A/N Here is Chapter 37 in all of its, hopeful, glory! This week's marks the last week that I have midterms/exams so next Tuesday will be the next chapter and I will be able to write slightly more. I do hate to do that since I have been posting more than one chapter per week for some time, but bear with me.
Chapter 37
"Now that that's over with, I need to tell Kisuke where I am and what exactly it is that I am doing here." Yoruichi said, though Ichigo gave her an odd look.
"Isn't Hat N' Clogs still in the Soul Society?" Ichigo asked, not entirely sure if this was the case.
"I think so… why, is that a problem?" Yoruichi questioned, believing that Ichigo could merely open up a garganta and take her to see the humble shopkeeper.
"Yes, it is. They figured out a way to shut off a garganta from within the Soul Society, exactly the same as Aizen is able to do from our end in Hueco Mundo, apparently." Ichigo replied.
"Hmmmmm… there is one person I think we can trust, but it involves a trip to the world of the living, if you're up for it?" Yoruichi challenged.
"When have I never been up for something that you've offered?" Ichigo retorted.
"Oh let me think, any of the times I've teased you." Yoruichi pointed out, prompting Ichigo to blush slightly since this was incredibly true.
"Wow Ichigo, good to see you haven't changed." Yoruichi joked, prompting Ichigo to sigh.
"Oh shut up." Ichigo said, though his blush made him seem harmless.
"So Ichigo, are you willing to have some fun or are you going to be a spoil sport and say it would make Aizen all pissed off at you?" Yoruichi prodded.
"I'm up for it, but you have to guarantee that we don't get seen by any Soul Reapers, and that both of us come back in one piece." Ichigo conditioned.
"Done." Yoruichi quickly replied.
Ichigo immediately flicked his wrist so as to summon the dark portal behind him, an action that caused Yoruichi's eyes to widen since she wasn't quite used to that.
"Ready?" Ichigo asked, prompting Yoruichi to smirk.
"That's my line." Yoruichi said before walking through the garganta.
Inside the Garganta
"So Yoruichi, who is it that we're going to see in Karakura Town?" Ichigo inquired as he and the former stealth force commander walked onwards within the dark abyss.
"We're going to see Tessai at Kisuke's shop. We can definitely trust him and as long as we don't do anything stupid, everything should work out fine." Yoruichi replied.
"Tessai seems nice… the first time we met though he kind of freaked me out." Ichigo thought aloud, recalling the memory of waking up in Urahara's shop after his fight with Renji, only to see the face of the former kido corps commander an inch from his own.
"There shouldn't be any problems on that end, its problems from Las Noches that I'm worried about." Yoruichi stated.
"Even if Aizen knew that we left, I don't think he would care as long as I came back and wasn't "discovered"." Ichigo replied.
"Plus, he's been in a pretty cheery mood since I came back from the Soul Society, probably has something to do with what he had me get from the vault." Ichigo mused, prompting Yoruichi to raise a brow.
"What vault?" Yoruichi questioned, having never heard of such a thing. It seemed as if this vault was something important to the Soul Society, especially if Aizen wanted something from it, and that bothered her considering that she was once a captain and still didn't know about it.
"It's some kind of area within the Central 46 chambers that stores important information or relics, or something like that. Aizen said it was especially important in regards to the royal family and the history of the Soul Society." Ichigo replied, however, he then realized something.
Yoruichi seemed not to know a damn thing about what he was talking about, and that confused him given that she used to be a captain. Therefore, he believed she should know about the existence of such a thing. And if she didn't, that meant that likely not all of the captains knew what it was.
"You didn't know it existed, did you?" Ichigo stated more than asked.
"No… I don't think Kisuke knew this either. We'll ask Tessai about it, maybe he even knows something about it." Yoruichi replied.
"He was the former commander of the Kido Corps, so maybe he was told something about it." Ichigo mused, recalling that Yoruichi had told him such a thing previously.
"What did Aizen have you get from the vault anyway?" Yoruichi inquired, believing that this was quite relevant to Aizen's latest scheme.
"He had me get two things. One of them was an old book, that's quite literally as best as I could describe it, and one was a box, the contents of which I don't really know considering I had other things to do that open the damn thing." Ichigo replied.
"One more question. If I didn't know about it, and if Kisuke didn't know about it, then how did Aizen even know that the vault existed in the first place?" Yoruichi asked, causing Ichigo to dawn a curious expression.
"That's a very good question… to tell you the truth I couldn't even begin to know. He didn't seem like he could give me any direction as to where the items he needed were, so I doubt he'd ever been inside. He could easily know where it was from when he was within Central 46 after his fake death… but that still doesn't make any sense given that he knew what the vault was for without going inside of it." Ichigo thought aloud.
"Let's just push that aside for now… I'd I think we're nearing the exit." Yoruichi stated.
World of the Living: Karakura Town Park
"You seem to know a good bit about navigating a garganta." Ichigo complimented considering that Yoruichi was quite new to this form of travel.
"Thanks, but when you've gotten the opportunity to navigate one on your own…" Yoruichi said, pausing a moment to give Ichigo a sideways glare.
"…then it isn't so hard." Yoruichi finished, causing Ichigo to release a sheepish laugh.
"Again, sorry about that." Ichigo apologized, for what he assumed was at least the third time on that particular matter.
"Well you should be." Yoruichi lightly chided, causing Ichigo to sigh.
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Ichigo questioned, realizing that he was likely to be guilted into something within the near future or many things in the foreseeable future.
"Not until you make it up to me, but don't worry, you'll get a chance or two while we're here." Yoruichi replied before winking suggestively at Ichigo, an action that caused him to blush.
"Y-yeah… let's go find Tessai first. After all, we do have an actual reason for being here." Ichigo replied, causing Yoruichi to pout.
"You're such a killjoy… fine, we can go to Kisuke's shop first." Yoruichi conceded, subsequently after which a mild sense of relief washed of Ichigo considering though he knew he had successfully prolonging the inevitable.
That sense of momentary relief, however, evaporated the second that Yoruichi began to stare at Ichigo, her eyes appearing rather playful and her characteristic smirk now present on her features.
'Now let's have some fun…' Yoruichi thought, a slight glint coming into her eyes.
"But if we're going to do business first, that doesn't mean we can't have a little bit of fun…" Yoruichi trailed off, walking over to Ichigo and swaying her hips in a very purposeful manner.
Ichigo blushed, himself obviously struggling to keep his eyes on Yoruichi's face before she came to a stop directly in front of him.
"Now Ichigo… one kiss before we go?" Yoruichi questioned in a voice that conveyed want, something even Ichigo could pick up on.
Her lips were now less than an inch from his own, and thus, he closed his eyes and brought his own lips forward in an attempt to fulfill Yoruichi's request.
"Race ya!" Yoruichi exclaimed before pushing Ichigo on the ground and having the subsequent effect of making Ichigo's eyes comically wide.
"What the hell?!" Ichigo shouted indignantly before seeing Yoruichi disappear via flash step. The Primera then got up and dusted himself off, a light scowl present on his face as per usual.
"Unbelievable, just unbeliv…" Ichigo began before stopping upon Yoruichi appearing directly in front of him, her face once again inches from his own.
"Almost forgot." Yoruichi said before giving Ichigo a quick peck on his lips. Ichigo blushed, but no sooner than Yoruichi had come back, she was gone once more.
"Guess if I didn't give her a head start, it wouldn't be fair." Ichigo thought aloud before disappearing in the buzz of sonido.
Las Noches: Outside Ichigo's Room
Halibel, Nel, and Risha walked up to the door that leads to the room of the Primera. Halibel appeared quite upset, her eyes fixed in an eternal glare, while Nel and Risha opted to keep their anger hidden behind their emotionless facial expressions.
Halibel, unsurprisingly, was the first to knock on Ichigo's door, opting to do so quite forcefully. When there was no answer, Nel decided to knock, sounding simply as if she wanted to speak to Ichigo about something as opposed to the aura of bloody murder that came from that of Halibel's.
"Ichigo." Nel called out before knocking on the door once more.
"No answer…" Risha trailed off after several moments of silence.
"Perhaps he simply isn't here." Nel mused, however Halibel appeared skeptical of this.
"Maybe he is off with that Yoruichi of his." Halibel spat, obviously having some form of distaste with the woman, and for a very obvious reason.
"I don't think that's the case, Tia. Ichigo is probably just talking to Aizen about something." Nel said in an attempt to calm her comrade and simultaneously convince herself that this was the case.
"You may be right…" Halibel conceded, seeing that there was no point in being angry over mere suspicion.
"Or, maybe he and Yoruichi are in the room and are up to something that would require not being disturbed." Gin mused, having walked up from around the corner of the hallway.
Halibel immediate raised her free right hand and outstretched the index finger of said hand towards the door.
Seeing this, Nel and Risha opted to act by restraining Halibel and pull her back as she struggled to get her hands free.
"Let go of me!" Halibel demanded, though Nel and Risha would have been fools to let her go considering they wanted Ichigo to be in one piece, at least until they got a crack at him.
"Relax you three. Ichigo Kurosaki and Yoruichi Shihoin are not in that room, no one is." Aizen stated, causing all three women to glare daggers at the teal-haired former captain.
"Honest mistake." Gin said, shrugging his shoulders innocently, though his grin made it very clear that what he had done was one purpose.
"Lord Aizen, do you know where he is?" Halibel questioned, her words a clear indication that her intent was less than friendly.
"Oh? Then it would appear he had not told you." Aizen mused, looking at Gin with an expression of mild amusement. The three women grew confused for a moment, the meaning of Aizen's words vague and cryptic.
Gin just gave Aizen an odd look, himself not knowing where Ichigo was, or even if he was in his room. However, it became clear that Aizen did, and that meant whatever was going to happen next would be interesting.
"Ichigo has left Las Noches for Karakura Town along with Yoruichi Shihoin." Aizen began, having the immediate effect of causing Halibel's eyebrow to twitch out of sheer annoyance.
'He didn't tell me where he was going… I remember him saying something about NOT doing that EVER again…' Nel thought, keeping her anger very, very, very well hidden.
'It's okay Nelliel, breath, breath, brea… ah to hell with it. Ichigo Kurosaki, if you don't have a damn good reason for leaving without telling me, you are a dead man.' Nel thought.
"And you just let them leave?" Gin asked confusedly, though the three women were very interested in Aizen's answer to that question given where and with whom Ichigo had gone.
"Of course. So long as he returns, I have no objections." Aizen stated as if his way of thinking were obvious.
"So you're sure he'll come back?" Gin asked in an unsure tone.
Aizen merely chuckled and glanced at the three women, each of whom was noticeably upset in some manner. Halibel had her fists balled and her eyes narrowed, Risha currently gripped her sword tight enough to break any normal beings arm, and Nel seemed as if actual fire was now burning in her eyes.
'Oh, so either he comes back or THEY bring him back.' Gin thought, unable to stop himself from chuckling.
"Would it meet your approval if one of us were to go to the world of the living to keep an eye on him?" Nel questioned, prompting Aizen to chuckle amusedly.
"If you are that worried, I will send someone to watch over him… Gin, would you be willing to…" Aizen said before being cut off.
"Can I bring someone?" Gin questioned, causing the three females to raise a brow at the thought of Gin bringing one of them along.
"I suppose so, but do not interfere with his activities. He has earned some leeway after his mission to the Soul Society." Aizen replied before walking off.
Gin immediately vanished via flash step, not even wanting to be confronted by the three women in regards to who he was bringing.
"What just happened?" Nel exclaimed, looking confusedly at Halibel and Risha.
"I think, and this is just a theory, that this… Gin person, somehow knows about our feelings towards Ichigo." Risha mused.
"Then why wouldn't he bring us?" Halibel questioned, though neither of the other two had the answer to that question.
After silence filled the air, one collective thought filled their minds, knowing at them incessantly.
'Who is he going to take with him?' Each of the women though simultaneously.
Las Noches: Unknown Location
"Ah, here we are." Gin thought aloud as he came to a stop in front of a very specific door.
Gin knocked on the door a few times before stopping so as to not be rude to the room's inhabitant.
A moment later, the door opened, revealing none other than a green-eyed, black-haired Espada to be clad in white and looking somewhat surprised to see that Gin was at his door.
"What is it that you want?" Ulquiorra questioned.
World of the Living: Karakura Town, Outside Urahara's Shop
'My, my… such a peaceful day.' Tessai thought before taking a big breath of fresh air, subsequently after which he returned to sweeping the area in front of the shop.
His peaceful day, however, was interrupted by two simultaneous, but very distinctive, sounds. One he recognized as the sound of flash step, and the other was a static buzz he didn't quite recognize.
He turned his vision behind himself, and saw two people he was immediately able to recognize. The first was Yoruichi, the sight of which confused him a great deal considering that she was supposed to be in the Soul Society. On top of that, she was also wearing a white version of a stealth force uniform.
When his sights turned to the second person, however, his eyes had nearly popped out of his head.
"Looks like we tied, Ichigo." Yoruichi mused, immediately turning to her side so as to face her former student.
"Maybe… but the way I see it, we tied after you had a head start, so 'technically' I won." Ichigo taunted, smirking as he saw Yoruichi momentarily frown.
Sadly, he hadn't realized it would take more than that to win a verbal bout with Yoruichi, and this was evident by her smirk returning in full force, and an all too familiar look becoming present in her eyes.
"Well maybe I slowed down a bit for you. After all, it isn't polite to emasculate someone more than once in a single day." Yoruichi countered, prompting Ichigo to scowl.
"So, a tie?" Ichigo questioned seriously.
"Tie." Yoruichi agreed happily, subsequently after which the two noticed Tessai pointing a shaky finger at Ichigo.
"Ahhh… ahhhhhhhh." Tessai exclaimed, seemingly unable to find any words to use in this circumstance. He had been the one to maintain Ichigo's body and check on the pulse, just in case. It had been quite some time, and he hadn't even felt a bump, let alone a pulse, which meant he should be dead or the signal was being blocked, which meant he would have been a prisoner if he was alive.
"ICHI…" Tessai shouted at the top of his lungs before being cut off.
Yoruichi used flash step as quickly as she could and slapped her hand over Tessai's mouth, thereby silencing him.
"Clam down Tessai, we're here for a reason. Now I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth, do NOT scream, okay?" Yoruichi questioned, receiving a stern nod from the usually stoic man.
"Hey Tessai, what were you screaming about?" Jinta questioned as he walked up from behind the corner of the shop.
Ichigo used sonido as fast as he was able to disappear from sight, though Yoruichi stayed put and instantly turned to see Jinta and Ururu walk into the immediate area.
"Hello Jinta, Ururu." Yoruichi greeted, smiling sweetly at the two children.
"Hello Miss Yoruichi, how are you doing today?" Ururu greeted politely.
"A better question would be what the hell are you wearing?" Jinta pointed out, prompting Tessai to look at Yoruichi strangely as well.
"Actually, that's why I'm back. I need to change my clothes. Sofion had me try out a new uniform style. White was never my color though." Yoruichi replied, using the style of her clothing to her advantage.
'Perhaps it would be best if they were not here for what she obviously wishes to say.' Tessai thought, realizing that Yoruichi clearly wasn't saying anything to the children about Ichigo being alive and here.
"Jinta, Ururu, I would ask that you go to the market on the other side of town and pick up several ingredients that I require at the moment. The list is on the table in the kitchen, and this is a very important assignment, so I would ask that you handle it with care." Tessai stated.
All Jinta heard was 'important assignment' and he was sold. Ururu, on the other hand, was more than willing to be of assistance.
"Let's go Ururu!" Jinta ordered in an upbeat tone before turning arouind and running into the shop.
"Coming!" Ururu exclaimed before running after Jinta.
"You're sending them grocery shopping, aren't you?" Yoruichi stated more than asked, smirking slyly after Tessai smiled back at her.
"Was it that obvious?" Tessai questioned amusedly.
"You were never very good at lying." Yoruichi pointed out.
"True, but I don't believe we have time to discuss such matters when it is clear you are here for a reason." Tessai replied, prompting Yoruichi's expression to grow somber.
Ichigo appeared next to Yoruichi a moment later, subsequently after which Tessai examined his face, just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.
"I sensed Jinta and Ururu leave from the back of the shop, so we should be good." Ichigo stated.
"Ichigo… good to see your alive and in good health." Tessai said, prompting Ichigo to smile slightly.
"Thanks, but can we get inside now, we need to talk and I'd rather not do it out here." Ichigo said, prompting Tessai to nod.
"Of course, now if you'll follow me." Tessai requested before turning and heading towards the shop.
"Good excuse by the way, Yoruichi. But I've got to say, you still look pretty good in white." Ichigo complimented, prompting Yoruichi to look at Ichigo with her characteristically playful expression.
"Kiss ass." Yoruichi teased, though she did enjoy it.
"Just because you're mad at me, doesn't make what I said any less true." Ichigo replied, prompting Yoruichi to smile.
"Thank you Ichigo, I wasn't sure if I was pulling it off." Yoruichi said before giving Ichigo a light kiss on his cheek.
Ichigo blushed slightly, still not used to such things, and rubbed the area Yoruichi had kissed with his hand. At this point, they had come to a stop by the door and Tessai had turned to face them once more.
"It would appear that you have much to tell me." Tessai mused, prompting Ichigo to laugh nervously and Yoruichi to look at Ichigo happily.
"Yes… we do." Yoruichi replied before walking into the shop, Ichigo and Tessai in toe.
Urahara's Shop: Common Area
Ichigo, Yoruichi, and Tessai opted to take seats at the table, Tessai sitting on one side, and the other two sitting opposite of him and directly next to each other.
"So I take it that your presence here is something that should come as a surprise to me, Lady Yoruichi." Tessai mused, though the former stealth force commander scowled at the mention of her title.
"You know you don't have to call me that anymore, it's been ages since you worked on my family's estate." Yoruichi replied, causing Ichigo to raise a brow, seeing somewhat of an oppertunity.
"Don't like the title… Lady Shihoin?" Ichigo mocked, prompting Yoruichi to glare at him, coupled with a scowl.
It was one thing to hear it from other but it was quite another thing entirely to hear such a thing come from the man she thought liked her for who she was as a person instead of as a noble or just another pretty face.
"From what I understand, neither do you… Lord Ichigo." Yoruichi mocked, regaining her smirk and playful demeanor and subsequently causing Ichigo to growl.
"How the hell do you even know about that?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.
"Risha was a wealth of knowledge. We talked for quite some time after you threw me into a garganta." Yoruichi replied, confusing Tessai greatly with her words.
Her reply, however, had the direct effect of worrying Ichigo considering that there were several things that Ichigo didn't want Yoruichi to find out, at least not from another person.
"Wait… what else did she tell you?" Ichigo asked wearily, prompting Yoruichi's eyes to narrow.
"Why do you ask? Did you do something I should know about, or rather, did you do something you don't want me to know about?" Yoruichi questioned dangerously, causing Ichigo to gulp.
"If it is of no consequence, I believe it best that you tell me your reasons for being here." Tessai stated, breaking up the argument before it even had a chance to begin.
As amusing as it would be to hear Ichigo hash it out with Yoruichi, the reason that the two were hear was far more pressing.
"Yes… I suppose your right." Yoruichi trailed off, still giving a sideways glare towards Ichigo before her vision shifted back to Tessai once more.
"Before we begin to explain why we're here, do you know about what happened in the Soul Society?" Ichigo questioned, prompting Tessai to nod.
"Yes, the boss sent back word that the Soul Society was attacked by the Espada, a select few, but still they were there. However, I had assumed that you, Yoruichi, were still present in the Soul Society." Tessai answered, prompting Yoruichi to rub the back of her head in a sheepish manner.
"As for you, Ichigo, I was under the impression that you were either being held prisoner in Las Noches or were currently deceased. What exactly happened to you?" Tessai questioned in a serious tone.
"It's a long story…" Ichigo trailed off, though Tessai didn't appear to be phased in the slightest.
"We have plenty of time." Tessai countered.
Ichigo then began to tell Tessai of what happened since he was asked to enter Hueco Mundo and travel to Las Noches. He told him of the Espada, that Aizen had somehow implanted a false perception or memory of some kind within Orihime to trick everyone into thinking he was dead.
Tessai, who had been quietly listening to Ichigo's story thus far, asked for Ichigo to stop upon hearing that Ichigo had become an arrancar.
"Then you…" Tessai began, prompting Ichigo to nod sadly before dawning his mask fragment so as to wordlessly illustrate the truth, or at least the half-truth.
Tessai frowned upon seeing the mask fragment. The hollowfication of Soul Reapers had been a touchy subject for him since his own lieutenant had become a victim, and once again, Aizen had been behind it.
Yoruichi's reaction was much the same as before, she frowned upon seeing the mask that now cut off his handsome face in place of a demonic appearance. The mask receded a second later, but the image of it was never something she was going to get used to.
"How did this happen?" Tessai inquired, a mixture of sympathy and curiosity evident in his tone.
"I don't know all of the details, but the way Aizen explained it was that he had used the Hogyoku to spark a conflict with my inner hollow, after that, I began to hollowfy outwardly until the point that I almost became a full hollow. After I beat back my inner hollow, Aizen used the Hogyoku to make my hollow powers more dominant than my Soul Reaper powers while keeping my humanity in control." Ichigo explained, his words catching Tessai's interest given that what Ichigo had told him conflicted with what he believed the Hogyoku to be capable of.
"Interesting…" Tessai trailed off.
"It didn't exactly work out the way he planned. For instance, I'm not a complete arrancar. I don't have a hollow hole, and I don't have to wear the mask, but I still have the powers of an arrancar and can no longer use the techniques I once used when I was a Substitute Soul Reaper." Ichigo continued.
'Then perhaps the connection loss to his earthly body can be fixed.' Tessai thought.
If Ichigo had become a full arrancar, then that would mean that his soul would have been transformed and therefore he would no longer be capable of being human to any degree. But if the case was that he wasn't completely an arrancar, then perhaps there was a way to return him to his body. However, Tessai opted to file that thought away for the time being and refocused on the conversation at hand.
"What happened after you became this… sort-of arrancar?" Tessai questioned.
Ichigo then went on to tell Tessai of how he lost his memory, his rank as an Espada, which did surprise Tessai, but he respectfully stayed quiet. Then he came to how his memories began to return, his trip to the world of the living, the visit to the beach, and finally the invasion of the Soul Society.
"So it was your plan to invade the Soul Society?" Tessai questioned with a raised brow.
"Yup." Ichigo simply replied, causing Tessai to deadpan.
"And your purpose in going there was to…" Tessai trailed off, wanting Ichigo to elaborate.
"She happens to be sitting right here." Yoruichi stated somewhat happily, prompting Tessai to raise a brow.
A moment later, the realization hit him and nearly caused his eyes to pop out of his head, however, this time we was able to keep himself from any verbal reaction.
"And that brings us to the first reason we came…" Ichigo trailed off, breaking Tessai out of his temporary shock.
"One of the reasons I brought Yoruichi back to Las Noches is because I intend to go against Aizen. Since I became an Espada, I can easily count four arrancar that will fight with me and a potential six more, each of which are extremely powerful compared to normal arrancar. Yoruichi being there makes it five I have already, so if I can get the other six, Aizen won't be able to hide behind his soldiers." Ichigo stated, though his words confused Tessai.
'How would Ichigo be able to get such strong arrancar to follow him?' Tessai wondered. He knew that the Espada were strong if they possessed the capability to invade the Soul Society and all escape without any losses, and that only went to show how strong Aizen was if he was the one who lead them. If Ichigo was even going to have a shot of gathering support, then that would mean he would have to be on Aizen's level or higher in terms of power.
That in mind, Ichigo's choice of words made it seem like he wanted to take the arrancar out of the equation, and that left just him and Aizen.
"Ichigo… do you really believe you can take down Aizen?" Tessai inquired, wanting to know if that was actually the case.
"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Yoruichi explained to me the powers of Aizen's zanpakuto, and I have an advantage in that I haven't seen him release his Shikai yet. So if his Shikai isn't going to work, that would make the fight about power, and I don't know how strong Aizen really is." Ichigo replied.
"Aizen is powerful, that much everyone knows, but how powerful has always been a mystery. In fact, no one in the entire Thirteen Court Guard Squads has sensed his full power." Yoruichi commented.
"The only experience I have had in fighting Sosuke Aizen was during the incident with the vizards. He retreated and I opted to use a powerful kido spell to injure him and prevent his leaving. However, he blocked my spell with an incantation-less Bakudo that shouldn't be known by any lieutenant. He is crafty and has hidden the full extent of his powers, and that should be cause for concern." Tessai thought aloud, recalling the incident that lead to his exile.
"Regardless, if I can get a few others on my side, then Aizen will have no choice but to face me himself." Ichigo stated with confidence.
It was true, if he could turn Starrk and Halibel as well as their fraccion, then the power of the top three Espada along with Nel, her fraccion, Risha, and Yoruichi should be more than enough to overwhelm the remainder of Aizen's forces. The only wild cards were Gin, Tosen, and Aizen himself, the power levels of who were mysteries at the moment.
"And you wish for me to relay this information to the boss?" Tessai questioned, eliciting a nod from both Ichigo and Yoruichi.
"Yes, but before we leave, there is one more thing we'd like to bring up. Before I left the Soul Society, Aizen had me to into Central 46 and find a vault, after which he had me take two objects. Yoruichi didn't know it existed, and she doesn't think Urahara knew either. So could you tell us if he knows or if you know?" Ichigo questioned.
Tessai rubbed his chin, giving off the impression that he gave serious thought on Ichigo's words.
"I… I cannot say I have ever heard of such a thing, and if the boss knows, he has never told me of it. What is the purpose of the vault?" Tessai asked so that he could get as much information as possible to relay to Urahara in case he didn't know about the vault.
"Aizen told me that the vault was supposed to be a place where important historical records, artifacts, and other things were kept. He also said that everything in there was also important to Central 46 in general, as well as the Royal Family." Ichigo explained.
Tessai's ears perked up at the mention of the Royal Family, seeing as how that was certainly going to be critical information to transfer given that Aizen intended to kill the Spirit King.
"I see… I will relay all of the information to Urahara, perhaps he will be able to make some sense of all this." Tessai thought aloud.
"Just make sure neither of you tells anyone else about this. If everyone in the Soul Society knows about me being alive, I have no doubt that Aizen will find out about all this." Ichigo stated, prompting Tessai to nod in agreement.
"If that's all…" Ichigo trailed off, looking at Yoruichi for a sign that they had done what they needed to do.
"You can go outside Ichigo… I just need to talk to Tessai for a second about what I want him to tell Kisuke." Yoruichi stated, prompting Ichigo to nod in understanding before walking out of the room and presumably the shop.
Once the Primera was gone, Tessai gave Yoruichi a stern look, not in a rude sense, but simply to illustrate that he believed the situation was extremely serious.
"Alright Tessai, I just wanted you to tell Kisuke that I want Soifon to know I'm still alive and that I want her to know what I'm doing. I don't want to make this like last time." Yoruichi stated in all seriousness.
"Of course, but are you sure she will stay quiet about this ordeal?" Tessai inquired, being unsure given that Soifon tended to have an overzealous personality when it came to Yoruichi.
"I trust her Tessai, and I know she will keep this a secret if she knows I want it that way." Yoruichi replied.
A moment of silence began to come into place, thought it was clear that something was meant to be said.
"Yes Tessai?" Yoruichi questioned, deciding that it would have been better if the former commander simply got to the point.
"Lady Yoruichi, do you truly believe what you are doing is the best course of action?" Tessai questioned in a voice as serious as one could possibly imagine, so serious, in fact, that Yoruichi hadn't even paid attention to the use of her title.
Yoruichi looked down at the ground for a brief moment before returning her vision to her old friend, her answer nearly reflected in this action.
"I… I know it isn't Tessai… Ichigo's place is here in the world of the living, not in Las Noches trying to ally himself with the arrancar in an attempt to overthrow Aizen. If I had my way, we wouldn't be doing this, but what Ichigo is trying to do will save lives and possibly end the war before it really starts." Yoruichi began, pausing a moment to gather her words.
"I have faith in him, Tessai… I know he will be strong enough, he has to be." Yoruichi continued, giving off a sad smile that gave away quite a bit to Tessai.
"Aizen has evaded the Soul Society for hundreds of years. His power is vast, and his intellect even more so. On top of that, his zanpakuto is possibly the most deadly weapon any Soul Reaper could ever wield in battle. So I ask you, do you really have such faith in Ichigo?" Tessai inquired.
Yoruichi closed her eyes and slowly got up, leaving the question unanswered for a moment before she stopped at the doorframe. She then turned around, giving Tessai a look that was a mix of bliss and seriousness.
"I do… and I have to have faith in him, I will always have faith in him… because… I love him." Yoruichi replied before walking out of the room, leaving Tessai alone with his thoughts in the wake of the information they had just transferred to him.
'Ichigo Kurosaki… I truly hope you succeed for if you don't and Yoruichi is left heartbroken with your corpse at her feet… not even the afterlife will be able to save you from those that will come after you.' Tessai thought, giving off a clear smile of joy before shaking his head of such thoughts and walking off.
Karakura Town: Outside Urahara's Shop
"What took you so long?" Ichigo asked tiredly.
"I missed it when you were being a suck up." Yoruichi pouted, causing Ichigo to sigh.
"Anyway, let's head back, I'm sure that Aizen…" Ichigo began before turning to face Yoruichi and catching a very clear instance of nonverbal communication.
Her hands were balled into fists and rested on her hips. Her eyes were narrowed, and she appeared annoyed by something.
"I-I mean I think we should stay and have some fun?" Ichigo asked more than said, prompting Yoruichi to nod, as if telling him that this is what he should say.
"Yes, that's what we should do, stay here and have fun!" Ichigo exclaimed, prompting Yoruichi's generally cheerful demeanor to return.
"What a great idea Ichigo." Yoruichi said in agreement, as if the idea hadn't been hers in the first place.
"Why don't we head to…" Ichigo began, though he stopped upon seeing Yoruichi place her hands on her hips and glare at him once more.
"…I mean, where would you like to go, Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked shakily, prompting Yoruichi to smile brightly and close her eyes to give off an innocent look.
"You're so sweet Ichigo, but why don't you pick." Yoruichi offered.
'Definitely not falling for that.' Ichigo thought, knowing full well where this would lead if he actually said anything other than what Yoruichi clearly wanted him to say.
"No, no, no, Yoruichi, I want to see what you feel like doing." Ichigo stated.
"But I insist." Yoruichi replied.
"But your so much more fun than I am… and pretty, and strong, and talented…" Ichigo trailed off in a joking manner.
"You know we could just stay here spare." Yoruichi threatened upon detecting the joking tone with which Ichigo had complimented her.
After their brief fight in the Soul Society, Ichigo knew for a fact he would never want to fight with Yoruichi one on one. Even if he was stronger and, now, perhaps faster, that didn't mean he would ever want to hurt her, and that would mean being a punching bag for most likely the hardest hitting woman on the face of the planet.
"Sorry… but seriously, what do you feel like doing?" Ichigo questioned, prompting Yoruichi to rub her jaw, as if deep in thought.
'Well, we can't go out into the city since I don't have a gigai and he doesn't have a body anymore…' Yoruichi thought.
A moment later she heard the bell ring from within the shop, a signal that someone had entered. She knew that had been Jinta and Ururu, and that gave her an idea.
"Be right back." Yoruichi stated before running back into the shop, effectively leaving Ichigo astronomically confused.
"HEY!" A male child's voice exclaimed from within the store. A moment later, Yoruichi appeared in front of Ichigo with what appeared to be a picnic basket, the sight of which caused Ichigo to deadpan.
"You're carrying the basket, let's go." Yoruichi ordered in a playful tone before vanishing via flash step.
'God, if women turn out to be half as bad as Kyoka Suigetsu when it comes to manipulation, I'm in for a world of trouble.' Ichigo thought dryly. He could swear that after that he heard a brief bout of laughter from within his head, but it hadn't lasted anywhere near enough time for him to have directly noticed it.
"YORUICHI!" Jinta exclaimed as he ran towards the door of the shop. Before he could exit, Ichigo vanished via sonido, missing the string of swears that were shouted and the subsequent bashing of Jinta over the head by Tessai for the use of such language.
Forests outside of Karakura Town
"What took you so long?" Yoruichi teased after Ichigo had appeared in the buzz of sonido.
"You kind of left me without telling me where we were going, so I had to sense your spiritual energy, but you were clearly hiding it, so it wasn't so easy." Ichigo replied, growling slightly as he finished his sentence.
"So you didn't know what I was doing and you're mad about that?" Yoruichi questioned sarcastically, causing Ichigo to sigh.
"You just don't let things go, do you?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.
"I told you berry boy." Yoruichi purred, walking up to Ichigo and giving him a seductive smirk.
"You're just going to have to make it up to me before I can drop it." Yoruichi cooed as she caressed Ichigo's cheek, effectively making him blush.
"But before we start on our little date, we need to find an area with more sun." Yoruichi stated before disappearing in the blur of flash step.
"Huh… never really been on a date before." Ichigo thought aloud before he followed suit.
Past the limits of Karakrua Town
Ichigo and Yoruichi came to a stop somewhere near the outskirts of Karakura Town, finding an area on a hillside that was exposed to the sun and gave a fantastic view of the city.
"Great day to be in the sun, don't you think?" Yoruichi asked, looking around with a hand above her eyes so as to shield herself from the bright light of the sun and get a better look at things.
"Beats the hell out of the fake sun in Las Noches." Ichigo replied dryly after he had laid out the blanket, though he had confused Yoruichi.
"Fake sun?" Yoruichi asked confusedly, causing Ichigo to give her a quizzical look as they both sat down.
"You were in my room, alone, for at least a few hours and you never looked outside the balcony?" Ichigo inquired.
"I had a lot on my mind, though we could talk about that, if you want to." Yoruichi threatened playfully.
She immediately regretted doing so, however, upon seeing Ichigo frown, not playfully, but genuinely.
"Hey, you know if I was that mad at you, I wouldn't have stayed." Yoruichi said in all honesty.
"Yoruichi, it hurts me that your mad at me… you really matter to me, and I can't stand the thought of your not forgiving me for something." Ichigo stated before closing his eyes.
'Dammit!' Yoruichi thought. She had meant to make him feel guilty, but she definitely didn't want to push him away with something like that.
"I'm sorry Ichigo… I won't bring it up again, okay?" Yoruichi said, her voice full of regret and empathy.
"I don't know Yoruichi, I didn't really appreciate your bringing it up every chance you got, plus, I don't know if you're telling the truth." Ichigo said, turning his back to Yoruichi and crossing his arms.
"Ichigo…" Yoruichi trailed off, sounding rather disappointed in herself more than anything. She looked at the ground, but was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of a slight chuckle coming from Ichigo.
"Got ya!" Ichigo exclaimed, turning around and pointing at Yoruichi with a joking expression on his face.
"Wh-wha?" Yoruichi uttered, her face becoming one of absolute disbelief.
"Oh-oh, wow, your face is, HAHAHA!" Ichigo started to cackle. Now he knew why Yoruichi did this so much, it was rather fun.
Yoruichi, on the other hand, was much less cheerful at the moment.
'He wants to mess with ME?! HE'S trying to mess with ME?!' Yoruichi thought out shock, her mental state making her unable to counter the absolute torrent of laughter that was coming off of Ichigo.
"Hahaha… hahahaha…" Ichigo laughed out, ceasing his uproar and wiping a tear away from one of his eye. Yoruichi crossed her arms and glared daggers and her presumed "boyfriend" to illustrate her irritation.
"Are you quite done?" Yoruichi questioned in a tone of severe warning.
Ichigo held up his hand so as to illustrate he needed another second to calm himself, but sadly, he couldn't take a hint.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Ichigo cackled once more, now rolling on his stomach and clenching his sides. At this, Yoruichi's eyebrow twitched and she blushed deep enough for Ichigo to see. Of all the people in any dimension she expected to be able to do that to her, Ichigo was not one of them.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ichigo laughed out, pointing at Yoruichi's face so as to show he saw the blush and found it rather hilarious, however, this only made Yoruichi more aggravated and caused her blush to deepen.
'You better hope you laugh yourself to death.' Yoruichi thought due to the fact that otherwise his death would be quite painful by her hands.
"Okay… okay." Ichigo breathed out, finally gathering his bearing and ceasing his laughter.
"I'm done now." Ichigo said, speaking clearly for the first time in several minutes. He, however, immediately noticed Yoruichi's expression and frowned.
"Crap." Ichigo muttered, subsequently after which Yoruichi raise a brow.
"Good, you're smart enough to tell when I'm angry at you." Yoruichi said sarcastically due to the fact that her expression hadn't changed since he started laughing.
"Oh come on, you've teased me every chance you've ever had since you showed your true form to me, at least let me get one in." Ichigo said, raising a good point.
Even if the timing wasn't appropriate, nor was the means, Yoruichi couldn't argue that Ichigo had just gotten a point against her. Perhaps that wasn't a dent in the overall "score" but she wasn't about to let it slide by.
"Ichigo, I thought you were being serious, you thick headed moron." Yoruichi said before getting up and walking over to the area of the hill where the slope was somewhat steep. She had her eyes closed and her hands crossed, as good an indication as any that she was being genuine.
"This would be the part where you apologize to your date." Yoruichi stated impatiently, prompting Ichigo to get up from his seat almost immediately.
"Look Yoruichi, I really am sorry, if I had known…" Ichigo said as he walked up to Yoruichi. He stopped midsentence after feeling Yoruichi grab his hand, immediately after which he saw her signature smirk and realized what was happening.
Ichigo began to fall into a path that would cause him to roll down the hill, but he had the reflexes and proper bearings to bring a certain someone with him.
Much to the goddess's surprise, Ichigo had grabbed her and pulled her down with him. The end result was for the two to roll down the hill of grass, sideways, each alternating positions of who was on top and who was on the bottom as they neared the bottom.
As then came to a rest, Yoruichi was on top of Ichigo, and both began to laugh at what had just happened.
When they had stopped, Ichigo looked up at Yoruichi, and instantly fell into some form of a trance. Her hairband no longer holding her flawless purple hair in a ponytail, and her beauty was only accentuated by the light of the sun causing her face to gleam.
Yoruichi smiled down at Ichigo, unable to even deny that she had missed him so greatly. At this very moment, she was happy, and nothing could possibly ruin that. However, that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it to a higher degree.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Ichigo questioned, causing Yoruichi to give him a surprised look, though she quickly shook it off.
"Only once, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again." Yoruichi replied playfully, still not taking her gaze off of Ichigo's eyes.
"You're so beautiful…" Ichigo muttered dreamily, causing Yoruichi to blush slightly at the compliment.
She saw a look in his eyes that conveyed pure honesty, but that wasn't what caused her to blush. What he had just said made her feel as if she was the only woman he would ever look at, and that was something that just made her heart flutter with joy.
"Ichigo…" Yoruichi said before she began to close the distance between their respective lips, though Ichigo, in his mesmerized state, did exactly the same.
Past the Limits of Karakura Town (Hillside)
Gin sat with a pair of binoculars, staring off at both Ichigo and Yoruichi as they set up their picnic.
"Why did you decide to bring me along again?" Ulquiorra questioned. He was never one to complain as it was the duty of trash to do so, but trash could easily have filled in for him on this meaningless assignment as he saw it.
In addition to that, he was bothered by the fact that Gin was using a device that allowed for the seeing of objects from a great distance when they were more than capable of seeing what was happening with shocking clarity.
"Because you're the only arrancar that is capable of transferring what he has seen with that eye thing of yours." Gin replied, causing Ulquiorra to shut his eyes in mild contempt due to the insult to his power.
"It is called Solita Vista, and I fail to see why that would be useful in this circumstance. I also fail to see why we are wearing these ridiculous outfits." Ulquiorra replied, referring to the cloaks that both he and Gin were currently wearing.
"We are wearing the cloaks so Ichigo doesn't sense our spiritual energy… as for why your Solita Vista is relevant, take a look." Gin said, taking the binoculars off and grinning more so than Ulquiorra had ever seen him.
Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly after seeing both Ichigo and Yoruichi tumble down the hillside. He could hear them laughing when they came to a stop, then his ears picked up on their following conversation.
However, he then realized something as the two began to kiss. Gin likely intended to show this to Halibel, Nelliel, and Risha, given that his Solita Vista would be incredibly thorough in communicating such information. That, however, caused him to become inwardly worried.
'This poses a dilemma for me.' Ulquiorra thought. He rather liked Ichigo given that his company was one of the few he didn't feel he needed to protest. If Ichigo were to be put in an early grave, he would lose someone he deemed not to be trash, and in Las Noches, somewhat intelligible beings who's purpose was not simply to kill were so difficult to come by.
On the other hand, he knew for a fact that if Gin told the three women he was capable of showing them such things, he would likely be put in an early grave if he refused. Therefore, all he could do was relay this information when they returned to Las Noches, and do his best to make it up to Ichigo as he ran for his life.
'That appears to be the best alternative.' Ulquiorra thought.
"So… you do know who I want you to show this to, right?" Gin questioned.
"I am well aware." Ulquiorra replied.
"Good, then that saves me the time and effort it would take to explain things to you." Gin chirped before walking off.
"Where are you going?" Ulquiorra questioned emotionlessly, though he was curious as to what had warranted Gin's action.
"We saw what I had hoped to see, so were done, let's go." Gin stated before disappearing via flash step.
Ulquiorra took a moment, looked back at Ichigo, and then used sonido to follow Gin, knowing full well that Ichigo would be able to sense or even see a garganta being opened at this close a range.
With Ichigo and Yoruichi
They both pulled back from the kiss, simply staring into one another's eyes. Yoruichi was feeling absolutely fantastic and Ichigo was much the same.
"You know, I could get used to hearing that if we're going to be together." Yoruichi thought aloud. However, she had then realized something. She hadn't explicitly said they were together up until this point.
'Is there an us?' Yoruichi wondered. She then went over what she believed to be true. She could tell Ichigo was attracted to her, that she was attracted to him, and that they very much so enjoyed one another's company.
And if the extent to which he went to get her from the Soul Society was any indication, he likely cared a good bit for her.
'I'll bring that up later, no sense in ruining a perfect day if he's not on that level just yet.' Yoruichi thought, content with leaving that question verbally unanswered for the time being.
"Ichigo?" Yoruichi called out, noticing that said Espada hadn't even responded to her previous inquiry. He was still staring at her, directly in her eyes, with an affectionate look, something that made her heart flutter.
However, the look he was giving her, and the target of his eyes told her something. He wasn't staring at her face, not her chest, and he wasn't trying to be a pervert. If Ichigo liked her, it was because of who she was as a person, not for her body.
"Ichigo?" Yoruichi repeated, finally causing Ichigo to break out of his seeming trance.
"Hm?" Ichigo uttered, blinking his eyes a few times after staring into Yoruichi's for so long.
"You know, it's rude to stare at someone and then ignore them when they speak to you." Yoruichi teased, causing Ichigo to blush. He hadn't stared at her body, but staring at her and not responding was just the same in his mind.
"Sorry." Ichigo sheepishly replied, shifting his head to the side so as to avoid Yoruichi's gaze.
At this, the goddess of the flash frowned. She did, however, quickly caress his cheek and guide his vision to her once more.
"Now why would you be sorry? Do you regret thinking of me as beautiful?" Yoruichi lightly pouted.
"Of course not!" Ichigo quickly replied, denying such a notion.
"Good…" Yoruichi trailed off before giving Ichigo a quick peck on the cheek.
"We should go eat the food before it spoils." Yoruichi mused, recalling that she several of the items she had 'stolen' from Jinta had been foods that needed refrigeration.
"Then why are you still on top of me?" Ichigo questioned cockily. However, his confidence turned to worry the second he saw that smirk of hers.
'Something about that look she gives me just makes any hope of teasing her vanish.' Ichigo thought. After this, he could have sworn he heard someone comparing him to a female's sexual organ, and that inwardly confused him. However, once again his mind was elsewhere, and he hadn't quite heard the voice.
'Maybe I'm just going insane.' Ichigo thought dryly.
"Now Ichigo, why would I go and do that?" Yoruichi asked rhetorically.
A second later, Ichigo found himself lying on the blanket he had set up atop the hill. He and Yoruichi were still in the same position, and she was smirking cockily as she saw Ichigo's expression change to one of absolute shock.
"Impressive, no?" Yoruichi knowingly asked, breaking Ichigo out of his daze.
"Yeah… how did you even do that?" Ichigo inquired, genuinely curious considering that he didn't think doing that with flash step was possible.
"You didn't think my title was just for show, did you?" Yoruichi countered, raising a good point.
"I thought you said you hated titles?" Ichigo teased, prompting Yoruichi to raise a brow.
"If you actually like them, I guess I should just call you Lady Yoruichi." Ichigo mused, though his words had the instantaneous effect of making Yoruichi glare daggers at him while simultaneously frowning.
"Don't get too cocky… Lord Ichigo." Yoruichi taunted, prompting Ichigo to growl.
It was difficult to say who disliked being called by a title more, but one thing was certain, neither liked it at all.
"Truce?" Yoruichi asked, regaining her smirk but causing Ichigo to scowl.
"Truce…" Ichigo said tiredly, not quite happy with losing the only thing he knew he could tease Yoruichi with.
"Now… can you get off me?" Ichigo questioned.
"I don't know… I kind of like this. Tell me, how good of a placemat do you think you'd make?" Yoruichi asked jokingly, causing Ichigo to sigh.
A/N There we go, and remember next chapter will be posted on next Tuesday, till then!
Explanations:
Ichigo's Appearance: Someone asked this in a review so here goes. He looks exactly the same as before but he now wears an arracnar uniform similar in appearance to Starrk's and his mask fragments appearance has already been described. As of his trip to the world of the living with Starrk, he has stopped wearing the mask fragment. The reason he isn't doing it now is because he thinks it isn't really a good idea to remind Yoruichi of what he is, at least until she stops thinking of different ways to kill Aizen. He doesn't like it that much, and I have stated this before, so that is also another reason he doesn't really wear it.
Gin: Yup, he will continue to do stuff like this because he is Gin.
Ulquiorra: He might end up helping Ichigo out when the time comes, but he does feel, sort of, bad about doing this.
Reviews:
Lightningblade49: No he didn't and I really didn't want him to show off that bad boy just yet.
Darkmachines: Thanks for complimenting the chapters, also Aizen didn't have Ichigo take the King's Seal, and I won't tell you exactly what Ichigo was ordered to take for a bit of time.
Mexican ninja1996: He very well may die of a beating from the four women,
Anon: I settled for an escape, couldn't have a big ass conflict erupt too soon, now could I?
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: I don't think of myself as cruel… okay, maybe a little bit ;), and Yoruichi may very well kill him.
Kiwifan7: Glad to hear I am good at something and that you liked it! Also, that hole only gets deeper…
sami217: Thanks, also yeah the over 300,000 words thing is alright, I could do more, apparently ;P
Akuma-Heika: Yeah, I would agree with that but if the organ is completely blown away or mostly destroyed then I don't think he can regenerate it. Kensei's Bankai is his normal Bankai, I've never really seen it brought to life… ever, so I did my best to describe it in some manner. Bottom of the list is the most insignificant, and it is true because he has done a few things that were worse than pushing her into the Garganta, like the beach thing and also leaving without saying anything. The king's key thing, don't really know all that much about it so I can't say your wrong, can't say your right, but some of that makes sense. Also, I will!
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: Thanks, I figured as much considering that massive amounts of bloodshed to infuse the key into someone seemed like a bit of an extreme.
Very Heavy Overweight Metal: Thanks, saving the bloodshed for later in the story though, this was kind of a pre-war fight and I didn't want to have anyone too grievously injured. Also thanks, I didn't really know how my fight scenes stacked up to others, but people seem to think I do a good job so I hope I can continue to do so.
FinalDemon: …, also…
Hollow King 13: That is very true, but they don't really meet each other until the next chapter, or rather the end of it.
hornet07: Yamamoto didn't go to the vault himself because I just wrote it that way. Even if he had gone directly to the vault, he would have known that the arrancar was fast enough to leave before he got there.
friaku: Glad to hear I am making this better, and you will, indeed, see more in the future!
The Night Hunter: Doomed is putting it a bit harshly, but he makes it up to Ichigo in the future.
Guest(1): Indeed it does, he may not be… or is he? He isn't going to find a family heirloom, and yeah that's true, but Starrk can also fire a blue cero form his chest, that also reminds me of iron man.
Xager-the-Chaos-King: Ichigo has the loyalty of Risha, Nel, and Nel's fraccion at the moment, on top of Yoruichi. The people he has in the maybe category will be revealed next chapter so there really isn't a point in me saying this now.
Darkaggie: Won't tell, but I figure it will get kind of obvious.
QuasWexQuas: Thanks!
Namz89: Thanks!
Exile writer: Thanks and I will!
Digitize27: Yup, and it will continue to be interesting.
Kuroi Rin: Thanks for the compliments, I try to make the fights good, you should feel sorry for Ichigo,
Ryden Purrson: Glad to hear you liked it!
EyeHertoOC's: Thanks, and I try.
flevantein: Keep in mind that Love and Rose got absolutely owned by Starrk when he was at full power, and that's just a singular Espada. Halibel gained an increase in power by a somewhat-significant amount, and Nel on top of her is a good fighting team. They did appear slightly weaker than they normally do, but again, I am saving their strengths for the future. Also it wasn't the full brunt, they were stalling, nothing more, nothing less. After all, why defeat them when you can just trap them? The level of Ichigo's full power is comparable if not slightly greater than that of Aizen's at the moment. Ichigo's greatest aspect is his speed and strength as well as his massive spiritual pressure. In terms of fighting, however, someone like Yamamoto could probably beat him at the moment because he is capable of matching, or surpassing, that amount of power. Hope this helps explain my thinking.
Habringer of script: Thanks!
dark scythe666: Thanks for the compliments, also Ichigo only seems slightly overpowerd because his powers don't scale very well at the moment. His release state only grants him more raw power. His regenerative abilities and speed are constant, and that is why he seems very strong. I think I explained this in the past but not very well, but Ichigo, as a hybrid, doesn't store away his powers like the other arrancar. That is the same reason why Starrk and Halibel are stronger in their unreleased states as well. Also he will react more with the other Espada.
OoOXyilionOoO: lol
Fire0770: Pretty much, but Orihime wont if I add that in the sequel… or maybe she will, just can't picture her being angry at Ichigo… ever…
Kyriptic Paradox: Thanks!
gtrain20: Eventually share.
Guest(2): Can't say on the recruiting thing, but I can say that not all of the Espada die in this story, nor do all the fraccion. Also there will likely be some HitsuKarin in the sequel, if only for comedic value.