Author's Notes: Here is Chapter 28, Happy New Year everyone

I don't ******* own Bleach, if I did the last arc wouldn't have had half the B.S. moments and this current arc would have advanced the story much better than it has so far

One situation in this chapter was inspired by Yu Yu Hakusho, the specific episode escapes me at the moment but it's from the Dark Tournament arc involving three brother disciples and a messed up little troll doctor

Ch. 28 Rebellion

Ichigo stood in disbelief at the sight before him; what shocked him was not the shinigami robes the man before him wore, nor did the Zanpakutou around his waist and the white haori over his shoulder, but what surprised him was that the shinigami standing before him was none other than the same man who had attacked him on almost a daily basis for the past several years whenever he came home.

"Da…Dad?" Ichigo stuttered in disbelief "what…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Ichigo" Isshin replied solemnly a drastic change from his normally goofy persona when he noticed two Captains approaching from behind his son.

"Well now this is an interesting development" Shunsui stated in his friendly demeanor.

"Is that all you have to say?" Ichigo asked exasperated "my dad suddenly shows up here out of nowhere and all you can say is it's interesting development."

"Forgive us Ichigo but we just can't help ourselves" Jyuushiro replied before turning his gaze towards the older Kurosaki "it's just that Shunsui and I have been Captains for over two hundred years now and if that haori draped over your father's shoulder is any indication, he was one at some time" Ichigo took a closer look at his father's left shoulder giving him even more questions than what he had before.

"And yet in all our years serving as Captains, we've never seen or heard of a Captain Kurosaki" Shunsui continued before turning his attention towards one of his colleagues "say Captain Unohana, would you happen to know anything? After all you're the only one here who's ol…"

"Now Shunsui, think very carefully" Retsu commanded in a very soft yet terrifying tone as she appeared behind the Captain of Squad Eight "do you really want to finish that sentence?"

"Sorry" Shunsui replied scared for his life.

"Idiot" Toushirou thought in disbelief as he shook his head before asking "you have any clue about this guy Captain Unohana?"

"I'm afraid I don't Head Captain" Retsu answered.

"Then start talking" Toushirou demanded.

"It's complicated" Isshin replied as the tunnel above them closed.

"What a damn mess that thing was" Elaina swore as she, Alexander, and the other Warlocks ceased their actions.

"So a couple of our own joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" one of the Warlocks stated in disbelief "Captains at that."

"Yeah, we're famous" Elaina replied "any chance you could help a sister out and answer some questions?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to put that on hold for now Elaina" Alexander stated.

"Damn, if only I had been quicker" Elaina chuckled.

"I wouldn't rest just yet" Isshin called out to the Warlocks "trust me I know King Izanagi, he'll keep trying until he succeeds."

"Then we have no choice but to eliminate him" Youmei replied and Isshin nodded.

"Kisuke, Ryuken, I'm going to go ahead with the Shinigami; it's high time I settled this conflict" Isshin explained "please keep the Warlocks organized we can't let any invading forces through."

"That's a big request you're making" Toushirou stated as he walked towards the older man "you show up out of nowhere wearing our garbs, we have no idea who you are, and now you expect us to take you with us to fight against the King of the Soul Society?" he locked gazes with Isshin "give me one good reason to trust you."

"I'll give you two" Isshin replied "first of all if you're serious about stopping Izanagi you're going to need information about Squad Zero, the palace, and their defenses…information that only I can give you" Toushirou seemed to nod in understanding "but more importantly…" he turned his gaze towards Ichigo "…my son is fighting alongside you all, isn't that worth something…"

"He's being sincere Head Captain" Alexander stated.

"Fine, but I want answers" Toushirou began as he pulled out the King's Key from his robes.

"It's a long trip to the palace; I'll explain everything along the way" Isshin replied.

"Good enough" Toushirou stated when suddenly they heard several loud roars in the distance "hollows! All the spiritual powers must have attracted them!"

"Don't worry" Kisuke assured him "we can handle this" he then noticed a skeptical look in Toushirou's eyes "I guess my word alone isn't enough…"

"Let's just say I want some of my people here as well" Toushirou answered "Lieutenant Abarai, Lieutenant Ise, Lieutenant Kira; I want the three of you to provide cover against any hollows that appear within the city. You're authorized to call in the squads for assistance if need be and Renji…" the redhead stood in attention "…you're in charge."

"Sir" Renji replied and his fellow Captains saluted.

"Real take charge type" Isshin thought impressed with the young Head Captain's speed.

"And Shinji can I count on you guys for help?" Toushirou asked.

"Well normally we don't like to get involved with shinigami" Shinji began "but by the looks of things, if this situation got out of hand it could really be a bother for us…" he turned his attention back towards his colleagues "Kensei, Mashiro, Love, Rose, Lisa, Hachi, I want you guys to assist in Hollow control" the Vizards nodded in understanding before flying off to offer assistance "as for me and Hiyori, we'll tag along with you guys, after all she has personal interests in this little field trip and I can't let her go unsupervised, she's such a stupid…"

"SHUT UP DICKHEAD!" Hiyori shouted as she slammed him with her flip-flop.

"Ichigo" Sado said calmly drawing the Orange haired shinigami's attention "I'll stay behind and guard the pillar closest to your house, that way Karin and Yuzu will be safe."

"Thanks Chad" Ichigo replied.

"Alright it's time to move out" Toushirou commanded as he focused a small amount of energy into the King's key causing a large gold and red gate to materialize in the sky in front of them before opening wide enough to fit a small platoon through.

Without hesitation the remaining Captains and Lieutenants, Shinji and Hiyori, the two Kurosakis, along with Neliel, Uryuu, and Orihime leapt into the gate and found themselves in familiar tunnel of dark energy. Without saying a word they all broke began to run forward intent on reaching their destination as quickly as possible.

After a few minutes of walking Ichigo finally decided to speak up "dad, I think it's time you told us what's going on."

"Very well" Isshin sighed "as the Captain with white hair and the one wearing a woman's kimono over his haori suspected I was indeed a Captain, but…" he looked towards the ground solemnly "…that was over 10,000 years ago…" his words shocked everyone around him.

"That's impossible!" Elaina stated in disbelief "we shinigami are long lived but we're not immortal by any means, the record for longest living shinigami is about 4,000 years before his body gave out him, there's no way you could be more than twice that age, especially when you only look like you're in your forties in human years!"

"You're right, even shinigami aren't meant to live that long" Isshin replied "and I surely would have died thousands of years ago, if not for what began that day…"

Flashback

"Captain Isshin Kurosaki, step forward" an elderly Captain commanded from the front of the Captain's hall with a dozen others standing in front of him.

"Sir" Isshin replied as he complied.

"It is with great pride that I inform you in front of your fellow Captains that the Central Forty Six has decided to promote you to Squad Zero" the Head Captain stated visibly shocking everyone in the room.

"Squad Zero?" Isshin replied in disbelief "sir I'm flattered but, I really don't think…"

"That is not important" the Head Captain interrupted with a stern expression draped across his face "you've been give a great honor, do not make light of it. You will meet your new colleagues atop Soukyoku Hill tomorrow at dawn, do you understand?" causing the younger man to sweat heavily.

"I…I understand" was all Isshin could say in response.

"Even if defiance meant death, I really shouldn't have followed that order, for what followed was a thousand times worse than death" Isshin narrated.

"What's going on here?" Isshin asked as found himself in large room filled with over a dozen shinigami wearing the haori of Squad Zero, what disturbed him the most was the emotionless expressions on each of their faces and he couldn't help but notice that they all had shaved heads, even the women. Without warning several of them grabbed his arms and forced him to his knees "What the hell are you doing?"

"Relax, it'll all be over soon" a dark voice called out as he emerged carrying a dark blue orb which pulsated energy.

"Behold his imperial majesty, King Izanagi" one of the squad members called out.

"Your…your majesty what's going on?" Isshin asked "why am I being held down like this?"

"Relax Isshin Kurosaki" Izanagi commanded "this is just to ensure you don't resist."

"Resist what?" Isshin asked becoming more terrified than ever.

"For what I'm planning I can't allow your free will to get in the way" Izanagi explained causing Isshin's eyes to open wide in terror "how strange, the other gladly forfeited their free will to serve my family…kids today…" a bright white light filled the room causing Isshin to scream loudly.

"The orb he used on me was a powerful artifact his family had discovered in the darkest depths of the Soul Society's tallest mountain" the older Isshin narrated "it's power was to force anyone it was used on to obey the master's commands no matter how abhorrent they may have found it otherwise, those who submitted had their consciousnesses completely sealed as if placed under an indefinite sleep, for those who resisted like me...our fate was far worse…"

The light cleared showing Isshin with the same empty expression on his face, moments later his captures released their hold on him and he stood up "what are your orders, your majesty?"

"Excellent" Izanagi replied "report to the barracks to get your new haori and make yourself presentable, I plan to send you out on assignment by the end of the day."

"Understood" Isshin stated as he followed his fellow squad-mates, yet in spite of his cooperative words he screamed in his thoughts "what the Hell is going on here?"

"We were robbed of our self control, yet we were given a front row seat to the atrocities we were soon to commit, to make matters worse we were nourished with an elixir which effectively stopped our internal clocks on a daily basis practically rendering us immortal" the older Isshin narrated as he thought back to the numerous 'assignments' the royal family had sent him.

A now bald Isshin stood in the midst of a burning village with two of his comrades swords drawn, the flames illuminating the numerous corpses littering the roads, the blood on their blades, and most of all the lifeless glow in their eyes.

"It would seem the reports were inaccurate" one shinigami stated in a monotone voice "there's nothing in this village" as he finished numerous screams filled the air of dying men, women, and children suffering from injuries.

"I'll clean up, you two head back" Isshin stated coldly, the two nodded before disappearing with a shunpo.

"The royal family sent us on numerous missions to the Soul Society in the world of the living in pursuit of powerful ancient artifacts to aid in Izanagi's planed insurrection against the Central Forty Six" the older Isshin narrated as his younger self walked towards a woman lying on the ground hugging her screaming baby "less than one percent of the time did we actually find any sort of artifact, and even then it was rarely anything of notable worth; regardless there was one thing all the missions had in common…" his younger self stopped in front of the woman and child "…for the sake of secrecy…"

"Stop!" Isshin's consciousness screamed as his body lifted his right arm raising the blade into the air "don't do it!"

"…whether they were hollows, shinigami, or civilians…" the older Isshin continued as his younger self swung his weapon splattering blood down his front "…there were to be no witnesses…" the younger Isshin slowly made his way through the village streets slaughtering the civilians despite the screams of his inner self "…and yet in spite of perhaps as a result of my desperation, I discovered something that encouraged me to keep struggling…" his younger self had a tear running down his right cheek "…as the centuries continued I slowly regained control of my body, one small group of muscles at a time, until one fateful day 100 years ago…"

Isshin was airborne over a small town in the mountains along with two other squad mates, two of them prepared to assault the town but froze when Isshin flew ahead of them slightly and turned around.

"What are you doing?" one of them asked only to be run through by Isshin's sword.

"Hadou 73: SoranSoukatsui" Isshin chanted blasting his second colleague with two twirling blue fireballs killing him almost instantly "sorry, but I just can't do this anymore" he looked down on the town below him "if only I could have done this sooner…"

"…I had finally broken free of the royal family's control, but in spite of that I found myself haunted by the memories of my actions every night, unable to forgive myself I contemplated suicide, but I could never bring myself to do it…" the older Isshin narrated "…eventually I decided that if I was to have any peace I had to do what I could to stop King Izanagi's invasion. After examining numerous historical documents I estimated that I had been part of Squad Zero for approximately 10,000 years, I also discovered numerous references to a group of special humans who been subjugated by the shinigami only rebel against them. The reports indicated that they had been wiped out in the ensuing rebellion but after observing the numbers, I suspected that there may have been survivors, after a few decades of searching I eventually discovered their underground remnants…"

Isshin stood in front of a number of black garbed people who eyed him suspiciously, Isshin's hair had grown back and he now had a considerably fuller figure. Eventually an older figures stepped forward and offered Isshin his hand and the two shook.

"I appreciate your help" Isshin stated.

"Don't get me wrong, many of us including myself have reservations about working with a couple of shinigami…" the man replied after letting go of his hand "…however many of the older members of our clan such as myself, still remember the day that our Prince sacrificed his life to give this world a chance, we can't let this 'King Izanagi' destroy that. When will they attempt to invade our world?"

"Hard to say" Isshin answered "could be today, could be in a week, or a century. I'm afraid there's no way to say for certain when it'll happen."

"Fine then, keep us updated; I must say we like you a hundred times more than we do that other guy" their leader sighed in slight annoyance "whenever it happens, the Warlock have your back."

"I will, and thank you again" Isshin assured them before black marks spread across their bodies and they vanished in a swirl of black energy, as soon as they were gone he heard a clapping noise in the background "something you find amusing Kisuke?"

"No" Kisuke replied "I think it's wonderful you got them to help, just don't forget what I told you about Sousuke Aizen."

"I haven't, if it comes down to it, I will help you" Isshin assured his fellow Ex-Captain "was there any other reason why you followed me?"

"Yeah, I've discovered that there may be another tribe of gifted humans who might be interested in helping us" Kisuke answered "tell me have you ever heard of Quincies?"

End Flashback

"So that's how you and Mr. Urahara came to know my father" Uryuu stated "I guess it all makes sense now…"

"That's right" Isshin replied before chuckling "I must say Ryuken is a real piece of work."

"Dad" Ichigo called out drawing Isshin's attention "I get how you were a shinigami 10,000 years ago…and I get how you've been planning revenge ever since…but what I want to know…" Ichigo's expression became very solemn and grave "…is how did me, mom, Karin, and Yuzu fit into all this?"

"Ichigo…" Rukia whispered softly as Isshin's expression became very heavy.

"The truth is…you didn't" Isshin answered shocking his son "to keep myself hidden from the Soul Society and the Royal family, Kisuke gave me a gigai which hides spiritual pressure just like the ones the Vizards use, in an ironic twist I became invisible to the shinigami, but I became visible everyone else…including Misaki…" Ichigo listened intently "…she was the one who inspired me to go into medicine and open the clinic in the first place, she was…your mother was the light of my life, she gave me a reason beyond my own petty vengeance to stop Izanagi…and of course five years later we were married and you were born Ichigo…" he smiled softly.

"…dad…" Ichigo replied.

"I know I wasn't the perfect father, and I should have been there to save your mother six years ago…" Isshin continued "…but please believe me when I say that I loved your mother, and I love you and your sisters with every fiber of my being…" Ichigo nodded in understanding.

"I hate to disturb your family moment" Toushirou began calmly "but I need you to tell us everything you know about what we're up against."

"Right" Isshin replied "the bulk of the enemy forces will consist of Squad Zero, it's been a long time since I've been to the palace but I estimate they number around 2,000."

"Wait you mean to tell me we're going to be up against at 2,000 former Captains?" Alexander asked "please tell me they have some weaknesses or we're going to get slaughtered."

"I'd have to agree with my colleague" Shunsui added "after all our whole divisions on average consist of only 200 soldiers, and most of them can't hold a candle to these guys."

"They have two" Isshin replied "First as a side effect of the orb effectively erasing their consciences; they've lost the ability to use Shikai and Bankai so they'll only be able to come at us with sealed Zanpakutou…" he heard a number of relieved sighs in response "…and secondly due to the centuries and in some cases millenniums of isolation, the bulk of their abilities pale in comparison to what they were capable of as Captains, so in small numbers they shouldn't be much of a threat to any of the current Captains…"

"It's true" Byakuya stated "those three we killed back in the fake Karakura Town were weak, unless they surround us, I don't think they'll pose much of a threat."

"Well that does improve our chances of success" Youmei continued before turning her gaze towards Isshin "however I get the feeling there's more to their defenses than just Squad Zero…"

"I'm afraid you're right on that front young lady" Isshin stated "King Izanagi, will be held up in the palace's central chamber which is guarded by an impenetrable barrier, which can only be dispelled by destroying four energy crystals he entrusted to his children…to make matters worse he's also given each of them a powerful artifact they managed to dig up over the eons, and unfortunately I have no idea what those artifacts are or how they work."

"Lovely" Elaina sighed in annoyance and Rangiku nodded.

"Tell me something Mr. Kurosaki" Alexander stated politely "now that you're free from the king's control, have you recovered your Shikai and Bankai?"

"No" Isshin answered as he gazed towards his Zanpakutou "cutting a Zanpakutou off from their shinigami's consciousness for so long is like stranding someone in the middle of a desert without food or water" he let out a heavy sigh "I'm afraid Engetsu has been dead for thousands of years…I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I just don't have the fighting power to compete with you guys."

"We'll just have to make do" Toushirou stated as a faint light caught his eye "Kurosaki is that it?"

"Yeah, we've made it" Isshin replied as they exited the tunnel and found themselves in the middle of a field front of a large gate, the sky reminiscent of the skies in the world of the living and the soul society "now the first thing we need to do is deal with…" the ground shook beneath their feet.

"What in the world is this?" Neliel asked in shock as she and many of the others struggled to maintain their footing "an earthquake?"

"No" Isshin answered with sweat running down his face "this is…" suddenly a giant the size of a three story building appeared wielding a sword with a blade the length of a school bus "…a gate keeper!" he swung his blade towards the would be intruders only for most of them to leap away at the last moment.

"Great, that thing seems to be several times stronger than the ones we have back in the Seireitei" Rangiku sighed in frustration.

"Wait a minute" Rukia called out as she took stock of who was still present "where's Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi?"

"I think I know" Ichigo replied when suddenly out of the dust a violent yellow energy shot out threatening to crush anyone who got close "I don't know if I should be happy or annoyed about being right this time."

Kenpachi let out a maniacal laugh as he slowly pushed the gate keeper back and leapt towards it locking blades with the massive giant "now this what I'm talking about!"

"Get him Kenny" Yachiru cheered happily.

"Hold on a second" Isshin called out "theres…"

Before Isshin could finish, Kenpachi caught a glimpse of an axe blade swinging towards him out of his uncovered eye. He avoided it just in time catching a glimpse of a second gatekeeper, his smile stretched into a feral grin, especially when both their spiritual pressures began to sky-rocket.

"Is that guy nuts?" Isshin asked shocked that he could smile in such a situation.

"Pretty much" Toushirou stated bluntly "he's a loose cannon by nature."

"Barbarian" Mayuri hissed under his breath

"Regardless I'm hesitant to trust those two things to Zaraki on his own; I'd feel better if he had one or two people to back him up" Toushirou eyed the man's two subordinates particularly his third seat who seemed to catch on to his implication.

"Well you see Head Captain the reason I asked you to keep that a secret back during the Kusaka incident is because didn't want be swarmed by idiots telling me to 'seek higher office' if you catch my drift" Ikkaku explained "I belong in Squad Eleven under Captain Zaraki."

"Madarame" Toushirou replied "help me out here and I promise one of the first things I'll do when we get back to the Seireitei is sign a decree prohibiting you from being promoted or transferred out of Squad Eleven so long as Zaraki lives."

"You've got yourself a deal" Ikkaku declared happily as he drew his sword much to the shock and confusion of most of the people around him before he shouted "BANKAI" his energy twirled around him in the form of a twister revealing him with a large blade in each hand tied by a thick tethered ropes to a third larger blade behind his back "Ryuumon Hozukimaru!" he immediately dashed towards his Captain.

"I must say you've made him quite happy, Head Captain" Yumichika stated in amusement "he was always afraid someone else would might blow his cover."

"I honestly don't care about that" Toushirou stated bluntly "just tell those two muscle heads to meet us inside when they're done" Yumichika nodded before heading out to observe his superiors.

"Face it, a part of you loves those two lunatics" Elaina teased causing Toushirou to roll his eyes in annoyance as he gestured the group onward.

*With Kenpachi*

"Well now, seems you've been holding out on me Ikkaku" Kenpachi stated in amusement after watching his third seat push back one of the gatekeepers and land next to him.

"The Head Captain made me an offer I couldn't refuse" Ikkaku chuckled.

"Tch, that's not what I care about" Kenpachi continued confusing Ikkaku momentarily "out of all our matches, you've never used that on me?" he removed his eye-patch unleashing a truly beastly spiritual pressure "I can't overlook that…" he grinned in anticipation of fighting against what he could tell was a fine Bankai.

"Let me make it up to you" Ikkaku replied as he to felt the excitement begin to build up.

They were about to engage one another when suddenly the two giants appeared behind them forcing the two strongest men of Squad Eleven to swing their weapons towards their back with a unison shout of "OUT OF MY WAY!" after stumbling for a few moments the two giants regained their balance and prepared for a follow up.

"Damn, these two weaklings are determined to interrupt our fun!" Ikkaku swore in annoyance.

"Quit your belly-aching" Kenpachi ordered "this just means we'll have to use them for our warm-ups before we fight!"

Ikkaku grinned as he replied "good point, Captain."

The two gatekeepers rushed towards their opponents completely unaware of the fact that they didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of winning. In the midst of all the chaos, no one involved in the skirmish or even the two spectators saw their allies opening the main gate.

*Behind the Gate*

Over two five dozen members of squad zero stood at the gate gripping the handles of their Zanpakutou prepared to pounce at the first sign of the incoming invaders. They took their stances as the gates suddenly shook throwing incredibly large amounts of dirt to the ground before they opened violently due to their former colleague and his orange haired son. If not for the ancient artifact controlling their reactions, they would have leapt out of their skin at the sight that greeted them as soon as the gate opened.

Standing right in the gateway was a young woman with green hair and what appeared to be a broken mask on her temple, a younger girl dressed in red with a horned mask, a young man with straw colored hair wearing a business suit wearing a mask similar to the ones Egyptian pharaohs wore in their tombs, an older man with dark black hair dressed in shinigami robes and a white haori sporting a mask with slightly shorter horns than the young girl, and in the center of them all was a young man who appeared to be in his mid to late teens with wild silver hair dressed in attire seemingly identical to the older man with a dragon like mask covering his face.

What would have scared normal soldiers wasn't their numbers; they were clearly out numbered more than ten to one. It wasn't even the monstrous masks all but one of them were wearing or even their incredibly powerful spiritual pressures. No, what would have truly scared any normal soldiers would be the sight of the orbs of pure energy each of them was holding that seemed to be expanding by the millisecond. Almost instantly after the gate fully opened the orbs turned into blasts of incredible destructive force which exploded at the feet of their intended targets, the former Captains never stood a chance.

"And I thought our entrance into the Seireitei was lacking subtly" Uryuu stated as they made their way inside the main courtyard.

"Trust me kid" Elaina commanded the Quincy "there are times when it's better to be subtle and there are times when the exact opposite holds true, and this was definitely the latter."

"Calling me a 'kid' when you look the same age as me" Uryuu thought as he looked at the grinning Captain "I wonder..."

"Don't ask" Elaina advised "or I'll make you wish one of those ceros hit you in the face."

"Cut the chatter" Toushirou ordered with his mask gone "we're in enemy territory now and they know where we are!"

"Yes sir" Elaina replied "following you sure isn't dull, that's for certain."

The rag tag team of humans, shinigami, vaizards, and the one Arrancar found themselves standing in the largest courtyard that any of them had ever seen. There was enough empty space to fit several small villages within, the walls of the fortress city were outlined by large four and five story buildings which the invaders suspected were barracks and storage houses; due to the clutter of buildings and the sheer scope it was impossible for them to tell just how large the grounds where but it was evident that it consumed dozens of miles worth of land. And miles away on the opposite end of the courtyard was a large edo style castle which was big enough to fit a small town inside it.

"With a castle that large it may be easier to just destroy it to flush Izanagi out" Toushirou stated.

"That won't work" Isshin replied "the frame and the foundation are made from seki-seki, we can bring down the walls and windows but it's impossible to make the whole thing collapse."

"Damn it" Toushirou swore.

"Thems the breaks, eh kid?" Shinji asked in a mocking tone.

"Shut up" Toushirou replied in annoyance before asking "which reminds me, why did you and Hiyori tag along."

"An old colleague back from my days as a Captain was promoted to Squad Zero shortly before Aizen betrayed me" Shinji answered "she was very close to Hiyori, no matter what happened, it was clear to me that she was going to follow you here one way or another…"

Memories of Momo flashed through Toushirou's mind "the things we do for family…" he was brought back to reality as numerous white figures began to emerge from the buildings and march towards their location "…Rangiku…"

"Yes?" his faithful lieutenant replied.

"…when this is over…" Toushirou continued as four streams of dark blue energy from the four corners shot of the fortress city shot towards the castle and appeared to meet somewhere deep inside "…I just might join you for some sake…" the number of enemy soldiers continued to grow.

"Well, there's an incentive to stay alive" Rangiku chuckled "we'll get through this, I know it…"

*Within the Palace*

"Finally we're safe" Izanagi stated confidently as he held a sheathed katana in his right hand and the menacing blue orb in his left "the four of you know what to do, now go!"

"Yes father" one of the king's sons replied before moving out in a flash with two of his siblings following suit.

"Why are you still here Susanoo?" Izanagi asked his eldest son.

"Because father, with all due respect I believe you are making a number of tactical mistakes" Susanoo answered calmly but with confidence.

"I admit you were right" Izanagi replied "I should have listened to you when you tried to warn me about these vermin" he tightened his grip on his sword "but rest assured, their luck is about to run out! I've just given the order for the core of our forces to march on them, they'll be no match for the sheer numbers!"

"Our core force?" Susanoo inquired and his father nodded "father, it's unwise to focus half of our military strength on one location when we have them out numbered, please we should…"

"I am the one giving the orders here Susanoo!" Izanagi declared strongly.

"Very well, as you wish, I'll head to my post to guard the crystal" Susanoo replied realizing his father wasn't going to listen "but father should this fail, I implore you to switch your strategy from trying overwhelm them with numbers, to sending out small strike teams to wear them down slowly" he disappeared in a burst of speed "otherwise we won't have an army to conquer the worlds with…"

"Susanoo, that boy is too full of himself" Izanagi stated.

"Still, I think you should consider what he said my lord" a female voice next to Izanagi replied "after all he's been watching the Thirteen Court Guard Squads ever since he was a young lad while the rest of only concerned ourselves with finding suitable weapons, his insight may have helped avoid these minor but annoying setbacks."

"You may be right Izanami" Izanagi admitted "but I'm the one who's in command here, not him. And with the fountain of youth at my disposal, it shall remain so."

"I understand my lord" Queen Izanami replied respectfully as she gripped her weapon ready to follow her husband wherever his will may lead.

*With Toushirou*

"Forgive me for this" Isshin requested as he stabbed another of his old comrades through the heart and he fell to the ground in a pool of blood, he took a moment to around the battlefield to see many white clad figures lying on the ground covered in blood, their killers holding their ground against their 'friends' who paid no attention to their maimed and scattered corpses "it's finally happening."

"Kill" Isshin heard a male voice call out from nearby, he dodged just in time to avoid a lethal blow, however he still dug into Isshin's cheek, Isshin took a moment to regain his footing "kill" the shinigami of Squad Zero repeated only to be slashed across his chest dropping him to the ground.

"Damn you Izanagi" Isshin swore softly when he saw his son struggling against several soldiers "what are you doing Ichigo?" he asked softly.

"Damn it, quit getting in my way!" Ichigo commanded as he swung his Zangetsu which two shinigami blocked with their blades, moments later several horrific images flashed through Ichigo's mind; images of towns being burned, of helpless people being killed by their owners "this is like what happened when I fought Kusaka…" more of them flashed by each more gruesome than the last "…so these are their memories, this must be what my Dad has to live with…"

"ICHIGO, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Isshin yelled at his son.

"Kill" one of his opponents said as he swung his sword down on Ichigo only for his blade to be blocked by the massive crescent sword before Ichigo sent him flying back with a sharp palm strike to his chest.

"Ichigo what' wrong with you?" Isshin asked in a near panic "these guys are out for blood, don't hold back!"

"You're wrong" Ichigo stated shocking his father "just now I saw something, I think they're trying to reach us…"

"Ichigo, listen carefully" Isshin commanded "these people, their humanity is already dead, has been for centuries at least…"

"No, that's not right" Ichigo replied shaken by what he had seen "these guys…their humanity isn't dead, it's just been…covered up, just now they asked me for help…"

"He may be right" Shunsui said calmly as he fought off several soldiers "I've seen a few images as well, memories I suspect from what the Royal Family has had them do."

"If I had to guess, they're all at war within their own bodies" Jyuushiro added as he and Rukia held their ground against three soldiers "trying to do what you managed to accomplish Mr. Kurosaki."

"Then what do we do?" Ichigo asked as he locked blades with another three former Captains.

"Isn't it obvious Ichigo?" Toushirou inquired "whether these people are trying to resist control or not doesn't matter, either way we have no choice but to put them down."

"No, I can't do that" Ichigo replied as his spiritual pressure began to build up "please give me a chance…"

"Ichigo, don't do anything foolish" Rukia called out in concern.

"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo cried out.

Without waiting to hear how any of his allies would react Ichigo dashed into the thick of former Captains and locked blades with a male and female soldier.

"Kill" the two of them chanted as they pressed against Ichigo's katana sending numerous horrific images through his mind "kill."

"Listen to me" Ichigo begged as he leapt back and the soldiers began to group up against him "I know you're trying to ask us for help…"

"Kill" the former Captains continued to chant as they made their towards the orange haired youth.

"Damn it Ichigo" Isshin swore as he tried to make his way over to his son but was halted by five members of Squad Zero.

"…but you have to tell us how" Ichigo explained as he leapt back into the fray, parrying dozens of strikes "please…"

"Kill" a man's voice mumbled.

"Kill" a female voice repeated.

"…you have to tell us how!" Ichigo finished.

What happened next caused Isshin and Rukia's hearts to skip a beat, one of the soldiers swung his blade in an upward motion effectively breaking Ichigo's stance followed by three blades which struck his chest sending him flying back like a cannon ball.

"ICHIGO!" Rukia screamed as she ran up to her friend followed closely by Isshin.

"Kill" the soldiers of Squad Zero continued to chant.

"Ichigo, you idiot" Isshin said as he struggled to keep his composure.

"Kill" the former Captains repeated.

"How could you?" Rukia asked enraged by what she had just seen "you're the bastards who asked him for help and this is how you repay him?"

"Kill…kill…kill…" they continued to chant which infuriated Rukia further, but she found herself stunned when a red liquid poured from their eyes staining their clothes and the ground below them.

"Tears of…blood?" Rukia stated in confusion.

"Kill…kill…" the chanting continued "…us..."

The invaders found themselves shocked at what they were hearing as their enemies continued to march towards them.

"Kill us, kill us" a female soldier begged her bloody tears creating a stream down her cheeks.

"What's this feeling guilty now of all times?" Rukia asked angrily "when it's already over?"

"You're wrong Rukia" Ichigo told her shocking the small woman as he sat up.

"Ichigo are you alright?" Rukia asked when she suddenly noticed that despite all the force of the attacks there wasn't a sign of any blood on Ichigo's body "but how?"

"At the last moment just before their swords struck" Isshin began "they flipped their blades sparring him a fatal wound."

"So they've regained…" Rukia began.

"Kill us…kill us…" they continued to chant.

"I'm afraid not" Alexander began solemnly "it would seem their true selves appear to have awakened, but they're not in control" the warlock felt sympathy for the former captains "I'm afraid this surfacing of emotion won't last for long."

"Which means, I was right unfortunately" Toushirou stated with a heavy tone as he stood in front of his subordinates and associates "there's only one thing any of us can do for them" he turned his gaze towards Ichigo "feel free to hate me if you want Ichigo…"

"Kill us…"

"…but there is no other option" Toushirou continued as his spiritual pressure began to build up "everyone stand back for a minute" the skies began to blacken as the unwilling guards drew closer "Reign over the frosted frozen heavens" it started to snow "Hyourinmaru!" at the sound of the Zanpakutou's name a loud burst of thunder rang throughout the surrounding land as its master leapt into the air and swung his sword horizontally sending half a dozen ice dragons racing towards the guards freezing over thirty of them before shattering into dust "I'm sorry…"

"Thank…you…" Toushirou looked around in shock at the word which seemed to come from nowhere.

"Head Captain look!" Youmei called out pointing Toushirou towards a mass of soldiers approaching from the castle "there must be hundreds of them at least…"

"They could be a thousand strong" Byakuya noted "what should we do? If we all unleash our Bankais we should be able to take them, however…we may all be too drained to be of further use."

"Improvise" Toushirou replied calmly causing the normally stoic Captain of Squad Six to raise an eyebrow "it'll only take two of us to destroy their reinforcements and we'll do it in an instant" many of the Captains looked at him in confusion "Captain Soi Fon, listen up, I need your Bankai."

*Back with Izanagi*

"What is that brat doing now?" Izanagi wondered as he looked through the orb and saw Toushirou fly into the air with his Bankai holding what appeared to be a female Captain under the shoulders wielding a large artillery like weapon with her right arm "doesn't matter, now that I've mobilized the core of Squad Zero, my victory has been assured."

Izanagi nearly died of a heart attack when in a matter of seconds the female Captain fired off a projectile which landed smack dab in the middle of his army and exploded with enough force to shake the very building he was sitting in despite the seki-seki and the barrier which guarded him. The rumbling caused him and his wife to drop to the floor for what seemed like an eternity, when the shaking finally stopped he looked into the orb to see that nothing remained of the core of his royal guard and in their place was a towering mushroom cloud.

"Damn them" Izanagi swore "fine, I'll do this Susanoo's way!"

*Back with Toushirou and company*

The young Head Captain finally landed with his subordinate in hand after pouring what felt like the bulk of his power just trying to support her against the insane kick of her Bankai which he could have sworn was going to kill them both. When he released Soi Fon she dropped to one knee and began panting heavily from the strain.

"Well if nothing else, I think we've managed to make them mad" Isshin stated "if my estimates are right we've destroyed roughly two thirds of their army already, I must say I'm impressed."

"But we've all exhausted quite a bit of energy" Shunsui added "the sooner we take down the barrier and the King, the better."

"Unfortunately, after this display I fear Izanagi will start using a little more strategy as opposed to just trying to overwhelm us with numbers" Isshin continued "he'll probably try to wear us down with smaller periodic attacks from now on."

"So what's the plan Toushirou?" Rangiku asked.

"There are four crystals maintaining that barrier" Toushirou began "one in the West, one in the Northwest, one in the Northeast, and one in the east" he traced the streams of energy to guess their directions "the rest of us will fall back to the other side of the gate to use it as a funnel for any enemy forces, in the meantime we'll have to send four teams out to destroy the crystals, once that's done I should be recovered and I'll destroy Izanagi."

"I'll destroy the crystal to the east" Byakuya offered.

"And I'll go with him" Youmei stated and Toushirou nodded.

"What do you say Shuuhei?" Elaina asked her lieutenant "feel up for taking care of the western crystal?"

"Whatever you say Captain" Shuuhei answered causing Elaina to smile.

"I volunteer to take the Northeast" Jyuushiro offered before turning his gaze towards Shunsui "don't even think about it old friend, I think it'd be best for at least one of us to remain here to guard the Head Captain" he turned towards his young subordinate "Rukia if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course" Rukia replied as she ran up to her Captain.

"Wait a minute" Ichigo added "I'm coming with you" his expression was more grave and serious; this Izanagi needs to pay, I'll do what I can."

"I appreciate your help Ichigo" Jyuushiro replied gratefully "so young and yet he has to see this…"

"Then that just leaves me with one in the North West" Alexander stated "as soon as we take them down, you should have an opening to go after the King."

"Very well, I'm counting on all of you" Toushirou informed them "just make sure to come back alive got it?"

"You got it" Elaina replied cheerfully before disappearing with a shunpo followed by Shuuhei.

"Take care" Youmei said in good nature as she and Byakuya raced off.

"Look out for everyone while I'm gone Shunsui" Jyuushiro moved out with Ichigo and Rukia following closely behind.

"Be careful, Alex" Retsu asked in a worried tone as he beloved nodded and head out to carry out his mission "please don't lose to your past…"

*With Youmei and Byakuya*

"Well I wasn't expecting this" Youmei stated as she and Byakuya made their way to a forest like clearing and began looking for any signs of the crystal they were seeking, the sound of chirping threw her off for a moment "didn't think there would be birds here…"

"What can I say, the four of us like to add our own little touch for our assigned areas" a female voice called out drawing the attention of both Captains as she emerged from behind a rather large tree. She appeared to be in her mid to late twenties, her wavy jet black hair reached down to her waist, her dark brown eyes stood in stark contrast to her pale complexion and her light green robes "my name is Tsukuyomi, I'm the daughter of King Izanagi…and your executioner."

*With Jyuushiro, Ichigo, and Rukia*

They found themselves standing in the middle of what appeared to be a large pond which reached half way up their shins. Standing before them was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties with an incredibly muscular build, early thirties with short brown hair and matching eyes, like wise his kimono was a dark brown.

"My name is Inari, your meaningless struggle ends here" he introduced himself simply.

*With Elaina and Shuuhei*

The leaders of squad nine stood in the middle of what appeared to be a large empty field which somehow seemed to be unnaturally bright to the shinigami. In front of them stood a young woman who appeared to be in her late teens, like her siblings she had brown eyes and like her sister she had jet black hair, however hers only went down to her shoulders and was considerably straighter. She wore a dark violet kimono.

"Hello, my name is Amaterasu" she said cheerfully "are you two pretties ready to die?"

*With Alexander*

Alexander found himself at the top of what appeared to be a small mountain with an extraordinary view of the entire fortress city.

"Quite the view isn't it?" Susanoo asked as he appeared before the Captain "allow me to introduce myself, I'm the eldest son of the Royal Family, my name is Prince Susanoo" he had short black hair, a thin build, dark brown eyes, and small square glasses; his face suggested he was in his mid to late thirties and his black kimono in combination with his glasses gave him a more scholarly appearance "I must say I'm glad you were the one who came to see me, Prince Alexander of the Warlock Tribe…"

"How the hell does he know about that?" Alexander wondered in alarm as he drew his swords.

Author's Notes: 28 Chapters down, God only knows how many more to go XD

Hope to have Chapter 29 up by the middle of next month at the latest if possible, anyway happy new year everyone, here's hoping 2011 will be a better year than 2010…seriously 2010 was a bitch of a year…

Anyway just to provide clarity since there are so many characters in place I'm just going to list who's joined Toushirou for his little assassination mission.

Rangiku

Alexander

Elaina

Youmei

Shuuhei

Byakuya

Mayuri

Nemu

Shunsui

Jyuushiro

Rukia

Isshin

Ichigo

Soi Fon

Shinji

Hiyori

Neliel

Kenpachi

Yachiru

Ikkaku

Yumichika

Uryuu

Orihime