Wow, I have no idea why I never uploaded this chapter, it has been finished and waiting to be uploaded for over a month now, but I had just completely forgotten about it

Anyhow, sorry for slow updates again, life has kicked in and i've carted myself back to uni for another gruelling episode of coursework, exams and the hated tutors who are quite useless for teaching, despite it being what they are paid for.

Anyhow, enjoy the chapter!

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

EVA-Saiyajin sent me a PM about certain plot points that he wanted explained better, since he asked nicely I responded to him XP, however, he also made me realise that perhaps more people may be stuck on this plot point. As such, I have decided to add a surprise into an upcoming chapter, somebody will be appearing in the storyline in order to better clarify the plot points EVA-Saiyajin pointed out so all readers can know. While this sounds daft, I am going to be having fun writing it, so if anybody else has some questions to ask that is relevent to the storyline, then please let me know! If I get any more questions, I am going to try and write the explanations into the story by our guest charecter explaining them, the guest wont make an appearence for 2, maybe 3 chapters, so you have plenty of time to think on the questions, so please ask away!

Yoshirou could only sense a horrible amount of aching from his body, and could only wonder was he even still alive. All he could remember was that last glimpse of Inoue and the Arrancar Ulquiorra as he broke the barrier between the dimensions with all his strength. He knew even as he started to lose consciousness, his mind blanking out as it surrendered to the pain that coursed through his veins, that he had made a horrible mistake. Just like Taiyou had said, his body wasn't capable of using its full strength in his condition; he had pushed his boundaries too far, in one day alone, he had faced what could easily have been the greatest soldier Aizen had managed to create for his army and lived to tell the tale.

The battle that he had been forced to go through, he knew that very few others would have survived, he already knew had it not been for whatever nuances had controlled his enemies actions, he probably would have died alone in that trap. Even having survived that, he had been foolhardy enough to rush straight into a confrontation with possibly an even greater foe, and once again had forced every ounce of his strength to it's limit just to escape from the dimension he had been trapped in, and all for naught, there was nothing he could do except fall down and die by the sword of his enemy.

Even as his eyes closed, he had one last look at the Arrancar, and even through the fog of pain that clouded his thoughts, he saw something strange in his foe's reaction. The Arrancar's eyes had widened in surprise at the sight of his foe, at the enormous amount of reiatsu Yoshirou could no longer control blasting away from his body, his mouth phrasing words in shock which Yoshirou couldn't hear through his pain fogged mind. Yoshirou's last feelings as the ground rushed up to greet him was only regret. Just like Taiyou had told him, he was unable to do anything to stop his enemy, the Arrancar was going to take Inoue, and he was going to die, his foolhardy choices finally coming around to get him.

I really must be a glutton for punishment or something, every time Aizen makes a move, I run headfirst into doing exactly what he wants me to do Yoshirou mused melancholically, before realising something that really should have been clear a long time ago.

I'm alive...

Glad you managed to figure that out by yourself

Yoshirou could feel his lips twist into a smile as he understood his zanpakutou's sarcastic reply. While it really was obvious that he lived, he felt glad that he could just openly acknowledge it, even if the thought was stupid.

Sorry, but when I started to lose consciousness, I thought that was it, I was going to die, just being able to know I am alive is amazing to me.

Your not making much sense to me, are you sure your alright?

Yoshirou could hear a noise now, a strange noise that pierced through his still jumbled thoughts, it took him more than a few seconds to realise it was his own chuckling at his Zanpakuto's words.

How come I'm still alive? I fell unconscious in front of an Arrancar, why didn't he kill me?

I don't know, but be grateful that he did, that's the closest you have come to dying in a long time, even without him killing you, your internal systems have taken a beating from your antics yesterday, you can't just use your Bankai whenever you feel like it, you've become to comfortable with your abilities and have forgotten the risk of passing your body's limits!

Ignoring his Zanpakutou's admonitions, Yoshirou tried to open his eyes, but the light felt harsh, burning his senses and making it impossible to see until they adjusted. Looking about him, he realised he was inside a building, a traditional japanese style room, with rays of light filtering between the blinds. Yoshirou's thoughts remained confused, trying to figure out where he was. Once again, his last memory flashed before his eyes.

"Inoue!"-Yoshirou gasped out, his throat feeling raw as he said the words, his body instinctively trying to rise. However, his mind was hit full force by agony, as if his brain had been smashed with a hammer. Hissing with pain, Yoshirou's body dropped back to the floor softly, has brain barely registering he had been lying in a futon, the contact of the sheets with his skin also revealing that his Shihakshou was also missing.

Stop moving! I already told you internally all of your body is a mess; it's a miracle you didn't completely burn through your reiatsu pathways! You're in no condition to be moving right now!

What happened to her? If I'm alive, did somebody arrive and stop the Arrancar? Yoshirou already knew the answer, even though he was desperately hoping it was otherwise.

(10 hours ago)

Everything was silent. At least, that was how it felt to those who looked upon the prone body of the Shinigami. The water still flowed, the air still blew slightly, the tree's still rustled along the river bank. But for those who had the ability to sense spiritual presences, that noise was too quiet to be even noticed as they recovered from the shock of having so much reiatsu crushing upon them. Inoue had, by fortune, been knocked far enough away from the portal due to the initial gusts of wind that she had not been crushed under the pressure of the shinigami's reiatsu-gone-wild. In comparison, Ulquiorra's legs were surprisingly unsteady as he straightened his lean frame, no longer forced down by reiatsu pressure.

For a moment, there was silence as Ulquiorra went over in his head what he had just witnessed, vital information that he may have to relay to his superiors later. Before him, the gap in between dimensions slowly sealed itself as the dominant reality of the Human Realm closed off the artificial reality created by the Caga Negacion. Soon enough, all that remained of the Shinigami's effort to return to this dimension was a thin line of light as the portal sealed itself, quickly reduced to nothing as the dominant dimension closed it off.

To think, with nothing but pure, brutal force, he was able to tear apart the walls between dimensions in that small fraction of time between being sealed to now, I would have thought it impossible before now… Ulquiorra thought as he continued to look down at the shinigami's body, now oddly frail looking in comparison to the sheer aura of might he had been radiating earlier. Is this the true power of the Shinigami Bankai? The only other Bankai I have seen was nothing compared to this transformation… Ulquiorra wondered as he started forward, walking to beside the prone body. Nearby, he could hear the woman struggle to pick herself up, but right now, his mind was solely on the entity before him.

It took him only a few seconds to cross the distance to the body. Now standing beside the shinigami, he took a second to glance down at the sealed sword that had landed nearby. Even with the unconsciousness of its master, the blade still glowed with an inner light. Even as he watched, he thought he could see a change, the light now burning furiously below the metal exterior as if in reaction to him watching it. Curious as to this change, he kneeled down, moving his hand as to pick up the katana. However, even as his fingertips brushed against the pommel of the katana, he felt his reiatsu repulsed, his finger burning in proximity to the blade as if the blade sought to destroy what it felt threatened its master, its inner light burning even more furiously.

So, zanpakuto for shinigami are not merely a way to hide their full powers Ulquiorra reasoned as he pulled his hand away, turning his wrist to look at the burnt tips. Once again, he couldn't regenerate the damage from the burns. Ignoring this fact, his attention turned once more to the shinigami he knelt beside. With a deft motion, he quickly flipped the shinigami over so that he lay on his back, his face now removed from the dirt.

The eyes were closed tightly on the shinigami's face, his features twisted slightly into a grimace. Combined with the rapid, short breaths the man was taking, Ulquiorra quickly summarised that the shinigami was in vast amounts of pain, so badly that even unconscious; his body was reacting to whatever damage he had taken. However, even though he could clearly see through all of the holes and slashes in the shinigami's clothing that he was covered in bandages, Ulquiorra doubted it was external injury that had caused the shinigami to pass out.

So, internal injury must have caused him to pass out, perhaps from the stress of utilising his Bankai Ulquiorra summarised as he straightened his legs, looking down at the prone body from a standing position. Looking down at the body, Ulquiorra quickly reached his decision. With a loud rasping noise, his blade cleared its sheath. Slowly, the blade was angled downwards, until it pointed over where he knew the Shinigami's heart would be.

This man is too dangerous to let live Ulquiorra decided as his blade hovered over the shinigami's heart. It was an easy decision, in Ulquiorra's mind, this man was more powerful than Aizen had predicted, he was too powerful, such a chance to eliminate him would not come so easily again. His order's had been to bring the woman back without leaving any sign that he had been there, so he would have to bring the body back with him, but he knew this opportunity would not come again. Without a hint of hesitation, the blade descended.

Only to halt in middair, barely an inch from the shinigami's bare chest stopped by an orange force field. Ulquiorra had seen this light before, so he wasn't surprised by the sight. Without even turning his head from looking down at his enemy, his eye's turned right, looking in the direction he had heard the woman moving from.

Sure enough, Inoue was standing there, her hands extended towards the two non-humans, breathing heavily from exertion. Even as he watched her, he heard the shield crack and disintegrate beneath the tip of his blade. However, he stopped the downward force from his arm, the blade continuing to hover over Yoshirou's heart, an inch from stealing his life. Keeping his cold gaze upon her, Ulquiorra asked-"What are you doing?"

Inoue seemed to freeze for a moment, fear showing in her eyes from remembering the way he had almost casually blasted a shinigami's arm off with a simple gesture when his only sign of resistance had been trying to guard her from the powerful Arrancar. However, somehow swallowing her fear of the Arrancar, she quietly said, almost pleadingly-"You said you wouldn't hurt anyone if I came willingly, so please…don't hurt him any more…" Ulquiorra didn't move, his facial expressions were still, his eyes coldly watching the woman before him.

His orders were to bring the woman back quietly and without confrontation, but that was already compromised since the shinigami had engaged him regardless, it had taken a great deal of effort to battle without letting a single stray amount of his reiatsu loose on the environment, the only sign of his presence if he left now the small spray of blood that covered the grass, lost from his body when the opponents zanpakuto had sliced through his palm, rapidly dissipating as the spiritual particles that composed it dissolved into the atmosphere. However, if he left the shinigami alive, then it would contradict his orders to leave no sign of his mission within the real world.

On the other hand, if he were to kill the shinigami, then undoubtedly he would be unable to bring the woman back with him without force. While this would be the more convenient method, seeing as how the woman had already left the evidence required behind, it would create problems later on, since he had no idea what his master's plan was. Perhaps it was necessary that she become a willing cohort for Aizen, if so creating animosity by killing the shinigami would ruin such a plan. Also, by showing that he was directly abiding to the terms of their agreement, it would ensure that she would come willingly.

But, above all else, he saw it unwise to leave such a potential risk to his master unchecked. There was no doubt in his mind that this man was a threat to Aizen's plans, perhaps the worst threat that currently existed to the plan. This trash, this shinigami, was infinitely more powerful than any estimate he had made before now, perhaps even more powerful than he himself was even if he used all of his power against him. If he eliminated him now, then he would be helping his master's eventual success.

But at the same time, Aizen had always made plans for this one individual, never once asking that he be terminated, or giving permission for the Shinigami to be terminated. There was no doubt that Aizen had something planned about this shinigami, but what Ulquiorra couldn't fathom.

All of this went through his thoughts during the few seconds that his emerald eyes impassionedly regarded the woman before him, shivering slightly in either nervousness or apprehension at him regarding her. Still below him, he could almost hear the heartbeat that pulsed beneath the point of his blade. It would take but an instant to drop the blade down, to end the life that burned beneath its sharp point.

With one fluent movement, Ulquiorra made his decision, Inoue gasping in surprise at his movement. His arm moved fluently, drawing the blade upwards and away from the vulnerable body below him. Even as his other hand lightly held his swords sheath, pointing the tip of the blade to the scabbard, he wondered once more would it be better to kill the shinigami. But he had his orders, escort the woman willingly to Hueco Mundo. Even if he was leaving a hole in the plan here, his mind reasoned that he had done enough to keep Soul Society believing that the woman had betrayed them. Even if the trash testified otherwise, there was no evidence left that showed he had forcibly taken the woman with him.

With a metallic ring, the blade was slid back to its scabbard. The decision was made, the shinigami would live. He saw the woman nearly collapse as he watched, the nervous tension that had been holding her up released with the click as the guard on his sword met with the scabbard opening, signifying the end of the motion for sheathing his sword, almost as if the noise also signified the cutting of the strings that held her in place. Without a single word, Ulquiorra stepped over the body of the prone shinigami, before walking towards the portal once more, no word spared to remind the woman that, with his letting the shinigami live, she must fulfil her side of the bargain.

Before he stepped into the portal, he paused for a moment. On a hunch, he closed his eyes, focusing inwards as he activated his Pesquisa, expanding his awareness outwards as he searched for nearby reiatsu sources of particular strength. As always, there was a high concentration present from trash within the real world, but he was only seeking out a few presences. As he did this, Inoue moved to join him, silent and cowed now, only sparing a small glance to assure her that Yoshirou was still alive. Although he couldn't sense her presence from nearby, Ulquiorra noted that he could sense a strong field of leftover reiatsu all about him, remnants of that incredible force he had seen from the shinigami's incredible Bankai power.

What was of more interest was the movements of two reiatsu sources he could sense nearby. Two very powerful signatures were crossing the city at very high speeds, and there was no mistaking their destination. Opening his eyes, he glanced in the general direction he felt the powerful reiatsu from. He quickly gauged the distance to the sources, and summarised that there was maybe two minutes before the two entities came into visual range of his location. Offhand, he noted the two reiatsu were recognisable, once again powerful warriors who had interfered with his mission before.

So, it seems the device failed to contain the immense reiatsu from the Shinigami, and that has alerted the forces within the human realm to our presence Ulquiorra summarised to himself. No, more correctly, they know something has happened to the Shinigami, for it's only his reiatsu that has escaped the neutralisation field. However, this information was superfluous anyway, Ulquiorra already knew the device was a failure, after all, the Shinigami had managed to track the woman to the riverside. Once again, he reasoned the easiest way to sort this would be to erase the individual capable of eluding the device's disguising properties.

However, now that there were two very powerful shinigami en route, there was no longer enough time to do so and escape with the target unnoticed. Turning his head back to the Garganta, he curtly said-"Let's go, woman."

(Back to Present)

The chances that anybody within the real world could have stopped that Arrancar from doing what it wanted was minimal, he had not sensed any presences even aware of what had transpired by the river, after all, nobody could sense reiatsu as accurately as he could, and that disturbance that was created at the site no doubt masked his own presence once he walked into it's realm of effect. Even if his reiatsu total in Bankai was enough to become noticeable within the disturbance field, it would have taken too long for any relief force to arrive and provide any type of assistance.

I can't be sure, I couldn't sense their presence with my abilities alone, with you unconscious, I could tell very little of what happened outside of your body. The only thing I noticed was that the Arrancar came close after you fell unconscious.

Gritting his teeth, Yoshirou tried to ignore the pain coursing through his body as he threw his senses outwards, trying to detect the presence of the girl. After a few seconds, the answer was obvious; Inoue was no longer within the Human Realm. Yoshirou could only curse in anger; he had failed to stop her.

I've got to find out what happened after I fell unconscious Yoshirou thought as he once again made to get up. He hissed in pain again as the shock returned, his whole body felt like it was burning under his skin, even the pain from the wound where the Espada Stark had impaled him was tiny compared to this burning fury. It took all of his concentration not to let his mind take the invitation back into the darkness. However, no sooner than he had risen to his elbows, the first step towards getting up, than a partition door slammed open, a massive shadow covering Yoshirou. Without even looking up, Yoshirou's questions regarding what had transpired after he fell unconscious and where he actually was were answered slightly.

A shadow that massive could only possibly belong to Tessai, a loud exclamation of annoyance as he strode across the room confirming that fact. Quicker than he could react, Tessai grabbed Yoshirou's shoulder and nearly slammed the injured shinigami back onto the futon he had been struggling to get up from. "Tessai!"-Yoshirou literally barked in annoyance and anger, his temper flaring as he struggled to break free from the ex-Shinigami's grip, his respect for his former Captain forgotten in his attempt to escape from him. Even in his normal condition it would have been a challenge, since Tessai's muscles weren't just for show, however in his condition it was as futile as a mouse trying to escape from a cat's claws.

"Calm yourself, Yoshirou-kun!"-Tessai rumbled, his face masking the surprise at the injured shinigami's emotional outburst and the surprise at how weak the Captains efforts were, struggling in vain to escape from his grip. "Let go, Tessai! I have to get out of here!"-Yoshirou shouted his face contorting slightly as he struggled with the pain that threatened to swallow him, awoken anew from his struggle to break free of his oppressor. "Tenshou!"-Tessai called over his shoulder, his free hand easily batting away Yoshirou's arm that struggled to push the giant away. "Oh? He's awake already?"-a recognisable voice called from another room with a surprised, if only slightly, tone.

Realising he wasn't about to escape from Tessai in his state, Yoshirou ceased his struggling, gritting his teeth in frustration as he relaxed. A few seconds passed, Tessai seemingly not taking any chances as he continued to gently apply enough force to restrain Yoshirou's movement, and the owner of the property walked in, accompanied by the cat of the store, once again wearing her orange jumpsuit as she had assumed the form of the former 2nd Division Captain. "Should have guessed it would have been you, Urahara."-Yoshirou noted, more sharply than he had intended, the pain once again causing him to reply angrily. In reply, Urahara's fan snapped shut, his mysterious smile ever present on his face as he replied-"And I should have guessed it would have been you we discover at the centre of whatever scuffle broke out beside the river, who else would it possibly be but you, once again in over your head?"

"Don't mess with me, Urahara!"-Yoshirou replied scathingly, his anger multiplying in the face of Urahara's usual mocking tone, causing the store owner to arch an eyebrow in amusement. With a flourish of his hand, the fan opened once again, covering the store owner's face as he replied-"Well well, it seems something interesting must have happened indeed to have you fired up like this Yoshirou-san…." Surprising Yoshirou, Urahara promptly walked over to his futon, leaving Yoruichi to lean on the door frame and proceeded to sit beside the futon, his face between the motions of sitting showing the smile having vanished from his features, replaced by a more serious expression as he continued-"…perhaps if you are able now, you can report what transpired beside the river? To have discovered you unconscious at a scene of battle was indeed a worrying sight, just what exactly happened there?"

Surprised slightly at the sudden change from comedic to serious, Yoshirou froze slightly. In this time, Tessai must have deemed there no more risk of Yoshirou's resistance, and released Yoshirou, quietly uttering an apology as he straightened up, bowed promptly to Urahara, and avoiding Yoruichi in the doorway, left the room, apparently deciding he was not needed in the discussion to come. No longer restricted from moving, Yoshirou slowly eased himself up from the futon to a sitting position, grunting slightly with the pain he tried to overcome. Urahara simply sat watching him, waiting patiently for the Captain to begin. Collecting his thoughts, Yoshirou opened his mouth to begin the explanation….

And was instantly cut short by Yoruichi suddenly announcing-"Oho? We have a guest to the party." Turning his head towards the door to see what she meant, wincing slightly even from this slight motion, Yoshirou saw the person in question giving a cold look up to the woman, before stepping into the room. Hitsugaya? Yoshirou thought with surprise as Urahara instantly rose, his face once again beaming as he greeted the Captain with-"Hitsugaya-san, this is a surprising coincidence to meet you here! What can this shop keeper do for you?" Shaking his head, Hitsugaya stepped forward past Yoruichi as he bluntly stated-"I'm not here to talk with you, I'm here to bring Kenshin-Taichou back with me."

Eh? Yoshirou thought with surprise, blinking slightly in confusion at Hitsugaya's choice of words. However, Urahara seemed to understand what he meant, his head reaching to his hat leisurely as he pulled it down other his eyes slightly, murmuring-"So, they reached a conclusion already?" Still bemused by what they were talking about, Yoshirou watched as Hitsugaya nodded curtly, before addressing him. "Kenshin-Taichou, you will have to come with me, this is an urgent matter that cannot wait despite whatever injuries you have suffered to bring you here."

Kenshin-Taichou…normally he just calls me by name, something must really be up for him to call me by title… Yoshirou thought as he nodded slightly in turn, replying-"Okay, just give me a second to get ready." His mind went into action, trying to figure out what was wrong. As he hesitantly tried to rise, his face a mask of pain as his body rebelled against his action, Yoruichi gave Hitsugaya a sharp look, angrily saying-"Look at him! He's in no fit state to be moving right now Kisuke, we can't let him leave!" Urahara however, shook his head, although his smile was lost as he replied-"He's not in any danger in terms of health, it's just pain that he will have to put up with. It's the toll he has to pay for overestimating his limits, a lesson we all have to learn at one time or another."

Yoruichi simply gave him a scathing look, stepping away from the door frame as she walked over to help the struggling shinigami get up. Although Yoshirou winced slightly as she grabbed hold of his arm, he quickly managed to get to his feet with her help, Yoruichi supporting him as he tried to get his balance, even though his muscles felt like they would give way. "I'm fine, Yoruichi, it's nothing I can't put up with…!"-Yoshirou quickly said, embarrassed that he had to be helped up by a woman, even though he was grateful for the help. However, Yoruichi seemed to completely ignore him, quickly bending down to pick up both his sheathed zanpakutou and the neatly folded robes that Tessai had placed their earlier, somehow restored to their former glory despite being almost destroyed during the battle with the Arrancar Stark.

She went to help him put the robes on, but seeing his quickly reddening face despite the fact that the stupid amount of bandages covering his body prevented her from seeing anything, she just rolled her eyes before unceremoniously dumping the clothes in his arms, almost making him fall back over. With another angry glance at the diminutive Captain, Yoruichi swept out of the room, obviously unhappy with the situation. Anyway, is this about the attack yesterday on Karakura town? Yoshirou wondered as

No, it can't be, we already had a meeting regarding that yesterday, so they must have discovered what happened to Inoue! Yoshirou realised as he quickly donned his robes, tying his clothes in place with the sash, the burning fire in his limbs reducing slightly now that he had gotten used to moving around as he slid his Zanpakuto in place through the sash. So, it must be a plan of action of what to do now… Yoshirou finished thinking as he struggled with the Haori, eventually deciding with his movements too stiff and painful to easily place it over his arms just to drape it over his shoulders. He was surprised that during the time he took to get ready, Urahara never said a word, his hat pulled low as he thought to himself. However, just as he finished his preparations, Urahara glanced up at him, before once again masking his expression with a smile that was fooling no one into thinking that the atmosphere in the small room had lightened

"Yoshirou-kun, while no doubt you are in a hurry to go to this rendezvous, might I make a suggestion that you perhaps take your Gigai with you?"-Urahara asked with a feigned light hearted tone, causing Hitsugaya's expression to tighten slightly at the obvious delay Urahara was suggesting. Yoshirou paused for a second, trying to figure out why Urahara had suddenly tried to stop him leaving. Spreading his hands in a placating gesture, Urahara answered the unasked question with a simple explanation-"I just realised that with your condition as it is, it may be safer to use your Gigai for a while to give your spiritual body a chance to recuperate from what you have put it through, it's just a suggestion though, seeing as what discomfort you are in, it may help speed recovery."

Seeing the sense in what Urahara suggested, Yoshirou glanced at the younger Captain again, waiting to see if he had any objections towards taking the time to do so. Hitsugaya seemed to watch Urahara's face for any hint of what he intended, before reluctantly shrugging. With a quick sweep of his robes, the Captain turned away, walking towards the partition door as he stated-"Make whatever preparations you need, I shall go on ahead, since we also need to summon Kurosaki Ichigo for this meeting." With this curt reply, Hitsugaya strode out of the room, his posture oddly stiff giving away his impatience to be off as he left. Urahara let out a pent up breath as the edge of the white Haori disappeared around the corner of the door, before shaking his head slightly for some reason.

"Well, shall we?"-Urahara asked lightly, gesturing towards the door. Yoshirou however shook his head, fixing Urahara with a steely gaze as he asked-"What did you mean when you asked Hitsugaya had they reached *a conclusion*?" Urahara faltered for a second, surprising Yoshirou that he had caught the Captain off guard. Obviously he hoped I wouldn't ask that Yoshirou realised as Urahara's eyes closed slightly as he contemplated how to reply to the question. Realising he couldn't avoid saying this now, Urahara breathed out deeply, before returning Yoshirou's steely gaze with one of his own, stating-"The conclusion of the decision regarding the desertion of the human Orihime Inoue, to the side of the traitor shinigami Aizen Sousuke."

"What do you mean by that, Urahara?"-Yoshirou asked quietly, his body shaking slightly now not from the pain that he was still enduring, but by anger at the words that Urahara had spoken. Urahara looked away, no longer able to see him straight in the eyes when he saw the anger and flare of golden light that came with it from Yoshirou's eyes. "I asked you, what do you mean, Urahara!"-Yoshirou repeated as no answer come forth, his teeth clenched as he completely forgot about the pain wracking his body, almost tempted to grab the senior shinigami by the collar and force a reply from him.

*SNAP*

Yoshirou blinked from surprise as the fan snapped shut right before his face, shocking him out of the anger that was building inside him, Urahara once again locking eyes with him. Calmly and efficiently-Urahara said-"Calm down, Yoshirou-kun. You wanted an answer and I gave you it, I didn't say that was my express view on the situation, did I?" Realising he had indeed jumped the gun, Yoshirou calmed down, taking a deep breath, before wincing slightly as the pain in his body once again brought him back to earth. Seeing the younger shinigami's muscles relax from the angry posture they had been in, Urahara continued-"Of course, I am in belief that there are extra tenuous circumstances regarding the confirmed disappearance of Inoue, and the obvious signs of Arrancar presence now detectable about the banks of the Karakura riverside about the area where we found you unconscious. However, all evidence currently points towards Inoue having done exactly what Soul Society believes, and only your account will be able to confirm or deny those facts, as such it is imperative that we go over what happened before you talk to the Sou Taichou."

"Why must you know before the Sou Taichou?"-Yoshirou asked, now calmer than before, although still angry that it seemed others believed that Inoue had gone to the enemy's side. Urahara calmly explained-"The Sou Taichou has less patience for emotional outbursts than yours truly, and it is important that you can stress the innocence of young Inoue, not overtly prove that she has indeed betrayed us, assuming this is the case, it is better that you know exactly what to say than not." Sighing again, Yoshirou asked-"So which side of the story do you believe is true?" Urahara smiled slightly as he diplomatically replied-"I believe in never taking the first answer to be the cast iron truth, that is all. Now, if you please, can you recount exactly what happened on the riverside last night?"

(30 mins later)

Yoshirou experimentally rolled the shoulder of his Gigai that he inhabited, glad that he could no longer feel the pain from his body which was now safely recovering inside the false body that he was using. Nearby, Urahara sipped from the mug of tea that Tessai had brought for him halfway through the conversation, mulling over what he had learnt. With a deep sigh as he finished drinking, he set the cup lightly on the low table he kneeled before, motioning for Yoshirou to join him at the table. Kneeling down on the cushion opposite him, Yoshirou asked-"So, what is your take on this situation now?" Folding his hands over each other slowly, Urahara frowned slightly as he replied-"Not good, I was hoping for less condemning evidence from your account, but all it seems is that once again, Inoue has indeed joined Aizen's side." Sighing himself, no longer getting agitated since he understood that Urahara was indeed on his side, Yoshirou asked-"I know it looks bad, but there is proof that she hasn't betrayed us, or at least not willingly or without reason."

Nodding slowly, Urahara answered-"Yes, you're alive. That alone is a major point that we must account for, for if you're alive, that means the Arrancar you fell before had to stay his hand for some reason. I doubt highly Aizen has ordered his men to not kill you, since you represent his greatest threat, so that means for some reason, the Arrancar had to let you live. If you had been killed, then it would have been clear that Inoue had betrayed us, since her own reiatsu is detectable where you were found, that would mean she was present when you were slain and came out alive, something that would only be possible if she had sided with Aizen. However, you are alive, and the only conclusion I can reach is that it is because she protected you, for some reason it meant the Arrancar could not kill you and take her willingly with them, in other words, Coercion."

"This fits in with what events happened yesterday, the sudden withdrawal of all forces from the human realm. The time that she vanished within the Dangai coincides with their retreat, so what if her willing surrender was a terms and conditions for the withdrawal of all enemy forces? If we assume this to be the case, then the safety of those within the human realm was the condition of her surrender. As such, when she was discovered yesterday, and the encounter ended with your passing out, the Arrancar were hobbled, they could not slay you since it would break the conditions regarding her willing surrender. This theory is further reinforced if your account of her condition is true when you saw her yesterday."

Yoshirou nodded in reply, saying-"She wasn't resolute, she seemed afraid." However, Urahara smiled sadly, tipping his hat down slightly as he continued-"However, despite this being the case, this is merely a theory, not evidence of any kind, it could just as easily be said that it was Aizen's orders that had you left alive, not young Inoue's intervention, even if evidence of her reiatsu shows that she at the least used her techniques near you. Even if it makes little to no sense that she would betray her human friends, the evidence is too great to argue otherwise, if only she hadn't wrote that note down within the diary in her home, it showed that she had freedom to do what she wanted." Yoshirou could only grit his teeth as Urahara delivered this final verdict. He wasn't a simple minded person, he had already seen every side of the argument, and he knew that even if with all his fibre he believed that Inoue had not willingly betrayed them, her actions and the evidence proved otherwise.

There's nothing that can be done to prove her innocence… Yoshirou concluded internally, even the thoughts themselves leaving a heavy feeling in his heart. Urahara could see for himself that Yoshirou understood this truth, but also knew there was nothing that could be done but to follow the status quo. Unfurling his legs, Urahara stood up, an arm reaching down to offer to help the Captain up. "I wouldn't say there's nothing to be done, Yoshirou-kun."-Urahara stated as the Captain took the offered arm, pulling himself up. Yoshirou nodded as well, there is nothing I can do to prove her innocence, so I simply have to accept it, it's what comes next is what I can do…

Well, thats a wrap folks! Sorry, but I really wanted to do some more with Ulquiorra in this chapter, thats why most of it seems to be a recount of his thoughts, rather than actually continuing with the story. I tried to keep in character for him, going through his thoughts as if logically and making his choices based completely on logic. He didn't try to kill him from fear, but because he deduced it wasn't worth the risk for him to continue living. I know, he used a lot of insults, but the way I see it is that rather than insults, he simply "labelled" them according to what he thinks, such as saying a weak person is a weakling, he thinks their only worth trash, so he denotes them *trash*.

Anyhow, another thing I want to say before the next chapter, don't get your hopes up, Yoshirou will not be joining Ichigo's initial incursion into Hueco Mundo. It would make no point since the Sou Taichou's orders are absolute, i've played up that Yoshirou has some significant part to play in arranging for the Fake Karakura Town setup, and simply put, it would be overkill. Ichigo needed the battles in Hueco Mundo to develop his powers, but we all know with Yoshirou's much more readily useable and more powerful abilities, he could dominate any fight in Hueco Mundo unless Aizen himself joined the battle. As such, for Ichigo's sake, Yoshirou will not be in the initial incursion.

He may or may not be in the second incursion though, i'm thinking of swapping Hanatarou out of the team for Yoshirou, after all, Hanatarou was the only non VC or C class combatent who was with the team, making him a rather odd addition, and since Yoshirou doubles as an incredibly skilled medic himself, he can easily take Hantarous place, and perhaps get a swipe at the second round of Espada's (I'm thinking of having him face Nnoitra for a laugh, the Espada with the greatest defence vs the Zanpakutou that can cut anything, should be fun)

IMPORTANT

I am also thinking of taking a small break from the canon, and putting in a version of the Zanpakuto Tales arc, i've had a few idea towards a potentially good storyline for it, and i'm just wondering what people think about seeing an arc based off it for my storyline. For this, I need to hear some PM's or Reviews adding opinions about whether you guys think it's a good idea or not, if I hear nothing, i'll drop the idea, so if you want to see a Zanpakuto Tales arc, then let your voice be heard plz!