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It had started off as a normal day for Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni but then something happened and that something was a visit from Kurosaki Isshin, one of the original captains and one of the strongest Shinigami that had ever lived. His visit had resulted in the reason why Yamamoto was currently making his way to the captains meeting room in the first division grounds. As he walked through the grounds, members of the first division bowed as he passed followed closely by his long serving lieutenant Sasakibe Chōjirō he began to think back to his meeting with the ex-captain.
Once Isshin had gotten a few things off his chest about what had happened to Ichigo, Yamamoto had been surprised when he requested to become a captain once again and although he knew the reason Isshin had requested to come back he didn't really mind at this point. Yamamoto knew that the only reason Isshin had come back was because he had found out about Ichigo being alive albeit an Arrancar and that he either wanted to kill Ichigo himself or find some way to save him from being a Hollow which Yamamoto knew was impossible to do. Although Isshin had his own personal goals Yamamoto couldn't turn down the chance to have a person of his strength back in the Gotei 13 considering they had just lost three captains and with Isshin returning that meant there was only one position remaining to fill.
Inside the large meeting room not only the captains but also the lieutenants waited patiently as they wondered why they had all been called to the meeting. Only three of the Shinigami present had any idea of what was going to be discussed but everyone knew that it was going to be something regarding the upcoming war. It had been three days since the betrayal of the three captains and tensions were running high especially as rumours of a Hollow matching Yamamoto in battle spread throughout Seireitei and everyone began to wonder just how strong Aizen and his army really was.
It was Karin's first meeting since becoming fifth division captain as she stood in the place where Aizen had once stood. She thought about the possible reasons why the meeting could have been called and she wondered if it had anything to do with the three experienced captains being at her house the night before. She recalled that as soon as she and Yuzu had entered the room whatever they were discussing with her father suddenly stopped and the three captains left soon after but Isshin hadn't involved himself in the affairs of the Gotei 13 in a long time and was even against her and Yuzu joining which is why they joined the academy so late.
Snapped from her thoughts her eyes found their way to the large wooden doors that made up the entrance to the meeting hall as they suddenly swung open and Yamamoto entered followed closely by Sasakibe. Yamamoto took his usual seat at the head of the two lines as Sasakibe stood to his left as he officially begun the meeting with a strike of his cane on the wooden floor.
"You are all probably wondering why I have called a meeting only a few days after our last but an interesting development has arisen and one that will strengthen the Gotei 13 tenfold," Yamamoto began as everyone suddenly became rather interested in what was being said even Kenpachi who normally didn't care about what was being discussed. "Due to Seireitei being in a state of emergency because of the deaths of the Central 46 I now make all final decisions regarding the Gotei 13 and Soul Society as a whole. As you all know we lost three taichō's but have successfully filled the fifth division with Kurosaki Karin and I have called this meeting to announce that another position has now been filled." As Yamamoto finished nearly everyone looked surprised as they all began to wonder who could possibly be worthy enough to fill the role of a captain and some of the lieutenants began to wonder if Yamamoto had decided to promote one of them.
Suddenly the large doors swung open once again as everyone turned their attention towards the entrance as Isshin entered wearing the familiar white haori of a captain that fitted perfectly and looked right at home on his back and stood opposite Yamamoto. Karin's eyes were practically popping from her head as she was too stunned to even speak as the younger Shinigami that were present including most of the captains began to wonder who he was as those who weren't close to Karin or Yuzu had never seen Isshin before and only knew of him by name.
"Apologies for speaking out of turn Sōtaichō but who is this man and what squad does he belong to?" Byakuya asked as he stepped forward form his place in the line.
"Ahhh let me guess, you must be Kuchiki Byakuya, grandson of Kuchiki Ginrei." Isshin interrupted before Yamamoto could answer as he looked towards Byakuya. He didn't need to guess since he already knew who all the captains were even though he hadn't been a part of the Gotei 13 for a long time but Isshin always liked to mess with people.
"You say that as if you know my grandfather." Byakuya responded, still holding his noble posture.
"Of course I knew your grandfather he was a hell of a taichō if I do say so myself and if your half as strong as he was one then you should be proud of yourself, I think even the old man over here will agree with me." Isshin finished as he nodded towards Yamamoto who didn't show any reaction to being called an old man however one captain did as she stepped forward.
"You should show more respect towards Yamamoto-sōtaichō before…" Soifon began however was cut off before she could finish.
"Save your lectures for someone that cares Soifon-taichō, I've had enough lectures from Yama-jii to last a life time so I don't need them from you." Isshin brought more surprised looks from most of the room barring the captains that knew him as he talked back to Soifon and referred to Yamamoto as Yama-jii which was something only Kyōraku was known to do.
"What the hell are you doing here, Goat-face?" Karin surprised a lot of those present in the room with her outburst and the nickname as she faced Isshin with an angry look on her face.
"My sweet daughter, it's goat-face-taichō to you and now we have two Kurosaki's as taichō's once again like it always should be." Isshin answered with a grin as everyone's eyes widened at calling her daughter as the more observant currently present began to figure out who this man was and also wonder what he meant by the two Kurosaki's part
"Enough! We have better things to be doing then listening to you ramble on Kurosaki-taichō." Yamamoto broke Isshin from his private conversation as his cane connected against the ground.
"Ahhh just like the old times huh Retsu." Isshin cast a smile towards Unohana who returned it with one of her own only adding to the mystery behind Isshin as everyone wondered how he knew Unohana by her first name and was confident enough to call her by it on front of the other captains which was something even Ukitake and Kyōraku never did. "You must be Hisagi-fukutaichō and what's with my fukutaichō's and the number 69." Isshin nodded towards Hisagi and took his place where Tōsen had once stood in between Komamura Sajin and Zaraki Kenpachi.
"For those of you who don't know who this person is, his name is Kurosaki Isshin and is taking up his old position as ninth division taichō. I suggest that you show him the respect he deserves even if he can be rather infuriating to deal with. If there are no questions then this meeting shall come to a close." Yamamoto sent a glance towards Isshin who only smiled in response as he waited a moment for anyone to speak up.
"I have a question, how come he can just waltz in here and become a taichō without taking any test? Hell even I did something to earn this position." Yamamoto felt like Kenpachi had a valid point and was surprised some of the other captains hadn't already asked what the battle hungry captain had.
"I have nothing to prove to all of you as I'm sure certain people here can vouch for me but if you want to test me then I am more than willing to accept and see if you deserve the title of Kenpachi. I don't even mind some of the other taichō's helping you out." Isshin replied as his smile never dropped gaining surprised looks as he willingly challenged Kenpachi and any other captain who was willing to a fight while Yamamoto, Unohana, Ukitake and Kyōraku only thought one thing, he had never changed.
"Tch I don't need anyone to crush you when I can do it by myself." Kenpachi retorted as they stared each other down. Normally Yamamoto would have stated that his decision was final and no one could challenge it but he was rather interested in seeing how Isshin faired since leaving the Gotei 13 and being out of action for a long time.
"So be it, for those of you who feel that Kurosaki Isshin needs to be tested then I suggest you be at the eleventh division training area in one hour to witness Zaraki-taichō and Kurosaki-taichō fight one another. Dismissed!" Yamamoto slammed his cane against the floor once again to end the meeting as everyone began to file out and he knew no one would miss this fight and a chance to see just how strong Isshin actually was.
The hour passed like a minute as everyone anticipated the coming fight as they gathered at the eleventh division. There was a reason Yamamoto had chosen the eleventh division and that was because it had the largest training ground due to it being the division known for its swordsmanship and straight up fighting. Looking around he noticed that every captain and lieutenant were present alongside the Ryoka who still hadn't went home due to injuries that were getting treated and Shihōin Yoruichi stood next to Soifon as she had decided to stay in Soul Society for the time being instead of returning to the human world with Urahara. He also noticed that there were numerous seated Shinigami from various divisions including one he recognised as Kurosaki Yuzu who stood close to Karin.
Karin had no idea what to expect from the fight since she had never actually seen her father in a serious fight before although she knew her father had been very powerful he hadn't fought anyone in a long time so she had no idea if he was still the same person he used to be. However she did know what Kenpachi was capable of after having seen him fight numerous times and she knew he was extremely powerful and she began to worry for her father's safety and she noticed she wasn't the only one as Yuzu nervously fidgeted beside her.
Although Orihime and been able to heal there wounds, Tatsuki and the others had decided to stay in Seireitei for a few extra days as they got to know a lot of the Shinigami and even Ishida was beginning to enjoy his time there even though he had lost his powers after his fight with Kurotsuchi. They had been practically dragged to the fight by Rukia and Yuzu but as the fight grew closer they all got more and more interested in watching especially after hearing who was going to be involved. Tatsuki was feeling rather down with herself after being what she described as humiliated by Aizen although they all considered the mission to Soul Society a success since there goal was to save Rukia and that's what they did so they felt that watching the fight would take their mind off Aizen.
The group had been informed by Rukia about what had taken place after Tatsuki fell unconscious on the Sōkyoku Hill and how two Arrancar had appeared and one of them had fought Yamamoto and they had also been told that the Gotei 13 had no idea what Aizen was ultimately planning which worried the group greatly and they also had no idea how strong the rest of Aizen's army was or how big but they all had one thing in mind once they returned home and that was to grow stronger.
"I'll ask you one more time before we start, are you sure that you don't want any of the other taichō's to join you? No one will think any less of you if you do." Isshin's voice silenced the many discussions that were currently taking place amongst the gathered crowd as he stood a fair distance from the crowd and opposite Kenpachi.
Ignoring the question posed to him by Isshin, Kenpachi lunged forward with blistering speed as he aimed to slice Isshin in two however his Zanpakutō didn't find the intended target as Isshin suddenly vanished and Kenpachi grunted as he felt the foot of Isshin collide with the back of his head as he was sent tumbling forward from the force of the kick. Kenpachi quickly recovered and once again charged towards Isshin who calmly stood with his arms by his side as he stared at the incoming Kenpachi. Isshin Shunpoed once again however Kenpachi was quick to react as he twisted round to block Isshin's kick with his arm and aimed an upwards slash towards Isshin's chest. Kenpachi let out a groan of frustration as Isshin dodged once more as his jagged blade cut through the air as Isshin appeared opposite Kenpachi and they ended up in nearly exactly the same places as they started the fight.
"What the hell do you call this? I don't like to waste my time with people who only run away so draw your Zanpakutō and give me a fight." Kenpachi called out he grew frustrated at Isshin not drawing his Zanpakutō as Isshin's face grew into a smile and his hand slowly reached towards the handle of his sword. Kenpachi didn't have time to react as blood suddenly erupted from his chest as Isshin suddenly appeared behind him with his Zanpakutō drawn and Kenpachi fell to one knee.
"So fast…" Soifon muttered at the same time as nearly everyone's barring the older captain's eyes widened at witnessing the speed of Isshin as only certain Shinigami amongst all those present managed to keep their eyes on Isshin however they all knew that the fight was far from over as Kenpachi roared back into the fight as he recklessly charged towards Isshin.
It was quite clear to Isshin that Kenpachi was nothing but a brute who relied on nothing more than overwhelming his opponent with his strength and stamina but against someone like Isshin that simply wouldn't work. Isshin easily parried the wild swing from the grinning Kenpachi and dodged under the next as Kenpachi sent strike after strike towards Isshin who backpedalled with each swing.
To the less inexperienced amongst those watching the fight it would have looked like Kenpachi was beginning to overwhelm Isshin and it looked like Kenpachi himself was beginning to believe it as his grin grew wider with each step Isshin took however the more experienced knew that Isshin hadn't begun to take Kenpachi serious yet and was just toying with him.
"Why doesn't he fight back?" the lieutenant of the eight division spoke aloud as she stood behind her captain whose smile widened at hearing the question.
"Well Nanao, it's something Isshin enjoys doing. He makes them feel like they are winning then puts them in their place when he feels like it. Fighting is just one big game for someone like him." Kyōraku replied as he muttered the last part under his breath as if he didn't want anyone to hear it however Nanao was beginning to think that Isshin sounded just like Kenpachi after hearing her captain.
"It can be a rather frustrating experience since it's hard to tell if you're actually winning or Isshin is letting you win." Ukitake spoke next as he stood next to his fellow captain and close friend. "It's a long story but one you'll no doubt hear soon." Ukitake smiled as he noticed the curious look on Nanao's face as she obviously wondered what type of relationship Isshin had with Ukitake and Kyōraku.
Seeing that he had Isshin on the back foot Kenpachi's grin widened as he began to release more reiatsu and put more power behind his strikes as Isshin parried or dodged each one sent his way. Seeing an opening, Kenpachi lunged forward aiming to pierce Isshin's chest however he found himself surprised as Isshin deflected the blade with the back of his left hand sending Kenpachi off balance for a split-second and in that second Isshin took advantage as his Zanpakutō pierced the shoulder of Kenpachi with ease as blood decorated the ground below.
"You're not going anywhere. This is just getting fun!" Kenpachi roared as his hand shot up to grab Isshin's blade before it could pulled from his shoulder and he lashed out at Isshin who barely managed to Shunpo to safety however Isshin and everyone else was suddenly surprised at the sudden increase in speed from Kenpachi as he suddenly charged towards Isshin once again.
Ignoring the small cut on his right arm, Isshin's smile grew wider at seeing Kenpachi's speed increase as he parried another strike and sent one of his own towards Kenpachi who side stepped to dodge it and the two fighters locked blades once again. As they their blades locked together the hand of Isshin rose up and he pointed his index finger towards Kenpachi's stomach as a large red ball of energy began to form and Kenpachi's eyes widened at realising what was going to happen.
Most of the Shinigami present looked on in surprise as Isshin released a Shakkahō without uttering a word which was known to only be possible for those who were masters of Kidō as the blast pierced through the stomach of Kenpachi who grunted out in pain as the Shakkahō destroyed much of the ground behind him and Isshin jumped back to put some distance between the two.
"Bastard, where's the fun in using pansy spells like that." Kenpachi said as he rested his Zanpakutō across his shoulder and ignored the small hole in his stomach as some of the lower ranked Shinigami cringed at seeing the wound and wondered how he was still standing.
"You're lucky I held back otherwise that pansy spell could have blown apart your whole chest. Now stop holding back and remove that pointless eye patch." Isshin suddenly got serious again as he ordered Kenpachi to remove his eye patch whose smile widened at hearing the request.
"I guess I should've known I wouldn't be able to do shit against you wearing this thing." Kenpachi replied as he slowly reached up towards his eye patch. The sudden release of reiatsu cracked the ground around Kenpachi as he ripped the eye patch from his eye and dropped it to the ground. The lower ranked Shinigami watching the fight began to feel the pressure as some of the captains watching released some reiatsu of their own to counter Kenpachi's and help the Shinigami behind them.
The golden reiatsu that had engulfed Kenpachi suddenly disappeared as fast as it had come and he suddenly appeared in front of Isshin with his Zanpakutō drawn back. The ground beneath Isshin was destroyed as his own Zanpakutō met Kenpachi's in a violent collision blowing a huge shockwave past the gathered crowd.
"Not bad but still not good enough." Isshin said as he began to push back Kenpachi back. Using Shunpo, Isshin broke the deadlock and suddenly appeared behind Kenpachi aiming for his lower back however Kenpachi managed to swivel around and barely deflect the stab which grazed his side and caused more blood to hit the ground as Isshin Shunpoed away once again.
"Looks like Zaraki-taichō is simply outclassed in this fight." Renji said as he watched Kenpachi and Isshin clash one more.
"Tch, I didn't think Kurosaki-taichō would be this strong never mind dominate the taichō this much." Ikkaku responded as he stood to the side of Renji while Yumichika stood to his right and they continued to watch the fight with interest.
Meanwhile another conversation was taking place amongst the crowd as Kyōraku and Ukitake discussed the fight alongside Unohana. "It seems Isshin is still as strong as I remember." Kyōraku said as he watched the fight with his usual smile still on his face as Ukitake nodded his head in response.
"It would probably be best if we called this fight to a conclusion soon Yamamoto-sōtaichō." Sasakibe spoke as he stood behind Yamamoto and close to the group of experienced captains.
"I agree with Sasakibe-fukutaichō, it wouldn't be ideal to lose a taichō especially after the incident with Aizen and the others." Ukitake responded while Yamamoto simply remained silent at the conversation.
Karin watched on as Isshin cut into Kenpachi once again and easily blocked a retaliation from the 11th division captain. She couldn't believe how easy her father was making the fight look and how much he had outclassed Kenpachi as the fight continued to rage on. She knew that her Father was strong as she had heard many things about him since she had joined the Gotei 13 mainly from Ukitake and Kyōraku but she had never seen her father fight other than friendly training when she was very young so to see him dominate a captain of the Gotei 13 this easy shocked Karin to her very core.
Yuzu stood next to her twin and watched the fight in shock as she watched her father outclass Kenpachi in straight up swordsmanship without even releasing his Shikai. She had never really been a fan of fighting especially after being trained in Kidō by Unohana and also joining the fourth division but watching the fight currently taking place excited her a little and she thought about her own strength and how she would stand up to a captain. She knew she was close in achieving her Bankai and she hoped that the upcoming war would not start for a while so she could achieve it and she began to wonder if her father would help her in her training.
"Enough! It is quite clear who is the victor here." Yamamoto's booming voice broke everyone including the two fighters away from their present thoughts as the fight suddenly came to a stop. Everyone took in the damage the two captains had taken and they all agreed with Yamamoto, Isshin had numerous small cuts on his torso but nothing that was really serious while everyone wondered how Kenpachi was still standing. The upper part of his shihakushō had practically been ripped to shreds as his torso was covered in cuts and burns and blood continued to drip down his body from the hole where Isshin's Shakkahō had shot straight through him.
"Not bad Zaraki-taichō, you even managed to cut me a few times. " Isshin laughed which brought an angry grunt from Kenpachi who stood with his Zanpakutō rested upon his shoulder, "To do that with brute force alone is pretty scary, you remind me of someone I used to know still standing with all those wounds. You should probably get yourself to the fourth division before you collapse." Isshin finished as he continued suddenly turning serious.
"At least there's one positive thing about you being a taichō, I know where to find you when I want a good fight." Kenpachi responded as his grin widened.
"Zaraki-taichō, I believe it would be best if you were to head to the fourth division so we can get you healed." Unohana spoke out surprising Kenpachi who turned around and immediately began to make his way towards the fourth division or risk upsetting Unohana, "You as well Isshin, I would hate for you to lose some more blood." Unohana then turned to face Isshin with a rather scary smile who had begun to make his way other to Karin and Yuzu.
"After all these years your still a scary women huh Yachiru." Isshin spoke so only Unohana could hear him as her smile suddenly grew wider, "I wonder if you still have the ability to back up that creepy smile of yours" Isshin finished as he walked past Unohana who showed no reaction to Isshin's taunt and the crowd began to disperse as everyone who had been present began to think the same thing, their chances of winning the upcoming war had just increased tenfold.
-OO-
Two weeks had passed since Ichigo and Starrk had visited Soul Society and not much had changed during the time other than friendships growing stronger as everyone went around there usual business which was either train or do nothing at all. One of the friendships that had blossomed over the two weeks was between Zemi and Sung-sun as they found themselves walking down a large corridor on their way to Ichigo's palace.
"I take it Ichigo-sama is still out with Starrk" Sung-sun said as they walked side by side enjoying their usual conversation. Sung-sun enjoyed spending time with Zemi as she wasn't as loud and obnoxious as Apache and Mila-rose and could actually hold a decent conversation which nearly always revolved around Zemi telling her stories about Ichigo which she enjoyed listening to.
"Yeah, I really wish I knew where they went considering they even take Lilynette with them so why not me and why do you keep calling him Sama anyways." Zemi responded as she saw Sung-sun shrug her shoulders out the corner of her eye. Since Ichigo and Starrk had returned from Soul Society they had been leaving Las Noches for hours on end and travelling very far away since no one could sense there reiatsu and apparently even Aizen didn't know where they were going to but everyone knew that they were training extremely hard as often their clothes were nothing more than rags when they returned.
"Well even Harribel-sama doesn't know where they go to so maybe they might be doing something dangerous but that doesn't really explain why Lilynette would go unless Starrk just doesn't want to leave her alone when both he and Ichigo are away." Sung-sun replied as she began to wonder why Lilynette would be taken by Starrk to wherever it was they went.
"He wants me to get stronger yet he leaves me here and he's barely spent any time with me at all these past few weeks." Zemi grew angry as she thought about what Ichigo had told her a few weeks ago about helping her to grow stronger.
"You're already strong as it is Zemi or have you already forgotten how you beat me when we were training earlier." Sung-sun noticed the angry look on Zemi's face and she tried to calm the female Arrancar down.
"For as long as I remember I've had to rely on Ichigo to fight my battles for me so maybe now is a good time to show him that I don't have to rely on him anymore and I can grow stronger without him." Zemi said as they continued walking.
"There's nothing wrong with relying on others if you're not strong enough alone just look…" Sung-sun began to respond however a familiar voice cut her off before she could finish.
"What a nice surprise to bump into you two here." The grating voice Zemi hated interrupted their conversation as Nnoitra walked around the corner with his Fracción Tesra Lindocruz following close behind and stopped in front of the two friends who hadn't even noticed them coming towards them since they were so wrapped up on their conversation.
"What do you want Nnoitra?" Zemi said, still angry from her conversation with Sung-sun.
"Still not showing any respect to those higher up then yourself huh? I hope you didn't forget what I said the last time we found ourselves in a situation like this." Nnoitra responded with a lecherous grin as Zemi tensed up at remembering their last encounter.
"Is there something we can help you with Nnoitra-sama?" Sung-sun spoke up as she stepped forward and tried to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand.
"You're not too bad, once I kill that bitch Harribel and take her place then I might let you live or maybe you can serve under me." Nnoitra laughed once more as he noticed Sung-sun narrow her eyes in disgust while Zemi took a step forward to stand in front of Nnoitra.
"Growing some guts eh? Your precious Primera isn't around to save you although it might be nice to leave him a present for when he returns." Nnoitra looked down at Zemi who was trying her best to not look intimidated.
"I don't need him to deal with someone as pathetic as you!" Zemi's anger got the better of her as she lashed out at Nnoitra who seemed a little surprised at the outburst along with Tesra and Sung-sun.
"Stupid bitch, I'm going to enjoy ending your pathetic life!" Nnoitra roared back as he reached towards his overly large Zanpakutō.
"I would think twice before doing that, Nnoitra" The serious voice of Harribel interrupted the confrontation as she suddenly appeared behind Zemi and Sung-sun who looked shock at her sudden arrival.
"You going to try and stop me if I do, bitch?" Nnoitra suddenly ignored Zemi and turned his gaze towards Harribel. Harribel recalled how Ichigo had asked her to keep an eye on Zemi when he wasn't around since he didn't trust most of the inhabitants of Las Noches and she was glad that she had gotten here in time to stop whatever was about to happen.
"It's for your own good that I'm telling you to stop otherwise who knows what might happen once he finds out." Harribel said as she remained unaffected by the glare Nnoitra sent her way.
"You think I'm scared of him, I'll crush him and become the Primera myself!" Nnoitra began to grow angrier which began to unnerve everyone other than Harribel.
"Where do you think he is right now? After the training he had done with Starrk I'm pretty sure he could kill you without even releasing his Resurrección in fact I doubt he would even break a sweat." Harribel's word's cut deep into Nnoitra whose eyes narrowed and low growl escaped his lips. "It's time for us to leave Zemi, Sung-sun." Harribel finished as turned and began to make her way down the hallway as Zemi and Sung-sun began to follow.
"Don't walk away from me bitch!" The large Zanpakutō of Nnoitra suddenly flew past Sung-sun whose eyes widened at the speed and how it was heading straight for Harribel who had stopped walking. Harribel's hand gripped the handle of her own Zanpakutō as she readied herself to turn around and block the long ranged attack however the sound of Sonīdo filled the air as everyone's eyes widened at seeing who had arrived.
Ichigo's outstretched arm held Nnoitra's Zanpakutō with ease shocking everyone at having blocked it with his bare hand as Starrk appeared behind Harribel with Lilynette following close behind. Behind her high collar a hint of pink adorned Harribel's features as she took in Ichigo's appearance, he had lost his jacket from his training with Starrk and Harribel ignored the current situation as she stared at the muscled torso of Ichigo before he suddenly disappeared from view.
No one other than Starrk and barely Harribel were able to keep track of Ichigo as his boot suddenly connected with the back of Nnoitra's head and his face slammed into the floor below. Nnoitra let out a groan as Ichigo's boot kept him face down on the floor and his eyes widened as he began to feel Ichigo's reiatsu crush him into the floor even further. Tesra didn't have time to react when Ichigo had suddenly appeared behind Nnoitra and the reiatsu Ichigo was now releasing made it clear that he wouldn't survive if he tried to help his master.
"Let this be your first warning Nnoitra, I will kill you if I see you even look at Zemi, Harribel and Nelliel again is that understood?" Hearing the groan from Nnoitra Ichigo jumped away from his fellow Espada and landed next to Harribel as Starrk let out a large yawn.
"Well I think it's time for me to get some sleep, let's go Lilynette." With a nod of the head towards Ichigo and Harribel, Starrk disappeared through the use of Sonīdo as Nnoitra began to get to his feet.
"You bastard, I'll kill you for this!" Nnoitra shouted at Ichigo who began to walk towards him.
"If you want to fight me then come and find me sometime and I'll show you the difference in our power." Ichigo finished as he walked past Nnoitra, followed closely by the three female Arrancar. Ichigo and Harribel walked in silence while Zemi and Sung-sun followed close behind as they made their way towards Ichigo's palace, ignoring the angry shouts from Nnoitra who was no doubt taking his anger out on an unsuspecting Arrancar.
A short while later they reached their destination as Zemi and Sung-sun went off to their own conversation, leaving Ichigo and Harribel to themselves. "I guess I should find a change of clothes unless you would prefer me to stay like this." Ichigo smiled as he had noticed Harribel glancing his way on their journey here while Harribel turned away in response as she realised she had been caught taking in Ichigo's body. Letting out a small laugh at Harribel's expense he quickly entered his bed room and a few minutes later found himself back with her, this time wearing his usual white Jacket.
"Thanks for stepping in back there or who knows what would have happened." Ichigo thanked Harribel who simply nodded in response.
"I was just looking out for them both like you told me although you do seem to have rather good timing when it comes to helping me out." Harribel smiled under her collar as recalled Ichigo stopping Nnoitra's attack and also the very first time they had met.
"Well I wish I was there sooner but if he tries anything again I'm not sure I can hold back from killing him even if it meant disobeying Aizen." Ichigo replied as he found himself at Harribel's beauty.
"I didn't think you cared what Aizen thought." Harribel didn't fail to notice Ichigo's gaze upon her face and it surprised her when she realised that it didn't make her feel uncomfortable but pleased that Ichigo was looking at her.
"I don't really but I don't think it's a good idea to make an enemy of him for a silly reason such as Nnoitra. I reckon I'm a match for Aizen or maybe even stronger but I'm not sure about what side the other Espada would take and then there's Gin and Tōsen to deal with." Ichigo's gaze left Harribel's face as he realised he had been staring at her for a little while.
"Well I personally don't see a reason for us to distrust Aizen in anyway, after all he did give us this opportunity in the first place so without him then we wouldn't be standing here." Harribel replied as she followed Ichigo out onto the balcony.
"You've got a point but I can't help but feel that he's got something planned when the war begins or maybe I'm just being paranoid." Ichigo let out a small laugh as Harribel shuck her head at hearing Ichigo call himself paranoid.
"Have you had any more dreams since the one you told me about?" Harribel changed the subject which Ichigo didn't seem to enjoy as he let out a tired sigh and brought his hand through his long hair.
"No I've only had one regarding me being a Shinigami but if I had to guess then I think it's because I haven't seen anything that reminds me of that time and maybe its better this way." Ichigo answered, receiving a curious look from Harribel.
"What do you mean by its better this way?" Harribel questioned once again.
"I've been thinking about it over the past two weeks and I'm beginning to think that it might be best if I don't remember about my past life since we are heading into war with the very people I once knew." Ichigo let out another sigh which he felt he had been doing a lot lately.
"I don't think you have much of a choice as it stands, if what you say is true then the only way not to remember is to avoid seeing any Shinigami at all which is practically impossible at this point unless…" Harribel began as she noticed that Ichigo was torn on what was best.
"I don't take part in this war at all which is never going to happen." Ichigo finished what Harribel was going to say before she could finish.
"Will remembering your past life really effect you that much, in the end you're still a hollow and it's not like the Shinigami are going to welcome you back with open arms since you've seen how they react towards hollows of any kind." Harribel began to feel a little bit sorry for Ichigo as she realised that even if he did remember those who he was close to then he would no doubt be forced to fight them.
"I guess you're right but what I'm getting at is that it'll only make things harder for me once I do begin to remember but I guess I'll have to deal with that once it happens." Ichigo replied as he felt a hand on his shoulder as he saw Harribel facing him out of the corner of his eye.
"Well whatever happens you will always have me and Starrk by your side no matter what the outcome of this war." Harribel reassured Ichigo as she let go of his shoulder however she felt herself be engulfed in a warm embrace.
"Thanks Tier." Ichigo didn't know why he hugged Harribel but he knew that it felt right by going off the reaction from Harribel as she returned the embrace.
So the fight between Kenpachi and Isshin wasn't originally planned to happen but as I begun writing this chapter it just popped into my head so I decided to put it in so I hope it gave you all good idea of where Isshin's power is.
I also decided to do a two week timeskip in this chapter since I want to get where the Manga/anime begins in this arc i.e. Ulquiorra and Yammy visit Karakura and that will probably happen next chapter but it might not be those two that go.
I've also decided not to give Ichigo anymore Fracción in case anyone was still wondering.