Bleach: The Afterlife Saga
*Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters. All the characters mentioned in this story, with the exception of OCs, are the property of Kubo Tite.
Chapter 29 Eagle Without Wings
"That was Nii-sama's reiatsu just now," said Rukia as she landed on the roof of a building in the grounds of the 13th division barracks. She had sensed the incredible clash of spiritual pressures and had seen the enormous dome of white spiritual energy forming near the vicinity of the eleventh division's barracks. She had wondered about the identity of the people who were fighting, but as soon as both spiritual pressures started dropping, one of them became unmistakable to Rukia. What's going over there? Nii-sama's reiatsu is fading rapidly…don't tell me he's on the verge of death!
Her brief fixation on the fate of her brother caused Rukia to be distracted from her own battle. She barely managed to avoid another blast of water that destroyed the fragile roof she had been standing on and flooded the corridors below her. As she landed on another nearby roof, Rukia started panting heavily. She glared at her opponent, the Zanpakuto of her former mentor Shiba Kaien, Nejibana. She was still emotionally settled by his appearance.
"What is wrong Kuchiki? Are you worried about your brother?" asked Nejibana with a sly grin. "Do you fear for his safety? Or his life? You must have little confidence in his survival then. Instead of thinking about your brother, you should be thinking about your own situation. Isn't that what your mentor and my master Shiba Kaien-sama taught you?"
"Those are choice words coming from the Zanpakuto of Kaien-dono," Rukia answered back. "I honestly thought you ceased to exist when I killed the ninth Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie. After all, he was one who possessed the spirit body of Kaien-dono."
"You are half correct in your assumption Kuchiki," said Nejibana. "I was out of commission when the spirit body of my master was ultimately destroyed by you. But I was somehow re-energized by some unknown entity. That entity has instilled within me a desire for vengeance upon you, the woman you killed my master."
'So you're motivated by revenge huh?" asked Rukia. "I thought you had the same personality as Kaien-dono. He wasn't angry at me at all for killing him. In his last moments with me Kaien-dono actually thanked me for giving him a peaceful end."
"Hah, that is what you think! You must have surely known from your fight with the Espada who possessed my master's body that Kaien-sama wasn't dead when you stabbed him that night. He merely disappeared from Soul Society and re-appeared in Hueco Mundo. You can't imagine what it must have been like for me. To have your master fuse with a homicidal hollow, to watch him die and be reborn again in some unknown place, to have his body eaten, and finally to be used by the same hollow who ate his body. Do you know the torment I went through? And the worst misery for me is to watch myself disappear at the hands of the same person who stabbed my master! But my nightmares are in the past Kuchiki. Thanks to my unknown benefactor, I finally have an opportunity to pay you back for everything you've done to my master and I!"
Rukia sighed deeply. She had never imagined that the ghosts of her tragic past would come back to haunt her again like this. She had hoped that the soul of her beloved mentor had been finally laid to rest when she defeated Aaroniero. I guess I have no choice but to fight him, thought Rukia. She stood up and unsheathed her sword from its scabbard, holding it in front of her body.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," chanted Rukia as she spun her spun around in a vertical circle. Her Zanpakuto transformed into its released state, a sword of pure white with a long white tassel growing from the end of the pommel. Rukia gripped her Shikai with both hands.
"You leave me no choice but to fight you," said Rukia. "Here I come, Nejibana." She flash stepped in front of Nejibana and swung her released sword down at his head. Nejibana blocked with his trident. Sparks of energy were created from the clash of their weapons.
"That level of attack is not good enough, Kuchiki!" shouted Nejibana. He batted Rukia's sword away with a single half stroke of his trident, and proceeded to swing his trident around his right hand. The surge of water created by Nejibana's swings blew Rukia backwards. Rukia gasped as she crashed into the roof of a nearby building, landing awkwardly on her back. As she tried to get up she saw Nejibana reappear immediately above her. With a sinister grin Nejibana held his trident with both hands and tried to jab it downwards at Rukia's chest.
Rukia rolled to her side and narrowly avoided being impaled by the trident as it smashed a hole through the roof. She continued rolling several times before jumping into the air. She then did a series of mid-air pirouettes before landing on her feet on the roof of another building.
"Ha, I'm surprised that you managed to evade that blow Kuchiki!" laughed Nejibana. His smug grin disappeared however when Rukia pointed her left finger at him.
"Bakudo 61, Rikujokorou!" she shouted. A second later Nejibana's waist was impaled by six rectangular yellow rods of light.
"Damn you!" swore Nejibana as he became immobilized. Seizing the opportunity she had created, Rukia quickly impaled the roof in front of her four times with her sword, before holding her sword horizontally in front of her. Four streams of snow rose from the incisions she had made. They coalesced in front of Rukia's blade.
"Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" shouted Rukia. She fired a massive blast of snow and ice at Nejibana. Before the attack could hit him however Nejibana managed to break out of the binding spell and flash stepped out of the way just in time. The blast of snow and ice shot past him and froze the roofs of all the buildings behind him.
"A good move Kuchiki, but not good enough!" exclaimed Nejibana as he landed on another nearby roof. As soon as his feet touched the surface of the roof he was instantly ambushed by Rukia, who appeared behind him.
"Some no Mai, Tsukishiro!" shouted Rukia as she swung her sword in a circular arc, drawing a five foot wide white circle under Nejibana's feet. As the ice started to encroach on Nejibana's legs the Zanpakuto quickly jumped into the air and to the side as a large column of ice shot up from the circle, extending far into the sky.
"Shit, I almost had him," swore Rukia in frustration. She had missed her best opportunity to catch Nejibana off guard and defeat him.
"I am impressed Kuchiki. You certainly are far stronger now than you were when you fought that Arrancar," said Nejibana. "But you are still not even close to beating me. I'll show you now why I am still more powerful than the Zanpakuto you wield."
Rukia watched on with awe as a vortex of water appeared beneath Nejibana's feet. The Zanpakuto held his trident with both hands above his head and started spinning it in a circle, at first slowly but then building up speed until his trident appeared to be nothing but a blur of water.
"Mai no Umishin," said Nejibana. A few seconds later multiple geysers of superheated water shot out from the ground, destroying all of the nearby buildings in the process, and turning the entire division's barracks into a flooded landscape. Rukia was so focused on the spectacle of the geysers that she failed to sense the geyser bubbling beneath the roof she was standing on until it was too later. A geyser shot up and sent Rukia flying into the air as it destroyed the roof she had been standing on.
It took all of Rukia's willpower to stop her upward trajectory and float in mid-air again. The few seconds she wasted in the process caused her to lose track of Nejibana's presence. The Zanpakuto seized on the opening Rukia had presented him with and leaped towards her in a single flash step. Before Rukia could even raise her sword to defend herself Nejibana thrust his trident horizontally through her waist region. The three prongs of the trident punctured Rukia's stomach and intestines but failed to pierce all the way through her body. Despite this lucky occurrence, Rukia still felt excruciating pain blood and fluids flowed from her ruptured internal organs. She coughed a huge glob of blood from her mouth.
So this is it huh, thought Rukia. This is my limit. I couldn't surpass Kaien-dono's Zanpakuto after all. She sighed heavily. I'm so hopeless. I thought I had buried Kaien-dono's ghost when I defeated the 9th Espada. I guess I was wrong. Having all but conceded defeat, Rukia prayed that she would receive a quick, merciful death from Nejibana, or that she would at least pass out from the excruciating pain she was currently experiencing.
"If you are going to kill me Nejibana, then at least do it right now," said Rukia in a barely audible voice. "End my life this instant."
"You want me to give you a quick, painless death? Hello no Kuchiki!" shouted Nejibana. "I'm going to make you suffer the same way my master did when he died." Rukia was angered by Nejibana's stance but it was too later for her to complain. She could barely feel her arms or legs anymore. Her grip on her sword started slipping, and her eyesight started to waver.
"Don't give in!" shouted a sudden voice in Rukia's ear. It was a voice that was all too familiar to Rukia. Shirayuki-san? She thought in her mind. A moment later, a figure materialized beside Rukia. It was Sode no Shirayuki herself, an absolutely stunning woman with pale blue hair that was clipped on her left side, and dressed in a lavish white kimono with a large light purple ribbon tie at the back. Rukia was amazed at her appearance but somehow Nejibana didn't seem to notice.
"Are you really going to die here Rukia?" asked Shirayuki. "What will happen to your family and your nakama? Are you just going to leave them behind? Where has the vow you made that you never going to die alone gone to? There is no way you are dying until you leave your heart to the ones you love!"
She's right, thought Rukia. I shouldn't have given up on living so easily. I still have a way out of this! As she saw Sode no Shirayuki disappear, Rukia's determination was renewed. She gripped the shaft of Nejibana's trident with her left hand. As she did so the shaft started to freeze, with the ice spreading upwards until it covered the prongs of the trident.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Nejibana. His eyes widened when Rukia lifted up her sword to have it directly in line with Nejibana's chest.
"San no Mai, Shirafune!" shouted Rukia. Before Nejibana could react, Rukia's blade suddenly extended by more than two feet. The lengthened blade impaled Nejibana right through his heart. The Zanpakuto coughed up a wad of blood from his mouth. He stared at Rukia in with an expression of disbelief.
"How…? You should have been dead already…" croaked Nejibana. Rukia grinned.
"You may be Kaien-dono's Zanpakuto, but don't possess any fraction of his heart at all, for Kaien-dono already passed his heart onto me!" shouted Rukia. She swiftly withdrew her blade, causing a spray of blood to shoot out from the gaping hole in Nejibana's chest. Nejibana screamed in agony as the trident he had been holding shattered in a multitude of pieces. This caused Rukia to fall into the flooded ground of her division's barracks below.
"You bitch!" swore Nejibana as he clutched the wound in his chest tightly. "I'll get you for this! The next time we meet I will be sure to kill you!" With that, the Zanpakuto disappeared from sight. As the blood flowing from the wounds in her waist flowed into the water, a single thought filled Rukia's head. Just you wait Nejibana. The next time we meet I'll finally surpass you. The thought continued to fill her mind as she slowly lost consciousness.
"I'm worried Rangiku-san," said Hinamori as she watched out of the window of the tenth division captain's office.
"Worried about what Momo-chan?" asked Matsumoto, lying down on a couch next to the captain's desk. The two of them had been staying in their captain's office ever since Hitsugaya had left the division barracks to hunt down the escaped prisoners. It had been more than half a day since Hitsugaya had departed and the sun was starting to set below the horizon.
"I'm worried about Shiro-chan. It's been hours since he left us here and he still hasn't returned yet," said Hinamori.
"Don't worry about him Momo-chan. I am sure he will return soon enough," said Matsumoto. She let out a lazy yawn.
"Hmph, you're so mean Rangiku-san!" scolded Hinamori. She turned away from the window. "I'm going back to my quarters then." Before Hinamori could reach the door of the captain's office, the she had just been observing through shattered into a thousand pieces. The shockwave that caused the window the shatter knocked Hinamori against a wall and caused Matsumoto to fall off the couch she had been sleeping on.
"What the hell was that?" asked Matsumoto as she clambered back onto the couch. When she peered up at the now destroyed window her entire body froze in disbelief. Standing right in front of the window was a figure that made Matsumoto doubt her own eyes. It can't be! I watched him die with my own eyes, thought Matsumoto. Like a ghost from the past, a person who resembled the late Ichimaru Gin seemingly stood in front of the window frame, wearing a light blue coloured Shihakusho.
"Long time no see, Rangiku-chan," said the figure. His voice was almost exactly like Gin's. As he climbed into the office, Rangiku fell off the couch again, this time from utter shock. In an almost instinctual reaction she shuffled back until she was against the office's front wall.
"What is the matter Rangiku-chan? Are you scared to see me again?" asked the Gin-like figure.
"Of course I am! You can't be alive! I saw your body die and disappear in my arms!" exclaimed Matsumoto. "Are you really Gin?"
"Maybe, maybe not. I'll tell ya if you come with me," said the man with a sly but seemingly menacing grin.
"I'm not letting you take Rangiku-san away!" exclaimed Hinamori. She unsheathed her sword and held it with both hands. "Snap, Tobiume!" Her sword changed shape, with two jutte-like prongs extending out from the main blade at is middle and towards its tip. With her released Zanpakuto, Hinamori shot a fireball from the blade's tip. The fireball flew towards the man who resembled Gin, but the man easily dodged the fireball by stepping to the side.
"My, my you are nuisance, little girl," said the man. "I can't have you interfere with my conversation with Rangiku-san." With a thought he summoned a wazikashi into his right hand and pointed it at Hinamori. Before Hinamori could react the blade suddenly expanded and impaled her right shoulder, pinning her against the wall. Despite the excruciating pain, Hinamori attempted to remove the blade from her shoulder. As she did so, she watched in horror as the silver-haired man walked up to Matsumoto.
"Run Rangiku-san!" shouted Hinamori. "Don't let him take you!" Her words had no effect. The shock of seeing someone who looked like Gin rendered Matsumoto completely immobile and speechless. She didn't even try to resist when the man lifted her up and placed her over his right shoulder. He then grabbed hold of his sword and extracted it from Hinamori's shoulder blade, causing her to fall forwards onto her hands and knees.
"Bye, bye," waved the man to Hinamori as he stepped out of the window. Hinamori could only watch on in helplessness as he took Matsumoto away.
"Rangiku-chan," said Hinamori. She started sobbing in despair.
As sunset neared, the uprising throughout Seireitei had been mostly contained, with almost all of the prisoners either dead or captured. The only place where conflict was still raging was the fifth division's barracks, which were quickly becoming a scene of devastation, as Ichigo struggled with the former fifth division's third seat, Mishima Kazuya.
"Getsuga Tensho!" shouted Ichigo as he swung his released Zanpakuto Zangetsu at Kazuya. The resulting crescent shaped blue energy blast flew towards Kazuya. Kazuya casually dodged it and allowed the blast to smash and destroy another one of the barracks' walls.
"Are you that callous towards your own division's property?" asked Kazuya nonchalantly. "This is the third wall you've destroyed with that attack."
"Shut up!" yelled Ichigo. He wiped a spot of blood from his lip. Damn it, this guy's tougher than I expected, thought Ichigo. Merely spamming Getsuga attacks against him won't cut it. Ichigo decided that he had to resort to his other abilities if he was to win.
"Have you given up already?" asked Kazuya.
"Hardly," replied Ichigo. Holding his sword with two hands he flash stepped right in front of Kazuya. Ichigo thrust his sword out at Kazuya's head. Kazuya jumped into the air to avoid the attack. Ichigo had anticipated this move, and as Kazuya reached the apex of his jump, Ichigo pointed his left middle and index fingers at Kazuya.
"Bakudo 9, Horin," chanted Ichigo. An orange hued tendril of energy with a spiraling yellow pattern shot out of his fingers and wrapped itself around Kazuya's waist, temporarily immobilizing him.
"I've got you now Kazuya," said Ichigo. With his left hand controlling the rope of energy wrapped around Kazuya, Ichigo raised Zangetsu above his head and fired another Getsuga Tensho. The crescent shaped blue energy attack flew towards Kazuya. Unable to escape in time, Kazuya resorted to slashing the blast with his sword as it reached him. Though he managed to cut the blast in half, Kazuya was still hit by the attack. He grimaced in pain as the two portions of the Getsuga tore through his right shoulder blade and right hand waist, causing small amounts of blood to spurt out. Ichigo tried to attack Kazuya again but the former 5th division third seat was able to break out of the binding spell and flash stepped behind Ichigo.
"Shit, I almost had him," said Ichigo. Kazuya breathed heavily.
"I have to admit I underestimated your capabilities Kurosaki Ichigo," said Kazuya. "You definitely have the power of a lieutenant officer."
"Ha, thanks for the compliment," laughed Ichigo.
"But, your power is still incomparable to mine. Aizen Taicho gave me a Zanpakuto that far surpasses yours. I shall use it now to bring you the edge of despair before killing you."
"Bring me to the edge of despair? I've heard such words spoken by other opponents I've fought before, but I doubt you'll be able to break my resolve before you break my body."
"Oh really?" asked Kazuya. "You seem awfully confident when you haven't even seen my Zanpakuto yet. When you see it, I guarantee your heart will fill with despair."
Kazuya held his Zanpakuto to his right side and let go of it, seemingly making it hover in the air. He then chanted the words "Enclose, Murcielago." Ichigo watched on in awe as the entire sword transformed into a black rod-like object with spiky protrusions at either end. The release didn't end there, for as soon as Kazuya grabbed hold of the rod, two jets of glowing green light shot out from either side before condensing into solid beams of energy. As Ichigo stared at Kazuya's released Zanpakuto, a shudder went through his heart. The release command Kazuya had just uttered and the resulting shape of his Shikai made Ichigo recall the one enemy that had brought him to the brink of despair and made him lose all sense of sanity; the fourth Espada Ulquiorra Cifer.
"From the look on your face, it seems you recognise the Zanpakuto I currently wield in my hands," said Kazuya. "It is indeed the former Zanpakuto of the Arrancar whom you fought upon the roof of Las Noches. I believe his name was Ulquiorra."
"How…how is it possible that you've attained Ulquiorra's Zanpakuto?" asked Ichigo. "I watched him turn to ashes before my eyes! No part of him should have survived!"
"Is that a question I should really answer? All you need to know is that Aizen Taicho made it happen, and that he gave me this tool to specifically strike despair into your heart once again," said Kazuya. With that Kazuya suddenly flash stepped right in front of Ichigo and swung his dual-bladed staff at Ichigo's head. Ichigo barely managed to dodge the attack by bending back at the last moment. This exposed his guard for a brief moment, which Kazuya took advantage off, kicking Ichigo hard in the stomach with his left foot. Ichigo slammed against a wall before dropping to the ground. As he got onto his knees again, Ichigo looked up and saw Kazuya raising his double-bladed staff above his head, holding it like a javelin.
"It is over, Kurosaki Ichigo," said Kazuya. With a great heave he threw the double-bladed staff at Ichigo. Ichigo was barely able to bring up his Zanpakuto in an attempt to shield his body. The staff's front blade hit the blunt end of Ichigo's sword, creating a small dent, but it was the momentum behind the staff's throw that did the damage, as Ichigo was sent crashing through the wall. He hurtled back through two more sets of walls before he finally skidded to a halt in the front courtyard of his division barracks. Several of his fellow division comrades, who had just returned from hunting down escaped prisoners, gasped as they saw the fallen figure of their lieutenant. Ichigo struggled to get to his feet, his head now throbbing due to a nasty wound to his forehead that caused a large amount of blood to flow down the side of his face.
"Are you alright Kurosaki Fukutaicho?" asked one of the division members.
"I'm fine," said Ichigo, even though he was panting heavily. He looked up and saw Kazuya approach him, walking casually through each of the destroyed sections of wall. Ichigo clenched Zangetsu with both hands and held it in front of him, despite his legs being barely able to support his body.
"Are you still determined to fight, Kurosaki Ichigo?" asked Kazuya. "Even though you stand no chance against me?"
"Of course I do. I'm not giving up until the moment I die," said Ichigo. "Besides, how do you know I don't stand a chance against you?" Ichigo's comments caused Kazuya to express anger for the first time.
"Why are you still fighting Kurosaki Ichigo? What are you fighting for? Are you simply fighting because of your duty as a member of the Gotei 13? That is a pointless reason! You're nothing but a simple minded soldier, an eagle without wings! You don't have fight for the higher goal that I have! I have devoted myself to helping Aizen Taicho achieve his goals of revolutionizing Soul Society! It is the motivation that has allowed me to endure years of incarceration! What do you have Kurosaki Ichigo? You have nothing!"
"I have a desire to win against every opponent I fight. That is good enough for me," Ichigo responded. He was too tired to think of a better response.
"That isn't a good enough reason, Kurosaki Ichigo," said Kazuya. "You don't deserve to live a minute longer." In a single flash step he grabbed his double-bladed staff and reappeared behind Ichigo before the latter could even sense him. Then, before Ichigo could escape, Kazuya stabbed one of the blades of his staff right through Ichigo's back, piercing his stomach and going right through to the other side. Ichigo spewed a glob of blood from his mouth. When Kazuya withdrew his blade, a huge amount of blood burst out from the gaping hole in Ichigo's midriff. Ichigo dropped his sword and fell forward onto his front.
"Fukutaicho!" shouted several of the division members who had watched the gruesome scene. They all unsheathed their swords. Kazuya glared at them all with murderous eyes.
"You all want to avenge your fallen comrade?" he asked. "Fine then, I'll gladly send all of you to join your lieutenant in death."
What Kazuya wasn't aware of was that Ichigo was far from dead. In fact, he was still conscious though unable to get up due to the gaping hole in his torso. Shit, he's going to kill my comrades, thought Ichigo. I've got to get up! I've got to summon the strength to fight him again and win! With no outsiders likely to come to his aid, Ichigo knew there was only one person he could turn to. Zangetsu-ossan, give me your power.
Almost right on cue, the spirit of Ichigo's Zanpakuto, Zangetsu himself, materialized in front of his master. Ichigo was glad to see him again. The lack of any response from Kazuya meant that Zangetsu was only visible to Ichigo alone.
"I heard your call, Ichigo," said Zangetsu. "I know what you desire. You desire for more strength don't you? You want to get up and fight again, to have a chance at winning." Ichigo was too injured to speak, but he nodded his head.
"Very well then, I shall give you my power. It is time for our spirits to synchronize with each other and for my power to become your power. As long as you accept me with an open heart, all of my power will flow into you." Zangetsu placed his hand on Ichigo's head. In that instant all of Zangetsu's spirit energy flowed into Ichigo's body. Ichigo embraced every ounce of his Zanpakuto's power, and reveled in the sensation, for he felt that the vast spirit energies he formerly had were now returning to him.
Ichigo's sudden burst of power was felt by Kazuya, who had been on the verge of killing one of the 5th division members. Kazuya was shocked that Ichigo was still alive, let alone rapidly increasing his power.
"What is this spiritual pressure? It's as great as a captain's! How did he suddenly become so strong?" asked Kazuya. Unable to move an inch, Kazuya could only watch in astonishment as Ichigo rose to his feet again. Kazuya gasped as he saw the wound in Ichigo's torso close up. Ichigo turned around to face Kazuya, his eyes glowing a bright blue in colour.
"You asked why I was still fighting you, Kazuya," said Ichigo. "I'll you why. I fight to protect the lives of my love ones, my friends, and all of the people who live in Soul Society. I fight to defend them all against those who wish to harm them. I too, have a goal of trying to make Soul Society a better place. I might be an eagle without wings, but it is better than being a blind bat who can't even see for himself."
"Why you!" shouted Kazuya. He was about to attack Ichigo again but he flinched when he saw Ichigo raise Zangetsu above his head.
"Getsuga Tensho," said Ichigo, as he swung his blade down. The giant crescent blue energy blast smashed into Kazuya and instantly sliced off his left arm at the shoulder joint, before destroying a six foot wide section of the barracks' outer wall.
"Shit, shit, shit!" swore Kazuya as he fell onto his knees. A torrent of flood flowed from his wound, as a part of his left shoulder joint was exposed. He glared at Ichigo with bloodshot eyes.
"I'm going to kill you, Kurosaki!" shouted Kazuya. He jumped into the air and held his staff above his head. He was about to say something when someone grabbed him by his right arm. Kazuya's eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Aizen…Taicho?" asked Kazuya.
"It's that woman I saw when I defeated Saiga!" exclaimed Ichigo. He wondered why Kazuya thought she was Aizen but then he realized he might have been under her hypnosis.
"We must leave, Kazuya-san," said the woman disguised as Aizen.
"But why Aizen Taicho! I was about to kill you as you instructed!"
"The circumstances have changed. We've achieved our main objective, but nearly all of the rank and file prisoners have been captured or killed. Any minute now Captain Hirako will return you. You don't stand a chance against him. We shall retreat and fight again another day." Kazuya hated the prospect of abandoning his fight, but he had little choice but to listen to his master. He turned around and flash stepped away. The strange woman was about to follow him when Ichigo stopped her.
"Wait a minute! Who the hell are you?" asked Ichigo. "That Kazuya guy must be under hypnosis to think that you're Aizen. Does that mean you're related to Aizen in some way?"
"Oh ho, you sure are sharp, Kurosaki Ichigo," said the woman. "But it is too soon to reveal my identity yet. There will be a time and place for that. For now, I will just say that I am extremely pleased with your growth, and your performance against my third seat. Keep the progress up. You are a valuable asset to me." The woman gave him a wink before disappearing before Ichigo's eyes. Ichigo was left demoralized and confused. That woman had robbed him of a chance to end his fight with Kazuya and had left him with a whole series of questions in his head. Damn that woman! I'll find out her true nature one day!
"Are you okay Fukutaicho?" asked one of the 5th division members. "You look like you're badly hurt."
"I'm alright. The wounds I've suffered aren't life threatening," said Ichigo. He resealed his Zanpakuto and placed it in his scabbard. "I just need to get some rest."
"Man, our entire barracks is a mess," said another division member. "Hirako Taicho is going to be pissed when he gets back."
"Yeah you can say that again," said a third division member. Ichigo couldn't help but smile as his comrades helped him to his residential quarters.
The sun had set on one of the longest days in Soul Society's history.
Notes: The Uprising in Soul Society has been suppressed but this Arc is far from over, now that both Hisagi and Matsumoto have been abducted.
Both Rukia and Ichigo have acquired and ability to materialize their Zanpakuto, which hints at the development that will occur in the next chapter.
For Nejibana, I had to expand on his moveset abit as Kubo never really expanded upon his ability when he was wielded by Aaroniero. His special move, Mai no Umishin, means "Dance of the Sea God/Spirit".
