Chapter 12: Straight Outta Roanapur


Hey guys!

As always, the love that you all continue to give this story still warms my heart, and I am grateful that each and every one of you have stuck with me for as long as you have. That being said, some people are still quite clearly anxious to get back to the Hellsing storyline, so I will go ahead and confirm that the Triage X Mini-Arc is nearly complete. You can expect perhaps three or four more chapters before Ichigo and Pip return to London.

However, that number may change depending on what all I cover in this particular chapter. I know some of you are most likely tired of the Triage X Arc, but it is necessary to the future events of the story. I will take as much time is needed, and as many chapters as I need to, to set the stage for what will come later on down the line. This Arc IS almost over, but there are still a few things that need to happen.

Be patient, and I assure you that you shall be rewarded. We are not done with Seras, Walter, and the others from Hellsing.

That being said, let me remind you that this is indeed a fanfiction, and as such I will be deviating from canon to a noticeable degree. I still plan to follow the original Hellsing plot line, but that in turn will only serve to be part of what I hope to be an extended universe.

Keep in mind, I still haven't properly integrated High School DxD into the story yet, and that will indeed still be happening. It will play an incredibly vital role in my future plans.

Also, before we get into the story, I would like to apologize for not being able to dedicate as much time to my writing as I would like to. I recently moved across the country, and that was both a physical and emotionally taxing ordeal. School will also be starting up soon, but just know that while updates may not occur often, they will eventually happen. I love these stories too much to not give them as much attention as I can.

Now then, who's ready for some Two Hands? Fair warning, due to Revy's appearance in this chapter, the language will get pretty explicit. I assume that most of you are sensible adults that can handle it, but in these modern times you can never be too sure.

AlucardsBro OUT!


A pair of smooth hands gently moved through his hair.

Ichigo's face scrunched up briefly as he finally opened his eyes, and became aware of his surroundings. The calls of various birds echoed all around him, and a light breeze blew through the area, ruffling the leaves in the trees. As far as he could remember, he had not fallen asleep outdoors, and that could only mean one thing…

"So, it wasn't a dream after all," he mused aloud.

A musical voice laughed gently, and the fingers running along his scalp paused in their ministrations, much to his begrudging disappointment.

"No, t'was not a dream at all, child," the woman from the previous evening tittered. "It is not often that We allow mortal individuals to enter Our sacred garden more than once…but then again, you are a rather special exception."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Looking his mysterious companion directly in the eye, he still couldn't deny the absolutely inhuman beauty she possessed. "Who are you, really?"

She raised a finely manicured brow. "Even after all this time, and after all of the hints surrounding you, you still do not know? We suppose it is not too surprising; you were never very good at seeing the obvious, after all…"

The orange-head grunted under his breath at the thinly veiled jab, prompting the woman to let out another amused chuckle.

"Very well," she smiled, "if you wish to know Our name, then We shall speak it to you directly. We are the Mother of the East. We are She who Shines in the Heavens. We are the Empress of Takama-Ga-Hara, and the life-giver to all of Our children."

Ichigo's eyes slowly widened as the realization finally dawned on him. All this time, he had been speaking to one of the most powerful entities in the Shinto religion, and perhaps the most revered figure to exist in Japanese mythology.

Integra had warned him that the supernatural world extended well beyond the existence of the Soul Society and vampires, but at the time he hadn't elected to really give her words of caution any merit.

Now, he was solely regretting it…

For the living goddess sitting next to him on the grass was none other than the alleged mother of all Japanese royalty…Amaterasu herself.

"Holy shit…" he blurted in a hushed whisper.

Amaterasu raised an elegant brow at his choice of words. "Indeed; We were beginning to get rather curious as to why you did not recognize Us. Surely, the mortals in Our realm still educate their children of the one who rules over them all, do they not?"

The orange-head scratched the back of his neck a bit awkwardly. "No, they do…but only the really religious folks. Most people think the gods are nothing more than stories meant to keep them from misbehaving.

The heavenly woman let out a disappointed sigh, reaching out to smooth out a wrinkle in her pristine white priestess robes. "Such a shame…there was a time when We and Our brothers were loved nearly as much by the people as we loved them. But, then again, We suppose it has been several millennia since We last truly revealed Our full glory on the mortal plane…"

Turning back to Ichigo, her expression softened, and she suddenly reached forward to caress his right cheek. The young man went deathly still; he knew there was no reason to be afraid of her, but Amaterasu could still easily one-shot both Aizen and Yamamoto simultaneously with only one finger.

That kind of power, no matter who it was possessed by, merited at least some level of hesitance.

"You have made Us so very proud, darling Child," she cooed, bringing up her remaining hand to cradle his jawline. "You have fought so hard, and from such an early age, to ensure that those you love and care for are kept safe from harm. It warmed Our heart to witness you bring your blue-haired lover to her senses…even when all others present deemed her far beyond saving."

Ichigo grumbled. "She's not my lover…just my girlfriend…"

Amaterasu's expression flattened. "Child, when We still personally ruled over the mortal realm, two individuals who were in the process of courting one another were called lovers. She is your lover. Understand?"

The orange-head grunted, and his eyes flickered off to the side. "Yeah well…I still have another friend who still needs saving."

The goddess let out a soft sigh. "Indeed; Konomi Suzue is most certainly in need of your aid. Her current predicament is not one We would wish upon any of Our enemies, no matter how heinous their actions…"

Ichigo's eyes snapped back to Amaterasu's face. "You can see what's happening to her?!"

She nodded. "Of course We can, everything in the Shinto realm is Ours to see."

"Can you help her?"

"We cannot. Deities are forbidden to interfere in the affair of mortals, no matter how distasteful or pitiable we find their situation to be. We can only step in if the situation is extremely dire and has the potential to influence all of creation."

Swearing, the former Substitute wrenched his face out of Amaterasu's hands and turned away, stomping across the grassy clearing. "This always happens!" he shouted in a clear mixture of rage, frustration, worry, and sorrow. "Whenever I get close to someone, bad things always start to happen! First it was my mother, then Rukia, then Orihime, then everyone in Karakura Town, then Sayo, and now Konomi! I'm a fucking curse!"

Ichigo's rant was suddenly brought to a screeching halt when the heat in the area increased nearly twentyfold. The grass and foliage surrounding the clearing began to smolder and burn away, and the air itself grew heavy under the absolutely insane temperature. Slowly, the young man turned around, and was met with what was easily the most beautiful and terrifying sight he had ever laid eyes upon.

Amaterasu's silky black hair was now a wreath of white-hot flames, and her eyes burned brighter than any fire he had ever seen, including those of Yamamoto's Zanpakuto. And what was even more terrifying was that she looked positively furious.

Slowly, the goddess stalked forward, until she was only mere inches from Ichigo. The orange-head was absolutely dripping with sweat, and if the furious deity were to get any closer, then he would in all likelihood combust on the spot.

"We will not hear you speaking ill of yourself boy, is that understood?" she boomed, her voice a far cry from the silky and soothing tone she had previously displayed. "You have done far more good in this world than any mortal your age could ever hope of accomplishing. You have changed the hearts of the cold, you have stopped monsters from destroying that which you hold dear, and you have earned a place in the hearts of several maidens with your honor and courage. You are not a curse, do you hear Us? With great power comes even greater risks, but it is thanks to those around you that you can continue to grow stronger to overcome those evils. They understand the risks, yet they welcome them wholly if it means being able to continue supporting you."

Ichigo swallowed nervously, and hesitantly nodded. "I-I understand…"

Amaterasu's glare remained for several more seconds, before finally the flames in her hair and eyes were extinguished, and she returned once more to her normal appearance. "Good. Never tell yourself that your presence in this world is a burden. You bring your allies strength with your sword, and they you with their support. The battles will never cease, but they will serve to give you more strength to protect those you care about."

The orange-head blinked. "Huh…I never really thought about it that way…"

The goddess rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Of course you didn't, you are a man. And strong as they may be, most men are overwhelmingly stubborn and thick-headed. Now then, as much as We would enjoy cradling you in Our arms for the rest of eternity, you are needed back in the Mortal Plane. And We dare say that you will be in for a treat once you awaken…"

Ichigo frowned, and opened his mouth to ask her what she meant. But, before he could do so, the garden of Takama-Ga-Hara and Amaterasu vanished, and he was plunged into a void of darkness.


His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes, but the one thing Ichigo became instantly aware of was that there was a soft, wet sensation trailing up and down the side of his throat. Blue hair and soft curves registered to his senses, and he quickly realized what was going on.

Opening his mouth to let out an exasperated groan, the orange-head instead turned a decent shade of red when a guttural moan came out as his girlfriend nibbled against his collarbone. He could even feel the damn woman smirking against his skin.

Well, if anything, this was certainly a pleasant way to wake up…

He wouldn't mind getting used to it at all.

"Good morning handsome," Sayo purred huskily, trailing her lips and the tip of her nose along her boyfriend's neck, before pulling away slightly to properly face him. Currently, the bluenette was straddling the orange-head, and her hands were pinning his wrists against the mattress. And of course, with her enhanced strength, she could easily hold him there for the entire day if she so desired.

"Morning to you too," Ichigo rasped.

Grinning, Sayo rubbed her crotch against his bare abdominals. To both his frustration and relief, she was still wearing her typical nurse's garb, but that still only left a few layers of fabric between true bodily contact.

"If you keep doing that, we may end up being in here longer than we need too…" the former Substitute groaned.

"And is that such a bad thing?" she asked innocently, pouting in a way that would have made any lesser man cave instantly. Ichigo would have too, if not for the serious mission that was going to occur in only a few hours.

"Normally? No," he admitted, using all of the strength his weakened state provided to push himself into a sitting position. This, of course, brought him both face-to-face and chest-to-boobs with the woman sitting on top of him. "Today, however, we both need to have our game faces on. I take it that the rest of Black Label is here too?"

Sayo sighed, but nodded nonetheless. "Yuuko and Miki are in the main room talking strategy with your French friend. I honestly thought Mikoto was going to fill him with holes when we first got here…I suppose she's still pretty sore that he basically handed her her own ass on a silver platter. He also put Arashi in the Intensive Care Unit, so I guess that didn't help any either…"

Ichigo grunted. "Probably not. Now let me up, we need to get ready for the others."

The bluenette frowned. "Others? What others?"

"I called in a favor from a…friend…and he put me into contact with a group of his acquaintances," the former Substitute replied, pushing himself up off of the bed as his girlfriend got off of him. "They agreed to meet with us and help us rescue Konomi. And, if what I was told was correct, they're expert vampire hunters."

"Aren't you and your partner already supposed to be our resident supernatural experts?" Sayo questioned curiously.

Ichigo let out an amused snort. "I'm far from an expert on anything. All I do it get pointed in the right direction, and then fight anything that is stupid or brave enough to get in my way. That reminds me…I still need to give that advice to Yuuko…"

Bending over to scoop his shirt up off of the floor, the orange-head pulled it over his head and quickly smoothed out any of the wrinkles in the fabric. And, after putting on his brown leather jacket, he picked up Manus from its position leaning against the wall and fastened it securely in its scabbard, before securing the sheathed blade against his back. Turning to his girlfriend, he held out his arms and raised an eyebrow. "How do I look?"

Sayo bit her lip as her eyes hungrily roved over him. "Delicious…"

"Not the answer I was going for, but I'll take it," Ichigo shrugged, wrapping an arm around her waist before guiding them out of his room and into the main space of the penthouse.

As Sayo had said, Pip, Yuuko, and Miki were all gathered at the coffee table, presumably going over everything both parties knew about the criminals that would be involved in the rescue operation. The orange-head was quite surprised how easily his partner had accepted the fact that their new allies were the same people they'd fought tooth and nail against only a few nights ago. Then again, the situation had changed dramatically since then, and therefore any previous grudges or grievances had to be forgotten.

However, that certainly didn't stop Mikoto from giving the Frenchman the most vicious glare Ichigo had ever seen…and this was coming from somebody who knew the likes of Kenpachi and Grimmjow…

Oriha had apparently been content to help herself to whatever food was in the fridge while everyone else was preoccupied, and she currently sat at the bar in the kitchen; eating a slice of cake while looking quite pleased with herself for having discovered such a treat.

Content with ignoring the heated glare he was receiving, Pip looked up and greeted his partner with a smile. "Ah, good to see that you are finally awake Ichigo. When your lady friend here volunteered to go and get you, I thought the two of you would have been occupied for far longer."

"That was the original idea…" Sayo grumbled under her breath.

Gently pinching the bluenette's side, Ichigo stepped away from her and over to the table where the older individuals in the room were gathered. "What have you guys come up with so far?" he asked.

Pip snorted. "Well, as interesting as your idea to run in guns a blazing was…Yuuko here suggested that we divide into at least three teams to cover more ground. Also, if one team is discovered, then they will most likely draw any potential attention away from the others, making their job all the easier."

The orange-head nodded. "Sounds like a solid strategy. Have you heard anything from our other contacts? I want to know what each of their specialties are before we assign any teams."

Yuuko sighed and shook her head in the negative. "No, we have not. Mister Bernadotte and I have both attempted to contact these mysterious friends of Mister Ginjo several times in the past few minutes, but we never received any form of answer. My best assumption would be that they are either not in a position to accept a call, or they are purposefully ignoring our attempts at communication."

Ichigo growled under his breath at the news, before letting out a resigned sigh and flopping backwards into the nearest chair. "We'll give them a few more minutes to get here, but if they don't show up by the scheduled time, we'll just have to go ahead without them…"

Sayo quickly lowered herself into her boyfriend's lap and soothingly rubbed his shoulders.

Pip muttered something under his breath about lucky bastards and big-breasted women, before finally deciding to address the elephant in the room. "All right then petite fille," he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to face Mikoto. "What's with that sour face you've been giving me?"

The silver-haired girl let out a snarl. "You beat me into unconsciousness and broke my partner's arm. What the fuck do you think is wrong?"

The Frenchman held up his hands in a gesture of placation. "Eh, I'm sorry about that, but you kids were my mission. No hard feelings though, right?"

Mikoto lunged up from her seat and prepared to fling herself right at the unapologetic Hellsing agent, but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. Miki, ever the voice of reason, forced her younger comrade back down into the chair.

"I am just as upset about Arashi's condition as you are, but we need to put aside our grievances and focus on the new mission," she stated firmly, leaving absolutely no room for argument. "You don't have to like Mister Bernadotte in the slightest, but I expect you to work with him as professionally as you can. Is that understood?"

Deflating under the violet-haired woman's glare, Mikoto hesitantly nodded in acceptance.

Miki nodded in satisfaction, before whirling around on Pip, who flinched slightly despite himself. "And you…I would appreciate it if you would refrain from purposefully antagonizing any of my teammates," she threatened none too subtly. "Arashi is a dear friend to all of us, and his condition has made us all a bit more trigger happy than we normally are…if you understand my meaning."

The Frenchman slowly took a step backward and raised him hands again. "Oui, je comprends…I won't bother you any more than necessary."

Glaring at the long-haired man for several more moments, Miki eventually let out a sigh before walking into the kitchen and helping herself to a drink. Now that she had her back turned, Mikoto turned to Pip one final time and gave him a double middle finger. He simply stuck his tongue out at her in response.

Oriha giggled at the display.

Yuuko merely rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Silence fell fairly quickly throughout the penthouse, and as the minutes continued to tick by, everyone tried to occupy themselves as best they could until the rest of the rescue party arrived. Miki sat down with a beer in hand, while Mikoto continued to sulk on the far end of the large couch in the center of the room.

Ichigo impatiently drummed his fingers against the armrest of his own chair, while Sayo, still sitting in his lap, did her best to help him relax.

Both Pip and Yuuko were leaning against the bar with their arms folded across their chests, while Oriha continued to merrily munch on the goodies she'd raided from the refrigerator.

Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of nothingness had passed, Ichigo let out a frustrated sigh. "They're late…"

"You're just realizing this now?" Pip snorted sarcastically.

Giving his girlfriend a gentle nudge, the orange-head rose from his seat once she'd gotten off of him. "We can't afford to waste any more time waiting on them," he stated firmly. "Grab whatever gear you think you'll need, and we'll discuss the team assignments on the way there."

Yuuko picked her sheathed katana up off of the countertop she'd been leaning against and fastened it securely to her hip. "I agree. There is no point in wasting our time waiting for individuals who clearly do not care enough about the situation enough to be on time. Ichigo, from here on out, I will be temporarily transferring leadership of Ampoule One to you."

That certainly surprised everyone in the room, but none more so than the former Substitute himself.

"M-Me? Why?" he asked, clear shock evident in his tone.

Yuuko merely raised an elegant brow. "Is it not fairly obvious? You are the one who organized this whole rescue operation, therefore I feel it should be you who commands all of us involved. The two of us may not have spoken for over a decade, but in these past few days I have been able to sense that you carry a leader's resolve, and an unwavering desire to ensure that everyone remains free of harm. You proved that to me especially when you stood up for Sayo…"

The aforementioned bluenette flinched slightly at the reminder of her mindless rampage the day before, which in turn prompted Ichigo to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Seeing as how her young friend seemed content to console his girlfriend instead of voicing a response, Yuuko continued. "Above all else, the greatest quality that a leader can possess is their concern for their subordinates, as well as everyone else around them. Someone who rules through fear and intimidation, like Tobishiro, is not a leader…he is a tyrant. You however, care for every single person in this room. You may not even be aware of it, but it is quite obvious to the trained eye."

"How so?" the orange-head questioned.

"Well, aside from the obvious fact that you are currently attempting to console Sayo, I have noticed that your eyes have been randomly shifting to each of us during the past few minutes. I have done the very same thing almost every time Black Label has been assigned a new mission. You were gauging our well-being, and seeing whether or not we were fit for the upcoming task."

Pip, standing off to the side, grinned wryly. "Awww, so you do care Ichigo…"

Oriha laughed at that, and even Miki cracked a small smile.

Rolling her eyes, Yuuko continued again. "All in all, I am confident that you are a very capable young man, and I would not trust my comrades' safety to anyone else in this kind of scenario. Do you accept my proposal?"

Blinking away the last remnants of his surprise, Ichigo's expression hardened, and he nodded in resolve. "Yeah, I do. Thanks Doc…"

The brunette waved his gratitude off easily, although a bit of red still dusted across her cheeks. "Oh, don't mention it. You can properly thank me after this whole mess by finally sitting down with me and discussing what we talked about last night."

Smiling, the orange-head gave his girlfriend's shoulder one more squeeze, before stepping away and turning to address the collection of individuals in the room. "Alright then. Like I said, grab whatever gear you think you might need and get ready to head out. Kugo's friends obviously aren't coming, so I guess we'll just have to improvise."

Everyone either nodded or voiced their agreement.

Pip holstered his pistols against his waist.

Yuuko's grip tightened on her katana's hilt.

Sayo flexed her gauntlet-covered fingers and slid her twin mini-guns into their holsters.

Miki's sniper rifle was slung across her back.

Mikoto slid her own pistols into their holsters.

And, finally, Oriha did a last-minute check of her various explosive devices.

After everyone either gave him a thumbs up or an additional sign of confirmation, Ichigo nodded and turned to head towards the front door of the penthouse. "Let's get this show on the road."

Reaching out for the doorknob, the orange-head prepared to turn it. However, much to his surprise, the door was suddenly yanked open from the other side, throwing his sense of balance for a loop. Toppling forward through the doorway and into the hall, Ichigo let out a grunt when he collided with something warm and solid, before both he and the mysterious object tumbled to the hard floor.

He heard a muffled curse, along with something akin to laughter, and groggily attempted to open his eyes. However, as he did so, he noticed that his world was still encompassed by nothing but complete darkness. Oddly enough, whatever it was that his face was pressed against was quite soft and comfortable…

A snarl ripped through the air, and before Ichigo could even register what was going on, a pair of feet were firmly planted in his stomach, and he was launched back through the doorway and into the main room of the penthouse. He landed harshly on the wooden coffee table, which easily fell to pieces under his weight and the force behind his propulsion.

He heard Sayo cry out his name in worry, and the former Substitute attempted to rise to his feet and assure her that he was alright. However, before he could even move so much as a single muscle, a weight settled harshly on his stomach, and something cool and metallic was pressed against the underside of his chin.

"Alright you carrot-topped cunt, I hoped that little grope session was fucking enjoyable for you, because it'll be the last thing you ever do!"

Carefully, Ichigo looked up to analyze the enraged brunette sitting atop him.

She had brown eyes, and her hair was tied back into a long and messy low ponytail. An exposing tank-top barely covered her upper half, while her upper thighs were adorned by a pair of frazzled cut-off jean shorts. To top it all off, intricate tattoos ran up and down her right shoulder and upper arm.

He would have thought her decently attractive, if not for the Cutlass she had pressed against his lower jaw.

"No one fucking touches me without my permission, do you hear me you motherfucking son of a bitch?!" she snarled again, grinding the end of her weapon's muzzle into his skin. "You messed up fucking big time asshole, and now I'm gonna paint this room with your fucking brains!"

A metallic click echoed through the air, and the foul-mouthed brunette suddenly froze.

The end of one of Sayo's mini-guns was pressed firmly against the back of her head. The look on the blue-haired nurse's face was one of barely suppressed rage, as if she was silently begging the woman on the business end of her weapon to give her a reason to pull the trigger.

"Give me a reason bitch," the bluenette sneered coldly.

The tattooed stranger gritted her teeth angrily, and judging by the way he could feel the muscles in her thighs bunching up, Ichigo could easily tell that she was preparing to leap into action. He sincerely hoped she had better sense than that…otherwise Sayo would literally tear her to pieces. With her bare hands, at that.

"That's enough," a stern, feminine voice suddenly cut through the air life a white-hot knife.

The Black Label and Hellsing agents in the room collectively turned back towards the doorway, where three other women were standing.

One of them, a tanned blonde wearing a pair of sunglasses, was quite obviously enjoying the display. On the other hand, the dark-haired woman standing next to her, who was wearing a pair of round glasses and an antique maid's uniform, didn't appear to be showing any kind of emotion in the slightest.

The final woman, who was also the one who had spoken, had her long, wavy blonde hair tied back into a high ponytail. She also wore a bright red business suit, along with a light grey jacket that hung loosely around her shoulders. However, the most noticeable thing about her was that she had a horrific scar adorning the entire right half of her face. If she was at all bothered by her own appearance, then she certainly didn't show it.

Even from his position pinned to the floor, Ichigo could sense that the woman gave of a commanding aura that put even Integra's to absolute shame…

"Let him up, Revy," she said, quite obviously addressing the woman sitting on top of the orange-head.

"B-But boss, he…"

"I'm not asking. I'm telling you to move your ass."

The brunette growled lowly under her breath, and her eyes snapped back down to meet Ichigo's. "This ain't over you motherfucker, do you hear me?" she hissed, before reluctantly rising to her feet. However, she still firmly planted a foot directly in the center of the former Substitute's stomach for good measure.

Sayo briefly locked eyes with the woman, apparently named Revy, and both of them gave the other a look so fierce that it would have made the likes of Kenpachi and Grimmjow cower in fear. How wonderful…not even five minutes into knowing each other, and they already wanted to rip each other's throats out…

So much for team bonding…

"I'm guessing you're Kugo's friends?" Ichigo wheezed as his girlfriend hauled him back to his feet.

The commanding blonde scoffed slightly. "Friend is a rather strong term to use for any relationship I might have with that man. But, to essentially answer your question, yes, we are the team he put you into contact with. I would apologize for being late, but we weren't really in too big of a hurry to begin with."

Off to the side, Yuuko frowned at the woman's rather uncaring tone.

Ichigo however, being the better man, stepped forward and extended a hand. "Well, then we're glad you could finally make it," he said, putting a bit of emphasis on the word 'finally.' "I'm Ichigo, and these are my friends; Sayo, Yuuko, Miki, Oriha, Mikoto, and Pip."

The Frenchman smoothly slid up to the other blonde woman in the room. "But of course, you can call me Monsieur Beau…"

The woman in question slowly slid her sunglasses down her nose and raised an eyebrow. "You can call me Eda, or trop bien pour toi, if you prefer."

Pip wilted considerably, and sulked back over to his original standing position near the bar.

"What did she say to you?" Oriha whispered, leaning towards him.

"I don't want to talk about it…" the mercenary grumbled.

The older blonde woman rolled her eyes at the display. "Since you have already been introduced to Eda and Revy, then the remaining pleasantries will be conveniently short. I am Balalaika, and this is my personal assistant, Roberta."

The dark-haired woman in the maid's outfit bowed politely at the waist. "It is a pleasure to meet you all."

Ichigo nodded back, before turning once again to face Balalaika. "We've been discussing strategy for the past few minutes before you arrived, and we decided that it would be best if we all split up into fairly equally sized teams. That way, if one team is discovered, then they can lead attention away from the remaining ones."

The scarred woman nodded. "Not a bad idea. Alright then kid, since you and the blue-haired girl seem so close, then I assume you can work well together. You'll be accompanying both Revy and myself."

The orange-head frowned. "Wait, we were going t-"

"Eda, I want you and Roberta to take Frenchy. That leaves the rest of you to team up however you see fit. Everyone understand?"

Yuuko's frown deepened. "Now hold on just a minute, who put you in charge?"

Balalaika smirked. "I did. Now then, let's move out."


Bambietta stared down at the prone woman before her with nothing but genuine pity and regret.

Konomi Suzue was never supposed to have been caught up in any of this, and neither were any other innocent people. She would have been all for allowing the orange-haired woman to escape, but she still had to keep up appearances until it was time to break off Millennium's temporary partnership with Tobishiro and his little minions.

Speaking of the disgusting little troll, he was allegedly inbound on a top of the line private jet.

Apparently, Goryu had decided to kidnap Suzue in particular due to the fact that the detective had been involved in several cases that had undermined several of Tobishiro's incoming shipments of Platinum Lily. Therefore, not only would the despicable man be pleased that they managed to successfully acquire a decent amount of the addictive substance, but he would also get to relieve any of his past frustrations on Konomi herself.

Or into her, if what Goryu had planned was true…

"You really are a piece of work, you know that?" Bambietta snorted, turning to address the kunoichi. "Are you really willing to sacrifice an innocent woman up to your boss just so he'll lay off of you for a while?"

"Since there is no possible way you could know what Tobishiro has done to me in the past, I will excuse you for being so ignorant," Goryu replied, not even bothering to turn around. Currently, she was mixing together some kind of liquid in a vial that was supposed to somewhat balance out the effects of the Platinum Lily, which would keep the host alive for a bit longer than usual before they eventually succumbed to the lethal effects of the drug. "When I was a girl, my parents were killed in a car accident. None of my living relatives wanted to take responsibility for me, so I was forced to live out on the streets. After months of being forced to fight for my life every single day and eat scraps from garbage cans, a car suddenly pulled up outside of the alleyway where I had made my home. An older man approached me, and said that he could give me a home in exchange for me simply doing a few household tasks."

Pausing in her story, the dark-haired ninja woman let out a bitter sigh. "How could I refuse? I hardly cared what they needed from me; after all, how bad could it have been if I got a warm bed and fresh food in return? Things were fine for a while, and I was treated fairly well by the rest of the staff at the man's mansion. However, after nearly a month had gone by, the man introduced me to his young son, and told me that from that point onward, I would be under his servitude…."

Bambietta, despite the situation, felt a twinge of sympathy in her heart. "It was him, wasn't it?"

"Tobishiro, you mean? Yes, it was. The first week or so was fairly normal, and all I had to do was cook my new Master's meals and wash his clothes. Then, one night, he summoned me to his room. I didn't think anything of it at the time, and heeded his summons without any hesitation. That was the first night he raped me…but it certainly wouldn't be the last…"

Loading the vial she had been mixing into a syringe, Goryu briskly walked over to Konomi's unconscious form. "The abuse continued, and soon afterward it was followed by actual physical violence. If I said or did anything that Master Tobishiro did not agree with, he would beat me to within an inch of my life, and then use my broken body to work out his frustrations until he was satisfied. One day, I came down with a terrible sickness; it was so severe that my Master finally relented and called in a medical professional. They preformed numerous operations and surgeries to repair my body, and after several weeks I finally started to regain my health. However, I will never forget what the doctor told me the day before he left…apparently, due to the extreme physical trauma my body had endured, I am no longer capable of conceiving children…"

Pressing the syringe against Konomi's shoulder, the kunoichi injected her with the contents. "I-I suppose it is a good thing in the end. I would never wish to bring a child into the nightmare that I am forced to endure every single waking moment of my life."

Withdrawing the syringe, she threw it against the nearest wall with such force that it shattered into a thousand tiny shards. Whirling on Bambietta, Goryu reached up to wipe away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes. "So, to answer your question, I am not happy with sacrificing an innocent woman to my Master…but…I don't know how much more of this I can take alone before I simply decide to end it all myself."

Brushing past the younger woman, she then stalked out of the room.

Letting out a sigh, 'The Explode' shook her head and glanced down at Konomi. "What a fucked up world we live in…"

Her communicator suddenly buzzed form within her pocket, and she quickly fished it out before bringing it up to her ear. "Talk to me."

"We're ready whenever you are boss," Senji's voice came over the device. "Just tell us when."

Bambietta nodded in satisfaction, not that her subordinate could see it. "Good, let's just wait a little while longer. Even I don't want to be at the very center when this place goes to hell."


Tobishiro's base of operations was, to be quite honest, not very hard to find. It was just like every stereotypical villain's hideout Ichigo had seen in movies and comic books. It was honestly a bit sad that the police had spent so long looking for a place that stuck out like a road flare on a pitch-black highway…

Bringing the pair of binoculars he'd been using away from his eyes, he quickly offered them to Balalaika, who accepted them and brought them up to her own face.

"There aren't very many guards…" the orange-head pointed out. "That's a bit surprising."

"Don't let first appearances deceive you, kid. There's most likely a shitload of thugs on the inside," the blonde woman replied. "If what I've read and heard about this pig is true, then he's got a rather obvious flare for the dramatic. He'll be wanting as much muscle as he can afford to show off how powerful his empire is."

Ichigo nodded in understanding, before an uncomfortable chill ran down his spine. "Hey uh, do you think you could get your friend to stop giving me the evil eye?" he whispered, jerking a thumb in Revy's direction.

After their overall rescue group had split up into three smaller groups, the trigger-happy brunette had seemingly made it her goal to glare at the former Substitute for as long as possible, and as harshly as she could. If it was any consolation, Sayo was currently doing the same to her in return.

Balalaika smirked, lowering the binoculars. "You're the one who face-planted into her tits, kid. If you want to get her to stop, then you're going to have to make it up to her yourself."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"If we all survive this, then offer to take her out for a beer."

Ichigo's expression flattened. "I doubt being alone with that woman while she is potentially intoxicated is a good idea…"

"You do know that I can hear you, right fuck-face?" Revy snarled, marching up and jamming a finger right in the orange-head's chest. Faster than the eye could see, Sayo moved between them and snatched the brunette's wrist in an iron-clad grip.

"Don't fucking touch him you slut," she snarled.

Revy's hands twitched towards her weapons. "You're calling me a slut? Heh, that's rich coming from a chick whose tits are the size of fucking watermelons."

Sayo's grip tightened. However, to her credit, Revy barely flinched.

"At least I'm not dressed like some back-alley prostitute," the bluenette sneered.

"Cunt."

"Bitch."

"Bimbo!"

"Hooker!"

"Cow tits!"

"Enough!" Ichigo finally shouted, surprising both women to such a degree that they actually jumped in place a bit. "Look, I really don't care what you think of me," he growled, addressing Revy. "But my friend is down there, with God knows what being done to her. So, for the moment, I expect you to either shut the fuck up and help us, or just leave."

The brunette was struck silent, but before Sayo could smirk in victory, Ichigo whirled on her as well.

"And you…I expected better form you. Antagonizing Revy is not helping the situation, and although I appreciate you sticking up for me, it would be better to just ignore her and get done with the mission," he said, causing his girlfriend to wilt slightly under his intense glare.

"Sorry Ichigo…" she mumbled.

Off to the side, Balalaika started to clap slowly. "Well done kid," she drawled sarcastically. "You managed to reign in two hard headed women at the same time…and in such a short amount of time at that. Now then, if you three are done playing around, I'd like to get this assignment started."

"Anxious?" Ichigo asked, stepping away from Revy and Sayo, both of whom shot each other a sharp glare accompanied by a middle finger.

Balalaika snorted. "Hardly. I would simply rather deal with the vampires Kugo spoke of before they have a chance to spread their infection. The only good vampire is a dead vampire, after all."

The orange-head's eyes narrowed. "One of my best friends happens to be a vampire."

The blonde's icy blue glare matched his own. "Then I hope for your sake, you realize what a monster they are before it's too late."

Turning away from the younger man, Balalaika deftly stepped over to the edge of the roof the group was standing on, before vaulting herself over the side of the building and down into the street below.


"Are you two still in position?" Bambietta's voice came over the radio.

Senji grinned, sparing a glance down at Minatsuki, who in turn was glaring at the collection of thugs around them with nothing but pure malice in her eyes.

"That we are, boss lady. Is it time yet?" he asked.

"It is. I've already ensured that the samples we collected from Sayo Hitsugi are secure, so just do what you need to do and meet up with me when you're done. I can't imagine that Kurosaki will wait too much longer before charging in like some suicidal white knight. We need him to be occupied completely if we want to escape unnoticed."

"Roger that," the artificial vampire grinned. Pocketing his communicator, he looked back down at his teenaged companion. "You ready?"

"Of fucking course I am," the brunette grinned savagely, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. "I'm absolutely starving…"

Without warning, she reached up and ripped out her earrings, which in turn released her blood tendrils from her ears. Senji did the same, and tore his barbed rings across his forearms, which allowed his bloody blades to extend to their fullest.

The human goons in the room all let out sounds of shock and surprise, and collectively backed away from the two Millennium agents.

"W-What the hell do you think you're doing?!" one of them shouted.

One of Minatsuki's whips sliced through the air, and within a fraction of a second the man's head fell from his neck with a sickening squelch and rolled off his shoulders to the floor.

The remaining men all looked on in horror, before once again turning back towards the two approaching vampires.

"Nothing personal fellas," Senji grinned. "We're just following orders…"

"Open fire!"

Bullets rained through the air, but they did very little to stop the eventual sound of cries of pain and tearing of flesh.


Sayo snapped another guard's neck with no more effort than a normal person would use in breaking a wooden pencil.

Ichigo, as used as he was to lethal violence, still cringed slightly as a sharp crack echoed down the dimly lit hallway, which was shortly followed by the sound of the man's body hitting the floor with a meaty thump. Normally, the orange-head would have been opposed to killing other humans, but these guys were the worst kind of scum one could imagine.

If what Konomi had told him several days ago about Tobishiro was true, then he and his men were not at all opposed to human trafficking, cold blooded murder, and other such heinous crimes.

Therefore, his guilt was only slightly put at ease as he cleaved another guard from his shoulder to the opposite hip with Manus. He knew that these men would most likely become Hollows, but he also sincerely doubted that they would be very powerful in their new spiritual forms. And, of course, Soul Society undoubtedly had several Soul Reapers positioned within the borders of Tobioka City to deal with such minor threats.

Seemingly sensing her boyfriend's internal distress, Sayo reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Although the action didn't really do much, Ichigo still sincerely appreciated the gesture.

"I know what it feels like," she said gently. "I may not remember the very first life I took, I know that my first genuine memory of killing someone was nothing short of haunting. But, we do what we have to in order to keep people safe."

"Yeah…I know…" Ichigo replied.

A sharp scoff quickly drew the young couple's attention.

Revy pressed the end of her Cutlass against the last remaining guard's head and pulled the trigger without any form of hesitance. "Don't tell me you're gonna pussy out on us carrot-top. I figured you wouldn't have the stomach for this kind of job."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "I'm not backing out, I just don't enjoy killing people like you do."

The brunette returned his glare with one of her own. "Enjoyment ain't got nothing to do with it you fucking moron. The strong live, and the weak die…that's just the way this goddamn world works. If you don't have the guts to make sure you've got what it takes to live till tomorrow, then you'll just end up as another rotting hunk of flesh on the sidewalk."

Now it was Sayo's turn to narrow her eyes. "So that's it, then? You only care about prolonging your own life and not using your skills to help others?"

Revy sneered condescendingly. "Why should I give two shits about what happens to the rest of the people in this shitty world? Nobody ever went out of their way to help me, so what fucking reason should I have to stick out my neck for them? The only reason I'm helping you dumbasses now is because I owe Sis my life. She said we were gonna give you backup, so here we are. I couldn't care less about you and your friend."

Ichigo's frown deepened, and he opened his mouth to issue a retort.

However, before he could utter a single syllable, Sayo surged past him and wrapped one of her gauntlet-covered hands around Revy's throat. Hauling the shorter woman off of her feet, the bluenette slammed her against the nearest wall.

"You arrogant, self-absorbed, condescending twat!" the gun-toting nurse roared, clenching her fist and tightening her hold.

Revy's own hands immediately went up to the other woman's fingers, attempting to claw away the iron-clad grip holding her against the wall. She struggled to breathe, and desperately gasped for air as she continued to writhe and flail in Sayo's grasp.

She would have most likely gone for one of her weapons, but they had both clattered to the floor as soon as the bluenette had grabbed her.

"You shouldn't have to feel like you owe the world anything to help people who need it! My life was absolute shit until I met Ichigo and Yuuko, but they gave me the strength to get over my own petty bitterness and devote my life to being a force of good. My childhood was a fucking nightmare, but if there's any chance that I can make enough of a difference to keep others from enduring the same torture, then I'll do whatever it takes to take it!" Sayo declared passionately, eyes boring directly into Revy's. "Your own goddamn self-pity will only end up making your life worse, so stop acting like a spoiled little cunt and get over yourself!"

"F-F-Fuck…you…!" The brunette wheezed.

Sayo snarled again, but paused when something pressing against the small of her back.

"I would very much appreciate it if you let go of my subordinate," Balalaika sighed, sounding remarkably as if she hadn't just pulled a gun on someone. "Otherwise, I'll have to do something that we'll both end up regretting."

Growling lowly, the heavy hitter of Ampoule One squeezed Revy's throat one more time before releasing her hold and dropping the brunette to the floor, where she quickly descended into an uncontrollable coughing fit.

"There now, was that so hard?" the Russian blonde asked sarcastically, putting away her pistol.

Ichigo issued his girlfriend with a frown as he stepped forward. "Was that really necessary, Sayo?"

She shrugged carelessly in response. "Probably not, but someone needed to put this bitch in her place."

Shaking his head, the orange-head knelt down next to Revy and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked in genuine concern.

"Get the fuck off of me!" the tattooed woman snarled, shoving Ichigo away harshly. As she finally caught her breath, she picked up her weapons and shakily returned to her feet, glaring at Sayo the whole time. "I really fucking hope we end up being enemies someday. Then I can put a bullet in your skull without any consequences."

The bluenette merely smiled back at her condescendingly. "The feeling is more than mutual, sweetheart."

Revy snarled, and prepared to deliver a most likely scathing comeback, but a sudden wailing groan echoed down the hallway, drawing the attention of everyone in the group.

The sound of numerous shuffling footsteps sounded off, and before long, to their collective horror, an absolutely enormous horde of Ghouls emerged from the darkness. The undead monsters continued to groan in eternal agony, and moved forward in their march towards Ichigo and the others.

The former Substitute's eyes widened in horror. "Holy…"

"…Fuck," Revy finished.


And there we go.

I know that the official name for Balalaika's group was never properly mentioned in this chapter, but that was because no one felt it was necessary to bring up the topic. Officially, they will henceforth be known as the Pulya Organization.

That aside, I hope everyone enjoyed the interaction I depicted with the characters, especially between Ichigo, Sayo, and Revy. As expected by anyone who is familiar with Black Lagoon, Revy is incredibly hostile, doesn't care who hears what she has to say, and isn't too fond of strangers. Her first meeting with Ichigo also probably had something to do with the aggression she feels towards him. And, of course, Sayo isn't about to sit back and watch as her man gets treated like shit by another woman.

And, just to make it clear, here are the teams that everyone in the rescue operation divided up into:

Team 1: Ichigo, Sayo, Balalaika, Revy

Team 2: Pip , Eda, Roberta

Team 3: Yuuko, Miki, Mikoto, Oriha

Recently, I received either a PM or review (I can't remember which) stating that someone was concerned whether or not I will be able to handle the inclusion of the multitude of characters in this story. And, as I have said before, I will respond to this concern by reassuring you all that I already have a concrete outline that dictates the role each of these characters will have. I'm not just bullshitting this as I go; everyone has a purpose in this story, and I am already aware of what each character's purpose will be before they are even introduced within the actual story.

I know that some of you were probably hoping for some action sequences, and to be quite honest I expected to start those scenes in this chapter as well. However, as I reached the end, I realized that I was already close to my preferred word count. So, we'll be seeing more action and fight scenes next time.

This also means that there will be more chapters devoted to the Triage X Arc before we finally return to the main Hellsing storyline.

I haven't been surprised by the sympathy Goryu has received in the review section, and I wouldn't be surprised if that intensified after the revelations about her past.

Well then, I hope you all enjoyed! Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter AlucardsBro, where I will be posting content related to my works on fanfiction, as well as random personal opinions and pieces of my artwork.

Until next time!

AlucardsBro OUT!