Part 29: The Princess


"Merged!", came Uryu's voice, once again beating Ichigo to the punch with a single describing word for what had appeared before them. "I'll take the snake head!"

"Idiot!", Ichigo barked back, already angling his sword toward the lion head despite his words. They could discuss who was really in charge after they killed this thing "No, I can just cut the snake head off with my Zanpakuto! Uryu, focus on the lion- WHOA!"

This thing was fast. Or at least the snake head was, lashing down and biting into his blade even as he dodged back, trying to tear it from his hands. It twisted and writhed grotesquely, arm-length fangs preventing the blade from getting any momentum while the other two heads acted to prevent Reeve and Uryu from helping, the goat head deflecting the burning sword with horns that looked even stronger now that they were this close, and the lion unleashing a energy blast from its mouth to counter every arrow the living shadow surrounding them didn't already block.

And it was the living shadow which would eventually kill them, Ichigo realized in a slowly-growing panic. The orange barriers around Reeve and himself could ward off a thousand bladed tendrils of darkness, but a few good hits from those heads would knock them down completely. Then they'd be eviscerated from every possible direction, with no chance to survive. Even as he watched, a fraction of spikes went shooting out for Uryu across the valley, forcing Inoue to put down a third shining barrier around him, dividing her concentration even further. Grunting angrily, he forced his arms upward and wrenched Zangetsu out of the serpent's maw.

"No time for playing around!", he grunted, batting aside a charge by the goat head and leaping away from the serpent's next lunge just in time. "GETSUGAAA-"

The lion's head had suddenly stopped shooting at Uryu to focus on him, forcing him to leap back yet again. Stupid! This isn't just a dumb beast. A human mind is directing its actions, even if it's a very young human mind. It's a... dream-beast. Sure enough he could see both of them from here, the girl in her ball gown and the old man in his green jacket wordlessly directing their Ianzamentosfrom the top of the spire. "-And I am getting really damn sick of all my attacks getting interrupted like that!"

"Then perhaps you shouldn't make them so long to say, young man", Barton Eishinchi offered from high above as if merely dispensing friendly advice to them. "Anyone could take advantage of such a huge opening. You should consider yourself lucky that miss Yui hasn't shut down that option entirely yet."

"You'll excuse us if we don't climb on up there to thank ya for that, old fart", Reeve scowled, mirroring Ichigo's own irritation. He'd scored a few grazing hits on the side heads, but neither one burned as well as a real animal would have. Any attempt at conjuring fireballs like the kind he'd attacked the train with was met with the lion head's own breath projectile. "We're a little busy here, yeah?"

"Hm. By all means", Barton shrugged, pressing his cane into the dirt as he leaned closer, devoid of threat in his words despite their meaning. "I do hope you realize what you're getting yourself into here, Mr. Pastell. The Shinigami aren't exactly known for their mercy towards defectors. Why else do you think I haven't joined with you?"

"Not too late- AH!", the younger Spirit Eater grunted back, trying to leap up and strike the lion head only for the serpent to slip itself around his leg, its mouth opening wide to try and finish it with one bite and only the sword of fire keeping it at bay. "My main man Ichigo here can set things straight with the Soul Society bigwigs if ya give yourself up. Won't ya boss?"

"Not the time, idiot!" Leaping up himself, Ichigo slashed down into hard scales and was content to see the snake writhe and pull back to the main body, his partner's life saved for the moment. "Try paying attention to the fight for once!"

"Got it! Yeesh!"

"Doesn't matter anyway", Barton remarked dejectedly. "My purpose is nearly done. My destiny is nearly done, and I can't turn back now. O Home Sombra still wants a fight- even if I left it would continue to assault you."

Beside him Adre looked equally hurt, or perhaps that was just concentration on the three-headed beast's movements, but no less willing to give up, sticking out her tongue at the two as they fought. "Yeah! Go away, stupid Shinigami! You're mean! No one likes you!"

Ichigo might have rolled his eyes if he'd had time. As it was, he calmly reached up and donned the fearsome jawed bone mask of his Inner Hollow, also working to ignore that being's high-pitched voice in his head, the one which had just advised him to fire a fully-charged Getsuga Tensho directly at the old man and the princess instead of her pet, killing them both in agony.

No. They're humans. It would probably just get blocked anyway. Or worse, absorbed...

With this enhancement bolstering reflexes and strength, he could finally keep up with all three heads at once. The same could not be said for Reeve, who took a high leap towards the spire as if on the same wavelength as Ichigo, flaming sword in hand, only for the three-headed beast to unleash another blast from the lion head and smack him back down just in time for the goat's head to charge, shrieking terribly. More arrows from Uryu flew clanging off fur and fang, but the creature ignored the pain for the moment and struck.

Without Orihime's protective barrier, Reeve would have been completely run through by those horns. To Ichigo's newly-yellowed eyes they seemed to have gotten longer since they started, yet another effect of Adre's imagination, as sharp as any sword but still unable to penetrate. Instead that head merely slid back with a muffled howl, and then the orange protection surrounding their newest ally began to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces.

"Damn!"

Once again Ichigo's will conflicted with that of his Inner Hollow, making him hesitate for a fatal moment. The latter wanted to take the opening to strike a death blow to the beast, but the former could not just leave a companion to die like that. Even one he didn't particularly like. Already the shadow surrounding them had begun to close in on the white-haired teen, no longer barred by Inoue's power.

So he moved, the combined swiftness of Hollow and Shinigami getting him over to the body in a breath. His barrier held, a thousand dark appendages bouncing off and waving back and forth in frustration. Reeve was safe. Both of them were... except now he couldn't move away from that spot.

Then the dream-beast was on them again, and Ichigo could only concentrate on dodging and blocking, and unable to do very much of the first one. "INOUE!", he screamed through the mask, desperation overriding his manners. "Another barrier! NOW!"

To his relief, she'd heard him over the growing din of the fight and wasted no time. Inoue's strange snowflake-shaped hair decs flew out over the valley towards them to renew Reeve's barrier, flickered with spiritual energy-

And were suddenly gone. Swallowed up by the field of darkness separating them. "NO! ICHIGO!", she shouted in absolute terror.

The realization slowed him down almost fatally, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. Of course those hair decs cast tiny shadows of their own. Of course Barton's power could intercept them even as it continued to prod at Ichigo's barrier and stretch its deadly bladed grasp towards Uryu and Orihime. In just a bit longer, Adre's dream-beast would slam into that barrier one too many times. It would break, and they would both die there.

Damn... is this it?

He hadn't even seen Tatsuki. That, above all else, was the dark thought that nearly brought him to his knees even as his sword arm continued to work at a frantic pace to buy him a few more seconds of precious life. All of this preparation, their sacrifices, their alliance for the sole purpose of saving their friend, and now they couldn't even get to her.

NO. Not happening. I saved Rukia, I saved Orihime, I WILL-

Now O Home Sombra seemed to have covered them already, impatient to get on with the finale as it completely blocked out the light of the sun, along with Ichigo's hope-

Wait. That's not O Home Sombra. That's-

He leaped, carrying Reeve's body and avoiding the dream-beast's lunge. That's a different shadow!

A second later, the new shadow's owner impacted the ground next to them. And it was big. Very big. It felt like a small earthquake, kicking up enough dust to partially hide it along with sight of Adre's dream-beast, presumably along with her sight of them. Which was good, because for the next few breaths, Ichigo could not take his eyes off the new arrival.

It was one of the drum rocks, the strange mountains that had littered the valley like spikes on an enormous cactus. Small for mountains, but larger by far than any of them. Larger than the dream-beast. Big enough to crush buildings under without a trace. Someone had thrown it into the air, allowed it to come down directly in the middle of the battle plain. Now it cast its own shadow across the valley, the angle of the sun blocking out O Home Sombra in their general area, at least for the time being.

'Someone'. He smiled knowingly, eyes nearly shut even though his mask was protecting them from the dust. "...Good job, Sado-kun."

His friend was still too far away to hear that of course, but the sudden flare of his spiritual pressure was all the signal he needed. The pillar was on its side, almost completely blocking the valley along with their sight of Uryu and Inoue, something he found distressing... but now he could do something about the people who had been causing them so much trouble. He dropped Reeve- could afford to now that they weren't constantly under attack- and raised Zangetsu high. "NOW! GETSUGAAAA TENSHOOO!"

He hadn't been aiming at the dream-beast. Between the dust storm Chad's attack had kicked up and the creature's partial transparency he still couldn't quite make it out. It was either luck or direction from Adre that put it directly in the path of the black wave as it sped along the ground, crushing everything in its path, ripping through the beast and stopping just shy of the metal shutter.

The creature fell apart, dying with three howls of varied but equally agonized pitch, and Ichigo looked up again, seeing the way their two opponents had been nearly knocked over by the sheer force of the attack that had not even properly hit them.

"Care to reconsider that surrender, old man?!"

"Hardly", Barton said simply through a curtain of dust, nodding towards the massive stone pillar and the way it was holding his own shadow pinned to the ground. "You can't stop O Home Sombrathat way for long. Princess Adre's power will keep us both safe in the meantime. In just a few minutes he'll eat through that pillar, and then... and then... oh dear."

Ichigo followed his frightened gaze upwards, then cursed and dropped to the ground. The second rock pillar, though smaller, was even messier than the first, striking the top of the spire and sending debris flying everywhere, both the Spirit Eaters disappearing in a cloud of destruction. For what felt like a long white he did nothing but dodge, occasionally deflecting a rock that would have brained Reeve or himself. Only once it was over did he look back at the ruined spire and search it for signs of life.

"You said a few minutes", he called hopefully into the billowing dust. "You have that long to give up. I don't want to kill something that's so close to a human soul, but I will."

Hah! You pathetic liar. You don't have the guts to kill a human! Wimp!

Maybe, he thought back in irritation at his Hollow's annoying high-pitched voice. But they don't know that. "Thirty seconds, old man! Either get down on the ground or step aside and let us pass! You too, princess!"

The dust had caked his mask, and he actually found himself coughing as he waited for it to settle, for his time limit to expire. Messy, but effective. I knew Sado was strong with those upgraded arms, I just didn't know how strong until now. "Ten seconds! Nine! Eight! Seven! Si-"

An invisible wall sent him sprawling away from Reeve. By the time he'd stood up again, the dust had finally gone and he could see his assailant. "Oh."

Barton was down. His cane was lying on the ground meters away, and it looked like he'd taken the worst of the fall, kneeling on the ground and unable to fight back.

It was Adre who had struck him. It was Adre who had generated the new creature towering over them, an armoured knight nearly the size of Sajin Komamura's Bankai giant, its sword edge wider and longer than Ichigo's entire body. Transparent as the previous dream-beast had been, but no less dangerous for it.

He stared up and up and up, his Hollow mask hiding his emotions save what could be seen in the yellow eyes. All he could think to say was "Oh".

Adre gestured in abject fury, and the building-sized blade flew down at him...


"That's it", Matoba finished just as he'd started- with a deep breath, though this one remained tinged with a great deal more regret. "That's everything that happened to me. To both of us."

Both the captains had taken his story in calmly, never once interrupting or asking for clarification. He wasn't sure how long they'd been there, listening to him reveal all the secrets he would just as soon have forgotten. It felt like days had gone by, and his throat was parched.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Arisawa-san", the long white-haired one spoke up after a moment. "I realize this can't have been easy for you."

"No", he agreed, too tired and frightened for humour. "It wasn't. What... what will happen to Yoruichi now?"

The ancient one shook his head, sunlight gleaning off the scars crossing his forehead. "That is a matter for the Central 46 to decide. We merely present the evidence of the crime to them, for them to interpret."

Not what he'd wanted to hear. Despite growing fatigue, Matoba stepped forward and forced himself to look into Yamamoto's withered-looking eyes despite the impossible willpower behind them. "I hope I remembered to mention that she was there on a mission for you. To stop humanity from destroying itself with nuclear weapons."

"You mentioned that fact several times", Ukitake assured him soothingly. "Central 46 will know of that as well- they are the ones who originally authorized that mission to interfere with the human world."

"That is not the crime", his aged colleague seconded. "Yoruichi Shihoin's crime is revealing crucial Shinigami secrets to a human. To multiple humans."

"She had no choice!", Matoba spat in exasperation. "They had a goddamn gun to my head!"

"Then she should have allowed you to die, Arisawa." The word were not cruel at all, completely matter-of-fact, and Matoba hated that. It would be so much easier, so simple to hate the head captain if he was more smug about this. "Harsh as it may sound, we cannot risk the veil of secrecy between our worlds over the life of one human, not if it is one human threatening another. We are the gatekeepers to the world of the dead, not the living."

Just as he'd known it would, his furious gaze crumbled first before the head captain's scars and red-eyed gaze. These were transmortal beings that stared death in the face every day, who were the Gods of death. They could not be bullied or cajoled, or even pleaded with. He felt hot tears welling up in his eyes.

"I know. I know. I should not have lived. If I'd died back then, none of this craziness would've happened. My niece Tatsuki would be safe and sound back in Karakura town none the wiser, and you wouldn't be having to defend your homes against living weapons specifically designed to destroy Shinigami. But..."

Doubtless Yamamoto was expecting more demands for compassion from the look in his shrewd eyes, though Ukitake still seemed willing to listen to his blubbering. "...But. You Shinigami have lived so much longer than I have. There's a lot that I don't know about your people... but you can't say that you've never done something foolish like this. Not if you were ever in love with someone!"

This wasn't quite the winning hand he'd wanted it to be, but neither one of them showed complete scorn for his rash words either. "I understand your position", Ukitake noted, trying to smile reassuringly at him. "It's for the best if you don't worry yourself about it too much. Ex-captain Shihoin knew the price of disobeying orders... it's not the first time that she's been charged with a serious crime, and she survived the first time."

"Through exile", Matoba noted grumpily. "Or so I've heard."

"Through exile", Ukitake repeated grimly. "You have heard our head captain's words of this matter, but we- I will make sure to mention that previous sentencing, even if the crime is not quite the same as the one she'd been previously found guilty of based on false evidence a century ago."

Small reassurance. But Matoba nodded weakly back at him, recognizing the effort being put forth on his part. Exile? The former stealth squad commander had already lived for decades in exile, a wanderer only connected to a handful of allies. "T...thank you for your mercy, Shinigami. I suppose I should be going now."

When he left the room, the guards went with him. It felt like an eternity until one of them decided on a way to break the tension. "He was completely cooperative, taicho. His story checks out. And he is right- many Shinigami have made rash decisions in the past when someone we cared about was in danger."

As expected, Yamamoto looked vaguely disappointed by his colleague's compassion, red eyes narrowed in disapproval and voice filled with mighty authority. "We may never know. I can only pray to the Spirit King that not all of us would be so weak as to be willing to betray our entire civilization for the life of one person they become attached to."

"She couldn't have known it would go this fa-"

"Silence." Though the head captain's reproach was as powerful and biting as ever, he didn't look to be angry at Shihoin or Ukitake. Kneeling down once more, he stared into his ancient, creased hands, staring past the skin and at the mighty surging power beneath, looking strangely melacholy. "He knew what we are. He showed us fear no human should ever have to display towards us. A single human can come to terms with our existence and duties, and learn to coexist, yes?"

Now Ukitake just felt confused. Had they traded places without him knowing? This kind of argument was the last one he'd expected the staunchly traditionalist head captain Yamamoto to make. He knelt down opposite his old master and father, mirroring him and figuring it couldn't hurt to play opposite roles for once.

"True, but we could never reveal ourselves to human society as a whole. Humans like Ichigo Kurosaki and his human friends are exceptional people, far more accepting than most. As cynical as it sounds, a great majority of the humans are more like Jutani Zatsua or that Frigeld Han person Hitsugaya-taicho fought in the world of the living. Paranoid. Superstitious. Illogical. Easily led by false convictions into hatred. They could never accept having Shingami protecting their souls without permission."

"Naturally. If the humans knew of us, our missions to their worlds would become impossible. The law forbids contact for a reason."

The elder captain shifted uncomfortably, and Ukitake went very still. "It's alright, master. I know your wisdom. Whatever you want to say to me is worth considering."

Yamamoto's eyes widened, suddenly looking a bit less tired. He gave a dry chuckle. "...I appreciate that. You and Shunsui, my sons, and all of the others... You do me proud... most of the time, hmhmhmhm. For a long time have I dwelled on how things have changed in the world of the living since I first formed the Gotei 13 to defend our way of life."

"Humanity has changed a great deal in the past centuries", he agreed gently. "Not only cultural attitudes, but in morals and social traditions. It was not so long ago that they forbade their women to participate in the greater multitude of physically-taxing jobs, though it seemed silly to us at the time."

"A century ago", his master mused, his eyes unreadable slits, "would a remarkable human such as Kurosaki Ichigo have even existed? Or would any attempted Substitute Shinigami let their primeval fear rule them and turn on us, believing us to be evil? Why has the number of spiritually-sensitive humans increased so much in just the past fifty years, allowing them to see us, even interact with us? Is there a message here that we are blind to?"

Ukitake frowned. "We know the reason for Karakura Town, master. The same reason that so many Hollows and other ghosts are always attracted to it. It is the site of your greatest victory-"

His master held up a hand, speaking softly. "There is no need for flattery, now- I was not alone in that victory. More concerning to me is the emergence of similar humans in other lands." Staring into the sunlight in search of answers, he stroked his beard in contemplation. "I am no longer as foolishly overconfident as when I formed this organization as a youngster. I can no longer trust myself to comprehend the divine will of the Spirit King, if that is indeed His influence. From now on, I dare only place my faith in the laws of the world we swore to defend, and to purge our ranks of future threats no matter the situation. I know of no other life, and shall stay to my path 'till the end."

Even if he did not grasp all the intended implications of that declaration- for his master had always been cryptic and full of unspoken concerns in his speech- its tone remained dangerously clear to him. For once, the head captain sounded resigned. Weary, even.

With the utmost caution, he raised one arm to the man's shoulder, the most base effort to comfort him but the only one he could think of at the moment to restore his confidence. "Master. None of this was due to faults in your leadership. No one could have done it any better. The recent traitors chose their paths based on hatred for us over misunderstandings and old grudges, refusing to see the bigger picture. If the other captains were here now, they would say the same thing."

Having no talent for deception or flattery, Ukitake meant every word. While he could not deny the recent chains of events could possibly be the hint that they'd displeased the world somehow and were thus slated for destruction from within, it could just as well be a dozen other factors. And regardless, their services in banishing souls were still needed in the world of the living, would be defended to their dying breath.

"Correct, of course", Yamamoto sighed, rising at last. "Tradition and honour is a far more powerful force than any Shinigami or Hollow. I must make my report on Shihoin's crimes alone now. You... go rescue the Matoba human."

His friend raised a pale eyebrow. "Rescue? You foresaw an attack on him?"

"No." The old man gave a wily laugh, shaking himself free of depression. "I merely recognized his mood. A man like that resorts to his reliable vices when faced with a crisis such as this. And since he has just used the last of the tobacco plant he brought from the human world..."

Without even realizing it, Ukitake felt himself placing one palm to his forehead in exasperation. "...He'll ask for one of our pipes to smoke on. Not realizing that ours is many magnitudes stronger than anything meant for humans. Yes taicho, I'll go right away."


When the massive rush of air not unlike the winds he'd experienced in the upper atmosphere of Soul Society suddenly cut off, Ichigo dared raise his head from behind Zangetsu and knew he wasn't dead.

Not even close, in fact. The limber Shinigami woman standing before him, holding the massive blade back with only her bare hands as the braided tails of her blue hair dangled down, must have been waiting for just this moment to zip in and interfere and make him look dependent.

"You're a fool, Kurosaki Ichigo", 2nd squad captain Soifon gritted out, the strain of holding back Adre's latest dream-beast competing with her natural disdain for him. "How do you expect to defeat an enemy who will not surrender, when you're not willing to kill them? You've only dragged your friends into a fight that your lack of conviction makes impossible to win! Pathetic!"

To punctuate that statement, she grunted and pressed upwards further, cratering the earth beneath her feet until the sword was finally pushed back altogether... and with a souvenir. From this distance it was hard to make out, but Ichigo could certainly spot the outline of some kind of shining symbol on the sword, flashing like a fresh brand where Soifon had braced it. He knew it well. A butterfly...

The sounds ringing out above their heads after that was not the captain's deadly follow-up strike, but another familiar face laying into the colossal knight with a spiked chain ball nearly as oversized as the creature's own weapon. Suitable for the massive portly man who wielded it, a massive silhouette laughing heartily as he descended from the sky. "Ya-HAAAA! TAKE THIS, YOU CRETIN!"

There was a crashing noise, and the giant roared. In the sunlight he couldn't quite make out the details, but it wasn't hard to figure when the black-haired man landed squarely in front of his captain. While normally his puggish features combined with his girth made him look oafish and rude, in this case a child's joy had gripped him and he nearly dropped his Zanpakuto in glee. "Yeahhh! That'll show you not to mess with Marechiyo Yoshiayamenosuke Nikkotaroemon-"

His gloating turned into howling as Soifon gripped his ear from behind. "Enough, Omaeda. You were supposed to attack the enemy at the source, not at this pitiful illusion. I should have figured you couldn't even handle such a simple task."

"Your lieutenant", Ichigo grumbled from behind them, trying to regain his vigor. "I guess the whole squad's here too?"

Soifon remained cold, refusing even to turn around. While they had never clashed directly, Yoruichi had told him enough about her former disciple that he wasn't offended by it. "...Correct. The others are creating a perimeter. We have come to eliminate the enemy presence. And to arrest you, Kurosaki Ichigo. For too long has your disobedience gone unchecked- now it has nearly cost innocent humans their lives."

He couldn't help but sigh. He had figured from the start that the Seritei's leaders might react this way to his plan. Can't afford to get tangled up with 'em right now though. Tatsuki's still waiting. I owe everyone who followed me here not to quit now, not that I ever would. "Heh... Yorichi-san really was right about you all along. Still can't drop the stick, can you? You couldn't even learn that from your master?"

The captain's backhand was automatic, but expected. He needed to see it, to see if his speed was even close to a match for the supposed 'master assassin' of the Soul Society. Fortunately, with Tensa Zangetsu still in his hand, it became merely a glancing blow. Good. She's still not quite as fast as Yoruichi is. If I keep my head, I can keep up with her.

"Hey! Don't insult the captain, runt!", Omaeda growled over at him. "Way we saw it, you guys were gonna get killed anyway. You peasants should be thanking us, on bent knee!"

"Omaeda", Soifon murmured as sharp as before. "The matter at hand first. The rest of the squad have orders only to create a perimeter. Or can I not trust you with defeating a mere child?"

The massive man stumbled back from the rebuke but set his jaw, glaring up at the knight which was still over four times his own height. "Uh, right! Right! Just sit back, Taicho! I'll handle this fatso!"

Which leaves her to monitor me, make sure I don't go anywhere, Ichigo guessed. Despite her apparent youth, the assassin leader wouldn't just leave him an opening to run away even if he'd wanted to.

In any case, it gave him a moment to look around. For several whole minutes he'd forgotten to worry about his friends who had accompanied him to this battle, and he wasn't quite sure whether to be ashamed or proud about that. He could feel Chad, Uryu and Inoue's energy signatures as they worked their way around the massive stone column to meet up with him. Reeve on the other hand had begun to stir over to his right, his hair a dusty mess. "Ungh... somebody tell that bus to get back here and face the music-HUH? What's goin' on here, boss?"

"The 2nd squad showed up to arrest us", Ichigo pointed out plainly, trying not to show any amusement or righteous anger at that presumption. "They think they can handle the Spirit Eaters by themselves."

Again the strike came fast as lightning and again he only barely dodged. "Look, captain. I appreciate the help, but I came here to save one of my friends, not to watch your people kill her."

"That", Soifon replied bitterly, staring off into the sun, "is not your call to make, Kurosaki. These creatures are a grave threat to our world and everything we stand for. They cannot be allowed to live. Would you have us spare a Hollow merely because you became 'friends' with it?"

He decided now was not a good time to talk about Nel. "Not even close to the same thing. Tatsuki was my best friend long before... before whatever this is happened to her. I've known her my whole life. All I want to do is talk to her, and make her see reason."

But the captain's mouth remained set in a firm line. "Denied. Our orders are clear. Not only have you interfered here, but already you have violently liberated one of our own prisoners." Shifting away slightly from Omaeda's battle, Soifon eyed Reeve sternly. "That would be you I assume, Spirit Eater. Your spiritual pressure is a near copy of Kurosaki's, only weaker. You will be executed here, along with the rest of your kind."

He could see how Reeve's sharp eyes froze at that sudden sentencing. Certainly the normally-cocky Spirit Eater knew how outclassed he was here, and he could no longer be certain that his 'boss' would save him from death this time.

Stepping back, he did not even bother summoning the burning sword that had become his trademark weapon, instead throwing up his hands in fear. "H-hey. Hey now, I don't want any trouble, yeah? I jus' came along to help Ichigo stop these guys! I've, uh, seen the light and all that, yeah? I swear pretty lady if you let me live, I'll just go back home to Naruki city and never bother anyone, okay?"

Ichigo groaned quietly, tensing for what he knew would happen next; Soifon raising the dagger-shaped golden nail on her finger. Despite its puny size compared to a sword-type Zanpakuto, Suzumebachi could instantly kill with a mere two strikes in the same location. With the blue-haired woman's incredible speed, those hits could happen in seconds. "Don't", he insisted, raising his own weapon and trying to predict her lunge. Really, really, REALLY don't want to do this...! "That man swore loyalty to me. He's my...", he trailed off, not quite able to choke out the word 'servant', "...ally. He knows things about the Spirit Eaters no Shinigami does."

It had been mainly intended as a delaying measure, but he was surprised to see the assassin's gray eyes widen in a hint of compassion. "Unfortunately, Kurosaki, that's yet another reason to eliminate him. I've read the reports. You fought him before, when he attacked a train full of innocent people. At the slightest chance, this toad can drain the reiatsu of a Shinigami through direct skin contact, and use their own powers and knowledge against them. I will not let that happen."

Too late. Given a few more seconds of talk he might have been in a better position to leap between the two and start a proper duel against the master assassin- one he'd been dreading since her arrival but not one he had thought impossible to win. Instead Soifon had simply lunged the moment the last word left her mouth, the deadly spike of gold descending in a blur towards Reeve's neck before he could even cry out-

And flew back with a shocked cry, shoulder sizzling from where it had rammed into the orange barrier suddenly blocking her.

"Inoue", Ichigo breathed in relief. He could feel her concentrated resolve, just as he could feel Reeve's completely relief that Death had given him a pass-over... and feel Soifon's anger at being denied. "Thank you."

Stepping out from behind the small outcropping, Orihime smiled shyly and nodded, Chad walking up behind her equally firm in their goal, carrying something on his back. "Please! There's no need to kill someone. Not ever. At least, that is what I believe!"

The young Spirit Eater seemed just as shocked as his would-be killer, slowly getting himself up off the ground, his green street jacket still smoking, only able to nod back with terrified eyes. "Th... thanks girly. I really... I mean, wow..."

"It's fine", she replied, eyes shining bright in that way only hers could. Though not nearly as innocent as Ichigo had known them to be before he'd become a Shinigami, she remained to this day the closest thing to an 'innocent' he had ever known. "Everyone makes mistakes. You've made some big ones, Reeve-san... but I don't believe you should be killed. You're still a human."

"All evidence to the contrary", he chuckled, still at a loss as to how to repay that favour. For a moment Ichigo saw him start to try and take her hand, then quickly remembered what would happen and drew his hand back. "...Sorry. Almost forgot."

"I'll bet", Ichigo called, removing the mask and shaking his head. "Where's Uryu?"

"Catching up", Chad explained briskly. He understood as well as the rest that the fight wouldn't just stop while they got sentimental. "You know how he is around Shinigami who aren't you."

"Do I ever." Just as the young Quincy would never completely drop his grudge towards the Soul Society which had decimated his people, neither would Soifon let him participate any more than she would tolerate Reeve's existence. Can't beat her and Adre at the same time... just hope that Omaeda can keep her busy a bit longer while we decide how to finish this without anyone getting killed.

"The stone pillars I dropped", Chad reminded him, dropping his cargo and stepping up beside him so that they formed a protective line between the other two and the other battles going on. "They won't last forever- I saw the shadow chewing through them as we went around on the other side."

That didn't exactly help his concentration. Soifon was out there too. He could feel her pressure, waiting for the chance to kill the Spirit Eaters and immobilize the rest of them. Just his luck that she chose to focus on them first.

"Well, boss?" Even Reeve sounded concerned. "Time for us to play our trump card, yeah?"

"No. Not yet." The last thing he wanted was to draw more attention to them, give the Gotei 13 even more reason to fear him. "Not until we're up against someonereally dangerous."

"Oh", the young man rolled his eyes. "Oh yes. Someone really dangerous. Because clearly these people aren't dangerous at all."

"I've seen worse than this", Ichigo assured him even as his eyes tried to make out some sign of Soifon's attack. "You ought to know- you've still got all my memories don't you?"

"Point. What're we gonna do now?"

"Not dying would be a good start." Continuing to search for signs of an attack, he finally caught a glimpse of Chad's cargo on the ground- his own body, looking just a bit disturbing with blank eyes and no Mod Soul to control it. "Ah, damn. Forgot about that. I guess Kon ran off as soon as he could, right?"

"Probably", Chad acknowledged, not sounding smug at all. "I saw it lying there. The shadow was coming for it."

Which meant his friend had probably just saved him from being stuck as a Shinigami for the rest of his life due to his own carelessness. "Wow. Thanks. Sorry, Sado. I can't believe I really forgot that! I must be..." Getting too used to being a Shinigami instead of a human? Or just stupid? For once, it wasn't his Hollow insulting him for his mistake.

The shame and embarrassment wasn't enough to stop him from catching the strike when it finally came however. The thin blade of Suzumebachi lunged for the barrier, only to be knocked aside and nearly hit Ichigo instead before its wielder fell back. "Enough! Stand aside or die!"

Blood thundered through his head in outrage over that threat. He forced himself to ignore it, merely summoning his mask once more. "Really, captain Soifon? Would you really kill two humans to complete your objective? I don't think so. You're bluffing."

The assassin looked dour, readying her other arm for more conventional attacks. "Then let me rephrase. Stand aside, or I'll kill Ichigo. My orders allow me to do that. You might get lucky and stop me once or twice, but you can't do it forever. I will kill you, Kurosaki. I'm too fast for any of you to stop."

"This isn't what your master would want", he tried imploringly, gripping Zangetsu. "She would know to focus on the real threat here!"

"Oh?" She looked even more insulted, if possible. "What is this pathetic self-absorbed arrogance that would make you think you know Yoruichi-sama's thoughts so well?"

"The fact that she's here", Chad shocked everyone by shouting back at her. He shifted left, past the protective field, gestured to the shutters with one arm, leaving himself completely open to attack and not caring, trusting to the belief that a Shinigami would never willingly harm a human like him. "She's in there! She's one of the people that we came to rescue! If you just open your senses, you'll know the truth!"

"Dude, no!", he could hear Reeve calling intermixed with Inoue's own frenzied cry of protest: "She'll kill you!"

But Soifon did not strike at the helpless target. She did not need to look at the shutter to realize that Chad spoke the truth. For one brief moment a luminescent blush came to the assassin's cheeks, then she was all business again. "...Very well. For the time being, saving Yoruichi-sama from the enemy's grasp takes priority over my current mission. But when it is done, none of you will receive any mercy from me no matter what she says."

On cue, a massive flying object flew between them and slammed headfirst into the fallen pillar, damaging it further. Lieutenant Omaeda looked dazed, but still aware enough to see the irritation on his master's face. "S... sorry captainnn..."

"One down", Ichigo noted, more to get Soifon's attention than any desire for comedy- the giant knight looked to have only grown taller and stronger in response to the massive Shinigami attacking it, and was now poised to crush them with one great swing. "Think you've got what it takes, or do you need a hand?"

Any laugh from the captain was a surprise, though this one was purely dismissive of his concern. "Again you insult me. Only I have both the skill and the resolve to deal with these abominations properly. You may continue on... but if you fail to save Yoruichi-sama, I'll never forgive you."

They didn't need to be told twice. All four of them waited until Soifon had leapt up to block the enemy's sword with Suzumebachi, then dashed for the shutter without interference, until-

"Inoue", he called to her, seeing her pace suddenly slow when they were nearly there. "What's wrong?"

"Adre", came the simple reply. "I can't let her kill Adre. Barton either, really. Can we just let them die?"

Following her gaze, he looked back. Neither one of them seemed to be in danger yet, but Soifon was a much better fighter than her lieutenant- she had already struck the butterfly mark she had left on the knight's sword on her arrival, causing it to scream in silent terror for a moment before shattering like glass.

"...Then you stay", he decided grudgingly, holding her by the shoulders. I don't like wagering her life on a Shinigami's honour, but there's no choice. Soifon and Omaeda will protect her. "You can save them. You can save Soifon and Omaeda too if things get bad. Just promise me that you'll run if you're in danger, alright? Promise?"

"Promise", she nodded back, her voice firm. For the first time, she was able to look into the fierce eyes of that mask without flinching. "I'll catch up. That's another promise. And you..."

"Be safe", he finished for her, feeling a smile coming on and facing away. "Always."

Then, just when it seemed that moment would be frozen forever in time, a cry of surprise from behind them broke the spell- Adre's giant knight hadn't truly died. It had just turned back into the three knights who had been the princess' weapons from the very start. Orihime knew their names, but he did not have time to ask her what they were.

There was only what lay ahead of him. And to delay that meeting any longer would risk losing the will to come to it at all.


A/N: Dry? Hm, well maybe this chapter will be more to your liking. This was originally going to carry on a bit longer but I found I couldn't find a way to make a cliffhanger ending for either of the 'parties' quickly.