AN: Sorry for the mess up this is actually chapter 51 I messed up before but it's all fixed now.

Warnings:

1.) Fluff- a whole lot.

2.) Mild Plot Development- but no manga spoilers.

3.) Differences from the Cannon- See bottom AN, as I said before there are not spoilers really just pretty OOC moments from one or two characters.


Chapter 51: The Reawakening


(4th Division, 3rd Person POV)

The entire fourth division that had been swamped with too much work to handle enjoyed the moment of free time they had to catch up on work that needed to be done. Since it had been a few days since the last invasion the nurses and doctors had more time to make sure their patients were healing properly. Many subordinates in the division had been able to free up some of the space they needed by healing the few who weren't badly injured, everyone hard at work as they bustled around the division.

In the division full of people running around constantly working there was a sense of calmness over the division as it usually was. The calmness was greatly appreciated after the days of chaos trying to heal so many injured soul reapers. In the small hospital room only a few murmurs could be heard over the beeps and noises the machines made next to Mizuki's bedside. The windows in the room had been opened most likely by a nurse who checked on the unconscious Lieutenant last. The wind from outside blew the curtains farther into the room and took away some of the stale smell of medicine and let the fresh air in the room.

However the curtains had also been drawn to the side to open up the room to the morning rays of sunshine pour through. The sleeping blonde woman seemed peaceful enough but her eyelids trembled as the rays of sun ghosted over her face. For a moment it seemed to be only a muscle tick while she was sleeping, however her eyebrows furrowed together as her pale fingers twitched a little at her side.

After a few minutes green eyes began to blink open, at first she was aware despite still being half asleep that she couldn't see. Colors and lines were doubled and blurred in her vision that was unaided by her glasses and it made her feel dizzy to stare at for long. Mizuki was surprised to feel her body wasn't in the same pain it was when she was conscious last even though she was in some pain and a little stiff as she raised her arm with a bit of a wince from being still for so long. The breathing mask over her face annoyed her and she managed to push her hands against the white bedding to sit up a little bit with a grimace of pain as her hands pulled the breathing mask off from over her mouth and took a deep breath of air. Letting out a sigh she rubbed her eyes with her hand as her other free hand reached mindlessly out to the nightstand and she almost smiled when she felt around and found her glasses.

Pulling the glasses onto her face, Mizuki's eyes blinked open as she took in her surroundings and for a moment placed her hand over her heart. She couldn't help but wonder how she was even breathing, letting out a relieved sigh as she felt her own heartbeat against her chest. As she remembered the fight she had with Yhwach and Aizen, there were millions of questions running through her mind. As she remembered her last memories before she went unconscious from the fight she was worried about what had happened to Ichigo. Her lips parted to try to say his name when nothing came out from her dry throat and she coughed to clear her throat. Her body froze as she recalled the last few moments before she lost consciousness the other day and she felt her heartbeat quicken with worry at the thought of Ichigo getting hurt.


(13th Division, 3rd Person POV)

"Hey! Ichigo!" The orange haired substitute soul reaper heard someone call out his name as he was about to turn the corner in one of the hallways of the Thirteenth Division. Glancing over his shoulder as he paused mid-stride he waited as he noticed a familiar dark haired girl run up to him.

"Hey Rukia, what's up?" Ichigo asked as the dark haired fourth seat ran up to him and they walked down the hall together. Ichigo could still notice that she was pushing herself, her arm still broken and her injuries still weren't finished healing, the orange haired man couldn't help but wonder how the hell she was even walking around and able to stay conscious since she looked so weak and tired.

"Nothing really, I'm on my way to work what are you doing?" Rukia asked curiously as they walked down the hallway, walking around the subordinates running around to fulfill orders. She never seemed to fully understand her own injuries, it was almost as if she couldn't notice her body wasn't able to keep up with her injuries and her constant reluctance to not do work. However Ichigo surmised that she wouldn't be let out of the medic if she was that weak and brushed it off, his mind stuck to other things as well.

With a shrug Ichigo glanced around. "I was going to try to find Uryu or Chad but now that I think about it they're probably off training, it's not like I can do anything." The orange haired man said and Rukia frowned as she heard the annoyance in his voice as he scowled.

"Sorry about your zanpakuto getting broken Ichigo. Don't worry, Mayuri might be creepy and weird but he's very good at his job, if anyone can fix your bankai here it should be him." Rukia assured him as they walked down the hallway.

"Yeah well he'd better hurry up, it's getting really annoying wondering when the Vandenreich are going to attack next and how I'm going to stop them." Ichigo said in a slightly angered way, not used to feeling so useless without his zanpakuto.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Come on, maybe Mayuri gave some information to Captain Ukitake about your zanpakuto." The dark haired girl said she turned to knock on the door of the office,Ichigo nodded as he figured he might as well try.

The two of them walked inside and the white haired Captain at his desk smiled over at them as Kiyone and Sentaro organzied the paperwork. "Hi guys, what are you up to?" Ukitake greeted them with a smile as he continued on with his work, shooting them both a smile.

"Well Captain Ichigo was wondering about his zanpakuto." Rukia said as she stepped over to her Captain's desk, Ichigo glanced over to the desk next to Ukitake's and frowned when he saw Mizuki's empty desk.

Ukitake looked up at them and paused from his work for a moment as Ichigo glanced over at him. "Yeah, has Mayuri told you anything about fixing my zanpakuto?" Ichigo asked as he tried to stop thinking about how worried he was about Mizuki.

The white haired Captain sighed as he shook his head. "I'm sorry Ichigo but he hasn't told me anything yet, I'm sure Mayuri is working hard on it though he should figure out a way to fix it soon." Ukitake said in a hopeful tone and Ichigo nodded. Glancing up at Rukia after a moment the Captain sighed at the sight of his injured and still recovering fourth seat. "Rukia I really wish you wouldn't push yourself so much you're still not fully healed, I don't know why you force yourself to get up and come here everyday I'm not going to make you do any difficult assignments." He said worriedly as he noticed Rukia wasn't healing as quickly as he expected.

"Really Captain I feel fine. Besides, I'd like to help. I know you're a bit overwhelmed without Lieutenant Yasuko." Rukia insisted in a strong voice even though everyone could plainly see that she was pushing herself more than what was needed.

Ukitake sighed as he nodded. "I see, well if that's how you feel I guess I'll find something for you to do." The white haired man said as he tried to think over what hadn't been done for the day, finding it hard to find an assignment for Rukia to do while she was injured and recovering with a broken arm.

Kiyone sighed as she picked up a stack of papers to go deliver to another Division. "You could help with the paperwork, me and Sentaro are drowning in it all practically!" The short girl suggested in an annoyed way as she picked up the stack with a big huff of air. "Well, I'm off to give this to the First Division." The light haired girl explained as she stepped over to the door.

However as the co-third seat stepped over towards the door there was a quick knock before the door opened quickly. An unranked officer rushed in and seemed nervous when everyone in the office stared at him, blushing and mumbling out an apology to Kiyone who he almost ran into. "Uh, my apologies Captain! I didn't have permission before comming in but I have some urgent information I was told to give you." The officer explained somewhat nervously.

Ukitake looked up at the subordinate from another Division curiously and Ichigo looked over to him with interest when he noticed the pouch on his back that was what Hanataro and a few other subordinates from the Fourth Division wore. When Ichigo realized how the officer was from the fourth Division he wondered if it was something important as he looked over to the officer. Ukitake nodded for the officer to go on. "It's no problem, please what's going on?" Ukitake reassured him to go on.

The officer nodded hurriedly, a nervous expression still on their face. "Well you see Captain Unohana wanted me to inform you that Lieutenant Yasuko regained consciousness." The officer reported seriously and noticed how everyone in the room suddenly went quiet.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard that, shock and joy and every emotion in between going through his mind at once. Kiyone was surprised as well by the statement and nearly dropped the papers in her hand as she rushed to try to catch them. "T-The Lieutenant?" Kiyone and Sentaro said in surprise and as always unison, smiling when they heard it about their superior.

Ukitake sighed at the statement, feeling his worry for his niece begin to evaporate as he smiled over to the officer and nodded. "Thank you so much for telling us." The Captain said genuinely with a grin and the officer nodded as they walked out and the older man looked over to Ichigo, noticing how he was still surprised by the news. "Kurosaki? Why don't you go see Mizuki, I'll stay back here?" The white haired man offered, knowing that the Ichigo had worried about Mizuki just as much if not more than he had.

The orange haired man raised an eyebrow at the Captain. "Are you sure you don't want to go see her? She'd be happy to see you." Ichigo said, knowing that Ukitake was close to his niece.

Ukitake smiled over to him and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm behind on my work so I'll just stay back here and try to catch up." The white haired Captain said as Ichigo nodded.

"Alright, thanks Ukitake. I'll see you guys later!" Ichigo called before he quickly walked out of the office as they all watched the orange haired man smile as he walked off to go to the Fourth Division. The white haired Captain smiled at the sight, happy how his niece was finally awake again and hoped that Ichigo would be able to relax a little now. Rukia sighed in relief as she got her her feet, hoping that everything was alright as she began sorting out the paperwork.


(4th Division, 3rd Person POV)

Unohana nodded as she looked over the papers in her hand on the patient she was checking on and with a few analytical glances she gave the injured soul reaper a soft smile as she assured them they were healing correctly. As she moved on to the next bed she hesitated for a moment as she looked at the clock in the room, wondering where they were. She had sent her subordinate to tell Ukitake and Ichigo about Mizuki's condition and she figured that they would be here by this point.

Her dark eyes glanced up to the door at the side of the room when she heard it open, noticing how a subordinate led in a soul reaper. However she walked over to the door, taking a break from checking on her patients for a moment as she noticed her subordinate lead Ichigo into the room. "Kurosaki I'm glad you got here so quick." Unohana informed him as she walked over to the orange haired soul reaper.

Ichigo looked over to the dark haired Captain and nodded. "Yeah, I came here as soon as your subordinate came to the Division. Is Mizuki really awake, I mean she's okay right?" The orange haired man asked in a slightly worried voice, when he recalled how she was injured before he was worried she would be in pain if she was awake.

Unohana smiled softly as she nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry my message was urgent but not because of anything bad I'm sorry if I've worried you. Mizuki's fine and yes she's awake, please follow me." She explained as she gestured for Ichigo to follow her as she led him down a hallway towards Mizuki's room. The dark haired woman looked up at him and Ichigo was relieved by the relaxed and calm expression she gave him. "I gave her a few sedatives for any pain she might be in so she might be in and she's still weak. I wanted you or Ukitake to come though since Mizuki needs her rest, I figured one of you two would want to see her before she went back to sleep."

Ichigo nodded, letting out a relieved sigh as he took in what she told him. "Thanks Unohana, I really appreciate you letting me come see her." He said, knowing that she was busy with all the injured and that she didn't have to take the time to explain Mizuki's condition to him or send a soul reaper to tell him the news.

As they got close to Mizuki's room Unohana nodded as she paused momentarily from walking and the orange haired man glanced over at her as she nodded. "It's no problem Kurosaki, I have to go take care of my patients but I'll be in in a little bit." The dark haired woman explained and Ichigo nodded.

"Alright, thanks again." Ichigo told her as he continued on down the hallway, feeling himself a bit anxious to make sure that Mizuki was alright after she had been unconscious for so long. Once the door to her room came into vision the orange haired man picked up his pace, wanting to see her finally after he had been worried about her for so long.

Ichigo hurriedly opened the door and immediately took a step inside before his entire body froze and his brown eyes softened at the sight in front of him, his breathing temporarily stopping as he gazed in front of him. His eyes stared at the blonde girl lying in bed staring up at the ceiling in a bored fashion in her white hospital robe but Ichigo watched her glace up at him and saw her green eyes light up as they saw him and a smile found its way to her face. The orange haired man felt all the tension on his shoulders dissipate and he smiled without even thinking as he saw her face come to life as she noticed him standing there. "Ichigo-."

Mizuki tried to sit up in bed, pushing her elbows against the bed beneath her as she tried to sit up but she winced a little as she moved too suddenly and Ichigo frowned a little at the sight of her grimace. He was quick to walk over to her bedside and place his hand against her shoulder to stop her from pushing her body any farther, noticing how she looked up at him and gave him a slightly confused look. The orange haired man smirked a little at the look, making sure that his hands were careful as they held onto her shoulders. "Hey don't push yourself so hard Mizuki, Unohana told me you're still recovering." He told her softly as he sat down on the bed next to her and moved one of his hands to wrap around her waist letting her lean against his body for support as he helped her sit up slowly watching her carefully for any sign of pain and he was relieved to not find any.

The blonde Lieutenant sighed as she sat up and leaned back against the pillows before looking up at him. "Thanks Ichigo, I appreciate your help. Sorry I'm so useless." She told him with a sigh.

"Hey," Ichigo placed his hand against her cheek when he heard the last of what she said and he smiled down at her. "You're not useless, don't say that." He told her as he stroked his thumb against her soft skin, happy to see that she wasn't as cold as she was before. "How do you feel?" He asked.

Mizuki smiled at his reassurance and laced his fingers with hers when he pulled his hand away. "Thank you. I don't feel that bad, it just hurts to move. Unohana gave me some pills to help with the pain, I'm not too bad." He nodded and was about to tell her that she didn't need to thank him when he noticed her eyes shift down a little as he noticed her think for a few moments before she looked back to him. He raised an eyebrow at her when he saw the slightly worried look on her face that made her frown. "Sorry, it's just…Unohana told me about what happened after the battle." Mizuki said and he suddenly understood why she seemed upset and he wanted to tell her that it was okay when she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her forehead against his strong chest as she frowned and tightened her arms around him. "I just feel so useless, because I couldn't help you Yhwach took you to Heuco Mondo. When she told me that …I thought I lost you at first."

Ichigo slid his fingers down her long blonde locks grateful for the familiar feeling of her in his arms and safe. "Shh, it's okay Mizuki. I'm right here," The orange haired man slowly pulled away about an inch and softly placed his free hand against the side of her face to tilt her head up as he caressed her cheek. When her green eyes met his he smiled down at her gently as he moved his other hand to rest against her back. "I'm not going anywhere." The orange haired man told her in a comforting way and once he felt her body relax in his arms he pressed a kiss against her forehead. "It's my fault you got hurt in the first place." He told her.

Mizuki shook her head at the last part of what he said, grasping onto his shirt when he pulled away from her. "No it isn't and you know it, I got over confident with myself." The blonde haired girl told him, smiling up at him to try to reassure him as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, taking in the familiar comfort of being in each other's arms but they both knew that they had a lot to talk about and after a moment or two Ichigo pulled back a little bit. "What did Unohana tell you anyway?" Ichigo asked curiously and she pulled back herself to look up at him.

"Nothing really other than that, all she told me was that you were captured by Yhwach but that Yamamoto sent soul reapers to help you come back." Mizuki told him and he nodded as he thought for a moment and she looked up at him confused. "What's wrong?" The blonde girl asked once she noticed the serious look on his face, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

He shook his head and Ichigo sighed. "No it's nothing it's just that I'm trying to think of where to start."

Mizuki nodded. "Take your time." The blonde haired Lieutenant told him calmly and he thought for a moment.

"That guy, Yhwach? After you passed out the other day I didn't win when I fought Yhwach the other day and he broke my zanpakuto. When I was in Heuco Mondo he said he was coming after both of us because he said we were both special war powers and something like that." Ichigo told her and the blonde girl took a moment to process the information before she nodded for him to go on. "He said that I was in the way of him destroying the soul society and he said he wanted your zanpakuto just like Aizen did before." Mizuki frowned as she understood what was going on and nodded slowly.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her, placing a hand against her arm gently and she noticed him giving her a confused look and she sighed. "I wish you didn't have to go through that all on your own, I just wish I could have at least went with you." She told him glancing up from her lap to try to see his reaction to what she said when he didn't immediately respond. Mizuki found herself being pulled into an embrace as he wrapped his arm around her gently and another behind her head to pull her against his chest. Her green eyes blinked in confusion as she felt how tense he was, placing her hand against his arm.

"Ichigo-?" She tried to ask as his arm tightened around her carefully as the orange haired man frowned, just the thought of what she said brought back memories of what the leader said. He hated hearing her say that when he knew that the leader of the Vandenreich had no intention of letting her live if she was there anyway. When he realized how close he was to really losing her if she really did get captured he couldn't stand the thought.

The blonde haired Lieutenant waited patiently for Ichigo to say something, furrowing her eyebrows with worry when she felt his heartbeat pick up as he pulled her to his chest in a protective embrace. "Don't say that, please Mizuki." He told her and her expression softened when she heard the worry and seriousness in his voice.

Her hands grasped onto his shirt to keep him close and she paused for a few moments before she pulled back an inch or two as she attempted to look up at him but he held her too close for her to pull back much. "Did…Did something happen while you were there Ichigo?" Mizuki asked as she felt it in his presence, in the way he held her close, she could feel there was something that he wasn't telling her about and it scared and worried her to no end.

Ichigo frowned as he wondered if it was that obvious as he sighed, running his hand through her hair softly. "I…The Vandenreich leader told me you were gone and that he wouldn't have let you live. He said that he took your zanpakuto so that Aizen could use them at Yhwach's orders. I almost lost you." The orange haired man told her, feeling her pull back he looked down at her as she cupped both of his cheeks in her hands and smiled up at him.

"I'm right here Ichigo, you're not getting rid of me that easy." Mizuki told him, pressing her lips against his in a chaste way as she ignored what happened to her swords for a moment. She felt guilty for making him feel so bad about what happened and wanted him to forget it. He responded to her softly and when they pulled apart he placed his head against the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath as his body relaxed. Without thinking her arm wrapped around him, her breathing comming out in light pants. "Everything is going to be alright Ichigo."

"I don't know how you're always so hopeful." He said with a sigh, comforted by the fact she was back but the thought just made him realize how close he was to losing her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let him hurt you, because I did you're like this I-." Ichigo told her when he was cut off by the feeling of her arms tightening around him, her fingers smoothing over his orange hair. The comforting action made the words on his tongue pause as he felt her hold him closer and he softly placed his hand against her back, not wanting to hurt her.

"Don't be, it's my own fault that I didn't protect myself." Mizuki told him and he pulled back after a moment and hesitated as he gave her a disbelieving look. "I love you because you're here for me like times like now when I need you, not because I expect you to always protect me."

His brown eyes softened as he looked down at her into her green eyes, his hand finding hers in her lap as their fingers both tangled together. Both of them looked down at their hands that were intertwined and they both nearly smiled when they saw how their hands fit together perfect and at the feeling of warmth they both got at the action. When they looked away from their hands their eyes met again and she gave him a concerned look. "Ichigo are you sure you're alright? It just feels like...I don't know you aren't telling me something." She told him a little hesitantly noticing how he had something weighing on his shoulders.

Ichigo sighed, wondering how she always seemed to know when there was something bothering him. "I talked to my dad the other day when he came to the soul society and he told me a lot about Yhwach. He said Yhwach was sealed away a thousand years ago and after he broke out and he's been getting stronger ever since. I talked to my zanpakuto spirit yesterday and I found out he was my Quincy powers instead." Trailing off the orange haired man frowned as he recalled what his dad told him about his mother but he felt her squeeze his hand. Glancing up to her eyes he could see her giving him a reassuring look and nodded to him to let him know she was listening to him. "I have these Quincy powers from my mom, and that day a hollow attacked her Yhwach took away her powers."

Her eyes softened as she looked up at him comfortingly as she hugged him to her body, his hand reaching up and he placed it against her back. "Are you alright?" Mizuki asked, wondering if he wanted to talk about it more knowing that he didn't like talking about his mother a lot.

Ichigo pulled back and smiled a little and nodded. "I'll be fine as soon as Yhwach is gone and everything is back to normal." He told her but noticed her frown at the mention of the Vandenreich leader and seeing him so upset about everything. Ichigo's strong eyes met hers and his hand tightened over hers a little, "I'm not going to risk losing you again."

Mizuki opened her mouth to no doubt blame herself more when there was a knock at the door and Unohana walked in quietly, the dark haired Captain smiled over to them. "I'm sorry to interrupt you two but you still need your rest Mizuki."

Mizuki hesitated a bit as she knew the Captain would help her get some rest but she didn't feel like going to bed just yet. Glancing up at Ichigo she frowned a little, knowing that they had more to talk about and she was worried that he hadn't gotten everything he needed to get off of his chest. "But we didn't get to finish talking." The blonde girl pointed out in a bit of a concerned voice.

The substitute soul reaper smiled down at her, his hand still on top of hers as he gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright Mizuki, I'll tell you about everything else tomorrow." Ichigo told her with a smile, happy that she was finally awake again. Despite how he wanted to talk to her more he knew Unohana was going to heal Mizuki and he didn't want to impede Mizuki's recovery.

Mizuki nodded, the sight of his smile even making the corners of her lips tug up into a small grin at the familiar sight. The blonde Lieutenant sighed as she noticed Unohana walk over to the nightstand next to the bed and took a bottle of pills out as she checked the label. "So Captain how long do you think it'll take until I can get out of here?" Mizuki asked curiously as the dark haired woman took out two pills before placing the bottle back down on the nightstand.

Unohana chuckled at the question. "At least you still have your sense of humor, that should help your recovery too." She said with a smile as she handed the two pills to the blonde girl and a glass of water. "They're just a few sedatives to help you sleep." She explained.

Mizuki glanced at the pills with a bit of distaste before she sighed and took them both with a sip of water. Ichigo noticed her try to lie down when Unohana instructed her to, "Careful." the soft spoken woman reminded them. The Captain warned as a slight wince came to the Lieutenant's face as she moved. The blonde girl felt a hand on her waist and she looked up and saw Ichigo smirk at the confused look on her face when he stopped her.

As Ichigo helped her lie back down he smiled down at her as he noticed her eyes quickly grow tired. Placing his hand over hers that was at her side he gave her a small squeeze and smiled down at her when he noticed her fighting to keep her eyes open."I'll see you tomorrow alright Mizuki?" He told her and noticed the girl shoot him a sleepy smile as he noticed her green eyes blink closed without her control.

Unohana looked over at the substitute soul reaper as she took a step towards the door and smiled over to him. "Don't worry Kurosaki, I'll be having nurses check on her overnight, she'll be fine." The dark haired Captain reassured the orange haired man as she walked out, Ichigo stood to his feet and watched Unohana walk out before he glanced down at Mizuki. He smiled when she saw her sleeping peacefully with her chest gently rising and falling before he made his way out of the hospital room.


(13th Division)

Ukitake sighed as he did paperwork, feeling nervous about his niece as he wondered how she was doing. He put down his pen and placed his head in his hands as he took a deep breath for a moment and tried to sort out his thoughts. There was a knock at his door and he lifted his head, about to give whoever it was permission to enter when the door opened without warning. Glancing up the Captain smiled when he saw Ichigo walk in and shut the door behind him. "Hi Kurosaki, how is Mizuki doing?" He asked and the orange haired man heard the bit of desperation to know what had happened to his niece.

Ichigo was quick to answer to try to calm down the white haired Captain. "She's alright, she's recovering but slowly." The orange haired man explained to him as he thought back to when he had gone to the Fourth Division.

Ukitake let out a relieved sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "That's good, thank you for going to check on her for me." He said as he glanced back up at the orange haired substitute soul reaper.

Glancing around Ichigo was a bit confused to not see Rukia or any of his co-third seats around as they usually were. "Where is everyone?" Ichigo asked questioningly and heard Ukitake sigh from exhaustion.

The white haired Captain rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Kiyone and Sentaro are checking on the soul reapers patrolling the Division and making sure that everything is okay out there. Hidetomo is supervising the rest of the Division. But Rukia passed out before, I had a subordinate bring her to the Fourth Division but I haven't heard anything from her yet." Ukitake explained in a stressed voice.

Ichigo raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Is Rukia alright?"

Ukitake nodded quickly. "Yes, I believe she's just been pushing herself too much lately since the last invasion and her body just probably couldn't take that along with the fact that she never fully recovered." He reassured the orange haired man, glancing up from his paperwork as he pushed it to the side. However he noticed how Ichigo nodded but he seemed to be deep in his thoughts. "Is everything alright? You seem like you have something on your mind." The white haired Captain asked curiously.

"It's just something that the Vandenreich leader said that's bugging me…" Ichigo explained, still deep in thought but he cut off Ukitake before he could ask what Yhwach had told him. "Is that prisoner still here?" The orange haired man asked seriously.

The white haired Captain tilted his head to the side in confusion but nodded. "Well yes, before the invasion Mizuki managed to get some information out of him. His name is Haschwalth."

The substitute soul reaper nodded as he turned to face the door. "Thanks Ukitake, I'll see you later." He said with a small wave as he closed the door behind him, ignoring the slightly worried look the white haired Captain gave him.

Ichigo strode down the hallway purposefully, quickly making his way to the door of the prison lock-up. He swung the door open loudly without care the sound making a lower ranked officer in the room jump at the loud noise. Ichigo glanced over to one of the only occupied cells, overlooking the officer in the room without care, and looked over at the prisoner. Haschwalth looked up with slightly surprised eyes as he looked Ichigo up and down, noticing how the orange haired man was even more on edge and angry since the last time he had seen him.

"Mr. Kurosaki? Is there something wrong-?" The officer jumped to his feet and stepped up to Ichigo nervously. However Ichigo glanced over at him sternly, cutting off the officer with a serious look as he took a step forward.

"I need the keys to his cell." Ichigo said, gesturing to the cell holding the Quincy. Both the officer and Haschwalth gave the substitute soul reaper a confused look even though the officer was a bit more surprised by what he said.

The officer's eyes widened a little. "Well I-I would but I'm under strict orders from the Captain and Lieutenant to make sure no harm comes to the prisoner. I'm not supposed to let anyone in the cell or be alone with the prisoner." He tried to explain, choosing his words carefully to not make him angry but Ichigo was only half listening.

Although as the officer mentioned how Mizuki wanted the prisoner unharmed he could remember how she had told him before that she felt bad for the Stern Ritter based on how he was no doubt treated in Yhwach's care. "Look, I'm not going to hurt him I just need to talk to him alone for a few minutes." Ichigo told him, not having the patience to argue which the officer sensed.

Hesitantly the officer sighed before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a chain of keys, flicking through them until he held one of the many keys. "H-Here, I'll be back in a few minutes." The officer stuttered out as he handed Ichigo the key before walking out quietly.

Ichigo glanced down at the key in his hand before looking over at Haschwalth, who was still staring at him mildly confused. The orange haired man stepped up to the cell calmly, shoving the key into the lock before twisting it to open the cell. The Stern Ritter tensed as Ichigo walked into the cell, shutting the door behind him loudly. For a few moments they both stayed still, Ichigo standing at the entrance to the cell and Haschwalth sitting next to the wall waiting for him to do something both of them staring at each other with distrust. "You." Ichigo said lowly and the Quincy watched as he took a step forward to stand in front of the prisoner.

Without putting up a fight Haschwalth let Ichigo grab him by the front of the shirt and shove him against the wall. Glaring at the Quincy who was still only showing mild degrees of emotion, Ichigo grasped onto his shirt tighter. "What?" The Stern Ritter asked, keeping his cool on the outside as he looked up at Ichigo but deep down he had to admit that he was nervous being alone with Ichigo when he was so mad. He could easily see that the Lieutenant had more patience for him but with Ichigo he wouldn't be surprised if he hit him, actually he was anticipating the blow.

Ichigo merely glared at him. "You bastard, don't act stupid with me! You know why I'm here." The orange haired man raised his voice in anger, pushing the Quincy farther into the wall without really thinking. Haschwalth merely tensed but showed no other reaction except to raise his eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what he was talking about. "I talked to your leader when I was in Heuco Mondo, I know why you invaded the soul society by yourself the other day."

Haschwalth held back a shocked look as he mentally cursed, understanding why Ichigo was so mad now. However he was quick to think of a way to stall and he decided to act like he had no idea what Ichigo was talking about, wanting to buy himself some time. "I…I don't understand-." He tried to make up an excuse when Ichigo narrowed his brown eyes at him even more to cut him off.

Ichigo pulled him forward before pushing him back into the wall hard, still holding onto his shirt tightly. "I'm not here to play your damn games! He told me he sent you here to track down Mizuki after her meeting because you were supposed to take her zanpakuto! I know that she's a special war power like me, isn't that why you came here?" He yelled out without care of who outside or nearby would over hear, pulling back his hand that was clenched into a fist Haschwalth closed his eyes waiting for the impact.

However he opened his eyes when he heard Ichigo's fist slam into the wall next to his head instead, noticing how his pissed expression hadn't wavered at all. He didn't understand why Ichigo didn't just hit him, he seemed angry enough. But after a moment Ichigo kept his fist against the wall, glaring over at the Stern Ritter waiting for his answer. Haschwalth glanced away from the substitute soul reaper's angry expression, glancing off to the side with a pang of guilt. He knew his mission was to kill that girl and take her zanpakuto but after the kindness she had showed him he felt horrible about his mission. "Yes." He said softly after a moment before looking back to Ichigo whose eyes were still narrowed with anger, waiting for an explanation. "I was sent here by my leader, he informed me that he wanted me to kill her for those reasons you just said and take her swords."

Ichigo tensed at what he said, clutching Haschwalth's shirt tighter in his hand to hold himself back from beating the Quincy up. "You knew and you didn't even warn her when Mizuki asked you about your mission? I could have protected her if I knew, if you had told us!"

Haschwalth glanced away from him with a sigh. "I know." He said in a low voice and Ichigo's eyes widened when he could have sworn he heard some regret in the Quincy's voice. It took him a moment to glance back at Ichigo before he frowned. "I wanted to, I really did but…the Leader doesn't allow traitors to live what do you expect me to do? Die for the girl when the entire soul society will fail anyway? She's better off ending it quickly without pain, all of you should."

Ichigo felt himself tremble with anger at that explanation, holding himself back from hitting the Stern Ritter for what he was saying. "You really think he'll win? Not while I'm around and I sure as hell won't let Mizuki or anyone else die. How can you even want to go back to your Leader? You just said it yourself that he's cruel enough to kill you for failing a mission! Why go back to something so horrible? How can you still want to be on his side after all he's done to everyone, to Mizuki?" He asked in a loud and angry voice, not able to understand Haschwalth's resolve to want to follow a man who he was scared of.

Haschwalth thought to himself for a few moments, staring at the ground with his head down. "Because, the way you see the Vandenreich is the same way that we see the soul society. Every day is just a reminder of when the soul society almost destroyed us, the Leader made it seem that you were all the same as back then." He explained with a frown and Ichigo understood better, his expression softening a little bit and his grip on his shirt relaxing a little. "I believed it too, I thought you were all nothing but murderers who took pleasure in killing off the Quincy's. But that Lieutenant… no one, not even my leader, ever talked to me so nicely before, she didn't even beat me for information she cared enough for my name." After a few moments of thick silence the long haired man raised his head to look up at Ichigo, frowning as he confidently spoke on. "I apologize, for what I've done to you, that Lieutenant, the entire soul society."

Ichigo let go of him and took a few steps back, his eyes a little wide when he heard that apology. He was shocked how the Stern Ritter seemed honest, he blinked a few times in confusion as he stared at the prisoner. Haschwalth looked up at him taking in the surprised look on Ichigo's face, noticing how he was deep in thought. After a moment the prisoner lowered himself to sit on the floor once more as he heard the orange haired man walk back out of the cell before closing it tightly behind him. Raising his eyes to look at him, Haschwalth's eyes moved to look at him starting at his feet before moving them up. His eyes took in how Ichigo's hands were clenched at his side and how he was tense, after a moment the orange haired man moved to walk towards the door after locking the prison door behind him.


AN: So yeah I'm sorry if anyone is disappointed by the fact that this chapter was basically just summarizing most of the stuff from before to Mizuki but hey, she and Ichigo are together again yay! So I'm sorry Haschwalth is so OOC in my story but I thought it'd make it a little more interesting seeing everything from his point of view in a way since most of the manga focuses on how the Vandenreich is the bad guys against the soul society but it doesn't really show that the soul society isn't perfect either really.

Chapter 52 Preview:

With a sigh Mayuri turned away from his work as his third seat Akon continued on with his own work and his Captain's. "To what do I owe the pleasure of such an annoying distraction? Or have you done something of use and find another medallion from the Vandenreich, Hirako?" Mayuri asked in an annoyed way when he saw Shinji was the one who had called out through his quiet lab and disturbed the normally quiet work enviornment.

Shinji's smirk didn't fade as he and Ichigo walked up to the Captain. "Actually, I was wondering if you found out a way to fix my zanpakuto yet." Ichigo said as he cut off the blonde Captain from throwing an insult back at Mayuri and probably get them thrown out before they could even find out anything.