Disclaimer: I do not own bleach.
Sorry it took so long for me to update I was waiting on my new laptop :)
Thanks for waiting, you guys are dolls!
IMPORTANT: I'm skipping the Meno forest so I can get to the more important stuff.
The sound of soft footsteps startled Ichigo awake and the orange haired shinigami shot up, forgetting that Yuki was sleep on his chest. Her head hit the ground roughly. She sat at attention just as quickly if not more than the human as she rubbed her sore head, but Yuki and Ichigo weren't the only ones alert at the moment Uryu was sitting up along with Renji each warrior scooting out a separate area with a fierce glare.
"Did you guys hear that?" Renji whispered the three nodded.
"Come on let's go check it out, everyone split up. Yuki come with me." Ichigo ordered earning a roll of the eyes from the violet haired renegade as she turned and marched off into the opposite direction of where Ichigo was heading. The ginger jogged up to her glaring, "What the hell was that?"
Yuki crossed her arms stubbornly, "I can take care of myself Kurosaki I don't need you to babysit me. Besides splitting up covers more ground."
"That's not what I'm worried about I just—"
"There is no way to justify that you fascist pig," she snorted not really angry with Ichigo just teasing him.
"Hey cut it out with the name calling it's mea—" Ichigo froze mid sentence as Yuki's blade swung so close to his face it sliced a bit of his bangs.
"Stay alert," Yuki said exasperated, Ichigo turned to look at what she was battling and noticed an arrancar whose reiatsu he hadn't felt before.
He hurled the hefty Zangetsu off of his shoulder and allowed the bandages to unwrap from the blade with his reiatsu. The arrancar stood on two feet and slightly taller than Yuki but significantly shorter than Ichigo. She had blonde hair that barely touched her shoulders and her mask fragment diagonally covered the right side of her face.
'She has a lot of her mask left she must be young, perhaps even a new born,' Yukina thought sadly. The arrancar jumped back and viciously charged at Yuki only to barely dodge an attack from Ichigo.
"Ichigo, leave this one to me," it didn't sound like a request, more like an order, in the voice that only a captain used. He took a few steps back willing to comply with the former Shinigami in order to see some of her fight.
"Wrong move bitch, now you'll definitely die," The arrancar sneered. Yuki raised an eyebrow skeptically and wore a small amused smiled, "What are you smiling at bitch!" the arrancar roared.
"You really are a baby aren't you?" The former shinigami chuckled easily dodging a sloppy attack from the blonde.
"Don't call me that," she growled angrily.
"Ichigo, Yuki is everything alright!" Renji and Ishida came running from opposite sides of the sand dunes and stop in their tracks Renji standing beside Ichigo and Uryu at a safe distance behind the arrancar.
"Are you gonna attack me or what?" the blonde arrancar shouted.
Yuki looked around her unsurely, "um sure." Suddenly Yuki disappeared from vision and the Arrancar was knocked onto the sand, lying on her back with blood spurting from a wound unconscious. Yuki's body reappeared on the other side of the arrancar and slashed the sword through the air to remove the remnants of blood before sheathing her zanpakuto. "Don't worry it's not a fatal wound and she's just knocked out," she explained seeing Uryu's horrified face.
"Wh-when did you get this power?" the boy stuttered.
Yuki sighed explaining her story was becoming a tedious task as of late, "I used to be the Captain of the 3rd division, I climbed up the ranks with a secret mission find out what happened to my sister who went missing 200 hundred years ago. I found out that she had been the first successful hollowfications that Aizen had performed. Central 46 ordered her exiled and then secretly placed a hit on her amongst the special ops squad. She disappeared after her hearing and then lost the battle to the hollow inside of her. Then she joined Aizen's side…and here I am now trying to bring her down and making sure Kurosaki-kun doesn't get his ass beat." Ichigo rolled his eyes both him and Renji were now standing at her side.
"I thought you looked familiar!" Renji exclaimed, "I think I delivered you a message when I was part of the eleventh squad."
"N-nani you were part of the eleventh Squad Renji-san?" Ichigo asked bewildered.
"Yeah, didn't you know that?"
"Well that explains a lot," Uryu muttered while pushing up his glasses with one finger.
"What did you say four eyes!" Renji shouted.
"Who are you calling four eyes, baboon!"
Yuki laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head while Ichigo sweat dropped, "Your…uh…Your friends argue a lot don't they."
Ichigo laughed nervously as well, "Yeah c'mon lets go check on the others." The arguing pair caught sight of them leaving.
"Oi matte," Renji shouted as the jogged to catch up with them.
"Ichigo what was all that yelling about?" Rukia asked sleepily while she rubbed her right eye.
Ichigo sweat dropped, "how did you sleep through all of that?"
"Nothing Rukia but get the others up, we gotta get going," Renji said.
After about fifteen minutes the group was once again on the back of Babawaba and headed towards the ever nearing castle.
"That castle is throwing off my sense of distance," Uryu complained pushing his glasses up again.
"It just never seems to be getting any closer," Yuki agreed crawling up to the front of Babawaba to get a better look at the castle.
"Oi, Ishida, that girl of Ichigo's has got a nice ass don't you agree?" Renji asked playfully elbowing Uryu causing him to blush a light pink. Ichigo on the other hand who had shamefully watched Yukina as she crawled up blushed a dark scarlet from embarrassment, shame, and anger.
"'She not my 'girl' and don't talk about her like that!" he hissed at the red head.
Renji smirked, "If she's not your girl then you wouldn't mind me asking her out would ya?"
The fuku-taicho winked at Ichigo making him even more angry, with a growl he punched Renji and sent him flying back to where the others were seated crashing into Donachaka and Pesche. "Ask that out sukebei," the substitute shinigami mumbled.
Uryu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "It would seem that you have some feelings for our new comrade Kurosaki-san."
Ichigo blushed and shook his head violently, "What? No! She's just a liability."
Uryu shook his head in disagreement, "That's not the way it looks when you two are alone or cuddling at night." Renji was back quickly he caught Uryu's last statement and chuckled earning another punch from Ichigo.
"We weren't cuddling—I-I wasn't keeping her warm, she was cold," he tried to justify himself pathetically.
Ishida shook his head again with a small smile, "Whatever you say Kurosaki-kun."
"Ichigo-kun look we're almost at the entrance!" The petite girl exclaimed pointing towards the castle excitedly, Ichigo crawled up to her and laughed as they fell into an easy conversation.
"Whatever you say…." Ishida whispered watching the two with a smile on his face.
"It seems Ichigo-kun is smitten with that girl Yuki-san, no?" Pesche asked Rukia.
"It would seem that way," Rukia chuckled.
"WHAT? Itsygo-kun and Yuk-tsan," Nel exclaimed before stomping off to the couple near Babawaba's head and crawling into Ichigo's lap.
"Itsygo, I'm sleepy—ahhh!" The group suddenly plummeted down a whole and Dondachaka, knowing that Babawaba would crush them all to death had the giant worm return into his mask.
"Itai (ouch), where are we?" Yuki mumbled as she stood from her landing cushion, Renji.
"It looks like it would be the basement of the castle," Uryu stated.
"You are correct," Pesche said suddenly shooting up from the dog pile.
"Don't cha know," Dondachaka added.
"The basement huh," Ichigo stood next examining their surroundings, "Yosh I guess it's time we parted ways with you guys, thanks for all your help but things are going to get dangerous from here on out." The group nodded and began to walk away. They got a fair distance when Nel's screaming caught their attention. She began confessing everything and begging that Ichigo not leave them because they were traitors to Aizen and he most probably knew, she begged that he didn't leave them.
"Itsygo! Itsygo!" she cried, suddenly her voice seemed to become faint as if she were running the other direction.
"It sounds like she fell down a hole," Ishida said calmly.
"How can you say that with a straight face, you're horrible!" Yuki scolded, but nonetheless followed Ichigo down the dark passage towards Nel's quickly disappearing voice.
"It was probably covered by a vent or something," Uryu stated as he examined the vertical tunnel the group began to climb down when rubble started to fall. "Everyone jump!" Uryu shouted as he jumped off the ladder followed quickly by Yuki, Renji, and Rukia. Ichigo looked up in confusion only to be crushed by Dondachaka and Pesche and then by the rubble. Yuki gave him a sympathetic look as he fought his way out of the rubble.
The group continued on down the dark pathway, "Man, it's so dark I can't see anything!" Ichigo complained.
"Don't worry, in times like this it's possible to mold kido like this, Red shot cannon!" Renji called out as a tiny ball of light formed causing Yuki to laugh.
"That's what you get for attempting something out of your skill level," Rukia said flatly.
"Don't worry we'll just follow your red hair, kind of like that song about Santa-san's reindeer." Ichigo tease.
"Stop picking on him at least he tried it's really hard Kido, here Renji let me take over, Red Shot Cannon!" she mirrored the red head's movements but this time the light swelled and lit up the area, the red glowing ball floating in her hands was much bigger than Renji's who seemed to look embarrassed now.
"Huh I saw something sparkle!" Dondachaka exclaimed stopping at one of the intersections. Everyone stopped and turned around looking curiously at the monstrous arrancar.
"I didn't see anything," Pesche commented walking over with Nel to the intersection.
"I swear I saw something, don't cha know," he argued before running down the passageway.
"Hey Matte," Yuki called after him as Nel and Pesche followed.
"Come on let's follow them," said Rukia as she shook her head in disapproval.
"You guys just can't go off by yourself like that," Ichigo scolded half-heartedly.
"Look a door thingy," Nel said pointing at the wall blocking the archway made of a different material.
Uryu kneeled and touched the wall examining it "This does appear to be made of a different and newer material than the rest of the basement, I think we should come up with a plan before we—"
"Alright looks like I'm going to have to knock this down," Ichigo said ignoring whatever the Quincy was about to say. The shinigami swung Zangetsu down causing the wall to shatter like glass. Yuki raised an eyebrow as she passed him. She had to admit his strength was a very endearing quality he possessed. The look in Yuki's eye as she passed cause Ichigo to blush but he didn't know why, after she walked through he followed being the last person in line.
"Another one, I think we should really—" Ishida started.
"Yosh," Ichigo exclaimed before smashing the wall, the same chain of events happened about four times until finally they reached a lit up gold room with five archways.
"We'll have to check each one by one," Ishida sighed pushing his glasses up.
"No, we need to separate and go down one by one," Rukia's commanding voice cut in.
"What no!" Ichigo shouted enraged by her idea.
"As much as I'd hate to split up in this place, Rukia's right, Ichigo it's the best way," Yuki reasoned from her position next to Chad.
"What if you get hurt I can't protect any of you—"
"Ichigo stop you're insulting her she is a warrior, Rukia can take care of herself," Renji cut in standing in front of Rukia protectively.
Ichigo reluctantly nodded, "You're right." The sudden spiritual pressure caused everyone to tense. "Nel-chan, it looks like we're going to have to say goodbye anyways. What lies ahead is the real deal and the three of you won't be able to handle the Espada's spiritual pressure. I'm sorry Nel goodbye." The child was too stunned to reply when Renji turned around.
"This may be really lame but I want to do the old Gotei 13 lucky cheer,"
"Lucky Cheer?" Ichigo asked curiously.
Yuki slapped her hand to her forehead, "Oh no….this is so dumb."
"I know Yuki-san I just really feel like we need the good luck," Yuki's shoulders slumped in giving him the cue to continue.
"Someone's going to have to double up," Chad said suddenly.
"Huh," Ichigo questioned.
"There are five doors and six of us," he explained.
"Oh, Yuki come with me," Ichigo stated without thought.
"What! Why? I can handle myself Kurosaki!" She complained crossing her arms over her chest.
Ichigo glared at her, "It's not about that Nerru, I said I was going to help you save your sister didn't I?" he growled, Yuki nodded, " how can I do that if I'm not with you when you run into her?"
Yuki blushed lightly, "Fine I'll go with you…"
"Yosh let's get started everyone hands in," Renji ordered, he said the oath and then the six Shinigami pivoted on their foot and disappeared down their passageway.
