(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, I totally disregarded Nell. Forget I mentioned she had come back with Ichigo before P I know I did XD I'll be changing Ch17 to accomodate this since she isn't mentioned after that. Sorry! Also, I won't be touching the Bount Arc, in case more than just the one reader is wondering. I watched like 10 episodes of it (got to where Ochigi pwned the spider-lady) and skipped to the Arrancar arc. No Bount love from me Filler is as filler does. I hated that arc...)

Rukia struggled to see what was going on beyond the gates. She was being held back, at any rate, by the Commander-General, and couldn't see that Uryuu had dragged Byakuya back to the city. By this point, he'd already been relieved of his charge, and informed several of the first Shinigami where Renji and Yoruichi could be found. He wasn't quite aware that at least Renji was an escaped prisoner beforehand. Either way, he was sure he'd be better off as a prisoner in the hands of Fourth Squad than a dead one.

His reputation preceeded him and it took special permission for him to be allowed into the city. Given fresh clothing and a few moments to regain his witts, he was allowed an audience with Ukitake; he was the only one suited to gathering information other than Byakuya himself.

"I suppose it's strange to welcome you back after what's happened." He started, "But it is good to see you're doing well."

"My thanks, Commander-General." Uryuu replied, although a bit sullenly, "I'm not entirely certain what's truly been going on here, everyone seemed really nervous when I showed up."

"Well, you had Captain Kuchiki over your shoulder...that's a sight no one ever sees."

"I suppose." He was picking at the orange cupped in his hands, peeling it slowly, "Are they all going to be okay?"

"The Captain's wounds are gone. Someone did a good job healing him already. He must not have had time to remove his bandages. The other two will be okay after a time. No doubt you crossed paths with Ichigo, else you wouldn't be here."

"That's true." Uryuu pushed his glasses up a little bit, letting them settle higher on the bridge of his nose, "He came back to the living world for some reason or another. His father told me he'd been by and I decided to track him down. After fifteen years..."

"I understand. Why isn't he with you now?"

"He's partly the reason we're all so banged up. At the same time, from what I understand, he's also the reason Captain Kuchiki is doing as well as he is. Be careful what anyone says around him though, we've experienced a bit of a problem."

"Oh?"

"If I may be so frank...Byakuya was being used as a vessel through which former enemies of Soul Society spoke to Ichigo. We can't be certain whether they're still listening in on anything, but we do know at least that they can speak through anyone touched by the wraith in the woods."

"So there really is something out there.."

"Yes; it's very dangerous. It can't be hurt by conventional means, only trapped. Ichigo, that idiot, let it out of the cage Byakuya dropped it into before...I'm not sure what he was thinking, but he forced it to attack us. Miss Yoruichi was posessed the time that I was present for, and I believe it was Ichimaru Gin who spoke through her."

"I...Ichimaru..Gin!?"

"He taunted Ichigo, daring him to do things and lauding his former Hollow's strength. I believe Ichigo is attempting to release Gin and Aizen from their prisons."

"What are you saying!?" Ukitake was more than anxious...the mention of those two names sent chills down his spine. "They're still alive!?"

"As crazy as it sounds, it would appear that they've actually been trapped in Hell since the Winter War back then. They're taunting Ichigo to let them out again. Considering how easily Ichigo decided to sacrifice us in order to speak with them, I wouldn't be surprised if he was going to try to do as they say."

"...Is he on their side? How can this be...Ichigo, Aizen and Gin...whatever happened to Tousen?"

"No idea. Your guess is as good as mine."

"This could spell the end of us all if Ichigo is successful.."

"It's also possible that he has something else in mind." Uryuu pointed out, "Ichigo has his convictions. I don't like to admit this, but I'd like to think I know him well enough to say so on his behalf...he will sooner die than let any harm come to his friends. Last I checked, at least Rukia still is. He might have been willing to pit us against that demon, but I doubt he'd ever let harm come to her. From what I know, he wants to set a trap for them and then open the Gates. I just don't know if his plan involves killing all of us in the process or not anymore...he wasn't bothered by letting us get hurt by the wraith."

"I'd like to think he planned that though. If Captain Kuchiki hasn't been physically harmed by the posession then it's possible he presumed the same results in another person. He might've thought it was the only way..."

"I hope that's true. I have my pride as a Quincy...but I don't want to kill him."

"Do you know what he was going to do?"

"Ichimaru said that to manifest the doors in an opened state, a wickedly-lived soul would have to be destroyed. If Ichigo is as stupid as I think he is sometimes, he probably ran off to the living world and is hunting down a murderer or rapist. I hope he has a few more brain cells than that."

"I've seen the doors myself a few times, but I can't say I've ever seen anyone ever come through them from the other side. It's as though it's a one-way door. I'm not sure Aizen and Gin would be able to come back so easily...no doubt the gates have opened enough times since then and now to have given them ample opportunity."

"They may try to get Ichigo to attack the doors before they close. If he somehow manages to disrupt the passage-way..."

"...there's no telling what else might come pouring out of there." Ukitake brushed his hair out of his face, thinking nervously, "This is getting rather complicated...first mass comas, a demon in the woods that can't be harmed, Captain-class souls being used as puppets and now the Gates of Hell. He has to be stopped, there's no way he'd be able to fight off everything that might come out.."

"I don't think anyone is any condition to be trying to fend off all of Hell, even if all of Soul Society amassed against those doors...numbers would account for nothing and it would only be wave after wave of casualties. I agree, we need to find Ichigo and stop him before he finds a soul wicked enough to warrent those doors appearing. I'll be glad to go with whatever Shinigami you might send. The more of us there are, the better odds we have."

"Indeed. This time, I think SoiFon's forces might actually be best suited to this. I'm sure she'd be anxious to send them after Ichigo anyway. I'll send them notice right away. Once safe passage has been made for you, I'll send word for your to depart. Hopefully, your own eye won't be your downfall."

"Wait..what?"

Ukitake had already left the room when the realization hit. He should've realized it before...after all, he'd taken a direct thwack from the invisable behemoth.

"Damn.."

She'd finally managed to get through the throngs of subordinates that thronged around their fallen Captain. It was difficult to get him to Fourth Squad when so many Shinigami were trying to get a glimpse of that rare sight. The room was quiet now, only her and her big brother present.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but it's okay now." She said quietly, trying to sound strong, "You've been brought back to the Court; Captain Unohana is preparing to tend to you."

"You mustn't speak." He said flatly, much to Rukia's chagrin, "Don't think me so weak that I would lay here like this without reason."

"I...my apologies! Big brother!" She jumped up from her seat, wanting to rush at him but holding her ground, "Are you.."

"It's irrelevant. For now, I want you to leave. Pretend as though I have not spoken to you. Say nothing of it to anyone."

"But.."

"Trust me."

"...All right." She nodded, then turned to go towards the door. She wanted to say more, but she knew the man would simply tell her off. Words need not be said in a situation such as this, especially since he hadn't even bothered to open his eyes when he spoke to her. Perhaps she would be able to explain herself later.

By this point, it would be impossible to be able to see Renji, but it was fine with her to at least know he was in good hands and safe again. Instead, she supposed it might be possible to find Ishida and ask him what had been going on. Looking towards the western side of the Court, she began her ascent up the long narrow stairs that lead to the Captains' area. For her, access was still difficult, but she was under orders not to leave the area...that being the only reason she was given free reign of the normally unseen territory. Only Captains and their Lieutenants were allowed so high on that hill. Making her way steadilly up, she finally relented to her urges and simply used shunpo to get to the top more quickly, darting forward as fast as she could, eager for any news at all regarding what had been going on since Ichigo's exilement.

Reaching the top, she might as well have been made airborne as at least a hundred of SoiFon's highest ranking Special Forces soldiers were rushing her way. She narrowly escaped being trampled as they went en masse down those same stairs, heading for what appeared to be the Senkaimon.

"Where are they going in such a hurry?" She asked herself, watching them go from atop a nearby wall. Dismissing it as some sort of Special Forces mission unrelated to what was going on now, she finished her ascent. Of course, landing at the top of the stairs once all of the dark-clad warriors had finished going by left her with a clear view of none other than Uryuu Ishida himself rushing her way too.

"Wait!" She protested, "Wait, Uryuu stop!"

"Huh, Rukia?" He nearly plowed her over too, unable to keep up with SoiFon's agents now that he'd been stopped, "I can't stay long, I'm in a hurry!"

"What's going on? You brought back my brother on the verge of death and you're trying to avoid me?"

"It's not like that! Honest!" He protested, "I really have to go, this is urgent!"

"Is it Ichigo!?"

"Something of the sort...really sorry, gotta run!" He felt horrible pushing past her, but his access to the gates was going to be withdrawn if he didn't go quickly. It was hard enough hiding the redness of his left eye, keeping it hidden under his dark bangs. If Rukia saw it, there was no chance she'd let him go. Still, he heard footsteps behind him, and looking back, there she was, "What are you doing!?"

"I'm not letting you go alone if you can't even tell me what's going on!"

"Ahh this isn't good! This is a private mission!"

"Stop trying to protect me! I can hold my own!" She darted ahead of him, though he wouldn't be left at the back of the group so easily. He caught up with the Shinigami only moments before the gates to the Dangai closed lest he be stuck in Soul Society. She seemed to have discarded her Hell Butterfly for this passage, and it struck him awkward to say the least. She had no reason to go through the dangerous Dangai when a Hell Butterfly allowed her to pass through the much safer Shinigami Senkaimon gates. No time to ask, he disregarded it as her own reason and emerged out the other side without time to spare.

"Wh--..." Uryuu stopped dead in his tracks, having felt Ichigo's reiatsu for a blink of a moment before it just as suddenly disappeared. "How in the.."

SoiFon's forces were already scattering, disappearing into the night like the ghosts they'd been famed to represent. It was too late to explain to them that Ichigo was no longer in the living world. They'd have to figure that out on their own when they suddenly realize they're chasing a reiatsu that isn't there anymore. It might be a while since many of them weren't familiar with Ichigo's signature pressure.

Rukia appeared next to him, the usual -shff- sound catching his ear as she emerged from shunpo, "He left."

"Yeah..where would he go?"

"It would be easier to say if I knew what was going on. I know we have much to catch up on but I believe it's more necessary to catch me up on the present. Uryuu, PLEASE tell me what's going on...I've been kept entirely in the dark..."

"Rukia.." He couldn't help it, she was probably the only person who could find Ichigo at this point. She'd led Renji straight to him in Hueco Mundo, after all. He couldn't be sure why that was. "It's difficult.."

"Don't start with me!" She barked, "People have been beating around the bush since the mass comas started going around! I'm not about to endure these horrible nightmares another night longer without answers!"

"Nightmares?"

She growled, "I haven't said this to anyone, so keep your mouth shut. Those of us who pass out...experience horrible nightmares while we're unconscious. I've heard the general idea of what others see...but what I see is different. They see Hell. I see my memories twisted horribly. I've seen my friends die by my own hands, betrayed, and worse. I won't see another minute of my own blade striking Ichigo down during our first meeting. I need to know what you know."

"I don't know much." He said honestly, "I haven't been on board very long. What I do know is this; the comas are being caused by Aizen and Gin."

"...Ai...what?"

"When they disappeared from Soul Society back then, it wasn't because they went to the King's Realm. Aizen's key unlocked a doorway straight to Hell, and it must have pulled them both in. That's why they haven't been able to do anything."

"But then why are they doing all of this now? If they had the power, they could've easily attacked or influenced us long beforehand."

"We're still not sure what the situation is. From what I gather, this all started happening around the same time Ichigo returned to Soul Society. If anything, Aizen and Gin's actions are being provoked by him somehow, and now they're trying to coerce him into letting them back out. Captain SoiFon agreed to send her best units to track him down, not sure why she was so eager, but it's obvious Ichigo's not here anymore."

"How are Aizen and Gin coercing him, exactly?"

"Long story short, anyone touched by the wraith in the woods...like your brother...can both see it partially, and be used as a conduit for Aizen and Gin's words. They posess someone and speak to Ichigo through them. Yoruichi was used last time, and apparently, Byakuya was used the time before that. They tell him to open the gates and let them out. Gin actually instructed Ichigo to kill someone. Before that happened, Ichigo mentioned that he wanted to do that anyway, setting up a trap outside the gates beforehand and pick them off as they come out. I suppose he just needed Gin to tell him how, making it look like he was their willing servant like before."

"There's no way Ichigo would bow before Aizen in this state. He's free of his Hollow...isn't he?"

"Can't be so sure. When I found him, he was screaming about tearing it out of him, and he was only stopped when Nell tackled him."

"...Nell? But she's..."

"No, she's alive. She's been hiding in the living world all this time, just like Urahara did. She stopped Ichigo from tearing his own eyes out, and from what I heard, it sounded like she convinced him to accept his inner Hollow and be done with it. Whether it actually worked out that way, I can't be so sure...he seemed normal enough till he used Yoruichi to talk to Gin. He's never been willing to threaten peoples' lives before, for ANY reason."

"That is strange.." She thought a moment, "So if Gin told him to kill someone and open the gates...he would logically have come to the living world to find out. The Gates won't open in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, since souls there are already resigned to their fates. The fact that he's disappeared from the living world makes no sense though. Obviously nothing new is here...I've no doubt if either of those two came back out of Hell, they'd make it a no-brainer somehow."

"Do you think he...went IN?"

Rukia shook her head, "I don't think ANYone would be dumb enough to go through those gates. Soul Society and Hueco Mundo are entirely different worlds from that place. It's nothing but hate and evil down there...not even Hueco Mundo is like that."

"He's gone back." Came a voice. The two looked a ways down the road, seeing a figure there. "To Soul Society, I mean."

"Who...?"

"Hirako Shinji." The voice answered, "An aquaintence of Ichigo's."

"You can...see us?" Rukia was having difficulty with the situation. Ishida could sense the cramp forming in her head.

"You must be one of the Vizard." He said, seeing the blond nod, "You helped train Ichigo to control his inner Hollow. Urahara told Sado and I about you and your group."

"Not many of us left, actually." Shinji admitted with a shrug, "I said I'd always stay out of the Shinigami's affairs, but this is a bit out of hand...and so nearby, I couldn't help but butt in."

"So he's gone back to Soul Society..." Rukia said, rubbing her forehead, "How do you know?"

"Your friend said as much...Urahara knows us. We keep in touch. He contacted Ichigo not long ago, and it seems he put him off the Hell-warpath."

A huge relief, the weight of worry and fear lifting from the pair's shoulders. They both sighed audibly.

"Ichigo went back looking for someone."

"Wait...aren't you that Vizard who...back then, I mean?" Rukia was still rubbing her head, "The Vizard that helped Ichigo and I when that Espada attacked us?"

Shinji grinned, "You know, I thought you looked familiar too."

"Ahhhh!!!" She pointed at him dramatically, "It is you! You could help us find him!"

"Sorry, I'm not about to go back to Soul Society for him."

"Figures. You didn't help during the Winter War either."

"Wasn't our fight."

"Then why did you help Ichigo?"

"Because he's like us. Birds of a feather and all that. His inner Hollow was a terrifying beast, he needed to tame it. You see...when you witness someone losing their soul to a Hollow, you can't help but feel proud when you help them overcome it. We Vizards are fairly close."

"You couldn't be bothered helping him fight the Espada before...or even try to find him after my brother used Konso on him. I don't understand."

"That was his fight and he chose to go it alone. We remained a neutral party. Even then, we lost most of the group to your monster. You think we'd want to go back to Karakura after everything that happened there? Whatever, I'm not about to sit here and explain myself to you, Shinigami. I told you what you wanted to know about your buddy, and only cuz Urahara asked me to. Go on your merry way." Shinji turned his back on the duo, then disappeared as quickly as he'd shown up.

"And he helped you before?" Uryuu was the one with the brain-cramp now.

"Sort of...an Arrancar named Grimmjow had Ichigo and I beaten. This Vizard, Shinji...he picked a fight with Grimmjow a second before a cero was about to take my head off. He beat the Arrancar up pretty bad, but didn't win completely. They all retreated back to Hueco Mundo a moment before Shinji could land the killing blow...that was when they captured Orihime."

"Orihime.." Ishida repeated, "I remember. I was training with my father still."

"We should get back through the gates before they close." Rukia said, "Quickly!"