Part 25: Fallen Angels

"Reeve!", Ichigo screamed after his new companion, "Get back here, you damned coward!"

Unable to stop craning her head up entirely, Rukia pulled him down as a rebuke for earlier. "Don't bother, he can't possibly escape. None of us will... unless someone stops this."

Which brought his attention back to the very big matter at hand. The living bomb Spirit Eater Nogrand Juno had become had failed to go off at the proper time, even counting the remaining seconds slowly on one's fingers just as Samora had done. Ichigo scowled at the sight. "He's going to wait until he comes back down before he goes off, isn't he?"

"Looks like it", Kira Izuru said, his dour voice not quite hiding the panic. "Komamura, Matsumoto and I all just tried using the Kido barrier spells that would protect us. None of them are working. We're still within the 'distortion zone'."

Unable to express his displeasure through any but curses he would rather not share with close friends, Ichigo settled for punching a hole in a wall. Then immediately regretted doing so with the way his knuckles were throbbing. "Well we can't just sit here waiting for the end to come! Komamura-san, can your Bankai throw me as high as you did Nogrand?"

The wolf captain's yellow eyes, newly freed of the evil illusions that had misted them for so long, narrowed further, and the giant Bankai's massive sunken eyes actually mimicked his expression beneath the helmet's brow. "Yes... yes, I see what you're aiming for, Kurosaki Ichigo. But you will..."

"Die", he finished for him. "But if he blows up on the ground we're all dead anyway! At least in the air I have a chance of surviving it! And once I'm above the distortion zone I can use my Bankai again! And all my other powers too!"

Unsurprisingly, this idea had drawn worried, wide-eyed stares from everyone around him. No doubt many of them wanted to take his place as the sacrifice, feeling the need to protect a younger 'Substitute Shinigami' from what was to come.

Unsurprisingly, Rukia looked the most tortured. "I'm not bragging", he insisted, trying to look all of them in the eye, not merely her. "He's still got that metal coating on him, whoever goes up there will only get maybe two shots at most to set him off. We need the most powerful person here to go up, and it can't be Komamura-san. That leaves me."

"No", Rukia protested, pushing forward. "You can't. This is Shinigami business, we can't expect you to give-"

But to his own surprise, it was Sado who stepped in between them, arms reverted back to normal but spread wide, imploring them not to fight. "Rukia... I've risked my life for Soul Society more times than I can count", Ichigo added from around his friend's arms, unable to even look at her tear-filled eyes any more. If he did, he would never be able to go through with this. "I've heard a lot of science-y talk about how badly the world of the living would be affected if it were ever destroyed... but that's not the reason why I'm gonna do it. It's because a lot of my closest friends... are Shinigami."

"The time is now", Komamura called to them briskly from the giant's shoulder, stretching out its hand invitingly. "Someone must go, or it will be too late."

Seeing that his friends could not even speak, he boarded the hand, clutching his Zanpakuto tight. "Go."

Komamura's giant obliged, reeling up at first, nearly knocking Ichigo over before clutching its hand tight and flinging him skyward with all its colossal might.

Then it was just him and the open skies. He'd fallen and flown many times before, but this time the wind currents came on so strongly that his black coat had fallen off before he realized what was happening, the matching black pants rustling violently around his legs as they threatened to follow it. With only a torn undershirt and bandages his exposed body was chilled by the violent gusts, but he could console himself with the fact that it wouldn't be for long. One way or another...

Ichigo messily burst through the first and second cloud layers, the air rushing over his face like a vacuum, and then he could see the big black dot that was Nogrand Juno high above him, contrasting with the sun overhead like a falling meteor. Very soon, they would be close. Right. Need to make preparations now. Only one chance to give it everything I've got!

"Ban... KAI! Tensa Zangetsu!"

With his sword's weight diminished, condensed into the slender black form he knew so well, he forced his other arm up towards his face, dragging it down and leaving behind a Hollow mask with a pattern he'd never seen before- fifteen thick bars of red crisscrossing the eyes and teeth at equal distances apart, merging in a red dot right below where the nose would be. Abruptly, his senses heightened appropriately.

It was like any other battle, really. The preparations, the full activation of his massive spiritual pressure and the array of powers that he'd gained on his adventures distracted him. It kept him from thinking too much about the fact that he was more than likely hurtling upwards towards his death. It stopped him from thinking too much about how he might never see Orihime or Rukia or any of them ever again.

Fear. He forced himself to scoff at his own lingering hesitation beneath his bone mask, just as his inner Hollow would. Following the path of fear would make him a craven coward like Reeve, just the opposite of who he wanted to be. One person. Isn't that worth stopping a bomb of this kind of power? Isn't it?

No time for second-guessing now- Nogrand was in range. With his arms and legs folded to reduce wind resistance he'd become a metal sphere, even started rolling in midair. A huge target.

Here goes. Remember what happens if you fail. "Alright! Getsuga... TENSHO!"

And the pitch black energy gushed forth, forcing itself vertically towards the target as if sensing his intention and striking Nogrand full on. The sphere was halted by the geyser of black, even propelled further back into the sky... but not cracked. Not yet.

Drawing ever closer, he focused again, tightening his grip. The head. If he can control the time of his detonation, then he's still human enough to have a brain in his head controlling his body. Destroy that part, and he won't be able to suspend it any longer.

"KUROI... GETSUGAAA!"

To his dismay, this time the enemy dodged. Not well, but enough to avoid the full brunt of the curving wave. Instead it propelled him sideways...

Directly into his path.

Ignoring the bone-jarring force of impact, he braced in tight with his hands and held on the moment his feet touched the metal surface. The first layer of clouds was rushing back up at them now- he had little time. A dozen strikes rained down on the hide of the living bomb, marring and disfiguring it, further widening the cracks his second black wave had created.

And Nogrand Juno finally spoke to him, now that they were close enough to hear over the wind. "Designate Kurosaki Ichigo. Your interference will not be tolerated."

The young Shinigami shook his head in disgust. On one level the man's voice reminded him of Sado's deep tones, but with all the humanity extracted from them, leaving behind an automaton who had only been born human. He stabbed down once more, digging in as deep as he could with his blade. "I think it will be tolerated. Getsugwhoaaa-!"

The sideways roll had caught him off guard. With the sudden gyration not unlike something from an American thrill ride he'd been thrown loose, his Zanpakuto along with him, and suddenly he was above Nogrand watching him descend towards the cloud layer.

He cursed, spreading arms and legs in a position to help him fall faster. Not fast enough, damn it, not fast enough...!

All he could think of what that he'd failed. He'd damaged the Spirit Eater badly, but not enough to force the detonation at a safe distance. Damn. Run, he thought, hoping against hope that someone down there could sense his thoughts. Run. Run now. Get away. I couldn't stop him in time. Run! Get away! I couldn't... what?

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. From this perspective, an already-rare phenomenon would look completely foreign to him, but the closer he got the more he started to realize what it was. Nogrand was slowing down. Something had formed beneath him, some kind of spinning funnel cloud that was rising, then halting the Spirit Eater, then pushing it upwards... A tornado?

That was too much good luck for anyone to ever expect to have, and sure enough the man behind his apparent 'luck' appeared through the clouds. The brown skin and regal garments of the Shioin prince, his arms furious with activity as they continued to spin his strange spear weapon around at a fantastic pace.

"Forgive me, Kusanagi Inigo", Samora called up him from below. "I never had the opportunity to mention my Shikai. It is not most useful of weapons true, but up here in the sky it strikes like thundering dodgeballs in a-"

"Just shut up and send him my way!"

Blinking in surprise, the prince remembered their situation and twisted his weapon's arc, controlling the whirlwind with each movement. "Coming your way like a wriggling salmon in a river, Ichimaki!"

And Nogrand Juno rose, the metal sphere flying back up towards Ichigo even faster than he had been falling down moments before. He was ready for it, the long black blade of his Bankai sliding down in a clean, complete cut along the midsection.

"Interference... interference... will not... tolerate..."

It was only after that cut had completed and the dull emotionless voice finally faded away that Ichigo remembered that this person he'd been trying to kill was originally human.

First human kill?

Is this it?

He thought he'd feel horrible about it, immediately regretful and grieving for finally crossing that massive boundary, one that he thought he would never approach.

He thought the ever-ready voice of his Inner Hollow would be taunting him about it endlessly. Instead there was just a longing ache inside.

That, and the slow realization that his bisected target wasn't detonating as advertised. Flying up beside him on currents of air, the prince looked to share his confusion. "Hm? Hey! Maybe he won't go off! Maybe we stopped him from-"

The two halves ignited into blinding white burning down his consciousness. For a brief moment in the blue sky over the entirety of Soul Society, it looks as though the horizon had given birth to a second, much larger, white sun.

Gravity was mercy.

In the hours following the battle of the Rukongai district, the Shinigami involved reconvened at the palace, each captain involved delivering their reports in turn. For his part Sado Yasutora stayed out of it, preferring to stand with Orihime at Ichigo's bedside until life could be seen returning to his body. By the time his eyes had fluttered open once more, enough information had been compiled that the 13 captains knew the whole story of the battle.

"Shioin", Ichigo muttered once he felt strong enough to speak again. "Is he the one who... saved me?"

He was immediately sorry he'd asked from how downcast his friend looked. "No", Sado confessed. "He was hit by the Finis Absoluto. Rukia said that because he didn't have a Hollow form or strong spiritual pressure, he was hurt by it much worse than you were. We just laid down some fishing nets for you two to fall into. Inoue's idea, really."

Rukia. So it wasn't all over, wasn't the end after all. All the same, he couldn't expect a warm welcome the next time he saw her, either out of grief for Samora's fate or annoyance with the way he'd pulled her hair to force her down earlier. It was all right. He was used to that, it was natural. And having been spared death he'd face it with a smile.

"He did save me though", he chuckled regretfully. "He's a weak dumbass, but he still saved me, and all of us. Once he's up, I'll have to thank him. What about Reeve?"

They looked puzzled, and then he remembered he'd barely had time to introduce them. "That punk Spirit Eater who was impersonating me earlier. After I beat him, he said he wanted to join my side."

"Oh. Matsumoto chased him down. They said they captured three of them", Orihime offered after a moment of contemplation. "I didn't want to say so, but one of them does kind of look like you, Kurosaki-kun."

He actually laughed. How long had it been since he'd had a genuine, unforced laugh? Since Tatsuki left us, he thought, for once reluctant to let thoughts of the battle to come darken his mood entirely- even he could not force himself to stay that way all the time. "You should've seen him before, Inoue. It was like looking into a mirror. A funhouse mirror."

"I do love cotton candy", she acknowledged with a light shrug. This sounded forced to him, and right then he knew she was keeping something else hidden from him. Something she couldn't bring herself to talk about. "He kept asking to be let out."

"Of course", Ichigo snorted. "He's a dirty coward. But he did swear loyalty to me... So I guess that means I have to go ask the Shinigami to let him go once I can walk. Maybe. If I feel like it."

Knowing Inoue was too nice to do anything of the sort, Sado tilted his head in confusion, looking closely into his friend's narrow eyes. "Are you... certain you're alright, Ichigo? You're acting strangely. You almost sound like you're happy again."

"Oh no!", Orihime covered her mouth in mock fear. "What if he has amnesia from the fall?"

"Then smack me on the head again until I'm back to normal." The words just dribbled out of his mouth unbidden, and for a moment he frowned in confusion. Maybe some of Reeve's stupid jokes got through after all when he punched me? "It's fine, Inoue, Sado... I can still remember what happened with Tatsuki-chan, I remember all the chaos that's gone on since then. I still know that I'm the only one who can bring her in unharmed. I just... well. I'll tell you about it later. I promise."

This seemed to satisfy them. He'd never broken a promise to either of them, and never kept them in the dark longer than absolutely necessary. Unlike some of my friends...

He shook his head, clearing the dizziness away. Enough is enough! Dwelling on past mistakes wouldn't help him get Tatsuki back to normal. Just the opposite. "Okay, so I'd guess one of the other prisoners was Hyn Alumirr. Tall skinny guy with the weird eyes. I left that jerk chained up near the west gate without his weapon, easy pickings for the retrieval squad. Who's the third?"

"Your girlfriend", a familiar voice came to them jokingly. Before he'd moved the screen door, everyone had looked above it and seen the topknot of ruby red hair.

"Renji!"

The lieutenant nearly tripped. "G-what? How'd you guys know who I was before I even opened the door? Ah, never mind! You remember a Spirit Eater named Demalza Sanhas?"

"Yeah", he acknowledged as the young man made himself comfortable on the unused bed beside him. At the moment, there was no Shinigami he'd rather speak to. "She was the one who asked me to abandon the Soul Society and remain as a human. Her Ianzamento is 'Wild Drive', the power to control any kind of animal, right?"

"Thought so", Renji nodded, pressing his tattoos in contemplation. "That confirms what Izuru said. Kind of funny, what his reaction was when we finally got someone to lift all that wreckage he created to take her out. Said it wasn't decent, that we should cover our eyes. Heh."

"Oh." Immediately recalling memories of his encounters with Samora's famous shapeshifting aunt, he rolled his eyes. "Oh. Well, it's like I said to Tatsuki, I figured you Shinigami have lived long enough to lack modesty, in case Yoruichi-san and Matsumoto-san aren't proof of that."

"Actually", a sly grin came over the wild-haired man's face. "Izuru was wrong. It wasn't a nude woman at all. Instead of transforming back to her original form, we found a sleeping blue wolf pup under there. She's still out for now, but Komamura-taicho believes she won't be a threat to us any longer. Considering how many reasons he has to hate her for what she did, I'm inclined to believe him."

"Blue... wolf... pup?", Ichigo repeated back, barely believing the words. "I guess I'll vouch for that. She didn't seem as nasty as some of the others when she approached me. Can you get Reeve out, Renji?"

The 6th squad lieutenant shifted uneasily in the cot. "Byakuya-taicho is personally supervising the prisoners in the castle basement at the moment... Which is strange, because he never does that unless specifically ordered to by a superior. I think he's trying to make up for not having taken down any of the bastards himself yet."

That explained his uneasiness. Ichigo forced himself not to groan, though he imagined that Rukia's aloof older brother could be a very scary interrogator of prisoners if required. "Don't worry about it Renji. I'll have a talk with him. Later."

"Much later", Orihime agreed, only half-teasing. "Do you need anything, Kurosaki-kun? A drink, a meal, some more cushions?"

Not wanting to offend anyone, he carefully tilted his head back into the pile of pillows that was already stacked up there. "Just... a moment of rest, please. I need to prepare myself for what's next."

"For Tatsuki?"

"No. Byakuya."

Nervous chuckling all around, but of all of them Inoue looked the most worried, and the last to leave. "A-alright. but remember, you promised."

The dungeons beneath the Soul Society's white marble palace were hardly the torment they could have been. While starved of light compared to what lay upstairs and composed of a simple gray brick setup, it had nothing on countless cesspools of grime and disease Byakuya Kuchiki had learned of existing mere centuries ago in the world of the living. The enchanted steel bonds lining each cell segregated by soundproofed walls were designed to restrain the occupant, not torture.

The Shinigami knew how to do that perfectly well themselves, though admittedly these cells had not been used since his sister's imprisonment and sentencing. Perhaps that was why the furry blue wolf pup who reports said had caused so much trouble was only sitting there peacefully in its restraints, her fluffy tail twitching even as she remained half-asleep. Perhaps there was some remnant of Rukia's kindness and discipline yet lingering in those same bonds that now pacified the animal who had once answered to Demalza Sanhas.

If that was the case, then her brother would have liked to exchange her spot for one of the other two prisoners. One, the scuffy-haired youth who had dyed his hair orange from some reason, simply would not shut up about how unfair it was that he'd been locked up after swearing his loyalty to Ichigo Kurosaki, and the third one...

The third one seemed to have been trained for this exact circumstance. He knew escape was hopeless, and had decided well in advance to make his stay as paranoia-inducing for his captors as possible. Hyn Alumirr would smile fiendishly at strange times, eyeing the corners of the cells as if having spotted a weakness in their defences. Or perhaps it was simply the knowledge that this was the Spirit Eater who had tricked and nearly brought an end to the elder Kuchiki's centuries of life that had set him on edge.

Snapped out of his musings by a new sound, Byakuya realized the Spriti Eater had graduated to singing. Not enough to reach the other two, but the strange, gnashing words somehow found his ears no matter what:

In einem Bachlein helle,

Da schob in frocher eil

Die launische forelle

Voruber wie ein pfeil

Ich stand an dem gestade

Und sah in suber ruh

Des muntern fischleins bade

Im klaren bachlein-

"Enough", he ordered sternly, stepping forward, knowing well the commanding presence he created in the eyes of most. These particular eyes opened as he approached, and he could see in them only boiling lava. "Your taunts from earlier were infantile enough, but a song? I had thought human soldiers to be better trained than that."

Hyn straightened out in his bonds, looking up as if seeing his captor for the first time. "Songs are the lifeblood of an army's morale, gespenst If it's been long enough that you've forgotten that, then the real mystery is how you Shinigami win any battles at all."

So he was right in determining this one to have been a trained soldier before gaining his Spirit Eater powers, his Ianzamento. The insult to his skills was obvious bait, and he would not rise to-

"Your little sister make it back okay, Byakuya Kuchiki? I know mine did."

"Perfectly healthy", he snarled back. "She is strong and intelligent. She will endure whatever ploy your pathetic comrades throw at us next."

"...Are you sure about that?"

No answer. He would not dignify this wretch with further response. Instead, he continued on his own, knowing his jailed could not shut out the sound without leaving his post:

Ein fischer mit der rute

Wohl an dem ufer stand,

Und sah's mit kaltern blute

Wie sich has fischlein wand

"Kurosaki? Hey! Boss! You gotta get me out of here!"

The captain's dour eyes slowly shifted, though it came as no real surprise- he'd felt the spiritual energy signature approaching long ago. This particular one was quite unique.

Though he welcomed any distraction from the elder Alumirr's annoying song, he kept his voice as cold and disdainful as always. "Kurosaki Ichigo. You should be resting upstairs. You barely have the strength to stand."

"I'm fine, Byakuya", the orange-haired brat grunted, immediately forcing himself to stand completely upright instead of slouching, and even that took more effort than he wanted. "I just needed to tie up a few loose ends before getting some real sleep."

"The palace guard should not have allowed you down here. It is a security violation. Surely you've heard that our current foes are masters of illusion?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I'm real, okay? When we first met, you ripped my sword in two, you sealed my spiritual power, and you said that I looked like Kaien Shiba, though I didn't know who you were talking about at the time."

"That power has grown much since back then", the captain remarked neutrally. "A shame that the rest of you remains as it was then. Juvenile, and reckless."

"Heh. Nice to see you too. And just like back then, I'm here to help someone you've wrongfully imprisoned." He pointed defiantly, and was satisfied to see Byakuya's stoic eyes widen by inches. "That guy swore an oath to me. He'll behave. Won't you, Reeve?"

"Absolutely boss", the Spirit Eater sounded past relief, grinning ear-to-ear at Ichigo from across the cell. "You won't hear a peep out of me. So please let me go? Pretty please?"

"Unacceptable". The Kuchiki elder did not even need to stomp a foot down to make the gravity of his decree known. "These three are prisoners of war, and we cannot afford any distractions now."

"You wouldn't even have two of those if it weren't for me", Ichigo pointed out reluctantly. It felt like forever since they'd butted heads like this over anything. As usual the Shinigami captain's aristocratic demeanour- a real one, not good-humoured foppery like Samora Shihoin- felt like an active force pressing down against him with even more power than his reiatsu aura.

But backing down and leaving like a scolded puppy wasn't exactly in his nature either. Bucking his fear and all due courtesy, Ichigo gathered his will and took another step forward. "The sniper guy you can keep, but Reeve comes with me. He's my prisoner."

"Always a pleasure, chibi", Hyn called to him nonchalantly. "So lang dern wasser helle... so dacht ich nicht gebricht..."

"Be silent", the captain barked, and for once Hyn obeyed, merely watching in interest. Turning back to Ichigo, he was no less firm. "He is the Soul Society's prisoner, not yours. Like the rest of them he is a lawbreaker guilty of an unprovoked attack on our people. Until the time comes that Central 46 can render proper judgement on these wretches, they will remain here, in the only place where their powers can be properly constrained."

Time warp, he thought to himself, again with more levity than the situation warranted, possibly cause by the very person he was trying to save. I've stepped into a time warp and it's all happening again. Am I going to fight Byakuya-taicho again, and die, and lose control of my inner Hollow?

The trace of a smile that had worked its way onto his face seemed to only make the elder Kuchiki colder and more distant by contrast. Seeing this, he forced his face back into neutrality, and his head out of reminiscing. This wasn't Rukia he was trying to save from execution this time around. This was someone who had until a few hours ago been an enemy, and an enemy without an ounce of honour or kindness in him. A Spirit Eater, created to neutralize and devour Shinigami. Any Shinigami. Is it really worth all this trouble, just to get him out?

"Boss? Ichigo...?"

Of course, it wasn't really about that at all. He'd been kidding himself. This was a personal vendetta, and one he hadn't even noticed until now.

He was done being subtle and keeping secrets from people. It wasn't his style. A head-on confrontation was the best thing for everyone, if the discipline of Captains was everything it had been said to be. Sighing, he pulled up a chair back towards the exit, hopefully far enough away that Hyn's singing wouldn't distract them.

"You arranged the marriage between Rukia and Samora", he said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "You did that without telling me, specially instructing Rukia not to tell me anything about it. Knowing how much I like her."

Byakuya's response was predictable. His eyes darkened further, becoming pinpricks of ice boring into the younger man's soul. "Ever the arrogant brat. You presume that this is all about you. I will not strike a man in your condition, but neither will I allow further insults upon my family's honour. Leave us now, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"I won't", he stared back, forcing the words out and purposely ignoring how the danger-sense born from years of combat was making his back hairs stand on end. They were miles away from being friends, but he would wager a lot more than he already had that Byakuya Kuchiki would never attack him in his current state, no matter what he said. "Not until you tell me why."

Neither moved for several seconds, neither backing down or looking away. Then the prisoner across from them coughed. "Yeah, as fun as it might be to watch you two go 'yes you will, no I won't' all day, I think I might be able to help ya with that, boss."

Breaking the staredown, Ichigo looked at Reeve tiredly. "When did you get a chance to drain Byakuya? I'm surprised you're still alive."

"I didn't", the young man shook his head. All remaining traces of the hair dye were gone, leaving his tangled hair its original snow white colour, nearly the same shade as a Hollow's mask. Besides that he'd lost his jacket, leaving only a simple green T-shirt. "But I drained you, boss. Lots of times. I have pretty much all of your memories of him. So I can tell you why captain stick-up-his-ass is doing this to you, if he won't."

"You are a worthless human vagrant chosen at random for the Spirit Eater program", Byakuya said harshly. "You know nothing of us."

"Call it an educated guess", Reeve shrugged as much as he could in the drain-proof restraints. "Still more than you'd get out of him. He's like Frigeld, ya know? No sense of humour, too prideful to explain himself to young punks like us."

"If you're trying to make up for running away before", Ichigo told him, "it's not gonna work." He always hated when people he didn't like made obvious attempts at ingratiating themselves to him. They usually ended up being creepy instead. "But go ahead."

"It's his position", Reeve said, no longer caring about the death glare the captain was sending his way. "He's a big-shot, right? The head of the Kuchiki family. Which has lost a ton of prestige since A) He broke the rules to let Hisana into his family and B) Since he lost a battle to a rookie Substitute Shinigami. You."

"He didn't lose", Ichigo pointed out humbly, shuddering slightly at the memory of how that battle had gone. "Not to me. My Inner Hollow took over my body."

"And kicked his ass", Reeve grinned savagely. "Never mind how it happened, in the end he was forced to stand down and let you save his sister. So the Kuchiki clan lost a lot of respect from the other three noble families besides. And one way of rebuilding that respect is to tie themselves to a noble family who hasn't lost it. The Shihoin clan."

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he puzzled over what he'd just been told. Nothing of it contradicted what little he knew of the code of respect that the four noble families of Soul Society operated by. Byakuya himself had confessed his shame in breaking the rules for the first time, one of the few people he had ever confessed it to. All the same, what he was hearing now...

"That's disgusting", he decided after much deliberation. "Forcing marriage between people who don't love each other just for some stupid 'respect'?"

The captain's head rose, cold anger washing across both of them. "Enough of your baseless insults, prisoner. You will go now, Kurosaki Ichigo."

But it was too late. Everything he'd kept bottled up since first hearing about this- possibly since he'd found Byakuya Kuchiki persecuting his own sister for a crime that made no sense to him - was rising to the surface, making his skin feel as though it were ablaze with anger, a fever desperate to be released on something. "I'm going nowhere until you tell me what the fuck this is all abou-"

The blow was quick, painless, and professional. He had barely felt the impact of the elder Kuchiki's fist striking his chest and compressing his lungs before he pitched forward into him, out like a light.

"Out of respect for your past accomplishments I will not harm you for your slander, Kurosaki Ichigo", the captain spoke briskly, already feeling strange about having to gently cradle the orange-haired youth in his arms. "But neither will you continue to harm Soul Society with your rash behaviour."

"You do realize he can't hear you, right?", Reeve asked impishly, trying to hide his despair. "No one else awake here but me and ol' red-eyes."

"Unlike Kurosaki Ichigo, you have done nothing to earn respect from anyone, prisoner", his jailor intoned, not even deigning to look in his direction. "When I return, your behaviour will determine which restraints are applied. Consider that we possess restraints for every part of the body, all resistant to your draining abilities."

Reeve looked about to speak up again but thought better of it. As the two departed however, Hyn could not help but get in some final words, with more clarity than he'd shown since being brought here:

"Byakuya Kuchiki. I'll see your dear sister dead before you yet, I promise..."

The captain merely grunted, not looking back. Something about this day had everyone testing his patience just to see how far they could push him. A good thing it was that he had developed such powerful emotional discipline.

For their sakes.

While the meeting hall for the squad captains looked undeniably sparse to head captain Yamamoto, especially compared to their last conference, they had long ago come to accept that would be the case the majority of the time. A proper captain should spend the majority of their time with their squad or on duty, Yamamoto reasoned. And an army that became used to having their strongest fighters nestled at headquarters was a failed army.

Only Unohana, Ukitake, Komamura and Toshiro had answered the call. The latter still bore his injuries, but seemed determined to grit his way through them no matter what. More than that, no doubt it was the catastrophic damage inflicted on squad 10 that was making his breath short and his eyes shadowed.

"Having been forced by extraordinary circumstances to participate in the battle of the Rukongai myself", the ancient captain began, once again feeling the weight of being the pillar of Soul Society- but accepting it as always. "I would consider it a success. Though our casualties were high, their attempt to destroy squad 4 along with the district were not achieved."

"I am appreciative of your efforts on our behalf, taicho", Unohana said with a grandmotherly smile, masking the very real relief underneath that only Yamamoto would see in her. As with most of the captains, her attachment to her people ran deep. "You saved many from our mistake."

"It was not your mistake, Unohana", he rumbled angrily. "Our mistake was in underestimating this enemy's ability to manipulate our abilities and weaknesses so accurately, because they are merely enhanced humans."

"Both of the prisoners we rescued from their headquarters were traps", Hitsugaya noted in misery. "The Arisawa girl, who opened the way for them once we had brought her here, and now an infiltrator posing as the late Rutori Igenari. Half my squad is gone because of that infiltration, and several more fighting in the field. They..."

"Calm", he commanded the youngest captain firmly. "You must learn to control your anger, Hitsugaya, lest it lead you into another trap set by the enemy. It was this anger which cost your your official title, though with prince Shihoin also incapacitated we must now ask you to select a new acting-captain from your remaining members."

Leaving him to consider that decision, his gaze travelled lengthwise over to Komamura's massive frame. "There are no lingering effects of the brainwashing, my friend?"

"None", the beast-captain bit out, no less resentful than Toshiro. Only his master's stern words could have saved him from the spell he'd been under, but the mere fact that Yamamoto had been forced to step in spoke volumes of the enemy's prowess. "The one responsible is locked up and no longer even capable of human thought. It seems she has reverted to her original state- even when she wakes only I will be able to speak to her."

"Demalza Sanhas", Yamamoto mused unhappily. Like Unohana, Komamura hid it well, but none of them could hide from the head captain how much their recent encounters had spooked them. The woman might be an animal of the same species as Komamura once upon a time, but after what had happened he doubted they would be interacting much.

For his part, the head captain could still remember when a brown wolf pup had passed into their dimension, and into his care, even if no one else could. "However, we must now assume that similar Spirit Eaters have been prepared to exploit the weaknesses of each of our number, as evidenced by the 'distortion zones' captain Izuru reported on, which prevented our use of Kido spells for the duration of the battle."

"I spoke to him further about that", long-haired Ukitake confessed shyly. "Apparently the one who caused that phenomena is named Yui Alumirr. She is the younger sister of Hyn Alumirr, one of those whom we have now captured. We should alert all of our forces about seeing a young girl of her description. Apparently...", he frowned, thinking back to what Izuru had said. "Apparently she can be easily identified by her red eyes and the headphones which she wears, connected to some kind of hand-held device she carries with her."

"A key to unlocking her Ianzamento's power, perhaps", Komamura mused. "My ears could sense the way she had warped all the ambient sound in the Rukongai once I was freed from the enemy's control. Izuru-taicho is correct. The words to any spell would be badly distorted past ten meters, though our Shikai and Bankai should continue to work normally." That only required communication with the spirit of their Zanpakuto, which was usually right there next to them, as close as one's own arm both emotionally and literally.

"Fortunately, Shunsui-taicho's squad is not overly reliant on Kido", Unohana noted. Less than 6 hours ago, they'd received word of another Spirit Eater attack on one of their more prosperous business districts, and squad 8 had gone to assist, being the closest one that had not yet taken casualties. "All the same, I will send a messenger alerting him of the danger, as well as the abilities of the other Spirit Eaters we have encountered thus far."

"Agreed", Yamamoto nodded, his beard dipping down. "Secondly, after reviewing the enemy's purpose in these two strikes, I must conclude that they were never meant to accomplish anything other than depleting our numbers and distracting us. I have ordered the 2nd squad to search our world for wherever the enemy's main force has hidden themselves away- the criminal Jutani Zatsua in particular. All signs indicate that she is the primary orchestrator of these attacks."

Another small benefit to having smaller meetings was that messengers would be less wary of bringing urgent news to so many awesomely powerful Shinigami in one spot- a screen door creaked open, revealing a frightened-looking cadet. "Ummm. Honoured captains?"

"Speak."

"I have news. There is still no sigh of Kurotsuchi-taicho, though your summons was delivered as ordered."

A spark of rage kindled in Yamamoto's grave eyes, one he saw echoed in many of his comrades. While it had been agreed upon centuries ago that having the mad doctor Mayuri Kurotsuchi working for them, however distasteful, was much better than having him as an independent operator, his raving obsessions with his scientific studies over all other concerns never failed to grate his nerves. He was even more unreliable than Kenpachi Zaraki, who at least had a good excuse for not being here today with his lieutenant and best friend being bedridden. "One of us will have to visit him personally then, as we are the only ones he may listen to."

"Th-that's just it, sir. I already sent someone down to his lab to try and talk to him personally. He's either buried away in some secret chamber of his lab that we don't even know about... or he's not there at all."

Yamamoto rose from his seat, focusing hard on the messenger as if trying to ascertain the truth. "You have done well. Send word to squad 9 that they are ordered to perform a full sweep of the Research and Development district for enemy spies, including the lab itself."

"Done, sir."

When he had gone, he sat back down, performing the same calming exercises he had asked Samora to try and teach Hitsugaya. "Then the enemy's truly capable members must have been with that group, for even my most urgent summons cannot always convince Kurotsuchi to leave his laboratory."

No one called him on the disrespectful lack of title- they were all well familiar with the annoyances of having such an erratic being as an ally. "Then he was kidnapped", Ukitake suggested. "As impossible as that sounds with the amount of security he has."

"Or coerced", Komamura suggested disdainfully. "A new employer who provided him with new areas of mad science to voyage heedlessly into. He has no loyalty to us whatsoever. He may not even have considered what will happen if the Spirit Eaters remain in our dimension for a long period of time."

"Death", Unohana pointed out, for once sounding afraid for the future. "Already I have witnessed plants dying, fields becoming wasted and dry, vibrant lands turning to sickly gray ash. They are devouring the life energies of our very world to fuel their assault on us. They will never run out, until our world is dead."

"Then we make them stop", Hitsugaya pounded the table. "The moment Soifon-taicho finds where Jutani Zatsua is hidden, then we move to capture the rest. Take them down, no matter what. This can't go on."

"Capture", Yamamoto emphasized again. "Not kill. Not yet. As dire a threat as they have proven to be now, they yet remain human. We will not use lethal force if possible, and we shall take care to do our duty to the souls of the fallen before they begin to Hollowfy. The self-destruction of that gigantic Spirit Eater was one thing, but I will not allow the oaths of ten centuries to be broken over something as trivial as this."

Seeing- expecting- the reservations on their faces, he nodded again, eyes tight. "Yes, I said trivial. Because this is far from the worst threat that the Soul Society has come under in my long millenia of dedicated service. We yet remain strong. We are the Gotei 13. We are legendary, and we will not fail against something as simple as artificially-enhanced humans. Do your parts, follow orders and be mindful of our enemy's cunning, and victory will eventually be ours. This, I vow upon my life."

A/N: Not much to say here except that there's more to Byakuya's grudge than meets the eye in this chapter, which I promise to reveal next time.