Chapter 10: Others will Seek Vengeance on You

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"{Speaking a different language}"

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The Previous Evening, First Day of Ryoka Invasion

"Grr, damnit! Who could've done this?!" Renji stood in the 4th Division Barracks, staring down at the sleeping form of his best friend. Rukia had been brought in hours ago, badly injured and concussed. While she was mostly healed now, the medics, unfortunately, didn't have time to heal the diminutive woman fully. Injured Shinigami had been pouring since just after daybreak and the medics were stretched thin. Last Renji had heard, Captain Unohana had temporarily suspended all other duties for her division so they could focus on healing. Any medics who weren't currently treating patients or searching for more injured Shinigami were resting up before their shift. But still, even if he understood why the healers couldn't spend more time on her, he hated seeing Rukia like this. She looked so… small, all wrapped up in bandages. Almost fragile.

A medic approached. Renji vaguely recognized him; Aoba or Aoga or something like that. Renji hadn't been a patient of the 4th Division often enough to know any but the highest ranked members. "Lieutenant Abarai, Kuchiki-san will make a full recovery. Her injuries were serious but nowhere near as severe as some others we've faced so far." He spoke rather calmly considering he was talking to a lieutenant. Either Renji was worse at remembering officers than he thought, or the other Shinigami was just experienced in dealing with high-ranking officers. "She should be discharged in another couple days, assuming no complications. Now if you'll excuse me, I must continue my rounds." Aoba (or maybe Aoga) left him alone with his thoughts.

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That she awoke sore and stiff rather than in agony told Rukia where she was. Though arguably, awakening at all told her that. 'Ugh. Byakuya-niisama is going to try to have me demoted for this. And I'd just convinced him to stop holding me back last month!' A frustrated groan left her lips at that thought. "Ah, Rukia! You're awake!" Opening her eyes, she saw her oldest friend standing beside her bed, clearly only holding from grabbing her by her injuries. "Are you alright?! Was it one of the Ryoka?!"

Renji's anger on her behalf was palpable and it warmed Rukia's heart to see. Or maybe that was the blankets making her overheat. Regardless, she answered, "I'll be fine, Lieutenant Abarai." As ever, the redhead comically overreacted to her referring to him by title. She'd been teasing him about his promotion for months now and she doubted it'd get old any time soon. After Renji settled down, Rukia answered his other question, "It must have been. He was dressed like a Shinigami, but I didn't recognize him despite his claims to be a Seated Officer in my own division." She paused to gather her thoughts. "But more than that. He- he looked like Kaien-dono. His hair was shorter and orange, but otherwise, he was a dead ringer for the man."

Renji fidgeted slightly while Rukia was lost in her thoughts. He knew roughly what happened all those years ago. Just like he knew Rukia still blamed herself for it. Honestly, he never knew what to do when the subject came up. Saying it wasn't her fault would be brushed off as empty platitudes. Trying to talk about what Kaien would've wanted just made her mood worse. 'One thing I miss about 11th Division: If someone was upset, you fought them until they weren't… or were hospitalized. …No wonder Captain Unohana has no patience for us.' Electing to ignore the elephant in the room, Renji instead declared, "I don't care who this bastard looks like; I'm going to make him pay for what he did!"

Surprisingly, that seemed to distract the diminutive woman from her melancholy. "Oh! The Ryoka was headed for the Senzaikyū. He said he wanted to free Lieutenant Kurotsuchi."

That tidbit confused the redhead. Sure, the execution seemed odd he supposed. Besides Matsumoto's drunken ranting, Hinamori mentioned her captain had tried to speak out against it. But a group of people invading the Seireitei itself to rescue a single criminal? That seemed… extreme. "Whatever his reasons, he's going down. He'll regret the day he laid a hand on y- I mean, crossed Soul Society."

"My hero," Rukia said dryly. In a more serious tone, she said, "Be careful. That Ryoka completely outclassed me when we fought."

Turning to leave, Renji stopped at the door and smirked back cockily, "Hey, which one of us is a lieutenant? I'll be fine, Rukia."

Watching him go, Rukia couldn't help but mutter, "I'd have been a lieutenant years ago if Byakuya-niisama hadn't blocked all my promotions."

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Back to the Present

Ichigo raised his Zanpakutō high as he professed, "Reclaim your throne, Eien-" But his release was interrupted as his opponent's Zanpakutō wrapped around his own. With a hard yank, the redhead sent Eien-ō flying over the wall he stood upon and away from their battle.

"Did you really think I'd let you release your shikai?" The lieutenant (Ichigo spotted his badge now that he was looking) sneered down at him, "This isn't some friendly spar. I'm Abarai Renji and I'm here to kill you!" Another swing saw his Zanpakutō hurtling towards the Substitute once more. The teen dodged to his left, only to feel something cut deeply into his left side a moment later. A quick glance showed Renji's weapon had apparently ricocheted off the ground then off the wall behind him to come back around. With both sections so close together, the only direction he could easily move in was forwards, towards his enemy. Said enemy who was also currently charging a red orb in his hand.

"Oh for-" Cutting himself off, Ichigo Shunpo'd a short distance forward. While the Shakkahō's explosion still rocked him, the damage was minimal. Immediately, he had to dodge again as that damned whip-sword headed his way. Having learned from last time, Ichigo used Shunpo to bring himself up to the top of the wall his enemy was standing on.

Renji clearly didn't think much of his combat analysis, "Idiot. Now you'll have no way to dodge Zabimaru up here!" As the Ryoka charged at him, a twist of his wrist saw Zabimaru extending towards the bastard who hurt his friend. But to the lieutenant's shock, the other Shinigami leaned slightly to the side and punched the first section of his Zanpakutō aside. The rest of Zabimaru quickly followed, veering wildly off-course. Though Ichigo closed quickly, the redhead simply smirked. 'Dumb bastard. Probably thinks I'm helpless just because he deflected my Zanpakutō.'

The lieutenant quickly Shunpo'd in the same direction Zabimaru had been redirected towards, allowing him to easily let his whip-sword retract. Unfortunately, the split-second of inattention retracting his Zanpakutō proved to be enough time for him to lose sight of his opponent. But Renji was no wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn. Even if that division disdained trickery, one didn't survive over a decade in the 11th without figuring out how to combat such moves. He instantly whipped around, Zabimaru slicing behind him to hit… nothing. There was nobody there.

Ichigo reappeared behind Renji, the very direction he'd been originally facing. While Ichigo had roughly a tenth as many years of combat experience as the other Shinigami, he too knew the most common tricks in the book, how to counter them, and most importantly, how to counter the counters. Rather than attack from behind, Ichigo had Shunpo'd twice in quick succession, first to the side and just out of Renji's line of sight and then to his current location. Grabbing the redhead's dominant arm, the schoolboy sharply twisted, forcing him to drop his blade. Then, before Renji could counter-attack or grab his falling weapon, Ichigo lashed out with a kick, sending the Zanpakutō flying dozens of meters away.

Though his attempt to disarm his enemy was successful, Ichigo paid the price when the lieutenant stomped down hard on his foot. Were his mind clearer, Ichigo would acknowledge two of his toes were broken. Of course, no one who just broke multiple bones has a clear mind, even if they aren't fighting for their life. Instead, Ichigo punched Renji in the kidney before wrapping his arms around the man's waist and performing a German suplex off the wall they were standing on. As they fell, Renji elbowed him in the face twice but that didn't save him from crashing headfirst into the ground.

Ichigo quickly moved out from under the stunned and concussed young man and kicked him hard in the ribs before making a dash for where both their Zanpakutō laid. "B-b-Bakudō #1, Sai!" Immediately after Renji cast, Ichigo's arms locked up behind him. The sudden action caused him to stumble and fall on his face. The redheaded Shinigami staggered to his feet, punch-drunk but still very much in the fight. "It'll take more than that to defeat me, you punk." Leaping into the air, he aimed to land knee first on the Ryoka's spine, hopefully breaking it. Unfortunately for him, while Renji could cast more Bakudō than Ichigo, Ichigo was more proficient. It was the work of an instant to shatter the Bakudō binding his arms and roll out of the way, causing his enemy to land painfully on his knee.

Getting to his feet, Ichigo punched Renji across the face, sending him to the ground. "Bakudō #4, Hainawa." From Ichigo's first two fingers shot a golden rope, wrapping around the lieutenant and pinning his arms to his sides. No longer willing to risk his opponent getting back up, the orangette straddled his opponent and started repeatedly slugging him in the face.

With each blow, blood flowed freely from Renji's nose and mouth, his eyes rapidly swelling shut. His concussion worsening, Renji couldn't manage the focus to attempt to break his opponent's Kidō. All he could do was endure the beating while flaring his Reiatsu, hoping to draw the attention of others. Finally, Ichigo grabbed the lieutenant by his kimono and hauled him upwards, only to brutally slam his forehead into the Shinigami's nose, knocking him out cold. Still, Ichigo didn't want to risk the other man getting up before he could get away. Taking a deep breath, and wincing as he became more aware of the still bleeding hole in his side, Ichigo started casting, "Bakudō #9, Hōrin. Bakudō #63, Sajō Sabaku." Two more Kidō bound the downed lieutenant. Then Ichigo raised his foot and stomped down on his unconscious foe's feet, breaking bones in each.

Huffing, he performed a short Shunpo and retrieved Eien-ō, sheathing his partner on his hip. Turning back in the direction of the Senzaikyū, Ichigo initiated another Shunpo, only to learn too late that he'd tried to use the wrong foot. His broken toes cried out in agony and sent him veering off course, headfirst into a wall. As consciousness left him, the substitute saw a white and black shape appear in front of him.

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"This is actually a pretty good plan, Hime," Tatsuki said over her shoulder. The pair had stumbled across what appeared to be a laundry room or linen supply. There were dozens of Shinigami uniforms lying around and Orihime had the brilliant idea of them putting on a set. With luck, they'd be able to bypass most of the patrolling Shinigami without getting into any more fights. If nothing else, it should at least help them get past some of them. Once she was sure her shihakusho was in place, and wouldn't slip to reveal her sports bra, the tomboy looked over to check on her girlfriend's progress. Said girlfriend was currently holding up a uniform and completely naked, her cute butt on full display. "Gah! Hime, why did you take off your underwear too?"

"Hm?" Orihime looked over her shoulder curiously. "Oh! I haven't been wearing any since before we left Kūkaku-san's. Which is a shame because I was wearing my yellow thong, which always makes me feel really confident, but it and my bra got so uncomfortable after wearing them all day. So I thought I'd just do without!" Tatsuki couldn't help but admit that it did certainly sound like something Orihime would do. And it made sense for that matter; not like they could shop around for extra underwear. And she really wasn't going to complain about seeing her girlfriend nude. "Anyway, I finally found a uniform that fits me. So many are way too tight in the chest!"

Once they were both properly dressed, Orihime carefully pinned up most of her hair to "Look more professional" in her words. Tatsuki just thought it made her adorable. But they were missing something. "We don't have swords," The martial artist noticed, "They're bound to notice that."

The busty orangette cheerfully smiled and suggested, "Then we'll beat someone up and take theirs!"

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"Look sharp men! You never know where these Ryoka might-" The Shinigami squad leader was cut off by a sharp blow to the back of his head. Before the quartet he was addressing could even react, they were similarly taken down. Behind them stood Orihime and Tatsuki in their stolen uniforms. The two quickly dragged them out of sight before going picking out a Zanpakutō to make off with.

Orihime fitted a rather ordinary looking Zanpakutō through her sash and felt an odd sort of disapproval strike her. "Hey, Tsuki-chan, you get the feeling that someone isn't happy with what we're doing?"

Fitting a small, tanto-like Zanpakutō into the folds of her robe, Tatsuki replied, "Not really? I mean, I'm sure these guys won't be happy when they wake up, but seems to me like someone finds this whole thing pretty hilarious."

"Huh. Maybe it's my imagination?" The busty girl shrugged before noticing something on one of them unconscious men. "Oh! They have pocky! And it's strawberry flavored!" Quickly picking up the partial box of pocky, she popped one in her mouth before turning towards her girlfriend. "Pocky game!" Rather than participate in the silly but romantic ritual, Tatsuki opened her mouth and fit the whole stick in to kiss her directly. After several seconds, the two broke off, both blushing lightly as they fled the pile of unconscious Shinigami.

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Along one of the paths leading towards the Senzaikyū, Uryū paused. There was an immense Reiatsu signature ahead, one that wasn't even trying to hide itself nor move closer. 'Perhaps they haven't noticed me yet. If I have tight enough control, I might be able to flee without giving away my presence.' Uryū knew he lacked the raw power of some; much like his grandfather, he focused more on controlling what power he had rather than gaining more. Firmly reining in his power, Uryū performed a series of short ranged Hirenkyaku to move several kilometers away, trading distance for speed and stealth.

However, as he came to a stop, the Quincy realized the Reiatsu signature from before was still the exact same distance away. 'Impossible! How could they have perfectly followed my movements like that?!' He was about to get his answer. Almost faster than he could sense, that same Reiatsu signature appeared behind him. Utilizing Hirenkyaku at the greatest speed he could manage, the Quincy dodged a stab towards his back.

From his new perch atop one of the walls bordering the path, the teen manifested his bow, only to see his opponent was no longer there. Instinctively, he used Hirenkyaku once more, barely avoiding a slash that would have severed his arm. Yet, as soon as he stopped, he had to move again. Landing and immediately firing behind him, Uryū bought himself a precious moment as his opponent swatted aside his arrow. Focusing on not offering a stationary target, he liberally abused his speed technique, firing at any glimpse of his foe. Going by their white haori, they were definitely a captain. Their hair was black though there seemed to be patches of grey or white in it. Beyond that, they moved at a speed where Uryū couldn't even be sure if he faced a man or a woman, their face too androgynous as they blurred from one location to the next. 'This is insane! I can barely stay a hairsbreadth away from their blade, yet they don't even appear to be trying!'

A slice to both his Achilles tendons sent the Quincy sprawling to the ground. His enemy finally came to a stop, standing before him and casually swiping their Zanpakutō of his blood. The figure was a Shinigami captain, one with an expensive scarf on his shoulders and intricate white headpieces in his hair. When he spoke, his voice was as rich as the rest of him, "You're rather good at running away, aren't you Ryoka? Unfortunately for you, this farce is at an end." Holding his Zanpakutō high, the Shinigami moved to stab downwards, only for a small tube to touch his chest. Looking down at the object bouncing off his uniform as his felled opponent muttered something, the man uttered an exasperated, "Really?" A moment later, a pentagonal Quincy cross burst into being in front of him, which promptly grew to become a stone barrier enveloping the Shinigami completely.

Knowing he didn't have much time until his enemy broke out of his Gritz technique, Uryū quickly activated another technique: Ransōtengai, allowing him to puppeteer his own body like a marionette and ignore his severed tendons. Gaining a bit of distance, he charged the strongest arrow he could and fired it dead center at the barrier holding the Shinigami captain. Before the arrow could land, the barrier exploded and the arrow was blocked by… sakura petals?

The Shinigami emerged, surrounded by the seeming sakura petals, and holding the bladeless hilt of his Zanpakutō. For once, he appeared less condescending and seemed almost impressed. "I should commend you, Ryoka. Clearly, I underestimated your resourcefulness and ability. Tell me, what is your name?"

Another arrow nocked, Uryū cautiously replied, "Ishida Uryū, last of the Quincy."

His opponent inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Indeed? My name is Kuchiki Byakuya, captain of the 6th Division and head of the Kuchiki Family. Out of respect for your skills, I will destroy you completely." In the next instant, the man swung his Zanpakutō hilt and the flower petals, which Uryū idly noticed never truly fell to the ground, rushed forwards. Once again, the Quincy was forced to dodge for his life, each near miss resulting in more cuts along his body. Worse, his opponent, while content to remain in one place, didn't attack with just his Shikai. No, instead he fired multiple Kidō towards the teenager with his offhand. Shō, Byakurai, Sōkatsui, and more flew through the air.

Uryū dodged what he could, but his injuries were rapidly piling up. Ransōtengai might allow him to keep moving regardless of his body's condition, but it did nothing for the wounds themselves. Nor for the pain that was threatening to disrupt his concentration. Like the Sōkatsui just collided with his left arm and ribs. Feeling part of his body get flash fried distracted Uryū long enough for a Shō to impact his chest. Though not painful, it did knock him backwards, letting the blades of Senbonzakura catch up to him. The agony of a thousand blades slicing into his body was overwhelming, far beyond anything he'd felt before. 'Damnit! I won't be able to last another minute of this. It seems I have no choice.' Reaching towards his Sanrei Glove with a shaking, burnt, bloody hand, Uryū snapped off one of the prongs.

In an instant, the entire glove disintegrated and he felt power beyond his imagining flowing through him. A massive pillar of energy engulfed Uryū entirely, shooting far into the sky and hiding his form from view. Witnessing the spectacle, Byakuya froze, unsure of what to make of this new development. For his part, Uryū was in awe of the power he gained. It was astounding. He could always feel Reishi around him and, with training, he could control it as well. But now? Now controlling Reishi took less than a thought. It was like the Reishi all around was a part of his very being. He wanted it to act and it did. Even the Reishi making up his surroundings, the walls, the very ground beneath his feet, came apart and flew towards him at his command. Unseen by Uryū, a flaming mass of blue Reiryoku formed over his right shoulder, resembling a wing or a quiver of arrows. His uniform was replaced with a more ornate and armored version as his bow similarly grew slightly more intricate.

Byakuya studied him warily. The Quincy's power hadn't so much grown as exploded. Before, the teen had been on the low end for a lieutenant, but now his power dwarfed some of the captains. Before he could act one way or another, there was a flash of bright blue. Blinded, the captain quickly cast a Bakudō as protection, "Bakudō #81, Dankū." A large transparent barrier formed in front of him instantly. Yet to his surprise, nothing even touched the barrier. When his vision cleared, Byakuya saw the true target of the attack. Each and every single blade of Senbonzakura was pinned to the ground with an arrow piercing through it.

Regardless, Byakuya was a captain for a reason. Without hesitation, he intoned, "Bakudō #61 Rikujōkōrō." Six wide beams of yellow light crashed into the Quincy, freezing him in place. But a second later, those beams started dissolving, turning into more Reishi that fed into the flaming mass over Uryū's shoulder. Quickly, the Shinigami cast another Kidō, one with a different goal in mind. Pointing at the arrows pinning his Shikai, Byakuya cast once more, "Hadō #33, Sōkatsui." The blue flames destroyed most of the arrows, allowing him to reform his Zanpakutō. Though it galled him, the head of the Kuchiki clan could admit to himself that he'd underestimated the Ryoka twice now. This was no time for holding back. Holding his Zanpakutō upside down, Byakuya released it and solemnly declared, "Bankai." Senbonzakura's sealed form sank into the ground as though it were water and behind Byakuya, a thousand titanic blades arose in two rows. "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." At his words, the blades all dissolved into millions of tiny flying blades.

Uryū rapidly nocked and fired an arrow, but the swirling mass of blades came up and deflected it. However, as they moved to attack, they too suffered the same fate as Byakuya's Bakudō. As parts of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi began dissipating into motes of Reishi, Uryū knew that his apparent invincibility was a façade. 'I've lost too much blood. I'll have to end this in one attack or I won't have to worry about losing my powers.' He charged an arrow with his improved power, creating an arrow that was an actual physical construct rather than just a bunch of energy in the rough shape of an arrow. Barely needing to aim, he let it fly, already knowing it would hit his target.

The arrow flew true. Byakuya's eyes widened in alarm as he used his hands to direct the remains of his Bankai to form a barrier before him. Leaping out of the way, he at the same time cast, "Bakudō #81, Danku!" Though he dodged the attack, the resulting explosion of power tore right through both his Bakudō and his Bankai. The shockwave leveled the surroundings for well over a hundred meters, turning buildings into mere piles of rubble and dust. That same shockwave tore through Byakuya's body, shattering bones on impact.

Even as Uryū moved to make sure his enemy was dead, he felt his body growing heavy. His power would only last seconds more and his body wasn't in much better condition. But he couldn't stop. Even now, he could see more sakura blossoms falling through the air. Though if he wasn't mistaken, they seemed darker than before. Rather than pink, they were… purple? A moment later, he collapsed to the ground, his bow dispersing as the Kidō took hold.

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AN: Oh shit, that just happened! While planning, I hadn't intended for Ichigo and Uryū to swap captain fights (because face it, ya'll know Ichigo is gonna fight Mayuri) so much as Byakuya seemed like an interesting fight for him. We'll be jumping around a bit in the timeline next chapter or two. While Ichigo's next fight takes place before anyone else's, I don't want to just focus on what he's doing.

Also, to darkimortal, since you disabled private messaging, I'll have to respond to you here. Simply put, Tosen's injuries made him a non-priority for Yoruichi. With his bankai broken and his hands mutilated, Tosen will barely ever reach lieutenant level as a threat now (as far as Yoruichi knows). Meanwhile, she's got two badly injured comrades to deal with who will die quickly without medical aid. So, Yoruichi decided the delay taking out Tosen's subordinates would cause, because she absolutely can't be identified yet, wasn't acceptable and she left to get Candy and Bambi somewhere safe-ish.

Anyway, now for the part people care about. NEXT TIME, ON VOW OF THE KING! Clark Kent recommends genocide and Tatsuki tries her hand at babysitting (it goes better than most babysitting jobs).