Hadou!" A massive blue coloured energy blast shot out of Zangetsu and enveloped Grimmjow. The blast carved a five metre wide trench that stretched on for kilometers. When the smoke cleared however, it became apparent that Grimmjow had only been mildly singed by the attack. Ichigo gnashed his teeth in frustration.

"I take it that was the best you can do in Shikai mode," Grimmjow said. "It's to be expected. With your current level of power you can't hurt me at all. I'm through with taking it easy on you. If you won't release Bankai then I will kill you the way you are!" Grimmjow pointed his left hand at Ichigo's face. In an instant Ichigo knew exactly what Grimmjow was going to do. He jumped back and barely managed to dodge the crimson red cero fired from Grimmjow's hand. He was too focused on dodging the cero that he failed to see Grimmjow appear behind him. Grimmjow kicked Ichigo into the air, Sonido-ed after him and then slammed him into the ground with bone-crushing force. Ichigo emerged from the small crater he had made with a large cut upon his forehead, causing blood to flow down the side of his face.

"Tch, it seems you were correct Grimmjow, it was foolish of me to think I could fight evenly with you in just my Shikai form," Ichigo sighed. "I had hoped to conserve my energy against you, but in a battle like this I guess it isn't the wisest of decisions." Ichigo took off his haori and threw it near Urahara's garganta. Then he placed his left hand over his right hand and lowered Zangetsu to the ground. "Bankai!" Grimmjow watched as an immense black and white aura of reiatsu engulfed Ichigo and spiraled into the air. The former Sexta Espada grinned with excitement, knowing that the true battle was just beginning. The aura dissipated, revealing Ichigo in his Bankai robes.

"Bring it on Kurosaki Ichigo!" Grimmjow shouted. "I want to see how much you've improved!" Ichigo smirked slightly. Then, before Grimmjow could even react, Ichigo Shunpo-ed right above him. He charged Tensa Zangetsu with his Reiyoku, causing the blade to glow bright red. Grimmjow hastily lifted up his Zanpakuto to block, but Ichigo managed to slice through Grimmjow's sword, before cutting a deep gash down the left side of his body. Grimmjow screamed in pain as a torrent of blood spurted out and splattered everywhere on the ground.

"You bastard!" Grimmjow swore as he grasped his left shoulder with his right arm. "You're going to pay for causing this wound!" He charged at Ichigo and blindly attacked him, even though his sword had been snapped in half.

"What can you do with a broken sword Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked. "You look pathetic fighting like this." Ichigo grabbed Grimmjow's sword with his left hand and then kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying beside the sword fragment that had been cut off. "I'll repeat the words you said to me: you cannot hurt me with your current level of power. If you can still release with your sword, then do so. I'm a far cry from the heroic fool who fought you during our last battle. This time I shall not hesitate to kill you, as part of my mission." Grimmjow struggled to his feet and stared at Ichigo with malicious eyes. He grabbed both pieces of the sword and slammed them together, using his Reiyoku to fuse it back into a single blade.

"Fine then. I'll give you a taste of my new resurrecion. You'll see just how much stronger I've become!" Grimmjow screamed out. "Grind, Pantera!" A giant plume of reiatsu engulfed his body, causing a tornado of dust to rise from the ground. When the tornado cleared, Ichigo gazed at Grimmjow's new released form. His appearance was mostly the same, but there were clearly some major differences. Grimmjow's cat ears had been replaced by two ear-like extensions to the back of his crown mask. His former claws had been replaced by a pair of human-like gauntlets, but with visible claw-like extensions protruding from his knuckles. His feline feet were replaced by a pair of skull-white boots, and although he still had a tail it was much shorter and sleeker than before, hanging from his waist instead of dangling upright.

"Looks like you've become more human-like in your released form," Ichigo said.

"My appearance isn't the only that has changed," Grimmjow said. They stared at each other for a brief moment, before coming together in a violent clash that caused another enormous shockwave that rocked the foundations of Las Noches. Ichigo's blade was locked against Grimmjow's claws, and the two of them struggled to overpower each other. They then flew into the air and began an intense aerial battle across the deserts of Hueco Mundo. The two fighters Shunpo-ed and Sonido-ed at incredible speeds and each attack they made were aimed at the opponent's vital spots.

Eventually Grimmjow managed to block Ichigo's sword with both his claws, and then proceeded to kick him hard in the jaw, sending Ichigo crashing to the ground again. Ichigo didn't stay down for long. He spat out some blood, grabbed the chain of his Bankai sword and then swung Tensa Zangetsu at Grimmjow. Grimmjow easily dodged the attack and grabbed hold of Ichigo's sword.

"Ha, ha, ha, thanks for lending me your sword!" Grimmjow yelled as he swung he swung Ichigo as fast as he could. After several swings he threw Ichigo towards the walls of Las Noches at high speeds. Ichigo tried hard to slow himself down but still ended up smashing into the walls. He saw Grimmjow flying towards him and quickly extricated himself from the walls. Ichigo fired a massive black Getsuga directly at Grimmjow, and before Grimmjow could dodge the first slash, Ichigo Shunpo-ed behind him and fired a second Getsuga.

"Not this move again!" Grimmjow laughed. He clasped his arms together, charged his reiatsu and thrust his arms outwards. In a move Ichigo did not expect, Grimmjow fired a pair of Cero Oscuras from his hands. The black ceros completely disintegrated the Getsugas and Ichigo had to jump high into the sky to avoid getting caught in them. Grimmjow quickly spotted Ichigo and without warning started firing a rapid barrage of balas at him. Ichigo easily dodged and evaded the balas and struck at Grimmjow's face. Grimmjow side-stepped the attack and swung his right claw at Ichigo. Ichigo quickly countered with another swing of his sword. The two attacks collided in mid-air, creating a massive ball of reiatsu that expanded outwards before dissipating. Ichigo and Grimmjow stared at each other whilst both of them tried to recover their breaths.

"Shit, I can't believe I still haven't caused any major injuries upon you," Grimmjow swore.

"Looks like we're both evenly matched so far," Ichigo grinned. "I was surprised at you being able to fire those black ceros. That was one of Ulquiorra's moves."

"So you fought Ulquiorra in his released form. No wonder you were able to dodge them so easily. I however, have yet to demonstrate the full powers of my resurrecion!" Grimmjow exclaimed. He pointed his right arm at Ichigo, and from the front of his elbow greaves a missile suddenly appeared and flew towards Ichigo.

"Whoa!" Ichigo shouted in surprise as he narrowly dodged the missile. "That was close."

"Are you sure of that?" Grimmjow asked with a malicious grin on his face. Ichigo looked back and saw the missile was coming at him again. Without hesitating Ichigo fired a Getsuga at the missile, causing it detonate in an explosion that rose higher than the roof of Las Noches. Ichigo was caught in the explosion, but he escaped with burns to his arms and legs.

"Did you like the taste of my Garra Dardo?" Grimmjow asked. "These darts of mine lock onto to your reiatsu, so escape is impossible. I've got plenty more of them right here!" Grimmjow pointed both arms at Ichigo and from his elbow greaves fired a barrage of several dozen of the missile darts. Having been hit by the first missile, Ichigo knew he couldn't afford to get hit again. As the missiles came towards him, he silently mouthed "Tengetsu Gaieshi." He channeled his Reiyoku into his feet and just as the missile reached detonation range Ichigo flew off. He flew to the other side of Las Noches at supersonic speed but the missiles were almost as fast. Ichigo flew upwards into the air but the missiles kept on following him.

"Escape is useless! They'll chase you forever!" Grimmjow laughed in an insane voice. Ichigo was fast getting tired to flying around like this. With a quick burst of speed he got a sizeable distance away from the missiles. Then he turned around and fired a rapid barrage of Getsugas, each one targeted at a missile. The missiles all detonated, causing a series of gigantic explosions that shook the very surface of Hueco Mundo. When the dust cleared, there were numerous craters carved into the sand, but to Grimmjow's dismay Ichigo wasn't even scratched.

"Impossible! How did you destroy my darts without suffering damage?" Grimmjow asked.

"It's simple. I used Renzoku Getsuga," Ichigo explained. "It's a variation of Getsuga Tensho that I can fire numerous times without charging. Well, do you have other moves left?" Infuriated by Ichigo's taunts, Grimmjow went into a rage, charging as much Reiyoku as possible into his hands. In a move that Ichigo recognized, Grimmjow created a series of blue energy claws more than a hundred metres in length.

"Remember this attack Kurosaki Ichigo? My Desugarron has become way stronger than before!" Grimmjow laughed madly. "They're sharp enough to cut through even steel!" He aimed the claws at Ichigo, who barely managed to block them with his side. Grimmjow pushed Ichigo to the ground and hammered at him with the Desugarron. The blue energy claws ground against Tensa Zangetsu, and Ichigo noticed that the surface of the blade was starting to get stretched.

"It's over, Kurosaki Ichigo!" Grimmjow laughed. Ichigo took a deep breath and sighed.

"Tengetsu Gaieshi," he said. In an instant a sphere of black reiatsu surrounded Ichigo and quickly hardened into a dense shell. The Desugarron not only failed to penetrate the shell but the hardness of it caused the claws to break off. Grimmjow was astonished.

"This can't be happening. My Desugarron can cut through anything! What kind of move is this?"

"This is the basic ability of my Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu," Ichigo explained. "It's called Tengetsu Gaieshi. My Bankai is unlike most other Shinigami. Whereas other Bankais vastly expand and manifest their user's reiatsu, my Bankai allows me to suppress and control my reiatsu. Initially I was only able to compress my reiatsu to a point where I could move at supersonic speeds, but now I'm able to compress and expand my reiatsu at will. When fully expanded my reiatsu forms an impenetrable force field around me. As long as I have spirit energy left the shield cannot be breached by attacks of any kind. However, I can still attack from within this shield." Ichigo charged spirit energy into his blade and shouted "Chouseki Hadou!" A dense red beam of energy shot out of the sword and scythed through the Desugarron. Grimmjow saw what was happened and hastily raised his arms in front of his body to shield himself. The beam sliced through his elbows, causing more blood to spurt out.

"Well then, is that all you've got Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked. "If that is the limit of your powers then this battle is as good as over." Instead of launching into a screaming rage, Grimmjow grinned maniacally and descended to the ground.

"I never thought you'd increase your powers by this much," Grimmjow admitted. "I was hoping to have some fun with you in my first released form, but it appears I have no choice to go all out."

"This is only your first released form? Does this mean you have another?" Ichigo was confused.

"Watch carefully, Kurosaki Ichigo. This is something that only arrancars who have ascended to Vasto Lorde status can achieve!" Grimmjow shouted. Ichigo felt the spirit pressure around him increase rapidly. He then saw that Grimmjow was convulsing. Cracks started to appear in his armour and his body started glowing a bright blue. Then in a blinding explosion Grimmjow's armour exploded outward, showering Ichigo with thousands of miniature fragments. A cloud of Reiyoku briefly surrounded his body, obscuring him from view. When the cloud dissipated Ichigo was stunned at what he saw. Grimmjow appeared again, this time in a completely different form. Instead of an armored suit that covered most of his body, he now wore a pair of ragged black jeans. His muscles were now significantly larger and his skin had turned a yellowish tan in colour. He also took more feline features again, with long tufted ears, claws on his hands and feet, and a long flowing blue tail. But the most distinctive new feature was his hair, for a thick beard and sideburns had grown around Grimmjow's face, which, combined with his already long hair, resembled the main of a lion. The only remnants of his old released form were the crown mask fragment around his forehead and his hollow hole. Ichigo gazed at Grimmjow's appearance in awe.
"This is Resurrecion Segundo Etapa," Grimmjow stated.


At the same moment, back in Soul Society, Renji ran as fast as he could to the fourth division's medical office, with Byakuya, Lisa and Nanao following behind him. The four of them had just gotten word of Rukia's hospitalization and wasted no time in responding.

"Where is Rukia?" Renji grabbed a terrified fourth division member by the collar as soon as he entered the barracks.

"Eh, she's in the second emergency treatment bay," the member responded. He pointed towards the corridor on the left. Renji let him go and ran all the way to the front of the treatment bay. However the entrance was blocked by the fourth division's third seat Hanatarou Yamada.

"Captain Abarai, what are you doing here?" Hanatarou asked.

"I'm here to see Rukia! We heard she started having contractions of her womb," Renji said.

"You mustn't Abarai-san! Our division's midwives are attending her at the moment! If you all of you enter at once it could place her under even more stress and pain!" Hanatarou pleaded.

"He is correct Renji. We have no choice but to wait out here until Rukia's labour is finished," Byakuya said.

"Well we can at least know how she's going at the moment!" Renji exclaimed.

"Rukia-san has begun the initial stages of her final contraction," Hanatarou said with a grim face. "This can last anywhere from five minutes to half an hour."

"The final contraction is usually the most painful right?" Lisa asked. Hanatarou nodded. In frustration Renji punched the wall beside him.

"Damn it, where is Ichigo at a time like this? He should at his wife's side!" Renji yelled.

"I believe he is still fighting rogue Espada Grimmjow in Hueco Mundo," Byakuya explained.

"He better finish him off soon."


Notes: I'm sure a lot of readers were itching for some actual fighting after a whole series of chapters dealing with politics in Bleach. So I've obliged by writing the only conceivable fight at this point in the story-the unfinished battle between Ichigo and Grimmjow. This will be the final battle between the two of them. Whoever wins neither one will fight each other again. As befitting this fight's status, both Ichigo and Grimmjow have demonstrated moves that have not been shown before, so I'll go for a brief rundown of the abilities demonstrated in this chapter.

Chouseki Hadou: (Tidal Wave in Japanese). Ichigo's second Shikai ability. He charges spirit energy in Zangetsu and discharges it in a solid energy beam rather than a slashing move like Getsuga Tenshou. In its Bankai incarnation Ichigo can manipulate Chouseki Hadou into a long range cutting beam.

Renzoku Getsuga: (Consecutive Moon Fang in Japanese): A variation of Getsuga that allows Ichigo to fire multiple energy attacks without charging.

Tengetsu Gaieshi: (Heavenly Moon Reflection in Japanese): This is Ichigo's Bankai Ability. Although it's already explained in the chapter itself, I'll clarify how it works by saying that it gives Ichigo complete control over his reiatsu. He can expand or compress it at will. At maximum compression he gains inhuman speed and agility and is able to fly in the air. At maximum expansion he gains an inpenetrable force field that can deflect all physical and spiritual attacks. There is also a midway stage where Ichigo is able to sense the reiatsu of other opponents.

Garra Dardo (Claw Darts in Japanese): These are the dart missiles that Grimmjow can shoot from his elbows. They pack an immense destructive power and can lock onto a target's reiatsu, like homing missiles.

Of course, the battle is only halfway done. The next chapter will feature the conclusion of the fight, along with loads more abilities from both Ichigo and Grimmjow!