I'm so so sorry for not updating sooner--my exams were so hectic for summer school, and i just had my wisdom teeth out. I figured that since I'm bedridden right now with no painkillers, I'd write the chapter for you guys, also to take my mind off the pain...

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Heck, if I did, I'd be able to afford better painkillers.

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"That was," Ishida panted, "three hundred and ninety two!"

"Four hundred and eighty eight!" Ichigo smirked. "So much for those arrows, Quincy! They just don't make 'em like they used to?"

"At least unlike you, I'm capable of meticulously calculating my attacks, instead of flinging my reiatsu every which way," Ishida haughtily replied.

Ichigo scowled for a second before his facial expression changed to his signature smirk. "Excuses, excuses, Quincy!" The two shunpo-ed off.

But beneath the jokes and jabs and competition, there was desperation--though Ichigo and Ishida met up occasionally to casually insult each other and compare numbers, while Rukia purposely sighed dramatically when Ichigo proudly told her that he was winning, they were all clearly exhausted.

Orihime had managed to get over to the fourth division with Ishida's help, with Chad defending the area.

Though no one would admit it, reiatsu's were quickly dwindling. Everyone, that is, save for the Hollows. For it seemed that for every strike that Komamura inflicted on his opponent, it was his reiatsu that depleted, and for every hit that Soi Fon landed on the Hollow facing her, she took all the pain meant for her enemy. Captains Hitsugaya Toushirou, Kuchiki Byakuya, and Kyouraku Shunsui were facing similar problems.

There was, however, one more thing that the outrageously dressed (or undressed, in some cases*) Arrancar had in common.

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"Ichigo!"

"Yeah?" Ichigo and Rukia found themselves back to back once again, parrying attacks left and right.

"We know what the Hollow want!" Rukia was breathing heavily.

"Well, what is it?"

"I overheard a fight between the captains and hollows! They're after you!" Rukia slashed another Menos.

"What the hell do they want me for?!"

"We don't know yet, but we're not backing down! Just stay away from them, ok--" Ichigo had already shunpoed away from right under her nose. It would be a definite understatement to say that Rukia was miffed. "ICHIGO! YOU'D BETTER NOT DIE OUT THERE OR I'LL BRING YOU BACK TO LIFE MYSELF JUST TO KILL YOU AGAIN, STRAWBERRY!"

The shinigami that heard her carefully ran away.

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"Oi, Arrancar!" Ichigo yelled at Hitsugaya's opponent. "Whaddya want here?"

"Kurosak--" Hitsugaya (now in bankai) turned a surprised, yet irritated, glance at Ichigo.

"I asked what the hell you want here, you bas--"

"We're here for you, Kurosaki Ichigo," the arrancar replied in a deep voice. Out of almost all of the arrancar he had faced, this one had to be the most repulsive. While he was pretty sure it was male, Ichigo couldn't quite decide--the arrancar did have a male voice, but...

"Kurosaki! Get away!" Histugaya glared at Ichigo. "They're after you, so don't make it so easy for them to get what they want! Get aw--"

"I heard you, shorty!" (Hitsugaya visibly tensed.) "I just wanna know why the hell they want me!"

"I am not under orders to reveal that information to you as of now, human." The arrancar spat the word at Ichigo, obviously contemptuous.

"What will it take for you to leave?" Ichigo held Zangetsu up, ready to attack.

"You." The arrancar made no move to defend him(her?)self against Ichigo, but instead looked confused, as if questioning the sword pointing at him. "Very well." The arrancar relaxed and paused. At this, the other arrancar and hollows ceased to fight.

The shinigami, quincy, and humans stopped fighting as well, not quite sure of what was happening. Though the following gesture did not go unappreciated, it was met with much confusion. The arrancar and hollows abruptly ripped open garganta and disappeared behind them, leaving many without opponents.

The battlefield, suddenly quiet, lit by the morning sun, was filled with silent anxiety and questions. Some wondered if it was a trick and that the attack would continue soon, while others ignored the thoughts in the back of their minds and took the time to rest and heal at the fourth division.

Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia on the other hand, were looking for each other.

Rukia, being the better tracker, found Ichigo first. Their words of greeting:

"Ichigo, you idiot! I've been looking for you!"

"Oi, Rukia!"

"What happened?"

"Beats me."

Rukia furrowed her forehead in confusion. "No information at all? Nothing?"

"No, the arrancar facing off with Toushirou just sort of...well I dunno, really. It seemed like he surrendered, sort of..."

"What do you mean?"

"What it sounds like. Just stopped fighting, then everybody stopped fighting, then they went back to Hueco Mundo. That's it."

"You have to report this."

"Yeah, I guess, bu--"

"Oi, you two!" Renji ran up to them.

"Renji! Where were you?"

"Other side of Seireitei. Do you guys have any idea what happened? Crazy shit, man. I was fighting those Menos, and then they just left me there. Crazy shit!"

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other once. "No idea what happened," Ichigo replied.

"We don't know, but I'm sure it'll get figured out soon," Rukia added.

Renji cast a suspicious glance at the pair. "Well, okay then...I'm just gonna go..." He couldn't help but feel as if he had intruded on something between them and was feeling just a little awkward.

"See ya, Renji." Ichigo waved him off.

"We'll let you know if we find out."

"Okay..." Renji shunpoed away.

Ichigo and Rukia waited a second until they were sure he was far enough away. "Why didn't we tell him again?"

"Didn't feel like it."

"Same," Ichigo agreed. "Too lazy."

As if on cue, they both yawned and suddenly the bags under their eyes felt 10 times heavier.

"I'm really tired, you know," Ichigo said, feeling another yawn coming on.

"Mmhmm..." Rukia felt too tired to form words anymore and remembered her unpleasant (pleasant?) night, as did Ichigo. Add their sleepless night/morning to their wounds, and the result was two very groggy, grouchy, scary looking shinigami.

When Ukitake approached them, he was barely recognizable to the two and immediately requested that they be taken to the fourth division.

And while at the fourth division, it was found that the pair suffered not from injuries or fighting, but from the lack of sleep.

This news was met by more than a few smiling Shinigami Women's Association reporters.

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*Okay, so when I say "outrageously dressed" arrancar, it sort of means outrageously not dressed--if any of you have seen any of the arrancar outfits, you know what I'm talking about. (ahem, Charlotte Cuulhorn, anyone? I'm scarred for life. Thanks, Kubo. jk.)

I'm so sorry for not updating soon enough--I feel awful about it after promising to be consistent. (I really am trying!)

Sorry if this chapter seemed rushed, but I want to keep the story moving and just wanted to update as soon as I could. Now that school is over and everything, I hope that I won't skip out on you guys again!

Thank you so much for reading--I really appreciate it and I hope you're enjoying it!

Oh, and I noticed the SIXTY reviews! Thank you so much! ^_^

Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

I'm gonna go now because if I read that out loud, it seriously sounds like I'm on crack or something, so there's a chance I'm going insane. (JK!!)