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.

37. Chapter 37: Tell Me Something Good

I present to you Chapter 37 and with it the first part of the Great Culture and Sports Festival Arc. There is a lot going on in this chapter and much of which follows the events of Episode 16 up to a certain extent. That means the…bath scene…is here so if it bothers you I won't fault you for skipping it. I hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a review when you are done!

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Chapter 37 – Tell Me Something Good

"So this is what it truly feels to wear a Kamui…"

As she embraced the feeling of being able to wear Junketsu's transformed state without having to clash against the Kamui's will Satsuki Kiryuin lamented the hypocrisy of her words to Matoi during their confrontation. She had retrieved Junketsu from its…her…sealed container with the sole purpose of being able to counter Mugetsu and Senketsu's power. Ichigo had already shown himself to be far stronger than the embarrassed Matoi and Satsuki considered it was only a matter of time until he became fed up with the system at Honnouji Academy and decided to stop her. At the time Satsuki hadn't bothered to consider whether forcing Junketsu to obey through sheer force of will was the proper thing to do. Satsuki was determined to rid the world of the monster that was Ragyo Kiryuin by any means and just a few days ago she considered doing anything it took to achieve her goals.

That hubris nearly cost Satsuki both her body and mind to a mentally unbalanced Junketsu.

Turning her gaze away from the window and the landscape passing by thousands of feet below Satsuki knew that the only reason she was able to think about her past actions was due to the intervention of Ichigo Kurosaki. As a Life Fiber Hybrid and the fact she used his Life Fibers to bolster Junketsu's power Ichigo was able to not only enter her mind and save her but also speak with Junketsu. Satsuki did not know what he spoke with her Kamui about but ever since leaving Karakura Town Junketsu has been much more cooperative. Closing her eyes and mentally asking Junketsu to shift back to her regular form as a uniform Satsuki was relieved when the Kamui did not hesitate before doing so.

Thinking back on Ichigo's words nearly twelve hours ago Satsuki leaned her head back and sighed wistfully, "Ichigo was right. In my desire to see my mother pay for her crimes against humanity as well as what she did to me I had almost sunk to her level. What point would there be in saving the world if I become just like my mother?"

As she reminisced on Ichigo's words last night Satsuki wondered exactly how much of her memories he'd seen. While she did not doubt he had been able to figure out what it was her mother was doing to her Satsuki privately worried about whether Ichigo had seen the true depths of her mother's depravity. Clenching a fist softly in her lap Satsuki wished that Ichigo had never found out about her private shame. She was a strong willed woman with the ability to inspire the masses into following her every command through charisma and fear and yet she wasn't able to stop her mother's 'purification' rituals. Still despite Ichigo possessing the knowledge of how much of a monster her mother was, Satsuki could not help but give a relieved smile.

"He didn't look at me any differently…"

Satsuki sighed softly and closed her eyes as she forced her mind to focus on more important matters. While she wanted to speak with Ichigo about what they discussed in the fathoms of her mind there would always be time for such things in the future. Right now she needed to focus on the end of the Raid Trip. After leaving the perimeter of the Anti-Life Fiber shield and picking up an unexpected guest along the way, Satsuki had ordered Elena to touch down and let her Elite Four and Riruka off. While her friends understood Satsuki's reasoning for wanting to be alone Riruka had been quite angry and demanded that she stay on the helicopter. Satsuki, instead of threatening Riruka by placing the tip of Bakuzan at her throat, simply informed the magenta haired member of Xcution that she no longer possessed her raiment and was simply a human.

The lack of retort from Riruka as she quietly scurried away from the helicopter said it all.

"Your tea is ready, Milady."

Satsuki allowed a smile to grace her face as she allowed Soroi to refill the ceramic cup sitting innocently on the table in front of her. Picking up the cup and sipping the bitter tea that she had gotten used to enjoying over the years, Satsuki allowed herself to savor the familiar taste before speaking, "Thank you, Soroi."

"Your gratitude is appreciated," Soroi bowed politely upon hearing Satsuki's compliment. The elderly butler had been worried Satsuki was overusing Life Fiber Override and was risking her health but when she returned looking exhausted but otherwise fine Soroi had emitted a sigh of relief. Turning his head ever so slightly around towards the back of the helicopter Soroi leaned forward and whispered, "Please forgive my rudeness Milady but about our guest…"

Satsuki chuckled softly as she answered, "You need not worry about the Grand Couturier, Soroi. She is simply smarting from the loss of her purple Scissor Blade."

"You should really watch what comes out of your mouth, Lady Satsuki." Nui Harime tilted her head to the side and stared directly at Satsuki with a psychotic grin adorning her face. As her razor sharp teeth shone in the afternoon sunlight the Grand Couturier giggled menacingly and added, "It's not polite to speak about things you don't understand, you know. It's really rude and might get someone into a lot of trouble."

Once she finished speaking Nui turned her eyes away from Satsuki and stared aimlessly at the floor. Despite the venomous tone in her voice Nui had no real intention of harming Satsuki or any of the humans she cared about. Lady Ragyo had great plans in store for Satsuki and if refraining herself from killing a few humans and acting as if she followed orders was all it took to keep Satsuki in line than Nui would do so with a cheerful smile on her face. The anger coursing through her body was directed at one man – Isshin Kurosaki.

"How did he do it? What did he do to me?"

Nui's blue eyes narrowed and her blonde hair cast her face in shadow as she tried to remember what happened after entering Karakura Town. The last thing she clearly remembered before waking up in Satsuki's helicopter was skipping down the road into Karakura Town. Everything after that was a grey blur full of nothing but half-recalled visions that gave Nui a headache the more she tried to remember them. When she woke up and saw that Satsuki was perfectly fine while Junketsu had reverted back to her old self Nui was ecstatic because that meant Ichigo was nearly at the same level as her and would soon join their family. That elation quickly turned to anger and finally to hatred when Nui noticed that something she valued more than anything else, her purple Scissor Blade, was missing.

The first thing Nui did upon discovering its absence was to ask, really demand, Satsuki tell her where the Life Fiber weapon was. When Lady Ragyo's daughter had declined knowing anything about the location of the blade it had taken all of Nui's self-control to not lash out angrily. A Life Fiber blade was more than just a sword or weapon in the hands of a hybrid. When someone such as herself holds such a weapon its Life Fibers take on her will and desires. Why else would the Scissor Blade, which was originally red, turn purple in her hands and Tournesol turn blue in Ichigo's? That, however, was not the primary reason Nui was thinking of killing Isshin Kurosaki. In a normal situation she could have suffered the loss of the Scissor Blade but to have it stolen from her while unconscious was demeaning on so many different levels. That still did not compare to the level of humiliation she received from the note Satsuki said she found taped to her dress.

Dear Nui,

By now I'm sure you've woken up and noticed the loss of your purple Scissor Blade (actually it's not so purple anymore). I'm sorry that I absconded with it without asking for your permission but you were sleeping and I didn't feel like waking you up. I have some extra-large letters to open and the normal scissors I have at home are far too small. I'll return it when I'm done.

Regards – Isshin Kurosaki

P.S. You owe me one chocolate cookie.

P.P.S. Say hello to Ragyo for me!

"I'm going to kill him. He's going to die…" Nui giggled maniacally as she focused on thinking of ways to kill Isshin but no matter what plan she came up with she knew it would be an effort in futility. He was just as strong as Lady Ragyo and Nui instinctively realized trying to fight him would be suicide. He could kill her before she even knew what hit her and what was worse was that she couldn't even take hostages. She already tried that on him once and it wouldn't work a second time.

"He took my Scissor Blade. It was mine and he took it…"

Nui's blue eyes narrowed as she pulled her knees onto the chair and wrapped her hands around her pink boots. That Scissor Blade was one of the few things Nui truly owned. Everyone thought that as the Grand Couturier of Revocs Nui could buy whatever she wanted. Such a belief could not be further from the truth. The fact was that Lady Ragyo bought everything that Nui owned with only a few exceptions. The pink Lolita dress she always wore, kept permanently clean and proper by the Life Fibers woven within it and her body, was one of them and it had originally came with a parasol to match. That was why when Kisuke Urahara destroyed her lovely parasol Nui had stopped trying to hold back as much. While it wasn't as important to her as the purple Scissor Blade the parasol had been one of the few true possessions she owned, "I had that parasol for so long and he destroyed it. I only wish I was able to make Mr. Urahara suffer for eternity instead of leaving it to my clones."

"I just wanted to speak to Amu for a bit. She's my sister and I wanted to talk to her…" Nui's soft whispers were just loud enough for Satsuki to hear. The youngest Kiryuin had initially been surprised by the Grand Couturier's single-minded focus on Ururu. For as long as she had been forced to bear Nui's childish antics and lack of morality Satsuki had never seen the Grand Couturier this determined about something. Nui's passions were akin to the seasons – short and brief before moving onto something else when she got bored or killed them.

"I didn't even get to see Ichigo," Nui tilted her head forward causing her blonde pigtails fell over her forehead, "Mr. Kurosaki is going to pay for ruining my fun…"

Before Nui could whisper any more threats directed at Isshin the intercom of the helicopter flared into life and Elena's voice came through a moment later, "Lady Satsuki, I just received a message from Rei Hououmaru."

Satsuki's body tensed at the mentioning of Rei. If she was contacting her that could only mean that her mother had something important to say. Placing the cup of tea in her hand down on the silver tray in Soroi's hands Satsuki leaned back in the chair and said, "What does my mother wish to speak about?"

Elena didn't respond for nearly a minute as she listened to Rei Hououmaru's voice over her headset. When she finally answered Satsuki noticed a slightly more professional tone to the pilot's voice, "Lady Ragyo arrived at Kiryuin Manor an hour ago. She wishes to speak to you personally concerning the results of the Karakura Town Battlefield Trip."

"I see," Satsuki closed her eyes and thought deeply on the matter before turning her head and looking at Nui. From the new excited look on the Grand Couturier's face it was clear that Nui had come to the same conclusion why her mother would come home now of all times. As memories of Ichigo talking to her in the inner recesses of her mind came to the forefront of her memories Satsuki sighed and said, "Tell my mother that I will head home without delay. Soroi, inform Iori and the others and let them know that I will be returning a little later than I initially planned."

Soroi bowed his head, "Of course, Milady. Is there anything else?"

Satsuki paused in thought for a moment before nodding, "Yes. Tell them to remain vigilant until returning to Honnouji Academy. I would not put it past Nudist Beach to launch a counter attack. They must not assume victory until all opposition is crushed under our heel."

"Very well, Milady," Soroi answered and upon noticing the empty cup of tea on the tray inquired, "Shall I pour you another cup of tea?"

Satsuki looked at what remained of the bitter liquid in the cup and narrowed her eyes gently. She was not looking forward to seeing her mother by any stretch of the word and as much as she wished to decline she knew she couldn't. Glancing one more time at Nui Harime, whose mood had shifted upon the realization that she would be seeing Lady Ragyo, Satsuki muttered politely, "Yes please."

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Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

"Amen."

Snapping the bible in his hand shut with a soft snap the man stared solemnly at the simple gravestone in front of him bearing the name 'Masaki Kurosaki.' Pulling the grey cassock he was wearing tighter around his body as a stiff autumn wind kicked up through the graveyard the man stood silently for several seconds before crouching down. Pulling a lighter out of his pocket he lit the incense in front of the gravestone. Masaki might have been Catholic but Isshin had been adamant she receive a proper Japanese funeral. Fifteen years ago the simple thought of having a Catholic partake in such a tradition would have forced him into a frothing rage but now…

"It does not do a soul good to dwell on the past." Speaking in a thick Irish accent as he stood back up and turned around, the man took a look at the columns of smoke rising from Karakura Town just over a mile away and scoffed, "The wee lass sure did a number on the place."

He had rushed to Japan as fast as he possibly could as soon as the General sent the alert concerning Satsuki Kiryuin switching the focus of the Raid Trip from the Kansai Region to Karakura Town. While Nudist Beach had plans in place to deal with Honnouji Academy attempting to destroy their headquarters underneath Osaka, the sudden change in venue had thrown the General off balance and that was never a good sign. It was unfortunate that he arrived at Karakura Town mere hours after Satsuki Kiryuin's forces had retreated. He had been looking forward to testing the effectiveness of his Tailor Bayonets on an actual Kamui.

"Ah, well I suppose I can wait a few more days before hunting down the wee lass and destroying the unholy abomination she wears."

Kamui were an abomination and it was his job to destroy each and every on. He knew of the General's orders to leave Ryuko Matoi and Senketsu alone but the man would not be fooled. A Kamui was nothing more than Life Fibers and if given half a chance would betray the human wearing them. Kinue had been lucky ten years ago due to Isshin Kurosaki's magical device but it was only a matter of time until it stopped working. When that happened he would need to be the one to put her down once and for all. He owed Tsumugu that much. No brother should have to be the one to murder his sister.

"Senketsu…Fresh Blood…such an audacious name…"

The man quite frankly did not care what the Kamui was called. It had already gone out of control once before and would do so in the future. If Isshin's boy and his friend hadn't stepped in and interfered Ryuko would have died that day and he would be paying his respects to her grave as well. Thinking about Orihime Inoue caused the man to pause as he recalled Tsumugu's report of the incident. The younger Kinagase had claimed Orihime managed to not only heal Mako Mankanshoku's wounds but also bring her back from the dead after the Grand Couturier ran the Scissor Blade through her heart. As blasphemous of a claim that was the man had seen the uncut security footage of the fight. He had seen Orihime create some sort of barrier before Makanshoku rose from the dead. He had actually witnessed a holy miracle.

Sensing a presence walking slowly towards him the man looked down the hill and saw a fully clothed Aikuro Mikisugi walking towards him. Scoffing as he tucked his hands into his cassock and walked away from the grave the man asked, "You're actually wearing clothes? I'm just a wee bit surprised."

Smirking as he ran a hand through his blue hair Aikuro replied bombastically, "While I would love to do nothing more than expose my beautiful nude body for the world to see I'm afraid it is much too cold out on this fine autumn day! As a fellow commander of Nudist Beach you should be nude as much as possible in order to boost morale of the troops!"

"I boost morale every time I deliver righteous vengeance on those that wear Life Fibers," the man answered coldly as he walked past Aikuro and down the hill. Up until twelve hours ago he had been in Moscow tracking the movements of Moe Shishigawara. After Kinue took down Jackie Tristan in Paris the General had ordered him to head to Moscow after receiving a confidential report that the youngest and least experienced members of Xcution was stationed there. While no one in Nudist Beach apart from Kinue had managed to actually bring down a member of Xcution since the organization's founding he was one of the few that managed to survive long enough to retreat.

Aikuro chuckled, "There is more to life than fighting, Anderson."

Alexander Anderson, Nudist Beach Commander of Life Fiber Pacification and Elimination, did not hesitate to correct Aikuro and growled, "As long as a single Life Fiber remains on the surface of this planet I will not cease my righteous quest. I will not lay down my weapons until the day every single Life Fiber has been sent to the pits of Hell. Now why have ye come here?"

"There's been a development concerning Isshin's son," Aikuro knew from the slightly tensing of Anderson's face that the former priest knew what he was about to say. As much as he wished to keep it a secret Aikuro knew it would be better for Anderson to find out now than at a highly inappropriate time later on, "During the Sudden Death Runoffs at Honnouji Academy Nui Harime pulled out Ichigo's heart. It is as we thought – he is a Life Fiber Hybrid."

"So it has come to pass." There was a flash of light reflecting off metal as a black and green Tailor Bayonet slid out of Anderson's right sleeve and into his hand. After taking a moment to marvel at his Anti-Life Fiber blade Anderson began the long walk towards where he knew Isshin still lived, "We all assumed that monster's experiments might one day bear unholy fruit but deep in my heart I prayed to God that Masaki's boy would not take to the tainted Life Fibers."

Aikuro felt a bead of sweat drip down his face as he watched Anderson walk away from him. Shivering as a feeling other than the cold autumn air pierced through his body he asked, "Do you actually intend to kill Ichigo?"

"Ye ask me that question when you already know the answer, Aikuro," Anderson stopped and turned around with a calm and serene look on his face that lasted all of five seconds before it was replaced by rage, "Have you forgotten every single innocent soul Nui Harime has slaughtered in the name of Life Fibers? Ichigo is of the same mold as the Grand Couturier! It is only a matter of time before his humanity and soul are devoured by the Life Fibers in his body!"

"This goes against both the General and Major General's orders. You know she won't stand for your insubordination," Aikuro knew he was grasping at straws by this point but he could not let Anderson attempt to kill Ichigo. Not only would it forever leave a wedge in his trust of Nudist Beach but Aikuro didn't even think Anderson would get close enough to do the deed. Ururu Tsumugiya was Nui Harime's twin sister and it seemed she had extensive training. She would massacre Anderson if he even got close.

"It will be better for Masaki's boy to die as a human than live as monster," Anderson answered he stalked out of the graveyard.

Aikuro watched the former priest make his way towards Karakura Town and shook his head. Telling Anderson Ichigo was a Life Fiber Hybrid was incredibly risky but it was also the smartest thing he could do given the current situation. As soon as he was sure Anderson was out of earshot Aikuro pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed redial, "Hey, it's Aikuro. There's a problem heading your way. I told Anderson about Ichigo and now he's heading straight for him…yeah, I know…I know. Just make sure to prepare for his arrival. It might get a little messy."

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In the aftermath of Honnouji Academy's invasion of and subsequent retreat from Karakura Town the secret training ground built underneath Kisuke Urahara's shop had been converted into a makeshift headquarters for Nudist Beach's operations. Unlike the training ground that Kisuke built in the Soul Society beneath Soukyoku Hill this one was created for multiple purposes besides simply training. It wasn't more than a few years into his exile from the Soul Society when Kisuke realized he needed a place to conduct his experiments without humans or the shinigami finding out about them. Using the knowledge he confiscated from the Soul Society Kisuke managed to build a second training ground underneath his newly acquired shop in a single day and night that was nearly eight times the size of the first one.

Tearing off his shirt and exposing the gathered teenagers to the wondrous essence that was his well sculpted body Alex Louis Armstrong flexed his biceps as he boisterously addressed them, "So you all wish to learn the truth of Life Fibers? If that is the case I feel I should warn you that what you learn may shatter the delusions you have of the world! Anyone that wishes to back out and live in the comforting embrace of an illusion can do so without any repercussions!"

"I think we deserve answers after getting our asses kicked by people wearing magical clothing!" Tatsuki Arisawa's wounds might have been healed by Orihime but her temper was shorter than normal. She did not like the fact that Uryu hadn't bothered to inform her about Sanageyama's Blade Regalia before she got her ass kicked. When she confronted him about the lack of details Uryu had calmly and annoyingly explained that the Elite Four other than Jakuzure had their Goku Uniforms destroyed, which is why he would be the one fighting Nonon.

"Please calm down, Tatsuki!" Orihime rapidly waved her hands in front of her body and gave a nervous chuckle as she attempted to calm her best friend down, "I'm sure Mr. Armstrong will explain everything. Just don't do anything rash or you might hurt yourself again!"

"As much as I hate to say it, Tatsuki has a point," Uryu may have interned at Revocs over the summer but the amount of knowledge he had concerning Life Fibers was minimal at best. Even when he broke into the company and stole enough Life Fibers for Kisuke Urahara to run tests he still did not know much about them. In retrospect Uryu was extremely fortunate that both Ragyo Kiryuin and Nui Harime were away on clothing-related business that day. If he had been caught the consequences would have been most dire. Closing his eyes and adjusting his glasses Uryu continued with his line of thought, "I may have briefly worked at Revocs but Ragyo Kiryuin is notorious for locking down information. That is why I stole Life Fibers and gave them to Kisuke. I hoped he would be able to figure something out about them."

"Wait a second," Ichigo scowled and turned to Uryu, "You were the one that gave Kisuke the Life Fibers that made Mugetsu?"

Uryu nodded as his expression fell, "Yes, but in my defense at the time I was unaware of Nui Harime's existence. If I knew what she could do I would have made sure to cover my tracks better. Perhaps If I had been a little more careful she would not have been able to track me back to Karakura Town."

Sitting between Ichigo and Mako, who was currently playing with a terrified Kon, Ryuko Matoi ignored the conversation taking place as she loathed her powerlessness. She had all of Senketsu's power and strength at her fingertips and yet it wasn't enough to win when it counted. Her first true fight against Satsuki Kiryuin had nearly resulted in her death if Ichigo hadn't come and saved her. When Tsumugu ambushed her she had barely been able to dodge his attacks before ultimately failing and when Nui Harime took Mako hostage all of her strength had amounted to nothing as she watched her best friend die right before her eyes. Why did she have all this power if she wasn't able to use it to make a difference?

"Your pulse is erratic, Ryuko. Is something wrong?" When Senketsu saw his wearer was ignoring him while looking mopey his single eye narrowed in annoyance. Turning his gaze onto Mugetsu, who was much more interested in watching Chad hold back Tatsuki from attempting to strangle Uryu for something he said, he gave the mental equivalent of a cough and said, "Mugetsu! What can I say to make Ryuko feel better?"

Scoffing without turning around Mugetsu replied, "She's your wearer. How should I know what to do?"

Senketsu was about to offer a snide remark of his own when an idea hit him. Taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts he took what sounded like a deep breath before speaking, "Ryuko, it is true that our power hasn't been enough to win our fights but I don't care about that. While you may have initially worn me to fight Satsuki Kiryuin and I was originally worn by you so that I may drink your blood things have changed. Did you not say you wanted to wear me to avenge your father? I will stick by your side until the very end…as long as you always hand wash me. I never wish to experience the torture that is a dryer ever again!"

For a second it didn't seem like Ryuko had heard him but when Senketsu saw a small smile appear on her face he sighed in relief. Wrapping her arms around her Kamui Ryuko muttered, "You're right, Senketsu. I –"

"You're all better, Ryuko!"

Mako's eyes gleamed in happiness when she saw that Ryuko was no longer upset. Throwing Kon into the air, the mod soul screaming girlishly until he landed some distance away, During the Raid Trip Mako had been sent to Ichigo's house for her own safety in case the Grand Couturier tried to kill her again but that was not what she was told. Pulling her aside during the initial stages of Uryu's plan Isshin had shown Mako a picture of Yuzu and Karin and said that she should go hang out with them. While Mako had been upset at not sticking with Ryuko she still had a great time! Who knew Ichigo's sisters were twins? It was so much fun! They watched movies, dressed up Bostov in all kinds of cute dresses and ate almost as much candy as the time that truck exploded in front of their house and rained skittles throughout the neighborhood.

"Seeing you back to normal is great, you know!" Mako leapt through the air until she was standing in front of Ryuko with her arms crossed over her head. As Ichigo and the rest of his friends turned to see what was going on Mako began speaking, "After my mysterious blackout I noticed that you were super depressed about something. I wanted to talk to you about it but every time I tried my mom would interrupt me with random chores and other meaningless tasks that were certainly not suspicious in nature. Seeing that you, my best friend, is back to normal is wonderful and makes me really happy! Let's go shopping, Ryuko! I've never been to Karakura Town before and there must be lots of food and gift shops around with awesome stuff!"

"That was…interesting," Chad's deep voice cut off the tension left over from Mako's speech. Turning towards Armstrong he asked, "So what's the deal with Life Fibers? That Ira Gamagori guy was pretty strong. It took nearly my full power to defeat him."

"Indeed! Let's get started!" Armstrong snapped his fingers and several Nudist Beach operatives appeared out of nowhere and within moments had set up a projector system. Thanking the man who gave him the remote control Armstrong half-turned his body around and began explaining, "Out of all the species on Earth only one wears clothing – humanity. Now some of you might think that is simply due to evolution. Humans have evolved to become more intelligent and thus are less sturdy than our ancestors but the truth is far more insidious. Humanity did not make clothing – clothing made humanity!"

"Hold the phone!" Tatsuki angrily interrupted Armstrong's lecture and asked, "You're telling us that clothes made humanity? Are you crazy! How the hell can stuff made from wool and silk possibly do any of that?"

"Please wait until after the lecture is finished before asking any more questions," Armstrong ignored Tatsuki's interruption, causing the girl to gnash her teeth angrily before turning back to the presentation. As an image of space appeared he continued, "The reason I say that is quite simple, my friends! Life Fibers are not something native to this planet! That's right! They come from outer space!"

"So that's what I am…"

While both Senketsu and Mugetsu thought the exact same thing their reactions differed greatly. Mugetsu was easily able to pull herself out of the depressed state by remembering what Ichigo had told her about his adventures as a shinigami. Wishing she had the time to ask him about his battles in Hueco Mundo she was surprised when Ichigo spoke up, "I knew there was something strange about Life Fibers. Ever since my Life Fibers awakened, as Nui called it, I've felt something different about my body. I don't know what it is exactly but I think it's safe to say that I'm no longer human."

"Don't buy into it Ichigo!" Ryuko snarled at Ichigo before turning and glaring at Armstrong, "He's obviously making this all up. Everybody knows there's no such thing as aliens."

"Wait just a damn second!" Tatsuki turned towards Ichigo with a confused look on her face, "Did you just say –"

Before she could finish her question Tatsuki was thrown backwards as Armstrong lobbed the remote at just the right angle that it slammed into her forehead with enough force to send her crashing backwards against the ground. Catching the remote with style as it ricocheted through the air and back into his hand Armstrong took one last look at the fallen Tatsuki, whom Orihime was desperately trying to revive, and said, "Please refrain from asking any unnecessary questions that do not pertain to the lecture. If you pay close attention I will do my best to deliver the information you seek! I swear upon the Armstrong name that the answers you seek shall be given!"

Clicking on the remote as the more mature images appeared Armstrong ignored the gasps from the gathered teens as a picture of living lab rat appeared on the screen. Staring at the image with a steely expression Armstrong said, "It may be hard to accept but Life Fibers are an extraterrestrial lifeform that arrived on the Earth at least one hundred thousand years ago."

"One hundred thousand years?" Uryu was baffled by that piece of information. The Soul Society had only existed in its current state for a few thousand years at most. To know that Life Fibers, which were already organisms that defied comprehension, were far older than any shinigami currently in existence greatly worried the young Quincy.

"That's…kind of hard to believe," Chad muttered equally surprised before he thought of something, "Wait a second. If Life Fibers are aliens then they must still eat something."

"You are correct Yasutora Sado but not in the way you think. When Life Fibers reach a world they will seek out the native lifeforms. They will then parasitize the lifeform and breed by consuming the bioelectrical current of its nervous system. There is, however, a limitation on this," Armstrong's normally cheerful demeanor disappeared as he clicked on the remote. As the screen changed and showed the same lab rat convulsing for several seconds before finally dying he finished, "Life Fibers cannot directly enter a host's body. If they attempt to do so they will inevitably burn out the host within hours."

"What about Ichigo?" Ryuko pointed to Ichigo, who was listening to Armstrong's explanation with a pensive and tense look on his face, "He's a Life Fiber Hybrid. How is that possible when you just said it couldn't happen?"

"I don't know," Armstrong was truly at a quandary about Ichigo's existence. The only other hybrids that he knew about, Ururu Tsumugiya and Nui Harime, weren't exactly born to a human mother as far as Isshin Matoi was able to discover, "Everything Nudist Beach knows about Life Fibers came from either Isshin Matoi or Isshin Kurosaki but neither of them had any idea how or why a Life Fiber Hybrid could exist."

As Armstrong mentioned Ichigo's dad everybody turned to him but it was Uryu that asked, "Your dad…really? Although it makes sense that your father would willingly name an organization devoted to overthrowing Life Fibers Nudist Beach."

"Don't be like that Uryu." Orihime clapped her hands together and chuckled nervously, "I'm sure Ichigo's dad had a really good reason for picking such a…unique name."

Ichigo's scowl deepened as even Ryuko chimed in, "I always knew Nudist Beach was a weird name but I had no idea it came from your dad!"

"Actually it was Ichigo's mother who came up with the name," Armstrong's clarification not only stopped the argument but caused both Uryu and Ichigo to stare at him incredulously. Ignorant of the sudden and deafening silence Armstrong stroked his chin as he reminisced in the past, "Nudist Beach did not always have such a magnificent name! Long ago during its founding Masaki had been the one to suggest the name…"

Ichigo nearly fell over as images of his mother leading a brigade of naked warriors while completely naked herself entered his head. Grimacing as he directed all his disgust at what he just imagined into pure rage at his father he managed to pick himself up and ask, "If you say she was naked I swear to whatever deity exists that I will kill you!"

"Do you take me for some kind of pervert, young Ichigo? Nudist Beach is just a name or did you truly think we all strip down upon a moment's notice like Aikuro Mikisugi?" When he received nothing but blank stares from the gathered teens Armstrong looked down as his bare chest and frowned, "…point well taken but my message stands firm and tall! The full extent of my showmanship extends to my waist so you can sleep content at night knowing my pants shall never come off!"

"Damn that hurt!" Tatsuki finally picked herself off the ground and growled at Armstrong, "I don't want to imagine Ichigo's mother naked anymore! Can you please explain what Life Fibers want you naked bastard?"

Armstrong flipped the remote between his fingers before moving the slideshow along until another rat was shown. Unlike the previous rats this one was entirely covered in Life Fibers, "Putting aside young Ichigo's impossible existence as a hybrid for the moment, Life Fibers realized that if they could not infest a host directly they would instead cover them. While the bioelectrical energy obtained through this method is barely one percent of the direct approach the host does not die."

"Question," Chad raised his hand and asked, "Why did they pick humans? Aren't there animals with larger nervous systems?"

"Life Fibers do not feed solely on bioelectrical energy," Armstrong crossed his massive arms and sighed, "They require hosts of a particular intelligence in order to breed. When they arrived one hundred thousand years ago Homo sapiens possessed the most developed cerebrum at the time but still it was not enough. The Life Fibers needed us to be smarter and so they helped us…evolve so to speak. Instead of evolving us physically the Life Fibers evolved us mentally and intellectually. They accelerated the process humanity would have naturally undergone so that we would multiply and spread across the planet until we stood on top of the entire ecosystem. When humanity reaches that point…"

"…they're breeding us like cattle. Everything we've accomplished since before recorded history has been because Life Fibers led us there," Uryu had always prided himself on his intelligence but at this moment he wished his mind hadn't been able to come to such a dire and nightmarish conclusion. He had thought hollows were mindless beasts with no purpose other than to eat human souls but Life Fibers put them to shame.

"I-I'm eating Ryuko?" Senketsu quivered nervously around Ryuko's body as he tried to come to terms with the revelation while Mugetsu was doing the same next to him. His scattered memories suggested that as a Kamui he was different than most, if not all, life on Earth but finding out he was an alien that would eventually eat Ryuko, one of the few people he cared about, bothered him tremendously.

Ryuko gently patted Senketsu in an attempt to calm him down before glaring at Armstrong, "If what Uryu suggested is the truth than why haven't Life Fibers eaten us by now? The only Life Fibers I've ever seen are in the Goku Uniforms at Honnouji Academy and Kamui."

"There are many theories as to why the Life Fibers have waited so long but your father believed it was because they went into hibernation not long after arriving. We don't know why they did this but one thing we do know is that the tendency to wear clothing was born soon after," Armstrong pressed a button on the remote and immediately a picture of Ragyo Kiryuin in her splendid rainbow glory appeared on it but what surprised everyone was that there was another picture of Isshin Kurosaki right next to her, "Roughly twenty years ago Life Fibers awoke when Ragyo Kiryuin and Isshin Kurosaki made contact with the Original Life Fiber."

Ichigo stared at the photo of his father and asked, "How is my dad involved?"

Armstrong looked at Ichigo with a weary look on his face, "We narrowed down the night Ragyo Kiryuin made contact with the Original Life Fiber from various eyewitnesses. That very night Rei Hououmaru arrived at your house, Ichigo, and informed your parents that something was wrong with Ragyo. Before you ask what happened I'm afraid we in Nudist Beach are in the dark about what happened after Isshin arrived at the Kiryuin Manor. Your father refuses to even talk about it."

Putting one more tally mark on the mental chalkboard in his mind of how many times he needed to kick his dad's ass Ichigo frowned as he felt Mugetsu's worry that she was feeding off of Ichigo. Lightly patting his Kamui on the shoulder Ichigo scowled, "So let me get this straight. Life Fibers woke up twenty years ago and are trying to devour humanity. Why have you waited this long before doing anything about it?"

"Do you have any idea of the power Ragyo Kiryuin possesses?"

Tsumugu Kinagase walked out from behind an outcropping of rocks and scoffed angrily, "From your vacant expressions I say you don't. Let me put it another way. Your supernatural powers may allow us to conquer Honnouji Academy and put down Satsuki Kiryuin but her mother…let's just say she could kill each and every one of us without trying. The only way we could possibly, and I mean possibly, kill her is if we take advantage of her arrogance but that will only work once."

"Come on!" Ryuko scowled and spat on the ground, "Satsuki's mom can't be that –"

"Let me give you two useful pieces of information Matoi," Tsumugu stalked forward until he was standing in front of the gathered teens, "The first is that your assumption that Nui Harime is the strongest challenger you'll face is dead wrong. Nui Harime and Ururu Tsumugiya's strength are leagues beneath Ragyo Kiryuin's. The second is that there is an entirely different level of opponents that you'll most likely run into – Xcution."

"Xcution?" Tatsuki narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, "That's a stupid name. It sounds like the name of a garage band!"

"Xcution is far more dangerous than anything you could possibly face at Honnouji Academy apart from Junketsu," Armstrong explained to a disbelieving Tatsuki. Clicking the remote several times before an image of Jackie Tristan in custody while wearing an orange jumpsuit appeared Armstrong went on and said, "Satsuki Kiryuin's Regalia are made from between thirty and thirty-five percent Life Fibers. Xcution, on the other hand, are Ragyo Kiryuin's elite forces. Each one of them wears raiment composed of fifty percent Life Fibers. Their power is at least twice that of Satsuki's Elite Four."

"Just how powerful are these people?" Uryu was starting to get the feeling that he had stumbled into something much bigger than he could have ever dreamt about. He had struggled throughout his battle against Nonon Jakuzure and her thirty five percent Life Fiber weave to do any lasting damage. It had taken the use of Gezielt Sprenger to pierce her resistance to his Quincy powers and even then he hadn't done more than slightly injure her. Knowing that there existed people at least twice as strong as Satsuki's Elite Four caused a shiver to crawl up his spine.

"They are powerful enough that it would take the strength a Kamui to have any chance of guaranteed victory," Tsumugu mockingly explained as he gaze lingered over Ichigo and Ryuko as well as their respective Kamui. As much as he hated relying on using Life Fibers he had to admit that having Kamui on their side in the upcoming battles would be more helpful than detrimental.

"That is why Professor Matoi created Senketsu!" Armstrong announced enthusiastically as he stepped in front of Ryuko and pointed dramatically to her Kamui, "Somehow he predicted this day would come and that you would be one of the few people on Earth able to survive wearing such a powerful piece of clothing! I don't know how Senketsu was created by Professor Matoi but he said he used your DNA in order to complete it, Ryuko! Senketsu is as much a part of you as you are of him! That is why you are the only person that can draw out the full and pure power of Senketsu!"

"You're saying that Senketsu was made from my DNA?" Ryuko looked into Senketsu's eye with a mixed expression, "How is that possible?"

"Even though we were in your father's inner circle he never shared how he made a Kamui," Tsumugu sat down and crossed his legs before pulling out a cigarette. Remembering whose company he was in Tsumugu scowled as he put it away, "I'm sure you've had the pleasure of meeting Danketsu, the Kamui currently bonded to my sister. Professor Matoi made her in secret and only brought her out when Kinue was test fit her. So we're in the dark about how Senketsu was made as much as you are Matoi."

Ichigo frowned as he remembered the letter he found on Mugetsu when Kisuke was attacked by Nui, "Hang on a second. The note Kisuke left with Mugetsu when Nui went after him suggested he used my DNA to finish her."

"It seems both of your Kamui required genetic material to be completed," Uryu muttered as he raised his hand in front of his mouth. He knew that such a similarity could not be a coincidence. There was something inherent in Ichigo and Ryuko's DNA that was required for their Kamui to function. The only question plaguing his mind was what it could possibly be.

"It does not matter what was needed!" As Armstrong flexed his muscles and purple sparkles surrounded his head he gave Ichigo a powerful handshake and exclaimed exuberantly, "Ichigo and Ryuko! I must apologize deeply for keeping the two of you in the dark for so long! I was worried that you wouldn't be able to handle the truth but the determined looks on your faces suggest my fears were unfounded!"

"I'm still not totally convinced Senketsu is an alien," Ryuko countered with a scoffing tone, "But if half the crap you said about Ragyo Kiryuin is true than she needs to be stopped."

Apparently Tatsuki was of a similar mindset to Ryuko. Her experiences with the spiritual world and her near death at the hands of the arrancar caused her to train her ass off to become stronger. Even if she would never have the same level of power as Orihime and the others Tatsuki was determined to not be useless. Standing up and glaring at Armstrong she said, "There's no way in hell that I'm going to let that woman turn humanity into food for glowing yarn! When and how do we take her down?"

"As the only one here besides Ichigo who's spoken with Ragyo Kiryuin it is safe to say she is the most dangerous person I've ever met," Uryu adjusted his glasses as he stared at the picture of Ragyo Kiryuin still being projected on the screen. He could never forget the feeling of fear whenever he was in her presence. It was almost as if his body was telling him that Ragyo can and will kill him without a moment's hesitation, "But one thing eludes me. Someone with her appearance cannot be human. After hearing about what happened to Ichigo when he found out he was a Life Fiber Hybrid I think it is safe to assume Ragyo Kiryuin is one as well. There is no way a normal woman, even if she was working for the Original Life Fiber as you said, would be able to control Nui Harime so thoroughly."

"You have quite the head on your shoulders!" Armstrong laughed loudly at Uryu managing to figure out the truth about Ragyo. Nudist Beach had managed to figure out that she was a hybrid years ago. All their research and development over the past ten years has been in order to overcome her great strength. As he watched Tsumugu pull his cell phone out of his pocket and walk away Armstrong scratched at his chin and said, "The bravery and strength you all displayed during the defense of this marvelous city cannot be ignored. You all put your lives on the line and gratitude must be given. Henceforth consider yourselves honorary members of Nudist Beach!"

Orihime blushed in embarrassment upon hearing that and began twiddling her fingers, "Oh…um…does that mean we have to fight naked?"

"I hope we don't because if we do…" Tatsuki cracked her knuckles menacingly as she stared at Armstrong with all the hatred she could muster.

"Nah, it's just Aikuro that likes to strip," Ryuko interrupted with an annoyed scoff as she leaned her head backwards. Staring up at the fake clouds in the secret training room Ryuko was about to ask Armstrong if her dad had said anything else when Tsumugu came running back with a worried look on his face.

"We have a problem." The younger Kinagase sibling looked at the Major General straight in the eyes and said, "Anderson's on the way. He knows about Ichigo."

Armstrong's blue eyes narrowed as he pondered the situation. Usually he was one of the few people that could rein him in but if what Tsumugu said is true than Anderson knows about Ichigo's status as a Life Fiber Hybrid. It was going to take a lot more to stop Anderson at this point, "This is a problem but as long as he we can intercept him before he arrives we should have enough time to calm him down. Yoruichi and Tessai should be able to keep him out for the moment."

"That's the issue," Tsumugu might hate Life Fibers with a passion but he was at least willing to allow Matoi and Ichigo to use their Kamui in the fight against Revocs. Anderson, on the other hand, would rather destroy the two Kamui before even thinking about working with them, "Tessai took Ururu Tsumugiya to Karakura General Hospital after retrieving Mankanshoku from Isshin's home while Yoruichi is guarding Isshin's kids in case the Grand Couturier tries to make a move against them."

Armstrong turned around and crossed his massive arms over his bare chest as he considered the situation. The absence of Tessai and Yoruichi for even five minutes will be all that Anderson needs to waltz into the Nudist Beach base under Kisuke Urahara's shop, "How much time do we have until he gets here, Tsumugu?"

Tsumugu frowned as the artificial lights above them flickered briefly, "Aikuro was in Karakura Graveyard when he met Anderson. I'd say it would take about seven for a normal person to get here…two for Anderson."

"I see before me unholy abominations. Cursed beings in the eyes of God…"

As the deep and gravelly voice of Anderson echoed from around them Ryuko leapt to her feet and pulled out her red Scissor Blade. Glancing back and forth for the source of the voice she turned to Armstrong and growled, "Who the hell is that?"

"This must be Anderson," Uryu stood up and summoned his spiritual bow around his hand. As he carefully examined every nook and cranny around them Uryu focused his senses on picking up the sounds of Anderson's movement. While tracking spiritual energy would normally be easy Uryu was finding it increasingly annoying that people like Armstrong possessed some form of inherent power that was frustratingly hard for him to track. Even when Armstrong was standing in front of him Uryu was unable to get a bead on the man's considerable and strange spiritual energy, "Tell me something. How strong exactly is Anderson?"

"He can take down a Three-Star Goku Uniform with relative ease in straight out combat," Armstrong nodded to Tsumugu who began to immediately relay orders to their fellow nudists. He needed to pull back all personnel in order to minimize the collateral damage sustained, "Do not underestimate this man. Anderson is a brilliant tactician despite whatever he may say or do."

"God will not save ye from this fate!"

The flickering of the artificial lighting against metal was the only warning anyone had before a veritable deluge of tailor bayonets began raining out of the sky. Out of all of Ichigo's friends Chad was the first to react. Summoning his Brazo Derecho de Giganta while running towards Orihime and Tatsuki he managed to cover the two girls and himself with the shield on his arm just before the tailor bayonets slammed into the ground. While Uryu was the fastest of Ichigo's friends he barely managed to leap out of the way of the initial wave of bayonets to avoid being skewered before he was forced to use several bursts of hirenkyaku.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?!"

As memories of watching Mako getting stabbed by Nui Harime passed through her mind Ryuko burst up from her chair and slid in front of Mako. Drawing her red Scissor Blade from the pouch on her hip and willing it to expand to its full size, Ryuko let out an aggravated shout as she rapidly swung it through the air in front of her body. Deflecting the bayonets that were aimed at Mako with her Life Fiber weapon Ryuko growled angrily as she tried to spot the bastard attacking her. As her eyes scanned her surroundings for any sign of Anderson she noticed a shadow falling through the air before a man wearing a grey cassock slammed feet-first into Ichigo.

Once he was sure Ichigo's friends would not interfere with his righteous mission Anderson made his move. Jumping off the plateau he had been standing on and using the artificial lighting to keep his form hidden from any unwanted eyes Anderson drew two of his last nine tailor bayonets from inside his sleeves and fell towards the unsuspecting Ichigo. Passing over the head of a black haired girl who had unluckily turned the exact opposite way from him Anderson slammed his feet directly into Ichigo's face. As the orange haired hybrid bounced along the ground Anderson threw one of his tailor bayonets at Ichigo, piercing through the flesh of his right hand and pinning it to the rock behind him.

"Now ye cannot summon your unholy power, abomination!" Anderson grinned fanatically as he stalked towards the pinned and struggled Ichigo. It was a shame that Ichigo had to die. Anderson realized that when he finally passed into the Lords domain Masaki would punish him severely for what he was about to do. But as long as he prevented another monster like Nui Harime from arising Anderson was content. Reversing his grip on the tailor bayonet as he nearly reached Ichigo Anderson raised the weapon up into the air and shouted, "Pray before God that your end be swift, monster!"

"Santen Kesshun!"

Anderson's eyes widen in rare surprise as a translucent orange barrier shimmered into existence in front of his body. Looking in shock as his tailor bayonet literally shattered into shards of glinting metal as it hit the barrier Anderson muttered, "What in God's name?"

His question would go unanswered as Alex Louis Armstrong appeared behind him and smashed a fist into his chin hard enough to send him flying into the air.

---

...

---

"I shall see to it that Junketsu is ready when you are finished."

Satsuki steeled her expression as she began removing Junketsu from her body without complaint. As she felt her naked body shiver from the cold air of the manor Satsuki held the limp form of Junketsu in her hands in front of her body and stared momentarily into the Kamui's eyes. Thinking briefly over the revelations of the morning Satsuki turned around and handed Junketsu into Rei Hououmaru's outstretched arms. The dark skinned secretary of Ragyo Kiryuin nodded her head politely at Satsuki before she placed Junketsu on a specialized hanger and waved with one arm towards the large and majestic doors several meters to her left, "Lady Ragyo apologizes but she will be a few minutes late. She will meet you in the Grand Bath as soon as possible."

"Thank you Hououmaru," Satsuki stared stoically as Rei moved in front of her and pushed the doors open with an almost gentle effort. As she walked into the steam-filled room with her arms folded across her chest in modesty Satsuki heard the doors close behind her as Rei left to examine any issues and problems with Junketsu.

Taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes and prepared for what was to come Satsuki stepped into the steaming water of the Grand Bath and submerged her body until the water was just barely able to lap against her chin. With her blue eyes gazing into the turbulent and chaotic surface of the bath Satsuki was surprised at the lack of pain she felt. The first two times she had bathed in the Grand Bath after donning Junketsu Satsuki had been unable to keep in the winces of pain. The distinct lack of pain was just another thing she had to thank Ichigo for when she had the chance. Submerging herself even further until her nose was just barely above the surface Satsuki truly wished to know how Ichigo had managed to quell her Kamui's insatiable lust for blood. She knew he could speak to Kamui due to being a Life Fiber Hybrid but Satsuki figured there was something else she was missing. If she could just figure out a way to communicate with her Kamui like Matoi and Ichigo can then perhaps…

"I am truly surprised," Satsuki's thoughts were cut off as a bright rainbow light began filling the entirety of the Grand Bath. Looking up as the far doors opened with a dull echo and the light continued to intensify Satsuki heard her mother's voice continue speaking to her, "I thought you would be overexerting yourself but it seems that is not the case. Tell me, what's the cause of this exciting development?"

"Hello mother," Satsuki averted her gaze as she heard her mother enter the bath. With a tone to her voice brought about by years of practice Satsuki looked at her mother straight in the eye and lied, "Junketsu has simply realized it was futile to attempt to overpower my will. There is nothing more that needs to be said."

Ragyo had a predatory grin on her face as she heard her daughter lie directly to her face. She had to admit Satsuki had not given anything away in her expression as she lied about what transpired in Karakura Town. If Hououmaru had not been keeping her updated on what was happening in Karakura Town during the Raid Trip Ragyo would not have been absolutely certain about her daughter's lie. There was one thing that Ragyo wished to know – the sudden lack of enmity from Junketsu towards Satsuki. Many years ago she wove her Life Fibers into Junketsu to make the Kamui more pliable to her orders. Even if Ichigo had managed to save Satsuki from the fate she deserved Junketsu should not have stopped attempting to devour her.

"You say that and yet your body tells me otherwise," Ragyo stalked through the stomach-high water until she was standing in front of her daughter. Gently caressing Satsuki's cheek sensually she leaned forward with a glint evident in her maroon eyes, "This water is saturated with specialized medicines meant to boost your harmonization rate with Junketsu. You may have begun to actually wear Junketsu but your body is still stressed and damaged from the strain. Soak yourself in the water and allow it to permeate your body."

"Yes, mother."

As she trailed her fingers up Satsuki's face Ragyo briefly paused she felt something missing from her daughter. Thinking over what it could be for barely a second Ragyo's eyes widened in momentary surprise before the grin on her face returned. It seemed that Ichigo's successful attempt to rescue her useless daughter's mind and body had accomplished far more than she hoped. In any other case Ragyo would have been mildly irritated that the rainbow Life Fiber she implanted in Satsuki's mind when she was five years old was destroyed.

"You have such lovely skin, my dear daughter," Ragyo's hand moved lower on Satsuki's body as she moved closer to her, "Give yourself to me so that I may conduct the ritual of purification…"

---

...

---

"Damn…" Bazz-B cursed as he stepped onto the roof upon leaving the shadow portal temporarily connecting the world of the living to the Silbern. Placing his hands inside the pockets of his Wandenreich uniform and walking towards the edge of the roof he stared at the rising columns of smoke dotting the city around him and asked to nobody in particular, "This is Karakura Town? It looks like a damn war came and kicked everyone's ass!"

Unclasping his cloak and tossing it away Bazz-B adjusted the collar of his trench coat and thought back on the first objective of the mission. Jugo had been quite insistent that he and the three Sternritter he picked out make contact with Ichigo Kurosaki as soon as possible to limit the risks of Ragyo Kiryuin discovering their presence in the world of the living. Quilge had barely escaped back to the Silbern after intercepting Ichigo nearly twelve hours ago and Bazz-B did not want to find out what would happen to him if the Life Fibers caught him. He would rather blow his own head off than be taken prisoner.

"So where the hell is this bastard anyway?" Bazz-B looked around Karakura Town but he couldn't sense Ichigo anywhere. The Daten His Majesty possessed on the orange haired teen ended just after Ichigo lost his shinigami powers. Without any spiritual energy to track Bazz-B would be forced to hunt down Ichigo the old fashioned way, which really pissed him off.

"Did you expect a mission of this magnitude to be easy?"

Bazz-B didn't bother turning around as Lille Barro appeared from the shadow portal. The X-Axis looked across the surrounding landscape with his only open eye before he took off his cloak emblazoned with a six-sided black star and threw it back through the portal. When Bazz-B had initially come to him with the premise of asking for his assistance Lille had refused. He was one of His Majesty's elite guards tasked with the eventual goal of destroying the Royal Guard. To debase his power and skill in what at first seemed like a simple mission insulted him. Surely Life Fibers could not be dangerous enough to threaten His Majesty's life?

At least that was what Lille Barro thought until Bazz-B showed him the limited Daten Jugram Haschwalth had given him permission to see. As the X-Axis watched Nui Harime decimate dozens of armed and well-trained humans while regenerating from their bullets he had decided that such beings were an immediate danger to His Majesty and needed to be dealt with post haste. The Wandenreich could not afford to be on the losing side. If that happens the Wandenreich would not be able to react fast enough to counter Ragyo Kiryuin's immense power.

Leaning his massive and powerful reishi rifle against his shoulder Lille Barro looked up at the sky and muttered, "Can you feel that Bazz-B? There is a barrier of Life Fibers surrounding the entire city."

"I felt it as soon as I got here," Bazz-B scoffed before sniffing, "The damn thing is irritating my nose to the point where I feel like I need to sneeze. Why don't you stop talking and just take it out already?"

Lille Barro sighed at Bazz-B's tone as he shifted his rifle until the stock was placed against his shoulder. As he stared through the scope of the rifle he took aim at the invisible barrier before firing a massive heilig pfeil at it. The two Sternritter watched as the bullet-shaped spiritual energy shot through the air towards the shield but to their shock it failed to destroy it. Lille Barro stood in shock as his bullet slammed into the shield with nary a noise before simply disappearing and causing the shield to momentarily shimmer brightly before settling back down to invisibility, "What's going on? That bullet had enough power to pass through a mountain. It should have been able to shatter the Life Fiber barrier with ease!"

"You can't use brute force to destroy Life Fibers, idiot!"

Bambietta Basterbine stepped out of the shadow portal with an irritated look in her blue eyes. Giving the self-proclaimed 'deadshot' a scoffing roll of her eyes she pointed with a gloved hand at the sky, "You were so gung-ho about destroying Ragyo Kiryuin that you forgot that our powers are weak to Life Fibers. If you don't give it everything you have from the start you're going to die."

Lille Barro looked away before bringing his rifle back up once more. Placing one foot on the edge of the roof for support he looked through the scope and said, "You are correct. This time I shall fire the strongest bullet I –"

"Don't be an idiot!" Bazz-B twisted around and smacked Lille Barro's rifle downwards before he could fire it, "Who knows what the hell that barrier does! You already shot one bullet at it and it didn't work. Do you want to find out what happens if you shoot another? I don't want to die knowing I was eaten by fucking clothes!"

Bambietta didn't bother chiming in her opinion as she sat down on the roof and leaned her check onto her hand. While she was certainly surprised that Bazz-B had chosen her for the mission she could understand why. If His Majesty needed the Sternritter to stay below the radar to avoid the attention of the Soul Society than those that Bazz-B could depend on were quite limited. While Bambietta didn't doubt some of her fellow Sternritter could certainly start the mission with stealth in mind once the fighting started all bets were thrown out the window. Casting her eyes up at where she could sense the Life Fiber barrier surrounding the city Bambietta snorted and asked, "So where is Ichigo Kurosaki, Bazz-B?"

"What are you looking at me for?" Bazz-B growled rhetorically before scoffing and walking away from her across the roof. Closing his eyes and trying to sense Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual energy Bazz-B's brow creased in irritation as he failed once again. He was a Sternritter, dammit! Sensing spiritual energy should have been as simple as looking through a window to see what the weather was like outside. As he was about to give up in order to try a different approach Bazz-B felt something faint prickle across the edges of his senses. Focusing everything he had on this new presence he nearly recoiled at what he felt.

"God damn it!" Bazz-B quickly stopped trying to sense the spiritual energy as he stumbled back like he was just hit in the face, "What the fuck is that?"

Every spiritual being had different colors and characteristics to their spiritual energy when a quincy sensed it. That was why Bazz-B could easily pick out a shinigami, hollow, arrancar and a fellow quincy even if he couldn't see them. The energy he just felt, however, was not only different but it also scared the piss out of him. He could still see the glowing blue and red monstrosity made out of flames and Bazz-B would swear it was looking directly at him. Nothing that strong should be capable of hiding so thoroughly and yet Bazz-B had not been able to sense it until he put everything he had into looking for it. Turning around and noticing the confused and amused expressions coming from Lille Barro and Bambietta respectively Bazz-B scoffed and said, "It's about half a mile to the north. Tell me that doesn't bother you!"

Lille Barro narrowed his eye as he followed Bazz-B's directions and focused his senses on the spiritual energy described. Upon feeling it a bead of cold sweat dripped down his face as he took a step back, "That's…I feel it but you're mistaken about one thing. While there is no doubt in my mind that the spiritual energy you felt belongs to Ichigo Kurosaki you failed to account for another."

"What the fuck?" Bazz-B asked incredulously, "There are two of those things?"

"That thoroughly awful spiritual energy is actually coming from two similar beings within close proximity to each other," Lille gazed through the scope of his rifle in order to try and spot Ichigo Kurosaki. When he was unable to find any trace of the orange haired youth he rested the barrel of his rifle on the roof and shook his head, "From the difficulty I had in detecting them separately I would hazard a guess that Ichigo Kurosaki is within fifty feet of someone just like him."

Bambietta didn't bother trying to sense the spiritual energy. If both Bazz-B and Lille Barro were reacting to it so badly than she certainly didn't want to feel whatever the hell was out there. Drumming her fingers along the length of her leg she tried to figure out whether her reishi bombs would work against someone like Nui Harime or really anyone wearing Life Fibers. Sure Nui Harime could regenerate but could she come back from being blown to atoms? Bambietta didn't know but she was more than willing to find out.

"That spiritual energy certainly feels awful. Life Fibers are really nasty things after all."

Meninas McAllon stepped out of the shadow portal as it snapped behind her with a soft hiss. As she looked around Karakura Town and the destruction evident from Satsuki's earlier attack Meninas moved a strand of pink hair out of her eyes and promptly tripped over Bambietta. Regaining her balance with a hop and fixing the bow around her neck she gave the irritated Bambietta a half-sincere apology, "I'm sorry Bambi but I didn't notice you down there. You can't be tired already. We just got here after all."

"Bite me, Meny!" Bambietta snarled before getting back onto her feet before Meninas could make any more snide remarks. Briefly fixing her miniskirt before giving Meninas one final glare as if to dare her to try anything else Bambietta flipped her black hair around and asked, "Now that we're all here can we go? His Majesty wanted us to make contact with Ichigo Kurosaki right away."

"So you're looking for Ichigo? That's a surprise. I didn't know he had this many friends."

The four Sternritter turned around in shock to see Isshin Kurosaki standing behind them with his hands in his pockets and a pondering expression on his face. Upon noticing that he had their undivided attention Isshin gave a nervous chuckle and said, "That shadow portal thing was pretty cool! I've never seen anything like that before. I guess you learn something new every day."

Without preamble Bazz-B spun around and began summoning his reishi flames to deal with the unexpected threat. His Majesty's mission was of the utmost importance and while Bazz-B felt a little guilty about having to kill a human he would do so if it meant protecting their cover. Extending his arm towards the still defenseless Isshin Bazz-B's eyes narrowed as a burst of fire concentrated around his finger, "Sorry about this, man, but His Majesty does not like witnesses. Burner Finger One!"

The narrow beam of fire shot out from Bazz-B's finger towards the junction of Isshin's neck and chest with enough power to pierce through a shinigami as powerful as a captain. When Isshin not only caught the Burner Finger One but squashed it out of existence using only the palm of his hand with nary a burn on his skin Bazz-B's arm fell limply to the side. He knew Burner Finger One could be stopped by the more powerful captains but without even a burn? That was impossible.

"That was quite rude," Isshin dusted off his palm before he scratched at the back of his neck, "Attacking me while my guard was down doesn't really help to make first impressions. Why don't we start over and introduce ourselves. My name is Isshin Kurosaki and I'm here to have a long talk with you four about your plans for Ichigo."

"We don't have to explain ourselves to a shinigami like you." Appearing behind Isshin's still undefended form using Hirenkyaku Meninas snapped her leg out with the intent to sever his neck from his body. Every Sternritter was given Daten about the captain and lieutenant class shinigami as well as their respective techniques, powers and zanpakuto. Isshin Kurosaki was a former captain of the tenth division and a shinigami on par with that of Sosuke Aizen. Dealing with him before he could use Engetsu was paramount to achieving victory.

"Hang on just a minute," Isshin's arm snapped up as he blocked Meninas's enhanced kick with the back of his forearm. Giving the surprised pink haired girl a goofy grin as he easily blocked a kick that could kill most opponents Isshin shifted his arm and allowed Meninas to leap away before said, "A woman should not just throw herself at the first man she sees. You have to introduce yourself and then take things slowly from there."

Bambietta took a step back as she watched Isshin stop Meninas's kick with almost a lazy effort before her trepidation turned into annoyance. Holding her arm out and gathering reishi Bambietta prepared to use The Explode on Isshin Kurosaki, damn the consequences. If he was strong enough to not only stop Meninas's attack but act as if it was something simple she would need to be serious. No talking, no gloating and no time for Isshin to think of anything. Bambietta was going to hit Isshin with enough reishi bombs to turn his body into a smear on the roof. Pulling out her sword in the shape of a Chinese dao and coursing her reishi through it until the metal glowed blue-white Bambietta shouted, "Die you dumb shinigami!"

"Hmm…" Isshin stared at the four Sternritter preparing to attack him with mild worry not for his health but for the surrounding neighborhood. Even if all four of them used their respective Vollstandig, Isshin needed to thank Ryuken for helping him pronounce that correctly, he would walk away without a scratch on his body. Deciding that he needed to teach them a lesson before things got out of hand Isshin clapped his hands together and said, "Four on one isn't very fair."

Appearing in front of Isshin with her arm cocked back and her hand clenched into a fist Meninas gave the former captain a cold stare as she went to punch him, "Being fair to a shinigami is quite stupid, don't you agree?"

Before she could hit Isshin Meninas was sent spiraling through the air as someone or something slammed into her with the force of one of her own punches. As the super-strong Sternritter bounced along the roof Bazz-B quickly reacted and appeared in front of her using Hirenkayku and managed to catch her before she could fall over the edge. Letting Meninas down, who was more embarrassed than injured, Bazz-B was just about to let his reishi flames explode out of his body when he saw the purple Scissor Blade held in the newly arrived girl's hand, "Oh fuck. How the hell did we stumble across Nui Harime so damn quickly?"

"My name is Ururu Tsumugiya. Do not call me Nui Harime," Ururu's sandals touched down on the roof in front of Isshin with barely a sound as she held Nui's former purple Scissor Blade in a reverse grip. She was surprised when Mr. Kurosaki had given it to her barely an hour ago. When she asked why he was giving her Nui's weapon Isshin had smiled and said to consider it a late birthday present since she was at Honnouji Academy in September. Focusing her sapphire blue eyes on the Sternritter in front of her Ururu held the Scissor Blade in front of her and allowed the sunlight to glint off the purple surface before continuing, "Please surrender. I don't want to have to kill you."

"Screw you!" Bambietta shouted as she swung her dao towards Ururu. Watching in sadistic glee as the wave of reishi collided with Ururu before detonating in a massive explosion that created a column of smoke similar to the dozens rising throughout the city Bambietta turned to Isshin and grinned, "Now that she's dead why don't you just let us kill you already, former captain?"

"I'm sorry…but were you trying to kill me?"

Bambietta could not hide the look of utmost shock as Ururu appeared from the smoke without a single scratch on her body. Even the girl's clothing was prim and proper. As she looked at the individual Sternritter's expressions Ururu turned to Isshin and asked, "They tried to kill me and they're going after Ichigo. Should I eliminate them?"

"Now there's no need for that Ururu. I'm sure Yhwach didn't send them here to kill Ichigo," Isshin took a single step forward and promptly caught the reishi bullet Lille Barro fired at his head in the palm of his hand. Staring at the vibrating casing of spiritual energy for a moment before crushing it he looked at the shaken marksman and chuckled, "I'm not one to brag but I'm far stronger than any of you so why don't we start over? I'm Isshin Kurosaki and you are…?"

Bazz-B may be a hothead but he knew a losing battle when he saw one. Isshin Kurosaki had outright tanked attacks from Meninas, Lille Barro and him using nothing more than his left arm. If they had any shot of killing the former shinigami captain they would need to use their Vollstandig and Bazz-B doubted that would be enough to stop him. Grimacing as he placed his hands in his pockets in order to not do anything stupid he stepped forward, mindful of Ururu constantly watching him, and said, "Fine. You seem to be in the loop and I don't think His Majesty would appreciate us killing Ichigo's dad. The name's Bazz-B and the epitaph His Majesty has given me is H for The Heat."

Shouldering his rifle and giving Isshin a concerned look Lille Barro nevertheless followed Bazz-B's example, "Lille Barro. My designation is X for The X-Axis."

"Damn it…" Bambietta felt fear for the first time since Giselle had tried to 'heal' her several months ago after an accident where one of her reishi bombs accidentally detonated against her body. She never wanted to see Giselle's creepy and unnerving smile again, "Fine! I'm Bambietta Basterbine and I'm E for The Explode."

"I'm Meninas McAllon and His Majesty gave me P for The Power!" Unlike her three compatriots Meninas's introduction was far more enthusiastic. She knew Isshin Kurosaki was the enemy but it had been quite a long time since someone was able to overpower her strength. She had enough power to lift city blocks above her head and yet Isshin had blocked one of her kicks with nothing more than his arm. Finding someone she could actually hit and not immediately turn into a bloody pulp was too interesting for her to ignore.

"Are the other letters of the alphabet involved here or did Yhwach just send you four?" From the tensing of the Sternritter's shoulders at the casual mentioning of Yhwach Isshin was fairly certain that they were the only ones he sent. He might hate the propagator of the Quincy for what he did to Masaki and Kanae Katagari but Isshin had to admit the man was pragmatic. Sending some heavy hitters to support Ichigo was something Isshin knew Yhwach would do when a significant threat to his power appeared.

"Since no one else is going to say it let me be the one to ask," Lille Barro strapped his reishi rifle to his back and crossed his arms, "You seem to be familiar with His Majesty. How?"

Isshin rolled his eyes and laughed at the question before his expression darkened considerably, "His use of Auswahlen nine years ago killed my wife and my children's mother. If Masaki hadn't already been slowly dying at the time I think I would be more than a little pissed off right now. I'm willing to let that slide as long as Yhwach realizes that if he does anything to harm the rest of my family there will be nothing to stop me from coming after him. I will break through the shadows surrounding the Silbern, track him down to his throne and kill him."

"You dare threaten His Majesty?" Bambietta may have been unnerved by Isshin's power but hearing him insulting and threatening His Majesty was enough to sever any form of self-control she had. As she began swinging her dao through the air towards Isshin with the sole intent of murdering him Bambietta was stopped when she felt the edge of the purple Scissor Blade pressed against her throat. With the tip of the Scissor Blade tearing through her blut like it was paper Bambietta felt her body break out in a cold sweat, "But how –"

"If you try to hurt Mr. Kurosaki I won't hesitate to kill you," Ururu explained in an emotionless tone. Stepping away from Bambietta and allowing the Sternritter to collapse to the ground. Ururu watched Bambietta rub her neck as she took a single step before vanishing and reappearing next to Isshin with the Scissor Blade held behind her back once more.

"Good job Ururu," Isshin patted the girl on the head with a smile on his face before his expression hardened, "But you might want to take a few steps back. I need to exchange some harsh words with these people and it might not be good for you to stand so close to me. Understand?"

Although slightly suspicious of the way Ururu leapt away from Isshin before landing on the water tower on the other side of the roof the Sternritter had no time to think as Isshin's body began to glow with an intense rainbow aura. As his hair bled to silver and his eyes maroon the Sternritter took a few steps back in fear as Isshin's appearance seemed to regress nearly twenty years with the slight wrinkles and grey hair signifying his forty-eight year old appearance disappearing in less than a second.

"W-What's going on?" Bazz-B collapsed onto the roof as he felt rather than sensed the overwhelming aura of Life Fibers from the man in front of him. His Majesty's Datan said Isshin Kurosaki was a former shinigami captain. It never said he was made of fucking Life Fibers.

"I-I don't feel so good…" Meninas was desperately trying to keep herself from throwing up from being in such close proximity to Isshin. Unlike Lille Barro, who had leapt away as far as he could upon noticing Isshin transforming and was thus the least affected, she was the closest and felt her body seizing up.

"So here's what's going to happen," Isshin massaged his neck as he released his disguise for the first time in nearly seventeen years. After that night twenty years ago Isshin had gone home and saw to his horror that his mere presence was enough to visibly sicken Masaki. Since the effects of Life Fibers scales proportionally to a quincy's power and Masaki was one of the strongest quincy in the world his new body had nearly killed her before Isshin managed to mask his power under a disguise.

As he looked around to the four Sternritter and saw that they were experiencing the effects of being in the presence of a true Life Fiber Hybrid Isshin reined his power back in and said, "I know that Yhwach sent you to support my son in the fight against Ragyo. I am perfectly fine with that but let me lay down a couple of ground rules. I know what Yhwach has planned and I just want to make it clear that you are not to try and recruit Ryuken's son or anyone else into your little army. And if under any circumstances you threaten either Yuzu or Karin I will demonstrate to you that Ragyo is not the only one that can make COVERS."

Bazz-B swallowed nervously but managed to keep a cool façade as he stood back up. Turning his head to the side and scoffing in an attempt to look like he hadn't been affected by Isshin's show of power he spat on the roof and said, "Why the hell would we go after your other kids? His Majesty sent us here to help take down Ragyo Kiryuin. Pissing off someone that could kill us isn't high on my list of shit to do."

"His Majesty's word is law and must be followed to the letter," Lille Barro added as he chanced getting closer to Isshin now that the man was keeping his power from leaking out. Glancing worriedly at Isshin before looking at the still recovering Meninas he added, "As long as your suggestions do not conflict with His Majesty's directives I do not see a problem with agreeing to your terms. Having someone like you on our side in the battle against Ragyo Kiryuin can only bolster our odds of victory."

Isshin let go of the seriousness in his expression and chuckled heartily, "I guess that's the best I'm going to get out of the lot of you, isn't it? I can see that you really are here to help my son stop Ragyo from eating the world. You can find him in Kisuke's shop to the north and I expect you to be on your best behavior because if not…I'll know…"

"Damn man, we're not stupid enough to go against someone like you." Bazz-B helped the almost recovered Meninas to her feet before heading north using Hirenkayku with a scared Bambietta and a pensive Lille Barro following close behind him. The power he felt from Isshin Kurosaki was almost equal to His Majesty's and Bazz-B wanted to be the last person to piss him off. Treacherous thoughts aside but if His Majesty ordered him to assassinate Ichigo's sisters Bazz-B would probably try to fake his death or something. He did not want to face a pissed off Isshin Kurosaki under any circumstances.

Back on the roof Isshin watched the Sternritter leave with approval. Isshin was certain the threat alongside his display of power was enough to make sure they didn't try and pull anything behind his back. He wasn't bluffing when he told them he could break into the Silbern. Being friends with a quincy of Ryuken's power did have its upsides. The moment Yhwach made a move against his family Ryuken would be ready to open the shadow portal and send Isshin to go…negotiate with the father of the quincy.

"Hmm…Now that I'm done here I should go check up on Ichigo," Isshin remembered when he told Ichigo how to save Satsuki and Junketsu and knew his son would want answers. The only problem was that Isshin was completely incapable of giving the answers no matter how much he wanted. It was a good thing Armstrong and Tsumugu were on hand with most of the information Ichigo was looking for. The only problem, and it was a big problem, was how he would explain to Ryuko what exactly she was. Souichiro believed it took DNA to make a Kamui work and Isshin had been content with the man assuming that was correct, "Damn…I need to think of a way to get the point across to Ryuko that she's a hybrid like Ichigo. If I know Ragyo as well as I think I do I'm sure she'll figure who Ryuko is soon enough. That girl doesn't need that complication added to her life."

"Umm…"

Isshin blinked childishly when he felt Ururu tugging on his sleeve tore him out of his thoughts. Turning down to the perpetually shy Life Fiber Hybrid he asked, "What is it Ururu?"

At first Ururu wanted to ask why Mr. Kurosaki's hair and eyes were like Ragyo Kiryuin's but when she saw that he was still the same nice man she realized it wasn't important. Gripping the purple Scissor Blade tightly in her arms she asked, "Umm…your hair is still glowing like a rainbow Mr. Kurosaki."

"What?" Isshin looked and saw that, sure enough, there was still rainbow light emanating from his head, "I thought I put my disguise back up! Thanks for looking out for me, Ururu. It would have been awkward if Anderson saw me…like…this…"

Ururu tilted her head to the side as Isshin's expression fell into almost the same blank look she had on her face. After a moment of wondering what he was thinking about Ururu was nearly blown backwards as Isshin shouted, "Oh god, I forgot about Anderson!"

---

...

---

As Ragyo Kiryuin led her daughter down through the secret passageway beneath Kiryuin Manor she could not help but reminisce on how everything was coming together. Satsuki's failure to capture Karakura Town was tragic but in a way Ragyo wanted Isshin to win that skirmish. She knew that the organization her former husband founded would help defend the city and when they won, which they did, they would come after Satsuki at Honnouji Academy.

"La vie est drôle," Ragyo could not wait to reconnect with Isshin after so many years apart. She had felt a sudden burst of Life Fiber energy from Karakura Town half an hour ago and immediately realized that Isshin had shed that ridiculous disguise of a human he always wears. If she did not love him with every fiber of her being Ragyo didn't know how she would put up with Isshin's antics. When he confronted her during the Great Culture and Sport Festival Ragyo made a mental note to strip him of his disguise. Seeing the looks on his allies faces as Isshin is exposed for the magnificent man he is almost made Ragyo chuckle in amusement.

"We have arrived," Ragyo reached out of the full length cloak covering her naked body and pressed a hand against the ancient doors in front of her. Feeling a familiar pulse of thrum through her body upon making contact she closed her eyes and gently pushed them open.

Unlike twenty years ago when the entrance to the Fiber Palace – Forbidden Room was at the bottom of a barely lit and damp staircase the current entrance was much more grandiose and beautiful. Not long after making contact with the wonderful Original Life Fiber Ragyo had commissioned several of the best architects she could find to tear down the unsightly hallway and rebuild it with a glory that was befitting of what lay behind the doors in front of her. A white marble staircase replaced the old metal one and high quality rainbow-tinted lights dotted the ground on either side of the hallway. When it came time to pay the architects Ragyo had of course paid them but used Mental Refitting for the first time to erase the memories they had of Kiryuin Manor.

As she stepped into the Forbidden Room, her bare feet softly walking across the carpet of Life Fibers covering the floor Ragyo sighed as she connected directly with the Original Life Fiber hovering before her. Feeling the will of the Original Life Fiber course through her mind, pleased with the rate at which things were now progressing, Ragyo smirked when she heard Satsuki gasp, "This is where everything began?"

"Indeed it is," Ragyo's maroon eyes gazed fanatically upon the Original Life Fiber as every Life Fiber in her body began to resonate with the magnificent creature hovering before her. Feeling the Original Life Fiber responding to her demands Ragyo watched as part of the creature began to twist and distort as she continued, "This is the source of everything and everyone – the Original Life Fiber."

Satsuki had known about the Original Life Fiber for years but she never dreamed it was anything like this. Ever since his recruitment into her forces, Inumuta had secretly searched for the source of Life Fibers all across the globe but to know that it was literally right under her feet the entire time stunned Satsuki. Taking a moment to calm her raging emotions Satsuki let out a small sigh as she gazed up at the Original Life Fiber. Every nerve in her body was telling her that she was looking at something that defied logic and human rationale and it took Satsuki's immense self-control to keep her voice steady as she said, "It is an honor to be shown this, mother."

Ragyo knew her daughter was scheming behind her back but she appreciated the blatant pandering. Watching as the Original Life Fiber began sectioning off a piece of itself into a small glowing sphere of red and orange Life Fibers Ragyo smirked and held her hand up in the air, "Humanity's fate to serve clothing began the instant this magnificent ball of thread landed on Earth. When Isshin and I first discovered the Original Life Fiber twenty years ago we were entranced by the beauty and power it held."

This time Satsuki could not hide the look of shock evident in her eyes. There was only one Isshin her mother could be talking about – Isshin Kurosaki. The fact that Ichigo's father had discovered the Original Life Fiber alongside her mother was surprising to Satsuki but it helped to clear many things that had been confusing her for some time. If Ichigo's father was truly like her mother it explained both his method of sneaking into Honnouji Academy without getting caught as well as how her mother could slap him but do nothing more than leave his cheek slightly sore. It also resolved how Nui Harime lost the purple Scissor Blade upon leaving Karakura Town.

"Life Fibers are destined to cover the planet."

Ragyo smiled in satisfaction as she caught the ball of Life Fibers in her hand. Forcing her will through her body and into the Life Fibers she watched as they morphed into a paper-thin white business suit with a glowing red tie. As Ragyo mentally moved it into place along the walls surrounding the Forbidden Room she mused on the fact that the COVERS were modeled after Isshin's own sense of fashion. Limited as it may be but when the man concentrated and focused on picking out his own clothes he could be surprising. When she saw Isshin wearing the very suit the COVERS were modeled after during the Parent Student Day Ragyo was once again reminded of the annoying fact she lost him to Masaki.

Lowering her arm as soon as the COVERS was in place and connected once more with the Original Life Fiber Ragyo turned to her daughter and sighed wistfully, "The Life Fiber beings hibernating all around us are COVERS and only one man in the world can stop what is about to happen."

Satsuki quickly filled in the blanks and said, "Isshin Kurosaki."

The slight tightening of her mother's eyes was the only sign of Ragyo's displeasure at the name, "Yes, Isshin Shiba is the only man in the world capable of halting the COVERS. Despite his rejection of my love and affection he is just as strongly connected to the Original Life Fiber as I. That reminds me…my precious Nui said that one of Isshin's COVERS appeared during Parent Student Day in the form of a plushie lion named Kon. The Grand Couturier was quite surprised when she found what looked like one of Revocs's toys made out of pure high-quality Life Fibers."

Ragyo didn't allow Satsuki any time to ponder her words as she turned around and left the Forbidden Room with Satsuki close behind her. As much as she wished to stay with the Original Life Fiber there were things she needed to do. With the Great Culture and Sport Festival beginning soon Ragyo made sure all living members of Xcution were to return to Japan to welcome the nudists that would no doubt show up. Letting the robe covering her body to fall to the ground as she took the dress Hououmaru was holding while Satsuki once again wore Junketsu Ragyo said, "While I would have been more satisfied if every academy in the country was conquered I suppose I cannot fault your failure in Karakura Town. Your progress before being repelled exceeded my wildest speculations. Tell me something Satsuki. Have you learned anything from your first failure in life?"

Satsuki stoically walked behind her mother as they returned to the main floor of the Kiryuin Manor, "Yes, mother. Ichigo's former classmates possessed abilities equal to that of a Three-Star Goku Uniform. Gamagori and Jakuzure were taken out by Ichigo's associates while Sanageyama was beaten by a Nudist Beach Commander called Alex Louis Armstrong."

"Armstrong…my, that's a name I haven't heard in quite some time," Ragyo chuckled in amusement as she recalled the failed coup sixteen years by the first generation of Xcution. It was ironic that the same organization that existed to spread Life Fibers across the world was once designed to contain them. Olivier Mira Armstrong was a woman that Ragyo admired for her ability to focus on the mission at hand while leaving trivial emotions like love and attachment on the wayside. Sixteen years ago Olivier had trained the Revocs security force into one of the most powerful private armies in the world and yet she didn't think twice of setting off a series of bombs in their barracks at the start of the coup.

"Losing to an Armstrong is an honor, Satsuki," Ragyo slowly shook her head and sighed wistfully, "If this man was anything like Olivier than beating one of your Elite Four should have been easy for him. It is foolish to underestimate an Armstrong. They are quite tenacious and I would dare to say it would require the full use of Junketsu's power to put one down."

Satsuki pondered quietly as shattered memories of Junketsu fighting Armstrong pierced through her mind. The time from when she first started losing control of Junketsu to Ichigo saving her was a blur but there were a few things she could remember. Fighting a man with enough physical strength to stand up to Junketsu and her Bakuzan was one of the few she could recall, "Forgive my intrusion mother but I seem to recall Olivier Mira Armstrong being part of Xcution however all records of her disappear around a year after my birth. What happened to her?"

The presence of Xcution was always something Satsuki had to consider for her plans but the concept of a first generation drew her attention more than anything. All she could find out, even with Inumuta's prodigious assistance, was that there were six members but only two of which continued to work at Revocs – Rei Hououmaru and Kugo Ginjo. Hououmaru was still loyal as a dog to her mother and Ginjo had betrayed Revocs only to barely escape the Grand Couturier with his life. As for the other four members Satsuki searched for any information on them but it was almost as if their existence was erased from the face of the planet.

"Oh nothing much," Satsuki saw a sadistic smile stretch across her mother's face as she answered, "Olivier and some of the other members of Xcution thought it would be a good idea to assassinate me. I simply showed them the error of their ways and returned the favor."

"I see…" Satsuki did not say anything else as she thought over the fact she was not the first to betray her mother. Judging from the information her mother had inadvertently admitted it seemed the first generation of Xcution was not as fanatically loyal as the current one. For two-thirds of them to rise up and rebel against her mother meant they had seen the monster Ragyo was years ago and tried to put an end to her only to fail.

"Let us not dwell on such fond memories. There is a more important matter I wish to discuss," Ragyo stopped in mid-stride and looked over her shoulder at Satsuki, "With most of the country's academies conquered I think it is time to move the Honnouji Academy experimental city into stage two."

"Stage two?" Satsuki pursed her lips as she thought about what that meant. Her forces were not nearly as ready as she would have liked them to be and she still needed to acquire a few things in order to limit the chances of her mother countering her plans.

Ragyo hummed softly for a moment at her daughter's surprise before asking, "Hououmaru, is everything ready?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Rei Hououmaru subtly adjusted her aviator sunglasses as she pulled out her PDA. Tapping the screen a few times until a live feed of Honnouji Academy appeared she said, "I commissioned the construction of the Ragyo Stadium this morning. As of an hour ago it is complete and ready for your arrival. All other preparations for the festival are finished as well."

Turning to her daughter Ragyo smirked as the rainbow light from her hair intensified, "Satsuki, it is time to begin the Great Culture and Sports Festival."

Satsuki's heart skipped a beat before she managed to calm down. Even though her forces were not as prepared as she would have liked this was still the moment of truth. It would at the festival where her mother would be at her most vulnerable. Satsuki was counting on Ragyo to not bring more than one or two members of Xcution with her. Such a lapse in security would allow Satsuki's forces to overwhelm and kill her mother. She only hoped that Ichigo and Matoi took the bait and returned to Honnouji Academy, "Of course, mother."

Ragyo felt the shift in Satsuki's pulse and was amused at her daughter's attempt to hide it, "What are your –"

"Lady Ragyo! Lady Ragyo!"

Running towards the three women with a light sheen of sweat on his portly face was Takiji Kuroido. Stumbling to a stop as he reached them he took a few seconds to catch his breath before saying, "There's been a breach of security! Someone's locked themselves in your private study and is currently downloading confidential Revocs files!"

Satsuki never even saw her mother leave her side before Ragyo was racing through the halls of the Kiryuin Manor towards her private office. Ragyo did not fault Kuroido for coming to her instead of dealing with the problem himself. The walls of her office were saturated with high density Life Fibers that prevented anything short of an anti-tank shell from penetrating and to open the door required being able to overcome several thousand pounds of force pushing against them. The only question her enraged mind had was the identity of the perpetrator. It could not be Isshin since she would have detected him the minute he stepped foot in the manor even with his disguise in place.

Racing up the grand staircase in less time than it took a normal human to blink Ragyo sped towards the door to her office at the far end of the hall. Pushing it open with barely an effort on her part she was just about to kill whoever was inside when she froze upon seeing the man typing away at her computer, "You -!"

"Hold on a second. Trying to crack the password on these damn files is annoying as hell."

Sitting behind the desk and typing furiously on her keyboard was the long presumed deceased head of General Security and Interrogations – Batou. Back when Ragyo hired the man as part of the first generation of Xcution she had been curious about the lack of a full name. When she brought it up Batou had simply stated he had no last name. Maroon eyes watched as the grey haired man pressed one final key before pulling the flash drive out of the computer and stuck it in his pocket. Swiveling in her chair with his hands clasped behind his neck Batou gave Ragyo a wide grin and said, "Heya boss! It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I'm sure you're wondering how I survived being thrown out your window."

"As a matter of fact I'm not," Ragyo grinned sadistically as she walked across the spacious office towards Batou, the hollow clicking of her heels the only sound she made.

The past sixteen years had been overly kind to the former member of Xcution but Ragyo vowed to make sure that changed. The fact he survived falling to his death did not annoy her. What was causing Ragyo to experience a rare burst of anger was that he was stealing her private files. Once she was done dealing with Batou and his body was strung up as an example to those nudists showing what would happen if they tried anything Ragyo would task Hououmaru to track down how he survived.

"I knew I should have searched for your corpse after burning Genesis and Motoko's remains," Ragyo stopped on the other side of the desk and held her hand out in front of her body. As she watched the surprised and shocked expression on Batou's face as a Life Fiber Needle, glowing with the colors of the rainbow from the Life Fibers composing it, spun into existence in her hand, "La vie est drôle."

"So what are you going to do now?" Batou didn't look worried as he stared down death in the face. Swiveling the chair around and pointing to the open window behind him he said, "By the way, that's how I got in here. You really need to tighten up the security in this place. A stranger could just waltz right in and stumble across all kinds of secrets."

"Your suggestion has been noted, Mr. Batou," Ragyo knew Batou hated to be called that but since he was going to die very soon she decided to at least get a little enjoyment from annoying him. Gazing momentarily upon the Life Fiber Needle in her hand Ragyo mentally noted to give it to her precious Nui once she was done murdering Batou. She had been so busy preparing the COVERS that she forgot all about her precious Nui's birthday last month. Ragyo was confident that the Grand Couturier would love the new weapon to replace the one Isshin took from her. The loss of the purple Scissor Blade was indeed tragic but her former husband's blades were a pale copy of the true Life Fiber weapon in her hand.

"I thought I told you the name's just Batou. Mr. Batou makes me sound old as hell," Batou grunted as he stood up and popped a few joints back into place. As he rubbed a crick in his neck from sitting down for too long he stared into Ragyo's eyes and asked, "This is the part where you kill me, right?"

"How very astute of you, Mr. Batou," Ragyo ignored Batou's suggestion before laughing viciously at the annoyed expression on his face, "But it seems I've changed my mind. I'm far too interested in how you survived falling to your certain death to just kill you. I'm sure my precious Nui will be more than happy to take the information from your mind. She's always wanted to test her interrogation skills against the illustrious Mr. Batou. I'm sure a man experienced as you are in enhanced interrogation can appreciate the value of hands-on training."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Batou scowled before letting out a large sigh, "Well, since you're going to kill me can I just say one last thing?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Batou. I know you far too well to allow that," Ragyo knew better than to allow Batou to stall for time. As an original member of Xcution he was well versed in on the spot planning and long term strategies. She could not allow him to pull off anything like that.

"Oh, but you're going to love this," Batou grinned in a familiar manner as he pointed to the carbon fiber harness previously hidden under his jacket. Tossing a small sphere at Ragyo while kicking the chair away he shouted, "…now!"

Ragyo rushed forward through the flash grenade Batou threw at her and just barely missed skewering him with her Life Fiber Needle before he was pulled out the window by a helicopter bearing the Revocs emblem. Angrily watched as the helicopter and Batou flew away into the afternoon sky Ragyo was just about to go after them when Satsuki and Hououmaru appeared outside her office. Stabbing the Life Fiber Needle into the floor of her office Ragyo turned to Hououmaru and asked, "Who do we have on retainer today, Hououmaru?"

Rei looked at the PDA in her hands and frowned before answering, "We don't have anyone, ma'am. All pilots have no scheduled flight times today. Whoever that pilot is they are not one of ours."

"I believe I know the identity of the pilot," Satsuki stepped forward and briefly glanced at the Life Fiber Needle stuck in the floor. She had never seen her mother wield a weapon before but Satsuki could instinctively tell it was just like her Bakuzan if not better. Stoically closing her eyes and clearing her mind Satsuki said, "Her name is Elena and if I recall correctly she had shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes much like my own. From the inflection in her voice that she tried to hide it is clear she was a military woman at some point in the recent past."

As she processed the description of the woman the rest of Ragyo's anger evaporated into nothingness. Pulling the Life Fiber Needle out of the floor with barely an effort she walked across her office and chuckled softly, "It appears I am paying for the follies of my youth. Only someone of her caliber could have infiltrated the Revocs mainframe to such an extent without being caught. No one else could come up with such brilliant plans and strategies aside from me after all…"

Satsuki noticed the change in her mother's tone and asked, "I take it Elena was not her true name?"

"It is like I said – it is foolish to underestimate an Armstrong," Ragyo said as she strolled out of her office and pulled the door closed behind her. With all the rats coming out of the woodwork she needed to make a few calls.

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Kamui Tales #25 – The Job Interview

Nineteen Years Ago

Batou was completely bored out of his mind as he sat in the expansive lobby of Revocs. Leaning his head back against the leather chair as he flipped through one of the magazines that had pictures of things he could never afford he mumbled, "Why did I agree to come here?"

When Motoko told him she was working at Revocs in the security division known as Xcution Batou had been more than happy for her but in hindsight his celebration was a bit premature. It was only after he offered to visit that Motoko told him Olivier was also working at Revocs but by then it was too late to change his mind. Batou still remembered Olivier as the harsh and heavy-handed commander of his division during the South American skirmishes. He didn't want to go anywhere near that woman but he couldn't tell Motoko he had a change of heart. If he did Batou knew Motoko would tell Olivier and then Olivier would pay him a visit.

Olivier scared him six ways to Sunday and so Batou found himself sitting alone in the lobby of Revocs waiting for Motoko to come down. There had been a few more people about ten minutes ago but they had left in a hurry upon getting one look at him.

As he looked at his watch, wondering why Motoko was late, three masked gunmen burst through the front doors of the lobby and fired their weapons briefly into the air, "Everybody down on the ground now! Anyone that tries to move will be shot!"

Without even thinking about it Batou rolled out of his chair and ducked behind it. Reaching for the empty pistol hidden in the back of his belt Batou smirked in relief that Revocs security hadn't bothered to check the soles of his military boots for the hidden magazine. If there was one thing South America taught him it was that you never go anywhere without a weapon. Trekking through the damp rainforests with his friends and colleagues getting taken out by snipers left and right taught Batou that not carrying a weapon was the same as holding up a sign that said 'kill me now. I'm unarmed.'

"These guys aren't messing around," Batou peered out from behind his cover as one of the gunmen took the receptionist hostage. Quickly looking over the armor and weapons they were carrying Batou narrowed his eyes as he recalled the specific model of assault rifle being outright banned in most countries, "From their coordination these guys aren't some amateur thugs looking to kidnap a CEO for profit. They're either working for a government or sponsored by one and judging from their accents I'd say Russian or eastern European."

Snapping the magazine into the pistol with a soft click Batou noticed the bathroom straight ahead and came up with a crazy idea, "Damn. Here goes years of military training out of the window."

Leaping out from behind his cover and sprinting straight towards the bathroom Batou aimed at the gunmen and managed to get off several rounds before they could retaliate. Smirking as he watched one of the gunmen collapse as a bullet clipped their jugular Batou managed to reach the bathroom just before the remaining two recovered their senses and opened fire on him. Keeping his head low to the ground as the walls were destroyed by the rain of automatic fire Batou looked at his gun and grimaced, "Five rounds left, huh? I need to make them count."

When Batou heard the two remaining gunmen speak in what had to be Russian he quickly leapt to his feet and hid deeper in the bathroom. If he knew terrorists and hired gunmen as well as he did than either one of two things were about to happen. If they were really smart they would both come in after him to make sure the job was done. If they were stupid, and judging from the one pair of feet he could hear slowly approaching the bathroom, they would come in one at a time. Smirking as he hid behind the wall separating the entrance from the rest of the bathroom Batou waited until the gunmen stepped inside before aiming the pistol right at his forehead. Grinning as he saw the man's eyes widen in horror Batou pulled back on the trigger and said, "…hi!"

Batou watched stoically as the gunman's head snapped back and a spray of blood coated the wall behind him. It always seemed that close range kills were the messiest and Batou was just glad that this time the blood didn't get on his favorite coat. Pursing his lips as he counted four rounds left Batou was just about to see what the last gunman was doing when he heard a man scream loudly before it was cut off as a choking gasp. Carefully making his way towards the entrance of the bathroom he was surprised to see a rather tall woman with silver hair and a rainbow glow holding the dead gunman up in the air with a single hand. As he noticed her maroon eyes turn to him Batou put his pistol on the ground and raised his hands into the air, "Don't worry I'm not with these guys."

"I know," Ragyo Kiryuin allowed the dead gunman to fall to the ground before she turned to the shaken receptionist, "Why don't you take the rest of the week off? I think you've earned it."

Batou watched the woman give Ragyo a deep bow before turning his attention back to her, "I take it you're Ragyo Kiryuin? Sorry about the mess."

"As long as nobody died I don't care about property damage," Ragyo noticed her security forces finally arrive and sighed miserably. Why was she paying these men and women to keep Life Fibers from the rest of the world if they were always going to be a few minutes late? Rubbing the palm of her hand against her face she sighed once more before turning back to Batou, "You seem to have handled yourself quite well, Mr. …"

"Batou."

"…Mr. Batou," Ragyo finished.

Batou looked away in annoyance as Ragyo inadvertently called him by the one name he hated, "Actually it's just Batou. Mr. Batou just makes me sound old."

"Very well then, Batou," Ragyo gave Batou a pleasant smile as she held her hand out, "After seeing that performance I don't think we need to have the job interview, don't you agree?"

For a moment Batou had no idea what Ragyo was talking about but as he recalled the various men dressed in fancy suits being put off by his appearance. At the time Batou thought it was because he was a gruff military man while they were all pampered and rich assholes but now he realized they were nervous because they thought Batou's presence meant they had no chance at getting the job. As he was about to tell Ragyo he wasn't here for the job Batou realized this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Ever since leaving the military it had been difficult for him to find employment. This might be the only chance he had of permanent employment so with a smile he took Ragyo's hand a shook it, "That's fine by me. I was never good with the formal stuff anyway."

"Welcome to Revocs, Batou," Ragyo let her arm drop to her side before looking around, "While I would have been the one to show you around unfortunately I have to remain here and deal with this mess. I'll allow Olivier to give you the tour instead."

"Olivier?" Batou's blood ran cold, "Oh, you don't need to –"

"Mr. Batou!"

Batou subconsciously snapped to attention as the voice of his former commander echoed through the lobby. Stalking towards him with her hands behind her back and the symbols of Revocs and Xcution stitched on her jacket was Olivier Mira Armstrong. Casting her angry gaze over her former soldier Olivier snapped a salute to Ragyo before pointing down the hall, "You expect to work for Lady Ragyo while looking like you just stepped off the street? Move! Hopefully we can find you something less appalling to wear!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Batou saluted Olivier before following after her. God damn it…why hadn't he just said no to Ragyo when he had the chance?