Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Forty-Three

Soul Society; Squad Ten Barracks

The room was dark, adding to the feelings of despair that its occupant was feeling. Toshiro Hitsugaya sat at the edge of his bed, head in his hands as he tried but failed to hold back the tears. On a chair was his captain's Haori. He didn't feel like wearing it.

Rangiku wasn't present at the barracks. As soon as they arrived back at the Soul Society, Toshiro sped her away to Squad Four's medical center for immediate treatment. Unohana and Isane thankfully were able to complete her treatment and left her to rest. When she woke up, however, she was horrified of what'd taken place in her absence.

Tears slipped out of the corner of his Toshiro's eyes and he couldn't fight back the sob. He didn't feel like the proud Squad Ten captain he was. Pride was something he no longer had any claim to. All he felt was guilt and shame. Sitting in the dark, Toshiro cried for all that'd happen. For all that he'd let happen.

He knew his duty. He knew that as a Soul Reaper, it was his mission to exterminate any threat any threat to the Soul Society. Hollows were beings that needed to be purified and destroyed. Anyone who defied or betrayed the Thirteen Court Guard Squads was to be punished. For years Toshiro knew this to be absolute.

Now he wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Yamamoto had convened the ten remaining captains after Unohana finished Rangiku's treatment. He chastised the four for letting Ichigo escape to go rescue Aizen, undoubtedly falling into his clutches as they feared. While they were all shocked at the revelations that Aizen dropped on them, it merely reinforced Yamamoto's belief that Ichigo, Halibel and Asahi needed to die. Toshiro's guilt was like a virus that grew as soon as they conversation turned to Isshin…

"For whatever the reason, Isshin Shiba's betrayal will not go unanswered," Yamamoto said, gripping his cane tightly. His eyes lingered on Toshiro, as if he was daring the boyish captain to speak out against him. "He abandoned his post and stayed in the World of the Living. This offense will not stand."

"Head-Captain," Ukitake spoke up. Apart from Toshiro, he had been the most vocal about Yamamoto's decisions about the fate of the Kurosaki family. "Surely Captain Shiba has an explanation to explain his absence. If Aizen was truly aware of Ichigo since birth, then it stands to reason that he is to blame for Isshin's disappearance."

"I might have believed that at one point, Jushiro, but not anymore. After Aizen's deception had come to light, why did he not reveal himself? You were with him for an extended period of time, yet he offered no explanation for his disappearance, did he not, Captain Hitsugaya?"

Toshiro found his voice but his eyes remained glued to the floor. "No, he did not."

"Then we are left to assume that the reason is something else. And in that case, he bears the full responsibility for his actions."

The next to speak was Komamura, who asked what Toshiro had been dreading. "Head-Captain Yamamoto, while I will not deny that Ichigo Kurosaki is a clear and present danger to us all, what shall become of his sisters? Isshin's daughters?"

Toshiro stiffened and immediately his thoughts turned to Yuzu and Karin, the latter twin in particular whom he'd grown close to in his time at the Kurosaki house.

"We have no choice but to assume that they have the same capability for destruction as their brother."

Finally Toshiro lifted his head and his mouth moved before his brain could stop it. "No," he said defiantly, drawing the old man's gaze back to him. "Yuzu and Karin barely have spiritual sensitivity. Isshin has done everything he can to keep them out of the same troubles that befell Ichigo. We are Soul Reapers, not butchers!" His tone grew harsher and anger brewed inside of him. "They are Humans. And we are supposed to protect humanity, are we not?"

The old man's cane stamped down, silencing the boy. "Control your temper, Captain Hitsugaya…" Yamamoto warned. "We will do what is necessary. I do not make these decisions lightly. Do I make myself clear?"

"No, you don't." Everyone was shocked at Toshiro's defiance and he stepped forward. "You tasked us with protecting Karakura Town and yet I was ordered to watch and do nothing as that Espada laid waste to it! Every life that was lost was because we chose not to act! We should have-"

"SILENCE!" Yamamoto roared. "You speak out of line, Captain Hitsugaya! Your emotions have compromised your judgement. Do not think I don't regret making that order. For centuries I've heard of the supposed King of Hollows, Barragan, and what he could do. Even if you had joined the battle, there would have been little you could have done. But Barragan's actions work to our advantage. His assault decreased the number of souls in Karakura Town, thus throwing off Aizen's plan to make his Key."

Toshiro clenched his teeth but stayed his tongue. He knew that Yamamoto was mostly right but inaction was far worse than anything that could have happened. And the old man's justification only added salt to the wound. He said nothing but stepped back in line. The old man spoke but he didn't listen. Toshiro stared at the ground again as his anger evaporated back into a cloud of shame. As the meeting came to an end, Kyoraku put his hand on his shoulder and said something but Toshiro heard none of it, shrugging him off and storming out of the room…

"This is wrong…" Toshiro muttered while crying. "This is all wrong." Everything he knew had come into question and all the beliefs he'd held dear were crumbling. To add to his anguish he'd knowingly deceived Isshin and Ichigo. He'd stayed under their roof, ate their food, became friends with Karin and Yuzu. He'd promised to protect their baby from danger. And all the while he knew that at the end of it all he'd stab them both in the back.

'Am I no better than Aizen?' he asked himself. Every justification he thought of fell flat. Everything he knew seemed to be dissolving before his eyes. His time with Ichigo had turned his sense of right and wrong on its head.

Hollows were beings that did not feel. They did not know emotions save for insatiable hunger.

"He loves me, Captain," Halibel said plainly. "And I love him." When Toshiro blinked in surprise, she raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"It's just…I've never…"

"Heard a Hollow speak of love before?"

Toshiro nodded. "It is a Human emotion. Hollows by their very nature are incapable of it," he said, pointing out the contradiction.

"Yes. I am a Hollow. But I have never felt like most of my brethren, even when I was a Vasto Lorde," she confessed, recalling her life when she was a pure Hollow. "And I believe that becoming an Arrancar, becoming more like a Soul Reaper, helped me become able to feel Human emotions again. And even if you don't believe it, what of it?" She glared at the boy with stern eyes. "Ichigo is the only person who matters to me. Well, for the moment." She patted her pregnant belly. "Soon there will be two people who matter most."

He had been told that Hollows should be shown no mercy and that they were incapable of anything beyond killing.

Halibel sat in the large Hollow's lap, giggling as the Hollow lovingly tickled her, his clawed hands gently grabbing at her pregnant belly. Halibel raised her arm up and ran her hand through the mane of Ichigo's orange hair. She turned her head and moaned in contentment when Ichigo pressed the lips of his mask against her mask fragment, giving her a hollow kiss. "That's right…" Halibel lovingly sighed as she put her hands over Ichigo's. "It's our baby."

Anyone who defied the Soul Society would be punished. This Toshiro knew was absolute. As a captain he had a duty to ensure the protection of the balance between worlds.

"And what will you do if she isn't a normal Soul? Kill her?" Ichigo accused. "You guys seem to be pretty quick to kill things at a moment's notice."

Guilt continued to twist inside him. He could practically see Aizen standing in front of him, smiling his treacherous smirk at him. In his heart, Toshiro could hear him. "So tell me, Captain Hitsugaya, are you better than me? After Momo, you swore you'd never sink to my level. Well?" The image of Aizen narrowed his eyes. "You look quite small down there from where I'm standing."

Toshiro knew that he could no longer aim his sword in anger at Aizen for his betrayal when he was no better. Looking up, the crying boy stared at his captain's jacket and wondered to himself the same question over and over again.

"How do I make this right?"

Meanwhile…
Las Noches; Szayelapporo's Lab

With its owner gone to capture Kisuke Urahara, the laboratory had been left in the hands of two of Szayelapporo's men. The two small, round Arrancars, Lumina and Verona, both turned as they felt the scary pressure of the enhanced Espadas. "Wow! Grimmjow and Nnoitora are even scarier!" Lumina quaked.

"Relax! Master Szayelapporo would never let them hurt us," defended Verona. A loud boom came from above them and the two looked up. "Looks like Master Szayelapporo is busy getting his hands on Kisuke Urahara."

Inside the vat behind them, something that could not be called Human anymore opened a monstrous eye. That name. It remembered that name.

"Master Szayelapporo said he wanted his brain. As long as he doesn't make another scary one like he did that other Soul Reaper. Huh?" Verona heard something behind him. "What's wrong with her?"

"Careful!" squeaked Lumina while it's friend approached the vat. "That one seems really dangerous!"

"She's been quiet all of a sudden. Maybe she finally died? Master Szayelapporo really went to town on her. I can't remember the last time I saw someone vivisected like that." Verona stood in front of the vat and peered inside, making out the misshapen figure that was obscured by bubbles. "If you're lonely, don't worry. Master Szayelapporo will bring your friend here soon. Oooh! Maybe the other Espada will bring your friends' pieces! Then you'll have lots of food to-"

Verona never finished his statement. A clawed hand glowing with yellow Reishi smashed through the glass and grabbed his face. With a low growl, the creature crushed the Fracción's head like a tomato, blood covering the floor as the rotund Arrancar's body hit the floor.

"Verona!" squealed Lumina. The Arrancar darted for the door. "Oh no! I need to get Master Szayel-"

Like lightning the creature burst out of the vat. "GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Lumina never had the chance to realize his own demise. In the span of two seconds the creature had burst out of the vat, leapt across the lab and was upon him, tearing off his head in seconds. For all Lumina was, all he was now was just food for the creature. Feasting upon the helpless Arrancar, the creature ate its Lumina in his entirety before gorging itself on Verona.

Sensing all of the battling spiritual pressures around it, the creature recognized several. Old memories of a life no longer its own came to it. A word popped into its mind, one that the creature held onto in order to focus its scattered thoughts.

Friends.

Its friends needed it.

Meanwhile…
Uryu vs. Rudbornn

The leader of the Exequias looked on at the sea of men that lay across the battlefield. "What a fool. You should have stayed in your world where you belonged, Quincy. This is the realm of Hollows. Anyone who dares defy us gets devoured." Rudbornn turned his head and felt Grimmjow and Nnoitora activate their new release states. "Such power…" The man felt incredibly jealous of the Espada for gaining Aizen's new gift. The Mejorada Resurección was too much for him, leaving the Arrancar left envious of his betters.

But his musings disappeared when he was suddenly aware of the death of the Number Nine Espada, Aaroniero. "What? How can this be? Lord Aaroniero!" Thanks to Aaroniero's ability, Rudbornn knew of its demise and how Orihime blew him apart from within. "How can a simple Human girl have such power?!"

A voice behind Rudbornn startled him. "Looks like your coveted Espada aren't as invincible as you thought. Guess you're the ones who underestimated us."

From out of nowhere a blue arrow shot towards Rudbornn and blasted one of his branches off his back. "What?!" Turning around, Rudbornn was dumbfounded to see Uryu was still alive, standing on a platform of Reishi. "You should have been crushed!"

"I used Hirenkyaku to avoid the wave by slipping through the spaces between your men. You were so sure of your victory you didn't even look up." Uryu pulled back on his bow. "I've seen enough. I wanted to gauge your capabilities compared to the Arrancars I saw fighting in Karakura Town. Looks like you're just an Arrancar at the bottom of the totem pole, only fit to be Aizen's cleaner. And judging by how your spirit energy doesn't contain Ichigo's signature, it looks to me like you weren't even worth giving a power boost. In the end, you weren't worth my time."

Uryu's words struck every nerve in Rudbornn's body. "You…damn…STRIPLING!" Rudbornn raised his lightning-bolt branch. "You dare disrespect me?!"

The branch in Rudbornn's hands glowed white. The ground below the two quaked. For a moment Uryu thought he was going to summon another tidal wave of Calaveras soldiers. Then he watched as all of the discarded bodies of Rudbornn's men floated up into the air and began to amass around Rudbornn. The hoard continued to grow around Rudbornn until Uryu was facing a giant orb of bodies, caged together by Rudbornn's roots.

Rudbornn's voice came from every soldier's mouth, a booming echo that thundered across the desert. "This is it, Quincy. Your paltry arrows will not save you this time. I will crush you until there isn't even a smear left on the sands!"

The massive orb loomed over Uryu's head, preparing to come crashing down on top of him. But the Quincy merely scoffed and pushed up his glasses. "Still not impressed. You merely fight by using attrition. To a Quincy, numbers are useless." He pointed his bow up at the cube. Through the eyes of his men, Rudbornn saw Uryu suddenly absorb an extraordinary amount of Reishi from the desert around him. "You picked the wrong opponent, Arrancar."

"Licht Regen!"

Uryu fired. This time his arrows packed as much power as he could muster, shooting an almost endless barrage of blue arrows at the orb. Each arrow blasted a Calaveras soldier into nothingness. Rudbornn was helpless as his most powerful technique, his ultimate weapon and shield, turned to ashes in seconds. Before Rudbornn had realized it, Uryu had blasted his whole orb to nothing, boosted by the energy of Rudbornn's own world.

The Quincy's barrage didn't stop until it'd reached Rudbornn, perforating him with arrows. What was left of the giant orb disintegrated into white ash around Uryu while its genesis plummeted to the ground. "Nghhh…" Rudbornn groaned, trying his best to make it to his feet.

Descending from his platform, Uryu watched as the Arrancar took two steps forward before coughing up blood from his shattered mask. "Lord Aizen…forgive me…" Rudbornn sputtered pathetically before tumbling forward. The Exequias landed on the sands with a heavy thud, dead before he hit the ground.

Letting his bow fade away, Uryu sighed, feeling a little sad at the man's futility. "You were so loyal. Yet Aizen never appreciated you, did he?" he wondered out loud.

Yet he knew this was neither the time nor place for such ruminations. "I'd better hurry. With all of the fighting happening, I can slip inside Aizen's chambers and take back Asahi. As long as I don't look at his Shikai I should be alright."

But even as Uryu was planning his next move, a figure approached the Quincy from behind. He never saw the attack coming…

Meanwhile…
Kisuke vs. Szayelapporo

Szayelapporo watched as Kisuke got swarmed by his men. "How disappointing. I knew that I'd handicapped you by sealing away your powers but I'd hoped that the great Kisuke Urahara could perform under pressure." The pink-haired man raised an eyebrow as he watched as one by one his men were batted away, Kisuke subduing them with only his hands.

"How irresponsible of you, Szayelapporo. You didn't do your research," the shopkeeper chided, picking his cane sword back up. "Didn't Aizen tell you? Before I became a captain, I was the head of the third branch of the Stealth Force: the Confinement Unit."

"So I've heard." Szayelapporo leaned back against the wall. "You were a prison warden, I believe?"

"Indeed. As such, I had the unsavory job of having to deal with inmates without the use of my zanpakuto and subdue some of the strongest and dangerous people in the Soul Society with my bare hands."

The scientist nodded in understanding. "So you're more than capable of hand-to-hand combat. Funny, I assumed that of the two of you, Yoruichi Shihoin was the one who dealt with brute strength."

Kisuke walked forward. "Well, she prefers to get up close and personal with her opponents. I usually take a back seat unless it's necessary. Like right now." Kisuke looked at Szayelapporo with murder in his eyes as he advanced towards him. "What have you done with Yoruichi?"

"Well…" The Espada pushed his glasses forward and pulled himself away from the wall. "Lord Aizen had no need for her, so I did a little experimenting. I opened her up to get a good look at a Soul Reaper's vital organs and then I started to apply some Hollowfication of my own, as well as do some fiddling with her brain. You'll see soon enough. I was even gracious enough to prepare a vat next to hers so you two wouldn't be lonely."

"Heh, and here I thought Mayuri was the sentimental one."

"Oh please, compared to you, he is nothing," the pink-haired scientist waved away dismissively.

"Uh oh…" Kisuke flipped his fan open and hid his smirk behind it. "I get the feeling that somewhere right now Mayuri is feeling quite miffed at being talked down to. But regardless…" His fan snapped close and he put it away. "Hearing you talk about Yoruichi like she's a piece of meat makes me angrier. So shall we get this over with?" He lunged for Szayelapporo, only to hit air. "A projection?"

Kisuke gasped as a new batch of minions swarmed him. Szayelapporo, who'd been on the opposite side of the room, merely laughed mercilessly as they dogpiled Kisuke. "Ahahahaha! The great Kisuke Urahara gets bamboozled. Ah, I'm glad I kept that device after Nnoitora used it on Nel." As Kisuke struggled against the mob, he raised a hand. "All too easy."

With the command signal of his finger snap, the Fraccións all glowed before petrifying around Kisuke, trapping him in stone just like they did Yoruichi. Grinning from ear to ear, Szayelapporo walked over to the grotesque stone prison. "I seem have found the winning formula for capturing captain-class Soul Reapers. Obtaining the others should be easy. Especially now that I've perfected our trump card. Hmm?" Nnoitora and Grimmjow's spiritual pressures roared throughout the fortress. "Well now. The results of my Mejorada Resurección seem to be even better than I thought. I certainly hope that Grimmjow doesn't kill Halibel. Now that it's confirmed that she can give birth, I'm looking forward to seeing what other offspring she can produ-"

Szayelapporo got cut short when the last transmission from Aaroniero's Synchronism ability alerted him to his death. "What? He was defeated even in his altered state? Hmm…" He stroked his chin as he thought about the last few images, of Orihime bursting open his chest from within. "No wonder Lord Aizen desires her powers. I'll be sure to examine her before I hand her over to Lord Aizen."

"I think Orihime would be better off not gracing your dissection table," said Kisuke, standing behind the man.

The Espada had no time to react before Kisuke's sword pierced his chest. "What?! But…how?!" he coughed, staggering forward. He whirled around to find Kisuke alive and unharmed. "How'd you make it out?" He turned back to the cube and found Kisuke's face still entombed within. "What trickery is this?"

Smirking, Kisuke reached into his robe and pulled out a small ball. "What? You think you're the only one who can pull the old switcheroo?" He blew into the ball and out popped another Kisuke. "A portable Gigai!" he presented.

"Remarkable. Eh?" Szayelapporo's eyes turned to the sword in Kisuke's hands. His confusion only grew when he saw that Kisuke had released his Shikai. "How? I sealed away your spirit energy!"

"Well, while you were so busy with your monologue, I did some sleuthing and I happened to find the mechanism that you were using." Kisuke cocked a thumb over to the far wall in the distance. "While my Gigai was busy distracting you and those Fraccións of yours, I dismantled the device you had keeping my Shikai sealed away or my Kidō."

Szayelapporo turned and found a large chunk of the wall had been ripped out. The device he'd planted to suppress Kisuke's spirit energy destroyed. He'd been so caught up on the Gigai he hadn't even realized! "How?! I…I would have noticed…" He coughed up more blood, pressing a hand to his bleeding chest wound.

The murderous rage in Kisuke returned to his eyes. "Some scientist you are. Did you forget I was member of the Stealth Force? Before I was a captain, a scientist or a warden, I was first and foremost an assassin." Kisuke's clogs clanked heavily throughout as he advanced once more. "Now then, for the last time: What did. You do. To Yoruichi?!"

A grin full of blood spread across Szayelapporo's face. "You are everything I've heard of and then some. But…you haven't won yet." From his pocket he produced a glass cube filled with Ichigo's spiritual pressure. "Wanna guess what it is?"

"The Mejorada Resurección you were going on about. So that's Ichigo's spiritual pressure in a more condensed, potent form."

"Precisely. You saw what happened to Barragan's men? That's what happens when I implanted it within a mere Fracción. Watch what happens when an Espada incorporates it into their body. And unlike Aaroniero, I'm not about to be done in by my own power." Right in front of Kisuke Szayelapporo stuffed the cube into his mouth and swallowed it. Drawing his sword, he repeated the action he'd taken earlier in their previous fight.

"Sip: La Lujuriosa!"

To be continued