Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Forty-One

With Kisuke

Kisuke had landed in a large room, dimly lit with lights on the walls. Looking around, he was unsurprised to find that he was surrounded by Szayelapporo's minions, the same ones who took Yoruichi. "So, I see the welcome party. Where's my host?" he asked coyly.

A door opened to the side and out stepped Szayelapporo. The smug Espada felt giddy as he walked towards Kisuke. "Well, hello once again. I didn't think we'd meet so soon. To think you'd come here yourself…" He grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you for coming all this way to volunteer yourself for my experiments. I can't wait to examine that glorious brain of yours." He sarcastically bowed.

"Well, I can't say I'm not flattered. I am proud of my noggin. But sadly I'm just here to pick up a friend. And since you saved me the trouble of tracking you down…" Kisuke tilted his hat up and for once Szayelapporo saw the former captain in the shadow of the candy shop owner. "Where is she?"

Szayelapporo circled Kisuke while they spoke. The Espada didn't feel threatened by Kisuke's angry spiritual pressure. He had a little surprise for Kisuke. "Oh, I just put the final touches on her. She's in my lab right now although you'd hardly recognize her. It was such a treat to open up a captain-class Soul Reaper that was all in one piece and see what makes her tick. Although I must confess, my ears are still ringing from her screaming, so you'll have to excuse me if I ask you to speak up. Of course, you're far more of a prize than she is."

Kisuke kept his cool. Hearing Szayelapporo talk made him angrier than he'd ever been before and his stomach churned at the thought of what Szayelapporo might have done to his best friend. He hated himself for letting Yoruichi be kidnapped by the enemy. Still, Kisuke had to reassure himself that he could undo whatever had been done to Yoruichi. "Well, thank you for telling me where she is. Now if you'll excuse me, I really have to go."

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere." Szayelapporo pulled out his zanpakuto from its sheath. "Ichigo Kurosaki and Tier Halibel belong to Lord Aizen and Nnoitora wants to settle the score with Nel. The rest of your friends are dead meat. You, on the other hand, are all mine."

"Sorry, but my brain is saving itself for Mayuri." Kisuke pulled out his sword from his cane. "And now that we're no longer in Karakura Town, I don't need to hold back. Awaken: Benihime!" But to Kisuke's shock, however, his zanpakuto glowed for a moment before reverting back to its sealed state. He tried again and still it refused to release. "Huh, well…I swear this never happens to me."

"Oh, don't worry about your performance, that would be me," snickered the mad scientist. "Did you think I would face the Kisuke Urahara without an ace up my sleeve? I analyzed your spiritual pressure from our last battle and configured it to a device that blocks your Shikai's release. Can't have you putting up a struggle." Szayelapporo raised a hand. "And unlike your friend, I don't believe a scientist like yourself can use brute force like she can. You know what that means?"

With a snap of his fingers, Szayelapporo loosed his minions upon Kisuke.

"Looks like your number's up."

Meanwhile…
Uryu vs. Exequias

Uryu jumped into the air, dodging a strike from another of Rudbornn's Calavera soldiers. He fired an arrow at the soldier, watching him crumple to the sand from the arrow in his head. He looked up at the observing Rudbornn. "Damn! Looks like he can create these things infinitely."

Rudbornn calmly watched as Uryu weaved between his soldiers, taking them down one after the other. In his released state, the Arrancar's body was now wrapped in white tree-like roots, sticking into the ground and elevating him high into the air. Behind him were a series of branching spreading out from across his back, spawning more and more Calavera soldiers to throw at Uryu. When the Quincy tried to take a pot shot at Rudbornn, he batted it away with his zanpakuto, now in the shape of a lightning-bolt branch. "What's the matter, Quincy? I heard that your tribe were skilled warriors, not dancers. Skirting around my troops will not earn you victory."

Scowling, Uryu drew back further on his bow. "I wouldn't get so smug. I've simply been testing the capabilities of your soldiers. Not impressed. I can see why you didn't make the cut as an Espada."

"Impudent brat…" seethed Rudbornn. "You know nothing of the glory of the Espadas. And even though I am not among their ranks, my god-like ability is more than enough to deal with you, stripling." More of his soldiers spawned from his branches like fruit from a tree. "You are one man. I am legion. For we are many."

Moving across the desert with Hirenkyaku, Uryu drew his bow back and channeled the Reishi around him. "Don't underestimate the Quincy." Releasing the drawstring, Uryu fired a full volley of over a thousand arrows at Rudbornn. "If cutting through the fruit won't do anything, I'll cut down the tree."

Rudbornn calmly raised a hand. "You overestimate yourself, Quincy." A wall of Calaveras appeared in front of him, shielding him from the volley. The soldiers glowed blue, creating a powerful barrier against Uryu's arrows. Uryu cursed, not realizing that the soldiers had other abilities. As the blue wall faded away, the soldiers disintegrated but were quickly replaced by more soldiers. "So, here we are again."

"If that's all you can do, then you're not going to be able to get me," Uryu taunted.

The Exequias leader kept his cool and didn't let Uryu's jabs get to him. "So, my soldiers can be felled easily. But you cannot reach me. It looks like this might be an endless battle. However," Rudbornn pointed his weapon at Uryu. "This is a battle between a Human and an Arrancar. And I don't need to point out whose stamina will last longer. You'll exhaust yourself and die upon these sands."

Uryu took aim at Rudbornn's branches again. But before he could get another shot off, the ground started to rumble. "Blast! This is…" He'd completely underestimated Rudbornn's tree-like ability. If his roots dug deep into the sands of Hueco Mundo then that would mean…

"That's right. With the power of my Arbol, all of Hueco Mundo is my forest. For me, the desert of Hueco Mundo is an Eden. But for you, it's Hell."

The desert sands opened, spawning countless soldiers. The flood of soldiers came down like a tidal wave and he disappeared beneath the giant wave…

Meanwhile…
With Ichigo

Staring at the Arrancar in confusion, the young Substitute was baffled by his behavior. "What…do you mean? You aren't here to fight?"

Ulquiorra's cold, empty gaze unnerved Ichigo. Halibel had once told him that the stoic Espada was one for few words but even Byakuya's stone-cold demeanor had more life than his. "I am under orders to not engage you in combat unless you draw first. And there is no need to provoke a confrontation out of you. Your purpose is to reunite with your daughter. I am here to take you to her."

"Why? Why would Aizen tell you to lead me straight to Asahi?" Ichigo questioned. "I'm here to take back Asahi and crush Aizen."

Ulquiorra shook his head. "I could ask you the same thing? Why?"

"Why what?"

The two started to circle each other. Ichigo's hand twitched as he prepared for a sudden attack. Ulquiorra gave off the impression of a dark predator just waiting to suddenly go in for the kill. And while Ichigo had been able to hold his own against Barragan pre-release state, Ichigo had a bad feeling about the rest of the Espadas ever since he first entered Las Noches.

"Why do you continue to struggle against Lord Aizen?" He snapped his fingers and a series of images appeared on the wall behind him. The first image was one that Ichigo was all too familiar with: Aizen stabbing him in the stomach back on the Sokyoku Hill. "Do you really think that anything's changed? You are no match for him. For all your gains, for all Halibel's training, you're still only human."

The next image showed Ichigo being confronted by the four captains. "And you stand alone against the Soul Reapers. They not only view you as dangerous as us, but now that they know Lord Aizen has been behind your development, they will see you little more as a living weapon. They plotted to murder you as soon as your back was turned." The final image made Ichigo's breath hitch: it was Asahi sleeping in a floating white orb. "And they wish death to your daughter as well. And considering the personalities of the captains, they will desire death to your whole family."

Ending the slideshow, Ulquiorra gestured to the stairs. "Lord Aizen wishes to speak with you personally. He has kept your daughter out of harm from any Espada would wished to hurt her."

"Why would I listen to anything he has to say? I think I've heard enough from him." Ichigo remembered Aizen's words back in Karakura Town. He was still unsure of himself after hearing that Aizen was behind everything.

"Both myself and Lord Aizen wish to appeal to your sense of self-preservation. Fighting him will gain you nothing. And even if you take your daughter and run, where will you go? Hueco Mundo is the only place Hollows like us can live."

"I am not a Hollow! I'm a Human!"

Ulquiorra snapped his fingers. The image of Ichigo in his masked form came alive behind him, the image focusing on the hole in Ichigo's chest. "Are you?" He saw Ichigo hesitate and twisted the knife. "You aren't Human anymore. And you aren't a real Soul Reaper. Slowly but surely Tier Halibel has molded you into one of us, whether she'd admit it or not. Your zanpakuto can cut me down. But it cannot cut the truth." He gestured to the stairs again. "Now, follow me and I'll take you to Lord Aizen."

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak. He didn't know what he was going to say. Perhaps it was a rebuttal to Ulquiorra's cold words or an acceptance of the man's offer. Whatever he was going to say, however, the words died in his mouth when he felt a monstrous spiritual pressure in the distance. "What the hell? What is that?"

"That would be Aaroniero. You and Tier Halibel belong to Lord Aizen, whether you choose to accept that or not. However, your friends are fair play."

"Orihime! Rukia!"

"You led your lambs to the slaughterhouse, Ichigo Kurosaki. And it looks like begging Lord Aizen to spare them is now your only option. Now, for the last time: Are you coming with me or not?"

Meanwhile…

Rukia & Orihime vs. Aaroniero

Fear.

That was all Rukia felt as she stared at the being that towered over her and Orihime. Hollows were monsters. Rukia had been taught this when she entered the academy. But this…this wasn't a monster.

This was a devil.

Orihime shook from head to toe. Aaroniero's spiritual pressure was monstrous. It felt very similar to Ichigo's but darker and more sinister. With his new transformation Aaroniero looked like something out of her darkest nightmares.

"Such power! I didn't know such power existed. Such primal energy. Yesssss…" seethed Aaroniero, its twin heads cackling as spirit energy crackled around him. "I can see what Lord Aizen saw in Ichigo Kurosaki if his energy could do this to us." He turned his attention back to the terrified girls. "We like those expressions. Make sure you keep them as we devour you."

Tears ran down Rukia's face. 'What have I done? Kaien, I failed you. And I let Orihime follow me straight to Hueco Mundo! He's going to kill us both! What have I done?!'

Aaroniero pointed his left-arm maw at the helpless Rukia. The crying girl's eyes widened when a massive blast of energy out of the appendage, like a flame of spirit energy. Her will to fight gone, Rukia stood there shaking as death neared her.

"Santen Kesshun!"

Orihime's golden shield appeared in front of Rukia, protecting her from the blast. Orihime ran to Rukia and shook her friend's shoulders. "Rukia! Snap out of it!"

"But-"

"This isn't Kaien!" She pointed at the monster that once wore Kaien's face. "He might have taken Kaien's body, but that doesn't mean you failed him!"

"Silly girl, nothing you say can change the facts. Kaien is a part of me." Aaroniero was amused by Orihime's attempts to challenge him. "That shield. To block my attack while I'm in my Mejorada Resureccion is impressive. I can see why Lord Aizen took an interest in your powers. Let's see what it will take to crack it." Aaroniero stretched out it's right hand. Rukia's horror only increased when a weapon appeared in its palm with a blaze of black and red energy. A weapon she knew all too well: Kaien Shiba's Nejibana.

"Remember this, Rukia? Metastacia destroyed it the night you murdered Kaien Shiba. But when I took his body, it reformed and I claimed possession of it. His body, his memories, his zanpakuto. All of them belong to me. And it's all thanks to you!"

The blue and silver trident was filled with Aaroniero's tainted energy. Morphed by the power of his augmented release state, the sleek silver metal darkened into a thorny black, energy swirling around the head of the weapon. Spinning the weapon around, Aaroniero slammed it into Orihime's shield. The orangette struggled to maintain her shield, the barrier cracking from the heavy hit.

"Rukia!" she cried out as Aaroniero continued hammering her shield, cracking it again and again. "Help me! Please!" For a moment, Rukia could do nothing. All she could feel was guilt and anguish. But she was snapped back to reality when Orihime next said, "Would Kaien want you to give up?"

In an instant, Rukia realized that her friend was right. She remembered Kaien thanking her after she stabbed him. He never hated her for what she did. And even if he did, what did it matter? Right now Ichigo needed her help. His child needed her help. And more importantly, Orihime needed her help.

Drawing her sword, Rukia jumped into the air. "Dance: Sode no Shirayuki!" Her zanpakuto released into its pure white form. "Get! Away! From! ORIHIME!"

Just as Orihime's barrier shattered, Rukia landed behind Aaroniero and spun around. "Some no Mai: Tsukishiro!"

A circle of ice surrounded her and Aaroniero. Rukia jumped away but Aaroniero, despite knowing about Rukia's techniques, remained still. The girls watched as the circle froze around the Espada. But if Rukia thought her freezing technique would get the best of the twisted creature, she was dead wrong.

Dark purple spirit energy erupted from the frozen Espada, destroying the ice pillar and freeing himself. "Was that supposed to kill me? Even if we didn't have any knowledge of your techniques, we've become so powerful that no amount of snow or ice and kill us."

Orihime was the next to attack. "Tsubaki! I Reject!" From her hairpins launched her primary weapon, the spirit spinning towards Aaroniero. But the Espada merely spun around Nejibana and formed a tidal wave of energy. Tsubaki bounced off the wave and was sent flying. "Oh no! Tsubaki!"

"Well, this has been fun. But we've stalled long enough…" Aaroniero held up its maw and a wicked tongue made of purple spirit energy spilled out. "Time to feed."

Rukia cursed. If this was one of the weakest Espadas, then who knows how powerful Aizen had made the others. Still, she had to fight. She had to protect Orihime. "Orihime, get behind me!" She put her hands together and began to chant.

"Oh? Still struggling? Go on then." Aaroniero beckoned with its dark hand. "Hit us with your best shot."

"You asked for it! Hadō #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!" Rukia's strongest spell fired at full blast. The Soul Reaper had put all her energy into this one spell, knowing there was little else that could stop the Espada. She watched with vindictive pride as the fireball engulfed Aaroniero.

But her pride shattered when she saw what happened next.

Just when she thought she couldn't be anymore terrified, Aaroniero held out his maw…and devoured Rukia's Kidō! "No…no way! That's impossible!"

"For a Soul Reaper, perhaps. But my limitless potential propels me to new heights. Even a full incantation Kidō at the seventies means nothing to me now. You've lost, girls. Now, let me show you my true power!" Aaroniero dug its feet-hands into the ground and whipped its tendril around, its spirit energy tongue cracking like a whip. The Espada's twin heads opened their mouths to let out a flood of pink drool that dripped down its front. "Glutoneria Fuerte!"

Slamming the tongue down, Aaroniero unleashed his new technique. A wave of dark pink liquid emerged from the ground, threatning to kill the girls in one fell swoop.

Orihime instinctively jumped in front of Rukia. Rukia realized too late to stop her friend. "Orihime, run!"

"Santen Kesshun!"

Her barrier went up in front of them but it could not withstand the wave of energy. It shattered on contact and swept the girls away. Aaroniero watched the girls disappear in the attack, licking its lips with glee. The force of the blow was so strong that it blew apart most of his palace.

When the dust settled, Orihime blinked her eyes open, her vision hazy and her body aching with pain. A trail of blood obscured her left eye and with what vision she could see from her right, she found her clothes ragged and her body covered in injuries. She tried to move but her legs refused. A shot of pain later told the orangette that her left leg was broken. In the distance she could see Rukia, half buried under rubble. She wasn't moving. "Ru…kia…" she whispered, in too much pain to even scream.

A hand grabbed her throat and yanked her up off the floor, bringing her face to face with Aaroniero. "I didn't hold back with that attack. To think you're still in one piece, let alone alive. But that is perfect for us. Heheheheheh…" The maw let out its tongue again. Orihime cringed as the wicked tongue licked her cheek, tasting her blood. "Lord Aizen specifically wanted you alive because of your powers. But…" The twin faces leered at the girl. "He only wanted your powers. Not you. You're going to taste delicious…"

Orihime's blood ran cold when the maw grew in size, looming over her. "Soten-"

Rukia opened her eyes and groaned with pain. Her memory refused to work for a few moments before the pain throughout her entire body jolted her back to the present. "What…what happened? Orihime? Where's Orihime?" She looked around to find her friend.

When she saw her, Rukia could do nothing but scream at the top of her lungs. "ORIHIMEEEEEEE!" Tears fell from her eyes as she watched Aaroniero's maw devour Orihime, gobbling her up whole.

"Ahhhhh…" Aaroniero sighed as it finished eating Orihime. Licking its lips, the Espada turned its attention to the fallen Rukia. "She tasted better than I expected…"

To be continued…