Author's Note: I was admiring my review collection earlier…keep up the good work everyone! :D

I was silent as I walked into his office, and turned to look at the door handle when he locked it. His eyes met mine, and I instantly understood For precaution. "Why're you doing this?" I outright asked, knowing this was nowhere near normal in this situation.

Standing by the door, he crossed his arms and made his way over to his desk while I backed up, looking to keep the distance in between us. "I'll be straight to the point with you. Are you on Captain Ichimaru's side?" He asked me, making me slightly confused.

"No, I am not." I supplied, unsure of how he would draw a conclusion.

Frowning with narrowed eyes, he spoke. "Then why did you suggest that he wasn't the only one doing something evil?" He asked me, to which I framed my words correctly.

"I only suggested it so that it would get me out of that difficult spot~ Plus, what defines evil exactly?" I asked, knowing that this was a topic people got stuck up on usually. Not Sydney though. Never Sydney.

He ignored the question. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire." He supplied under his breath, to which my eyes narrowed inquisitively at what was going to happen now. Seeing that he was lost in thought, I decided to take another risk. So many risks… Usually I only take one every month or so.

"You know~" I started, using a playful voice that was akin to what Sydney used when she was trying to get someone to do something. "I could always spy on them for you~" His eyes widened, and I went on. "Then again, someone of my level isn't strong enough to… But I'm not sure you're the only one he wronged. Surely there are others that we can find for proof?" I asked, and instantly his eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, I mean you can find for proof." I corrected his as he continued to stare at me, weighing my words.

"I'm not one for taking risks…" He went to continue, "So I want you to check in here. Otherwise, I will find you…" He threatened, glaring at me as I tried to drain my face of all fear. "And I will dispose of you personally." He told me lowly as I felt the power radiating off of him.

"Yes, I understand Captain. I am not one for taking risks earlier, if you realized." I supplied.

He nodded, walking back to his door. He unlocked it along with my excitement to get out of here. "Make sure to check in." He told me as I walked by, each of us staring at each other. Walking out into the hallway, I immediately turned away from the bubbly, bright haired large-breasted Soul Reaper that was prancing my way. Quickly walking away, I made it my mission to get out of here and find somewhere safe to hide.

But I probably should find out more about this 'Ichimaru'. Sounds like we're not the only bad things going on inside of Sereitei right now… There may be a rebellion soon. I realized, walking out into the cool night air with a sigh.

-x-x-x-x-x

Sighing, my eyes slowly opened on their own accord. We seemed to be in the sewers again, and the smell was no better. Feeling a sharp tug on my abdomen, I forced out a grunt and looked down to see a hard working Hanataro. "Thanks…" I murmured, gaining his attention.

His eyes widened as he realized I was awake. "Oh, you're awake Sydney-san!" he sounded surprised. "Please don't move around much, I'm still treating your wounds…" He murmured, going back to work.

My eyes now meandered around, taking in all the details of the square area we seemed to be in. Brown eyes eventually falling to the ground, confusion showed in them as I realized my hollow mask was sitting next to me. Taking in how it seemed to have taken a slight beating, Hanataro seemed to realize what I was looking at. "I found that in your clothes." He supplied, making me realize I had no shirt on, only bandages covering what was crucial.

"Um, thanks…" I said quietly, examining the bandages.

"No problem!" He reassured me, making me smile slightly before my eyes went back to resting on the ceiling, sliding shut even without my knowledge.

…..

My eyes slipped back open, and I reflexively yawned. Looking around, I found I was the only one in the small sheltered square, and that the others were around the corner. Looking down, I found that all my bandages seemed to be off save the ones that were covering my essentials. Sighing as I looked around, I quickly located the black bra that appeared whenever I transferred. Quickly slipping on my shirt as well, I noticed my hollow mask lying on the ground. Picking it up, I slipped it inside my shirt for later possible use. Adjusting my sword on my back and stepped around the corner to see Ganju yelling at a barely-awake Hanataro.

Sighing, I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, ignoring his initial scared reaction. "He's exhausted. Probably went overtime on my wounds because there all completely healed." I explained, scratching at the K on my shoulder blade somewhat thoughtfully. "He also probably treated you earlier, so don't give him any shit over a little drool on your pants. You should be honored." I lectured him, watching as his eye twitched.

"A-Ah, I guess I do feel better… Man, helping me out before I even knew it, this guy really is nice." He observed.

"Not all Soul Reapers are bad, Ganju." I told him as he shrugged.

"I suppose…" He seemed lost in thought before suddenly bringing himself out of it. "Things are going to be harder now, you know." He told me and I nodded.

"What with me defeating a Lieutenant after all… I bet the Captains hear and their itching for a fight." I told him, feeling slightly confident that I already knew who I was going to fight.

"You're serious about doing this, aren't you?" he asked me as I stared at him.

"Ganju, if I knew an easier way I would've already taken it. I'm very serious about this – I can't have Rukia dying on me, after all. Not after all that we've been through." I explained as he watched me.

"Yeah… Your hearts set on it?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Yes. I have to do this." I answered solemnly as Hanataro suddenly started spewing nonsense.

"No! Don't come onto me! Not like this! No!" He suddenly screamed, making me sweat drop.

"What the heck were you dreaming about?" Ganju asked, leering at him with me.

"Probably a tight wet one." I observed, making the two men jump and blush instantly, leering at me intensely.

"A girl shouldn't say such things!" Ganju screamed at me, making me leer at him personally.

"I can say anything I want to!" I said, punching him over the head. "Morning wood, condoms, porn~ All the good stuff!" I chanted, walking away while they gaped. "Come on! We don't have all day!" I chastised them, making them both jump before scrambling after my quickly-fading form.

-x-x-x-x-x

Eyes narrowed, I watched the front of the Central 46 building as a brown haired man stepped up. He was wearing glasses and seemed very nice and friendly from looks alone, but I knew he was anything but. That look in his eyes…the silence of his footsteps… He came here to do no good dead. Suddenly wishing my phone hadn't died several hours ago, I watched as he entered the building. Waiting a few seconds before the doors closed behind him, I quickly stood up and ran out of the shack, careful not to make much noise.

Running as fast as I could, I quickly located the nearest one of my friends and immediately started zoning in on Chad. He was surprisingly close, and I managed to slip by another flock of Soul Reapers before I rounded a corner, running after him as charged into a huge gate. "Chad!" I yelled, waving. He turned to look at me, surprised, before he stopped running. I paused when I finally caught up, panting. "There's…foul play! One of the Captains is…doing something…bad!" I managed to get out.

"What?!" He asked, shocked. "Moreover, where did you come from?!"

"That doesn't matter! Let's jet!" I realized, watching as several more Soul Reapers surrounded us. Immediately flying into combat mode, I took down the three behind Chad as he used a punch-throwing technique to take out the others. What is that?! I asked myself, realizing he hadn't shown me before. No, that's against the point! I remembered, watching as he blasted his way through a wall as more Soul Reapers came.

Chasing after him, we were stopped by a voice. "Foolish Ryoka, you've come far enough!" It yelled at us as I realized it was the tall Soul Reaper in front of us…who had pigtails. Eyes narrowing against the threat and ignoring the strangeness of it, I unsheathed my sword. "I am the lieutenant and third seat of Squad Eight, Tatsufusa Enjoji!" He announced as I glared at him. "You've chosen the wrong path!" He told us, laughing. I frowned, forcing myself to watch his movements as he spoke. "From the moment I appeared here, this path came to a dead end!" Grabbing his sword abruptly, both Chad and I tensed as he unsheathed it.

Suddenly screaming like something akin to a little girl, I sweat dropped as he started to wave his blade around until a huge gust was coming from it. "Now now what's the matter?! Can't see it, can you?! Nothing to be ashamed of! That is normal!" He boasted, and I noticed the sweat dripping down his face. Exchanging a glance that told Chad I was getting annoyed at his stupid behavior, Chad nodded. "After all, this is the technique of the great swordsman-"

Suddenly throwing a large nearby rock, it smacked him blatantly across his forehead. I watched with satisfaction as he collapsed to the ground, mumbling something about being defeated. We stared at him for a minute, confused on why he was so weak, before looking at each other and exchanging a shrug. "Let's go, this guy's too weak." I told him and he nodded, both of us running off together.

Running across a strangely large courtyard, I heard a voice. "Whew! Good job!" it complimented us as we both instantly froze, our eyes darting this way and that. Spotting a petal fly me by, I tensed as a figure wrapped in a pink kimono and straw hat fell from the sky like some sort of spirit like you see in the movies. My eyes narrowed as I watched it, looking to see what the figure looked like.

He stood up, revealing that he had long hair in a ponytail and his Captain's haori was underneath the pink one. "I'm Squad Eight Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku. Pleased to meet you." He told us as I felt a nervous tightness in my chest. If this guy's anything like the one I saw before… Then we're both done for!

"Squad Eight… Captain…" Chad repeated as I looked at him curiously.

"Yup, how do you do?" He asked casually as I leered at his behavior. Seeing my look, he started to laugh. Gritting my teeth, openly, I quickly eyes him nervously as he looked up questioningly. "Hey! Nanao-chan!" He called, making me look up. Sweat dropping, I watched the proper-looking woman dump handfuls of flowers over him. Making his own entrances like this…! I thought, feeling slightly cross.

"That's enough flower petals!" He yelled up at her. "Huh? Maybe she didn't hear me…" He murmured as I sweat-dropped.

"Nope, pretty sure she heard you…" I told him, somewhat nervous about talking with the enemy like this.

"Hey, Nanao-chan?" He asked again as she stared at him. "Hey! Enough flower petals! Cute, cute Nanao-chan! Lovely, lovely Nanao-chan!" he sang to her. Suddenly pouring what was left of the flower petals on him (which was a surprising amount), he fell and she through the basket down at him, knocking off his hat. The basket settled on his head as Chad and I sweat dropped.

"Sorry, but…" he started somewhat awkwardly, not sure what to expect from these people. "I don't have time for your skit." Ouch man, harsh. "Let me pass…" he demanded as I stayed silent, not too sure if I wanted to say if I was with him or not. If I do, it may cost me my life. If I don't, the same may happen.

Taking the basket off his head, the Captain of Squad Eight spoke. "What, can't you get in the groove a bit?" He asked, to which I reflected on how Chad never danced. Replacing his hat on his head, he stated an observation. "Everyone's so indifferent." He told us, to which I tsk'ed.

"I guess it was a little amusing…" I murmured under my breath, not meaning anyone to hear it.

"You did?!" He suddenly asked me, obviously excited. I sweat dropped.

"Y-Yeah, I guess…" I murmured.

"That's good then! We spent no time preparing it~" he told me, laughing it off as I sweat dropped.

"I'm in a hurry, please move aside from there." Chad tried again, interrupting our conversation. I let it fly, knowing I had nothing left to say on the issue. "You don't seem like a bad guy. If possible… I don't want to fight you." He spoke the truth… I didn't want to fight him either.

"Hmm… You got me there." Shunsui said, his mood suddenly shifting to turn towards a darker tone. "Neither one of us wants to fight. But I can't let either of you to pass. Isn't there any way you could just withdraw?" He asked us, making my eyes narrow. Should I take the chance…? Looking at Chad, I saw the fire burning in his eyes. No. I shouldn't.

"I can't do that." Chad told him, strengthening my own resolve as well.

"I see. Then you leave me no choice." He told us as I reflexively jumped away from Chad, knowing he was going to be the first one attacked. "Let's have a friendly drink!" he suddenly decided, holding several drinking palets and setting a sake bottle onto the ground. He explained his actions; "Well, if you can't withdraw, I thought maybe you could stop here for a while at least. It's just for a little while…"

Gawking, I quickly shook my head in an attempt to clear it. Think, Damien! Why would he not want to fight?! Is it because he's weak…? No, Captains are strong. And, strangely enough, he has that friendly kind of exterior the one before had… They both have to be above average Captains… At least strength-wise.

"No!" Chad rejected the idea immediately as I distantly heard their conversation.

"Aww, come on…" he tried to convince him.

"It's the law!" Chad told him firmly. "Minors can't drink alcohol."

"Oh, yeah. That's a problem. That's no good, is it…?" he trailed off, probably trying to think of a way to bend the law.

Narrowing my eyes as I realized this, I forced myself to think through my actions. Do I want to fight him…? Do I not want to fight him…? If I fight him, I may die… I can't risk that for just anything… But Rukia… If I don't fight him, I may live… He's inviting me to drink to loosen me up to get information, but… It doesn't mean I have to keep drinking after the first glass…

Gritting my teeth as his eyes turned to me, my body started to shake. "We have to defeat him, Chad." I told him bravely. He nodded as I spoke to Shunsui. "Let us pass! We have to go help Sydney and the others save Rukia!" I told him as he frowned.

"I suppose the battle won't take long, anyways… With the other Captains after them, would you mind sitting out-"

"Other Captains are after them?!" Chad realized as my eyes narrowed.

"We need to go! Move!" I practically ordered him.

"And if I say no?" He asked seriously as my grip tightened on me sword, ready to release it at a moment's notice.

"We won't let you!" Chad suddenly screamed, throwing a powerful and bright punch at him while the target took a sip of Sake. My eyes widened as he seemed to stop the attack with his hand, his pink haori flying off before he threw it to the side.

"My oh my…" He said calmly as I gritted my teeth. "This sure is becoming cumbersome." He commented as Chad stared, shocked before regaining his composition almost.

Chad suddenly started to throw punch after punch as Shunsui got up and started to dodge them easily. I stared for a second, but was ticked off when he commented how Chad had missed yet again. Growling, I released my sword. "Race…Basho Kajiki." I hissed, my blade instantly changing shape. Shunsui's eyes widened when my blade lost its solid form and flew at him, creating needles.

Spining around and dodging, I chased him with them as I gathered more water around me. "Enforcement." I mumbled, knowing I really didn't have to say the attack name to activate it. He continued to dodge as I slowly grew more and more agitated.

"What, can't you hit me either?" He asked playfully, avoiding another one of my attacks that had hid behind one of Chad's punches. I glared as he took another sip of sake. We both paused, panting at the effort of so many attacks. Chad had wide eyes, which suddenly narrowed. Dammit, this is the fastest I can get! How does he keep dodging!?

"Stop it already, I'm sure both of you realize your skills are certainly great. They're hard, fast, and the tall guy certainly has an impressive destructive ability. Yours is more for speed – not that that's bad, of course." He told us as I watched him carefully. That's right. This form isn't about attack… It's about speed! "But you can't hit me." He reminded us as I once again wished I was even faster. If I'm fast, I can't be stepped on anymore. They might not catch me if I admit what I am. "I'm sure you can see where this is going. Why not go home and give it up already?" He asked us as I growled.

"Thanks for the warning!" Chad said suddenly, looking optimistic. Looking at him, I felt my own face brighten. "But I cannot withdraw!" He told him bravely as I nodded, looking at the enemy. Chad jumped bravely as I leaped after him, readying for a follow-up attack.

"Stop it already!" Shunsui said, looking like he really didn't want to fight. We ran towards him and Chad threw a punch in close range. I saw Shunsui dodged so I immediately crouched and took a large step forward, going to stab him with my blade. He jumped away safely, his face invisible through his hat. "I'm sure you realize…" He said suddenly, appearing behind Chad. Both of our eyes widened as we registered his voice. "There are techniques which completely run out at the point of exhaustion, and those you can push beyond that, at the expense of draining your life-force. Your attacks are obviously of the latter type." He explained as Chad suddenly went flying.

My eyes widened as I started to jump away. But then I was suddenly flying away as well, being tossed above the ground like a rag doll. Unable to get my legs under myself, I just stuck with tumbling as I tried to protect myself. Sliding into the wall as Chad started to get his own feet under him some ways off, I full on glared as I shakily stood.

"I won't say anything rude, so just go on home! If you both keep going like this, you'll really die!" He told us as I huffed.

"I'd rather die than let my friend die!" I screamed at him, charging as I drew water from around everything that was near me. Applying it to my feet, I shot myself at him while wielding my solid sword. Screaming a battle cry, I flew at him with great speed.

Pain suddenly erupted in my side as he dodged. I felt a cut there, as well as a few deep ones on my back. Coughing up blood, I fell to the ground as my extra water seeped back to the earth. Seeing my own blood traverse the ground to become close to my face, I forced myself to breathe.

"Now you don't want to end up like your friend, do you?" He warned Chad. Hearing a sudden terrified, desperate scream that was Chad's, I assumed he was charging. Dammit, Chad…! Why couldn't you just run…?! I pleaded, unable to keep my eyes open any longer.

Maybe I shouldn't run away anymore… I should fight…!

-x-x-x-x-x

"Chad! Damien!" I whisper screamed, snapping my head around as they dropped off my radar. My red hair seemed to bristle with the rest of me as I grit my teeth. "I'll kill him… I'll kill him!" I hissed, already stomping off to where they had last been.

"No, Brianna! We can't! We'll get caught!" Ishida pleaded me as I turned to glare at him.

"Our friends need help!" I told him, walking away again. He grabbed my shoulder in a tight grasp. Reflexively I spun and slapped it off, a snarl on my face. "Don't touch me!" I practically yelled at his shocked face. He stared at me disbelievingly as I slowly came back to myself. "Oh my God…" I whispered to myself as hurt invaded his eyes. He went to turn away, but I wrapped my arm around him tightly. "I'm so sorry Ishida, I'm so sorry…"

-x-x-x-x-x

"Chad…" I realized quietly, my emerald eyes scanning everything as I continued to meander through Soul Society. "Damn, can't believe he's gone… I wish we had time to say goodbye, or whatever…" I reflected sadly. We'd never been best friends, but we were good pals. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, buddy." I told him quietly, quickly dodging to the side as a group of Soul Reapers ran past.

"Damn, wish I didn't have to do that stupid Captain's work! Didn't even tell me his name, anyways!" I growled, now more agitate by Chad's…

"Then Damien's gone too, huh?" I asked myself quietly, unable to sense him or Sydney. I know Sydney's alive, though. Lapsing into silence for a few seconds, I spoke. "I wonder if he got what he deserved…?"

"Well, I better get working…" I mumbled sadly, my feet dragging somewhat.

-x-x-x-x-x

"Seeker!" Orihime said my name, gaining my attention. Immediately I turned around, expecting an attack. "Chad's gone!" She told me as my eyes widened, the hand on my Zanpakuto forgotten. Looking away into the sky, I tried to sense him.

"I can't sense him… No way!" I told myself, disbelieving that such a strong warrior could be defeated. "There's no way he's dead! And – where's Damien? Is he dead too?!" I growled out, knowing the truth.

"Seeker…" Inoue started behind me as I took a deep breath, calming myself.

"I know." I replied crisply. "I know."

-x-x-x-x-x

Gazing Hanataro who had just consumed a strange horse pill, I felt something disappear in my sensors. Eyes narrowing and sharpening considerably, I stood up fully and gazed behind us. "Chad's gone." I stated, Ganju's eyes widening.

"I-It's true!" He realized. "How could he-"

"It can't be!" I growled to myself, suddenly punching the wall and breaking one of the cement blocks. "Which one is it?! Are we behind, or is he ahead?! And Damien- He's gone too!" I realized sadly, a growing pit lying inside my stomach. "Come on!" I suddenly snapped, causing the other two to jump. "We have to go faster! We're falling behind!" I all but yelled on them. Instantly Hanataro scrambled off the ground and started to jog away, Ganju following after I gave him a pointed look. Growling as I brought up the rear, I tried to figure out if we were already behind schedule.

…..

"No one's here. Let's get going." I ordered them, opening up the same panel we had used earlier. Strutting around, I instantly aimed for the stair case.

"Do you think the others are all right? Besides Chad?" Ganju asked, easily matching my fast pace to be next to me. I nodded.

"Yeah. I sense them." I answered simply, staring at the stairs.

"You must be good at sensing things… I can't sense them at all!" He confessed as my face remained placid.

"All of the Pact have above-average sensory skills… We find it easy to perceive each other. Finding anyone else is a little more difficult, but still not hard." I answered unemotionally as he fell silent briefly.

"I guess that you and your Pact must be really close…" He tried to reason.

I nodded. "Of course. Known each other sense we were little." We fell silent at this, and I was thankful that the distraction was gone. We need to hurry! I thought desperately. We might be behind schedule! This thought spurred me on, and I was soon running full speed to the stairs.

Taking a large step, I easily made it up the first two as I started to double step the other ones with minimal difficulty. It's easy if you boost yourself with spiritual pressure! I reflected, storing the information away for later use.

Growling as I continued to climb them, only one thought echoed inside my head.

I need to fight Kenpachi!