Akio's blade clashed with his opponent's, though only for a second as the Commander disengaged and backed away. His opponent, fairly younger than him and a few inches shorter than him, did not back down and kept attacking Akio relentlessly. His opponent held their weapon in their left hand, while Akio had his in his right. The young man continued his attacks at the Commander, slashing, thrusting, and doing whatever he can to land a hit. Akio was too fast for his opponent though, being able to block and redirect every attack that came at him. He had to give it to his opponent though, he was stubborn and refused to back down.

So, they went for a while, attacks and counterattacks exchanged between them, but Akio was always one step of his opponent. They had a good distance between them, backing away from the clash, and Akio examined who he was fighting; he was no more than a boy compared to him, having bright blue eyes, his dark hair in a mess, with the tips being dark red. He was starting to get exhausted, his breaths starting to get slow and labored, though Akio was starting too as well. The boy grinned, "Looks like...you're starting to get tired old man." He said with a breath in the middle of it.

"You're...not exactly one to talk." Akio said back. "You think...you can go for a little longer? And I told you...stop calling me old man."

Akio's son, Ichiro Yamamoto, couldn't help but grin again. "Oh, I think I certainly can." Ichiro said with some confidence as he came rushing right back at Akio. He held his Zanpakuto towards his body and just with his left hand, and when close enough slashed outwards. Akio blocked the attack, bringing his own Zanpakuto up with ease, and then redirected the blade. Ichiro's momentum made him stumble forward a bit but caught himself by using a quick Shunpo before his father could quick adjust or retaliate.

Or he thought it would…as his father had no troubles pursuing him even without using a Shunpo. Ichiro had his back turned to his father but was able to quick adjust himself and turn to face him and bring his Zanpakuto up with him to block an attack. Their weapons clashed for but a brief second before Akio went on an offensive; releasing quick, simple attacks at his son. Ichiro was able to keep up with most of them; but both of them were already getting tired…they had been sparring for quite some time already.

Ichiro did his best to weather the storm though, blocking and evading the attacks from his father as he tried his best to find an opening. It basically never came though; his father's form basically perfect…until he noticed his father's hand trembling a little. Seeing if he could use that, Ichiro blocked a few more attacks from his father; then still holding his Zanpakuto with just his left hand was able to push his father's Zanpakuto away. Ichiro then moved himself to stand right in front of his father and brought his Zanpakuto straight forward…right by his father's neck.

Father and son were both panting and exhausted; barely keeping themselves standing. "We've been at this…for damn near an hour dad," Ichiro said between deep breaths. "Think…I'm still not ready?"

Akio looked down at his son, his breaths incredibly deep and ragged; but that familiar look of determination was in his eyes the whole time. Father and son stared at each other for a while before the Captain-Commander let out a chuckle, which made Ichiro pull his blade back and put away his Zanpakuto. "No…you're definitely ready for sure," Akio answered as with a few labored breaths of his own he put his Zanpakuto away as well and the two almost collapsed onto the ground to sit down and catch a breather.

They didn't say anything to each other for quite a while; father and son just sitting there getting their breaths back. Until finally Ichiro asked, "That means I don't have to do these anymore right?" His breath was still a little deep and labored but recovering.

Akio not so much; his breaths still more labored than his son's. He answered though, "Well not as rigorous or often anymore that's for sure. But once we start on trying more to control yo-"

"Oh Ichiro!" A female voice yelled, interrupting Akio. Both men looked to see a woman with long red hair coming out of the Squad One barracks. "Ryoichi is waiting for you!"

"Thanks mom; let him know I wanna take a quick shower first!" Ichiro said as he watched his mother walk back into the building. The young Shinigami sat for a little while longer before he finally stood back up, "See you later dad." He said, giving his father a simple wave and smile before walking off.

Akio did the same back to his son, watching his son walk into the barracks, his wife coming back out just a little after Ichiro went inside. The Captain-Commander stayed where he sat down, his beautiful, redhead wife making her way to him.

Once Hikari reached her husband she sat down, the couple giving each other a kiss as Hikari sat down in her husband's lap and asked, "So any progress today?"

Akio showed a smile; which showed the pride he had in his son. "He's ready," is all he said on the matter.

Hikari turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, "Already? I thought maybe-"

"Trust me my love…our boy is ready," Akio said. "It's time to have some faith in him."

Hikari of course couldn't help but show a smile; though chuckled a little herself. "I suppose you would know…you Yamamoto boys somehow understand each other better than others." She said, teasing her husband a little; as he was put through the same training with his father Haichi. "So, how else was things today?" She asked him with a smile.

"Well, some of the usual; more paperwork, Central 46 coming after me for some trivial stuff, etc, etc." He said with a little smirk. "And you?"

"Had five people administered to my barracks today," Hikari said in a serious tone. "Attacked by a small hollow swarm. Did you-"

"Yeah, I heard," Akio said nodding his head. "Must have been another Garganta that opened up around there; Niara is on it and might even have her sister help with it. Kiara hasn't really been able to do much anyways with the Katsumata family suddenly becoming aggressive towards us."

Hikari didn't say anything but instead just nodded her head. The twin Co-Captains, Kiara and Niara, may run the same squad, being Squad Nine, but Niara protected the Seireitei and Kiara protected the Rukongai. As of late though Kiara hadn't been able to let Shinigami near some of the higher districts of the Rukongai, the Katsumata noble family now suddenly becoming so hostile towards the Gotei 13 that they even openly attacked Shinigami. They thought it might have something to do with Ryoichi becoming a Shinigami but, their intentions have yet to be revealed.

"But forget about any of that for the moment," Akio said with a smile. A hand went down to Hikari's chin and he bent down to kiss his wife gently. Hikari almost instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, accepting the kiss with a smile. Akio then suddenly picked up Hikari and she couldn't help but squeak a bit, Akio having a hand under her legs and behind her back. "Well, I suppose we shouldn't waste this sudden but welcomed alone time," Akio said with a smirk.

Hikari smirked back, one of her fingers tracing across his jawline, going through the beard. "That we should not." They kissed once more but it was interrupted, as one of their phones suddenly vibrated. It was Akio's, who put Hikari down and reached inside his haori to pull out his phone and looked to see what it was.

"Sorry, this one needs my attention."

"That's fine," she said and gave him a kiss, "Go do what you need to do. I'll be waiting though," she said the last part with a smirk. She walked into the Squad One barracks, and Akio couldn't help but smile, as he went to where the message indicated.

Ichiro opened the main door to the Squad One barracks, leaving the building after taking his quick shower. Sure enough, standing there in an opening was his best friend. Ryoichi Katsumata was a bit shorter than his best friend Ichiro, and not as built as him. He had messy blonde hair with green eyes, wearing the normal shihakushou outfit but was sleeveless. He was the Lieutenant of Squad Ten, and so wore the Lieutenant's badge on his left arm, and lastly had his Zanpakuto on his chest, a sash going from his left shoulder to right hip holding it there. Both boys smiled when they saw each other, then giving their usual greeting of pressing their forearms together. "You got done a little early Ryoichi," Ichiro said to his best friend.

Ryoichi put a hand on the back of his head, "Well things went a lot smoother today."

Ichiro gave a thumbs up, "Alright then; we aren't going to be late, are we?" He asked as they started walking together.

Ryoichi shook his head, "Nah; she's been waiting for you with no problems...at least that's what she told me." His best friend shrugged and then the two of them just headed to their destination. It in fact wasn't that far, only going up to the roof of the Squad One barracks. A usual spot for the boys to hang out after their work for the day was done. They had one extra join them now, and there she was sitting there, looking out over the whole Seireitei. Co-Captain Niara Sakamoto saw the boys walking towards them and smiled, "Hey there." She greeted, her voice warm and smoothing.

Ichiro couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. Her long black hair seemed to shine from the remaining sunlight, and her emerald green eyes sparkled and were full of life. She had her haori off for now, which revealed her sleeveless kisode, though everything else about her outfit was left unaltered. Ichiro sat next to her, an arm going over her shoulders, and giving her a small kiss on the cheek. "Hey Beautiful," he said getting a bit more comfortable. Niara doing the same as she put an arm around Ichiro's back and let her head rest on his shoulder. "So, anything interesting happen?"

"Well; if we're talking about just my job then yes," Niara started. "There was another Garganta that opened up letting in a group of hollows. Thankfully it was in a fairly empty area of the Seireitei but...five people were admitted to Squad Four."

Ichiro nodded and said, "Well if anyone can work miracles it's my mom." He said with some confidence.

The three of them then chatted with each other for a little while; sharing things that happened to them through the day. It was somewhat interrupted as all of a sudden all of their phones started to go off; their own separate tones and noises going off. All 3 of them grabbed their phones and looked.

"Hollows," Niara said in a serious face as she suddenly stood up out of Ichiro's grasp.

"This close to the Squad One barracks?" Ryoichi asked in terrible confusion.

"And not to mention from seemingly nowhere…again," Niara answered back. She turned to Ichiro, "I'm sorry but I have to-"

"I'll come with you," Ichiro said as he stood up. Before Niara could even say anything, Ichiro continued, "I'm technically in Squad One so I'd be able to actually help as part of work." Ichiro paused for a bit then also said, "And Ryoichi technically could come with us as well since he's in the 'Misfit' Squad."

"I-I didn't say I would come," Ryoichi said. "Don't try and mix me up in this."

"Come on Ryo," Ichiro told him with a smirk. "It's not like we haven't fought real hollows before."

The Lieutenant tried to say something back but stopped, "Y-you're gonna just drag me along anyways…alright I'm in."

Ichiro turned back to Niara, "See…it shouldn't be bad with the three of us."

The Co-Captain couldn't help but cross her arms and close her eyes. "You're going to come even if I so no…won't you?"

"Probably…most likely…actually yes I will." Ichiro said with a smile.

Niara sighed and stayed silent for a while. "Alright fine…just please don't get cocky or carried away with anything."

Ichiro showed her another smile, "I wouldn't dare dream of it."

Akio headed into the Squad Seven barracks; the Captain standing there waiting for him. Captain Kenshin Igura was Akio's closest friend since their days in the Academy. His dark blonde hair was a bit messy, though more of a calculated mess, and same for the beard he had that covered his jawline. His hazel eyes had a bit of concern; which told Akio that this really was serious. He wore an incredibly altered outfit; his Captain's haori being a white vest and wearing a long-sleeved black shirt underneath; with the sleeves being tighter than the normal. The pants looked to be normal hakamas but were not incredibly baggy like normal, and lastly wore the normal socks and sandals.

"Alright Kenshin," Akio said not wasting any more time. "What have you got for me?"

"Another group from the Katsumata family attacked a patrolling Shinigami," Kenshin explained. "Luckily no one was killed, and we even managed to capture one of the men working for the Katsumatas."

Akio listened closely and could only sigh. "Has he talked at all?"

"Only gave us his name," Kenshin answered. "Haruki Kobayashi; his family isn't even in the upper echelon yet he willingly works for the Katsumata family."

The Commander nodded, "Take me to him."

So Kenshin led his best friend through some rooms, everyone wanting to stand up and salute Akio but he simply dismissed them and let them be. Captain Igura then opened a door and motioned Akio in. He closed the door behind them; and the room they were in had a simple desk with a two-way mirror in one side. Akio looked through the mirror and saw the man; he was simple, with messy short brown hair and green eyes. His wardrobe was a simple brown shirt and hakama pants, along with some straw sandals. He was sitting at a simple wooden table, with an empty chair across from it.

"This is him," Kenshin said. "We've tried asking him about the family's intentions but…he just gives us his name and nothing more."

Akio thought for a while, looking at the man. He was staring off into space, not really looking at anything or around the room as well; just looking forward at the door. "Let me try talking to him," Akio finally said.

"Alright," Kenshin said a bit reluctantly. "But I doubt you'll get any more than we did." Kenshin led them out of this room and went to a door not far from this one. He opened it up and Akio walked in, with Kenshin closing the door behind him. When the Commander walked in the man looked up at Akio, his face unchanging in emotion.

"I did not expect the Captain Commander himself to come see me," the man said. "I should be honored…SHOULD be."

"Don't need to be," Akio said with confidence as he sat down. "I may be Captain-Commander and doing my job…but no need to stand on ceremony or be in awe; at least not yet." The Captain-Commander said; though Haruki couldn't tell if he was being jovial or threatening. Akio cleared his throat a bit then said, "Now Haruki…I'm going to be perfectly honest and straight forward with you and I hope you'll take this back to Old Man Ayumu."

In a fit of anger Haruki suddenly stood up and yelled, "THAT IS MASTER AYUMU KASTUMATA-"

Haruki was suddenly interrupted as he suddenly felt an enormous pressure of sorts; pushing down on him, making him unable to move. It made him feel…afraid, fearful for his life, and almost insignificant. He could barely move his head as he looked at the Captain-Commander, sitting there, nice and calm. "Please Haruki…calm yourself, and take a seat." The pressure ended, and he had to recover from that terrible sensation, still shaken a bit, as he slowly sat back down.

Akio gave Haruki as much time as needed to recover from that; and he only let out a small portion of his Reiatsu. While he was waiting Akio thought about what to say then started, "We are not your enemies Haruki; I don't know what Ayumu's grudge against us has been, and why he has suddenly had people like you working for him, attack Shinigami. Shinigami, who are I might add, just doing their job and making sure there are no hollow attacks in the Rukongai. Now, I HOPE, that this doesn't continue at all, and I would very much like to meet with your father personally in hopes of a talk. Before that can happen though I need to know more, so I have two simple questions for you. Do you know the reason behind your Master's actions of increased aggression? And if you do…do you know what it is?"

Haruki stayed silent; never interrupting the Commander when he asked both of those questions, and stayed silent for a while when he finished asking those questions. Akio waited patiently to see if he would respond at all; and he did. "If I answer these questions for you Commander…, will you release me?"

"Absolutely," Akio answered. "You'll immediately be led back to the Rukongai and given back your weapon…you have my word…if that means anything to you."

Haruki remained silent once more but then said, "Very well…however; I will only tell them to master Ryoichi Katsumata."

Ichiro, Niara, and Ryoichi all made their way to where the hollows were supposed to be, which thankfully wasn't near any buildings are people. It was out in a dense forest; the forest canopy letting sunlight through in spots here and there. When they got there, there were no signs at all that a Garganta had opened up, and completely silent; like there were no hollows around at all.

Ichiro and Ryoichi seemed to relax a bit, but Niara kept up her guard; her hand on her Zanpakuto. "Be ready you two," she told them. "Just because we can't see or hear them doesn't mean they aren't here." Ichiro acknowledged his girlfriend by bringing out his Zanpakuto, held in his left hand and ready to fight if need be. Ryoichi did the same, bringing out the knife and holding it with his right hand.

It seemed like hours had passed by, when in reality they were there for only about fifteen minutes, when finally, they heard the rustling of trees. All three turned in that direction and saw trees shaking, falling over, as a hollow suddenly burst out from the tree line. Niara was the first to react; in almost an instant her Zanpakuto was out of its scabbard in her right hand, and she was in front of the monster. The Co-Captain attacked with a sudden quickness, as she slashed the monster's mask, making the monster disappear.

The hollow was immediately replaced by two more that came into the clearing from other sides. Ichiro and Ryoichi joined in the fray, as Ichiro went after one of them and Ryoichi going after another. The one that attacked Ichiro was a flying hollow; as it stayed above the ground hovering in the air; and was surprisingly quick. As Ichiro rushed at it the monster was able to move out of the way, dodging out of the way by quick flapping its wings and moving to Ichiro's right. The hollow roared at Ichiro, like it was mocking him for missing it; as it suddenly adjusted itself in midair and charged back at Ichiro.

It's smarter than usual…that's odd, Ichiro thought to himself confused. He prepared himself for the charging hollow, his Zanpakuto at the ready, as the hollow suddenly brought out its tongue, which was strangely large, and it swiped at Ichiro. It was easy enough to deal with, as Ichiro was able to move out of the way of the enlarged tongue, and cut it clean in two; the tongue severed in half. This made the hollow roar and rear in pain, as it stumbled back a bit. This gave Ichiro the opening he needed, as he held his Zanpakuto in front of him, poised to strike as he charged at the hollow.

While Ichiro was dealing with that hollow Ryoichi was dealing with the other one; which was a large sized hollow, that had its knuckles on the ground. It stood at an enormous twenty feet high; but Ryoichi kept his calm as he had his dagger sized Zanpakuto at the ready, and would have to use his speed to his advantage against this large, slower enemy. He did not hold back at all, as he flash stepped right to the hollow's mask, ready to strike and slay the hollow. His Zanpakuto connected with the creature's mask…but seemed to just bounce off of it. The hell Ryoichi thought; that should have done the job and eradicated the creature. He didn't have time to think about it, as the hollow suddenly opened its mouth and snapped at the Lieutenant to devour him. Ryoichi saw it coming though and quickly moved out of the way, as he went back down to the ground. Well, if his Zanpakuto didn't work when just in its dormant state…then he had no choice but to go to Shikai.

Ichiro's Zanpakuto connected with the hollow's mask, shattering some of the mask as pieces flew into the air, but it did not kill the creature. He moved back away from it, looking at it dumbfounded. "The fuck," Ichiro breathed out. To make matters even worse, the pieces of the mask that had shattered suddenly seemed to regenerate back, renewing the mask like it was never damaged. The creature then stuck out its tongue…and that had regenerated back as well; having its full tongue back. He sighed in disbelief, "Goddammit; Ryoichi, Niara!" He said to get their attention as the hollow charged at him once more, roaring in anger and using its wings to fly right at him. "These aren't normal hollows!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Ryoichi said. "Launch; Nagareboshi," the Lieutenant said, awakening his Zanpakuto's Shikai. The small blade glowed a hot white, and the blade changed its shape, becoming longer now; being just a little shorter than a dormant Zanpakuto.

Niara would have intervened and helped with the boys, but there was another hollow that had joined in the fray as well. It attacked Niara while her back was to it, hoping it was would take the woman by surprise. That was not the case however, as Niara simply looked at the creature, and with an almost blinding speed had cut it in several different places, cutting off a part of its right arm, its left hand, a large cut in its stomach, and several more. Confident the monster was dealt with, she was about to help Ichiro, but then heard the hollow stir behind her. The Co-Captain turned around and saw that the monster was regenerating, all the cuts she inflicted on it slowly disappearing. "Hmm…seems I have to go after your mask after all," The Co-Captain deduced.

"You can sure as hell try," the hollow spoke back. Niara scoffed it aside, as just like before she attacked the hollow without seemingly moving at all; moving too fast for the hollow to keep up. Her zanpakuto shattered the Hollow's mask into several pieces; almost the whole mask being broken from the attack. However, there was still one small fragment of the mask left untouched. Niara went to put away her Zanpakuto, but stopped herself as she heard the hollow laughing uncontrollably. She looked up, and the mask started to repair itself. Though she was just as shocked as the boys, she remained much calmer then.

"Very well then," Niara said as she understood what she must do. "Ichiro, Ryoichi; you'll have to use your Shikais!" She told the boys, as she then positioned her Zanpakuto so that she had one hand on her Zanpakuto's handle, and the other on the dull side of the blade. "Bring them to justice; Kin no Hime." Niara said which activated her Shikai; as the Zanpakuto glowed a bright yellow and transformed into a completely different weapon. It was a staff; which was a few inches taller than her, golden in color, and was adorned with sturdy, hard studs that are white in color.

The hollow merely laughed at Niara as it was ready to attack her, moving at a surprisingly fast speed. It was not however, even close enough to being fast enough to keep up with Niara. It threw a fist at Niara, which she smashed with her staff, the hand seeming to break apart in several different places. The Co-Captain then went for the mask, suddenly appearing in front of the hollow; simply to let it know it was finished. Her staff collided with the monster's mask, fully shattering it, which then finally made the creature start to dissipate. Niara scoffed in sort of disgust as she reverted her Zanpakuto back to its dormant state; taking on the shape of a normal katana once more, and she put it back in her scabbard. Niara then turned to see how the boys were handling their opponents.

Ryoichi suddenly had the same ease as Niara when he activated his Shikai; as his Shikai could make him move even faster. In almost the blink of an eye Ryoichi seemed to flash away and the hollow he was fighting suddenly dissipated; the large creature turning into several pieces and then floating away.
Ichiro had heard Niara's warning and at first was a little reluctant; using your Shikai for a measly hollow seemed to be a little overkill. However, he knew that if Niara AND Ryoichi had to use theirs then he would need to as well. So, he held his Zanpakuto out to the side and activated his Shikai, "Annihilate, Mikon Mor-"

He stopped himself when these strange light blue walls surrounded the hollow; and Ichiro just stared at confusion. The hollow seemed confused as well and roared…or he would assume so but couldn't know as he suddenly couldn't hear the creature at all. It tried to break through the walls that suddenly surrendered it; but to no avail. "Uhhh…what the hell?"

Niara sighed, "Minoru has several traps for hollows dotted throughout the Seireitei-"

"And in some spots in the Rukon District," a fourth voice said. All three of them looked to see a man with silver hair and translucent green eyes; he wore a Captain's haori that was modified to be more of a lab coat, having two pockets in the front. Underneath that he wore a simple white shirt, and to complete his outfit his hakama pants were more tight fitting, and wore the normal socks and sandals.

Next to him was a woman who was just a little shorter than him, with bright pink hair that was put in a ponytail. She wore a very revealing outfit; her top fully showed her stomach which in turn showed the piercing in her belly button; a jewel chain with a heart at the end. Her sleeves only went down to her elbows, but was still fairly baggy, and had a medium cut to it, showing some skin above her chest. On her lower body she wore a short, tight skirt, and black socks that went up to just below her knees. Lastly, her Zanpakuto rested on her back by her hips, the handle by her right arm; and she had a piercing on the right side of her nose; and golden earrings.

Minoru Wakahisa, Captain of Squad Twelve, walked up to the trapped creature and pulled a box out of one of his pockets. He pulled out what seemed to be a cigarette and put it in his mouth and pushed a button; but it didn't let out any smoke. "I've been trying to capture one of these hollows who keep appearing from these sudden Gargantas for some time," Minoru explained. "Unfortunately, none of them have gotten into any of my traps-"

"Because my sister and I are doing our job," Niara was quick to point out.

"And I'm doing mine," Minoru quick said back. He took a puff of his smokeless cigarette. "Hanami, call the barracks-"

"I did before we even got here," Hanami Jaeger, the Lieutenant of Squad Twelve told her Captain. "They are just waiting on you…so maybe you should stop admiring it and do what you need to?"

Minoru looked over to Niara, Ichiro and Ryoichi, "Thank you but I have it under control from here: Hanami, keep watch just in case."

His Lieutenant sighed, "Yes Captain." She replied back to him.

Niara sighed as well; she knew it was best to leave Minoru alone when he was working. She turned to the boys, "Come on; I need to let the Commander know about this."

Normally, Ichiro would have been reluctant to tell his father he was involved in something like. However, after the training he had today, and his father admitting he was ready; he wasn't worried about any consequences at all. Ichiro showed a smile to Niara, and motioned for Ryoichi to come with as well.

Minoru didn't bother to watch them as he already got involved in his work, as he pulled a small black device out from his other pocket and put it against one of the trap walls. He held it there for a little while, until it beeped. He looked at the device, which had a small screen on it, and seemed happy enough. "Now hopefully I can study these without the hassle of an actual live specimen."

"You sure that thing will work Captain?" Hanami asked.

"We'll find out soon enough; let's dispose of the hollow." The Captain snapped his fingers and there was suddenly a large bloody explosion inside the trap; the walls of the trap being fully covered in blood. Since he was positive the hollow was killed, Minoru did some stuff to make the cage fade away, which did in fact prove that the hollow was killed, and the Captain reset the trap. He took one final look at the small, black device in his hand, and then took off back towards the barracks; his Lieutenant right behind him.

A black hooded woman watched from behind the trees; a little disappointed all her new hollows had died. She was, however, impressed with the new upgrades; they would most definitely make important tools; everything was beginning to fall into place and soon they could set things in motion.

The trio arrived in the Squad One barracks, headed for Akio's office. On their way there they ran into the Lieutenant of Squad One; Daiskue Inato. He stood a little taller than Ichiro, and had black and silver hair that was combed backwards, with his hair in the back standing up a bit, and seafoam green eyes. His outfit was left unaltered, with his Lieutenant's badge on his left arm the band for it was red instead of white. Lastly, he had his Zanpakuto on his right hip inside its black scabbard.

Ichiro was the one to say something to him, "Heya Daisuke," he said with a small wave of his hand. "Is my dad in his office?"

"Sorry Ichiro no; he had urgent business to deal with at the Squad Seven barracks."

"Huh…alright then; thanks Daisuke," Ichiro said and turned to the other two. "Squad Seven then?"

Just as they were all about to agree with that one of their phones suddenly went off; and it was Ryoichi. He pulled it out of his shihakushou, and looked at it, and was just confused. "Uhhh…apparently your dad wants me to go to Squad Seven."

"Huh…well that's terribly convenient," Ichiro said. "Shall we?" Niara lead the way out and towards the barracks.

As they went to Kenshin's Squad barracks Ichiro suddenly asked out of the blue, "Any weird chance that my dad at Squad Seven is also the reason you were called there Ryoichi?"

"Who knows," he answered his best friend. "Guess we'll find out when we get there." It didn't take them long for them to get there, the three easily knowing the way there. When they entered the Squad barracks; both Akio and Kenshin were standing there waiting for Ryoichi, but were surprised when Niara and Ichiro showed up with him.

"Why are you two here as well?" Akio asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can explain while we walk Commander," Niara said sternly, acting professional despite dating his son.

Akio simply nodded his head and had the trio follow him and Kenshin, and during that Niara explained to the Captain Commander what had happened with the hollows. Most specifically though she made sure to tell him about how they had to use their Shikais to even dispatch of the creatures. "There was a third one that Captain Wakahisa managed to capture so you may want to see him if you wish to learn more about them."

The Commander sighed after hearing about this; was there suddenly another new species of hollow? As if he didn't have enough problems as it was today, now he learns about this. "Thank you, Co-Captain Niara, Ichiro...but from here on we only need Ryoichi; you two are dismissed."

Niara was just following her orders and bowed as she went to walk away, and Ichiro knew better than to try and nudge his father about stuff when it came to work. So, he said goodbye to Ryoichi and followed behind Niara, while the Squad Ten Lieutenant followed behind his best friend's father and the Squad Seven Captain. He would have asked why they needed him, but he was too nervous to even try to ask.

The three arrived at their destination, and Kenshin showed the man through the window. Ryoichi seemed confused and suddenly asked, "Uh…uh what does this have to do with me?"

"He works for your parents," Kenshin quick answered him. "He said he'd cooperate with answering some questions…but would only do so if you were here."

Ryoichi made a fist at the mention of his parents, but was able to keep his anger in check. Why the hell did this guy want to talk to him? He would NEVER help his parents at all; there was a reason he ran away to become a Shinigami. The Lieutenant calmed himself down and released a large sigh, after which he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see Akio there smiling at him, "Don't think about it too much; just try to act like yourself." Akio then told Ryoichi what the man's name was and the questions they wanted answer.

That just made Ryoichi a little more nervous, as he took in a breath and exhaled once more. He then collected himself and then walked into the room, and almost as soon as he did the man then suddenly sat up and bowed, "Master Ryoichi Katsumata; it is an honor and a pri-"

"Whoa there," Ryoichi interrupted him.

Haruki Kabayoshi seemed a little confused, "Is something the matter Master-"

"Stop," Ryoichi said putting his hands up in front of him. He took a deep breath then said, "Just…call me Ryoichi…and sit down please."

"Very well M…Ryoichi," Haruki corrected himself as he sat down.

Ryoichi sighed in slight relief as he took a seat himself. "Look," Ryoichi said wanting to get it done with, "I really don't want to be here for as long as I have to so I'm just gonna ask you a question and you answer; alright?" Haruki nodded, and Ryoichi asked his first question, "Why is it that my p-" Ryoichi had to stop himself for a little bit, feeling the anger suddenly come again. "Why is it that my parents are suddenly being hostile to the Gotei 13?"

"Well to be more precise; it is your father," Haruki answered. "He has with him a fairly good informant that knows how the Gotei 13 operates and well…he has told Ayumu that the Gotei 13 is planning to attack his house…and so is attacking first."