Author's Note: Yay for frequent updates! Things are finally starting to move along in the story which is making it EXTREMELY easier to write. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Kiri breathed heavily as she dashed from rooftop to rooftop, relishing in her mastery of shunpo. She had discovered that as long as she had a specific spot in mind to go next, she wouldn't fall to the ground. The sun was high in the sky now, and although she wasn't sure exactly what time it was, she knew the window of opportunity for getting to the execution grounds was rapidly decreasing. "I hope Arrow's keeping track of time . . . we're probably both gonna die trying to face Aizen if we're together, but if she's not there when I get there I'm beyond toast."

Coming to yet another seemingly pointless courtyard (by this time Kiri had resolved to find out what idiot had designed this city and give them a severe talking to about logic) the blond descended to ground level and was about to continue on her way when she noticed a small group of clearly young Shinigami standing in a corner staring at her blatantly. There was an awkward pause.

"Ryoka!" One of them, a young man, shouted. His friends paused, hands on swords, clearly convinced there was no way they could beat Kiri from the stories they had heard of the other ryoka.

"Uhh . . ." the girl muttered, very aware of the seconds ticking past and not wanting to get involved in a battle. Jumping to the first situation that came to mind and doing what any self-respecting nerd would do, she waved her hand at the group, shouted in an impressive voice, "I am not the ryoka you're looking for!" and dashed off again, leaving the young Shinigami very confused, but at the same time grateful that they hadn't had to fight her.

Based purely on instinct Arrow's hand came to rest on her sheathed zanpakutou as she observed the men standing before her. Her eyes traveled across the group as each name came into mind: Iba, Komamura, Tousen . . . Hisagi. She felt her eyes widen exponentially. Of course she was going to have to fight one of her favorite characters, she thought sourly.

"Where are you running to with those ryoka?" Tousen inquired, his eyes hidden behind white frames. "In defeat, have you lost even your pride, Zaraki?" Watching the men intently Arrow paid little heed to Aramaki's blundering about who was present and felt her shoulders tighten as each second ticked past.

"Do not lose your head, Aramaki," Yumichika scolded, "We still have the advantage in numbers."

"This isn't an issue with numbers!" Aramaki hissed back, panic clearly written across his features. He's unfortunately right, Arrow thought grimly, her eyes continually trailing across the men who stood a hundred plus feet away from her.

"Quit wimperin'!" Kenpachi said, his face growing into a wide grin, "Who said I'd let you fight?" His attention shot towards the four men standing before him, "Four on one, huh? Not quite enough for a test cut, though."

Suddenly the four men on the roof shunpoed forward to stand mere feet in front of Arrow and the others. Seeing the enemy so close made Arrow's eyes narrow slightly as she shifted her feet into a defensive position ready for an attack to be dealt.

"Four on one you say?" Komamura questioned, soundly thoroughly annoyed at the antics of the Squad 11 Captain, "Are you saying you will face the four of us by yourself? I know of your power, but that is just a bit too arrogant, Zaraki Kenpachi!"

Kenpachi smirked in response, "Blah, blah, blah . . . shut up." Arrow felt a shiver run up her spine as the captain withdrew his wicked looking blade, "Just bring it on already! If you can, all four of you at once is better. If you surround me on four sides and attack at once, at least one of you might be able to cut me."

Aramaki timidly stepped forward before asking, "Uhmm . . . Zaraki-taicho . . . what should we . . ."

"You're in my way," Zaraki barked, swinging his blade backwards, "Disappear!" At this Aramaki slumped in his little corner of self pity before Yachiru called to everyone and set off racing down the corridor towards the execution grounds.

Sending one last glance towards the men Arrow turned on her heel and began racing with the others down the corridor. Should I stay and fight, she thought to herself watching Ikkaku and Yumichika knowing it would only before a few moments before they raced back towards their Captain, or should I flee with the others?

Watching Yumichika send Ikkaku a knowing glance, she found herself sighing at her own personality. Looks like I'm going to fight, she thought as she watched the two Shinigami turn and race back towards the courtyard. Skidding on her heels slightly Arrow ran after them, her mind racing in time with her feet. She hadn't spent hours working with her zanpakutou so she could run like a coward.

"Idiots, I'm tellin' you to come all four together!" she could hear Kenpachi comment dryly as she cleared the final distance between herself and the courtyard.

"I knew they'd say that! Freakin' posers . . ." Ikkaku taunted, his sword poised over his shoulder, having just run in front of his Captain.

"If that is the case, we too . . ." Yumichika confirmed, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Gotta send us in, right, Captain?" Sliding into her position next to Ikkaku, Arrow smirked as all of the eyes in the courtyard fell on her, looking at her as though she had just grown two heads.

"I've never been one to back down from a good fight," she explained pulling her swords from their sheathes, "and if it grants the others a safe passage out I really don't mind kicking around garbage like you." Ikkaku and Yumichika watched her with wide eyes as she lowered herself into a fighting stance.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ikkaku hissed at Arrow, glaring at her in way that if looks could kill she would have died a hundred times over.

"What does it look like?" She commented back, "I'm going to fight. So shut your mouth pinball." Ikkaku's eyes narrowed into slits as he watched the gutsy woman prepare to jump forward and fight. The four others in the courtyard were paying little heed to the conversation between the two but instead focused on the Shinigami before them bearing dual blades.

"Impossible," Hisagi spluttered suddenly as he watched the woman before him experimentally swing her two zanpakutous, "You can't be a dual wielder, there are only two known in the thirteen court guard squads and they're both Captains-" his eyes widened suddenly as the pieces fell into place. "You're-!"

"Aye, I'm a ryoka," She said, her voice hiding any of the insecurity that was swimming beneath her skin, "and you are Shuuhei Hisagi, Lieutenant of the 9th division."

Kiri froze and flailed momentarily as her momentum sent her skidding down a rooftop as a loud BOOM echoed throughout Seireitei. She thought for a minute. "It's still too early for them to be releasing the Sokyoku, so what could that be?" Panicking slightly, the girl rifled through her knowledge of Bleach. "Kenpachi. It has to be." She shot off again, this time in the direction of the explosions and shouting.

Approaching the large courtyard, she slowed until she was able to crawl up the roof of a nearby building and peer over. Clearly she'd gotten there later than she'd thought, as Hisagi had already relocated to avoid Kenpachi. Yumichika seemed to be having a hard time of it. Peering closer, Kiri did a double-take.

Hisagi wasn't fighting Yumichika.

He was fighting Arrow.

The blond could almost feel her jaw hit the ground as she watched her friend duck and weave around the Lieutenant's scythes. "You have got to be kidding me . . ."

Arrow dodged Hisagi's blades once again and laughed. "Come on! You have to be faster than that-! SHIT!" she yelped as the man struck again.

And then it happened.

Arrow used shunpo.

Or rather she tried to. Kiri watched as her friend crouched and concentrated her power to move as quickly as possible . . . then promptly slammed straight into a nearby wall.

The blond, absolutely dying of laughter and hanging on to the roof tiles for dear life as she rolled around, managed to shout to her dazed friend, "You idiot! You have to know where you're going before you can get there!" The dark haired girl looked at her blearily as Hisagi stood blankly in the middle of the small courtyard looking as though he couldn't believe he was fighting such an idiot.

"And what do you think you're doing? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU FIGHTING HISAGI? You'll screw up the whole plotline at this rate! Where the hell is Yumichika?"

Arrow shook her head a bit from her grounded position to clear it, immediately regretting the action as the ringing in her ears got worse. "Ugh shut up Kiri you're not helping! And I don't really know . . . it just sort of happened . . ."

Kiri resisted the urge to bang her head against the tiles beneath her.

"DAMN SHUNPO!" Arrow yelled as she rolled onto her stomach, willing the world around her to cease its endless spinning. She really was just no good at controlling her reiatsu.

While shaking her head to try and to clear her head of the ringing noise once again she heard the tell-tale sound of a blade slicing through air. Shooting back up onto her feet she threw her blades up in a defensive position as a scythe hit them with a sickening crunch. Stumbling slightly from the dizziness of her shunpo accident Arrow managed to maintain her balance and throw the blade backwards.

In all honesty she wasn't quite sure what was running through her head when she jumped Hisagi and began to battle it out. Maybe it had just been the heat of the moment, or just her own stupidity, either way she knew she was in knee deep and sinking quick.

Flipping backwards to avoid another attack from the menacing scythes Arrow landed softly on her knees. Watching the man before her swing his weapon, Arrow couldn't help but let her eyes roam slightly over his well built form. He sure lived up to standards that the manga had portrayed for him.

Focus, Arrow chided herself, don't pull a Kiri.

"Why haven't you called your zanpakutous forth?" Hisagi questioned, watching the insane woman before him carefully. Fighting her, he was well aware that the woman was physically strong and possessed great agility and speed but after her shunpo . . . incident he wasn't quite sure what to make of her.

"I don't need them," she called back, her black ponytail swishing with her dodging motions. Running towards Hisagi she watched as he released Kazeshini towards her, flipping she managed to barely slip under the lieutenant's flying weapon and slide close enough to him to land a solid kick to his abdomen.

Taken aback by the woman's force the young man was sent flying across the courtyard and landed with an unceremonious 'thump'. Pushing himself off the ground he watched the tall woman swinging her swords in a circular motion.

"We do not have to fight," Arrow commented slowly, closing the distance between herself and the fallen man, "I'm not your true enemy." Sighing internally the girl hoped that the Shinigami would listen to reason and they could both leave the battle semi-unscathed, more so herself than him. However her hopes were shot to hell as the chain that connected Hisagi's zanpakutou came forward and wrapped around her wrist. Pulling the chain suddenly he sent Arrow spiraling towards the ground, earning her a mouthful of sand.

"We are enemies," Hisagi stated coldly pulling the chain around the woman's wrist tighter, "You infiltrated the Sereitei and killed one of our Captains, justice must be given."

"Fool," Arrow hissed, latching her foot on the lieutenant's chain she forced all of her strength into her legs before rolling and sending the man spiraling once more. "You're such a kiss ass."

Hisagi grunted in disbelief and offense as he pulled on the chain once more, trying to pull Arrow towards him. Digging her heels into the ground she pulled back against the chains, doing her best not to fall flat on her face. A game of tug-o-war ensued for a good five minutes before Arrow finally grew tired of the mindless playing. Pulling straight down on the chains Arrow threw herself to the ground towards her discarded swords. Quickly grabbing one in her palm she rolled onto her back before raising the sword slightly.

"Chingin no sensō, unmei no arashi Nikusu!" The sword in Arrow's hand suddenly began to glow a vibrant purple before a brilliant light flashed, revealing its true form. Its katana frame was exchanged for that of curved longsword, its edge was wicked sharp and its color the blackest of blacks. The handle was split so that guard sat over Arrow's hand and down its body and handle vines of silver were spun with the deep insets of amethyst and Celtic runes that adorned the blade.

About time you called me, Arrow heard Nikusu say in the far corner of her mind, Allow me. Feeling power surge through her body, Arrow broke the chain holding Kazeshini together before shooting off towards Hisagi. Raising her blade up she brought it down for a powerful strike that left Hisagi stumbling slightly.

Said Lieutenant felt his eyes widen when he felt the pure power coming off of the zanpakutou and its wielder. Impossible, he thought as he parried another attack, this time knocking Hisagi backwards. Why am I feeling weaker? He thought suddenly as he tried to stand and felt fatigue over come him. This couldn't be her power! Could it?

Arrow's sword came down once again, absorbing the power from Kazeshini and storing it within Nikusu. They parried a few more times before Arrow felt the power pulsating beneath her palm and throughout her sword. Here goes nothing, she thought pulling Nikusu back.

"Tamashī kudake chiru!" Throwing the blade forward she watched in amazement as the sheer force and power of the attack sent purple reiatsu tumbling in all directions and shattered Kazeshini as well as knocking Hisagi backwards and onto the ground.

It worked, Arrow thought dumbly, watching the now unconscious man before her, It actually worked! Throwing her hands up to celebrate Arrow felt a burning pain shoot through her left side. Letting out a pained hiss she slid to her knees, her hands blindly fumbling for the sharp stinging. Pulling her palms away she noted that they were stained with dark blood. Peachy, she thought sarcastically, now where the hell did Kiri go?

Sliding down the roof away from Arrow, Kiri decided to see how everyone else was doing. Ikkaku was easily beating Iba to a pulp, while Yumichika cheered him on, since Arrow had stolen his opponent. Kenpachi on the other hand was simply standing in the middle of the large courtyard looking very bored as Tousen lectured him about justice.

Kiri made herself comfortable on the roof and watched the scene play out. Really, she reflected, it was extremely odd to be watching your favorite anime in real life. It created an unsettling sense of displacement.

Tousen was walking toward Kenpachi very slowly while twirling his sword for no apparent reason, just as Kiri remembered.

"If you hate me so much, why don't you cut me with your bankai!" the spikey-haired captain taunted.

"No, I'm not saying that I hate you." Tousen caught his sword in midair. "I'm saying I cannot forgive you! For everything you've said and done to disrupt the peace. I have no grudge, but in order to preserve the peace, I must eliminate you." Komamura jumped clear as he spun the wheel on his zanpakutou. "Bankai. Suzumushitsuishiki-Enmakourogi."

Suddenly Kiri realized her mistake. She was way too close to Tousen. Her eyes widened as she realized what would happen and she scrambled up from the roof in a panic.

The blond had a split-second view of the city before everything went dark.

Author's Note:

Chingin no sensō, unmei no arashi Nikusu- Wage War tempest of fate, Nikusu

Tamashī kudake chiru- Soul Shatter