Author's Note: Sorry this took a little long. I had meant to get this out last Friday, but I got called in to work at the last minute and spent the entire weekend working instead. Luckily, I managed to pull an all-nighter and get this out to all of you.


"What the hell was that about?" Ichigo demanded as fisted the hem of Ryuu's shihakushō. "Why did you get in the way? Now we're back outside the gate!"

He wasn't the only one giving Ryuu suspicious looks. Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu were all looking at him warily having witnessed the exchange between him and Ichimaru. They were looking at him as if he were a total stranger to them.

Ryuu only stared back at Ichigo calmly and pointed past the boys shoulder behind.

"Would you rather interrogate me or would you rather help Jidanbou?" he asked evenly.

"Wha-Oh!" Ichigo exclaimed in realization.

Indeed, Jidanbou was still sprawled out on the ground with his arm still missing.

Ichigo was about to ask Orihime to fix the giant's arm, when they all heard the sound of people talking. Everyone turned to the source and saw people donned in clothing that matched the feudal look of the village coming out the buildings.

"These people…were they hiding?" Uryuu was the first to ask.

"Who are they?" Orihime asked.

"Residents of the Soul Society," Yoruichi answered. "They were hiding because they were afraid. We weren't guided here by Soul Reapers; that makes us intruders. They don't know whether we're friend or foe."

"Are they…dangerous?" Ichigo asked warily.

"Doubtful," the feline answered.

"Hey! Mister!" a young voice shouted. The group watched a young boy push his way to the front of the crowd and start waving at one of them. "It's me! Shibata, the parakeet!"

Chad was the one who almost instant recognized the little boy. Ryuu recalled the incident with the possessed parakeet and the Hollow that used it as bait for its kills. It gave him some slight relief to know that the boy was in the best possible district in the Rukon.

After Orihime assured everyone that she could heal Jidanbou's mortal injury, Chad went off to speak with Shibata while the villagers gathered up Jidanbou's arm and, through a group effort, managed to return it to Jidanbou's body. She went through her chant, and an orange oval shaped dome covered Jidanbou's shoulder and his arm, slowly but surely making him whole again.

While the teens were distracted by the environment around them, Yoruichi pulled Ryuu to the side so he was no longer within earshot of the group.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell that was?" she demanded immediately.

"I saw a chance and I tried to take it," Ryuu replied passively. He was aware of just how royally he screwed up.

"You endangered this entire mission and put those kids in danger because you suddenly reverted to the mindset of a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum!" she snapped. "What would you have done if more Soul Reapers showed up? Would you have killed them? Would force the kids to fight for your own vendetta?"

"I'm sorry alright?" Ryuu shouted angrily. He didn't want a lecture, even though he deserved it.

"No it's not alright! I told Kisuke that you wouldn't be able to handle this and you're already proving me right, Ryuu. I'm just lucky he was cautious enough to agree with me."

"What are you talking about?" the angry Soul Reaper asked suspiciously.

"That pill Kisuke gave you to conceal your spiritual pressure, it has another purpose," she explained. "It reacts to a binding Kido that I will perform if you get out of control. If you pull another bull-headed stunt like that again, I will activate the Kido and your body will be put in stasis for three days. Your spiritual pressure will remain hidden, but you will be left behind!"

"Are you serious, Yoruichi?" Ryuu demanded in outrage.

"You're lucky I managed to calm you down," she responded unfazed by his anger. "If you didn't get yourself out of there I would have used the pill right then and we would have left you in the Rukon District until we rescued Rukia."

"Y-You…damned…!" He was so angry he could even form a cohesive response.

"Don't get angry with me; you brought this on yourself," she continued. "There's more to this than simply killing Aizen, Ryuu, you know that. Every second we don't have the Hougyoku is one more second Aizen is closer to obtaining it. Do you want that? Are you prepared to put everything at risk for the sake of petty revenge?"

"Petty?" He would hardly call what Aizen had gotten away with petty.

"Regardless of how you fell, that is how it stands, Ryuu, and you know I'm right," the cat said with finality.

Despite how pissed she had just made him, he agreed with her. He had put four innocent kids in danger because he let his anger get the better of him. He saw Ichimaru and his mind flashed back to a hundred years ago; three traitors standing before him, one of his friends and comrades suffering a grueling and excruciating transformation, and the other lying on the ground already on death's door. He couldn't even say he was doing it for Shinji and the others partly because they had embraced their newfound powers and put the past behind them and partly because deep down, he just wanted his life back and nothing else.

"I'm sorry," he repeated with sincerity.

"I believe you and I forgive you," Yoruichi replied dropping her tone to a much calmer level. "You're here for the same goal as I am, Ryuu. To save Rukia is also to stop Aizen."

"I know, but Rukia's life is our primary concern," he said with a nod. He had finally found his sense. He was here to rescue an innocent Soul Reaper that had been inadvertently dragged into a war she didn't even know was on the verge of happening. "So what do we do now? The gates were a bad idea from the start."

Before Yoruichi could respond, both felt the approaching presence of two familiar spiritual signatures.

"What's going on, Mr. Hiromasa?" Ichigo demanded with a scowl.

"You two are clearly hiding something from us," Uryuu added in agreement possibly for the first time with Ichigo.

Ryuu sighed in frustration. He had hoped not to involve them in this.

"It's complicated," he tried.

"Tell us anyway," Ichigo pressed. Damn, the kid was persistent.

Ryuu decided hiding it wasn't an option any longer. They couldn't do this if they didn't trust each other.

"I tell you, all of you, tonight," he said.

"And then we can discuss how we'll get into the Seireitei," Yoruichi added trying to remind the two young men of their focus.


The elder of the district had invited the group to meet in his house for the night. It was there that Ryuu told Ichigo and friends the other reason why he was there. He told them what Aizen had done, how he left his wife behind, how he had escaped and went into hiding, and- though he was unsure of telling them at first- the hidden reason why rescuing Rukia was so important. They all listened intently, not saying a word. Orihime looked utterly fascinated, Ichigo's gaze was scrutinizing, Uryuu's was the same only void of any visible sympathy, and Chad…Chad remained a wall of stoicism as always.

"So you left your wife? That's so sad!" Orihime exclaimed. Ryuu thought it was somewhat adorable that the girl openly wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Why didn't you come back and explain?" Ichigo asked.

"Even if I did it wouldn't matter. In the eyes of the law I was already guilty. Involving Retsu at that point would only put her at risk," Ryuu explained.

"To not see your wife in a hundred years…it's like some beautiful tragic romantic fairytale with a dragon and a knight and a princess and a-"

"I assure you it's nothing like that at all," Ryuu stated cutting Orihime off before she did another mental pivot.

"I'm more concerned about this Sosuke Aizen and this Hougyoku you put inside of Rukia," Uryuu spoke up as he adjusted his glasses. "What exactly does he want with it?"

"We don't know exactly what he plans to do with it. Aizen's motives are insidious no doubt, but we still haven't figured out exactly what he wants. All we know is that the Hougyoku has the power to grant him the means to achieve whatever goal he desires."

"But you said it only cures people from being turned into Hollows," Chad piped in. "What does he want with that?"

"We actually don't know what the Hougyoku does at all," the Soul Reaper replied. "Kisuke only knows that it has a power like nothing ever seen before. Aizen could do anything with it and since he tried to create his own once before, he probably already has a plan in mind."

"So you see now what our interest in rescuing Rukia is. Do you still trust us?" Yoruichi asked.

"None of that matters!"

It was Ichigo who had spoken up. Everyone looked to him with a curious gaze upon his outburst.

"I feel sorry for what happened to Mr. Hiromasa and this Aizen sound like a real asshole, but that not why I'm here," he stated. "I came here to save Rukia and as long as you're gonna help us do it, I see no reason not to trust you two."

Ryuu smirked and Yourichi looked at the boy in amusement.

"You're blunt, boy, but you know where your priorities are. I respect that," the older man said. "Alright, we save Rukia and then we get her out of here. After that, she's in your care."

"Right," Ichigo said with a nod.

"Now, let's discuss an entrance into the Seireitei," the feline of the group said wanting to get down to business.

Ryuu nodded and picked up the brush and piece of parchment the elder had provided them with. He began drawing a rough diagram of the Seireitei and the positions of all for gates before marking the one he tried to enter with an "X".

"Now that the gate has been opened and Jidanbou has been injured, the security behind the gate will increase dramatically. Several high ranking officers will be waiting for us on the other side with orders to either detain or kill."

"So we can't beat the guardian in a contest of strength for access a second time?" Uryuu inquired.

"That was a foolish idea to begin with," Yoruichi said dryly while looking at Ichigo who bristled at the comment.

"What about the other gates?" Chad asked.

"Each gate is about a ten day walk from each other," Ryuu answered. "We'd just be wasting time and energy, not to mention they've probably bolstered security at the other gates as well."

"So how do we get in then?" the Quincy asked.

"Don't worry. If we can't get in using the gate, we'll just have to get in without using the gate entrance."

The feline turned to the elder.

"Elder, do you where Kūkaku Shiba is?" she asked. "The last time I was here, her place use to be around here, but knowing Kūkaku, it's probably long gone by now."

"Kūkaku Shiba…do you really intend to use "that" to get into the Seireitei?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Ichigo asked frustrated by the vagueness of the conversation.

Before anyone could answered however, there was a loud stomping sound and suddenly, something came rocketing through the door. It was a person.

"A break in?" Ichigo asked in surprise.

A loud squeal was heard and everyone turned to see a massive wild boar with a bow in its fur and an angry disposition come trotting in.

"There's a wild pig at the door!"

"Damn, Bonnie threw me off again," the new person grumbled before facing the elder.

The man was tall and muscular and dressed in rather obnoxious clothing compared to the other people in the district. He wore a black vest, with white hakama, a red and white patterned bandanna on his head, and pair of white goggles. Hanging on his back at his waist was short sword.

"Hey, long time no see old man!" he greeted the elder. The elder suddenly became anxious and looked back and forth between Ganju and the only two people wearing Soul Reaper uniforms.

"Ganju! You must go back home!"

"It's been a while since I've seen you and you're already kicking me out?" the man called Ganju asked jovially. "Don't be so impolite in front the guests, it's…wait a minute…"

Ganju turned his gaze towards Ichigo and Ryuu and removed his goggles to reveal an angry scowl.

"What the hell are two punk ass Soul Reapers doing here?" he demanded.

Both Soul Reapers gave Ganju an annoyed look and remained silent. Ganju would have none of it though. He was about to stroll up to Ryuu, but one glare was all it took for him to steer away and decide that Ichigo would be a safer target instead.

"Hey, I asked you a question!" Ganju snapped as he took hold of Ichigo's cheek. Ryuu could practically feel the rage radiating from the redheaded teen. "What's a punk ass Soul Reaper like you doing here?"

Ichigo merely raised his fist and slammed it into Ganju's right cheek, sending him skidding towards the exit. Ryuu knew his action would have been similar if he hadn't frightened Ganju away from him.

"Why the hell did you hit me you damn dandelion head?" he shouted in outrage nursing his bruised cheek. "You trying to pick a fight with me?"

"That's my line you jerk! Who the hell do you think you are?" Ichigo snapped back.

"His name is Ganju Shiba," Ryuu stated. "Youngest son of the Shiba house. He's grown since I've last seen him."

"Huh, you know me?" Ganju asked suspiciously before a grin spread across his lips. "Then you must know of my reputation around here!"

"No, not all," Ryuu replied dryly causing Ganju's grin to drop.

"Are you making fun of me, Soul Reaper?"

"Not intentionally."

"Hey you're fighting me!" Ichigo piped back up.

One cross word led to another and just as Ryuu and Yoruichi predicted, the two hotheaded fools were out in the streets fighting.

"That kid is going to cause tumors to grow in my brain from all the headaches he's causing me," Ryuu muttered in annoyance.

"I second that," Yoruichi added dryly.

"Should we stop them?"

"It might be a good idea…"

"Yeah…"

Both stayed silent for several seconds before looking to each other, neither one wavering. Finally, Ryuu let out an aggravated sigh.

"Sure, I'll do it," he stated sardonically causing Yoruichi to smirk triumphantly as he made his way outside.

"Hey, stay outta the boss'-" one of Ganju's little minions tried to say before Ryuu pushed him out of his way roughly.

He continued onward towards Ichigo and Ganju who were trapped in a deadlock with their swords. Once he was within reach, he grabbed both males by the hair and slammed their heads together. The two fell onto their backs with looks of surprise mixed with pain.

"W-What the hell, old man?" the younger of the two shouted irately. "Suddenly blindsiding us…how many of my fights are you going to butt into?"

The glare Ryuu gave Ichigo as he hiked the boy up by the scruff of his shihakushō was deadly. He was tired of the boy's recklessness.

"The correct response is "Thank you for cleaning up my messes and saving my ass from certain destruction, Mr. Hiromasa"," he growled lowly.

Ichigo shrank under the older man's glare and nodded his head timidly.

"T-Thank you for cleaning up my messes and saving my ass from certain destruction, Mr. Hiromasa," he repeated.

"Oh, you little kiss ass, you," Ryuu said with a mock grin as he gently slapped Ichigo's cheek before dropping the boy to the ground, then turning his attention to Ganju. "And you, I expect better of a member of House Shiba."

'Then again, given the hot-headed nature of his sister, this was probably expected,' he thought to himself.

"What the hell do you know, Soul Reaper?" Ganju asked angrily.

Before Ryuu could respond, there was a loud ringing sound as if a massive alarm clock had gone off.

"Boss! Bad news!" the same thug Ryuu had pushed away shouted fearfully. "It's nine o'clock already!"

"What? Already?" Ganju asked before placing his fingers between his lips and whistling loudly. "Let's go Bonnie!"

The same bow-wearing boar that had entered the elder's hut leapt over Ichigo's head and charged into its rider sending him tumbling down the street before he managed to mount the beast and take off.

"Hey! Where are you going? Why are you running away?" Ichigo called after him.

"Who said I was running away, punk?" Ganju demanded in offense. "I just have somewhere that I have to be. I'll be back here tomorrow to finish you off! So don't you dare go running off like a crying little girl!"

"What'd you-"

"Enough, Ichigo!" Ryuu said sternly placing his arm in front of the boy's path. "We don't have time to be picking fights with people who aren't our enemies. Get back in the hut and rest. Tomorrow we're going to find Kūkaku."


"What do you mean you're not coming?" Uryuu shouted irately Ichigo.

"I'm gonna wait for that guy right here and finish what we started yesterday!" the boy said adamantly.

"Don't be an idiot! Let's go!" the Quincy shouted and started to pull on Ichigo only for the redheaded teen to resist and pull himself back into the house.

"Let go! He'll think I ran away!"

"So what?"

"Um…we're all ready to go," Orihime announced poking her head back inside the hut.

"Orihime, help me with this idiot!" Uryuu requested.

"Who are you calling-"

Ichigo was cut off when three sharp claws slashed across his face causing him to scream in searing pain. Ryuu walked in to see what the holdup was and burst out laughing when he saw Yoruichi with three claws extended and three bloody line crossing over Ichigo's nose.

"Did you forget what we came here for?" Yoruichi asked in annoyance, ignoring Ryuu's laughter. "We came here to save Rukia! That's what matters right now."

Ichigo said nothing as he picked himself up off the floor sporting his new marks. They would heal, but Yoruichi surely got her point across.

"If you understand then let's go!"

Ichigo continued to remain silent and returned to his sitting position. Ryuu had had enough.

"Ichigo?" he called out.

The boy turned to face him and was horrified by the look in the older man's eyes.

"Do you and I need to have a 'talk' about our priorities?" he asked menacingly as he cracked his knuckles for effect.

The boys fear filled eyes told Ryuu that a "talk" was not necessary and within seconds the group was off. He could have just reminded the boy that they were going to visit Kūkaku Shiba and that the guy he fought last night was her brother, but that wouldn't be as fun as scaring him.

It had been a good hour and a half or so since they left the village. Ryuu cursed Kūkaku for moving so frequently. Lucky for them, she stuck to the West District so they wouldn't have to worry about traveling very far.

Ichigo and Uryuu were arguing about how long it was taking, with one shouting about whether or not they were going the wrong way and the other shouting back daring the other to give it a try he though himself so capable.

"Um…why does Kūkaku live so far out if she's the only one who can get people into the Seireitei?" Orihime asked curiously.

"That's just the way his personality works," Yoruichi explained. "He would prefer a place that quiet, with few people around. Don't worry, even if the location keeps changing, the design of the house is always similar. We should be able to spot it without much effort."

"Oh, ok then," Orihime replied satisfied by the answer.

Ryuu, however, was curious. He walked a little closer to Yoruichi so they could talk in private.

"Why are you telling them Kukaku's a man?"

"For shock value," the feline answered simply.

"That is a very stupid reason."

"But is sure is fun," she replied with a grin. "It's the same reason why I'm letting the go on thinking I'm a man."

"When are you going to change back to normal anyway?"

"I'm waiting for the right moment."

"Which is what? When you and one of the boys are alone and you can shock them with your nudity?" Ryuu asked already knowing the answer.

"Oh, don't pretend you didn't like it," Yoruichi said slyly.

"I'm married."

"That's not a no," she teased.

"Shut up!"

It only took a few more minutes of walking before Ryuu and Yoruichi spotted the audacious house that could only belong to Kūkaku Shiba.

"There it is!" Yoruichi announced.

Ryuu watched in amusement as the teens all laid eyes on the house and expressed their utter shock at how ridiculous it looked. Ryuu never understood Kūkaku's rather bizarre aesthetic. What sane person would put two giant teal colored stone arms holding up a sign that read "Kūkaku Shiba" on the side of their seemingly modest looking house? It just looked flat out ridiculous.

"You can tell right away that it's hers," Yoruichi said in amusement. "The human hands holding up the banner are better than the last design."

"But not by much," Ryuu said with a grimace. The house just looked plain atrocious.

"Well, let's go!" Yoruichi called out to the kids. They needed to be constantly reminded that they were on a time table.

"Hold!" a loud voice boomed.

Everyone looked up in time to see two men crash to the ground. Both were very tall and muscular figures who looked very similar in terms of physical appearance with a few exceptions. One wore a yellow, while the other wore a white one.

"Who are you?" the one in yellow demanded.

"Your clothes are odd! And two of them appear to be Soul Reapers!" the one in white stated. "We Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko will not allow you suspicious bunch to pass!"

"Leave no or die!" one said dramatically.

"Where did Kūkaku find these guys?" Ryuu mumbled to himself.

Ichigo was just about to draw his blade again when Yoruichi made her way to the front of the group. The two men looked down at the cat and somehow recognized it immediately.

"Master Yoruichi?" they exclaimed in surprise.

"Hello you two. You remember Ryuu?" she said nodding over in the Soul Reaper's direction.

"M-Master Hiromasa?" they exclaimed in surprise once more.

"Forgive us! We did not realize you were back!" Koganehiko apologized.

"It's alright," Yoruichi said dismissively. "We are here to see Kūkaku. These kids are with us."

"Yes, of course! Please follow me," Shiroganehiko said before turning around and heading into the small house.

The teens were surprised to see that there was only a staircase that descended downwards. It took around a minute before they reached the bottom and found themselves in a well-lit hallway. At the bottom Shiroganehiko lifted his hand up, indicating them to stop.

"Please wait a moment," he requested before heading a few steps away towards another door.

"What is it, Shiroganehiko?" asked a rough feminine voice.

"W-Well…!" the man stammered somewhat nervously.

"Looks like we have some rare guests," the voice commented. "Well, don't just stand there, open the door!"

"Y-Yes! I will do so immediately!" the man stated before doing as he master ordered. He slid the door back and gestured for the group to enter.

They stepped inside and sitting at the far end of the room was a woman sitting amongst some throw pillows over a blanket. Her long messy black hair was wrapped haphazardly in bandages. She wore a sleeveless red robe that exposed much of her ample bust and white skirt that, given her unladylike pose, revealed much of legs. On her left arm was a black tattoo that covered much of her upper arm, but her must distinguishing feature was the right arm that wasn't there. Instead, what was left of her upper right arm was covered in bandages. They all stood before the current head of the Shiba clan, Kūkaku Shiba.

"Long time no see, Yoruichi," she greeted. "And you brought, Ryuu with you? Never thought I'd see him again."

"She's…she's a woman?" Ichigo exclaimed in utter shock, while his friends all seemed equally as surprised, even Chad's impassive face fell for a moment.

"Huh? Who are these kids?" she asked curiously as Yoruichi stepped forward.

"Kūkaku…I need to ask you a favor," the cat began.

"Don't you always?" the woman replied with a chuckle. "Is it that big?"

"Yes."

"So big that you had to bring Ryuu along for the ride?"

"She forgot to mention that it's complicated," Ryuu added.

"Really…" Kūkaku said and then stayed silent for a few seconds, as if in thought. A smile then crept onto her face. "It's been a while since you and I have had a conversation like this, Yoruichi. Alright the, tell me. I love complicated stuff."


There you have it. I apologize for not including Retsu in this chapter. I'm rereading the manga as I write this and she doesn't appear for a few more chapters. I'll include her in the next chapter, I promise. Hopefully, I'll be able to get Ryuu into the Seireitei as well by the end of the next chapter.

~Blackheart