Born to Darkness, Ascend to Light

by Nightshade4316

(AU)The Shinigami didn't restore Ichigo's Shinigami powers when Ginjō stole his Fullbring. Tsukishima never removed the influence of his 'Book of the End'. Yhwach is actually a good emperor to the Wandenreich. Mayuri is the usual mad scientist as always and the Gotei 13 will pay the price for his actions. A Sternritter Ichigo with a powerful Schrift and Hollow powers. Quincy!Ichigo

4. Meeting the Femritters

Disclaimer : I do not own anything from Bleach. If I did, there would've been some fun interactions between Candice and Ichigo when they fought... Although I think the way Ichigo warned Candice to dodge his Getsuga Jūjishō was sweet, even if she just took it head on...

BTW, my favorite pick in the Sternritter girls is actually Candice. If Ichigo didn't ruin her hair when they first met I'm one hundred percent certain that Candice would've tried to flirt with Ichigo. Seeing how Riruka got a crush on him at first sight, Ichigo is definitely in Candice's strike zone of hot guys.

This Chapter will mainly show Ichigo and the Sternritter girls, and bits of his training, meaning the next chapter would be about his Sternritter ceremony. There is one more thing coming after that before a time skip.

(2021-05-11) I have decided to inform the differences between canon and my story at the start of the chapter. Thanks for the suggestion, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark!

(2021-05-25) The pairing is now IchigoXMulti with Giselle being the main. The other pairings are Meninas, Candice, and Bambietta.

In this story Meninas' personality will be quite different from canon and my reasons are at the end of chapter AN. It wasn't my intention at first, but I think it won't be all that bad for her character building. If she is the same as canon, she'll be just standing besides the group without any spotlight.

Also the next chapter may take some more time since I'll be reading the TYBW arc and CFYOW again to write the Sternritters' character closer to the canon.

In case you're wondering, the events of CFYOW won't be included in this story. I like Tsunayashiro Tokinada's character, but I honestly thought the whole novel had more meaning to fill up the missing parts and answer some questions the readers had from the canon since Kubo was pressed to end the series. I doubt that Tokinada will be able to get his hands on Gremmy's brain in this story anyway.

Main Pairing IchigoXGiselle, IchigoXMulti

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Meeting the Femritters

Ichigo's Personal Quarters in Silbern, the next day.

Ichigo's eyes shot up at the sound of someone knocking the door to his quarters. He didn't know if he should thank his dad or not, but he was a light sleeper due to Goat-chin's morning routines. "Come in!" Ichigo shouted, only to realize a second later that he was stark naked underneath the blankets. "Oh, shit..." Ichigo darted out of bed and grabbed his trousers, putting it on in a speed that would've put his Bankai to shame.

"Good morning, Ichi-chan...?" Giselle's words stuck in her throat as she eyed Ichigo's bare upper body hungrily, a furious blush spreading like a wildfire over her cheeks. Giselle wanted nothing more than to roam her hands all over his well-toned muscles at the moment, and if Ichigo's back muscles were any indication his fronts would be a delicious sight to drink in too.

"Uh, yeah. Good morning to you too, Gigi." Ichigo greeted back while leisurely slipping his shirt on, oblivious to the fact that Giselle was literally drooling at the sight of his naked backside.

Giselle let out a dreamy sigh and wiped the drool off her mouth, not wanting to show herself to Ichigo in such state. She was absolutely certain that she won't get any proper sleep tonight as the memory of this glorious moment will be plaguing her throughout the day, while she would be busy trying to imagine Ichigo in his full glory.

"So, I'm guessing that you're here to take me for my training?" Ichigo asked, now fully dressed in the standard Sternritter attire. Giselle blinked her eyes in confusion as she didn't even know that Ichigo was already done with wearing his clothes.

"Well... I am going to train you, but let's have breakfast first! Since I forgot to show you the mess hall for dinner yesterday... Oh! I'm sorry about that, by the way. If it makes you feel better, I skipped dinner too!" Ichigo could see that Giselle was being genuinely apologetic, regardless of her cheery demeanor. "Well, If if makes you feel better I wouldn't have eaten anything even if you asked, Gigi. I appreciate your apology though." Ichigo accepted her apology easily, which caused Giselle to smile in her usual dopey way.

"It does make me feel better, Ichi-chan! Mm, although I really don't want to show you to the girls... They'll be all over you in an instant, like a moth to a flame! I hope Bambi-chan took her warning seriously, since I really don't want her to kill Ichi-chan...!" Ichigo wondered just what kind of person this 'Bambi-chan' was, if Giselle was worrying about him getting killed by her. Seriously, why would she want to kill him? And then he remembered Giselle telling him about her obsession about 'Bambi-chan', as in how she wanted to see 'Bambi-chan' begging for her blood. 'But still... why would she kill me...?'

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure that the mess hall would be almost empty this early in the morning... If we go too late, you'll be bombarded with questions from the other guys so we better get going!" Giselle said, while pulling Ichigo's hand into hers. Ichigo was a little surprised at the physical contact at first. Although it was a pleasant feeling to him, he wasn't all that used to gestures of affection from the opposite sex, since he obviously refused to count Rangiku's attempt to suffocate him with her breasts or Yoruichi's teasing as one.

Ichigo didn't put up any resistance as Giselle dragged him by his hand out of his quarters for a few reasons. For one, he was hungry. It couldn't be helped since he skipped a whole meal. Second, he trusted Giselle enough to believe that she won't cause any harm to him. Ichigo trusted her a lot if he was being truthful, possibly more than any of his Shinigami acquaintances at this point. The talk they had last night erased almost any doubt he had to Giselle, as she poured her heart out to him about every question he asked with honest answers. Of course, the possibility that Giselle was simply a great actor wasn't out of the picture, but that was just being paranoid. He was more than willing to put his trust on Giselle.

"So... Ichi-chan, did you think about what I said yesterday...?" Giselle drawled out nervously on their way to the mess hall. She had already given up all hope of Ichigo ever looking at her like he did when they first met. She still remembered the warm feeling of having Ichigo's sight on her in an appreciative manner, and yearned for more, wanting to feel the sensation just once more if not forever.

"And which one would that be, Gigi? I remember you confessing about your sadistic streaks, your obsession on seeing 'Bambi-chan' beg for your blood, what you can do with your blood using your schrift, and your thoughts on how you came to receive that particular schrift?" Ichigo stated each topics with out a change in his expression.

"I guess... your overall thoughts would be good enough?" Giselle meekly looked away from Ichigo as she waited for Ichigo's answer. She didn't want to see the disgust in his eyes when he gave her an answer, and was surprised when Ichigo stopped walking and brought his free hand up to her cheek. Her heart started to pound madly as Ichigo turned her face to meet his, her breath hitching when her eyes met Ichigo's intense gaze.

"Gigi, I get what you're afraid of. But you really don't have to be afraid of me looking at you any differently. Maybe other people saw you in a different light when they found about your Schrift... Even I'm not all that sure about how I would've reacted about something like that if it wasn't you." Ichigo paused for a moment, and gently pulled out his other hand from Giselle's grasp to hold both of her cheeks in his hands.

"I was a hot-headed idiot until barely a week ago, Gigi. I probably still am, and if we had this talk a week ago my response would've been really close to what you were expecting. But..." Ichigo said while not letting his sight wander away from Giselle's light-blue eyes for a second. Giselle almost winced when she heard Ichigo's honest answer, but didn't as she took in his use of 'but'.

"When I had to go through an experience of all my friends turning their back on me, albeit not in their right minds... And how I realized that it all started because of my stupidity, I decided to think a lot more before I make a decision. I was lost when you came to recruit me, Gigi... but you changed that. I know that you were there only to follow your orders. I wouldn't have been surprised if you were given the orders to kill me if I did refuse your offer." As Ichigo said those words, Giselle blurted out her retort immediately.

"No, it was either convince you to join us or to stay out of the war! His majesty wouldn't order us to kill one of our own! And I... I couldn't have killed you..." Giselle blushed instantly as she processed the fact that her face was barely a few inches away from Ichigo's due to her outburst. And it was only then, that she realized just what kind of look Ichigo was giving her while saying all those words. Ichigo was oblivious to that, too much focused on forming the words he wanted to say for Giselle.

"Yeah, I get that. But that really wasn't the point..." Ichigo said with a chuckle. "My point is that even if you were there just to follow your orders, I was affected by you a lot more than you understand. I was depressed and miserable at that moment, but you pulled me out of that state just by being yourself. I could've just chose to find Urahara for a solution, but you did a great job at convincing me to join you. Even if I was pretty easy to recruit..." Giselle stifled a giggle at that, which Ichigo clearly noticed.

"You made me laugh for the first time after the incident with the Fullbringers. If it wasn't for you, I would be still depressed and moody you know. I've never felt that weak since my mom's death. You're my only friend at the moment, be it the Soul Society or the Human World. You're the very light that brought me out of my darkest hours, Gigi." Ichigo said in a dead serious tone, which made Giselle's eyes to tear up.

"That... was so corny, Ichi-chan..." Giselle choked out with tears running down her cheeks onto Ichigo's hands. Ichigo wiped the tears away, and placed a kiss on her brow. "Maybe it runs in my family's blood... I can't say that I would be all that approving of your faults, but it won't make me look at you any less. I couldn't look at you any differently, unless you actually do stab me in the back..." Ichigo tried to lift the mood a little with his poor attempt of a joke, which he realized a little too late that it wouldn't be read as a joke at the current situation.

"I, I would never betray you, Ichi-chan! Don't say something like that! How could I even think of such a thing, when I already know what the Shinigami did to you!" Giselle was now openly sobbing, a rare moment for her to show an emotion to such extent. Ichigo cursed himself for even attempting to joke about something like that when they were being all emotional.

"Shh, shh. Please don't cry, Gigi. I'm sorry about saying that. I really know that you wouldn't do that to me." Ichigo wrapped his arms around Giselle and pulled her into a warm embrace, tracing his hands down her back in a soothing manner. Ichigo didn't know how much time had passed while he waited for Giselle to calm down, but he had to ignore some soldats that passed by while gaping at the sight of one of their most psychotic Sternritters crying into someone's chest, who they didn't know of.

"Thank you." Giselle said to Ichigo, her face still buried in his chest. Ichigo didn't need to ask to know exactly what she was thanking him about. "Your welcome, Gigi." Ichigo replied with a faint smile.

"So... Are you two done with whatever your moment was, lovebirds?" As a voice that obviously belonged to a girl quipped from the side, Ichigo turned his head to the source of the voice while Giselle retorted immediately, not even moving an inch from her position. "Just go away and fuck one of your soldats, Candi."

"There's nothing wrong with me going for the hotties, Gigi. Although I suppose you know it all too well, since you've been busy trying to keep one for yourself... Hey, I'm all game if you're interested, handsome!" As Candice Catnipp flirted with Ichigo, Giselle cried out in outrage. "No, you don't! Ichi-chan is mine! And he isn't one of your subordinates you can have your 'fun' with!" Ichigo looked away from the green haired girl, blushing in embarrassment from her revealing attire and Giselle's statement of him being hers, plus the 'fun' she mentioned.

"What?! Whoever said I have 'fun' with my subordinates, Gigi! I'm not some cheap whore!" As the girl defended herself, Giselle peaked out from Ichigo's chest and stuck out a tongue causing her to seethe in rage. "Lil would've disagreed on that."

"Well Liltotto is just foul-mouthed, and you know it!"

"Whatever. Ichi-chan is mine! Off limits to you!" Giselle glared at Candice while the said person voiced her thoughts on the matter.

"The way he looked away while blushing when I flirted with him tells me otherwise..."

"No! You didn't?!" Giselle looked up at Ichigo in betrayal, fake tears running down her cheeks. Ichigo merely averted his eyes while his face burned in embarrassment.

"I suppose Candice is right on the matter..."

"Gigi is also right about Candi being a whore."

As two more girls joined the conversation, Ichigo realized that their plan of having their breakfast in peace just went straight into the waste bin.

"Meni!"

"Liltotto!"

Giselle looked at the pink haired girl in disbelief, while Candice gritted her teeth at the blonde who was heads shorter than the others.

'Definitely fucked up.' Ichigo thought to himself as he was surrounded by three female Sternritters while holding one. He wondered whether he could keep his sanity if he spent any more time with Giselle and her friends, or not.

"I'm guessing that you aren't a soldat since Gigi was nowhere to be seen yesterday, and suddenly appeared with you on the next day, who actually isn't a zombie in the morning. I think it's a first for Gigi. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Meninas McAllon, but they call me Meni. You?" The pink haired girl, Meninas asked Ichigo while Candice was busy shaking Liltoto to death. It soon evolved to a full out brawl when Liltotto dropped her stick of candy because of it.

"Err... I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, and Gigi came to recruit me yesterday. It's nice to meet you." Ichigo greeted, and saw her eyes widen at hearing his name. 'I suppose the identity of the Special War Powers is pretty much common knowledge for the Sternritters...'

"Oh...? I didn't expect to see you here in Silbern even if you're a Quincy through your mother, considering your ties with the Shinigami... Since you wouldn't know being new here and all, I'm the Sternritter 'P', 'The Power'. By the way, you do know that Giselle is the Sternritter 'Z', as in 'The Zombie'... right?" Ichigo nodded, to Meninas' surprise while Giselle shifted uncomfortably in Ichigo's arms, bothered by the subject. Meninas didn't expect anyone who isn't from their group of girls to be okay with the idea of staying this close to Giselle, even when the said person possesses the knowledge of her Schrift. "That's another surprise... So, you're joining the Wandenreich instead of the Shinigami in the upcoming war? Why? You seemed to be willing to give up your powers for their sake..." Meninas' words were cut off by Ichigo at reaching his most sensitive subject.

"I didn't sacrifice my powers for THEM..." The way Ichigo referred to the Shinigami in such venomous tone made Meninas blink her eyes in surprise. She was honestly having a little suspicion that Ichigo wasn't truly on their side considering his comradeship with the Shinigami, but he seemed to genuinely hate the Shinigami. "They aren't my friends or whatever your thoughts on the matter. I don't care about most of them, if not all. I have some bones to pick with most of them, and the reason why... Gigi said she read it from the Daten so if you really want to know, feel free to find out from it since I don't want to talk about the matter unless it's absolutely necessary." Ichigo rubbed Giselle's back to calm himself down.

"Okay. I'm sorry if it was an uncomfortable subject for you, and welcome to the Wandenreich. Mm... Another question if you don't mind? Do you have a girlfriend at the moment?" Meninas asked, fidgeting with her fingers. Giselle bit her lower lip and tightened her grip on Ichigo, while Ichigo was visibly flustered at the question.

"I, uh... No...?" Ichigo stuttered out the words in confusion.

"Oh, that's good to hear. There aren't any boyfriend materials in the Sternritters, and the soldats seems to be intimidated by me for some reason..." At this statement Giselle rolled her eyes. "You literally folded a soldat that tried to grope your ass in half. Did you honestly expect them to show any kind of interest in you after that...? Although I have no idea why the soldats seemed to be unaware of how any soldats that followed Bambi-chan never returned... They never really refuse her offer." Giselle wondered if men considered Bambietta to be attractive enough to ignore such rumors, and risk their lives. She couldn't help but feel anxious about whether if Ichigo would be attracted to her, or not. There really wasn't any contest if it came to the looks, between her and the other girls with the exception of Liltotto. Liltotto was just... it would be wrong of someone to be attracted to her considering her physical age.

"Oh, right. But that's his fault, not mine. And don't you think the soldats would die anyway if they were to ignore Bambi's orders? As I was saying, except for Cang and Jugram, they really aren't all that attractive looking... Okay, maybe I could include Askin if I'm feeling really generous... but he's too far from my type as in both his looks and personality. I really don't think Cang would make a good boyfriend, although I suppose Jugram might actually prove to be a good one since he is quite caring in the inside. Then again, I think he has something going on with Bazz-B which leaves no one left for me. So If you're joining us, that gives me a new and probably the only choice... I did read your Daten when you lost your powers, which stated that you are fiercely loyal and protective to those you care about, not to mention your looks... Oh I just noticed, you look so much better now compared to back then, a whole lot more like a man instead of a teenager. The only flaw I noticed is that you're a bit too much of a prude, but I suppose I can deal with that. So..." Meninas gave Ichigo a sultry look, which made Ichigo's retort about him being a prude retreat back down his throat in an instant.

"No, I won't deal with that! If there isn't a good enough guy for you, then just die all lonesome and miserable!" Giselle said while glaring at Meninas over Ichigo's shoulder.

"But... It would be a shame to these... if I die alone, untouched..." Meninas replied while lifting her breasts with her hands, and shooting a pitying look at Giselle at the same time.

"You, you...! Ichi-chan said I'm his light! He won't be wavered by your tits, no matter how tempting they look!" Ichigo gaped at Giselle at her choice of words, his face already burning from the moment he saw Meninas lift up her breasts. And he was thoroughly embarrassed about Giselle mentioning the words he said to her.

"That's..." Meninas stared at Ichigo in disbelief, while Giselle voiced her thoughts on the matter while sending Ichigo a teasing look. "I know, I know... It's so corny, huh?"

"So romantic! It's probably the best compliment a Quincy girl could ever hope to hear from a handsome guy like him! Please, will you be my boyfriend?! I won't even ask you to hold my shopping bags when we go shopping after the war!" Meninas asked, causing Giselle's jaws to drop in shock.

"Oh shit, why did I have to say that when I knew that you were such a hopeless romantic! Don't fall for her titties, Ichi-chan!" Giselle looked up at Ichigo, her eyes watering with fake tears.

Ichigo looked at Giselle, and then Meninas, and promptly closed his eye while hoping for someone to save him from such an uncomfortable position. Sadly, the help he wanted came in a more explosive form, as the last member and defacto leader of Giselle's group arrived upon the site.

"Why are you all here, instead of having breakfast...?" Bambietta Basterbine asked with a small yawn, quite obviously showing her lack of sleep with the dark circles under her eyes. Ichigo noted that she seemed to be pissed off for some reason other than her lack of sleep.

"Oh! Hi, Bambi-chan! You look like you went through hell! Did you not sleep well?" As Giselle greeted the new face, Ichigo couldn't help but check her out. Ichigo noted that 'Bambi-chan' looked fairly attractive, even in her disheveled state. He took in the sight of her long, straight dark-brown hair which flowed down to her back, and her light-brown eyes which were screaming 'I'm tired' to the world. He also noticed that while her uniform was nowhere near revealing as Candice's, it showed off her feminine beauty quite well just by wearing a white miniskirt. If he was being honest about it, Ichigo would say that the uniform she was wearing was the most elegant one out of the five, while the most military looking at the same time.

"Of course I didn't sleep well, Gigi! I got banned from relieving my stress! How could I sleep?! And I asked you all, why are you here instead of having breakfast! I was all alone, waiting for you guys. It was so embarrassing, and then Askin had the gall to pity me! Can you believe it?" Ichigo chuckled as he thought the way she felt left out was a little cute. Unfortunately for him, it instantly marked him as the next target.

"And I don't know who you are, soldat... But what's so funny?! You're so lucky that I couldn't have my way with you... You should be grateful to his majesty for the rest of your life!" Ichigo raised his hands in surrender as Bambietta glared at him, unable to think up a good enough answer to cool her down other than being truthful. And he wasn't sure if being truthful would get him out of the situation or make it even worse than it already was.

"He isn't a soldat, Bambi. Gigi was sent out to recruit him yesterday, so I suppose he'll be joining us as one of the Sternritters... A Special War Power is a big deal after all." Thankfully Meninas came to the rescue, much to Ichigo's relief.

"Whaaaat? He doesn't look like all... Wait, he does look like a big deal! What the fuck? HE actually is the Special War Power 'Kurosaki Ichigo'? You never told me anything about this yesterday, Gigi!" Bambietta glared daggers at Giselle, changing her target instantly. Ichigo could see that she had quite the explosive temper, and decided to tread around her carefully from now on.

"It sorta slipped my mind...?" Giselle replied with her trademark smile, her eyes looking away from Bambietta. Bambietta rolled her eyes in annoyance, and turned back to Ichigo much to his grief.

"Bambietta Basterbine, Sternritter 'E', The Explode." Ichigo couldn't help but nod his head at hearing her Schrift, thinking that it fit her personality perfectly. "I won't say nice to meet you, 'cuz I'm not! Why. Did. You. Laugh. At. Me!" Bambietta poked Ichigo's chest every time she said a word, demanding an answer which made Ichigo to concede in defeat. 'Well, I hope she doesn't kill me for this.'

"I thought the way you felt left out looked cute." Ichigo stated seriously, with his eyes closed in fear of her reaction. Would she scream fucking murder for this and try to kill him? He really had no idea of what to expect.

"Wha... What?! The heck? I did not feel left out! I was just annoyed and embarrassed about them not being there at the usual time we meet for breakfast!" At this information Ichigo sent a questioning look at Giselle, who played innocent. It really wasn't her fault that she forgot about how they usually had breakfast at this time, since she was scared to death about Ichigo's reaction to her confession. "And what did you mean by... cute... Me... cute?" Bambietta's face flushed in deep red as she registered the word to her sleepy head, causing the other girls to giggle at seeing their self-proclaimed leader's such flustered form.

"Such a lady's man... If it wasn't for him being a prude, he would've been a Casanova." Meninas whispered to Candice who could only agree. "I suppose I could share him with you... If you're willing?" Candice asked, eyeing the said man with appreciation, thinking that she most certainly wanted someone like him to caress her hair every morning when she woke up. She and Meninas had a lot in common, mainly about how they cared about their appearance greatly. They also knew each other well enough to figure out that they each had their sights set on him, and also agreed that there wasn't a good enough man for them to have some real romance with in the Wandenreich. Even in their group of girls, she and Meninas were closer than the others so Candice didn't want their friendship to be damaged due to them fighting over a man.

"I think I wouldn't mind if it was you, but Gigi already sunk in her claws deep into him... Considering how he referred to Gigi as 'his light'..." Meninas sighed dreamily, as the thought of Ichigo saying such sweet romantic words like that possessed her mind. "No shit, he actually said something like that to her? It's a corny line... But there is a reason to it being corny. It's so unfair... How did Gigi make him fall for her in less than a day?" Candice whined in disappointment, Meninas agreeing wholeheartedly.

"They aren't official yet, bitches... yet." Liltotto popped her stick of candy out and snickered in amusement. It would be fun watching all the girls trying to win the same guy's affection, especially when the guy was such a prude which meant use of blatant seduction would only backfire.

"You're right... I sure as hell won't give up a guy like him without putting up a fight!" Candice stated with an ironclad resolve.

"I'm always right, you little shit..." Meninas gave Liltotto an incredulous look at her choice of words. 'Just who's talking about little...?'

"We should approach this issue with some delicacy with how we're already at a disadvantage to Gigi. Seeing how prudish he is, we'll have to take our time... But the problem is that it's only a matter of time before he gets together with Gigi. It's going to be a hard fight ahead of us." Meninas said while she played with her locks of hair with her index finger.

"Do you think I need to tone down my uniform a bit...?" Candice asked with a frown.

"Maybe... or maybe not. I mean, he still is a man so he is supposed to like what he sees even if he tries not to..." Meninas replied, somewhat uncertain about her own answer.

"Hmmph! Let's just go and get some breakfast before it gets all crowded!" Bambietta turned around and started to walk towards the direction she came from, her face still sporting a dark blush. Bambietta turned around a few seconds later when she noticed that no one seemed to be following. "Are you coming, or not!"

"What a drag..." Liltotto sighed, and made her way to Bambietta who was glaring at them with her hands resting on her hips in an impatient manner. Everyone could easily notice how the corner of Bambietta's mouth twitched upwards when Liltotto started to walk towards her.

"She likes ordering us around. Do you see why I wanted to watch her beg to me?" Giselle whispered to Ichigo, and followed Liltotto without waiting for an answer. Meninas, Candice and Ichigo each shared a glance and shrugged before they decided to let Bambietta have her way. Soon everyone was making their way to the mess hall in a weird silence with invisible sparks flying between the two well-endowed girls and their mutual rival.

When they arrived at the mess hall about five minutes later, Ichigo could see that it was a mess hall reserved only for the Sternritters, if the lack of soldats in the hall was any indication. The meal being served in a buffet style was another reason he could deduce that fact, although there weren't all that many dishes considering the time. There were only three people other than their group in the hall, in which two of them didn't even spare a glance on them while one was staring at Ichigo curiously.

"Bambi you bitch, the only person who would've cared if you were here alone or not was Askin. And I really doubt that Lille or Gerard would look at your way even if you were eating the whole time without your clothes..." Ichigo guessed from Liltotto's words that the man who was looking at him was Askin, and the two unresponsive men were Lille and Gerard.

"Well, I did say that Askin actually pitied me! Isn't that enough embarrassment for me?" Bambietta replied without batting an eye, causing everyone to roll their eyes.

"Gerard is the muscular guy wearing a helmet, and Lille is the one who has his left eye closed all the time. Askin is... well, Askin. He's just annoying, and a bit weird." Candice whispered to Ichigo, who nodded his thanks to her and made his way to serve his own breakfast. Meninas quickly followed him, and struck a conversation while he scooped up some fried rice and poured himself a bowl of miso soup, not that surprised about the lack of Japanese dishes considering how every Sternritter he had met until now weren't Japanese.

"Among the Sternritters, there is an Elite team called the Schutzstaffel which is made of the three strongest Sternritters except the Grandmaster and Gremmy. Lille is the leader of the Schutzstaffel, while Gerard is a member of it. The last member is Pernida, but he only shows up when his majesty orders him to. That's the reason why Gerard and Lille didn't even glance at us, because they think they're above the other Sternritters which is something we loathe to admit. Askin... He is a bit weird but not necessarily annoying to most people... The girls think he's annoying because of how he insulted them in the past." Meninas informed him as she picked up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, her eyes searching for the cereal at the same time.

"Mm hmm... You know, I'm not really sure if you were serious about the question earlier... but I'll have to decline since..." Meninas placed her hand on Ichigo's mouth, effectively silencing him.

"Don't answer it now... I'm not sure if I want to be rejected before I've even had the chance to get to know you. Giselle made good of her chance, too good in my opinion... But I still want mine, and Candice would want hers too. Just so you know, Candice isn't as shallow as she seems to be so please don't judge her before you really get to know her. And besides, we are quite a tight nit group so who knows... Hmm?" Meninas looked at him straight in the eyes, her green eyes filled with hope. Ichigo really couldn't bring himself to say no to that, and nodded hesitantly. Meninas' lips curved into a soft smile at his response, which was something Ichigo couldn't help but admire.

'Way to go, Kingy! Go for her, and the other chicks too! I'm so proud of ya'!' Zangetsu cackled in glee.

'Shut up, Zangetsu!' Ichigo silenced out Zangetsu, who actually talked to him on his own will.

"By the way, you can call me Meni if you want to. Meninas is kinda hard to pronounce, you know? And before you even suggest it, I'm saying no to McAllon. I've heard his majesty call me Sternritter McAllon, and I very much prefer my first name." Meninas scrunched her nose in distaste, not that she didn't like her last name. She just didn't want to be called McAllon by Ichigo. Since she was given a chance to win his affection, she was going to do her very best to win him over.

"Alright, Meni. I suppose you can call me Ichigo, too." Ichigo smiled to Meninas, who smiled sweetly in return.

Ichigo and Meninas made their way to the table where the other girls were taking each of their seats. As Meninas casually took the seat to his right, Giselle slipped in to his left seat immediately while glaring daggers at Meninas. The girls were somewhere between amused and shocked at the sight of Giselle growling in jealousy or showing such possessiveness. They always thought that Giselle would never show such expressions, but it seemed that they were wrong about it. Candice and Liltotto who were sitting on the opposite side looked at each other and nodded. Liltotto stuck out her hand in front of Ichigo, introducing herself to him properly.

"Since the two of us didn't introduce ourselves to you, we'll do it now. I'm Liltotto Lamperd. The letter I was given is 'G', 'The Glutton' which lets me eat almost anything. I hope you don't have a problem with my Schrift, asshole?" Ichigo blinked at Liltotto's 'unique' self-introduction, and shook her hand while not commenting on her foul word or her Schrift. Since the first Schrift he had heard about its ability is 'The Zombie', he wasn't all that surprised about a Schrift with an ability like that.

"I'm Candice Catnipp, 'The Thunderbolt'. Pleased to meet you, sweetie..." Candice purred at Ichigo while batting her eyelashes, which made him shift uncomfortably in his seat due to her blatant flirting. Even so, Ichigo didn't refuse her outstretched hand, and shared a firm handshake.

"Well... I'm guessing that all of you already know about me, since knowing the enemy's Special War Power would be pretty important for the Sternritters... Just in case you don't know, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. His majesty gave me a week to hone my skills before I become a Sternritter, so I'll be practically living in the training grounds for some time. And before any of you ask, I fucking hate the Shinigami. If you want to know why, ask Gigi or look up the Daten since I'm not going to answer it. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better."

Bambietta who was having doubts about his loyalty noted to herself about looking up the Daten for everything about him. Liltotto wasn't really doubting him at all since his majesty wouldn't have even tried to recruit him if his loyalty would prove to be a problem. No, he would've just made sure to take Kurosaki Ichigo out of the equation of the war while trying not to inflict any kind of harm on him. They ate their meal while sharing some questions about each other in a somewhat peaceful manner with the exception of Liltotto's foul words, until Askin invited himself to the conversation.

"Hello... How are you ladies doing on this fine day?" Askin asked while leaning on the table, which caused the girls to glare at him simultaneously making him to straighten up in fear.

"You're all doing fine, I take it... And how about you, Kurosaki-san? How's Silbern to your liking 'til now?" Askin asked to Ichigo this time. Ichigo was unsure if he should ignore him or not considering the girls' warnings about him, but decided that it would be rude of him to not answer a simple question like that when they didn't have any problems between them.

"Well I haven't seen much of it yet, but I think it could use a little more warmth? Other than that, my quarters are pleasant enough if not a little too comfortable. I suppose the company was great too..." Ichigo answered truthfully, making some of the girls smile at his comment about the company.

"That's good to hear, although I wouldn't be so sure about the great company remark." Askin said while he scratched the back of his neck. Bambietta's eyes lit up in fury, causing her to flick a finger at him which resulted in a small explosion right in front of Askin's face.

"What the hell was that for, woman!" Askin yelled, his eyes wide from surprise.

"The only reason the company wouldn't be great is if the said person was you, Askin! I'm trying to eat my breakfast and I sure as hell don't want to hear your voice while I'm eating!" Ichigo winced at her harsh words, wondering just how badly Askin wronged her if she was reacting that aggressive towards him. But then again, he may have not done anything wrong, considering Bambietta's personality... It really wouldn't be all that surprising if that was the case.

"Geez, alright I get it. I'll just get going on my way, so don't shoot!" Askin raised his hands in surrender, and then turned to Ichigo. "We'll meet again, Kurosaki-san. I am the Sternritter 'D', Askin Nakk Le Vaar 'The Deathdealing'. I hope there won't be such 'great' company with you the next time..." Askin emphasized the word 'great' by purposely drawling the word, which made Bambietta grit her teeth in annoyance even after Askin disappeared. "The nerve of that man!"

"As I said, annoying..." Candice flicked a mini-spark at Giselle who was for some reason drooling with her eyes unfocused.

"Owwie..." Giselle rubbed her forehead, the drool already wiped out of sight when Ichigo looked at her direction in worry. "You alright, Gigi?"

"Candi is being mean to me..." Giselle whined, tempting Candice to flick another spark at her. Ichigo chuckled at their antics, completely unaware of the fact that Candice's sparks did pack a punch even if they looked like they didn't.

"Gigi, let's go to the training ground if you're done with your meal." Ichigo said, wiping his mouth clean with a napkin.

"Wait a sec, Gigi is going to help you with your holy training...?" Bambietta asked, staring at Giselle with disbelief.

"Yeah, she's supposed to help me with my archery and Flugbildschritt while Haschwalt-san is going to help me with my swordsmanship and Reishi Manipulation. Why? Is there anything wrong with Gigi helping me?" Ichigo asked in confusion, noticing that Giselle was looking away trying to avoid eye contact with Bambietta.

"Gigi out of all people... You do know that Giselle's own strength is barely above the average Shinigami Lieutenant level, right?" In a matter of fact, Ichigo did know that Giselle's strength came mostly from her Schrift. "His majesty ordered me to do it, Bambi..." Giselle protested with a glare, daring her to doubt his majesty's decision.

Bambietta huffed, but didn't press Giselle on the matter. "While I admit that Jugram is the best you'll get, more sparring partners will help you a lot more than just one... You know what? Let's go and see what you're made of. I want to see just how the Hero of the Winter War fights with my own eyes." Ichigo growled at the mention of the moniker he gained by sacrificing his powers to do what the Shinigami couldn't, causing Bambietta to blink her eyes in confusion. She wasn't really sure about what she had done to offend him.

"I would really appreciate it if you didn't mention things from my past with the Shinigami. Just thinking about what I did for them makes me feel all nauseous." Ichigo spat out in disgust, and Bambietta decided then and there to check out the Daten at the earliest opportunity while the same thoughts crossed the other girls' mind, except Giselle who already knew everything.

"Fine. I think the training ground we usually use will suffice for this." Bambietta started to lead the way, much to Ichigo's amusement. 'She clearly likes to be in the position of a leader. She's a bit hot-headed and aggressive, which kinda reminds me of someone who used to be like that...'

-line break-

Ichigo stood in front of a target practice area, where various targets were lined up with differences in their distance.

"Let's see your archery first. All of us are efficient enough at it, so we'll be able to up your skills in no time." Bambietta crossed her arms, waiting for Ichigo to form his Heilig Bogen. "Oh, you do have a Quincy Cross... Right?"

Ichigo unwrapped his Quincy Cross from his right wrist and formed his Heilig Bogen, instead of answering her question. The girls were surprised at the unusual form of his Quincy Cross at first, as they could easily deduce that it was a unique Quincy Cross of his own, bestowed by his majesty. They were soon rubbing their eyes in disbelief when they saw his red long bow with spirals of black winding up its frame. It was clearly a bow formed out of reishi, but it gave out a solid Hollow reiatsu which should be impossible to their knowledge.

"Is this... Hollow reiatsu? How?" Candice questioned in confusion while Giselle was busy drooling all over the sight of Ichigo holding his Heilig Bogen.

"He used to wield both Shinigami AND Hollow powers back when he was aligned with the Shinigami, so it shouldn't be really surprising if he's using it with his Quincy powers Candi. I think any reishi arrows formed from his Heilig Bogen could prove to be fatal to us..." Meninas said, slightly awed at such anomaly.

"That really is unique, but understandable considering his heritage. Not bad for a bastard like him." Liltotto commented, which caused Bambietta to snap back to her senses while the other girls were unsure if Liltotto meant the word as its original meaning or not. It was a little too much of a literal insult to his heritage after all.

"Ichigo, can you form a Heilig Bogen without your Hollow reiatsu? As you probably know, Hollow reiryoku is poisonous to us. Even staying this close to such powerful Hollow reiatsu could be potentially dangerous to our health, and any arrows from it could prove to be fatal to us." Meninas seemed more intrigued and in awe, rather than wary in Ichigo's opinion, but he could understand where she was coming from.

"I suppose I could do it..." Ichigo said, thinking about the only obstacle in the way. 'As long as Zangetsu doesn't mess up the process, that is.'

'Aww, I'm not going to do anything Kingy. I wouldn't want to scare away your girlfriends after all!' Zangetsu snickered in amusement at Ichigo's discomfort from his statement.

Ichigo released the bow he was holding back to reishi, and concentrated to form a Heilig Bogen without pulling out his Hollow reiryoku. This time Ichigo's Heilig Bogen's base color was blue, although the black spirals were still present. It was to be expected since both his Hollow and Quincy parts each held his Shinigami powers.

"Is this good enough? I'm pretty sure that this has zero Hollow reiryoku in it." Ichigo said after he was done examining his bow, which looked exactly the same as the earlier one with the only difference being its color.

"Well the Hollow reiatsu is gone, so I can only assume that it'll be fine for us." Meninas put a finger on her lips, seemingly in thought about something. "We'll only know for sure if you demonstrate a few shots..."

"Alright, then shoot the target over there." Bambietta ordered Ichigo to shoot a target about fifty meters away from him. Ichigo nodded to her, and started to concentrate on forming an arrow, when he heard Old-man Zangetsu's advice just like the time he formed a Heilig Pfeil.

'You don't have to focus too hard when forming a normal arrow out of reishi. Just relax and pull the string while letting your reiryoku flow through the bow, and it will pull the reishi around you on its own. Remember that you aren't trying to shoot a Heilig Pfeil, Ichigo. Your immense reiryoku makes you quite different from the other Quincy. You could even form a Sankt Bogen if you were to be in a reishi-rich environment such as Hueco Mundo or the Soul Society, and that is something only Yhwach himself could do.'

'Got it, Old-man Zangetsu.' Ichigo thanked his Quincy-Zanpakutō spirit while reminding himself to ask about the Sankt Bogen to him, and pulled the string of his bow, forming a pure blue arrow without the black sparks his Heilig Pfeil released. Ichigo thought that it resembled his Getsuga Tenshō to some degree, and wondered if he actually could fire it while using a Reishi weapon. It was something he would have to test about, and maybe he should find out if he could utilize a Cero in the same way as well?

"You have the gist of a good enough stance, but you could use some adjustments." Meninas commented while walking up right behind him, and started to adjust his stance with her hands. Giselle wanted to smack herself for not thinking up the idea of something like that, while Candice noted how Meninas was bordering just along the lines of Ichigo's comfort zone with her not so innocent touches. When Meninas was finally satisfied with Ichigo's form, she smiled and stepped back a few steps completely oblivious to Giselle who was trying to glare a hole through her.

Ichigo started to fire his arrows in a steady pace, albeit a little slowly. Most of them were hitting the area around the center of the target with about a tenth of them hitting the edge or missing it. Ichigo's accuracy kept improving as he continued to release the arrows, and the time he took on forming an arrow was already at half the time he took on the first one after ten minutes had passed. Ichigo smiled as he started to hit the bull's-eye, while the amount of arrows that completely missed the target were already reduced to half.

"How the fuck is that possible?" Candice muttered in disbelief, which turned into annoyance when Liltotto quipped in her piece. "The Number One Special War Power, Kurosaki Ichigo's latent ability. Isn't it obvious you moron?"

"That is ridiculous Lil, Special War Power or not. No one is supposed to improve that fast! I honestly don't want to think about how it would've felt like if we had to face him as an enemy." Bambietta stared at Ichigo with mixed emotions, not even sure about what she was feeling at the moment.

"You know if he keeps up with that progress he'll be as good as any other Quincy within a day. I completely understand why his majesty gave him only a week for his training before his ceremony..." Meninas muttered, as even she couldn't help but feel a little jealous at Ichigo.

"Maybe his majesty 'saw' what he could do in a weeks time?" Candice suggested.

"It's only about a year left, so it could be a possibility. That was a surprisingly well thought our theory, especially so if it came from a bitch like you Candi." Liltotto replied, causing Candice to throttle her in annoyance. "Liltotto! I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm not an idiot like Bambi!"

"What the hell, Candi?! Are you insulting my intelligence?" Bambietta yelled out in outrage, only to receive the same response from the other girls.

"Well, it's true, and you know it." Candice answered without breaking a sweat, still throttling Liltotto.

"You can't deny it Bambi..." Meninas scratched her cheeks while letting out a nervous laugh. Making fun of Bambietta was always fun, but they needed to be cautious while doing so lest they want Bambi's temper to explode on them.

"Seeing how you needed to ask a question to confirm the fact that Candi insulted your intelligence, when she clearly called you an idiot does make the answer quite clear..." Liltotto quipped in, who had somehow escaped from Candice's grasp.

"Stop making fun of me! I'm not an idiot!" The girls could easily see that any more attempts would invoke Bambietta's wrath and backed down, but there was someone who was oblivious to the whole situation.

"Yes, you aren't. Should I move onto the next target or keep going with this one?" Ichigo asked, completely unaware of how Bambietta's face was being covered from the shadows from her bangs as she looked down in fury. The girls instinctively stepped back, as they really didn't want to deal with a pissed off Bambietta. They gave Ichigo an apologetic look, somewhat pitying him.

"The next target? I'll show you the next target! The next target is you!" Bambietta formed a broadsword out of reishi, and swung it at Ichigo who could only wonder just what he did wrong to piss her off.

"You know... I have absolutely no idea why you're being angry at me..." Ichigo said while taking a step back to dodge her attack with ease.

'Old-man Zangetsu, any tips on forming a sword with reishi...?'

'Form the base out of your reiryoku, and pull the reishi to it. It will be easier if you try to form something familiar, basically meaning your faux Zanpakutō. If you start to use your Blut you'll put up a good enough fight...'

Ichigo thanked Old-man Zangetsu inwardly, and focused on forming a reishi sword while his bow dissipated.

"You called me an idiot!" Bambietta jabbed her sword, only to be surprised when Ichigo swatted her sword away with ease, a plain white daitō held firmly in his hands. Ichigo noticed how it looked exactly the same as Tensa Zangetsu, except for the color which was obviously the influence of Zangetsu.

"I did not, you idiot. I said you aren't... You just misheard it." Ichigo scoffed, not noticing the slip in his wording.

"Well in that case, you just called me one now! You're so dead!" As Bambietta started to put more effort in her attacks after Ichigo formed his reishi sword, Ichigo found himself somewhat uncomfortable with wielding only one blade instead of two. Due to his intense fighting with Zangetsu in his inner world, Ichigo was already used to wielding two blades instead of one.

"If you are going to kill me..." Ichigo drawled out, repelling another strike from Bambietta. Red lines stretched over his body as he swung his daitō downwards, obviously holding much more power than before due to his Blut. "Then you should at least put in some effort into it!"

"Wha, How?" Bambietta blinked her eyes in disbelief before her own Blut Arterie activated by reflex to match Ichigo's reinforced power. Bambietta blocked Ichigo's attack which led to a standstill, although she realized that it wouldn't be long before she would be overpowered by him. She really didn't want to admit it, but Ichigo's Blut Arterie was much more powerful than the majority of the Sternritters, almost to the level of being able to press her in a position of advantage. Bambietta hesitantly deflected his attack, and put a distance between him and herself with a quick back step while using Flugbildschritt.

"Fine, if that's what you want. It's your funeral!" Bambietta snarled, and charged at Ichigo with a war cry. Ichigo smirked and charged himself, trading blow after blow with the Sternritter. He was thoroughly enjoying the fight, more accepting of the side of himself that Zangetsu represented after he found out the truth. He wouldn't become obsessed with picking fights with everyone like Kenpachi, but he was going to enjoy any fights that came to him with a hell lot of gusto.

"Gigi, how is Ichigo able to use Blut Arterie? As far as I know, he's supposed to be a Gemischt with being born between a Shinigami and a Quincy... I don't think he could've learned how to use it in the Human World, and you brought him to Silbern just yesterday so he should've had no time to learn it. I don't know how the information regarding the Human World was in the Daten, but according to it Kurosaki Masaki was degraded to a Gemischt before he was even born. It simply shouldn't be possible." Meninas voiced her question, confused at the situation. Candice and Liltotto nodded in agreement, equally curious about how Ichigo was using the Blut.

"Ichi-chan was able to use Blut since he realized his Quincy heritage and came into contact with his majesty. He even formed a Heilig Bogen and demonstrated Heilig Pfeil on his own, without anyone needing to teach him! I think even his majesty was impressed with that, considering how gave Ichigo the right to be called an Echt... I haven't seen his Blut Vene yet, but I suppose it should be powerful enough if you consider the fact that he is the last Kurosaki..." Giselle said, and asked a question a moment later with drool running down the corner of her mouth. "Do you think Kurosaki Giselle fits better? Or maybe Ichigo Gewelle?"

"I don't know about the former... but Kurosaki Ichigo sounds way better than Ichigo Gewelle." Candice deadpanned.

"Oh my... If he is an Echt, my family won't object to the idea of us having a long-term relationship!" Giselle's head snapped towards Meninas instantly at the remark. "You, you...!"

"Putting you bitches' love triangles aside, he is actually putting up a decent fight with Bambietta even if she isn't using her Schrift, and that's really saying something. His reiryoku is off the charts, and if he can keep up with his current improvement speed? When he receives his Schrift, he's going to be on a whole different level compared to the other Sternritters... Even us..." Liltotto trailed off.

"I think he'll make it into the Schutzstaffel if he wants to." Giselle voiced her opinion with certainty.

"You sure about that, Gigi? They really are on a different level than the others... You know the rumors about Gerard being the Soul King's heart, and how Pernida is the Soul King's right hand..." Candice asked, feeling a little self-conscious about her own strength with how she probably was the weakest out of their group, even if their group was stronger than the majority of the Sternritters. Only Bambietta could be considered to be near the level of the Schutzstaffel in their group, and Bambietta could wipe the floor with all four of them if she was being serious. Her Schrift was that dangerous.

"I'll have to agree with Gigi. We all know about how strong he really was when he became one with his Zanpakutō, and seeing how his majesty named him the Number One Special War Power for his latent ability... I really can't imagine how powerful he would become in his Quincy: Vollständig form." As Meninas spoke her thoughts, the girls stared at her for a moment and exploded in a fit of giggles.

"Honestly, that was hilarious coming from 'The Power'!"

"Even If I hate to agree with Candi, it was funny."

"Meni you bitch... It wasn't that... funny, so don't let it get to your head..."

Meninas palmed her face, not finding the situation humorous.

-line break-

A few hours later.

"I see that you have been busying yourself, Kurosaki Ichigo." Jugram spoke as he watched Ichigo dodge barrage after barrage of arrows. Ichigo seemed to be making good process in his holy training if his well executed Flugbildschritt was any indication. It wasn't flawless or something like that, but it most certainly wasn't a Flugbildschritt of a novice either. And the way he was disappearing with a buzz of sound, was it the Sonido that the Arrancars use?

"Oh, it's you, Haschwalt-san. Are you here to help me with my training?" Ichigo asked, eliciting an affirmative nod from Jugram.

"I should've expected their presence, since Giselle is nearly inseparable with them..." Jugram noted how Ichigo was dodging arrows that were fired from three Sternritters at the same time, while Sternritter 'E' seemed to be sleeping on a bench.

"Ah, they've been a great help with my training. I had a lot of fun sparring with Bambietta, although she got tired after a hour or so. Apparently she didn't sleep well. So I've been training my Flugbildschritt alongside my Sonido with the girls." Ichigo replied.

"You are able to use Sonido? No, never mind. Although that gives me a question. If you can use Sonido, I doubt that you couldn't use Shunpo. Is there a reason you chose not to use it? I sincerely hope that it isn't based on your hatred to the Shinigami, as our most effective war plan includes using their own weapons against them." Jugram noticed that Ichigo's expression didn't change even a little throughout his words.

"I saw no point in trying to use both Sonido and Shunpo in combat since they are basically two-sides of a coin, but using both Flugbildschritt and Sonido was another matter. Flugbildschritt can be used in a more versatile way, while Sonido has the advantage of being able to slip through the opponent's senses. By using both techniques, I gain both diversity and unpredictability in my combat style. As for your remark concerning my personal feelings about the Shinigami, I have no qualms on the matter of using their own weapons against them even if I'm unsure of how their weapons would prove to be useful to us. They really don't have anything other than their Zanpakutōs or Kido that could be called a weapon after all."

"In that case, you'll know fully well exactly why it would be the most effective war plan. We have created the means to steal their Bankai." Ichigo froze as he heard the name of the weapon they planned to use against their own wielders. It wasn't just any random weapon. No, it was the most powerful weapon a Shinigami could ever hope to wield which takes several years of training to achieve, and many more to master.

Jugram thought that he may have made a mistake with telling Ichigo about this information at first, as he seemed to be frozen in shock at hearing their plan. He soon realized that he had been worrying for naught, as Ichigo burst out in a fit of laughter, and a full-blown one at that.

"Oh god, talk about poetic justice! I can already imagine the horror on their faces when they have to deal with their own weapons turned against them, especially when its nature is actually a part of their own soul!" Ichigo almost hyperventilated as he laughed at the thought. He had a hard time trying to calm down, but eventually succeeded and turned his attention back to Jugram. "Sorry about that, but I really couldn't help it. Although I think we would prove to be victorious even without stealing their Bankai, I'm all for the plan if only to see their expression when part of their own soul is used against them."

"I understand. We shall start your training if you're ready." Jugram said, unsheathing his broadsword.

"Well, I'm all for it. Hey Meni, Candice, Gigi! You can rest now, and thanks for your help!" The three Quincy girls dropped dead to the floor at Ichigo's words, completely exhausted from all the labor they had to do in order to help with Ichigo's training.

"Yes... Finally! I really want to have some well-deserved sleep at the moment..." Candice whined, checking her hair to make sure that it wasn't ruined with all the physical activity.

"Wake me up when it's time for dinner, please..." Meninas slumped down to the floor, pulling Giselle down with her to use as a pillow.

"Aww, Meni! Why do you have to be so selfish? I wanna have some sleep too..." Giselle pouted at Meninas, although she made no attempt to change her position.

Jugram sighed as the three girls gave him a headache in short of a minute's time. Ichigo caught on his annoyance and chuckled, already knowing all to well just how much of a handful they could be from hanging out with them for a few hours. "I think they aren't all that bad... I could think of a few that would make worse company." Jugram gave Ichigo an incredulous look at his remark.

"I admire you for being able to put up with them... And if someone who would prove to be worse compared to them truly exists, I wish to never cross ways with the person." Ichigo couldn't really make out if Jugram was actually joking or being dead serious, considering how his expression never changed.

"Anyway, let's move on to the important part. Bambietta already gave me a good enough workout, so I would appreciate it if you didn't go easy on me." Jugram nodded as he could clearly see that Ichigo wanted to go all out, seeing how he had already activated his Blut.

"Very well... If you prove to be a good enough of a challenge, I shall show you how a Schrift is used in battle. It would give you a gist of what you could expect when you are bestowed with your own Schrift, considering how most Schrifts are based on Reishi Manipulation." Ichigo grinned at Jugram's words, as Bambietta was strictly against using her Schrift at him until he becomes more efficient in his Flugbildschritt. Not that he couldn't understand where she came from, since he could easily deduce from the name of her epithet 'The Explode', that it is a highly destructive ability. He probably could reform even a lost limb with his instant regeneration with enough reiryoku, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be painful since he had the liberty of experiencing it twice during his fight with Zangetsu. He did return the favor, but it really wasn't a pleasant experience.

"If you put it that way..." Ichigo formed his reishi sword in his right hand, while another blade formed in the other, taking the form of his Quincy part's Zanpakutō. He knew that wielding two blades doesn't automatically make you stronger, but since his real Zanpakutō was a dual-wield he should get used to wielding two instead of one. He was already efficient enough with a single blade in his opinion, but he had a long way to go with two. Ichigo's form disappeared with a buzzing sound, only to appear right in front of Jugram. "I can't help but to be curious about your schrift, so I'll just have to make you show it to me!"

Jugram blocked Ichigo's blades with his broadsword, and was a little surprised at the power behind the attack. His Blut was way more powerful than what he was expecting. But it seemed that Ichigo had a lot to learn in the arts of swordsmanship. "Even if I did say those words, I wish to check your mastery in swordsmanship firsthand. You weren't a dual-wielder even until you lost your powers, so I could only assume that this is a new change in your combat style... But you should know that wielding two blades won't give you more advantages if you aren't skilled enough."

Jugram easily redirected the blades, and retaliated while stepping forward. Ichigo couldn't help but feel surprised as Jugram's sword left a deep gash in his right side under his ribs. "Your conversion between the Bluts need some work, as one cannot use both Bluts at the same time..." Jugram's words died in his mouth when he saw that Ichigo's wound had already closed due to his instant regeneration. "I suppose it wouldn't be crucial to learn at the moment... but you should work on that skill to deal with a situation where you could receive a fatal blow which could not be healed. Had I aimed the attack at your neck, it could have proved to be enough to take your life." Jugram concluded, leaving a few words unsaid. 'Although the speed of that regeneration makes me wonder if you actually could heal such fatal wounds...'

"I get your point... I didn't even realize that you can use only one at once, since I didn't really need my Blut Vene when I sparred with Bambietta. We were pretty much even matched, so we couldn't land a solid hit on each other. Although I suppose Bambietta would've used her Blut Vene when she received any kind of hits." Jugram could easily understand his reason, since Bambietta and Ichigo's fighting styles while wielding a sword would be quite similar to each other. Aggressive and fiercely offensive, always looking for a hole in the enemy's defense that can be used to their advantage. Not so Quincy-like, but then again... swordsmanship never really was a part of the Quincy's main skill set. Even though many Quincies in the Wandenreich adopted new weapons other than their standard bow over the years, no one could refute to the fact that the bow would always remain as the Quincy's symbolic and main weapon.

"You'll have to change that if you truly wish to see my schrift. I would also advise you to discard your second blade for the time being, as it would only serve as a hindrance for our purpose." Jugram stated in a matter-of-fact tone, wanting to teach Ichigo how to wield his sword properly. He didn't know much about dual-wielding, so Ichigo would have to learn how to wield a single blade first and create his own style while using it as a base.

"I suppose I'll follow your advice for now... Zangetsu was screaming murder in my head anyways." Ichigo's second blade dissolved into reishi as he muttered the last part under his breath, almost wincing at Zangetsu's whining about using the form of his Quincy counterpart's true Zanpakutō while not even bothering with his... Even if he liked the way Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu reishi sword looked exactly like what he wields.

Jugram raised his brows as Ichigo said something he couldn't quite make out of, and shrugged nonchalantly as he thought that it probably wasn't of any importance. He steadied his stance as Ichigo took the offensive once more as expected from him. As he parried each strike with ease, Jugram noticed that Ichigo seemed to rely heavily on his physical strength, which wasn't as strong as he was used to. Considering the fact that he had fought most of his battles in his soul form until now, it really wasn't a surprise that his physical body wasn't at its best state. Yes, his Blut was giving him a considerate amount of power, but it wasn't as powerful as Ichigo's battle hardened soul.

"Your current style of combat doesn't suit you all that well, as your body isn't as strong as your soul. You'll need to train your physique to your limits, if you wish to fight like you used to do so." Ichigo grimaced at Jugram's words as he did feel the discrepancy between his real body and the one he had in his inner world. "I really have a hell lot of training to do..." Ichigo muttered. Training his body to its limits had no real shortcuts, after all. But then again, there actually could be one since there was a shortcut in achieving Bankai. Not that he could find something like that on his own.

"Seeing how your body was already able to keep up with hours of training due to the immense reiryoku you have and your Blut, it would be interesting to see how strong you'll become when the time comes. But for now, you'll have to learn how to wield a sword properly regardless of that. When you meet an opponent that surpasses you in physical strength, only superior skill or sheer luck can tip the balance to your favor. I suppose you have been relying on luck until now..." Jugram said, lunging at Ichigo with an upward slash. Jugram didn't say it out loud, but he could already imagine just how much of a powerhouse Ichigo would become if given the time to train properly. He had that much potential.

Ichigo couldn't help but think of the time when he had to fight opponents that could easily overpower him, even when he was using his Hollow mask in Bankai state. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Nnoitra Gilga, Ulquiorra Cifer... The Arrancars of Aizen's Espada he had fought were miles stronger than him in physical means even without their Zanpakutō release, and if he had superior skills it wouldn't have been such a one-sided fight every time. Of course, he had the excuse of being inexperienced and all, considering how he had to learn everything through a fight. But he couldn't deny the fact that learning from the best swordsman among the Quincy wouldn't do him any harm.

"Shit..." Ichigo cursed out, barely avoiding Jugram's sword which was aimed to penetrate his stomach. Almost every strike he sent was swatted away easily, while he had a hard time keeping up with Jugram's pace. Ichigo started to use Sonido to maneuver through his attacks, while trying to find an opening. Ichigo gathered reishi beneath his feet to form a small platform mid-air to shift his movements, adding unpredictable movements to disrupt his opponent's face.

Jugram almost chuckled at the absurdity of the situation, as Ichigo was actually using Flugbildschritt in a way that even the Sternritters couldn't utilize easily. He could understand why Ichigo said he gains unpredictability when using Flugbildschritt and Sonido together. Using Sonido to the enemy's blind spot, and then shifting to Flugbildschritt for more complex and precise movements... Jugram admitted that this was probably the most frustrating kind of opponent he could face, as he lost sight of Ichigo once more with the now familiar buzzing sound.

"But even so, it still isn't enough to bring out my Schrift. Maybe in a weeks time..." Jugram stated as he knocked Ichigo's sword out of his hands with sheer skill.

"I'll cut that time in half, if not more." Ichigo formed another sword to continue the fight, which was something Jugram was only happy to oblige.

The Barrack of the First Division, Captains meeting

"I see that everyone is present. This meeting was called to discuss a matter of importance that has come to our attention." Head-Captain Yamamoto slammed his staff to the ground, gaining the attention of the other Captains.

"It seems that Kurosaki Ichigo has gone missing. Captain Sui-Fēng, the floor is yours." Yamamoto rubbed his thumb against his staff, having a bad feeling about the situation. The problem was, he had no idea what the cause of this was. A mere human's disappearance wasn't something that would make him feel something like this even if the said human was the son of the former Captain of the 10th Division Shiba Isshin.

"About three days ago, one of my agents relayed the information that Kurosaki Ichigo was nowhere to be seen in Karakura Town. I had thought of informing the situation immediately at first, but decided to confirm the information to be something that was worth our attention firsthand. Today my agent confirmed that Kurosaki Ichigo has indeed disappeared, not being spotted for a week at this point. The former Captain, Shiba Isshin," Everyone noticed how Sui-Fēng spoke the name with disgust. Hitsugaya Tōshirō noticeably bristled at the mention of his former Captain. "was spotted searching the area for something, or in this case someone which confirmed my suspicion that he has indeed disappeared, either against his will or not informing anyone." Sui-Feng couldn't help but think about what they were really doing to the Substitute Shinigami. She wasn't all that fond of the orange-haired teen, but she couldn't deny that he would've made a fine addition to the Gotei 13 after his death. But now? If he were to find out about just what kind of information was hidden from him... They were essentially creating another Aizen situation with their own hands at this point.

"Kurosaki Ichigo disappearing without informing his friends and family? I really don't see how that would be the case... Wouldn't it be safe to assume that he was forcibly taken by someone who held ill intent towards him?" Hitsugaya Tōshirō voiced his opinion about the situation.

"You seem to be under the impression that his friends and family would care about his disappearance, Captain Hitsugaya. At the moment they obviously don't. Shiba Isshin is the only one who is showing any kind of concern over his disappearance, and maybe Lady Yoruichi too. But my agent wouldn't be able to spy on her, so we can't know for sure. Why would Kurosaki inform his friends if he left on his own will, when they couldn't care any less about him?" Sui-Fēng pointed out the situation, causing Tōshirō to look aghast at the information.

"Wait a minute... Do you mean to say that whatever one of the accomplices of Ginjō did to his friends is still in effect?"

"Obviously..." Kurotsuchi Mayuri drawled at Hirako Shinji, the reinstated Captain of the 5th Division.

"Had I known that agreeing to that plan would cause something like this, I would've never agreed to it..." Shinji bit his lower lips in frustration as whether Ichigo considered himself as one of them or not, he was a Visored. The thought of Ichigo suffering due to their actions... It made him reconsider his decision to join the Gotei 13 once more. He did say that the Visoreds were not on the Soul Society's side, but Ichigo's allies after all. Such a good ally did he make, huh.

"I wonder why nothing has been done on our part to solve the situation? As if using him as a bait wasn't enough, we actually left him to suffer the backlash of our plan?" Muguruma Kensei, the reinstated Captain of the 9th Division frowned at the absurdity of the situation.

"He is just a mere human, Captain Muguruma. You shouldn't overly concern yourself over the well-being of a human..." Sui-Fēng stated, only to be rebutted by several Captains.

"The Soul Society owes him a debt, Captain Sui-Fēng. What kind of beings would we be, if we were to ignore a debt we owe to a mere human as you put it?" Sajin Komamura growled.

"Ehh, I suppose It was the least we could've done for him... But if I'm being honest, I don't see any point for us to be crying over the milk we spilled. Shouldn't we be talking about what we should do to solve the situation at the moment?" Kyōraku Shunsui suggested with a tilt of his straw hat.

"Even I must admit that your words were uncalled-for, Captain Sui-Fēng. Kurosaki Ichigo does deserve to be respected to some degree..." Kuchiki Byakuya spoke in his usual stoic demeanor, with his eyes closed.

"He is still a human nonetheless... The son of a Shinigami Captain who abandoned his post at that." Sui-Fēng said with distaste as Shiba Isshin's irresponsibility was unbelievable to her. "And every event was allowed to happen by Shiba Isshin himself anyway. He should've been the one to defuse the situation if he saw it as a harm to his son. I see no point in changing my view on the situation, when it is quite obvious to me that the task of locating him would fall to the Onmitsukidō regardless of my thoughts."

"How sad, to think that all the experiments I thought up to do with him was for naught..." Mayuri sighed, causing the majority of the Captains to glare at him except for the reinstated ones who didn't know what had occurred between them.

"I hope that he hasn't found him in a harmful situation. I don't know how my lieutenant would react to this news..." Ukitake Jūshirō sincerely hoped that Ichigo was okay for Rukia's sake. He wasn't sure if she could bear the guilt of being involved with another Shiba's death if something like that does happen.

"We should have just restored him his powers, and nothing like this would've happened in the first place! Now who am I going to look forward to having a fight?!" Zaraki Kenpachi gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"If that is all, then I shall continue to leave the matter in Captain Sui-Fēng's hands. Onto the next matter, the Central 46 decided that Ginjō Kūgo is to be executed in five days time..." Byakuya's closed eyes twitched at the mention of execution, which went unnoticed to the other Captains.

"Only fitting for a man like him." Sui-Fēng commented dryly.

"Since the Sōkyoku was destroyed..." Yamamoto glared at his pupils, who didn't dare to meet his eyes. "The execution will not be held in the public. This meeting is closed."

Yamamoto slammed his staff once more, and turned his back on the other Captains. He couldn't pinpoint the cause of his instincts screaming in alarm. The disappearance of Kurosaki Ichigo wasn't enough of a reason for him to feel this anxious. Something big was going to happen, but exactly what?

"Captain Ukitake! Was there any matter of importance discussed in the meeting?" The newly appointed Lieutenant of the 13th Division greeted her Captain, completely unaware of the wary look he was showing.

"It seems that Kurosaki Ichigo has disappeared, about a week ago. Apparently nothing was done to remove the external influence his friends and family were under, and he had either left without telling anyone or was abducted by someone." Rukia gasped at her Captain's words, not even expecting something like that.

"But, why...? As if the Central 46 forbidding us to restore his powers wasn't enough, he had to suffer through an experience like that...?" Rukia was almost tempted to run off in an attempt to find Ichigo then and there. He had come to save him when she was to be executed, so wouldn't it be only right for her to repay her debt?

"The Onmitsukidō will be searching for him so try not to worry too much, Rukia." Even as he tried to reassure her that everything will be fine, Jūshirō knew that it wasn't really working.

Meanwhile, Shinji was having suspicions about everything. Something wasn't adding up, and he had a gut feeling that it was involved with Kurotsuchi Mayuri if he had read the glares of the other Captains the right way. Just exactly what was he missing?

---

Another chapter done, and also has been revised for minor errors in the grammar and spellings.

I suppose 13 k is good enough to make up for the lack of progress of the plot...?

The next chapter will be about Ichigo's Sternritter ceremony, his Schrift. And the whole Tsukishima situation will come to an end in the next chapter. Please stop asking when I'll deal with Tsukishima 'cuz he's going to get what he deserves.

I think I may have gone a little too far with Meninas hitting on Ichigo.. I just wrote that part without thinking all that much about her real character, since her character is barely shown in the canon. Heck, the only thing I can remember from her is 'PePe is creepy...' changing to 'PePe-sama...' and that's saying something.

I really couldn't get a good enough grasp of Meninas' character from the canon other than how she somewhat cares about her appearance with her lacy uniform and hairstyle, and what she wanted from the war was a luxurious life. I suppose I'll have to take another look at the novel to write her better... What I can say is that Meninas is supposed to be a ditzy character, the typical all brawn no brain kind. I suppose it's how Kubo wanted her to be with 'The Power' and all, but Kubo didn't really give her any spotlight so the details of her character are... meh.

The problem is I only remembered this when I was almost done with this chapter. So I had to make a choice between rewriting everything about Meninas, or just stating this story is AU so Meninas will be a little different from canon. Not that there really is anything known about her from the manga, since if you didn't read CFYOW all you know about her is how she punched Ichigo and Zaraki, and being subjected to PePe's 'The Love'.

Another problem was that I wasn't sure if I could write a good enough ditzy personality. So I'm sorry about this if you guys are bothered about it, but Meninas will be how I wrote in this chapter. I could give her a few ditzy moments when I feel like it, but she won't be dimwitted all the time. She is a sweet girl, isn't afraid to act when she deems it necessary, and is a hopeless romantic. I mean, her very character design reminds me of a princess so...

Giselle and Meninas are going to end up a lot different from the canon at this point, so I'll try to keep the other girls' personality close to the canon but there is going to be differences.

Also, at this point it's either a harem in the story, or writing the other girls on a Side-B Chapter. I know that everyone's preferences are different, so I understand if some of you are disappointed in this.

I had to cut down the fights in this chapter 'cuz I saw no reason to drag on a fight which doesn't even involve their full power, meaning their Schrifts. In Ichigo's case his Hollow techniques, since it is deadly to the Quincy regardless of the fact that they are currently stronger than Ichigo if you count their Quincy: Vollständig. The other Quincy are supposed to be mortified with the idea of being in such close contact with a Hollow, and it shouldn't be any different to a Quincy-Hollow hybrid. Just ignoring that part was more than enough in my opinion.

Ichigo was able to match Bambietta when it was restricted to their swords. If she uses her Schrift, Ichigo at his current state won't be able to win. Haschwalt wiped the floor with Ichigo, because its how strong he actually should be. Do keep in mind that Ichigo won't use his Hollow powers on the other Quincy no matter what. It's basically a cheat key in their match up so if it actually comes to a matter of life and death, Ichigo gains the upper-hand by using his Hollowfication.

The reinstated Visoreds have no knowledge of the Soul Society's wrongdoings concerning Masaki, and the same applies to Rukia and Renji. They'll only find out when the time of war comes. They were ordered to use Ichigo as a bait to lure out Ginjō.

I also realized that being subjected to the Auswählen means death, according to Haschwalt in the manga, as he took Uryū wounds. I always thought that the main reason his mother died was an illness rather than the Auswählen itself since it didn't cause death immediately... I was going to say that Ichigo's sisters had their Quincy powers absorbed by Yhwach's Auswählen while Ichigo wasn't due to his unique heritage, but now I feel like I should reconsider this.