Hey all! I'm back with another chapter for you to read and, hopefully, enjoy! I'm proud to say that, for once, it actually took me less than a month to update the story (By one whole week!) Woohoo! ...Right, anyways. I would have gotten this one up sooner, but had a little bit of Writers Block and couldn't think of anything. So, this time, it was completely and totally my fault! xD

Anyways, thank you for your reviews and comments - they really, really, really mean a lot to me! I doubt I'd keep going if not for the support, so thanks again!

Now, I'm going to shut up, so you can get on with the Chapter. Hope you enjoy the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. What I do own, is all the various OCs that I put into this story - they are MINE! ...I think. I'll have to check the contract again...

Chapter 14: The Hollow War

"Scatter."

It was with that one, simple word that the Hollows were forced to flee, or face utter destruction. Like a tsunami, a wave of microscopic blades, reflecting as a pink aura against the sun, crashed through the monstrous ranks. Senbonzakura was swift and brutal, leaving nothing but the Shinigami as survivors in its wake.

"Whoa." was all any of Rukia's group could say at the sheer power of the Zanpakuto - its Shikai form, no less. Kaien, however, was quick to push the advantage the Captain had given them - Byakuya himself overlooking the plaza from the tip of a nearby rooftop. The Vice-Captain began spinning his own katana, before shouting "Surge, Water and Sky; Nejibana!"

His katana taking the from of a hybrid halberd and trident, Kaien charged forward, utilizing Nejibana by surging water at the remaining Hollow. Now it seemed as if nature herself had turned to aid the Shinigami. On one side, Nejibana's water blasted through one Hollow after another, while on the other Senbonzakura's blades, appearing as sakura petals, kept their ranks at bay.

These Hollow, however, were smarter then the Shinigami would have given them credit for. Finding that a direct assault was no longer proving effective, they attempted to jump over, and dig under, the shield the two warriors had created. When that was easily countered by Byakuya, who simply brought Senbonzakura around to deflect the flanking Hollows, the monstrosities decided it was necessary to go after more vulnerable targets.

So, they did.

Displaying a phenomenal display of coordination, the Hollow rushed at Kaien's group in droves, intent on distracting the Zanpakuto - an act which allowed three Hollow to get behind Byakuya. As they descended upon the Captain, however, he made no motion to evade them. He didn't need to. A Shinigami flashed through the Hollow via Shunpo, striking them as he went. The unsuspecting Hollow didn't see it coming, and each split apart across the midsection before disappearing into nothing, while the Shinigami appeared next to Byakuya.

He was blond haired, with a round face and a sharp chin, on top a thin yet muscular build, and sporting a confident smirk - topping it all off with a pair of shiny sunglasses. His name was Ginjiro Shirogane. Vice-Captain under Byakuya Kuchiki, and owner of Gin Tonbo, the glasses store.

Captain and Vice-Captain both flittered out of sight, utilizing their advanced speed to hit the beasts in rapid succession, without the Hollows even being able to react. Byakuya didn't even stop for a breath, as he directed his miniscule blades to fly through the mass of Hollow - taking down several at a time. Ginjiro displayed his own considerable talents, as he kept pace with his Captain, destroying every foe that crossed his path, flipping, spinning, and rolling out of the way of the few lucky strikes that made their way to him...

All while keeping his sunglasses on, and intact.

Kaien wasn't letting the two warriors take all the credit, either. Nejibana at his side, he charged into the enemy ranks. With his trident he slashed through, with his halberd he smashed against. Those that were fortunate enough to avoid the initial strike were swiftly blasted by a harsh stream of water. Spinning and twisting his Zanpakuto around him, he almost casually struck down one Hollow, while simultaneously slamming another into the ground - all while blasting three more. It seemed as though a whirlpool followed him, and he was virtually untouchable.

Rukia, and the three other Shinigami with her, were simply left to watch the Officers work - awestruck by the simple efficiency with which they destroyed their enemies. Rukia had her eyes glued on Byakuya the entire time, marveling at the power behind her elder brother's attacks. And she knew very well that he was holding back. If he was fighting at full force, his presence wouldn't be noticed, such would be his speed - yet the Hollow wouldn't last longer than a minute. He was reserving his strength, so that he could continue fighting against the invading army for a longer period of time.

Unfortunately, that resulted in him having to take more time to dispatch the Hollows. Regardless, the surprise attack was enough to turn the battle completely around. Where once the Shinigami were fighting with their backs to the wall, now they pushed forward, exterminating the Hollow at every turn. And Byakuya wasn't the only Captain who charged into the fray.

At the South Gate, Captain Sajin Komamura created huge amounts of devastation with his Bankai, Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō's gigantic form. With a single swing, he cut massive swathes of Hollow down, not to mention the buildings that were in the way. Such destruction was to be expected when a Captain fought at full strength, especially one with such a wide attack range as Sajin. Not even the Menos Grande were safe from his power, three having already been struck down by his massive blade. When a fourth attempted to strike at him with a Cero, he easily caught the glowing red energy and threw it right back.

The aftershock of the rebounding energy caused an explosion, blasting apart multiple Hollows where they stood. The smoke cleared to reveal the entire area had turned into one big wreck. That was to be expected, of course. It would be rebuilt, when everything was finally over. The Captains understood that fact more than anything - the only thing that mattered to all of them was ending this battle as quickly and decisively as possible. If that meant giving Central 46 a massive headache, so be it.

Watching his back was Captain Kaname Tosen. Where Sajin fought the Hollow with brute strength, Kaname used skill. Avoiding the savage blows of the monstrous Hollows - and also the ones from his helmeted companion - was a simple feat for him, having a sort of natural ability to detect motion, trained simply by his blindness. While Sajin controlled his Bankai, Kaname stood at his back, ensuring no enemies would hit the Captain while he was distracted. If any damage was done to Sajin, it was also done to his Bankai - and that could not be allowed.

Any Hollow that approached was swiftly cut down. Kaname effortlessly stopped a Hollow from grabbing him with its massive hand by slicing right through it, before lunging forward and slashing through its ugly mask. Another beast that was foolish enough to try and sneak up behind him was caught completely by surprise when the blind Captain back-flipped over its head, bringing his blade up right between the Hollow's eyes as he did so. Using the back of the Hollow's large head as a foothold, he pushed himself into the air before shouting "Suzumushi Nishiki; Benihikō!", and sending a barrage of multiplied blades over the battlefield.

Shunsui and Jushiro also displayed their teamwork, honed by years of working together as two of the oldest Captains in Seireitei. Using a combination of high-speed Shunpo, advanced Kido, and impressive flurries of lightning fast strikes with their dual Zanpakutos, they casually dispatched an impressive amount of Hollow on their own. They charged through the vast army, side-by-side to prevent any from sneaking around the other - a strategy that seemed to always meet with success.

Katen Kyōkotsu at his sides, Shunsui cleaved clean through a Hollow with his tachi, and swiftly brought his wakizashi around to destroy another. He repeated the process, only in reverse - using his wakizashi first this time before striking again with his tachi. No matter which way he swung, his blades always made contact with his target, decapitating Hollow after Hollow with an amazing amount of speed. It made it all the harder for the distant Menos to get a fix on the Captain, causing them instead to blast their Ceros at their own forces.

One, however, was smarter than that. It wasn't a mindless Gillian, but one who had a dominant personality. So, instead of trying to shoot directly at the high-speed Captain, he fired ahead of him. Out of the corner of his eye, Shunsui saw the blast headed his way. He muttered an "Uh oh." casually, not actually phased by the incoming projectile. He raised his wakizashi in order to deflect the red energy, but his action proved to be unnecessary. Jushiro darted in front of him, pointing the left blade of his Sōgyo no Kotowari at the Cero.

Within seconds, the massive collection of spiritual energy had been absorbed by the Captain. The charms dangling from the rope glowed an eerie yellow, and soon his right blade followed suit. He aimed his sword at the Menos who had fired the Cero, and launched it right back at it! The Gillian screamed in pain as the Cero made impact, the force pushing the Hollow back on its heels, before finally blasting apart the top half of its body altogether. The now bodiless legs toppled backwards, crushing numerous Hollow under its weight before vanishing into the air.

"Thanks, Jushiro!" Shunsui said, putting down a Hollow that rushed him.

The white-haired Captain replied "Don't mention it." with a smile, before joining his friend in culling the enemy forces. "I wonder where all these Hollow came from. And why they're attacking now." Jushiro wondered aloud, while remaining right beside Shunsui.

"I have a feeling we'll find out, sooner or later." Came his relaxed reply, before both Captains used Shunpo to dash back into the action.

Some Captains did not use such teamwork, however. Soifon was one of them, preferring instead to use her own considerable speed to flash through the Hollow. Her Zanpakuto, Suzumebachi, equipped upon her right hand, she tirelessly used its two-hit-kill ability, Nigeki Kessatsu, to destroy the monsters before they even knew she was there. Meanwhile, her Vice-Captain, Marechiyo Omaeda, tried for all his might to keep up with his Captain, often instead acting as a decoy as he shouted "Captain, wait for me!" and other such phrases. Ironically, rather than serve to keep him safe from the Hollow by being close to Soifon, it only drew more and more attention to himself.

As the bulky Vice-Captain ran through the Hollow, all sweaty and out of breath from the effort, he was forced to jump back to avoid crashing into his Captain, who had appeared for only a moment to deal quick, decisive blows to a Hollow before vanishing once again. Marechiyo, wiping the sweat from his brow, let out a relieved sigh at the close shave, spinning around with a sort of "Gah!" exclamation and parrying a Hollow's axe-like hand. Contrary to the 'I'm scared for my life' impression he had been giving, he let out a, dare I say, proud laugh. "Hah! Did you see that?! I am the great and mighty Marechiyo Yoshiaya- Ah!"

Two things happened all at the same time; the first was that Captain Soifon Shunpo'd in and destroyed the Hollow. Normally, this would be a good thing for Marechiyo. However, when, within the same second, the Captain also delivered a painful kick to his face - it turned out to not be quite as good as he would have liked it to be. "C-C-Captain!" He stammered, clutching at his face in pain and agony.

"Quiet, you noisy buffoon! You're a shame to the Onmitsukidō!" She stated firmly, scowling down at the Vice-Captains cowering form.

"You're so mean, Captain!" he accused in reply, only to find that she had already run off to continue the fight. Muttering something about unbelievably stern Captains, Marechiyo stood and ran, rather clumsily, into the fight.

And finally there was the carnage ensued by Kenpachi Zaraki. His Reiatsu was felt across all corners of Seireitei, by both Shinigami and Hollow alike. He laughed as he rushed around the Court of Pure Souls, laughed as he struck down piles of enemies, laughed when Hollow managed to get a lucky hit only to do no damage at all. He was having the time of his life, searching for the strongest Hollow he could find. Unfortunately for him, these Hollow had roughly the same power levels, so he found himself fighting the same battle over, and over, and over again.

Still, his unnamed Zanpakuto was swung this way and that, Kenpachi using brute force to blast through his enemies. Some of the weaker Hollow were destroyed by his Reiatsu alone, an occurrence that was happening far more frequently as the battle went on. Finally, Kenpachi stopped slicing and dicing, and his manic smile dropped to a frown. "What? Is this all they've got?" He asked, accidentally raising his Reiatsu high enough that all the Hollow in his vicinity disintegrated under the pressure.

Suddenly, a small, pink-haired girl in a Shinigami outfit popped up on his shoulder. She was laughing as if nothing was happening, and seemed oblivious to Kenpachi's Reiatsu. "It's 'cuz Kenny is strong!" she said, smacking her father-figure on the back of his head, earning a tired sigh from the Captain. The ground shook with a great rumble, causing Kenpachi to turn his head - and promptly come face-to-foot with a Menos. Kenpachi looked up at the giant Hollow's mask, and smiled happily. "Now that's more like it! Yachiru, hang on!"

"Aye, sir!" the little girl replied joyfully, and the Captain sprang into the air. The Hollow had barely registered the Shinigami's presence when, with a single one-armed swing of his sword, Kenpachi struck the Hollow in half, right down the middle. He landed with a thud, his smile being replaced with a bored frown, as the Menos crashed into the ground. "Huh? Down already?" he said at the disintegrating corpse, cracking his neck to the side. "There's gotta be someone strong around here."

Research and Development Institute

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood over a large operating table in a dark room. Monitors beeped and flashed, as data poured onto hundreds of screens. Wires and tubes were connected to a struggling Hollow, with razor sharp claws and a mask looking like a demonic lion of sorts. It was strapped down by five thick bands, each restricting the Hollow's movement. Even if it wasn't strapped down, it couldn't move anyways. Mayuri had already administered his poison - the beast before him was now only a specimen to him.

As a blackish ooze squeezed through a clear tube into a vial, the liquid coming from the Hollow's brain - or what could pass for one -, Mayuri's attention was firmly fixed on one of the many computers in front of him. While the inconsistent numbers and patterns that popped up into his view were only jibberish to anyone who was watching, Captain Kurotsuchi seemed immensely intrigued by what he saw. He gave an almost lecherous smile, showing his hideously stained teeth, as he pounded sequences into the keyboard.

"Fascinating..." He said to no one in particular. "I have never seen such a thing before. A pheromone... So that's why the Hollow aren't fighting each other."

Suddenly, the Hollow on the table beside him let out a horrible scream, before a faint gurgle escaped its throat. Mayuri looked away from the data - having now stopped upon the creature's death - and watched as the last bit of black goo escaped the fiend's brain and was sucked into the vial. One last look at the monitor gauging the Hollow's mental state, then at the one watching its soul strength, told him enough. The Hollow was dead, having finally succumbed to the tortuous experiments. But something was certainly surprising for the scientist.

"How strange..." He began. "I specifically injected the soul strengthening steroids." His attention was drawn once again to the large screen that previously held his attention. "Not enough data. Nemu." He didn't turn his head away from the monitor as the Vice-Captain approached from a dark corner.

"Yes, Sir?" She replied, quiet and calm, arms held behind her back.

"I require another test subject." He proclaimed, not bothering to motion to the dead Hollow lying on his operating table.

She nodded her head, saying "Right away, Sir." before walking away.

Mayuri grumbled lowly to himself, as he walked up to the table the lifeless Hollow was torn apart by his Reiatsu. He knew there had to be a reason for the Hollow to suddenly work so well together. And he had found it. A new kind of pheromone, one which gave the Hollow a distinct feeling that other Hollows were its allies, and it was not to harm them. There were also other compounds, new compounds that weren't a part of a normal Hollow's genetic structure. Perhaps he could write it off as an evolution of the Hollow. But it wasn't so simple as that.

When everything new within the Hollow, he couldn't recognize... There was definitely a very, very big problem.

Head-Captain's Office

Head-Captain Yamamoto overlooked the battlefield, hunched over on his cane. To an observer, he looked to be sleeping on his feet, with his eyes closed and an almost peaceful expression on his face. In actuality, he was carefully observing the events unfolding at his doorstep, watching as the Gotei 13 began gaining the advantage against the Hollow's army with the timely arrival of the Captains and Vice-Captains. The walls and Shakonmaku now prevented the Hollow from entering from above or within Seireitei itself, and the four Guardians stood on the outside, pounding everything within reach.

Inside, the Shinigami were swiftly and systematically eliminating all the Hollow, and more and more Shinigami arrived from outside the walls every minute. Where as the Hollows once had the element of surprise, now Seireitei's forces held the advantage of fortifications - and a decent knowledge of the area. You didn't train, live, and work in an area without knowing your way around the place, after all! It was not only the Gotei 13, either. The Onmitsukidō, under directives of Captain Soifon, were acting as assassins of sorts. Menos Grande and other, larger Hollows were targeted and swiftly destroyed by the ninja-esque Souls.

As Genryusai observed the war, a knock came to the door behind him, across the room. His Vice-Captain, Chojiro Saskibe, upon only barely opening the door and peeking out, turned to his Captain and stated "It's the Kido Corps." After the Head-Captain gave a grunt in reply, the veteran Vice-Captain opened the door to let their guest in. He was a short man, being smaller in stature than even Yamamoto as he was hunched over, with long, silver hair being combed away from his forehead and light green eyes. He wore the Shinigami uniform under a green cloak, with a hood hanging loosely behind his back.

To his right was a larger man, almost exact opposite to his companion. He had short-trimmed, almost military style black hair, with a somewhat graying goatee. He wore the Shinigami uniform only, but had a steel armor piece that covered his entire right arm and fist. He was a giant by most standards, though not to the extent of the four Guardians, being of the physical build of a bodybuilder. Both men were grim faced, angry that the Hollow were causing such devastation.

"Head-Captain." said the shorter man, with a bow. "Sorry for the delay. The Kido Corps is in position, and at your disposal."

"Very good, Kido Corps Commander Kanbe Iijima." Genryusai replied, turning around to face his visitors. "While the Gotei 13 secures the interior of Seireitei, the Kido Corps will prevent anymore Hollow from entering."

"You wish for the Rei Hitei-sū Shōheki [Spirit Negation Barrier] to be activated?" Kanbe asked, raising an eyebrow at the Head-Captain. "Without Central 46's permission?"

Genryusai shook his head, both hands resting on his staff in front of him. "An appearance before the Central 46 would take time - time we do not have."

"And what of the Shinigami still outside the walls? If they don't make it back before the incantations are complete..." Kanbe replied, hands folded behind his back. "...they'll most likely not survive."

"It's a risk we have to take. Our enemies' forces seem limitless, and we cannot continue to fight forever." The Head-Captain said. "We need to create a safe buffer between us and them, to allow our soldiers time to rest and reorganize."

With a sigh, the Kido Corps Commander bowed in resignation, before turning to his partner. "As you wish, sir. Come, Takeji!" The Vice-Commander nodded, respectfully bowing to the Head-Captain, before following Kanbe down the hall.

Chojiro closed the door upon the Kido Corps departure, the latch silently clicking shut. Impassive as ever, Genryusai turned to face the battleground again, just as a Menos fired a Cero into a courtyard, causing a large explosion. For a few moments, he watched the carnage, listened as he heard not only the painful cries of Hollow being struck down, but also the screams of agony from the Shinigami. The deaths of his men.

This would not stand.

He stood straight, bones creaking and cracking as he did so, and rolled his shoulders - throwing off the top portion of both his Captain's Haori and his Shinigami uniform. His staff, lifted into the air and held horizontally, disintegrated into nothing to reveal a sword in its sheath. In a flash, faster than any Shinigami could possibly move, the Head-Captain appeared in the sky, between a group of five Menos.

"Time to teach you a lesson. No one strikes a child in front of its parent!"

He grasped his Katana's hilt, and pulled it out of its sheath, his Reiatsu rising higher and higher as flames engulfed his form. As he pulled his sword out, a blast of red flame shot out of the sheath and soared high into the air. Shinigami and Hollow alike looked on in awe and fear at the display.

"Reduce All Creation to Ash!" He began, all the while surrounded by the swirling blaze. "Ryūjin Jakka!"

The Gillian were engulfed in the crimson embers, as immediately the firestorm spread over a vast area. With a simple swing of his Zanpakuto, Genryusai destroyed whole Platoons worth of Hollow - without the damage to the infrastructure that Sajin would have caused with his Bankai.

Shunsui stopped mid-stride to take in the sight, it being both familiar and a rare treat all at the same time. He chuckled, holding his straw hat atop his head with his fingers when a particularly strong blast of wind raged by. "That's Grandpa Yamamoto for you."

Jushiro nodded. "Yeah. He never wastes any time."

With Ichigo

Wherever That Is

"Ya' really gots yerselves in some trouble, ain't ya'?"

'That voice...' Ichigo thought, and he knew his three teammates were probably thinking the same. Hyosuke stood to his feet, a bead of sweat running down his face as he struggled to catch his breath. He would have been dead, had he not shown up when he did.

"Vice-Captain Ichimaru!" Honami greeted, her face lighting up considerably from the serious expression she had previously been sporting.

"Hi!" He returned, his smile the same as ever, as he stepped over a pile of dead Hollow, each having pierced through by Shinsō. His Zanpakuto had shrunk back down to its usual dagger form. The Hollow all seemed frozen in place, twitching as they tried to move, but couldn't. "Looks like I gots here just in time." Ichigo could have sworn he saw his smile get even more devious as Gin said that.

"Thank you for saving me." Hyosuke said, having finally regained control of his breathing and perspiring much less.

"Sure, sure, don't mention it." Gin stated, waving him off as he turned to face the Hollow - or, one group of Hollow, to be precise. "We gots ta' get back to Seireitei, soon."

"To hell with that!" Tsuginori yelled, as he bolted to leap into the Hollow once again. Ichigo quickly rushed to his side, grabbing his shoulder to prevent him from continuing his course. "We can take them! With the Vice-Captain here..."

Ichigo shook his head, his ever-present scowl deepening. "No, Vice-Captain Ichimaru is right. We're outnumbered, and Hyosuke is worn out." He bopped his head over towards where Hyosuke stood - while he seemed ready enough to fight once again, his breathing was labored.

"Well, that's one reason." Gin stated with a brief chuckle, as he pointed his blade towards Seireitei - the massive city easily seen in the distance. Even from there, they could all see the bright and brilliant flames that Genryusai unleashed. "Head-Captain's gonna' use the Rei Hitei-sū Shōheki [Spirit Negation Barrier] soon. Don' wanna' get caught on the outside of that!"

"W-What?" Honami asked, eyes wide with shock. "Is the situation that serious?!"

Gin nodded, his creepy grin not lowering one bit. "Yup! Even the Captain's have joined in!" His nonchalant tone, while expected, was out of place given the situation. His Zanpakuto still raised at the Hollow, his smile widened and his eyelids creaked open. "Shoot to Kill!" The Zanpakuto shone bright, as it rapidly extended farther and farther, blasting through everything in its path. With a quick twist of his wrist, the Vice-Captain threw the blade to both sides, effectively creating a path on to Seireitei, before it shrunk back down. Only barely turning to face the four, he said "Well, see you there!" before flashing away.

"Okay. Let's go!" Honami ordered, as she led the way through the Hollow. The others followed quickly behind her. Finally, the Hollow snapped out of their stupor, and, roaring, charged at the Shinigami.

"Damn." Ichigo muttered, swiping his sword to the side, and splitting a Hollow mask in two. "Here we go again."

Honami let out a frustrated groan, before saying "Don't get too distracted! If we don't get back to Seireitei in time, we're screwed anyways!"

At that moment, two more large Hollow slammed down on the ground in front of Honami, smoke rising in their wake. Tsuginori leapt forward, dispatching them with a spinning slash. "These stupid Hollow aren't making things easy for us!"

Hyosuke butted in, staying between Ichigo and Honami for protection. He could move, but after the effort of collapsing the ground to stop the Menos, he couldn't fight for much longer. "They'd rather weigh us down with numbers, then let us go."

As Ichigo cut through another monster, he pondered Hyosuke's point. He was right - as common a tactic as it was for the Hollow, they seemed determined to slow the Shinigami down, regardless of how many were cut down. The Hollow were stupid, yes - but even they should know when to call it quits. But they hadn't. "They're trying to stop us from getting to Seireitei?" Ichigo thought out loud, gripping his sword tighter.

"Seems so." Honami agreed, side stepping to avoid the hammer-like hand of one Hollow before slicing off the offending limb. "Everything's messed up. Hollow normally don't work together on this scale, let alone willingly commit suicide charges."

"They're far too organized, too." Hyosuke spoke again.

Tsuginori looked back at the three with a confused expression. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

Grunting as he leaped over the body of a large Hollow, Ichigo asked "So the Hollow are taking orders from somebody, or... Something?"

"We can only assume so." Honami confirmed, nodding her head. "But let's focus on getting back home for now. We can talk with Captain Aizen afterwards."

The Great Wall

...Of Seireitei

Through all the madness and carnage, several hundred of mysteriously dressed individuals landed on the wall. They wore the Shinigami uniform, but also had cloth wrapped around their faces as a mask that draped down their fronts and backs. They stood straight and tall, eyes closed, and held their hands in a hand seal. Kanbe Iijima and his Vice-Commander, Takeji Tsukabishi, stood themselves at the northern gate, in a similar position.

The Kido Corps had moved into position, thankfully without drawing the attention of the Hollow. Those monsters were much more interested with the Captains, who rampaged through their ranks without breaking a sweat. Several Shinigami, however, moved closer to the wall, to better protect the undefended Kido experts.

For some time, they stood there unmoving. There was no sign of action, nor of any spell of any sort. But then, the air became heavy, and the blue sky darkened. A purple aura surrounded the wall, dim at first but slowly increasing in density and visibility.

"Men and women of the Kido Corps," Kanbe began, silent but, through Kido, heard by his underlings. "Seireitei is counting on us! We are all that stands between us and full annihilation! We can not fail! Commence the incantation for the Rei Hitei-sū Shōheki [Spirit Negation Barrier], immediately! We will burn the Hollow that enter to the ground!"

"Yes, sir!" replied each, the purple aura now expanding to engulf the individuals themselves.

Takeji glanced solemnly at his Commander, before saying "It has been a long time since we last used this. When father was still Commander."

"You're right." Kanbe replied, with a frown, as he raised his hands above his head to channel the combined energy. "I had hoped the day wouldn't come when it would be used again. If only Master Tessai had completed his work before he was banished." The Kido Chief sighed, as he felt his body briefly pulse with Reiryoku before he forced it outward. "No matter. Perhaps one day, I might continue where he left off. For now, this accursed Kido is our only option."

The Shack

Err... The Dark One

His black eyes bolted open when a fearsome aura overcame the area. At first, he was disorientated - as all are after waking from slumber - but he quickly fought off his stupor when he realized what had awoken him. He stood from his wooden chair, it creaking from the loss of weight. He stepped silently into the light, not even squinting from the sun. Resting his hand on the doorframe, he came to a stop at the entrance.

He looked to be a young man in his early twenties, with deep black hair and equally dark eyes. Despite being in the shadows most of the time, his skin was actually quite tan - and he was of an average stature. He wore a business suit-esque attire - black tuxedo with an equally black tie, pants, and shoes. He had a long sword strapped to his back, with a bright green sheath and a golden hilt.

The shack itself was a rickety old building, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It found its footing in a circular meadow surrounded by a forest of green trees, and looked to be ready to fall over at any second. However, it did provide a clear view of Seireitei through the doorway, a view the man looked upon constantly.

He smirked at what he saw - over Seireitei a purple-colored Reiatsu had risen up into the air, increasing in pressure and size as the minute dragged on. "Finally." He said, as his smirk turned into a wide grin.

"So that's it, huh?" Came a voice from within the shack, its speaker hidden by the shadows.

"Yes. My plan is finally coming to fruition. Soon, everything will be in place, and our objective will be within our grasp." He answered, taking his hand off the doorframe to shove it into his pocket. "Heath, we will move out within the week. These beasts are effective because they require little to no effort to control, but mindless savages cannot accomplish the mission alone."

There was no answer, but the one now known as Heath remained standing where he was.

"The enemy has been weakened by the initial onslaught, just as I planned. I want to strike while they're still reeling from the assault - before they have time to regroup." He continued, turning back to his chair as he walked. "Prepare yourself. Death waits for none, and everyone must be able to move quickly and efficiently - or suffer the consequences."

As he sat back in his chair, a response was finally given. "Of course. You can count on us, no matter the trial."

He nodded in affirmation, before waving his hand saying "You're dismissed." His companion stepped away, leaving him to his thoughts. 'Soon...' He thought, as his grin dropped.

'Soon your suffering will be over, my lord. Your enemy will die, and you may return to your throne. Just as it should be.'

There you have it! One... Uh, more Chapter! Yeah... Anyways, sorry about the long wait, and I'll do my best to decrease the amount of time in-between updates. As I said, it should be considered an achievement that this one happened in less than a month. It all really depends on whether or not I get Writers Block again. That really sucked... :(

Anywho, hope you enjoyed the read! Please feel free to give a review with your thoughts - or if you have any questions or concerns about the story, or advice on my writing/story telling. Thanks! See you soon! :D