Author's Notes:
I swear, these things have the most uncanny tendency to keep getting longer. Oh, well. At least that also means that more progress is made pro chapter.

Sitting on a rock, Yoruichi curiously observed Ichigo and Tatsuki going through their Bankai training. Despite her knowing that the two of them would have a rather good chance at actually succeeding with this method, she was still surprised at how well they both were doing so far. Sure, neither Ichigo nor Tatsuki had so far been able to find the right blade among the hundreds of weapons that had been summoned forth by Zangetsu and Raitora – which was to be expected, really – but even so, ever since the two started their training, they had been gradually getting closer to achieving their Bankai. The more weapons both of them tried, the longer these weapons lasted in the fight.

Back when Ichigo and Tatsuki had just begun their training, the blades they tried always just lasted for one or two attacks before breaking apart. By now however, each weapon lasted multiple minutes before breaking. Which was still no guarantee for actually succeeding, though... just like finding the real weapon. The training could only end when the Zanpakuto spirits were defeated – and over the past few days, they had made it rather clear that that wouldn't be too easy. Zangetsu and Raitora were both disappointed that Ichigo and Tatsuki had forced the Bankai training, something which the spirits demonstrated rather well in their fierce fighting styles.

At this point, Yoruichi was rather sure that the fact that the blade fields which Zangetsu and Raitora had summoned overlapped was just another way for the spirits to show their resentment. To Ichigo and Tatsuki, it made things only more confusing: Even now, one of them occasionally picked up a weapon which was not summoned by their Zanpakuto, and therefore instantly fell apart the moment they closed their hands around them. Worse yet, despite fighting on the exact same space, Ichigo and Tatsuki could not help each other in their respective battles – which, considering that in every battle that they had fought since they got into the seireitei, they had each other to rely on, made things only more difficult.

Despite all this, though, the two of them didn't give up: They simply continued fighting, hour after hour.

All in all, it was rather entertaining to watch – though more than once, Yoruichi ended up cursing the cave's lack of comfortable places from which she could actually watch the fight.

Trying to get the numb feeling out of her legs, which she had gotten from sitting on her rock for too long, Yoruichi stood up and stretched. As she did, she noticed something looking like a black butterfly flying in her general direction, landing on the rock that she had just been sitting on. For a moment, Yoruichi stared at the insect, which remained completely motionless on the rock, in slight confusion... before the realization hit her.

The black butterfly was most likely a Jigokucho, a hell butterfly – a spiritual creature used as messenger between shinigami. The creatures were usually used to send messages which needed to be relayed as quickly as possible to other divisions. All that the shinigami sending the message needed to do was to speak it out loud to the hell butterfly, and send it to where they presumed the addressed person was. And right now, there was only one person in the entire seireitei who would know where to send this hell butterfly to deliver a message to her...

Hey, Yoruichi! She could hear Isshin's voice in her mind, as she touched the creature with her fingertip. I just thought I should let you know this: The first sorta-diversion is gonna start just about now, and it'll begin with these other two kids being busted of the cells of Squad Two. I suppose you should pick them up, if you don't want them to be caught again right away!

Yoruichi frowned. It certainly was like Isshin to tell her about this sort of thing in the absolute last minute... though it did still beat not being told at all. Sighing, Yoruichi shifted into her cat form, and ran over to where Ichigo and Tatsuki were fighting their Zanpakuto spirits.

"Alright you two, time for a break!" Yoruichi shouted, as she got close enough.

"Huh? Why now?! I almost got it!" Tatsuki shot back angrily, not even bothering to interrupt her current attack against Raitora.

"So you think!" The spirit bellowed fiercely, effortlessly blocking Tatsuki's attack, shattering her current weapon. Ichigo just planted his current sword into the ground, and turned around to face Yoruichi.

"Good question. Why now? We've not even been at this for all that long yet." Ichigo asked, sounding more curious than annoyed.

"You've already been training almost nonstop for at least two days now. Totally 'not all that long'." Yoruichi noted dryly. "But regardless... something came up, so I will have to go out for a while, and I don't want you to continue this while I am not there to help you if something goes wrong. So, until I get back, a break it is."

"And what is this something?" Tatsuki asked, the curiosity now getting the better of her as well.

"You will see that when I come back. Right now, it is unimportant for you. Now be nice shinigami terrorists and take your break, okay? Bye!" And with that, Yoruichi turned around and ran off, not even waiting to see Ichigo's and Tatsuki's reaction to her words –which was probably quite a shame, since chances are that that would be rather funny. But she had already wasted enough time by just giving the two this short explanation. The way Isshin had worded his message, Uryu and Orihime could already be out of their cell by now... and if they were, it would be all the more important that Yoruichi reached them quickly. Squad Two was not to be taken lightly: If Uryu and Orihime had been busted out of their cells, it would only be a matter of time until they were caught again, unless they got some help.

Yoruichi sighed. She essentially was in for a mad dash from the cave to Squad Two, and back again – she could only hope that nobody would notice her...

oOo

Uryu rolled around, trying to get into a halfway comfortable position. Two days had passed since he and Orihime had been incarcerated, and most of all it was… boring. Uryu had expected rather rough treatment- heavy beatings, constant interrogations, maybe even torture. But for whatever reason, they had been left by themselves, kept company only by a masked jailor, who seemed pretty sympathetic for somebody who could beat the living snot out of them for no reason if he wanted to- he suspected that the Gotei hadn't taken part of the Genève convention and its stance on torture and human rights, mainly because there were screams from other cells every now and then.

They had been given food twice a day, and mostly left to their own devices. The both of them wore a sort of handcuffs, which sealed any attempt at using reiatsu for more than normal bodily functions, but aside from that… not much.

It was quite strange – strange and boring. In the two days that had passed, they had done just about nothing, and throughout the entire time, Uryu and Orihime had barely talked to each other. As far as Uryu was concerned, the reason for this was partly out of fear and uncertainty of what was going to happen to them next, and partly because of the experience of their encounter with Mayuri... or rather, what he had resorted to during this encounter. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still recall the feeling of using the stone... the power, the rage... and the voices. Crying out in agony, demanding blood to be spilled... in a way, it had been enchanting.

Enchanting, but dangerous.

Looking back on the fight, Uryu realized that the more he had used the thing, the more it had somehow... gotten out of his control. His attacks had started to miss, the voices grew louder, and he started to feel as a part of them. He didn't even want to imagine what could have happened if Orihime hadn't taken the stone off him... without her, he'd be finished by now – or rather, even more finished then the two of them were in their current situation.

In fact, all things considered, "finished" did sum up their general situation rather well. Captured by one of the Gotei Thirteen's Squads, stuck in a (admittedly, apparently not too well-guarded) cell, with no apparent way that even Yoruichi could get them out. The only thing that was missing now was the obligatory interrogation... which didn't seem like it would happen anytime soon.

Uryu let out an exasperated sigh. Maybe this was some kind of new, psychological torture, meant to break them through extreme boredom? If that was the case, then the Gotei was doing an excellent job...

"Say, Ishida-kun..." Orihime suddenly said, breaking the silence that already seemed to last days. "There's something that I've been wondering about."

"What is it?" Uryu asked, in a way glad that there was finally something to do, but also concerned about the slight graveness in Orihime's tone.

"Well..." She began hesitantly, "it is about this stone-thing that you used earlier. I know, I probably should have asked you this sooner, but – what was this thing? How did it give you this kind of power? And what was it even doing to you?"

Uryu took a deep breath. He had already expected that this question would come sooner or later... in fact, it had been part of the reason why he himself had remained as silent as possible during the time that they had already spend in this cell. It wasn't that Uryu didn't know the answer – he knew it quite well, in fact. No, the issue was rather admitting that he had used something like this... but then again, after their fight with this captain, at least she would deserve to know.

"...This stone – it is called 'Stein der Weisen', 'Philosopher's Stone'." Uryu began quietly.

"Huh? So can it turn lead into gold as well?"

Uryu shook his head. "Not really. Do you know how hollows come into existence, and how they gain strength?"

Orihime scratched her head in confusion. "Well, yeah... spirits stay too long in the world of the living, go crazy, become monsters, eat souls and become stronger. But I don't see what that has that to do with it..."

"This has everything to do with it, because this is essentially what this stone is. Imagine a hollow which has eaten dozens, if not hundreds of souls, granting him enormous strength – an inhuman beast, consisting of tortured souls, with the strength to fight even the strongest shinigami on an even ground... and now, imagine this kind of creature, condensed into a small stone, unable to do anything by itself, its consciousness reduced to a stream of voices screaming in agony, its power available to anyone who has the ability to harness it. That's what this stone is."

Silence followed his words. Then- "But why would somebody even create something like this?"

Uryu looked at Orihime's face. Her expression was unreadable, and the tone in which she had spoken didn't exactly convey her feelings, either. What she had said, she had said quietly, though Uryu was pretty sure that she was disappointed that he resorted to using something like this – after all, why wouldn't she? "From what my grandfather told me, this was something that the Quincy resorted to towards the end of their war with the shinigami... I suppose by that point, they were simply desperate for power. Something that would give them the edge over the shinigami. It didn't work, obviously. My grandfather himself created this particular stone as a last resort, something to use if he absolutely needed more power."

He shook his head slightly and continued, his tone solemn. "Of course, my grandfather never got to use this thing. When we were making our preparations for this silly mission, I thought that it might help if I took the stone with me... but what my grandfather had told me about it made actually using this thing seem far less disturbing than it actually was. I heard their voices, Inoue-san... throughout the entire time that I used this stone, I heard the voices of the souls that were used to make it. And I was starting to feel like one of them... I don't know what would have happened if you had not taken the stone off me." Uryu chuckled quietly. "I never should have even brought this atrocity of a stone along in the first place."

"Don't say that!"

Uryu looked up – only to see Orihime give him a surprisingly angry look. "Just don't think about all these 'what ifs' and 'I shouldn't haves'! You took this stone with you. You used this stone. Yes, it is a terrible thing that shouldn't even exist. But it helped us – with it, you could make sure that this... captain doesn't capture us. Sure, we're captured now, but I honestly think it is better to be stuck here than to be captured by that guy. So don't regret using it. Of course, something bad could have happened by doing it, but it didn't. Everything went fine, and you don't have to use the stone again. Just look forward, Ishida-kun."

Unable to think of anything to say, he just stared at Orihime, still trying to fathom what he just heard her say. In a way, it was amazing: Whenever Uryu thought that he had her finally figured out, this girl said or did something that he never would have expected, and he found himself back at the beginning. Even now, this continued... by now, he should actually be used to it.

"...Uryu." He said, after the silence that had ensued after Orihime's words had already dragged out to about a minute of him just staring.

"Huh?" Orihime asked, more than just a little confused.

"You might as well call me Uryu if you want. I think by now, we have gone through too many things for you to keep calling me 'Ishida'." He didn't even know why he had said this – the thought of it had just come over him, and before he knew it, he had said it out loud.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, quite obviously rather surprised. "Y-Yeah, I guess I could do that."

More silence.

"Hey, Ishi- I mean, Uryu-kun," Orihime said after another while. "Do you think they'll ever let us go?"

"I think that's the sort of thing that's best not to think about." Uryu said grimly. They really were at their mercy- in the world of the living, there were laws, civilians couldn't just disappear- but the Gotei did, by all appearances, operate on a much more medieval standard. "We'll get out of this, one way or the other. Don't you worry."

He had no real faith that this was true, but he managed to sound like he did- if not, then Orihime might just end up in despair. Or probably not, he thought- he really had to stop thinking of her as a weak, girly girl. Japanese culture had a lot to say about how women were and ought to be, and Orihime surprisingly didn't fit that mold at all, despite initial appearances. Tearing off a captain's arm, supporting him, stopping him from using the stone, calling him out over his attitude about having used the stone- that had been impressive. She was steel, he thought- steel disguised as gold.

"If only I had my hands free…" Orihime mumbled, gnawing at the cuffs.

"It's no use." Uryu said, shaking his head.

"I'm not giving up!" She said spiritedly. "Maybe you think we can't do it- but I do."

"I haven't given up. But we need to bide our time- maybe look for an opening, any opening. We need to be smart about this. These people do not mess around."

Akitoki was, all things considered, having a good day. His captain had put all full time members on the most massive manhunt in all her history as commander, leaving only beginners like himself for menial duties like guarding prisons- which was better by far than being driven to extremes by his captain. The prisoners were all powerless, and the locks were solid- all he had to do was make a tour every other hour to check in on them, and he could go back to his relaxing chair.

Which was why it was such a contrast for Akitoki when he felt a massive reiatsu bearing down on the prison blocks. Standing up with a start, he looked around- what was going on? He could hear shouts-

Then the wall next to him collapsed, and where it had been, the imposing, seven feet tall figure of Zaraki Kenpachi stood, stepping into the prison.

"Taicho!" He exclaimed. "This- this area is off limits-"

"Shaddap." Kenpachi said, letting his reiatsu rise. Akitoki, only just past recruithood, simply fainted, falling flat on the floor.

Uryu tensed. What was going on? There was some chaos- he could hear shouts, cries, and things breaking. Quickly, he hurried to the cell door. He saw nothing, but he heard voices.

"Oy, Ikkaku- where're those ryoka?" Came the first voice, rough and deep.

"How am I supposed ta know, taicho?" Came a second voice, irritable and equally rough.

"I brought you lot to find my way, damn it!"

"Take it easy." A third, smoother voice came. "There's a role sheet right here on the desk- you know the names of the prisoners, right?"

"…shit."

"We wanted the ryoka, right?" Came the smooth voice.

"Over here!" Uryu cried. He had no idea who it was, or whether they'd be out of the frying pan and into the fire- but these people wanted to break them out, and they might as well take the chance. "We're the ryoka, right here!"

For a small while, there was no reply, but then he could hear footsteps coming in their direction. Orihime stood up, going up by the cell door with him. They could see the figure of a very tall, fearsome-looking man. He looked more like a bandit than anything else, but he wore a captain's haori.

"Oy, kids," he said, rearing his head back a bit, "step away from the door."

Quickly the two stepped back, and the man, to their surprise, slammed his head into the door. In any given context, Uryu would have expected this to result in nothing more than a sore head, but the door gave in, cracking gloriously in two, showering the room with splinters.

"Now," the man said, "you two're the ryoka, right? I'm Zaraki Kenpachi."

Uryu took a good look at the man. In any other situation, he would have run away from a man like that before he could even finish introducing himself, but in the current situation, that was not exactly an option... not to mention that this man had just freed them, which at the very least did make for a rather good first impression. "...And what do you want of us?"

Kenpachi chuckled darkly. "What I want from you is a fight over life and death, a brutal slaughtering which puts all of our lives into danger, and gives me a thrill in battle that I haven't experienced in decades... but I doubt you squirts could do it. For now, I just want ya two outta here as quickly as possible." As he said this, he took out his sword, and ancient and battered-looking katana, and swiftly sliced their handcuffs apart.

"But aren't you a captain of the Gotei Thirteen? Shouldn't it be in your interest to keep us in?" Uryu asked nervously. Sure, pointing out something like that was not exactly in their interest, especially not with a guy like this – but this was just too damn weird.

"That's none of yer business, kid. All that ya need to know is that I'm letting ya outta here. Everything else is unimportant for you."

"Ah, but there's still some things that were taken off us that we'll need back!" Orihime spoke up, without the slightest hint of nervousness.

"Do I look like some sorta tour guide to you? You gotta look for your shit yourself." And with that, Kenpachi turned around and ran off, leaving a very confused Uryu and Orihime behind.

"That... was weird." Orihime stated, putting Uryu's thoughts perfectly into words. "So, where should we start looking? I mean, you still need your Quincy medallion thing, right, Uryu-san?"

"If we want to stand an actual chance at leaving this place without being captured again right away, then yeah, I kinda do." Uryu noted. "We better start looking around..."

"That won't be necessary. I know this place well enough." Another voice interrupted them before they could even start searching – a voice which Uryu would have very much liked if he had heard it already two days ago.

"And where have you been two days ago, Yoruichi?" Uryu asked, as the black cat came towards them out of the very direction that Kenpachi had left towards.

"I was making sure that Ichigo and Tatsuki didn't die after their encounter with that man that just freed you." Yoruichi said, only to quickly add "I'll explain later! Don't worry, they are fine!" once she saw the look on Uryu and Orihime's faces.

Uryu groaned. "Urgh, fine. Just as long as we get out of here..."

oOo

Sometimes, Renji could not help but to be surprised at how much could happen in just three days. It had only been about an hour since he had finally been released from his stay at Squad Four, being at full health again – and when he was, the members of the Squad told him about what had happened since he had lost his fight against the ryoka. When Renji had asked them why he, as a vice-captain, wasn't constantly kept up-to-date to begin with, the only response he got was that "excitement was bad for patients".

Hearing the news about everything that had happened, he could not help but to admit to himself that if he heard any of this earlier, he wouldn't have exactly wanted to stay at Squad Four, where he was incapable of doing anything: The captain of Squad Five, Aizen, had been killed, with the ryoka that had defeated him being suspected to be the culprits – the exact same ryoka who then got into a fight with the captain of Squad Twelve, Mayuri, even bringing him to the point where he released his Bankai. After that, the two had fled their fight with the captain, only to be captured by the onmitsukidou, and send to the prison cells of Squad Two.

The other ryoka group had meanwhile been revealed to have the former substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo in it (which was not exactly news to Renji), and had fought and defeated Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and even Omaeda Marechiyo – only to be defeated by Zaraki Kenpachi after that. But even then, the two were not captured after that; instead, they vanished from right under the noses of several members of Squad Four, with the help of a former, exiled captain. And despite this, Kurosaki still appeared a few hours later at the senzaikyu, where he was immediately captured by the captain of Squad Ten, Shiba Isshin... only to escape once again not even an hour later.

It all was simply beyond absurd.

If nothing else however, Renji did at the very least find some comfort in the simple fact that he was by no means the only one who was confused about the general situation with the ryoka. If the members of Squad Four were anything to go by, the vast majority of the Gotei's shinigami had no idea what was going on. While not exactly a good thing, it was still a comforting thought – in a rather weird way.

Right now though, Renji had other things to worry about besides the ryoka, and the confusion that they had caused: Among all the other things, the Squad Four members looking after him had also told him that ever since Kurosaki had been identified as one of the ryoka, Squads Six and Ten had been ordered to guard the senzaikyu, in order to assure that the former substitute shinigami and his friends would be unable to reach Rukia. For Renji, this meant two things: One, he could kiss his original plan for saving Rukia (that being simply getting her out of her cell and then running like hell) goodbye. Two, he would most likely have to join the other members of his Squad in guarding the prison – which was why right now, he was making his way towards said prison.

Impatient and frustrated over his lengthy period of inactivity as well as the recent turn of events, Renji did not even bother walking through the streets to get to his goal. The sooner he got to work, the sooner he'd have something to distract him, and he'd be able to think of new plans to rescue Rukia – so, making his way across the rooftops it was. Sure, if his captain saw him hopping from roof to roof like he was doing right now, he would perform his equivalent of a very angry rant (which would probably be a cold and collected stare as well as some disapproving words), but by now, Renji did not exactly care for that... not with all the other things on his mind.

Hanging after his thoughts like that, Renji got closer and closer to the senzaikyu – when suddenly, a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Stopping dead in his tracks on the nearest roof, Renji took a good look around him. For a moment, he thought that what he had just spotted was his imagination... but then he saw it. Several hundreds of meters away from him, rather easy to miss if one wasn't actively looking for it, there were three figures hoping across the rooftops, making their way towards the senzaikyu as well: One small, black figure, which seemed to be an animal of some sort, and two undoubtedly human figures – human figures in very familiar outfits...

For a moment, Renji silently observed the odd trio, uncertain on what he should do. Then, acting on a whim, he got moving again, following the three figures with a distance between them that was big enough to ensure that they wouldn't notice him right away.

It was just about the most logical thing that he could do, Renji reasoned to himself as he continued to hop across the rooftops in his pursuit. With the increased security at the senzaikyu completely thwarting his original plan to rescue Rukia before he could even begin it, and him having virtually no backup plan of his own, following ryoka who came to Soul Society for the sole reason of doing so was his best bet. He would simply keep an eye on them as they tried to get to Rukia's cell, and help them should it become obvious that they'd have a chance to succeed... if somebody from his Squad or Squad Ten saw him observing the ryoka, he could always just say that he was waiting for the right moment to strike.

Satisfied with his new plan, Renji sped up his pace as to not lose the ryoka – only for him to realize that for whatever reason, they weren't actually heading towards the senzaikyu. Instead, the animal that the Quincy boy and the... whatever-girl were following was leading them towards sokyoku hill, or rather, a side of it. As far as Renji knew, the only thing that they could find there were trees, bushes and rocks – what could they possibly want there?

Shaking his head, Renji set his doubts aside. There was no point in wondering about this now: He'd find out soon enough.

Only a few minutes later, they had reached the forest at the foot of sokyoku hill, and made their way up to the point where the only thing left in front of them was a vertical wall. Due to the density of the forest, Renji had to come a lot closer to the three to keep following them – close enough in fact that he was fearing that they might find him any second now. Luckily, no such thing happened, and he could observe the two ryoka and the cat (because that was what the animal they were following did turn out to be) without much trouble.

As it seemed, the Quincy and the girl seemed to be just as clueless as to what they were supposed to do here as Renji was: Both of them looked around confusedly, having obviously no idea on why they were brought here. After a few seconds, the Quincy shouted something that Renji couldn't quite make out at the cat... who actually seemed to reply.

While Renji was still trying to figure out whether his ears and eyes had played a trick on him, the Quincy boy said something else to the cat, his tone seeming skeptical (or something along those lines). Once again, the cat seemed to respond to what the Quincy had said... and then, before his eyes, the cat proceeded to become enveloped in a bright white light, expanding and changing its shape – until in front of the Quincy stood a (quite attractive) dark-skinned, purple-haired woman. Who was also naked.

"The hell?!" Renji burst out, before he could stop himself. The instant the words came out of Renji's mouth, he already regretted them: After all, shouting does not exactly mix well with stealth.

And as to be expected, the Quincy instantly whirled around into his direction, formed his energy bow, and got himself ready to attack. "Who's there?!"

Renji sighed. This wasn't exactly the kind of introduction that he had hoped to make – but nothing could be done there. Raising his arms above his head, Renji jumped down from the tree that he had stayed on, down to the ground, and made his way towards the two- three ryoka.

"Uh, hey, Renji here." He said as he approached the three, viciously fighting the desire to apply the palm of his hand to his head over the disbelief that he had just said that.

"Oh, hello pineapplehead-kun!" The girl cheered nonchalantly when she recognized him – with the exact kind of enthusiasm that he did not expect from a person that he had nearly killed.

"Abarai." The Quincy growled, displaying the exact kind of reaction towards Renji's appearance that he had been expecting. "What do you want here?"

"That's obvious, isn't it?" The purple-haired woman noted with a grin before Renji could think of an halfway decent excuse. "Renji is a friend of Rukia's, we want to save her – he probably noticed us on our way here, and followed us, because he knows that we actually have a plan to save Rukia. A plan that he wants to get in on. Am I right, or am I right, Renji-kun?"

Renji hesitated. He still hadn't exactly made his mind up: He had hoped that the point where he actually needed to decide on what to do wouldn't come until a while later. But being confronted with this question now... he had already decided to become a traitor back when he had last visited Rukia. In comparison to that, joining up with the ryoka was a minor thing – a thing that would give him a better chance of saving Rukia. "...I suppose, yeah. I don't want Rukia to die. If you guys have an actual plan for saving her, then I'll gladly help you out."

"Then it's settled!" The purple-haired woman exclaimed. "You're coming with us."

"But this guy tried to kill us! What if he is just lying to spy on us, and reports our location to his captain on the first chance that he gets?" The Quincy objected.

"Oh, if that should really be the case, then I do still have... certain methods to ensure that betraying us isn't exactly the best option. Clear?"

Renji swallowed. While he didn't exactly feel an overly impressive reiatsu from the woman, it was rather obvious that part of the reason why the ryoka were still not captured was her – which in turn meant that whoever she was, she was very good. "Crystal clear."

"Good." The woman remarked with a smile. "So now that that's clear, you better get yourselves ready for some jumps, because it's all up from here."

oOo

As the two grim zanpakutou stared at the two of them, Ichigo and Tatsuki were resting up- the training was quite straining; it had been almost nonstop fighting for two whole days now- and neither of them seemed any closer to subduing their blade. The both of them were covered in sweat, dirt, and to some degree, blood. And quite soon, they would have to keep going- and they'd have to make real progress soon, or it would all be for nothing.

"Hey, Ichigo…" Tatsuki said, breathing huffily, "this is… hard."

"Harder than we thought, yeah- but that's kind of what we knew going into this. We just have to try harder."

"This is crazy." Tatsuki muttered. "Just a couple months ago, all I cared about was finishing school- getting a degree, a real job, supporting myself- and now, it just seems… unreal. It's weird."

"Weird kinda defines this, yeah." Ichigo shrugged.

"Is it really… worth it?" Tatsuki said, staring into space. "Shit- I didn't mean it to sound like that, but…"

"But we almost died. Especially you. We fought somebody who could easily have killed us, and we're going to have to do it again." Ichigo said matter-of-factly. "It's okay- it's good to ask a question like that." He stretched his arms a bit, feeling sore. "We came all this way for Rukia- even though it was really only me who needed to. I… appreciate that. You are a great friend." He smiled.

"No offense, but that sounded totally gay." Tatsuki said, grinning. Then she shook her head. "No- joking aside, it feels… weird, it really does. I was that close to dying, and… that made me feel afraid. I still am. I have things to do, like finishing my education. Getting a job. Maybe getting married. This mess… I don't want to die."

"You came this far." Ichigo said, nodding, "and it's more than I could have asked for. If you want to back out, I'd understand."

"Oh, shut up." Tatsuki said, punching Ichigo in the shoulder. "I've come this far- I'm not backing out. I just… I wanted to say that if things go badly and I die, you better look out for Orihime."

"We're not going to die." Ichigo said resolutely. "We're going to get Bankai, fight anyone who gets in our way, and free Rukia."

"You make it sound so easy."

"I guess I do." He stared into space for a bit. "And all this for Rukia."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"…yeah." He mumbled. "She deserves better. She…" he trailed off for a bit. "She made me be something better. At first, I thought of it as just a bit of fun, fighting spirits- paying off a debt, or something. But saving people… I felt good, doing that. Before her, all I cared about was looking out for my family, and screw everything else."

"That's not true."

"Well, sort of, at least. When I started really helping people… that felt good. She showed me that you really can be a hero, even if it's dumb. Even if it was by accident, because of her, I think I am a better person... and I just pushed her away because I couldn't bear it anymore after Yuzu died."

"And that's why we're going to save her." Tatsuki nodded. "Don't worry- we'll get her back for you. And hopefully, we'll still be in one piece when we're through."

"Hopefully." Ichigo mumbled.

The two of them sat quiet for a while, just resting their sore muscles. Quite soon, they would be back in training, struggling in a gamble for what could probably be their very lives, eventually- so they savoured this short moment, this rare rest.

After a little while, Tatsuki stretched her arms, and spoke up.
"You know… I wanted to ask."

"About what?"

"When you got back to the cave, you seemed… all weird. And I don't buy for one second that it was just your wounds re-opening. Something's on your mind."

"Can't hide a thing from you, can I?"

"I'm your oldest friend." Tatsuki said with a smile. "I guess I don't spend as much time with you as you do with some of the other guys- well, unless you count these last few weeks, but my point is I know you. Inside out. I can tell when you're angry, or just a bit moody. I can tell if you need to be left alone, or if you need somebody to punch you in the face."

"There's more to therapy than violence, I hope you know." Ichigo said dryly.

"Until a psychiatrist corrects me, I'll assume physical therapy is superior." Tatsuki said cheekily. "Seriously though, something's eating at you, isn't it? I didn't want to push you, but…"

"It's okay." Ichigo said. "Yeah. You're right. Something is eating at me. Big time."

"Are you going to tell me?"

Ichigo made a face. "I…" He grunted, shaking his head. "It's pretty serious, and I actually don't want to keep this bottled up- but now's not the time. There's too much going on right now, and I need time to process this anyway."

"Shit, now you got me really curious. What's going on that's so big you can't give me an abridged version?"

"I… it's just, well, sort of…"

"Ichigo, you know you can trust me." She said compassionately. "And we still got five minutes- you can tell me. If it's big, let me share it with you."

"Look…" Ichigo said, hesitating. "It's- it's about my dad, okay?"

"You found him?"

To what could best be described as their chagrin, that was when they felt it- Yoruichi's presence, at the mouth of the enormous cave. Hers, two reiatsu which could only be Uryu and Orihime's, and a fourth one, which seemed vaguely familiar to Ichigo. Curious, the two of them peeked down the cave's entrance. Before long, Yoruichi (human, and obviously naked, since she had left her clothes here), Uryu and Orihime came into their view – as well as a red-haired shinigami with a hairstyle reminiscent of a pineapple, which neither Ichigo nor Tatsuki recognized.

Happily, Tatsuki ran up to Orihime, and pulled her into a tight embrace. To Tatsuki, it felt like it had been ages since she had last seen Orihime, when in fact, it had only been a few days – which most likely could be attributed to the fact that over the past few days, the only thing that Tatsuki had heard of Orihime was Yoruichi telling her and Ichigo in what kinds of trouble her and Uryu had been getting into. Seeing Orihime in front of her, completely unharmed was an enormous relief.

"Tatsuki-chan! You're alright!" Orihime cheered, reciprocating the hug.

"Of course I'm alright!" Tatsuki laughed. "But what about you? What kind of trouble have you been getting yourself into in the past days?"

Orihime waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry, it wasn't that bad! After all, I had Uryu-kun with me. But what was that thing about you getting almost killed that Yoruichi mentioned?"

Tatsuki swallowed. This was exactly the kind of thing that she would have preferred Orihime not learning about. Just thinking about that incident was painful... not to mention that it would only worry Orihime. "I'll tell you about that later. It really wasn't that bad, though – after all, I'm still alive, aren't I?"

For a moment, Orihime stared at her with an unreadable expression. Tatsuki was already starting to fear that Orihime would want to hear about this right away – but then she started to giggle. Relieved, Tatsuki joined in.

Ichigo meanwhile, who so far had quietly observed Tatsuki and Orihime, turned around to look at Uryu, who had remained equally silent. "So, uh, Ishida. Still alive, I see."

"Same to you, Kurosaki." Uryu noted flatly.

"Yeah."

"Well, that's good for you, I guess. It would be a bit inconvenient if the main reason why we are here to save Rukia somehow managed to die on us."

It was at this point that Ichigo's and Uryu's attitude towards each other got to a point that Tatsuki could no longer bear. "Geez, could you guys be any less emotional towards each other?" She asked in a very annoyed tone. "You haven't seen each other in days! Be a bit more enthusiastic! Aren't you two friends by now?"

"Not really." Ichigo said apathetically.

"No." Uryu said flatly.

"Men..." Tatsuki mumbled, rolling with her eyes.

"Alright, as heartwarming as your little reunion here may be: This is enough for now." Yoruichi said, stepping between them before either Ichigo or Uryu could make any sort of retort. "We have more important things to take care of."

"Well, now that you mention it: Who exactly is Pineapplehead-kun over there?" Tatsuki asked, cupping her chin with her hand.

"He is an old childhood friend of Rukia's, Bara Re-"

"Abarai Renji." Renji interrupted, clearly trying his best to not make his general annoyance too apparent.

"-yeah, that. In any case, he got his ass kicked by Uryu and Orihime, and now he's on our side. Don't question it."

"Defeat means friendship, right?" Ichigo grunted.

"We want the same thing." Renji said firmly. "That's all that matters. Though I don't exactly know what I am supposed to do here with you..."

Yoruichi scratched her head. "I didn't mention that yet? You're here to achieve your Bankai. Once you have that, I'll tell you what else I have in mind for you."

Renji gave her a look as if she had suggested that he should become a nudist just like her. "No way." He shook his head. "I mean, I'm close- I'm almost synchronized, but I'd need… at least another year to do this."

"Ah yes, you don't know yet... well, I'll explain later. Anyway- Ichigo, Tatsuki: You two will continue your Bankai training without my supervision. I think by now, you don't really need me all that much anymore. You both are doing fine, so just keep working. While you do that, I will take Uryu, Orihime and Renji to some place in this cave where we're not getting in the way. Any questions?"

Silence followed her question. "Good! Now let's get back to business!"

oOo

It was time again. In his own corner of the cave- Tatsuki and him be able to convince the Zanpakuto that they would each have their own section by now, and neither of them able to spare a moment to see how the other was doing- Ichigo stood, sword in hand, facing Zangetsu.

"We're running out of time, old man." He said, walking towards him. "Hurry up and give in already!" He had broken at least five dozen blades over the past few days already, fighting the stubborn weapon, and none of them had done the trick. Yet here he was, standing tall, because this had to work, or else- well, the alternative was something he was simply not going to think about. Shouting a loud battle cry, he charged, slamming his blade into Zangetsu's. The spirit parried, and the two of them pushed against each other, neither giving ground.

"Why should I give my power to you, Ichigo?" He said, his voice harsh. "You force me to manifest, all to achieve your own selfish goals- and yet, you cannot even find the resolve you need to defeat me. All you have done until now is hesitate, waver- you are not worthy!"

With that, Ichigo's sword cracked, Zangetsu's blade narrowly missing Ichigo's head. Ichigo jumped back, grabbing another blade from the ground, a heavy, impractical thing, bringing it up just in time to parry the next attack.

"Who hesitates?!" Ichigo snarled. "Do you see me backing down, old man? I'm not giving up until you give me all your power!"

"You talk boldly," Zangetsu growled, slamming into Ichigo's blade hard, sending Ichigo sliding back, "but all you have done since you came here is hesitate, overestimate yourself, waver in the face of problems you couldn't imagine."

"When?!" Ichigo shot back, charging at the zanpakutou, hacking at it furiously.

"From the very beginning, you had no idea. Did you expect not to have to fight? To take lives to achieve your goals? I am not a tool for peace, Ichigo."

"I've managed so far!"

"That will end soon, even if you win." Zangetsu pushed him back, coming at him with smooth, heavy strokes, Ichigo barely keeping up. "Like when you encountered that bald man- your reaction was to want to run, to hide, not to fight."

"There's more than one way to get what you want!"

"You only fought because you had no other choice. That is cowardly, Ichigo!"

"You don't get to decide what is cowardly!" Ichigo shot back, finally breaking Zangetsu's assault. "You came from me! I will decide what is right, not you!"

"You are a child who lets himself be used, lets others fight your battles- like that fat fukutaicho, who your friend took on!"

"I'm not being used! I am giving something for something- that's a trade!"

"What will you do when you are left alone, when you have nobody telling you what to do? When your friends cannot help you? Then what, Ichigo?"
Again, Ichigo's blade broke, but Ichigo managed to kick him, hard enough that the spirit slid back a few feet. Quickly, he grabbed a new sword.

"If it's just me and nobody else, then I'll fight until I can't fight anymore!"

"Even if you die?"

"Even if I die!" Ichigo shouted.

"You don't even know death." The spirit said dismissively. "You saw it in the face of Zaraki Kenpachi, and you were struck down without being able to do anything about it. You have lost so many battles, Ichigo- recognize your weakness!"

"I'm recognizing nothing!" Ichigo spat, lashing out with his new sword. It was the same as it had been the entire time- Zangetsu would berate him, often and heavily, and when he wasn't, he was stubbornly beating him in this long, unending fight. "Maybe I lost- I lost to Grand Fisher because I lost my temper, I lost to Uryu- badly- and I lost my will to fight when Yuzu died! But!" he cried, slamming his sword down hard, finally forcing the spirit a step back, "I went back on to my feet! I'm standing here, right now, and I'm going to do anything to save Rukia, even if I lose an arm, a leg- or if I have to somehow kill you, you damn stubborn sword!"

"Is that so?" Zangetsu said coldly, pushing back. "If you even realize what those words mean, then maybe you have the strength- but you are but a child."

"Is that so?" Ichigo said, pushing harder. For a moment, they both seemed to be caught in a stalemate: Both of them were using their entire strength against each other, and neither of their blades moved even an inch. Then, from just one moment to another, the stalemate was broken, and one blade forced the other back – and it wasn't Ichigo who was being pushed back. For the first time since the training had begun, it was Zangetsu who was at a disadvantage.

Unable to push Ichigo back any longer, the spirit jumped back a few meters, keeping a stoic expression. Ichigo meanwhile just smirked in satisfaction, and took a good luck at the sword that he was wielding right now. This had to be it: A black daito, a Japanese long sword, considerably smaller than his Shikai, and with four prongs on the guard, bent in a way that made them resemble the kanji for "full". Very subtle...

"Seems like I got you now, old man – this is the real thing, isn't it? This is over!"

Zangetsu calmly shook his head. "False. Simply finding the blade for your Bankai does not conclude this training: For me to consider you worthy of your Bankai, you will have to actually defeat me."

"Fine, if that's what you want, I'll do you the favour." Ichigo grunted, raising the daito in Zangetsu's direction. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"

Ichigo watched curiously as the arc of light was released from his blade, and travelled through the air towards Zangetsu. For whatever reason, the light's color had changed completely: Had it previously been a light blue, it now somehow seemed to be an odd mix of black with a red outline. In any case, Ichigo could easily tell that it was by far stronger than it had previously been – if Zangetsu got hit with that, then he would instantly be out.

The spirit seemed to be barely concerned with the attack quickly approaching him, with him just standing there, watching it get closer. It was only when the attack reached him that Zangetsu raised his sword – leaving Ichigo completely speechless with what he did next.

Instead of attempting to block the attack, or doing something to lessen the damage it dealt, the old man simply hit the arc with his own sword, covering it with what looked like wind and clouds, like a giant tornado spinning his way, furiously bearing down on him. His surprise slowing his reactions down, Ichigo only managed to jump aside in the last second, landing on his back. Bewilderedly, Ichigo stared at Zangetsu.

"Do not take this lightly, Ichigo – you may have taken your first step towards successfully achieving your Bankai, but do not expect the rest of this to be any easier. If you want to overcome me, you will have to master the technique that I have just shown you. Now get up and face me!"

Giving Zangetsu a grim look, Ichigo did as he was told. It certainly was like Zangetsu to have him learn a new technique at a time like this... but even so, Ichigo wasn't annoyed. He had not noticed it right away, but a sign of Zangetsu reaching his limits in this fight were there: In his sword, there was a small crack.

oOo

Solemnly, Ukitake Jushiro stared out at the pond, letting his thoughts drift. Although it was not even noon yet, Ukitake had decided to take a break from today's work, for which he had retreated to Ugendo Quarters – a small hut, located in the middle of a pond on the grounds of Squad Thirteen, a place specifically built for him to rest in whenever his illness acted up. In this case though, the reason that Ukitake had come here did not lay within his illness; instead, it was moreso the fact that the stresses of the past few days had become too much to bear. The ryoka in the seireitei, the unexplained disappearance of his Squad's sixth seat, Kajomaru Hidetomo... and most importantly, the approaching execution of Kuchiki Rukia.

Following the reveal of Kurosaki Ichigo's identity as one of the ryoka, it had essentially been a given that the date of the execution had to be moved forward. Only a few hours after the information had reached the head captain, Yamamoto had send forth a request to the Central Forty-Six to do just that, and not too long after that, the new date was set: The execution was now to take place almost two weeks earlier than it was originally intended to be – tomorrow at sunset, to be precise.

The decision was only made this morning, and the moment that Ukitake had learned of it, he made his decision to take break. The entire deal with the execution was simply draining for Ukitake. While he had already known for weeks now that Kuchiki Rukia, member of his very own Squad, would be executed for the crime of turning a human into a substitute shinigami, everything about it just... still felt wrong to him. Of course, Ukitake had long since already used all legal action that he as a captain had to do something against the execution – obviously, all to no avail. The Central Forty-Six had reached their decision, and they would not change it. Ukitake had no choice but to accept it.

And yet... it just wasn't right. Ukitake was more familiar with substitute shinigami and how they were handled than anyone else in the Gotei, and as far as he knew, the creation of a substitute shinigami had never been a crime that could be punished with death. The sentence was simply inadequate. The only way that Ukitake could make sense of it was that the members of the Central Forty-Six wanted to hurt the Kuchiki clan as a whole with it... but even that was unlikely, given that the Kuchiki clan did not have the kind of enemies that had enough power to cause this kind of sentence for Kuchiki Rukia.

So why? Why, of all the possible sentences, was it that she was to be executed, when all it did was cause more chaos than the original act of creating a substitute shinigami in itself could possibly hope to do? What did the Central Forty-Six seek to accomplish? Who-

"Hey there, Jushiro-kun! Hope I'm not interrupting you with anything?" Slightly startled, Ukitake turned around into the direction where the unexpected voice had come from, the source of which turned out to be the captain of Squad Ten, Shiba Isshin.

"Not at all, Shiba-taichou..." Ukitake sighed. "What do you want of me?"

"Does a guy need a reason to visit his fellow captain?" Isshin asked, leaning himself against the railing right next to Ukitake.

"Usually when you visit me, it is mostly because you want me to go drinking with you and Kyoraku." Ukitake noted dryly.

Isshin chuckled. "Ah, you got me there... still, right now, I don't exactly have alcohol on my mind."

"Then what else is on your mind?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? The execution and all that. I'm just still finding it rather hard to believe that they are honestly going to execute a member of a noble family over something as trivial as that." Isshin shook his head. "And all that is supposed to be tomorrow... it just doesn't feel right."

"I understand that you as a noble must be troubled about this, Shiba-taichou, but there is nothing that we can do about it. The decision of the Central Forty-Six is final, and we would do best not to question it." Ukitake noted, trying to stay calm despite his surprise over Isshin having just voiced the exact things that were on his mind.

Isshin sighed. "I know, I know. But still – I'm not the only one who's thinking this. I've heard people talk. Some people think that it just isn't right that that girl is going to be executed."

"Some people?" Ukitake questioned, slightly confused. What was Isshin getting at?

"Ah, y'know. You pick up a few things here and there. Rumors and the like. Some wonder how her captain feels about his subordinate being sent to death over something she's innocent of."

"Her captain doesn't approve, no, but there nothing that can done." Ukitake said hesitantly.

"And this isn't all." Isshin meanwhile continued, ignoring Ukitake's answer. "Some people even talk about starting a rescue mission to get the Kuchiki girl out of there before she gets executed. Kinda like what these ryoka are here for. Of course, that all would be illegal, but I have a feeling that somebody might do something... reckless."

Ukitake raised his eyebrow. "I would be careful to not let anyone else hear you talk like this, Shiba-taichou. If it reached the soutaichou that you are talking about these things, he might be led to believe that you plan to commit treason."

"Yeah, as if I didn't have enough of a reason to do that..." Isshin murmured quietly – too quiet for Ukitake to hear it clearly.

"What was that, Shiba-taichou?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just pointless rambling." Isshin said dismissively. "Anyway – I suppose I just gotta count on you having no ill will towards me."

Ukitake remained silent. Isshin's words had given him much to think about. While it wasn't exactly surprising to hear that others were against the execution as well, it was still unexpected that people would plan for something that would go so blatantly against the laws of the Gotei...

"You know, though..." Isshin meanwhile said after a moment of silence "I'm thinking that Kaien wouldn't have stood for that. He would have wanted to do something about this, no matter whether it is legal or not."

"And what about you, Shiba-taichou?"

"Me?" Isshin asked, in feigned surprise "I suppose I haven't really made up my mind yet... though I think my cousin's memory should be honored."

Once again, Ukitake remained silent. This time, however, Isshin spoke up before Ukitake could even start letting his thoughts drift: "Anyway – I guess I better get going. My subordinates are probably already busy looking for me... all because of that overly complex guard duty at the senzaikyu. I'll be seeing you around, Jushiro-kun."

And with that, Isshin turned around and slipped into a shunpo, leaving just as suddenly as he had come. For a moment, Ukitake looked quietly after him. Then, after several minutes, he shook his head slightly, and left, too.

oOo

She was bleeding again, from multiple cuts, bruises and hits. So much for healing up- her zanpakutou was giving her a beating that, so far, only Kenpachi could top. She wasn't doing badly herself, though- Raitora's armour was full of cracks, and it wasn't just Tatsuki's blood on its clothes. When their fight had started, the ground had been littered by dozens and dozens of short blades; now they were down to just twenty-odd daggers. It had been a brutal affair from the very start- Raitora was not one for words when it came to battle, only violence.

Which made sense, really. Who the hell would stop mid-fight to give a speech?

Again, Raitora charged at her, this time holding a long, elegant katana- she had been summoning a variety of weapons throughout, from maces, knives, greatswords, tonfa, to morning stars and even exotic weapons like the kusarigama or claw blades. For now, it was an old fashioned sword, and she was hitting with lethal precision.

Luckily, Tatsuki had learned to dodge with the evasive equivalent of lethal precision, and jumped above the strike, sailing over Raitora's head. The spirit turned, just in time to face Tatsuki's counterattack, Tatsuki pushing the sword back with her blade- a long, jagged dagger. Grunting, she held it with both hands, pushing, pushing-

And then just like with every blade before it, it began to crack under the pressure.

"You have seconds, Tatsuki," Raitora said impassively, "and what will you do when your weapon breaks like all of the others? Rest assured, I will not forgive this insult- I will kill you with my bare hands."

"Talk is cheap!" Tatsuki shot back, dropping to the ground just as the dagger broke, catching herself with one hand, lashing out with her foot, hitting Raitora in the joint of its knee. Quickly, Tatsuki jumped back up to her feet, reaching for another blade- a short little thing, black and deadly-looking. Holding it in a reverse grip, she stood ready.

Then, she relaxed herself, holding the blade up, looking at it carefully.

"Your guard is down." Raitora said, its sword raised high, as if interrupted mid-strike.

"I know." Tatsuki said. "And I know you, because you're me. Sort of. And I'd never hit somebody if they weren't ready."

"I will tolerate no delays!" Raitora said sharply.

"You'll tolerate this." Tatsuki said, tossing the knife aside. "Because I am starting to get it."

"Oh?" Raitora said, a hint of mockery in its voice.

"I went through more than seventy weapons by now." Tatsuki said, and her reiatsu began to rise just a little, changing, "and not one of them felt like you. They were all fakes."

"Such is the test."

"I don't think it is." Tatsuki shook her head. "You like your weapons, so there're lots of different kinds for me to use- but I've been feeling around as we were fighting. I don't feel you in even one of them. Aren't they all fakes?"

"Fight me barehanded then, and find out." Raitora said, contempt in her voice. "It is a pathetic warrior who goes to battle unarmed when there's an armoury around her."

"Yeah?" Tatsuki said. Slowly, around her hands, there began a slight blue glow, her brass knuckles beginning to manifest. "Because you know what? I think it's a trick. A diversion."

"I will wait no longer!" Raitora cried. "Die, and be my master no more!" She stepped forward, bringing her sword down- but Tatsuki caught it with her hands, her reiatsu rising even further. The blue glow extended from her hands, and all around her body. Twisting her hands to the side, she snapped Raitora's sword in two.

"I understand now." Tatsuki said.

"You foolish girl!" Raitora exclaimed. "You think you can wield my full power? After this insult to my honour?"

"I know I can." Tatsuki said, hopping forward. Grabbing Raitora by the head, she slammed a knee into its face. The energy surrounding her was draining fast, but it didn't matter. The spirit staggered back, for the first time given pause, its ferocious charge broken. The samurai mask was breaking, and…

"What?"

Tatsuki blinked. The mask had come off, and… well, the face behind it wasn't exactly what she had expected out of a proud, bloodthirsty spirit of martial perfection. It was the graceful, rather beautiful face of a woman- a woman with half-long black hair, strong, elegant facial features, and a quaint smile.

"You're a-"

"A woman." Raitora remarked, its- her voice suddenly a lot more feminine.

"But, your voice-"

"You make many assumptions, Tatsuki," the spirit said, and she could have sworn it sounded just a little smug, "and why wouldn't I be a woman? Are men the only ones who can fight?"

"Don't you pull that on me." Tatsuki grumbled. "You looked and sounded like a man- hell, you're like six feet tall! This is like Yoruichi all over again!"

"All jests aside, Tatsuki," Raitora continued, sounding more serious, "I am you. I am a reflection of yourself. If I appear different than I expected, then perhaps that is because you are not quite as you thought you were. Perhaps I know something about you… that you do not." She smirked- smirked, the smug little prick- bitch!

"Fine- I don't care. You can be a transvestite for all I care- all I want right now is my Bankai!"

"If you truly want it, master, then you will have to wrestle it from my broken body." The sword said resolutely. "You may have seen through my ruse, but I am not done- yet."

Tatsuki sighed. Well, at least the hard part was over…

oOo

"...this is how your Bankai training is supposed to work. Got any questions?" Yoruichi asked, concluding her quick explanation to Renji. Since they were running low on time, and Yoruichi still needed to get to training Uryu and Orihime, she had only given Renji a short summary on how his achieving Bankai over such a short amount of time should work – and she was quite determined to not go any further into detail if the vice-captain had not understood it.

"...I think." Renji said, slightly flabbergasted. "So, if this all works well, I should be able to get my Bankai within three days at most, yeah?"

Yoruichi nodded in relief. "Technically, yeah. Seeing as time is however running out, all you really have is one day. Can you handle that?"

"...I guess I should be able to manage that." Renji said, after a short moment of hesitation. "Zabimaru has been hinting to me that I'd be ready for Bankai soon for a while now, so I suppose with this training, I'm only really skipping the last step... one day should be enough. One day has to be enough."

"Good. If that is the case, then your Bankai should only be slightly weaker than it would be if you were to obtain it through conventional means." Yoruichi noted, as she handed Renji the exact kind of white paper doll as the ones that she gave Ichigo and Tatsuki a few days ago. "Well then, you know what to do: Take this, and find yourself a corner for yourself to train. I will tell you more of our plans once you are done."

Giving Yoruichi a look that was more than just a little questioning, Renji took the doll, walked off into a part of the cave that was currently unoccupied, and a decent distance away from Ichigo and Tatsuki. The moment that the vice-captain was out of hearing range, Orihime spoke up. "Say, Yoruichi-san... is there really a need for such a hurry? I mean, if I recall correctly, we still have over a week left to go before Kuchiki-san's execution is supposed to take place."

Yoruichi shook her head. "I'm afraid not... y'see, while I was on my way to the cells of Squad Two, to help you get out of there, I made a quick stop at the office of the Squad's captain, to see if I could find any information there that might somehow be useful to us – and sure enough, there was something. A note, sent to the captain of Squad Two to inform her that the execution date has been moved forward. It is now set to take place tomorrow at sunset."

"If this is true, why didn't you tell Arisawa-san and Kurosaki-san about this earlier?" Uryu asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Those two already have enough pressure on them." Yoruichi said dismissively. "The both of them have already been fighting the spirits of their Zanpakuto for two days now. If they fail to defeat them today, they won't be getting their Bankai, period – no reason to worry them even more by telling them that the execution is already tomorrow, don't you agree?"

"...I suppose. But what do you want to do with us? I mean, it is not like neither me nor Inoue-san can learn anything significant like this Bankai until tomorrow."

Yoruichi cupped her chin with her hand. "That depends, actually... from what I hear, the two have already fought a captain on a more or less even ground. Can you explain to me how you did that?"

With her question, Yoruichi had not only the further training in mind: She still clearly remembered the weeks in which she helped Urahara prepare Uryu, Orihime, Tatsuki and Ichigo for this mission, and at no point during all this did neither Uryu nor Orihime show or do anything that might imply that they had the power or means to fight a captain on a roughly even ground. Either of them having such means or power could prove easily itself to be helpful for her and Urahara.

Uryu's expression meanwhile had darkened, the instant he heard her question, and Orihime gave him a concerned look. Although this made Yoruichi even more curious, she refrained from repeating her question – if one of them was to say anything, it had to happen on their own accord.

It was only after about a minute of silence that Uryu finally did talk, though reluctantly. "...I wouldn't really call what we did "fighting equally" with this guy. For most of the fight, I was able to overpower this captain, and Inoue-san somehow managed to tear his arm off – but the moment he had enough, and went from using Shikai to his Bankai, we realized that we stood no chance, and ran for it."

"But even so, being able to overpower a captain using his Shikai is by no means a small feat." Yoruichi noted calmly. "How did you manage that? And how did you manage to tear his arm off, Orihime?"

"I-I'm not even sure about that myself, actually. It really just... kind of happened. The only thing that I can imagine is that I somehow used my powers to do it, but I don't even know how that would work..."

"Hmm. And what about you, Uryu?"

Once again, Uryu hesitated for a moment before he answered. Then, when he did, he reached into one of his Quincy outfit's pockets, and pulled a small red gemstone out of it. "...I used this."

Yoruichi eyed the stone curiously. "And what is this?"

Uryu sighed. "Well..."

One explanation later, Yoruichi's curious look had turned into a wide-eyed stare. She had always known that the Quincies had gotten rather creative in their war against the Gotei, but she never would have imagined that they would be able to create something like this – and that they would even do it. This would be definitely interesting for Kisuke...

"So what do we do now, Yoruichi-san?" Uryu asked, clearly eager to change the subject.

"Oh, don't worry..." Yoruichi said, starting to grin. "I do have something in mind there."

oOo

Quietly, Ichigo moved through the dark cave. It was already rather late at night, and everybody else was already asleep (at least he hoped they were). Their training for today was already long since over – and while he didn't exactly know about the others, he himself was rather satisfied with the results. Above all else, right now, he was exhausted... doing that kind of intense training for three days in a row did leave marks, after all. But even so, Ichigo simply could not fall asleep. It had something to do with being this close to the senzaikyu, he supposed... being this close to where Rukia was, and yet, being unable to reach her yet... it was a grating thought.

Despite that, Ichigo knew better than to just rush out again and try to rescue Rukia on his own. He still clearly remembered how well it went last time... sure, his father unexpectedly showed up to save him, but he couldn't count on that again. Knowing his look, he'd probably just run into that Kuchiki captain again... no, it was probably for the better to just follow Yoruichi's plan.

But even so, this did not help Ichigo's problems with falling asleep, which was why he was currently on his way to the entrance of the cave, in the hopes that watching the night sky might help him get at least a bit sleepier. When Ichigo however reached the entrance of the cave, he had to find that somebody else already seemed to have had the exact same idea: A figure dressed in white sat on a rock near the entrance, and stared up into the sky.

"Well, isn't that just great." Ichigo said as he got closer, and realized who was sitting there. "The only place in this god damn cave where you can actually see the sky, and who's already there? The white knight."

"Oh. Kurosaki-san." Uryu noted, casually turning around. "I see you're having trouble falling asleep as well?"

"No, I'm a sleepwalker who is trying to commit suicide by falling towards his untimely demise."

"What a shame. Well, it's too bad that you aren't supposed to wake sleepwalkers, because otherwise I might possibly consider helping you." Uryu stated dryly, turning back towards the night sky once more.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

"You were the one who deemed it necessary to start a conversation with lame jokes, not me." Uryu noted, still keeping his eyes fixed at the view in front of him. "Though if you are quite done with that, I'd like to point out that there is enough space for you to sit down somewhere around here, too."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ichigo grunted dismissively... though, in the end, he still followed Uryu's suggestion, and sat down on a rock a good distance away from Uryu – close enough to talk, but still distant enough for comfort. "So what's keeping you up, Ishida-san?"

"Training." Uryu said flatly. "Yoruichi's new training with Inoue-san and me, to be precise... I can't really sleep after what I had to do."

Unwillingly, Ichigo turned around towards Uryu, to look at his face. His tone had been entirely serious – and judging from what Ichigo could make out in the darkness of his expression, he had kept a straight face. What sort of training under Yoruichi could cause something like this, without involving any sort of embarrassment? "...What kind of training you doing, anyway? It can't really be anything as big as our Bankai training, can it?"

"You'll find out soon enough..." Uryu muttered, just barely loud enough for Ichigo to hear it. "Anyway, speaking of this Bankai training – how's that going? I heard today was your last chance at actually obtaining it?"

Ichigo grinned smugly. "Oh, don't you worry! I got that, alright. As if I'd fail to get something like-"

He stopped. He had just sensed something... it felt like a reiatsu approaching them. It seemed to be suppressed, though even like that, it was almost as strong as a vice-captain. Uryu seemed to have sensed it too, as he had jumped up from his rock, and formed his energy bow. Instinctively, Ichigo wanted to follow suit, and draw his Zanpakuto – only to realize that he had left Zangetsu behind at his sleeping place.

Ichigo cursed inwardly. The reiatsu moved determinedly towards them, and was rather fast at that. It could only mean that they had been found.

For a moment, Ichigo thought about whether he should run into the cave to warn the others, or whether he should stay and fight the approaching enemy with his bare hands (which definitely was an option)... but then it was already too late, and the source of the reiatsu had reached them. In the darkness, Ichigo could see a figure clothed in black jumping up into the entrance of the cave, landing at a spot near to them, and standing up to face them. To his slight surprise, Ichigo noticed that the shinigami – because it was definitely a shinigami – wasn't wielding his or her Zanpakuto... though that could change any second. Getting into a fighting stance, Ichigo's body tensed.

"Who are you?!" Uryu shouted fiercely into the night, pointing the arrow on his bow at the newcomer.

The shinigami showed himself to be strangely unimpressed with being essentially held at gunpoint, and slowly approached Ichigo and Uryu, still making no attempts to actually draw his Zanpakuto. As the shinigami got closer, Ichigo could through the dark of the night finally make out some actual features: The shinigami seemed to be a bespectacled, brown-haired man, standing several inches taller than both Ichigo and Uryu. For some reason, there was just something... off about this man. Ichigo couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the general feeling he got from this man somehow... reminded him of both Kenpachi and Urahara, though this guy seemed to be like neither of the two.

"Me?" The man asked in acted surprise "Well, I suppose you could simply consider me... a visitor, yes. A party unrelated to the Gotei that wants to see the ryoka that have caused so much commotion with his own eyes."

"Who are you?" Uryu said, his bow forming as he took aim. "Depending on your answer, we may have to fight you."

The man gave a slight chuckle. "Such spirit. Rest assured, boys, I am only here to talk."

"My mother taught me not to talk to strangers." Ichigo said gruffly. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The man chuckled. "My name is unimportant right now. What is however important... would be you."

Ichigo and Uryu tensed even further. Them being important – that could only mean that he was here to capture them.

"Relax." The man said, sounding bemused. "I told you- I'm not here to fight. I am not your enemy."

"You are with the Gotei Thirteen, aren't you?" Uryu said sharply. "That would make you an enemy."

"So is Abarai-kun," Aizen remarked, "and if I am not mistaken, he is with you."

"He's working with us." Ichigo said. "So what the hell do you want?"

"Well, to be make myself clear: I am not with the Gotei. Not anymore." He said, finding a rock of a suitable size, taking a seat. "Tell me- travelling here, did you notice a lot of poor people, living in misery, at the mercy of noblemen, hollows, or whatever bandits were there? People living in circumstances beyond any decent contemplation?"

"So what?" Ichigo said. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's got everything to do with this." The stranger said calmly. "And if you will listen, I will explain."

"Then talk." Uryu said, looking back into the cave.

"If you're thinking about calling your friends, don't bother. I've made sure that they wouldn't know I was here if I stood face to face with them. Like I said, I am only here to talk."

"Then talk, and when you're done, leave." Ichigo said.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-san." The shinigami nodded, a slight, mocking smile on his face. "As I was saying- I once came from the Rukongai, just like most other people in the Gotei. It was a poor area, dangerous, ruled by a warlord independent from the Central Forty-Six- and yet, so much like most of the Soul Society. I had some talent with a sword, and some power, so I was recruited by the shinigami to become one of them. I dreamed about changing this afterlife for the better from within, but… well, when I became an officer, I had realized some disturbing things about the Gotei."

"Such as?" Uryu said, still aiming his bow.

"You saw it yourself, quincy. I suppose Kurotsuchi Mayuri is the most blatant example- an amoral psychopath with a complete disregard for the life and rights of others, a criminal who in any sane society would be kept behind bars- or executed. Here, he enjoys a very large research grant, a tenure for life, a captain's salary and the freedom to do whatever he wants so long as it isn't known to the public. That's the sort of place I live in."

"Your point being?" Ichigo said gruffly. It wasn't untrue what this man was saying, though- the Gotei seemed in many ways a cruel, unfair place. Not that this made him trustworthy, but a point was a point.

"My point is that this afterlife is ruled by… well, I think you humans have a word for it: fascists. It is ruled by the Central Forty-Six, a council of elders with no clue about reality, and they don't give a damn about the people. All they care about is the balance between the worlds, when they have the resources to make this… heaven for everyone."

"I suppose that makes you the ruggedly handsome idealist in your own story about a glorious rebellion, then?" Uryu said sardonically.

The shinigami smirked. "I am not exactly rugged, no. But… I do want to make this a better place."

"So what do you want with us?" Ichigo asked skeptically.

"Oh, nothing. I think you two might want to know, though, who is using you- and why."

"Urahara sent us. He gets something, we get something- we knew that from the start."

"You know his name, but you do not know Urahara himself." The stranger said, shaking his head. "He's a brilliant scientist, a master manipulator- and he's set on destroying this place for revenge."

"I think it goes without saying that we don't trust you." Uryu said.

"You don't have to. He will show it himself- he will use you, manipulate you as he always has, and one day you'll see it and realize that not only were you his tools, but his slaves."

"Urahara helped us!" Ichigo burst out. "He gave me these powers- and here you are, a complete stranger-"

"He's very good at seeming charismatic, isn't he?" The shinigami cut him off. "It's a typical feature in a sociopath- very charming, seeming very normal, but at heart there's only self-interest. He is good enough that those around him can never tell- that they're not just being used, but that they're his willing tools."

"That's enough." Ichigo said. "Leave."

"Fair enough." The shinigami said, standing up. Slowly, he readjusted his glasses, and there was something in his eyes, something quite unlike anything they had seen before. "But I want to extend you this: Should the time come when you see for yourself what he is, then you will be able to make an informed choice to be more than just his puppets. He thrust you into a world you had no idea about, sent you on what might as well be called a suicide run, but now you know what this world is like- and you can choose."

"Choose to be your puppet instead?" Ichigo said, frowning more than usual.

"I offer this to you two because I see in you a will to do good. Urahara wants to raze this place- I want to rebuild it. If one day you see a path of your own, I wouldn't mind if it coincided with my own."

"If that is all that you have to say, then leave. Leave before we decide that we can't have somebody running around who knows that we are here." Uryu ordered. While he kept his tone calm, he was still doing his best to sound threatening, hoping that it might work.

The shinigami chuckled. "Very well. I have said everything that I wanted to say. I shall take my leave, now... though I do suppose that I will be seeing you again once your little mission reaches its conclusion. Until then, farewell." And with that, he stood up and jumped out into the night, back to where he had come from.

oOo

His Zanpakuto drawn, Komamura Sajin, captain of Squad Seven, jumped across the rooftops of the seireitei. The big day had come; today at sunset, Kuchiki Rukia would be executed, while at the same time drawing out the ryoka that were responsible for the commotion that had seized the Gotei during the last few days, and hopefully ending both them and it. To ensure that not even the ryoka could intervene with the execution, all of the Gotei's captains would be present at the execution, guaranteeing that everything would end today.

At least, that was the plan. Reality seemed to not be overly inclined to conform to the plan, as early during the last day, Zaraki Kenpachi had for whatever reason decided to side with the ryoka, freeing the two that had already been captured by Squad Two from the Squad's barracks. The man had been on the run ever since, so that it took a while before Kenpachi committing treason became a confirmed fact that was spread amongst the Thirteen Squads. The moment the news had reached Sajin, he had volunteered to hunt down Kenpachi, and assure that he would be brought to justice.

Knowing of his loyalty, the head captain had granted Sajin the permission to do so right away, though on the one condition that he would team up with one other captain in his chase. After all, the power of Zaraki Kenpachi was not to be underestimated. Sajin, being well aware that many of the other captains were easily stronger than him, agreed without a second thought. His partner for the mission was quickly found: Tosen Kaname, captain of Squad Nine, and an old friend of Sajin's.

By now, the two of them were already searching through the seireitei for several hours, without finding as much of a trace of Kenpachi – which was more than just a little odd, considering that the man usually outright searched for any excuse for a fight, instead of outright avoiding them. At this rate, it was questionable if Sajin and Tosen would even be around in time for the execution... though, it was probably not too big of a loss.

While Sajin would never question the judgment of the Central Forty-Six, let alone go against their orders, the fact that a young girl who made just one small mistake simply didn't sit right with Sajin. But this wasn't his decision to make, so the only thing that he could do was find something that would justify him not attending the execution – and chasing after a traitor was just the right thing for that.

"Sajin!" He turned around. Tosen was approaching him – the two of them had split up in order to make finding Kenpachi easier. Tosen returning to him could mean only one thing...

"Understood." Sajin said quickly, following Tosen into the direction from where he had come.

It was time to fight a traitor.

oOo

Dawn was coming, but Rukia hadn't slept for even a minute. How could she, when this would be the last day of her life? Everything seemed so much more real than it ever had before- she could see every little crack in the floor, every smallest imperfection on the wall. She saw the sky through the one window of her cell as if for the first time. What great irony it was, that being so close to Death was the one thing that emphasized life so much more than anything, raising her awareness to such a degree that her life before this seemed slow, as if she had gone through it sleeping.

Not that she felt sad any longer, or fearful- she had had the time she needed to make peace with her impending doom, her ultimate fate. She would accept it when it came, like a penitent accepting her punishment.
But she did have regrets. She still feared for Ichigo and his friends- and more than anything, the oldest guilt she still carried was eating at her more than ever.

The death of Shiba Kaien.

So far back, when she was still just a recruit fresh out of school, when she was only recently made a Kuchiki, she had been placed in Division Thirteen. Their captain was a good and kindly man, but it was not he who handled the recruits. It had been their fukutaicho, Shiba Kaien, a goofy, straightforward man with the heart of a lion. And she, she who was so unremarkable, a mediocre student, by chance or fortune picked up by a noble house- the noblest of houses, even- for no apparent reason, had been taken under his wing. When others looked down on her for being noble, thinking she would have to be the same as the haughty, rich and indifferent privileged men and women who stood above the rest, Kaien had stopped them. He made her fit in, with all the subtlety and skill of a hammer, because that hammer came down equally hard on everyone.
When she struggled, he had encouraged her. When she failed, he would pick her up and force her to try, try again, until she failed no more. He did it for everyone who needed it.

He looked so much like Ichigo- and for whatever painful reason, they were so alike. So concerned with doing what was right, even when it made them do stupid, idiotic things like charging into a huge pack of hollows without thought for their own safety, just to save a fellow soldier- or charging into the Gotei on a hopeless rescue mission.
She had loved Shiba Kaien.

Not that she had ever acted on it- he was happily married, and even assuming somebody like him would ever want somebody so average and unaccomplished, she would not even have considered trampling the happiness of others for her own sake.
But she had loved Kaien, almost idolized him- he had been everything she wanted to be, the first authority which had ever cared about her, taken an interest. She had friends, certainly- but somebody like him, she had never had before. She had never felt she lived up to the expectations of Byakuya-niisama, but to Kaien? She could do her best, and it would be enough.

And like all good things in her life, it was not to be.

One day, there had been a hollow. Not just any one hollow, but a hollow bold enough to strike on noble land. It had killed Kaien's wife, along with several others. And strangely enough, there was no sign of resistance.

Kaien had gone to hunt it, that same night. She had been there, following her captain- he had seen the danger; a hollow so strong might not be beaten by a fukutaicho.

And then, in the night, in a forest, standing on top of a thick, heavy branch, the two of them had seen him fight. The monster had named itself "Metastacia", and it looked like nothing she had ever seen before. Its power was unheard of- not in strength, but its unique ability: possession. Because in the end, it was no match for Kaien's strength; she had watched him fight it perfectly, and it had made her heart race- but then, Kaien had grabbed ahold of a tentacle on his back, and instantly, his zanpakutou had vanished. She had screamed- insisted they go help him. But Ukitake had told her, holding her back, that there were two kinds of battles- battles fought to defend lives, and battles fought to defend one's pride.

As she had watched Kaien fight in vain, slowly losing, it made no sense to her. To this day, it still made no sense.

And then the hollow had abandoned its body, and in one fell swoop, Kaien was gone, his body now under control by the hollow. The man she cared more for than any other, reduced to an evil, twisted puppet, a grotesque shadow of the original.

It had taunted her, bragging that it would kill her too. In the end, she had held her sword up firm, and ran it through- and it had been by her hand that Shiba Kaien died.

This would be, finally, what she had deserved for so long, for causing the death of one of the finest men the Soul Society had seen. In this small way, doom felt like a relief.

"Prisoner, stand up." It was the strict, firm voice of one of her masked jailers. "It is time. You are to be taken to soukyoku hill for execution."

Author's Notes:
Dun-dun-duuun. So yeah, we are indeed getting closer to the final fight against the Byakuya (omg, big spoiler) here- you may expect it in the chapter after next one, to be precise. Until then, have this totally unnecessary change of mood - that is to say, an omake.

Oh, but before that, two things to note:
One - If you want to get a rough idea on what the unmasked Raitora is supposed to look like (at least her face), then do a google image search for "Yagyuu Kyubei Gintama", and imagine the resulting character without the eyepatch.
Two - I hate Sword Art Online. 'Nuff said.

The floor was covered in corpses, and the air was heavy with acrid stench of blood and decay. It was just as if an interior designer had suddenly decided that fresh corpses are the perfect way to decorate a room in a government facility, and had put his new idea to the test right away with great enthusiasm. In fact, going by the ratio between dead people, and people that were actually alive in the room, it was easy to tell that the interior designer had been both very thorough and very satisfied with his work.

Right now thoug, there were no interior designers to be found in the main chamber of the Central Forty-Six' parliament building. At the same time however, there were no actual members of the Central Forty-Six to be found either – unless one were to count the corpses, which are however rarely taken into consideration for roll calls. No, right now, there were only three people alive in the room: Three men which were clearly neither government officials nor interior designers. Instead, the three man were shinigami – captain, in fact. And right now, they were busy moving silently through the room, inspecting the mutilated corpses.

The three captains were in fact at this for quite a while, when suddenly, a fierce scream tore through the silence, a scream full of despair and disappointment. "Ah, crap!"

"What is wrong, Aizen-sama?!" One of the men inquired, a clear concern in his voice.

"You want to know what is wrong?!" Aizen hissed madly, turning towards the other man. "I will tell you what is wrong, Tosen! All of these bastards are dead... and I'm just missing one god damn experience point until my next level up! That's what's wrong!"

Tosen gave Aizen a serious look – which was quite a feat, taking into consideration that his eyes were entirely covered up. "lol u srs bro?" He then asked, his tone most questioning.

"I'm absolutely srs! It's just one XP that I'm missing, and there's no way of getting it now!" Aizen said, :(ing.

"Well, I told ya that we should have gone to the Forest of Wooden Trees to do some level grinding and sidequests, but ya two idiot just had to go and progress the plot already." Gin sneered, grinning a grin that was among the most satisfied grins of grins. Grin. "What didya say again? Sidequests are for noobs?"

"And I absolutely stand by that point!" Tosen shot back with a fierce determination. "This game is already easy enough, so we don't need to make it even easier by grinding until we are too over leveled for every enemy! Besides, the rewards for these sidequests are absolute jokes!"

"Now that is quite enough you two!" Aizen chided. "Stop this now, before one of you starts crying again!"

"But he started it!" Tosen bawled.

"Uh, yeah, anyway..." Gin said, trying to move their discussion away from the sudden family joke, and back towards the original concept of RPG stereotypes. "Did you guys get any decent item drops from these guys? All I got was this thing called "fatass balls", and like six GP."

"If I remember correctly, there was a quest over at Squad Two asking for a bunch of those..." Tosen pondered, reminiscing of days long since passed, and the good old times.

"What, you mean the one where the Squad's captain wanted those to perform some voodoo to get rid of her vice-captain?"

"Oh god, please no more backtracking!" Aizen exclaimed, his very soul (which is to say, his entire body, seeing as technically, that's all that all three of them really were right now) shaking at the thought of spending hours going through areas that they had already been through. "Backtracking is the natural enemy of gamerkind! I told you n00bs, we're doing plot quests, those give WAY more XP when you complete them!"

"Fine with me." Gin said. "Hey, can you kill NPCs? I bet some of them have gold."

"Killing NPCs would be evil." Tosen said.

"Dude," Aizen said, sighing, "we're playing as the villains. We're going to finish this huge big conspiracy thing, remember?"

"OMFG We're VILLAINS?" Tosen exclaimed. "Butbutbut, my character is a paladin!"

"ROFL!" Ichimaru cheered. "Clueless n00b much?"

Again sighing, Aizen said, "it's okay. You'll be a fallen paladin. You can totally get some sweet special abilities with that."

"But I wanted to reclass into an interior designer later, and dark paladins can't do that…" Tosen mumbled, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Wait shit, what was that?" Gin said, and there was a noise. A noise, in fact, of a roof falling on top of the three nerds.

"Ah, fuck," Aizen groaned. "Now we have to go all the way back to the starting point to respawn. Who the fuck built this god damn environment?"

Elsewhere, sitting by his computer, Urahara sported an evil grin. MMORPGs were fun.