To My Death I Fight

by BahamutReishiki

It's been seven months since Ichigo managed to defeat Aizen during the Winter War. Just recently settling into new life as a normal human, he is shocked when he finds out he has been accepted into the prestigious Honnouji Academy. Unwilling to go, but not having a choice in the matter, he reluctantly decides to attend but wonders just what the next year will bring.

36. Chapter 36: You Wear It Well

So here is chapter 36 and the introduction of a new character. Now, I didn't give his name for good reason but his inclusion is to help show that Kamui are not invincible. Even a fully powered and synchronized Kamui and its wearer can be taken down if they underestimate their opponents. This chapter is also the final chapter in the Karakura Town Occupation Arc. The next chapter starts the Festival Arc, which I promise you will be both awesome to read and cause you to curse Ragyo from the bottom of your souls. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a review at the end!

So as always I would like to remind you that this story has a tvtropes page! (under To My Death I Fight so should be easy to find). If you have the time to spend hours clicking through the entirety of tvtropes have fun...but make sure to stop by my page first and add anything you feel is missing. There is always room for improvement after all.

I also have a thread on Spacebattles (a forum) that has more than 2000 posts. It is where I post my updates to each chapter as well as character bios, backgrounds and information that you might not find in my main story. I actually posted 1.000+ word histories of Jackie Tristan, Riruka and Yukio on Spacebattles so take a look when you can. I promise you won't be disappointed.

This chapter also puts my total word count above 1.000.000 words. Hurrah!

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Chapter 36 – You Wear It Well

Kinue Kinagase grimaced as she adjusted the winter jacket around her body as she blended into the crowd surrounding her. Winter had come early to Seattle with the first snowstorm had hit the city the day before her arrival. Walking through the inch high snow blanketing the city Kinue looked around and easily saw out of the crowd of shoppers and tourists walking alongside her that she was the only one not shivering from the subzero temperature. One of the benefits of being permanently merged to Danketsu was that despite the minimalistic appearance the Kamui easily kept her wearer from succumbing to hypothermia. As she put her hands into her jacket's pockets Kinue listened to Danketsu's complaints with the strain of maintaining her normal emotionless expression evident in her blue eyes. Clenching her hands together as Danketsu's feelings of apparent treachery and betrayal pierced into her mind, Kinue mentally replied to her Kamui that she was doing this for the good of both of them.

After her infiltration of Honnouji Academy and subsequent conversation with Ichigo and Mugetsu she had vowed to never wear anything to cover Danketus's upper body again. Years of ignoring Danketsu as a living thing with her own thoughts and feelings have done nothing but damage both of their lives and Kinue was determined to make things right again. The circumstances that she currently found herself in, however, were so extreme that she had apologized profusely to Danketsu before putting the jacket over the Kamui. Wincing slightly in pain as the headache she had been carrying since entering the city momentarily intensified, Kinue looked sullenly into the bleak and overcast sky before muttering, "…How did he get here before me?"

Her mission to assassinate Shukurou Tsukishima had veered sharply off course even before she arrived at San Francisco. Kinue didn't know how he was able to find out she was coming but upon her arrival at San Francisco International Airport she found an entire army of Mentally Refit soldiers waiting for her on the tarmac before immediately opening fire. She considered herself lucky that Danketsu's defense, which was the strongest of the four Kamui, enabled her to ignore the bullets as she focused on taking down Tsukishima, which turned out to be highly annoying. The son of a bitch had led her through a long chase in downtown San Francisco, forcing her to cut down any Mentally Refitted human along the way, before she finally cornered him on Alcatraz with the members of the San Francisco Police Department still under his control. He had tried to barter his freedom with her by offering several pieces of information about the raiment belonging to his fellow Xcution members but Kinue would hear none of it. Forcing her way through the police without killing any of them Kinue had briefly engaged Tsukishima before piercing her Genji Blade through his heart.

Back then, as she stood over Tsukishima's cooling corpse while fires raged throughout the city in the distance, Kinue thought things would finally die down. Without Tsukishima to keep his Mental Refitting active the people he had controlled would regain their free will and cease coming after her. Kinue even silently mused that Nudist Beach might even get an influx of recruits from those that Tsukishima controlled. She wasn't prepared for the immediate and lethal retaliatory force Ragyo Kiryuin sent her way the very next day.

The squad of so-called 'Revocs Anti-Nudist Personnel' had been easy enough for her to deal with using Danketsu's superior power. It was their leader that forced Kinue to flee San Francisco and head north to Seattle. She had thought her brother was a tactical and trap-making genius but this man, a member of Xcution from the symbol on his clothing, put Tsumugu to shame. In their very first encounter she had almost immediately fallen into several of his traps, which used her own Nudist Beach Anti-Life Fiber technology, and had only managed to escape due to Danketsu's ability to detect her opponent's raiment with high precision. Quickly fleeing the scene using her Funsha configuration as soon as she escaped the last trap, Kinue had immediately called Armstrong and requested an emergency evacuation at the Nudist Beach Foreign Operations Base in Seattle, Washington.

Upon fleeing San Francisco to rendezvous in Seattle Kinue saw to her frustration that her opponent was easily able to keep up with her using a variety of military vehicles. The first day had involved a midair fight between her and the Apache helicopter he had somehow commandeered. She had only managed to escape by severing the primary rotor and forcing the helicopter to crash violently on the ground but as she flew away Kinue had seen her pursuer calmly walking away from the crash with not a single scratch on him. Even from the distance she was from him Kinue could sense the confident smirk on his masked face, which was the only sign she needed to quickly and immediately fly straight upwards to avoid the bleach-tipped rockets fired from a hidden Cold War missile silo on the ground.

After that nearly fatal encounter Kinue had decided to immediately head to Seattle without worrying about her opponent. He had already demonstrated the uncanny ability to spontaneous build complicated and efficient Anti-Life Fiber traps and Kinue wasn't going to allow him to dictate the direction of their fights any longer. Veering to the west and passing through Willamette Mission State Park, where she managed to finally lose him in the dense woods, Kinue had forced herself to rest for several hours. Even with the enhanced stamina and endurance Danketsu granted her, the nearly thirty hours she'd been awake was starting to affect her mentally. Her opponent was not someone she could afford to fight with a sleep-deprived mind.

"That asshole is somewhere nearby. He's fucking toying with us!" Danketsu's annoyed voice managed to snap Kinue out of her reminiscing. Tucking her chin down into her jacket in order to better mimic looking cold, Kinue's eyes diligently scanned the crowd of people surrounding her. She had a somewhat good idea of what her opponent's body and facial structure was like but his mask and hat prevent her from seeing his eye and hair colors. It did not help that ever since entering Seattle Danketsu had done nothing but complain to her about everything the Kamui could think of. It was only due to years of learning how to control her emotions that Kinue prevented any of Danketsu's emotions from bleeding over the mental connection.

"Given that he arrived hours before us it is likely that he's managed to turn the entire city into a trap. Simply being diligent and sticking as low to the ground as possible until the transport arrives will minimize the probability of setting off any of his traps," Kinue paused as she considered that particular scenario. If coming to Seattle was one enormous trap it stands to reason that he expected her to trigger it even if she was already aware. That meant her opponent must have known this was her destination all along. Either there was a mole in Nudist Beach, which the General made damn well sure wasn't the case, or her pursuer had one hell of an information network.

"And you think this fucker will just let you leave?" Kinue could literally feel the sarcasm dripping off her Kamui's voice, "I thought your brother was prepared for anything but this guy is just insane! How the hell could anyone set up traps hours ahead of time? It fucking confuses the hell out of me!"

Kinue stopped in mid-stride and quickly looked across the street. For just a moment she had been sure someone was watching her but she couldn't see anyone acting suspicious. Scanning the crowd one final time before continuing to walk, Kinue pondered Danketsu's question before answering, "No, if I was allowed to escape without setting off a trap I'd be greatly surprised. The fact that I haven't run into him since arriving suggests he is up to something. I cannot afford to let my guard down. His raiment's already shown to have lethal offensive abilities and I don't doubt he showed that to me for a reason."

"What are you talking about?"

"He wanted me to see how skilled he was with Ayatori so that I would focus entirely on that particular ability," Kinue raised a hand to her chin and narrowed her eyes, "If that is the case, I suggest – "

"Excuse me, ma'am? You appear to be lost. I've been in this city for some time so might I suggest visiting Colman Park? I heard it's lovely this time of year. Much better than anything San Francisco has to offer," The overly polite voice speaking fluent Japanese stopped Kinue's train of thought. Turning around, her hand drifting toward her Genji Blade, Kinue found herself standing a few feet away from the masked face of her relentless pursuer. Giving her a sly grin, the man leaned forward and waved at her with a gloved hand in a mock greeting, "Hi…"

"From the stunned look on your face I see you're curious why your Kamui wasn't able to detect my raiment. The thing is…I'm not wearing my raiment right now." The member of Xcution smirked proudly at the slight widening of Kinue's eyes. It pleased him to see the muted expression of shock adorn her face, "I can see you know what that means. If I hadn't introduced myself a moment ago you would never have known I was there."

Kinue didn't say anything as she stared silently at the amused man. She had considered him doing something similar to what he did in order to avoid Danketsu Life Fiber sensing. The man's intelligence precluded him from making such stupid mistakes. The question on her mind right now, however, was why he would appear in front of her completely vulnerable. Danketsu was telling her that the man wasn't wearing his raiment, which meant he wasn't lying about that, but he would not have introduced himself unless…

"…this is the trap," Kinue's soft muttering caused the smirk on the man's face to widen considerably. Apparently he was quite pleased to see that she was able to figure it out so quickly. Slowly drawing her red Genji blade from the newly fastened sheath along the small of her back Kinue said, "This was your goal the entire time. You knew I would blindly follow Danketsu as she tracked the Life Fibers in your raiment. All the while you would have free reign to spy and follow me to your heart's content. Who are you?"

The man chuckled as he reached into the pocket of his green jacket. As he found what he was looking for, the man pulled his hand out and flipped it around, "My name isn't important. What I have in my pocket, on the other hand, is something I think you'll find more important than knowing my name."

On the picture in the man's hand was the interior of an empty warehouse but what made Kinue grit her teeth in suppressed rage was what she could see on it – dozens upon dozens of men, women and children tied together on the ground surrounded by at least several tons of C4 and other explosives, "So that's your game. You truly are a coward to bring innocent people into this."

"Thank you, for that is truly the highest praise you can give me." The man gave Kinue a mocking bow as he put the picture back in his pocket, "But allow me to correct you. Whether these people live or die is entirely up to you. If you hadn't killed Tsukishima after taking down Jackie Tristan than Lady Ragyo wouldn't have decided to send me after you. Whether these one hundred and fourteen people live or die is up to you…Kinue Kinagase."

Kinue didn't hesitate as she pulled her Genji blade entirely free of its sheath and pointed it directly at the man's throat, "How do you know my name? I would talk if I were you. The last two members of Xcution who thought they could beat me ended up sorely mistaken."

The lack of any sort of response from the pedestrians walking past them alerted Kinue to one of the most insidious effects of Life Fibers and why she was working to bring down Ragyo Kiryuin and Revocs. Even with her attention focused squarely on the man standing in front of her Kinue could see the Revocs logos on every single person. All clothing manufactured by Revocs contained just the barest trace of Life Fibers and while Kinue had no delusions as to why Ragyo would do something like that it was their secondary effect that made her sick. The Life Fibers in Revocs clothing could literally eat a person's memories. Kinue didn't know why Life Fibers could do this and Danketsu was adamant about being in the dark as well. Most of humanity was in the dark about the war raging for their freedom and it angered Kinue to see people so willingly dooming their species to extinction.

"Let's not be too hasty. Killing me will only make things worse." The man held his gloved hands up in a placating gesture even as his voice carried a hint of condescension. Both of them knew he held all the cards so whether she was able to save the hostages or not rested entirely on if she was willing to listen to him talk, "The explosives are connected via a dead man's switch to my heart rate. Killing or knocking me out will trigger the monitor to detonate not only those explosives but the four other stockpiles I've scattered throughout the city. You were willing to cut down anyone to get to Tsukishima but I wonder if you can survive tens of thousands of deaths on your conscience. I am more than willing to give you the address of the warehouse but something about you is bothering me…"

The man turned away from Kinue and began pacing back and forth as he stroked his chin, "Lady Ragyo allowed me to see the battles concerning Junketsu, Mugetsu and Senketsu but one thing about them all is that those that wear Kamui must eventually take them off due to the strain on their bodies. Even their activated state only has a maximum of eight hours before the Kamui will forcibly revert back to its normal form. You, on the other hand, have not only kept your Kamui in its activated state since we met but you're showing no signs of mental straining. I wonder what that means..."

Kinue followed the man with her eyes firmly watching for any sudden movements, "What exactly are you implying?"

Even though they were behind a mask Kinue could see the man's eyes widen in amusement but instead of answering he pulled out a card and threw it at her, "That would be telling. On that card you will find the address of the warehouse but do hurry. The bombs are set to go off at precisely midnight and my watch says it is currently 11:54…"

The man looking with veiled amusement as Kinue glanced at the address on the card before shifting Danketsu into her Funsha configuration and flying off into the night sky. Watching the blue and purple light of her Kamui fade off into the west the man adjusted his cap and whistled as he abruptly took a step back and began walking in the opposite direction. He hadn't lied to Kinue about the address being on the card. What he may have forgotten to mention was that he switched around the address. It would take her about a minute to find out she went to the wrong address before doubling back, which gave him more than enough time to walk the one block distance to the actual location of the warehouse.

Heading down an alley as an explosion of light briefly shone in the distance when Kinue finally realized he tricked her, the man paused and looked around, "Hmm…now where did I put it?"

Turning to the left he abruptly lashed out and kicked an old and rusty dumpster hard enough to not only dent the side but also flip it over. Dusting his hands off as he bent down, the man picked up his Lache Raiment safely secured in Life Fiber hiding plastic. Ripping off the plastic covering, which cost Revocs a few million dollars to produce, the man sensed Kinue screaming back towards him and quickly changed into his raiment. As he made the final adjustments to his raiment and tossed his temporary set of clothing into the overturned dumpster he stepped out of the alley and watched as Kinue crashed through the roof of the warehouse.

Reaching into the pocket of his raiment and pulling out a miniature detonator, the man tossed it up in the air before quickly catching it, "It's been fun but I do hate getting my hands dirty. Good bye, Kinue Kinagase."

With but a single press of his finger the collection of Starch and Anti-Life Fiber explosives carefully spread throughout the warehouse exploded in a massive fireball of rainbow light. Tilting down his hat to cover his eyes, the man lamented that he wasn't able to secure one of the fabled Bleach Bombs. There were only several of those devices known to exist and only two people outside of Revocs were known to have the knowledge to make them. It was unfortunate that Ragyo Kiryuin didn't acquiesce to his request for one such device while his information network found itself strangely unable to find any blueprints for the Bleach Bomb.

As he walked towards the flaming wreckage of a building, fire truck sirens already growing louder by the second, the man wondered if the explosion had been too big. He never had the fortune of fighting a Kamui so he was forced to extrapolate the amount of Anti-Life Fiber explosives needed for taking out raiment and tripled it for good measure. The fallout at Revocs would not be pretty if he destroyed the Kamui. Ragyo Kiryuin had stressed the importance of collecting the Kamui and had warned him quite thoroughly of the ramifications should he fail.

Kicking a piece of burning debris out of his path, the man nonchalantly walked into the flaming wreckage in search of Kinue's body, "Huh, I wonder where –"

The purple and blue fist that exploded out of the ground beneath him took the man completely by surprise and sent him soaring through the air. While his body bounced and skidded across the ground several times the man quickly managed to regain his balance. Skidding to a halt, his shoes leaving marks on the ground, the man snapped his fingers and immediately dozens of Life Fiber wires emerged from his raiment and began weaving around his fingers in preparation for a potential fight. His whole trap had been designed to knock out Kinue in the warehouse and if she was alive, and most likely pissed off, he would need to fall back on his raiment's skills to complete Ragyo's mission.

With blood dripping down her body and several tears in Danketsu apparent to the man, Kinue stumbled out of the warehouse with a look of absolute rage on her face. She had never been hurt like this since being forced to permanently wear Danketsu and the pain she felt reverberated through her body on a level she couldn't even begin to comprehend. Gritting her teeth together as Danketsu began repairing herself, causing the purple and blue light glowing in her body to slowly vanish, Kinue stared at the man in front of her before her ears picked up the sound of an aircraft overhead. Muting out Danketsu's shouts of rage and vengeance Kinue quickly forced her Kamui into Funsha and blasted off into the sky but not before using her Genji blade to destroy several of the man's Life Fiber wires.

Frowning as he watched Kinue escape the reach of his Life Fiber wires, the man let out a depressed sigh as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. Ragyo wasn't going to like the Kamui getting away from him but as his thumb hovered over the call button, the man stopped and thought things over. Since he failed his mission Ragyo would likely set him up with some 'private tutoring' by the Grand Couturier and as tempting as that sounded, the man was more than happy to pass.

"Hmm, I think I'll wait a few days before calling Lady Ragyo," the man flipped his phone shut and turned around. Walking off into the shadows of the night as the red and blue sirens appeared around the corner, he thought about what he was going to do. He knew with the Great Culture and Sports Festival coming soon Ragyo will be busy setting everything up, which means she'll be a fairly good mood. So he came to the decision that since he was in Seattle he might as well take a tour of the sights while relaxing for a few days. That should give him enough time to come up with a good excuse if Rei or Ragyo decide to call him.

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Kugo Ginjo was a man who preferred clean and honorable combat above all else. His years spent at a shinigami had drilled the concepts of honor and pride into his mind but unlike the majority of the Soul Society Ginjo was perfectly fine with the concept of working together to defeat your opponents. That was why he couldn't understand why the Soul Society had sat on its collective ass during the Winter War. If he had been the Captain Commander Ginjo would have gone to Hueco Mundo as soon as he could and destroyed Aizen and his Espada without any difficulty. It was because Yamamoto allowed Aizen time to plan and scheme that his zanpakuto's fire was able to be sealed. If Yamamoto hadn't been so intent on following tradition he would have seen Aizen's position in Hueco Mundo as vulnerable and moved to exploit it.

"Then again…" Ginjo's train of thought was momentarily cut off as he slammed into the truck of a tree before his momentum neatly snapped it in half, "…the Soul Society had always been stuck in the past. I can't remember how many times I tried to give current military advice to the captains only to be either laughed at or told it wasn't any of my business. I suppose Aizen being the only one to listen to my advice explains why he nearly won in the Winter War."

As his face slid across the damp grass and he stabbed Ragnarok into the ground to arrest his movement, Ginjo realized in hindsight that Sosuke Aizen had been too nice and amiable to not be suspicious. Captains were supposed to be the crème of the crop, so to speak, and were required to have years of battle experience to even be considered for the position. Such events inevitably lead the captains to develop personality quirks in order to cope with the stress. That was why Aizen's friendly and gregarious personality confused Ginjo. That Aizen could talk and act like he didn't have a care in the world should have given Ginjo the notion that something was up. Perhaps he would have remained a shinigami if he just told Yamamoto about Aizen.

"Such things are in the past now. Besides, I have bigger issues to deal with at the moment," Ginjo panted heavily as he finally came to a halt. Riruka's punch had more force to it than he expected and he had been caught completely off guard by it. Sensing a massive amount of Life Fiber energy building up on the end of Riruka's battle staff, Ginjo grit his teeth as he gripped Ragnarok's hilt with both hands and deflected the Addiction Shot away into the morning sky.

"Damn it!" Ginjo mentally cursed as he realized by blocking Riruka's Addiction Shot he made a potentially fatal mistake. Letting go of Ragnarok's hilt and quickly rolling away, he watched in annoyance as the Life Fibers hidden within the Addiction Shot weaved their way through his blade in order to make it 'fluffy.' The reason he sent Ryuko away while he fought Riruka was not because the magenta haired, foul-mouthed teenager was overly powerful. On the contrary her strength and speed were about average for being a member of Xcution. The danger lying within Riruka's Duveteux Raiment was its 'Dollhouse Zone.'

Surrounding Riruka's body was a spherical area roughly seven feet in radius where microscopic Life Fibers were constantly being extruded into the air. If anyone were to enter this zone, which Riruka calls her Dollhouse, the Life Fibers in the air would instantly weave their way into their weapons until they became unable to so much as harm Riruka. Getting around this 'fluffiness' as Riruka calls the process is quite simply and demands exact knowledge of how her raiment works. The rate at which an object becomes fluffy is proportional to its speed and power. If one is able to move quickly and hit Riruka hard enough before the fluffiness takes hold then they could potentially end the fight. That is, of course, if they were aware of Riruka's limited vision and her propensity to always focus her powers on what she could see in front of her.

If Riruka's Dollhouse Zone wasn't bad enough her Addiction Shot was just plain terrible. By focusing the power of her raiment through the battle staff in her hands, she could fire a beam of energy containing Life Fibers at a target. Once the beam contacts with something the Life Fibers within it immediately start weaving their way into the target, whatever it may be. Ginjo had seen firsthand the effects Riruka's so-called 'fluffiness' had on several captured Nudist Beach operatives and had quickly stabbed Ragnarok through their hearts in order to end their misery.

Clenching his gloved hands in the damp soil as he spit dirt out of his mouth, Ginjo frowned deep in thought as he pushed himself up onto one knee. The fight was not going the way he expected. He had fought Riruka's raiment in the past and it was nowhere close to being this strong. Looking at the large crack on his left spaulder before shaking his head, Ginjo chuckled mirthlessly as he watched Riruka walking towards him, "I don't remember your Duveteux Raiment ever being this strong, Riruka."

Riruka's magenta eyes gazed upon Ginjo's exhausted form with cold delight. It pleased her greatly that the traitor to Lady Ragyo and Life Fibers would get what was coming to him. Folding her arms across her chest, the battle staff in her hand held loosely between her fingers, Riruka walked to a stop several meters from Ginjo's crouching form and scoffed derisively, "You want to know why you can't beat me? It's because Ichigo Kurosaki's Life Fibers are woven into my wonderful raiment! That's right. The guy who hasn't even shown up to protect his own city from Lady Satsuki is a Life Fiber Hybrid and what's best of all is that with his Life Fibers my fluffiness has increased threefold! My Dollhouse is no longer limited to seven feet but is now a much more impressive twenty feet! So there's no fucking way you can beat me now, you damn traitor!"

Ginjo rolled his eyes as he listened to Riruka's gloating. Standing up with a grunt and brushing some dirt off his black pants Ginjo remembered the stoic and bored personality Riruka had upon being brought to Revocs. It was depressing to see that a mixture of Nui Harime's 'teaching' and her raiment had all but destroyed who Riruka had been several years ago. Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, Ginjo briefly narrowed his eyes when he saw a blue speck of light in the distance that was growing larger by the second. Immediately guessing who or what that could be, Ginjo decided to take a gamble, "Why did you come to Karakura Town, Riruka? Don't tell me it's because Ragyo Kiryuin felt motherly and wanted to protect her daughter. That woman could not care less about anyone other than Nui Harime or herself."

"Humph," Riruka snorted haughtily before she slammed her battle staff against the ground while a faint rainbow aura surrounded her body, "What makes you think I'll tell you anything? I'm not stupid, you know! If by some miracle you escape after I tell you, Lady Ragyo is going to be mad at me! Now stay still and die like the naked ape you are, Ginjo! Addiction –"

Riruka paused in midsentence as she sensed a massive amount of energy building up behind her. Twisting around and staring up into the morning sky she gasped in surprise when she saw something falling directly towards her. From the amount of energy permeating the atmosphere and the way it continued to increase by the second the source could only be a Kamui and that meant only one thing – Ichigo Kurosaki had arrived in Karakura Town.

"Don't think I'll let you sneak up on me!" Riruka screamed as she pointed her battle staff at the falling Ichigo as rainbow colored energy gathered on the tip of the weapon. As her face danced with a cacophony of colors Riruka gnashed her teeth and shouted, "Taste my full power, Ichigo Kurosaki! Addiction Shot!"

The fully powered Addiction Shot blasted forth from Riruka's battle staff with enough force to send the magenta haired girl skidding back nearly a foot. Twisting and shooting up through the air towards the falling Ichigo, the Addiction Shot contained enough condensed power that even if he was wearing a Kamui Ichigo would be seriously hurt if not outright defeated by it. Instead of dodging around the attack like any normal person would, Ichigo spun in midair as he shifted from Mugetsu's Gufū configuration to her Zangetsu. With blue energy dancing along Tournesol's blade, Ichigo raised the Life Fiber blade above his head and swung it down as the Addiction Shot was about to hit him.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

Mugetsu's Getsuga Tenshou was nearly the exact opposite of Ichigo's former attack in everything except name so it did not repel the Addiction Shot much as it forced the energy to part around him. As he continued to push more of Mugetsu's energy into the Getsuga Tenshou, Ichigo began spinning his body around, literally drilling his way through the Addiction Shot, before slamming into the ground near Riruka. Before the magenta eyed member of Xcution could so much as utter a single syllable about how he should have already been fluffy, the blue energy continuing to flicker around Tournesol blasted into a raging inferno before Ichigo swung the Life Fiber blade at her. Piercing through the protective screen of Life Fibers inside Riruka's Dollhouse Zone without so much as slowing down, Tournesol mashed into the side of her body much to the Xcution member's complete and utter shock. As her eyes flickered down and focused upon Ichigo's intense gaze the Getsuga Tenshou held within Tournesol exploded against her with the force of a small explosion and bathed the area in shades of blue and white.

Ginjo watched the scene with rapt attention. Out of all the things that could happen to him today meeting Isshin's son was not even close to the top of his list. There were many things he wished to talk to Ichigo about but how does one even begin explaining that it was his actions that allowed Ragyo Kiryuin to turn him into a Life Fiber Hybrid? Shaking his head as he decided to put off telling Ichigo what he did until after Isshin spoke with him, Ginjo grabbed Ragnarok and hefted the blade on his shoulder. He could see the Life Fibers woven throughout the blade disintegrating, which could only mean Riruka had been defeated by Ichigo's attack.

"Thanks for the help," Ginjo waited as Ichigo didn't turn around to face him before sighing. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand he added, "I'm sure you're wondering if I'm an ally or enemy. The thing is –"

"I already know you're on my side!"

Ichigo's loud declaration momentarily took Ginjo off-guard, "You did?"

"Of course I did!" Ichigo turned around to face Ginjo while pointing off his shoulder with his thumb. From the moment he arrived in Karakura Town Ichigo had immediately sensed where every single Life Fiber Satsuki collected from his body was. Most of the Life Fibers were concentrated in six sources, which confused Ichigo because Satsuki and her Elite Four were only five people. So as soon as he singled out Satsuki and her cohorts Ichigo immediately headed towards the sixth person, "I sensed my Life Fibers almost the moment I arrived. By the way…who the hell was she?"

"Her name is Riruka Dokugamine, a member of Xcution," Ginjo turned his head slightly to the north as the feeling of wrongness continued to intensity. About ten minutes ago something happened during Ryuko's fight against Satsuki, which led to the strange feeling hovering over Karakura Town like a veil. Ginjo didn't know what exactly happened but if he had to hazard a guess he would assume it had something to do with what Satsuki did to her Kamui, "Xcution is the heavy-hitters of Revocs, which is not that dissimilar to Satsuki Kiryuin's Elite Four, but instead of having regalia each member of Xcution wears raiment woven from fifty percent Life Fibers."

"Fifty percent Life Fibers?" Mugetsu's worried voice grabbed Ichigo's attention as he thought over what that meant, "I didn't know humans could have that high of a resistance to Life Fibers without losing control and going berserk."

"Ryuko and Satsuki are able to wear Kamui without too many problems," Ichigo replied to his Kamui with a small shrug before turning around. The smoke and light from his Getsuga Tenshou had already mostly cleared so he could see Riruka's unconscious and badly injured body lying on the grass. From the rise and fall of her chest she was still breathing but it was clear she would need medical attention, "So Xcution members wear raiment? That's good to know."

"You're taking being a Life Fiber Hybrid much better than I thought," Ginjo would have thought after finding out he hadn't been human for more than sixteen years Ichigo would have been depressed or angry. Seeing Ichigo talk to his Kamui without any animosity in voice quite frankly surprised Ginjo.

"Oh, that," Ichigo sighed as the memories of Nui Harime pulling his heart out of his chest returned to him, "Let's just say being a hybrid doesn't really surprise me all that much."

Slowly dropping Ragnarok into the massive sheath on his back while keeping his Sauvegarde Raiment activated, Ginjo walked towards Ichigo and said, "I suppose that comes from being a former shinigami."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he twisted his head around to face the stoic-looking Ginjo, "What did you just say?"

Ginjo looked into Ichigo surprised eyes before looking away, "I used to also be a substitute shinigami. In fact, I was the one right before you. It may come as a surprise to you but there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of substitutes throughout the Soul Society's history. You probably never heard of them because of the Soul Society's dark and dirty secret – they kill substitutes after they've served their purpose."

Ichigo didn't know what to make of Ginjo's words but staring into the man's eyes he could tell Ginjo at least believed he was speaking the truth. Glancing briefly to the north towards where Satsuki and Junketsu were fighting Ryuko Ichigo asked, "What do you mean?"

"I didn't find out the truth of what happened to me until I spoke to your father," Ginjo leaned against a tree and stared at the ground. It wasn't until days after speaking to Isshin after his initial exile that Ginjo realized he was incredibly lucky. Mere minutes after speaking with Isshin and being safely escorted to Revocs a squad of Onmitsukidou had arrived in the World of the Living to assassinate him, "What you don't know is that substitute shinigami aren't supposed to exist…at least by the Soul Society's standards and laws. Even if the substitute is utterly and completely devoted to the Soul Society they will inevitably be killed because of one thing – their lack of a true zanpakuto."

"True zanpakuto…" Ichigo's mind replayed meeting Zangetsu and his inner hollow before a scowl adorned his face, "What the hell are you talking about? Of course I had a zanpakuto!"

"No, you only thought you had a zanpakuto." Ginjo shook his head sadly, "I too once thought the same as you but the zanpakuto you had was born from your soul's spiritual power attempting to mimic an asauchi. Long story short, because you did not have a true zanpakuto your power was not shackled to the Soul Society's laws and thus they could never control you. If you had not lost your spiritual power taking down Aizen, the Captain Commander would have declared you a criminal and had you assassinated. That's the cold truth, Ichigo."

Ichigo didn't want to believe Ginjo but the way the man utterly believed what he was saying caused him to pause and think. Hadn't Byakuya once said his bankai wasn't a true bankai? His powers had always seemed a tad different than the shinigami he'd come to know, "If what you're saying is true, then shouldn't I have –"

"You've finally arrived, my tardy son!"

Caught off guard by his father's random and sudden dropkick to the back of his head, Ichigo skidded across the ground before coming to a halt. Pulling his face out of the grass, a deeply annoyed scowl on his face, Ichigo jumped back to his feet and turned around, "What the hell was that for, old man? Couldn't you see I was talking about something important?"

Isshin shook his head sadly at his son's supposed lack of attention, "Words can wait until your work is done, Ichigo! Can you not sense the plight of your girlfriend?"

Ichigo wanted to shout that Satsuki wasn't his girlfriend, and hit his dad for good measure, but the man had a point. There was something disturbing about the power emanating from the north and he could instantly tell it was coming from Junketsu. Frowning as he quickly understood the Life Fibers Satsuki took from him and implanted in Junketsu's form were to blame, Ichigo looked his father dead in the eye and said with a serious tone of voice, "Yeah, I can feel what is happening to Satsuki and it probably has something to do with the Life Fibers she took from me and put in Junketsu. I need to get them back, don't I?"

Isshin grinned clownishly and wrapped his son in a one-armed hug, "You are a sharp one, my tardy son! It pleases me to know that you're not as stupid as I initially thought you were! Now before you attempt to hurt your dear old dad I am going to tell you exactly how to save Satsuki from a fate worse than death. Since the Life Fibers came from your body you simply need to place your hand against her chest and will them to come out of Junketsu!"

"Over…her…chest…" Ichigo's face turned red in embarrassment before he turned and slugged his dad across the face, "Damn, you old pervert! You're telling me I need to feel up Satsuki to save her!"

Rebounding from the unwarranted attack with surprisingly fast speed, Isshin rubbed his cheek and grumbled, "Didn't you know that a Kamui's core is located around the sternum? If you're going to save Satsuki and Junketsu you need to place your hand against the core and mentally pull the Life Fibers from it. I would hurry as well. Junketsu doesn't have much longer before it will be impossible to remove the Life Fibers."

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak but quickly thought against it, "Fine, but when this is over I want you to tell me everything you know."

Isshin hesitated for a moment before nodding. It was time Ichigo was told about what was going on but it bothered him that he couldn't come out and tell his son himself, "By the way, I think now's a good time to tell Mugetsu about your past as a shinigami. She's your Kamui, after all, so she has a right to know about what you used to do, don't you think?"

Ichigo looked down into Mugetsu's expectant eyes before turning his head away, "Yeah, I think it's about time I told her. I've put it off for too long."

"Told me what, Ichigo?" Mugetsu spoke to Ichigo with a hint of betrayal in her voice as the Kamui began thinking that Ichigo had been hiding things from her.

Blasting off into the sky before quickly rocketing north towards Satsuki, Ichigo closed his eyes as various memories of his time as a shinigami coursed through his mind. Things had seemed so simple before meeting Rukia and Ichigo could not help but wonder what would have happened if he had not met her that fateful night. Snapping open his eyes, determination evident in them, Ichigo smiled and said, "It all began when I met a girl by the name of Rukia Kuchiki…"

---

...

---

"Ma'am, the latest satellite images from Karakura Town have arrived," Rei Hououmaru stood at attention across from Ragyo Kiryuin. With her eyes closed even behind her aviator sunglasses, the dark-skinned secretary and leader of Xcution gently slid the high resolution images over the desk, "It is just as you predicted. Lady Satsuki has lost control of Junketsu and has succumbed to the Kamui's superior will and power."

"It's a shame Satsuki fell so quickly," Ragyo pondered in amusement as she rested her cheek upon her hand. Gazing over the images scattered across her desk with amusement, she picked one up at random and smirked, "I assumed she would have managed to hold off Junketsu's will for at least another day. C'est la vie…"

Rei held off on the rest of her report until she was certain Lady Ragyo was paying attention. She had worked for the elder Kiryuin for more than twenty years and instinctively knew when Ragyo was lost deep in thought. As the minutes dragged by and Rei's patience continued to hold steady, she saw Ragyo's maroon eyes softly open and stare her, signaling for Rei to continue, "Per your earlier request I had the satellite programmed to keep track of the various fights throughout Karakura Town…there are some things you need to see."

Walking towards the screen behind Ragyo's desk and pressing a button on the side, Rei pulled out the USB cable and connected the monitor to her PDA. As the screen flickered to life and dozens of high resolution pictures appeared on it, Rei magnified one of the images and said, "This image was taken during the clash between Ira Gamagori and Yasutora Sado, a friend of Ichigo Kurosaki's. As you can see he seems to have a special ability that allows him to not only fight on an even level with a Three-Star Goku Uniform but actually surpass it."

Ragyo stared at the image of Chad using La Muerte on Gamagori and could not help as a psychotic smile stretched across her face. With the rainbow light in her hair intensifying alongside her emotions she wondered a human, nothing more than food for Life Fibers, was able to obtain a power completely unrelated to Life Fibers. The armor on Chad's arms looked similar enough to Satsuki's Goku Uniforms to be mistaken for one but Ragyo knew otherwise. Isshin would not have allowed a single thread of Life Fibers inside Karakura Town unless he authorized it.

"Comme c'est interessant! It pleases me that even after all this time Isshin still has tricks up his sleeves. He made it so Satsuki's little helpers were intercepted before they even reached Karakura Town," Ragyo wondered what secrets she could learn from Yasutora Sado's body but quickly decided against kidnapping the youth. After her successful kidnapping of Ichigo, courtesy of Ginjo's former loyalty, Ragyo knew attempting to spirit away anyone from Karakura Town was an effort in futility. She had only allowed Uryu Ishida to intern at Revocs because his father was powerful enough that if she refused without a very good reason he could hit her hard enough financially that the Celestial Cocoon Seed Planet would be delayed by a decade at the least. And how was it Uryu and his father repaid her? By stealing her precious Life Fibers and giving them to a human to weave into a Kamui. The only question that Ragyo had was whose Life Fibers were used to finish Mugetsu – Ichigo's or Isshin's.

"On a related topic Uryu Ishida appears to have similar, if not identical, powers to Ryuken Ishida. He was able to use a wide-scale version of the same technique his father used against the Grand Couturier to seriously damage a Three-Star Goku Uniform," Rei touched the screen and brought up a top-down photograph of Uryu about to use Gezielt Sprenger on Nonon Jakuzure. The leader of Xcution has been mildly surprised by the foresight and planning Uryu had put into trapping someone wearing a uniform made of thirty-five percent Life Fibers long enough to cast his ability.

Ragyo stared at the images of Uryu with less interest than she had for Chad, "The powers of Ryuken and his son, the self-proclaimed Quincy, do not concern me. Their supernatural powers have little to no effect on Life Fibers. Ryuken was barely able to seal my precious Nui's movements long enough to run away like a rat. The fact his son was able to damage a regalia to such an extent is more of an insult to the skills of Satsuki's couturier than a testament to their power. Speaking of which…did the Infiltration-Class COVERS find out who was trying to sneak about around Honnou City?"

Rei shook her head, "Whoever spoke to Ichigo Kurosaki was long gone by the time the COVERS arrived on the scene. Before I ordered them to return to headquarters I had them collect samples of the energy signature left over at the scene using their Life Fibers – it's a 97.5% match to the powers possessed by Ryuken and Uryu Ishida."

"My, oh my, it seems that there are quite a few Quincy scurrying around in the shadows," Ragyo mused thoughtfully with a shake of her head. People possessing supernatural powers outside of those granted by Life Fibers had not been part of her plans but Ragyo was anything if not pragmatic and resourceful. So what if these so-called Quincy possessed abilities strong enough to barely fight on par with a thirty-five percent Life Fiber weave. The difference between regalia and raiment was like comparing Satsuki's power in Junketsu with her own. It was impossible to measure.

Tapping a manicured nail against the polished surface of her desk as she looked upon the images, Ragyo chuckled before scoffing airily, "I know you wish to investigate who's leading these Quincy Hououmaru but let's refrain from moving against them just yet. The fact that they've escaped my notice for so long suggests that despite their worthless abilities they are quite organized, perhaps even to the extent of my former husband's organization. Have several dozen Infiltration-Class COVERS to spread out across Japan in search of the Quincy energy signature. I want to be ready when I feel the need to drown these rats out of the shadows they're hiding in."

"Right away, Ma'am," Rei bowed her head respectfully to Ragyo before she turned around and tapped the screen. As several images of Ichigo arriving in Karakura Town appeared on the screen she continued, "Ichigo Kurosaki has arrived in Karakura Town. It is only a matter of time before Isshin tells him how to remove the Life Fibers from Junketsu."

"You speak as if that's a problem, Hououmaru," Ragyo smiled and from the look on her secretary's face it was clear that Rei did not understand what she was planning. The moment Satsuki arrived at Revocs before the School Raid Trip she had instinctively known what her poor daughter did to Junketsu. It was not hard at all for her to see Ichigo's Life Fibers woven haphazardly throughout the Kamui. The lack of skill by Satsuki's couturier was apparent enough to Ragyo that she knew it was only a matter of time before Junketsu's devolved into insanity and the Kamui made a play for Satsuki's mind and body.

Rei looked at the screen and asked, "And is it not, Ma'am?"

Ragyo shook her head as she leaned forward and rested her chin on her clasped hands, "If Ichigo fails to rescue Satsuki from Junketsu then his Life Fibers woven within the Kamui will merge completely with it. Junketsu's current insane and disturbed behavior will then vanish as her original loyal personality reasserts itself. Satsuki will be dead but in return I will have a daughter completely loyal to the Original Life Fiber. For the first time in her miserable life Satsuki will be worthy of wearing Junketsu but this time it will be the other way around."

"And if Ichigo manages to remove his Life Fibers from Junketsu?"

"As much as allowing Junketsu to wear Satsuki pleases me, I would much rather have Ichigo save her worthless life," Ragyo's smile widened psychotically as her maroon eyes trailed across the images of Mugetsu and Ichigo. Rei Hououmaru was extremely loyal to the Life Fibers and Ragyo would admit she was the human closest to being her friend but she was still just a human. She could not begin to imagine the secrets of the Original Life Fiber that were woven within Ragyo and Isshin's mind twenty years ago, "The relative power of a Life Fiber Hybrid is not easy to but there is a single way to measure how much their Life Fibers have developed. It takes a hybrid of similar strength to the Grand Couturier and me to telekinetically control our Life Fibers once they leave our body. If Ichigo is able to remove his Life Fibers from Junketsu and save Satsuki then that will show he's nearly ready to join us…"

Rei watched as Ragyo stood up and slowly walked over to one of the windows of her spacious office, "You still plan on making Ichigo your heir?"

Ragyo turned her head around as the rainbow light shining from her hair intensified, "But of course. Satsuki has been nothing but a failure in life. Her plan to kill me using the students she gathered at Honnouji Academy is cute and shows initiative but she is nothing but a human that Life Fibers rejected. My second daughter showed more promise but she died from the experiments before they bore fruit. Perhaps I should have waited a few days after the experiment to see if it was a success before tossing her into the trash. The past seventeen years have shown that Life Fibers sometimes take time to adjust to a particularly compatible host. C'est la vie…"

Out of the hundreds of experiments she conducted with Life Fibers only four bore any importance to the elder Kiryuin. Ragyo's first attempt to create an artificial hybrid was with Satsuki but due to her initial inexperience it was nothing but an abject failure. Satsuki had survived the implantation with no detrimental side effects but the Life Fibers placed inside her body had disintegrated from the incompatibility. Ragyo's next attempt was with her second daughter and it was also a failure. At that point, bolstered by both of her daughters failing to properly merge with Life Fibers, Ragyo began blaming Souichiro's inferior genetics. What started next was a series of experiments of placing her fertilized eggs directly into the Original Life Fibers and seeing which survived. Nui and Amu developing normally from the same egg intrigued Ragyo but that was mostly because of who the father was. The last of the four experiments, and perhaps the most important one of all, involved…

"What about the Grand Couturier, Ma'am?" Rei's question broke Ragyo's train of thought, "I was under the assumption that she was to be your heir alongside Amu when we managed to recover her from Isshin's control and recondition her memories."

"You are mistaken, Hououmaru, Nui was never to be my heir," Ragyo smiled coldly as she wondered what Nui Harime was doing. She knew her daughter had gone to Karakura Town during Satsuki's little excursion but she knew Isshin had most likely prevented Nui from doing anything fun or interesting, "Nui may hold the title of Grand Couturier of Revocs but that is not her true title. Both Amu and Nui were born from the same egg and thus are needed together to design and weave Shinra Koketsu when the time is right. Inside each of their minds are half of the plans for the ultimate Kamui, which is the one thing the Original Life Fiber did not impart unto me or Isshin. They are the true Daughters of the Original Life Fiber."

---

...

---

Alex Louis Armstrong grunted as his back collided violently against a piece of overturned concrete and asphalt. As spittle and blood involuntarily escaped from his mouth, the Major General of Nudist Beach quickly ducked to the side to avoid having Bakuzan skewer him through his head.

Everything had gone to hell when Junketsu had unleashed the maelstrom of death and destruction that was Tenrai Kagai. If Satsuki's usage of the advanced battle technique was akin to that of a raging storm than Junketsu's was a hurricane. In the single instant between calling out the name of the technique and reappearing behind them, Junketsu had singlehandedly taken out Uryu and Tsumugu while inflicting deep wounds on Chad and himself. It was only by luck that Armstrong had been the furthest from the epicenter.

When Chad used La Muerte against Junketsu and forced her away from Uryu, Armstrong had instantly moved forward to confront the Kamui before she could charge Tenrai Kagai to the fullest. He knew from years of experience in fighting those that wear Life Fibers that if they have to shout out the name of a technique than they need time to cast it. That split second interval was what Armstrong shot for. As he rushed towards Junketsu with his fist only inches away from her face the Kamui had grinned at him before unleashing Tenrai Kagai without a moment's hesitation. Throwing his body to the side as Bakuzan swept through the air Armstrong had managed to escape with only a moderately severe gash along his right shoulder to show for it.

Twisting around Junketsu's forward stab Armstrong quickly brought his right arm up and blocked her subsequent attack with his Anti-Life Fiber steel gauntlet. As he heard the increasingly familiar sound of the metal cracking and splintering under the strain of trying to keep Bakuzan from killing him, Armstrong began to wish he had brought his DTR with him. Model Rex would have been a godsend in helping to occupy Junketsu until Ichigo arrived to remove his Life Fibers from the Kamui. As much as he wished for his DTR Armstrong knew he could not have anticipated Satsuki Kiryuin of all people losing control over her Kamui and going berserk.

"Is…this…all…you…can do?" Armstrong felt his arms strain under the superior strength of Junketsu. As his knees started to buckle from the effort of holding back Bakuzan from slicing deeply into his neck and beads of sweat trailed down his body Armstrong pushed back with all his might and shouted, "Do not underestimate the strength of an Armstrong!"

With a burst of strength, honed from years of service to his country and fellow man, Armstrong pushed Junketsu away before rushing forward. Avoiding her counterattack by leaning to the side he grabbed Junketsu's shoulder pads with both hands before forcing Satsuki's face straight into his knee with a resounding cracking sound. For just a moment Armstrong thought he finally managed to hurt the Kamui. The nose was composed of pure cartilage and even if wearing a Kamui granted the wearer superhuman strength and durability there was a limit to the amount of protection. Tsumugu's ability to injure Ryuko Matoi was proof enough of that.

"W-Was that supposed to hurt?"

"Impossible…" Armstrong's eyes opened in surprise as he stared into Junketsu's unflinching gaze. He knew that his knee had connected directly with Junketsu's nose but she looked completely unfazed by it.

"I-I have to find Ichigo. I-I have to kill him to stop the pain…" Junketsu screamed as she punched Armstrong in his stomach with enough force to send the much larger man bouncing back along the ground before he rolled to a halt. Watching as the human struggling to pick himself off the ground, Junketsu couldn't understand why he would continue getting in her way. She didn't even care about any of them anymore. All she wanted to do was hunt down Ichigo and kill him in order to make the pain and agony wracking her mind and soul stop. If that meant allowing a few humans to live than Junketsu was content to do that. She didn't even want to kill this human anymore so why was he getting in her way?

Gripping her forehead in pain with one eye closed in agony, Junketsu stalked towards Armstrong with Bakuzan clenched tightly in her other hand, "M-Must find Ichigo…p-pain will end…I-I want to be myself…"

Coughing as he pushed himself onto one knee Armstrong thought back on his decision years ago to join the army and wished he could have instead continued playing football. Joining a professional team would have undoubtedly been much safer for his continued existence than fighting a mentally unstable Kamui hell-bent on killing everyone in her path. Gauntlet scrapping along the ground harshly as he staggered back to his feet, Armstrong took one unsteady step before he forced his body into the Armstrong fighting stance. Blue eyes staring passionately into his opponent's multihued ones Armstrong spit out some blood and said, "For as long as I continue to draw breath I swear upon my honor as an Armstrong I shall be the invincible shield that protects Ichigo from your blade!"

Junketsu tilted her head to the side as she listened to Armstrong speak as if he had the strength to fight her. None of the humans she had fought since she wrested control of her body away from Satsuki had managed to so much as make her bleed. Yasutora Sado had been the closest to hurting her with a slight bruise on her cheek to show for it but that was the extent of their effort, which is why Junketsu could not understand Armstrong's determination to stop her. He was nothing more than a simple human, a pig in human clothes, born and raised to be food for Life Fibers when the time came so why was he not afraid of dying?

"W-Why do you stand in my way?" Junketsu winced in pain as a massive lance of agony tore through her head as Armstrong's form wavered and for just a moment took the form of a large man with an eyepatch and black hair fashioned up into spikes. Clenching her eyes shut and muttering that it would be only little longer until she killed Ichigo, Junketsu opened her eyes once more and saw Armstrong was back to normal, "Y-You're just a worthless human!"

"I may be nothing more than a mere man," Armstrong clenched a fist dramatically before pointing a finger at Junketsu. The wounds covering his body were causing him to slowly lose feeling in his extremities but an Armstrong would never pass out before an opponent was dealt with. Falling unconscious in battle against a murderous adversary would bring nothing but shame to the Armstrong name, "I may even die this day but I shall perish knowing that you were unable to lay a finger on Ichigo!"

"You think you can stop me?"

The stutter that had been persistent in Junketsu's speech ever since the Kamui first began wearing Satsuki abruptly vanished. Tilting her head to the side as a series of uncontrollable giggles escaped her mouth, Junketsu wove her fingers through Satsuki's hair as the pain in her head returned in full force. Memories of running for her life in a maze of tall white buildings while being chased by a monster in the guise of a man passed in front of her eyes. Letting loose a scream of defiance and causing the land around her to crack and shatter into thousands of pieces, Junketsu charged towards Armstrong even as he once again appeared in the form of the man with the eyepatch. Growling at the insane grin on the man's face, Junketsu pushed as much power into Satsuki's body as it could handle all with the purpose of ending Armstrong's life as violently as possible.

"Die! Die! Die you stupid human!"

Armstrong sighed wearily as the odds of surviving his fight against Junketsu dropped to nearly zero. Every single attack, ranging from his Anti-Life Fiber traps and weaponry to Uryu and Chad's supernatural abilities, had been barely effective at even leaving a bruise on the Kamui-possessed Satsuki. Gathering up his courage and remaining energy Armstrong smashed his fists together as a yellow light twinkled in his eyes, "Come at me with everything you have, Junketsu! You'll find that this particular man will not die so easily! An Armstrong never runs away from a fight!"

Even though Junketsu was already planning to kill Armstrong quickly and violently simply hearing the Major General's words of defiance caused her to shout in rage. She could feel her mind slipping away into the dark abyss and it would not be long until she forgot her own name. Already the memories inside Ichigo's Life Fibers were beginning to interfere and Junketsu was afraid that soon she would not even be able to tell the difference between Ichigo's memories and her own. Blue heels clicking along the ground hard enough to shatter the asphalt Junketsu brought Bakuzan up to bisect Armstrong and finally end his foolish defiance when a black and white blur slammed bodily into her. As an armored fist smashed into the side of her face with enough force to tear the eardrums of anyone unfortunately to be in range, Junketsu was sent soaring through several buildings before coming to a crashing halt nearly two blocks away.

"Sorry it took me so long," Ichigo stared in the direction he had hit Junketsu and scowled as he noticed the fallen forms of Uryu, Chad, Tsumugu and Ryuko laying on the ground with pools of blood around their unconscious bodies. Turning around to face the heavily injured Armstrong Ichigo sensed Junketsu already recovering and said, "I don't know who you are but I need you to get Ryuko and the others away from here. Removing my Life Fibers from Junketsu might get messy."

It took Armstrong a few seconds to realize who had arrived but when he did the Major General's expression hardened. Forcing his already exhausted body to move Armstrong walked towards Ichigo and clapped the youth on the shoulder, "Very well Ichigo, I shall leave dealing with Junketsu in your capable hands. I look forward to discussing important matters once this battle is finished. However…"

Ichigo looked over his shoulder, "What?"

Armstrong looked around the destroyed Karakura Town, his gaze stopping for several seconds on each and every person that had fallen to Junketsu's disturbed rampage, before he answered Ichigo, "It will be difficult for me to bring all four of them to the hospital in my current condition. I might be able to manage carrying two of them but I do not wish to find out Junketsu's uncontrolled power had killed the other two in the interim. I am only one man and Ryuken Ishida is still treating Nonon Jakuzure's wounds sustained from Junketsu's awakening."

"Don't worry. I'm going to make sure Junketsu does not hurt anyone else," Ichigo began walking away from Armstrong with Tournesol held tightly in his grip as the lines traced across Mugetsu's armor plating began glowing with a fierce blue light. Knowing Junketsu had attacked and nearly killed Nonon changed everything. Ichigo had planned on trying to talk Satsuki down like Mako did for Ryuko when she lost control of Senketsu and went berserk. Realizing out of everyone at Honnouji Academy, including the Elite Four, that he was the closest person to Satsuki both confused and disturbed Ichigo.

"I'm going to save both Satsuki and Junketsu!" Ichigo exclaimed to the Major General, "You do what you can for Tsumugu and the others! I can sense my dad coming so he should be able to help them survive long enough for Orihime to heal them!"

Armstrong may have known Isshin Kurosaki for nearly two decades now but the man was as much of an enigma as ever. While his past relationship with Ragyo Kiryuin was sealed apart from several interesting pieces of evidence one thing Armstrong knew for certain was that Isshin was a damn good doctor. Isshin's only lost three patients in his twenty or so years of practice in Karakura Town. Knowing a man with such medical expertise was arriving soon filled Armstrong with relief, "Well said, Ichigo! Your dedication to your friends is truly admirable! I am more than capable of fixing things up on this end! Go save Satsuki Kiryuin from being devoured by her Kamui!"

Without giving Armstrong so much as an affirmation Ichigo wordlessly shifted Mugetsu into her Zangetsu configuration and vanished in a burst of speed in Junketsu's direction. He had no delusions that his punch, which was more than capable of flooring someone like Gamagori while he was wearing his Shackle Regalia, actually did anything more than annoy Junketsu. In Ichigo's first battle against Satsuki back at the beginning of the school year Mugetsu had informed him that Junketsu was withholding roughly half of her power from Satsuki. Now that Junketsu's was wearing Satsuki's body like a set of clothing Ichigo realized the Kamui would be coming at him with everything she had. Ichigo may have gotten stronger alongside Mugetsu but he didn't believe his power had doubled in the span of a month.

Pushing off the ground and vaulting over a pile of debris recently formed from Junketsu's unexpected flight Ichigo hovered in the air as he caught sight of Junketsu standing in the middle of the road waiting for him. Landing softly some distance away from the Kamui Ichigo gripped Tournesol in one hand and stared into his opponent's multicolored eyes. Even as he immediately sensed his Life Fibers permeating Junketsu's form Ichigo did not dare approach her for the moment. Satsuki's body was quivering sporadically as Junketsu held herself back from charging at him. As he watched Junketsu grip a hand through Satsuki's black hair and lean her head forward Ichigo softly asked, "Junketsu…why did you try to kill my friends? I can't pretend to understand what you're feeling but they had nothing to do with what Satsuki and Iori did to you."

"Ichigo…Ichigo is here…"

Junketsu did not pay attention to what Ichigo was telling her as her mind became enraptured at the thought of her agonizing ordeal finally ending. She had just about given up hope of finding Ichigo before losing what remained of her mind but knowing that he was standing in front of her filled her with happiness. Clenching Bakuzan tightly in her hand as the blue lines on her Kamui began shining with an intense blue light Junketsu laughed deliriously as she charged towards Ichigo, "Ichigo is here! I've been looking everywhere for you Ichigo!"

Blue and white heels cracked the ground beneath Junketsu as she rushed at Ichigo with a speed he would have been hard-pressed to match outside of his former bankai. Leaning to the side as Junketsu attempted to stab Bakuzan through his heart Ichigo was caught off-guard when she abruptly stopping moving and spun around before slamming her foot into his chin. Even as spittle freely flew forth from his mouth Ichigo managed to keep his attention locked on Junketsu and was able to bring Tournesol around to parry the Kamui's riposte before he was blown back by a large burst of power.

Crashing through an already scattered window and rolling to a stop in what had once been an office building Ichigo pushed himself to his feet and grumbled, "She's certainly stronger than when Satsuki was in control. I don't remember Satsuki having this much power during our fight."

"This is not the time to worry about trivial things like that, Ichigo!"Mugetsu chided Ichigo's question as her eyes focused on the approaching Junketsu. With how little time Junketsu had left before Ichigo's Life Fibers overwhelmed her mind forever Mugetsu could sense the abject fear and terror coursing through her fellow Kamui. It pained Mugetsu to know that everything Junketsu was doing was to prevent a fate worse than death, "You need to remove your Life Fibers from Junketsu!"

"I know that!" Ichigo exclaimed as he sprinted out of the building just as Junketsu appeared in the air right outside. Twisting around Junketsu's attempt to skewer his neck Ichigo reached out and gripped Satsuki's face with his hand before instantly shifting Mugetsu into Gufū. Flipping around so that he was facing the ground Ichigo forced his newly formed rockets to blast at full power as he slammed Junketsu headfirst into the road. Leaping back as a cloud of smoke expanded into the air and obscured his vision Ichigo grimaced and looked into Mugetsu's eyes, "She's just so strong. I can't get close enough to place my hand against Satsuki's chest without Junketsu counterattacking."

"This is not enough…" Junketsu's voice echoed out of the smoke, instantly putting Ichigo on guard. While he hadn't actually been trying to kill her with that last attack Ichigo was certain he'd injured Junketsu. As the Kamui walked out of the smoke with barely any wounds on her body, Junketsu tilted Satsuki's head to the side as she began muttering, "I have to kill Ichigo…Killing Ichigo will make the pain stop…I don't want to disappear!"

"Damn it…"

Ichigo managed to react in time to Junketsu's assault by parrying her initial lightning-fast attack to the side with Tournesol but he was caught completely by surprise when Junketsu did not follow with another strike as she instead leaned forward until her multicolored eyes were only inches away from his own. For just a moment his eyes locked gazes with Junketsu's and Ichigo was nearly overwhelmed by the fear and loneliness pulsing right beneath the insanity. It sickened him to actually see what his Life Fibers were actually doing to Junketsu. Ichigo would never do anything like this if he had a choice. As his ears began picking up the sound of Junketsu muttering to herself, her every word laced with pain, Ichigo wanted to say something to comfort the Kamui but found his head forcibly jerking back as Junketsu slammed her forehead into his nose.

"Die!"

Reacting instinctively Ichigo brought up Tournesol and managed to block Junketsu's strike. As the ground around him began audibly cracking under the force Junketsu was exerting, Ichigo grit his teeth and pushed back with as much power as Mugetsu could safely grant him, "Stop it, Junketsu! I'm trying to help you!"

Junketsu's eyes widened before narrowing as another wave of mental pain, worse than the last one, tore through her mind. Managing to ignore the pain long enough to plant her heels against Ichigo's chest and push off his body, Junketsu slid to a halt some distance away as everything began wavering around her. For an instant the surrounding buildings and streets of Karakura Town appeared to be submerged in darkened water but it was what Ichigo briefly looked like that caused Junketsu to collapse onto one knee in pain. For just an instant, flickering across her vision like a static image, the colors on Ichigo's skin bled away until it was pure white while his hair turned a brilliant shade of silver.

"Well now…"

The moment she heard the familiarly twisted voice Junketsu knew for certain it was not Ichigo talking to her. The smirking bone white Ichigo constantly flickered back and forth between it and the normal Ichigo but one thing that remained constant was that both Ichigo's wore Mugetsu. Wincing as another bout of pain hit her Junketsu saw the pale copy of Ichigo chuckle in a warbled tone and scoff, "…this is quite the surprise. Does a weak and worthless Kamui like you actually believe you can kill a Life Fiber Hybrid like me? You must be out of your mind…"

Junketsu seethed as she pushed Satsuki's body to stand back up, "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"What's wrong, Junketsu?" Ichigo didn't know what was going on or why Junketsu was staring at him with enough hatred to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. One moment she was staring at him with a confused look in her eyes and the next she was shouting at him to shut up, "Mugetsu, what's going on?"

"I don't know but I think it has something to do with your Life Fibers," Mugetsu had felt something pulse in Ichigo's Life Fibers just a few seconds ago but she couldn't think of a reason why Junketsu would think Ichigo was talking. She hadn't heard him say anything that could warrant such a response, "They've been acting up since we arrived in Karakura Town. Perhaps the Life Fibers Satsuki Kiryuin put in Junketsu is allowing her to somehow hear the Life Fibers resonating in your body."

Ichigo didn't know how any of that worked but this was an opportunity he couldn't afford to pass up. Stabbing Tournesol deeply into the road and rushing forward with his arm outstretched in front of his body he exclaimed, "This is it!"

Although Ichigo and Mugetsu's voices had been loud enough for Junketsu to easily hear them the Kamui could not focus on anything other than the pale facsimile of Ichigo standing in front of her. The smirk on the copy's face, which both infuriated and demeaned Junketsu, slowly died off into a frown, "Well, what do you know? It seems you can hear my voice. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted. I suppose it's because a small part of me is in you right now…"

"Stop mocking me, Ichigo!" Junketsu shouted angrily at the silver-haired copy.

As another bout of pain wracked her mind Junketsu was forced to let go of Bakuzan, the weapon clattering to the ground as a result, as she gripped head with both hands. Watching all this with a strangely apathetic expression on his face, the pale copy of Ichigo sighed wistfully and rubbed his palm against his forehead, "You want to know something funny? You might blame me for what's happening to you but the truth is I'm not the one controlling the Life Fibers slowly eroding your mind and soul!"

The copy's voice grew louder and louder as it talked until it was nearly shouting at the end, "What you fail to realize, my dear Junketsu, is that if the pretty little princess whose body you're wearing had simply asked for some of my Life Fibers this wouldn't be happening. I would never give any part of me to you, to be honest, but if by some strange coincidence I did then…well…you would be fine and dandy while still under Satsuki's thumb. So you were screwed either way!"

Junketsu's eyes clenched shut in pain as she shouted, "Shut up!"

"What? You think I want this to happen to you? Get real." The pale copy of Ichigo scoffed and folded his arms before smirking as something came to mind, "Well, it's been real fun talking to you but it seems like everything is just about over…"

With that the pale Ichigo abruptly shattered into thousands of blue Life Fibers all the while his warbling laughter echoed into the wind. As Junketsu found the world shifting back into reality she saw the true Ichigo rushing towards her with his hand outstretched. Just as she was about to shout at him to stay away from her Ichigo's hand pressed firmly against Satsuki's chest and everything faded to darkness.

Ichigo sat upright with a startled gasp. Taking in several deep breaths as he tried to remember what happened after he placed his hand on Satsuki's chest he found himself drawing a complete blank much to his surprise. One moment he had finally managed to use the perverted technique his dad said would save Satsuki and Junketsu and the next he was waking up on the shore of a beach. Sitting up and looking around Ichigo noticed that while the ocean stretching out to the horizon in front of him was as smooth as glass the dark gray storm clouds above made him realize that he wasn't anywhere in the real world.

"This is an odd place," Ichigo pushed himself to his feet and absentmindedly brushed sand off his clothing, "I wonder how I got here. You know anything about where we are, Mugetsu?"

When he failed to elicit a response from his Kamui Ichigo looked down and noticed that for the first time in months he was not wearing Mugetsu. Instead of the familiar black and white patterns and multihued eyes on his shoulders Ichigo saw that he was wearing one of sets of clothing he owned before he was transferred to Honnouji Academy. Shivering slightly as a cold breeze blew across the beach Ichigo rubbed his arms and muttered, "I guess I'm on my own from here on out. This must be Satsuki's inner world. I never expected a stormy beach to be her inner world."

Deciding that he had spent enough time enjoying the view Ichigo turned around to begin looking for his Life Fibers when he stopped and deadpanned, "Of fucking course…"

Stretching up into the sky and taking up most of the horizon opposite the beach was a large and imposing castle. Dozens of bastions and parapets lined the walls of the fortress and even from his distance Ichigo noticed various colored flames illuminating the thousands of windows. While the weathered stone fortress appeared to have seen better days but Ichigo knew that despite its rustic and beaten appearance it was more than capable of protecting against any assault. Casting his gaze upwards Ichigo frowned when he noticed the familiar blue glow of his Life Fibers coming from the clouds surrounding the towers stretching into the stormy sky.

"This is more like it," Ichigo groaned and rubbed his temple. Why couldn't anything be easy? Searching the entire castle is going to take forever and time was something he could not afford to waste.

As Ichigo took his first steps towards the imposing castle stretching into and beyond the clouds he stopped as he heard something familiar faintly whispering on the wind. Pausing and cupping a hand to his ear in order to better hear it, the look of concentration on his face quickly changed to a scowl of annoyance as he placed the sound, "The Imperial March from Star Wars? Of course Satsuki would have the theme of Darth Vader playing in her head. God dammit…"

Rubbing the bridge of his nose to stave off the headache he was certainly going to get if he continued thinking about why Satsuki's inner world had background music Ichigo sighed loudly and walked towards the castle. He could always ask Satsuki about it after he saved her. As he stepped across the sandy dunes, prepared to run if needed to reach the castle in the distance, Ichigo felt the world around him shift and warp until he found himself standing on an expansive stone bridge that lead directly to the castle's front gates.

"That was convenient," Ichigo eyed the burning pyre in the middle of the bridge as he hurried towards the castle. Instead of the logs or burning embers that he expected to find he saw that there were dozens of perpetually burning wooden mannequins. What bothered Ichigo and forced a frown to adorn his face was that every single mannequin had the shape of a woman but their wooden faces were all either crying or attempting to cover themselves in shame.

"Where am I?"

Kneeling down next to one of the mannequins that had fallen out of the pyre, Ichigo was just about to turn it over and get a good look at its face when the gates to the castle opened and cast a bright rainbow light over the area. Covering his eyes with his hand, his mind immediately recognizing that light from Satsuki's mother, Ichigo lowered his arm as his eyes began to adjust to the abrupt illumination and saw a short and shadowy figure walking out of the castle towards him.

"Quick, Master Ichigo!" The short man dabbed as his forehead with a handkerchief as he waved Ichigo to enter the castle. Staring up into the stormy skies as a flash of blue illuminated everything, the man shouted once more at the hesitant Ichigo, "There's no time for dawdling, boy! You have to get inside before she finds you!"

Ichigo stared at the short man suspiciously. He had never heard of a normal person being able to enter someone else's inner world. What he was doing could be considered the sole exception and Ichigo knew for a fact that Satsuki did not have shinigami powers. Deciding to voice his concerns Ichigo took several steps towards the man and asked, "Who the hell are you and how are you in Satsuki's inner world?"

The man opened his mouth to speak but was knocked to the ground as something slammed into the far end of the bridge. Twisting his body around to see what happened Ichigo felt a bead of sweat trickle down his cheek upon the figure staring at him. At first glance she looked like Satsuki but the colors were all wrong and the last time he checked Satsuki did not have blonde hair. Sprinting towards the castle without as second thought, Ichigo dove under the closing gate just as the fake Satsuki teleported the length of the bridge and was about to clasp a black armored hand around his leg.

"What…the…hell…was that thing?" Ichigo asked in between pants of breath.

"There is no time for small talk, Master Kurosaki." The portly man scowled at the thick metal gate one final time as he wiped the sweat on his forehead with handkerchief before placing it back into the pocket of his tuxedo. As a bright flash of lightning illuminated the castle in shades of eerie blue and white the man smoothed the wrinkles out of his suit before turned away from Ichigo. As he sensed the suspicious scowl on the hybrid's face the man sneered before abruptly bowing, "Please excuse my rudeness, Master Kurosaki. While I may be nothing more than an aspect of Lady Satsuki's will my actions so far have been quite rude. If you wish to call me by a name might I suggest Takiji Kuroido?"

Ichigo frowned as he tried to place why that name seemed so familiar before asking, "Aren't you the Steward of the Kiryuin Family or something?"

The being that took the form of Takiji Kuroido gave an oily smirk as it answered, "You are well informed Master Kurosaki. However I am simply part of Lady Satsuki's will that's been given form and substance in order to better guide you on your journey to save her. Please follow me and watch your step. Lady Satsuki's mind is fatal to anyone that has not been invited. My presence is the only reason you have not yet succumbed to the mental traps."

Giving Ichigo one last unpleasant smile Kuroido turned and began walking away, the shadows permeating the darkened corridors seeming to reach out towards him as he went. As Ichigo glanced down at his clothing, wishing once more that Mugetsu was here, he heard Kuroido's echoing voice from down the hallway, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Master Kurosaki, but your Kamui did not make the trip. It was your Life Fibers that've infected Junketsu after all. Now please try to keep up. I would prefer that you not manage to get lost before helping Lady Satsuki."

Ichigo did not say anything as he slowly followed the shadowy form of Kuroido. While the tall open windows spaced every ten feet or so along the walls would usually bring in enough light to illuminate every corner of the castle, the raging storm outside had forced the windows to be shuttered with thick opaque glass that let in almost nothing apart from the occasional flash of lightning. As his footsteps echoed on the stone floor interspaced with oriental rugs Ichigo stopped walking as he gazed at a painting taking up the wall in front of him where the corridor turned sharply to the left.

Unlike the rest of the castle the painting was fully illuminated, which allowed Ichigo to see the detail of every single brushstroke of the nearly thirty foot high piece of artwork. As he stared up at the two figures featured predominantly in the painting, both Satsuki Kiryuin and her mother, Ichigo began to feel as if something was off about it. While Ragyo Kiryuin appeared to be normal as she sat upon an ornate thrown made out of what appeared to be Life Fibers and wearing an elaborately sewn Japanese wedding dress it was the look on Satsuki's face that caused Ichigo to lean closer for a better look. The Satsuki in the painting may have only been six or seven years old but the look of sadness on her face as she stared in the exact opposite direction of her mother caused Ichigo to…

"Master Ichigo!" Kuroido's loud shout from down the hallway disrupted Ichigo's line of thought, "We do not have the time to observe the art! I do not see why a picture of Lady Satsuki and her mother intrigues you so much anyway."

Looking one final time at the painting before he continued following Kuroido Ichigo was shocked to see that the context had changed in the brief moment of distraction. The almost sinister smile on Ragyo's face had been replaced by a nearly maternal one and the look of shame and uncomfortableness on Satsuki was now one of mild contentment and annoyance that most six years old had when forced to pose for a painting. Frowning as he tried to understand whether the painting had indeed changed or he just saw something that wasn't there, Ichigo was forced to abandon that line of thought when Kuroido's increasingly impatient voice forced him to continue following the portly butler.

As Ichigo finally caught up to Kuroido at the base of a rather large staircase he watched as the faux butler removed a torch from a nearby sconce. Lighting the torch with a match that flickered with an alien blue light, Kuroido's face was cast in eerie blue and white shadows as he motioned for Ichigo to stop, "If you wish to truly save Lady Satsuki out of the goodness of your heart, Master Ichigo, then answer a simple question – why are you here?"

Ichigo did not even hesitate as he answered, "I'm here to save both Satsuki and Junketsu from my Life Fibers. What more of a reason do I need?"

Kuroido gave an inhuman snicker as he waved the torch in the air in front of his body, "What more indeed. Lady Satsuki does not have good memories of Life Fiber Hybrids. In fact before you were exposed as one the only such being she had any close contact with was Nui Harime. I take it you understand why I feel the need to not trust your altruism at face value?"

"I'm here to help," Ichigo countered with grim determination as he stared directly past the glasses Kuroido was wearing into his beady eyes, "If you truly are part of Satsuki than you should already know that."

For just a second it seemed as if Kuroido was not going to accept his answer but soon enough he began chuckling in his normal oily tone. As he began ascending the staircase, the blue light from the torch flicking the shadows back and forth, Kuroido took several steps before turning around and saying, "Well said, Master Ichigo. The answers you seek are this way and I advise you to watch your step. These stairs were not designed for anyone other than Lady Satsuki. They might be…disconcerting."

Ichigo scoffed at Kuroido's worry but as soon as his foot touched the very first step everything seemed to sway and change. The once even and easily climbable steps suddenly appeared to bend at obtuse and strange angles while the heights of individual steps continuously changed right before his eyes. As his mind became increasingly dizzy and he threatened to lose his balance, Ichigo felt a thick hand grab the front of his shirt. When everything immediately reverted back to normal Ichigo looked around and asked, "What the hell just happened?"

"I warned you," Kuroido sneered before letting go of Ichigo and proceeding onwards, "Lady Satsuki's mind is a fortress, Master Ichigo, which demonstrates her inhuman will and drive to persevere. In order to defend against mental and spiritual threats she has implemented various traps and defenses that will only get worse as we get closer to her inner sanctum. I dare say you might never find quite another mind like Lady Satsuki's."

"You'd be surprised what some people would do," Ichigo muttered just loudly enough for Kuroido to hear as he followed the steward up the now normal-looking stairs. As memories of fighting Byakuya passed through his mind Ichigo wondered why someone like Satsuki would act and behave like a centuries old shinigami captain. Byakuya was born in a noble house and grew over decades to accept the rule of law while getting a temper on his emotions. Satsuki, on the other hand, was only seventeen years old and from what he'd been able to find out she's been like this for more than ten years.

"Might I trouble you for another answer, Master Ichigo?" Kuroido turned around as they reached a landing and waved the torch in Ichigo's face, "Do you know how to remove your Life Fibers from Junketsu before the Kamui's mental encroachment upon Lady Satsuki mind, body and soul becomes complete?"

Ichigo scoffed and looked away, "My dad said all I needed to do was place my hand against Satsuki's chest. He never said anything about having to travel through her inner world."

"Ah yes, Master Isshin was always notorious for skimping on the details," Kuroido sneered viciously as he turned away from Ichigo. As the two of them approached the top of the stairs he saw the perplexed look on Ichigo's face and added, "If you truly do not know how to remove your Life Fibers than perhaps my assistance will be required. Every room in this castle represents part of Lady Satsuki's overall personality. Perhaps you might gain some insight about how to safely remove your Life Fibers from Lady Satsuki."

Gripping the elaborate wrought iron handle of the door in front of them Kuroido flashed a conniving smirk at Ichigo as he pushed it open with a rusty creak, "Here is the first stop, Master Ichigo."

The room that lay beyond the threshold was not what Ichigo expected. Instead of the dark and dreary room made out of stone that he expected to see what he saw instead was a pure white room that appeared to shine with a bright light. Stepping inside with Kuroido following closely behind him Ichigo looked around and felt something was off, "There's nothing here."

"This is simply the viewing room, Master Ichigo, the real room is right this way," Kuroido answered in a mocking tone as he walked past Ichigo, the blue-lit torch no longer in his hand, and approached the single stained glass window on the far side of the room. Pushing open the window and allowing the light from outside to penetrate the room Kuroido added, "Please take a look."

Ichigo had a scowl on his face as he slowly walked towards the open window. Glancing suspiciously at Kuroido one final time before leaning forward out the window he was surprised to see that instead of the raging storm and howling winds blanketing Satsuki mindscape he was looking upon a thirteen year old Satsuki Kiryuin walking through a grove of cherry blossoms. As he watched the soundless scene play out Ichigo saw as the much younger Satsuki was confronted by an equally younger Ira Gamagori. While he was unable to hear what Satsuki said to Gamagori Ichigo was still able to watch as she effortlessly demolished his guard as well as the steel armor Gamagori was hiding underneath his clothing.

"What am I watching?"

"You are witnessing the first encounter Lady Satsuki had with Ira Gamagori. She is quite extraordinary, would you not agree?" Kuroido answered with little concern.

Ichigo didn't answer as the scene shifted to Satsuki standing over a defeated Gamagori. Chopping the larger teen on the back of his shattered armor Satsuki said something that Ichigo wished he could hear before Gamagori bowed his head and knelt in front of Satsuki with his hand held out. Just as Satsuki smiled and reached out with her own hand the scene abruptly vanished only to be replaced by the familiar storm outside. As Ichigo stood with his upper body getting drenched by the torrential downpour he scowled and asked, "How long has Satsuki been this way?"

"Thirteen years, three months, five days, three hours and fourteen minutes," Kuroido answered in a completely uncaring tone as he walked away from the window towards the only other exit to the room. As he placed a hand on the archaic and rustic wooden door, the hinges creaking open with an audible groan, Kuroido looked over his shoulder and said, "There is still much to see, Master Ichigo, and we do not have much time."

There was something inherently wrong with the answer Kuroido had belted out without any hesitation. If he was to take the answer at face value than Satsuki had been like this ever since she was about five years old or so. It bothered Ichigo tremendously to know that a five year old girl became like this, "Before we go any further I have a question of my own. What exactly caused Satsuki to become this way? I don't think someone just wakes up one day and decides to become a different person on a whim."

The steward's black form seemed to blend into the shadows and for just a moment Ichigo's eyes saw something else. That feeling quickly abated when Kuroido turned around and sneered, "Lady Satsuki will have the answers you need. I am not at liberty to discuss anything bothering her with anyone, including you."

Ichigo did not press the issue as he followed the steward. Watching that scene play out in front of his eyes raised more questions than it answered and Ichigo didn't know how seeing pieces of Satsuki's past would help him save both her and Junketsu from his Life Fibers. Pursing his lips as something passed across the forefront of his mind Ichigo paused and asked, "What's Satsuki's relation to her mother?"

"Lady Ragyo?" Kuroido quirked an eyebrow above his glasses as he turned his head around to face Ichigo, "Lady Satsuki's relation with her mother is perhaps more formal than most families. Her father disappeared when she was but five years old. Since that day Lady Ragyo has tried to keep her daughter from drifting too far away. I will admit that Lady Ragyo's relationship with her daughter might seem…strange…to those outside the family but…"

Whatever Kuroido said after that was drowned out as they walked past dozens of simple rooms lining either side of the hallway. As Ichigo stared into the first one on the right he saw that the room was filled with mannequins identical to the ones burning in the pyre outside the castle but with a slight difference. Instead of being completely naked these ones were clothed in elaborate and covering dresses that glowed with a very familiar rainbow light. The next room was similar to the first but as he passed more and more rooms Ichigo began to become disturbed by the increasingly erotic and shameful poses of the mannequins until he could not look at the last room out of fear what he might see.

"Hey," Ichigo cut of Kuroido and swallowed nervously, "I have another question. What the fuck is up with the mannequins in these rooms?"

"You didn't look, did you?" Kuroido's eyes widened in fear as a series of agonizing moans erupted from the rooms. Quickly closing the door of the room nearest them before the mannequins inside could leave Kuroido grabbed Ichigo's hands and rushed down the hall. As the mannequins in the rest of the rooms awkwardly stumbled towards them Kuroido grimaced and said, "Quickly! This way, Master Ichigo! We don't have much time remaining before Junketsu breaches the security of Lady Satsuki's fortress!"

Pulling his hand out of Kuroido's cold grip Ichigo ran alongside the portly man and frowned when he saw more mannequins appearing out of the shadows in front of him. Skidding to a stop and thinking quickly, he grabbed Kuroido by the back of his tuxedo and pulled him into what looked like an empty room before slamming the door behind him. Breathing heavily as he rested his forehead on the door Ichigo muttered, "I think that should buy us some time. Damn it Satsuki, why does your mind have to be such a fucking mess?"

"We should not be here, Master Ichigo…"

Ichigo frowned at the worried tone in Kuroido's voice and turned around expecting to see more of those nightmarish mannequins or something even worse. Instead of one of Satsuki's mental defenses, however, the only thing in the now lit room was a statue of Satsuki clad in Junketsu and holding something up in the air but due to the angle Ichigo could not see what it was. As curiosity overrode his fear and he took a step forward to see what it was Satsuki was holding Kuroido grabbed Ichigo's wrist to stop him, "This is a very sacred room to Lady Satsuki, Master Ichigo. It's where her deepest desire is kept safe! The longer we are in here the more likely her mind is to lash out and erase your presence from reality!"

Effortlessly pulling his arm out of Kuroido's tight grip Ichigo walked forward and around the statue. When he saw exactly what it was the statue of Satsuki was holding in her hand Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he turned his gaze back to Kuroido, "Tell me something, Kuroido. You said that Satsuki and her mother get along fairly well. So tell me…why the hell is Satsuki's deepest desire to hold her mother's severed head!"

"He…he…he…"

As the room containing Satsuki's deepest desire began to melt around them Ichigo tried to rush forward and grab Kuroido only to find the Kiryuin's steward melting along with it. Letting go of the amorphous body as he fell to the ground in a wet heap, Ichigo twisted around as he felt droplets of rain hit his face. Gritting his teeth angrily into the stormy skies above Ichigo was forced to cover his eyes as a helicopter appeared from over the edge of the castle with Kuroido hanging off the side with a rocket launcher easily held in his hand.

"So you finally managed to figure things out, you stupid boy." Kuroido's voice carried easily through the air even though the helicopter's rotors were barely five feet away from him. Sneering derisively down at Ichigo, who glared up at him through the rain-filled skies, the steward aimed the rocket launcher at Ichigo and shouted, "But it's too late for you to do anything about it! Junketsu is going to destroy the last remnants of Satsuki's mind in less than five minutes!"

Ichigo bit his lip as he watched Kuroido prepare to attack him while he was powerless to do anything. He no longer had shinigami powers and without Mugetsu he just a normal human. Who cared if he was Life Fiber Hybrid when it really didn't help him in a fight? Glowering at Kuriodo he shouted, "I knew I couldn't trust you! Satsuki would never have someone like you as part of her subconscious. So who the hell are you?"

"You truly are a stupid and naïve little boy," Kuroido scoffed angrily at Ichigo's stupid question as he aimed directly at Ichigo. He was but an extension of Lady Ragyo's will, implanted into her daughter in order to spy on her actions. Therefore he knew that Ichigo needed to live to see his creator's plans come to fruition. Snickering menacingly at the look of powerless anger adorning Ichigo's face he sneered and said, "Don't worry. I won't kill you. Lady Ragyo still had need of you after all…"

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed and began running parallel to the helicopter as Kuroido took aim and fired. As his sneakers slipped against the wet surface of the roof Ichigo was thrown forward and into the air as the rocket detonated just over a dozen feet behind him. Bouncing along the roof as he temporarily lost control of his body Ichigo managed to arrest his movement just before he could roll off the edge and fall to the ground thousands of feet below. Ichigo only managed a quick glimpse over the edge of the roof before a wave of vertigo hit him and forced him to close his eyes and turn away.

"Damn, the perspective in this place is screwing with me…"

Upon hearing the faint sound of a second rocket being fired Ichigo threw his body against the soaked roof and felt the heat of the rocket's exhaust against his back as it sailed harmlessly over him. Gritting his teeth and pushing himself back onto his feet Ichigo ignored the sound of the rocket detonating against another part of the castle in order to focus on staying alive, or at least inside Satsuki's inner world. As he took a series of ragged breaths, exhaustion already affecting him despite his superhuman endurance, Ichigo began to notice something strange.

After blinking his eyes and rubbing them to make sure he wasn't seeing things, Ichigo looked to the left and then the right as the torrential downpour seemed to slow to a crawl. The rain that once blanketed the rooftop in a perpetually falling sheet of water now appeared to be moving in slow motion. Although he didn't know how it was possible Ichigo knew that he could individually follow each and every droplet of water as it hit the roof.

"You got lucky twice now!" Kuroido sneered as a third rocket appeared inside his weapon. He was starting to get really sick and tired of Ichigo managing to stay alive. Sure his rockets would not kill the boy but he needed to remove him from Satsuki's mindscape before he stumbled upon a way to save her.

As Ichigo watched the rocket leave the launcher he knew that this time would be different. Reaching out to the rocket as it reached him Ichigo's body was already twisting in motion as his fingers gently grasped the metal casing of the explosive. With almost practiced ease Ichigo spun around with the rocket's exhaust leaving a curved trail of smoke before letting go and allowing it to shoot straight back towards Kuroido.

"Shit!"

Kuroido desperately threw his arm across his face as the rocket slammed into the cockpit of the helicopter, which reeled for several seconds until it exploded in a massive fireball that sent the steward of the Kiryuin family crashing through the air before he slammed bodily against the rooftop. As the helicopter fell over the edge of the roof into the abyss of Satsuki's mindscape Kuroido coughed harshly and saw flecks of rainbow-tinted blood splattering on the wet stone tiles.

"Damn boy!" Kuroido sneered as his body was wracked in pain. The damage he sustained would not be permanent, he wa a small piece of Lady Ragyo after all, but he could feel the Life Fibers making up his body straining to stay together. How the hell could he have been expected to fight a Life Fiber Hybrid? Gritting his teeth as he desperately tried to push himself off the ground Kuroido turned his head upward when he saw a shadow blocking the light. Glaring into Ichigo's angry gaze Kuroido sneered before he began chuckling, "You think you've won, boy? You may have beaten me but I still won the battle. I've stalled you long enough that you don't have a chance to save Satsuki from being Junketsu's permanent set of clothing!"

"Shut the hell up."

Ichigo glared down at the fallen mockery of a steward with rage boiling through his mind. Kneeling down in front of Kuroido and grabbing the steward by the front of his tuxedo Ichigo pulled the shorter man into the air with both hands and scowled, "I think I have a fairly good idea what happened to Satsuki thirteen years ago. I don't care what you say I'm going to save Junketsu and Satsuki!"

Kuroido was about to scoff at Ichigo's stupidity when he saw the boy's hair lighten in color. His eyes widened in shock and fear behind his tinted glasses as the orange hair Ichigo had always known bled away until it was a very familiar shade of silver. After staring at Ichigo's newly silver hair Kuroido began laughing maniacally even as he felt his body begin breaking apart. With a rainbow glow emanating from the increasing cracks on his faux body he said, "Very well then…Lady Ragyo will be pleased to know you were a complete success."

Ichigo was forced to squint when Kuroido's body exploded in a cacophony of rainbow light before hundreds of Life Fibers dissipated into the storm around him. As a crackle of thunder faded away in the distance Ichigo watched as a single rainbow Life Fiber hovered in the air in front of him before it too vanished into nothingness. Staring across the now empty rooftop as the final words of Kuroido echoed in his mind, his empty hands clenched angrily at the realization of Satsuki's past, Ichigo forced himself to calm down.

"There's no time to focus on that right now. I need to save Satsuki," Ichigo sighed dramatically as he turned around to find a way off the roof. Kuroido had been correct about one thing – he didn't have much time left to save Satsuki. Already he could feel his Life Fibers in Junketsu beginning to penetrate the castle around him. He had perhaps only a few minutes left until it was too late. While he hurried across the rooftop towards the newly created parapet that would take him to the highest tower of the castle Ichigo noticed his reflection in a puddle and quickly skidded to a stop.

"My hair!" Ichigo pulled at his now silver hair as realized that his orange hair was gone, "Why the hell is my hair silver? Damn it! I'm too young to be going grey!"

Sighing miserably at the thought of going out in public with grey hair Ichigo realized that there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. His hair turning silver might even be a side effect of staying in Satsuki's mindscape for too long. With the belief that his hair will be its natural orange once he left Satsuki's mind Ichigo hurried along the parapet and gripped the handle of the door before giving it a solid push.

With a barely audible creak of metal the door gently swung inwards and Ichigo quickly found himself standing in a very familiar setting. Instead of the dark and menacing fortress that was beginning to break under the strain of his Life Fibers in Junketsu Ichigo was now standing in an exact replica of Satsuki Kiryuin's room at Honnouji Academy. Stepping forward and into the main room of the luxurious apartment Ichigo immediately felt that this version was different. Instead of the cold and spartan accommodations that he seen during the Naturals Election the room around him gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort, which caused Ichigo no small amount of surprise.

"Is this Satsuki's true inner world?" Ichigo muttered as he slowly walked around the room and looked around. One of the most apparent changes to the room was the dozens of pictures lining the walls and placed on dressers and stands. Picking one up at random and turning it over in his hands Ichigo saw that it was a picture of a five year old Satsuki smiling happily while eating ice cream alongside a man with auburn colored hair that could only have been her father.

"Satsuki's father…"

Ichigo didn't know much about Satsuki's father. From the lack of involvement in her life he assumed he was either divorced from Ragyo or dead. After meeting the woman during Parent Student Day, seeing her rein in Nui Harime without much effort and the knowledge he learned while in Satsuki's mindscape Ichigo was beginning to lean towards the latter.

"There you are Ichigo."

Upon hearing the familiar and confident voice Ichigo turned around and saw Satsuki Kiryuin, or at least a mental representation of her, walking across the room towards him. Clad in Junketsu's normal untransformed state, the outer rings of the Kamui's a familiar shade of blue instead of black, Satsuki's heels clicked rapidly along the marble tiles before she elegantly sat down in a chair. Crossing her legs over each other Satsuki folded her hands in front of her face and said, "Your foolish excuses for not offering advice for the Tri-School Raid Trip were beginning to get annoying."

Ichigo stared at Satsuki with confusion evident in his eyes. As far as he could tell Satsuki had changed the Tri-City School Raid Trip from the Kansai Region to Karakura Town around a few days before the battle. Frowning as he tried to determine what was happening Ichigo decided to ask, "So you're not going after Karakura Town?"

"Of course not," Satsuki gave Ichigo her version of a pleasant smirk as she leaned her head back against the chair, "Do you not recall what happened during the Sudden Death Runoffs? After we managed to drive off Nui Harime before she could kill Mako Mankanshoku I vowed to leave Karakura Town out of my conquest. It is the least I could do for helping to keep our fellow students from dying at the hands of the Grand Couturier."

"That's not what happened."

Satsuki's explanation of the events bothered Ichigo. He knew that Mako had died at the hands of Nui Harime during the Sudden Death Runoffs but Satsuki appeared to firmly believe that the two of them managed to stop her before that happened. Walking across the room and sitting down in the chair opposite of Satsuki Ichigo frowned as he tried to think of something to say. He couldn't just tell Satsuki that they were in her mind with perhaps less than two minutes before Junketsu assumed complete control of her body. She would never believe him. He needed to come up with another approach, one that would make Satsuki realize that none of this was real. As his eyes widened slightly as he came up with the perfect idea Ichigo decided to put his acting skills to the test.

"I'm sorry about that. It's been a real busy week for me." Ichigo leaned back in the chair and gave Satsuki an apologetic smirk, "So what sort of advice do you want?"

The slight change in Satsuki's expression signified the extent of her surprise. She hadn't expected Ichigo to actually agree with her methods. Everything she knew about him indicated he was completely against her Raid Trip plan and would be a significant thorn in her side. For him to suddenly turn around and agree to help her temporarily threw her off guard, "Your change of heart surprises me, Ichigo. Before we begin tell me what brought about such a change in your demeanor? During the Sudden Death Runoffs you were nearly antagonistic to me yet now you're more than willing to offer assistance for my plans."

Ichigo felt rather than saw the mindscape around them shake but it was clear that Satsuki did not notice it whatsoever. Looking out the large windows taking up the entire wall to his right as storm clouds began replacing the pleasant midafternoon sky he grimaced and said, "I changed my mind because I realized doing so would allow me to help someone I care about. If I stand back and let her go off on her own than something bad is going to happen to her."

"Care about, you say…" Satsuki's face adopted a pensive look as she thought about Ichigo's words. While there was no reason for her to find Ichigo's words overtly strange since he was most likely talking about Matoi Satsuki forced herself to ignore the feeling of déjà vu she was experiencing, "While I find myself intrigued by your relation to Matoi I fail to see how my plans for the Kansai Region affect her. Without her Kamui she is just another human."

Satsuki's words worried Ichigo, "What happened to Senketsu?"

For a moment Satsuki looked surprised by Ichigo's question before she scoffed and looked out the windows, "I forgot you were busy at the time with saying your farewells to Orihime Inoue. Nui Harime intercepted Matoi while you were occupied and managed to not only defeat her but destroy her Kamui. While I managed to stop the Grand Couturier before she could kill Matoi I nevertheless collected the scraps of her Kamui in order to bolster my forces in preparation for the Raid Trip."

Ichigo ran a hand through his silver hair as he reminded himself that none of this was real. He had to wonder if things could have actually turned out this way if Nui hadn't killed Mako during the Sudden Death Runoffs. If Mako had not died then Orihime would not have been forced to heal her, which would lead to Nui forcing her to heal her eye. Without her eye getting healed Nui's vendetta against Ryuko would have continued unabated. Ichigo didn't know what else might have changed but simply thinking about how Mako dying would have been better than living greatly disturbed him.

"There is one last matter we need to discuss – our public relationship," Satsuki seemed to find merely saying those words irritating if the frown of annoyance on her face was any indication. As she watched Ichigo flinch back in surprise Satsuki continued, "My mother has been quite insistent that we assume a formal relationship. While I am adamant in waiting until after the pacification of the rest of the Japanese academies is complete it seems that we cannot wait any longer so I will give you this solution, Ichigo. In all public appearances we shall have the formal relation as boyfriend and girlfriend. Since you already live in the Student Council quarters our fellow students will not find such a notion unbelievable."

"Wait. What?" Ichigo coughed in embarrassment at Satsuki's rather forward declaration of being his girlfriend, "You can't be serious!"

If anything that comment made Satsuki's frown deepen, "Of course I am serious, Ichigo. Your ability to not only control Mugetsu but wear it for an indefinite amount of time is a sign of your immense mental fortitude. If there is anyone on Earth worthy of standing alongside me it would be you. Do you not agree?"

"I didn't say that!" Ichigo answered defensively as a flush of embarrassment adorned his face. Grimacing in annoyance as a picture of his dad egging him on came to the forefront of his mind Ichigo scowled and said, "And your reasoning for being my girlfriend is all wrong. It shouldn't be based on power or worthiness or whatever else you called it. Look…I don't have much experience with having a girlfriend so I'm basing everything on my dad's stupid advice and he's not the best source of reliable information about women."

"Then you have not heard my mother talk about him," Satsuki quipped seriously as a small smirk of amusement crossed her face, "I've asked my mother about her relation with your father and the only thing I was able to take away from it was that she once hoped to marry him."

"Are you serious?" Ichigo deadpanned as the look on Satsuki's face never changed. Great, there was another thing he had to ask his dad about when this was all over. Rubbing his face with his hand and muttered unintelligibly about murdering his dad Ichigo sighed and said, "Oh god, you are serious. That's just great. As for your offer…sorry but I'm not interested in a girl that basically wants to go out with me simply as part of some hidden agenda."

"I'm surprised by your disbelief, Ichigo," Satsuki uncrossed her legs as she folded her arms across Junketsu, "Is your opinion of me truly that low?"

Ichigo scowled and looked away from Satsuki, "I'm just going from what I know of you. You really haven't deserved the benefit of the doubt. Almost everything you've done since Ryuko and I arrived has been to further your plan to take down your mother."

Satsuki chuckled at Ichigo and allowed a mirthful smirk to grace her face, "I'm not some omnipotent being, Ichigo. While Matoi and your actions may have helped further my plans do you honestly think I could have gotten this far if Matoi had stopped to truly think about her father's murder? Most of my plans were based of Matoi's predictable reactions to vaguely worded statements and declarations. I knew that if I hinted at knowing the identity of her father's murderer she would stop at nothing to get to me. I was, as Inumuta heard you say, making it up as I go."

"What about trying to kill Ryuko after getting Junketsu?" Ichigo countered.

Before she answered him Satsuki reached forward and picked up one of the cups of tea that had spontaneously appeared on the table between them. Satsuki sipped at the hot and bitter liquid for a moment before answering, "I am not a murderer Ichigo. I had no intention of taking Matoi's life. The entire purpose of the fight was to force her to get over her childish self-worth issues and truly wear Senketsu. Did you know that a Kamui's full power is stunted if the wearer is embarrassed to wear them?"

Ichigo grimaced as he thought back to the first time he truly wore Mugetsu. Silently thanking Kisuke for not making Mugetsu anything like Senketsu and Junketsu he answered, "No I didn't. I never really encountered that particular problem."

"My intention that day was to help Matoi unlock the true power of her Kamui by realizing that she should not base her self-worth on what others thought," Satsuki finished her tea and stared at Ichigo sternly. She found it incredibly insulting that someone like Matoi, who never had to deal with a mother like Ragyo Kiryuin, had body self-worth issues. If she could push forward and wear Junketsu without issue than Matoi should have been able to do so right from the beginning, "You could not imagine my disappointment when she failed to realize the only thing keeping her from matching me in combat was her own embarrassment. That is why I was glad when you arrived, Ichigo. Your interference allowed Matoi the time to get over herself and reach her full potential."

Ichigo scowled as he thought back and remembered saving Ryuko from being killed by Satsuki, "Am I to assume all the comments you made about sacrificing Mugetsu and me to Junketsu were lies?"

"It was nothing more than simple banter, Ichigo." Satsuki smirked and rested her chin on her hand, "I needed you to give it your all so I could test the extents of Junketsu's power. I had only put on Junketsu a couple of hours prior to the fight so I didn't know my own limits. I had intended to test them against Matoi but we both know how that turned out."

"I suppose…" Ichigo trailed off as he realized that he didn't have much time left. While the Satsuki in front of him didn't seem to notice anything wrong with the mindscape he could feel Satsuki's inner world slowly but surely collapsing around them. He didn't know why it was taking this long but he couldn't waste any more time on talking, "…listen Satsuki, I have a personal question for you. I've seen your mother but what happened to –"

"…my father?" Satsuki interrupted Ichigo without waiting for him to finish. With a scathing bite to her tone she explained, "He's dead. My mother ordered his assassination when I was five years old after he attempted to leave her. He had just found out about her true nature and decided he could not condone her plans any longer. From what I heard the person she chose to kill him was Kuroido. You can rest assured that I have a very special punishment in store for him."

The dark and predatory look on Satsuki's face worried Ichigo but he couldn't really blame her. If the real Kuroido was anything like the mental projection he fought earlier he didn't have a doubt in his mind that he would gleefully murder anyone, even Satsuki's father, if Ragyo gave him the order. Scowling and running a hand through his silver hair, his mind trying to understand everything he's learned so far, Ichigo decided that they had talked long enough, "Satsuki…do you remember how Orihime healed Nui's eye?"

"What sort of question is that?" Satsuki asked in mild irritation, "Orihime Inoue is but a normal human who was sent by your father as moral support for you during the Sudden Death Runoffs. How could she have…healed…Nui…?"

Satsuki froze as memories of the true events that transpired during the Sudden Death Runoffs returned to her in full force. As he watched Satsuki regain her memories Ichigo noticed the lighting of the room shifting and upon looking through the windows saw the once pleasant day replaced by familiar storm clouds. Watching as an arc of blue lightning stretched across the now turbulent sky Ichigo turned his attention back to Satsuki when she began speaking, "None of this is real, is it Ichigo? Everything that I believed to be reality was nothing more than an illusion created by Junketsu to keep me placated until she could seize full control of my body."

As the illusionary room around them began to crack and splinter, beams of a familiar blue light shining through the gaps, Ichigo turned towards the pensive Satsuki and said, "If you remember everything than you know why I'm here. I can remove my Life Fibers from Junketsu but I don't think it will work unless you retake control of your body first!"

Satsuki didn't say anything as she stood up and took a deep breath. As she adopted a stern expression and looked outside Ichigo saw her body beginning to fade away, "What you say makes sense. Removing your Life Fibers from Junketsu will not make it relinquish its hold on my body. I know what I must do but…thank you for helping me, Ichigo."

"Don't mention it."

While Satsuki didn't say anything in response Ichigo didn't doubt that she heard him. As the familiar backdrop of light surrounded her, tinged by the blue light of his Life Fibers, Ichigo watched in awe as Satsuki took a single step towards the window and immediately the storm raging outside abated before disappearing entirely. Taking another step forward as more of her body faded away from existence, Ichigo was forced to cover his eyes to protect them from her backdrop's intensifying light. As he watched through barely open eyes as Satsuki's body faded away he saw her turn around and face him.

It took Ichigo a second to realize what he was seeing. As she looked at him with more than half of her body already gone, the corners of Satsuki's mouth curled up until a warm and wide smile had blossomed across her face. Staring in shock at the sight before he managed to regain his composure, Ichigo returned Satsuki's smile with a grin of his own as he watched her fade completely. As the last traces of Satsuki vanished Ichigo saw her inner world disappearing as well.

"Where am I now?" Ichigo pondered as he looked around the white expanse that stretched for as far as he could see. There had to be a way out of Satsuki's mind now that he rescued her from being consumed by Junketsu. The only problem he had is that his dad didn't exactly give him instructions on how this worked, "Wait a second…how the hell did he know I was a Life Fiber Hybrid?"

"Hello Ichigo."

Turning around at the familiar voice, this time lacking the psychotic and mentally unbalanced tones he had come to expect, Ichigo found himself standing face to face several feet away from the strangely colored version of Satsuki in her Kamui that had chased him into the castle. As he stared into the multihued eyes of the blonde haired Satsuki standing before him Ichigo's own eyes widened in realization as he instinctively knew who she truly was, "Hello Junketsu. Are you feeling better now?"

Junketsu gave Ichigo a soft smile as she held out her arm and opened her hand, allowing him to see the small ball of blue Life Fibers curled up within it. As the Life Fibers lit up her face in a pleasant blue light, Junketsu stared at the orb of Life Fibers dancing above her palm before muttering, "You saved me, Ichigo. Even after I tried killing you and those other humans you still saved me. Why?"

"Because I made a promise that I would save both you and Satsuki," Ichigo's answer caused Junketsu to look up at him with shock evident on her face. Scoffing as he folded his arms across his chest Ichigo continued, "I wasn't about to go back on my word because you tried to kill me. It wasn't like you were in your right state of mind, after all, so I don't think anyone is going to hold a grudge against you but an apology couldn't hurt."

"I see…" Junketsu allowed the Life Fibers to leave her hand and watched as the slowly pulsating orb floated towards Ichigo who caught it in his own hand. Watching as the orb slowly seemed to shrink to nothing as it was absorbed back into Ichigo Junketsu looked down and gave a miserable sigh as she saw her body beginning to disappear, "Satsuki's regained control of her body. It seems as if I'm going to return to being nothing more than a caged animal under her thumb."

Ichigo stepped forward and placed a hand on Junketsu's shoulder as he gave her a supportive smile, "I don't think that's going to be the case. Satsuki didn't know how much she was hurting you. I think if you give working with Satsuki a chance you'll find that she's not that bad. Sure she's a little annoying and never seems to smile but she's still a good person. She may not be able to hear your voice and understand what you want but she's smart. I'm sure she'll figure out a way to talk to you eventually. Besides, even if that never happens you still have Ryuko and me. I'm sure Mugetsu and Senketsu would like meeting the real Junketsu."

Junketsu returned Ichigo's smile as the last remnants of her body faded from the mindscape, "I…suppose…thank you…Ichigo…"

---

...

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The first thing Ichigo noticed upon leaving Satsuki's inner world was that he was laying on his back with Mugetsu transformed back into her normal uniform appearance. Groaning as he pushed himself into a sitting position Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck and looked around, which is when he noticed the second thing upon escaping Satsuki's mindscape. Sitting down on a piece of rubble, Junketsu torn and dirty but once more in her normal appearance, was Satsuki.

The Student Council President did not seem to notice Ichigo's return to consciousness as she stared into the distance with the sheathed Bakuzan resting between her legs. Even though her appearance was currently disheveled and she looked as if she might fall over from exhaustion at any second Satsuki still managed to project an aura of strength and power. Turning her head as she heard Ichigo push himself off the ground Satsuki narrowed her eyes momentarily before closing them, "While I am highly appreciative of the help, Ichigo, I must know one thing – how much of my mind did you see?"

Ichigo ignored the worried questions Mugetsu's was asking him as he grimaced and looked to the side, "…I saw enough."

"I need to know exactly what you saw in there, Ichigo," Satsuki's tone might have sounded forceful and demanding but for Ichigo there was no masking the desperate undertone carried on all her words. He knew exactly what she was asking and it bothered him that he had to answer.

"Look…" Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck as the proper words escaped him. This was a topic he never thought he would have to talk about and it was taking everything he had just to say something, "I'm not going to pretend I understand what you went through but what I saw…your mother…how could –?"

"Do not say it, Ichigo," Satsuki's venomous tone caused Ichigo to flinch and cut his questions short. Standing up, her legs shaking ever so slightly before she regained her balance, Satsuki began walking towards Ichigo with a slightly conflicted look in her eyes. Stopping just a few feet away from him and giving an uncharacteristic sigh she said, "You are most likely the only person fully aware of the unspeakable acts my mother has done to me. Please do not speak a word of it to anyone. Nobody must know the true extent of my mother's madness."

"…alright. I won't say anything," Ichigo felt that there should be something he could say to Satsuki to help her feel better but what the hell would it be? He had fought some terrible opponents during his time as a shinigami but nothing they did compared to what Satsuki's mother apparently did. Pushing himself off the ground with a tired grunt and brushing dust and dirt off Mugetsu, who gave a pleased sigh in gratitude, Ichigo bit his lip and tried to come up with something to say, "I may not ever understand what you went through but if you ever need someone to talk to I'm –"

"Lady Satsuki!"

Ichigo was cut off when Gamagori, Inumuta and Sanageyama appeared out of nowhere and landed on the ground between them with a resounding thump that nearly caused him to lose his balance and fall over. While he looked worse for wear after his clash against Yasutora Sado and his Goku Uniform was torn and dirty Ira Gamagori still managed to seem as if his body bridled with power and strength. Giving Ichigo one final angry glare before turning in worry to Satsuki Gamagori asked, "Are you alright, Lady Satsuki?"

"I am fine, Gamagori," Satsuki shifted back into her normal persona without any effort. Glancing at the three members of her Elite Four standing before her she frowned in contemplation and asked, "Where is Jakuzure?"

"I'm right here, Lady Satsuki."

Walking towards them with her Goku Uniform unbuttoned in order for the bandages wrapped around her chest to breathe was Nonon Jakuzure. Her memories after being betrayed by Lady Satsuki and nearly killed were hazy but she vaguely remembered being taken to a brightly lit room by a man with white hair before someone that looked a lot like Orihime Inoue began healing her. When she finally regained consciousness Nonon woke up to find that she was lying on a cot at Karakura General Hospital and left as quickly as she could. Noticing the barely repressed anger coursing through Gamagori, Nonon gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes, "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me? Do you not see how you are currently dressed?" Gamagori pointed a massive finger at Nonon, who simply folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes a second time.

"For your information I can't button up my Symphony Regalia because of the bandages," Nonon countered with a bite to her tone. Ignoring Gamagori's remaining complaints in order to take a look at Satsuki she mentally sighed in relief when once again saw the familiar blue instead of the alien multihued coloring belonging to Junketsu. Pushing past Inumuta, who requested she tell him who managed to injure her so greatly, Nonon stalked towards Ichigo and grabbed him by the front of Mugetsu. Pulling him down to eye level Nonon looked around before narrowing her eyes and whispering, "I don't like you but thanks for saving Lady Satsuki's life…Strawberry."

Upon hearing Nonon's familiar name for him Ichigo pulled down a lock of his hair and sighed in relief upon seeing its usual orange. Snorting at Ichigo's weird behavior before kicking him in the shin, Nonon turned to Satsuki, "What are we going to do, Lady Satsuki?"

Satsuki looked at Ichigo for a moment before turning around and placing Bakuzan's scabbard back on her hip. Pulling the flare gun out of Gamagori's pocket and firing it directly upwards into the sky Satsuki did not have to wait more than a minute before the new helicopter piloted by Elena appeared, "I am ordering a general withdrawal of all Honnouji forces. Giving your current states it is clear that you have lost your respective battles. If we remain in Karakura Town any longer our defeat is all but certain."

As she jumped into the helicopter, where Iori and a severely enraged Riruka could be seen stared angrily at Ichigo, Satsuki turned around as a backdrop of blue-tinted light appeared behind her, "Be grateful for this day, Ichigo, for you have done what no other city has accomplished! Do not let this victory cloud your judgment for I shall be waiting for the day you let your guard down!"

Ichigo didn't answer as he watched Satsuki and her Elite Four fly out of Karakura Town and back to Honnouji Academy. Almost as soon as they were out of sight Ichigo collapsed onto the ground and gave a tired sigh, "Damn it, this has been one long day."

"It's not even noon yet, Ichigo," Mugetsu replied and Ichigo could hear the sarcasm in his Kamui's voice, "By the way, what happened after you touched Junketsu? After you pressed your hand against Satsuki's chest the two of you didn't move for almost five minutes before you were thrown backwards and I was forced out of my activated state."

Ichigo took a large breath as he stared up into the sky. Every inch of his body felt as if he had just gone two rounds with Kenpachi and then fought Byakuya for good measure. Rubbing the bridge of his nose and sighing he answered, "Apparently what my dad failed to mention is that after I did that I would enter Satsuki's mind."

"Really?" There was no hiding the excited tone in Mugetsu's voice. After everything he explained to her about his time as a shinigami while flying towards Junketsu the Kamui was excited to hear more about Ichigo's adventures, "What was it like? What did you see?"

"…I really can't talk about. I saw some of Satsuki's memories, talked to her for a while and then met Junketsu," Ichigo paused for a moment before adding, "You would like her when she's not trying to kill us. She's actually very nice even though Junketsu took on Satsuki's form inside her mind. Seeing a happy smile on Satsuki's face was disturbing."

"I don't doubt that," Mugetsu grumbled jealously.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned his head to the left and saw Ryuko and his friends running towards him. Grimacing as he forced his body to once again leave the comfort of the ground he winced and rubbed his shoulder before waving back. Skidding to a stop next to him Ryuko looked around for Satsuki before scoffing and kicking at a rock, "Damn it! That's the second time I lost to her!"

"Technically you fought Junketsu," Ichigo muttered before running a hand through his hair. His fight against Junketsu had been a lot tougher than the one against Satsuki and Ichigo had to wonder if they would get even stronger if Satsuki learned to work together with her Kamui. When Ichigo noticed that Ryuko's wounds were completely gone he looked around and asked, "Where's Orihime?"

Ryuko blinked owlishly at Ichigo before her eyes lit up, "Oh! My wounds weren't as bad as they looked. By the time your dad brought Orihime over most of the bleeding had stopped. Apparently Satsuki's sword just cut open my side or something. Still, it was an awful lot of blood for such a small scratch."

"Where is Junketsu?" Senketsu's eye looked around in concern before it focused on Mugetsu, "Did you manage to save her from Ichigo's Life Fibers?"

"As a matter of fact we did," Mugetsu answered smugly while taking the opportunity to rub her superiority in Senketsu's metaphorical face. As she gave her fellow Kamui the equivalent of a haughty laugh she added, "Ichigo saved the day while you were too busy getting your fibers kicked!"

"What? Come over here and say that to my face!" Senketsu tried to pull himself off Ryuko to go teach Mugetsu a lesson but she quickly put a stop to that by grabbing hold of his lapels and not letting go. As her Kamui briefly struggled to free himself and teach Mugetsu a very valuable lesson he quickly stopped when he felt Ryuko's angry gaze focused entirely on him.

"What the hell's your problem Senketsu?"

Senketsu looked up at his wearer with a childish look in his eye, "She mocked my abilities as a Kamui. She must pay."

"What are you, five? Ichigo and Mugetsu were the only ones that could have saved Junketsu. All we were capable of was stalling for time," Ryuko scoffed before she remembered why she was there, "Oh, I almost forgot. That Armstrong guy wanted me to come get you. He said it was time we learned the true goal of Ragyo Kiryuin and Life Fibers. Apparently he's like the second in command of Nudist Beach or something stupid like that."

Ichigo had thought he would be forced to hunt his father down and beat the answers he needed about Life Fibers out of him. Actually getting the answers he wanted without having to go to hell and back was a surprising relief. Standing up and nearly falling over as a wave of exhaustion hit him Ichigo pulled Tournesol out of the road and rested it on his shoulder. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was going to happen really soon.

---

...

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Kamui Tales #24 – Let's Switch Places!

"Welcome to the twenty-fourth installation of Kamui Tales!" Senketsu appeared in front of the screen before hopping away until he was standing next to the television with the remote held firmly in his sleeve, "Despite the author having trouble coming up with various omake and other things like that, he still manages to do it. Anyway the topic of this chapter's omake is Junketsu's appearance!"

Pressing down on the remote with his sleeve Senketsu watched as the screen lit up with an image of the black-skinned and blonde haired Satsuki speaking to Ichigo, "When inside their wearer's inner world, mindscape or just their imagination a Kamui will adapt an appearance similar to their wearer but at the same time quite different. Hmm…I wonder what I would look like in Ryuko's inner world."

As images of a dark-skinned Ryuko with an eyepatch and wearing a white version of his Kamui appeared in Senketsu's mind he found himself kicked across the room as Junketsu appeared from off screen. Catching the remote in her hand and looking at Senketsu's fallen form with mild amusement she fixed a bang of blonde hair that had fallen across her face upon her introduction, "You can dream all you want but without a body you are weak, Senketsu."

"Those are bold words coming from the Kamui that fainted the last time she appeared in one of these segments!" Senketsu countered and tried to take back the remote but found Junketsu's new body to be too powerful.

"It appears I've taken on some of Satsuki's self-confidence along with her appearance," Junketsu quipped as she held off Senketsu with only a single hand. Quirking an eyebrow as Senketsu attempted to bite her to make her give him the remote Junketsu spun around and threw the male Kamui across the studio until he crashed against the far wall and collapsed limply to the ground with a swirl replacing his eye.

"Hmm…I can't say he didn't deserve that but he had a good point. Why are you the only one with a body?" The camera panned to the side to show Mugetsu lying across a couch with the top of her body hanging off the armrest, "Out of the three main characters I was with Ichigo the longest. I should have a body first."

"True," Junketsu raised her arm as Senketsu came flying out of nowhere in an attempt to grab the remote, "But this arc was about Satsuki's character development and her relationship with me. It is only fair that the author gave me a body first but there is a slight problem. I am female and Satsuki is female…the same cannot be said about your humans."

Both Mugetsu and Senketsu thought about Junketsu's words before they shuddered in revulsion. They hadn't thought about having a body of the opposite sex. Having a body only worked for Junketsu and possibly Danketsu, but that bitch of a Kamui had refused to come to the omake under the excuse of 'vacationing in Hawaii.'

"Hmm…" Senketsu brought a sleeve up to his mouth as a seemingly brilliant idea came to him. Hopping over to Mugetsu he stopped by her head and said, "Let's trade wearers!"

Mugetsu nearly fell off the couch, "What?"

"I said let's trade wearers!" Senketsu replied with enthusiasm. Either ignorant of the growl coming from Mugetsu or simply deciding to ignore it Senketsu raised a sleeve in a mock salute and continued, "I'm sure the author can switch our Kamui forms so that nothing disturbing is shown but I want a body and you want a body so let's trade places!"

Junketsu watched with veiled amusement as Mugetsu launched herself off the couch and began trying to kill Senketsu. Sighing as she threw the remote over her shoulder she began walking away with a clear purpose in mind. Now that she had a body she could do the one thing she always wanted to do – learn how to dance.