omg i told you guys i wouldn't do this again but i had to so that things would be in the right order. i'm so sorry because this is technically a recap of chapters 480-512. there are a couple of small changes but not much. if you haven't gotten the newest chapts of bleach, this will spoil a lot of it for you, so just letting you know. again, i apologize about this chapter with all my heart. there should never be any more in the rest of this story
With some excess training from the Vizoreds, Byakuya learned to control his Inner Hollow quickly and was happy to know that he shouldn't be bothered with it too much in the near future. He bowed to Hiyori and the others.
"Thank you."
"Don't think you can just keep that hidden away like your favorite cookies." Hiyori said. "It'll try to come back out when you don't think you need it. You'll know when you should use it though, not all willy-nilly like Baldy over there."
Ichigo ignored her as he walked with Byakuya outside of the barrier and down the road.
"So, what will you do?"
"Practice more. Unlike you, Kurosaki Ichigo, I train myself so that I may fight with better precision."
Ichigo made a face. "Who's technique helped you defeat your Hollow? Uh, mine, thank you."
"It was something that I do not wish to ever experience again." He said, looking at Ichigo. "Your fighting style is for you alone, I'm afraid. I cannot do what you do and though it is… unforgivable to say you are better than I, it seems you truly are… only in that instance."
Ichigo smirked, knowing he was taking the victory over his Hollow using Ichigo's haphazard fighting was getting to him. To make it more humiliating, Ichigo reached up and rustled Byakuya's hair.
"Don't worry, Byakuya, you'll get the hang of it."
Byakuya just punched him in the face and stuck his sword into the air to open a Senkaimon. Ichigo laughed as he watched Byakuya leave from the ground, proud of him for overcoming his adversary.
Some days later, Ichigo got a feeling that there were some Hollows in the area and went to check it out. He came across two young Soul Reapers that were in no position to hold their own against the small horde of Hollows. He frowned at their lack of preparation and with the help of his friends, defeated the Hollows quickly. They took the two young Soul Reapers back to Ichigo's house to nurse back to health.
Upon the waking of the male Soul Reaper, they began to eat some bread that Orihime had brought over. His partner came into the room and seemed to be happy that he was alive. As they spoke, a figure appeared on Ichigo's bed and introduced himself as Asguiaro Ebern.
"Anymore questions?"
"I don't know who you are, but get off of my bed." Ichigo said with an angry look at the newcomer.
"You have no authority over where I stand!" the man said, laughing.
Ichigo, already annoyed with him, kicked him out the window and changed into his Soul Reaper form.
"Aren't you going to help me?" he asked.
"We will be right with you." Ishida said,
"As soon as we finish this bread." Chad said, taking a bite of his roll.
Ichigo rolled his eyes and went after Ebern.
As he fought with him, he wondered why he had a skull fragment like an Arrancar but had a necklace with the similar symbol that Ishida had. He had concluded early on that he was not avenging Aizen. After many taunts, Ichigo felt he had no choice but to release his bankai. Please, Ebern activated his 'special technique'. To his surprise, nothing happened and Ichigo overcomes him with a shot of Getsuga Tensho. He tells him he wants to question him but Ebern disappears through a shadow.
After fighting, Ichigo went back home and talked with the others when Yuki got a phone call. He nodded and spoke with them and then hung up the phone.
"It seems that Lieutenant Sasakibe was killed by an unknown intruder in the Soul Society."
"What? Chojiro?" Ichigo said, shocked. "Why would they want to kill him?"
"I don't know. We should probably go back to the Soul Society to see what's happened." He informed his partner.
He and Shino leave as well as the others. Feeling he should do something, Ichigo went to do a patrol of Karakura Town when Nel dropped in on him from nowhere, yelling about Hueco Mundo.
Ichigo called his friends and they listen to what Nel has to say in regards to Hueco Mundo. According to her, Harribell was technically in charge of Hueco Mundo since Barrigan and Stark were dead but Harribell was taken as well as Dondachakka. Ichigo wanted to know what was going on and decided he wanted to go to Hueco Mundo to help out.
"I'm sorry but I can't go with you." Ishida said, pushing up his glasses. "I am a Quincy and Quincy destroy Hollows. Helping them would go against everything that I am."
"I know that." Ichigo growled. "I called you over here so you could hear what's going on and I knew you'd sulk if I didn't."
Ishida was going to argue but kept it to himself.
"Yoohoo, do you need help getting there?" Urahara said, sitting in Ichigo's window sill.
"How did you know we needed help?"
"There's been a lot of strange activity going on. Did you think I wouldn't connect the dots?"
Ichigo nodded and they all headed to Urahara's shop.
SOUL SOCIETY
After Lieutenant Sasakibe's funeral, the Head Captain ordered the captains to a meeting where they discussed both the intruders as well as the strange disappearances in the higher districts. Mayuri reveals that because of the intruders, who were identified as Quincies, killed so many Hollows, there had to be a balance of souls and so killed people in different sections of the Rukon Districts that were 60 and above as balance. The Head Captain only asks why he didn't get permission first and orders the captains to prepare in advance for the coming of the Wandereich, who said they were going to attack in five days. Given the circumstances, the Head Captain feels they will attack earlier than that.
Because Ichigo is stuck in Hueco Mundo, the Head Captain's predictions are right and the leader of the Quincies tell his Sternritter to attack the Soul Society earlier than expected. As they descend upon the Soul Society, each one seems to pick an opponent to fight with. Renji ends up with As Nodt and as he fights him, realizes that something isn't right. As he fights, another Sternritter comes to assist As Nodt, Mask de Masculine. Renji tries to analyze them like he would any other opponent but is surprised to get a different response from his captain.
"They are here to mercilessly annihilate the Soul Society." Byakuya said, walking into the fight. "They are clearly enemies, so…" Byakuya pulled his mask over his face as Renji stared at him in awe. "Let's crush them."
After disabling Mask De Masculine from the fight, Byakuya turned to Renji to tell him something important.
"If my bankai were to somehow be sealed, use your bankai to defeat them. If what Lieutenant Sasakibe said is true, then they have a way to take bankais. You need to watch and see how they do it and then we will break the seal that holds it. Understand?"
"But Captain, that mask…"
"This," he said, displaying his mask. "Does not concern you. If my theory is correct, he should not be able to take my bankai because of this mask. I noticed the Vizoreds still have theirs. Pay attention now."
Renji nodded and Byakuya looked at As Nodt. He held out his zanpakuto and let go of the sword.
"Kageyoshi, Senbonzakura."
Before his bankai could even activate, As Nodt used a medallion and the bankai was stripped from Byakuya, the Hollow mask breaking as well. He stared at the Quincy in horror.
"The bankais weren't sealed, they were stolen!"
"But captain, how did he take yours…"
As Nodt suddenly shot out some thorns, which pierced Byakuya. Renji tried to help but Byakuya told him to hold back.
"You need to watch the fight and see what his ability is."
"Then let me do the fighting! He somehow took your bankai even with your Hollow powers."
"I… don't think you're smart enough to lure out all his attacks." Byakuya said with a look.
Renji sadly agreed and kept his distance.
Byakuya wondered why he felt like his limbs were freezing. What is going on? How in the world could he have taken my bankai when I have Hollow inside of me? I thought it shouldn't happen…
"You must be wondering how in the world I stole your bankai even though you have Hollow powers." Byakuya only stared at the man and he turned his head at him. "You are not like the others. Your Hollow is not connected to your zanpakuto."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it though? Have you forgotten? Instead of overtaking your zanpakuto and *then* acting like it was yours, it just took the liberty of acting like Senbonzakura until your real zanpakuto spirit spoke to you. It's a separate entity within you that goes against you, not helps you. It doesn't work in unison with you like the others, but tries all it can on its own accord to take over your body and mind. In that sense, Senbonzakura is just a Soul Reaper zanpakuto like any other to steal."
"I thought Hollows were poison to you?"
"They are. It hurt, I will admit, but it was worth it to see your face looking like that. I'm sure you've realized it now? IT's something you thought you lost a long time ago. It's fear. You trained so hard to overcome it but those that are pierced by my arrows succumb to them; meaning that everything looks suspicious."
Byakuya took in his words and thought it. He thought about how he had overcome his fear. He had defeated the things that made him think of fear in battle. He thought of his Hollow and how had overcome that, the last of his fears that he had. He then began to speculate that his Hollow had given his bankai up willingly so that it would make Byakuya weaker. As Nodt was right; unlike Ichigo's Hollow or the others, it didn't meld with him after it was defeated. It just retreated. What was he? Why was he different from the others?
He suddenly felt something go through his chest and gasped.
"Fear can be overcome. That is what experienced fighters tend to believe. But real fear cannot be overcome; it has no reason and no limit. Fear does not pick a species to issue forth from and it doesn't get repressed. It is forever churning in the pits of the stomachs of even the most skilled of warriors."
With that, As Nodt used Senbonzakura against Byakuya, slamming him relentlessly into the wall behind him.
Some hours later, after a delay from Hueco Mundo, Ichigo appeared in Soul Society, appearing where Rukia, Byakuya, and Renji were. He looked at the state of his friends, angry that he couldn't get to them in time. He looked over and gripped his zanpakuto hard as he saw what looked like a shallow cave of blood and in the middle of it was Byakuya. He walked up to him slowly as Byakuya opened his eyes a little and saw him.
"Are Rukia and Renji alive?"
"Yeah, they're fine." He said softly.
"Good… I… won't last much longer. Despite being a captain of the Gotei 13 and harboring a Hollow, I was unable to defeat the enemy that invaded the Seireitei. I let many valuable soldiers die and caused the suffering of their subordinates and their families. And in the end, I was defeated miserably." He said, lifting his head a little to look at Ichigo. He smiled a little. "I am ashamed of all of this.
"On the other hand, you are a human that would normally never be involved with this but… I am going to ask of you a favor, okay, Nii-sama? Just one last request… please forgive my despicable behavior." He was too weak to keep the tears at bay, this time crying both human tears and the white tears of the Hollow mask. "Please protect the Soul Society, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
just a thought: why do no visoreds use their masks? and i was going to put nii-sama at the end but it sounded too whiny. he's supposed to be bad ass right now *nod* i promise we'll never have to go through this again
PS: i changed the scene with as nodt taking his bankai. it came to my attention that the hollow would make him immune. from what i understand, the hollows in ichigo and vizoreds actually melded with their zanpakutos to create one power. byakuya's did not, which enabled as nodt's medallion to still steal the shinigami-made bankai, even though he *was* wounded by byakuya's hollow self. i hope this is a good explanation...