Gin stopped abruptly as a Gillian fell to the ground. It was too far away to catch what had happened but those things never just fell down, and reaching out he thought he could feel a difference in the surrounding reiatsu. With so many Menos Grande surrounding them it was nearly impossible to be sure, but he thought there might just be an Arrancar nearby.
At least it wasn't an Espada. Their reiatsu was on a whole different level, and he would recognize most of them. He doubted Aizen could have collected an entire new set of Vasto Lordes to turn into Espada in the past two weeks.
A wave of pale pink petals rushed toward the towering Gillians that blocked his view and swirled around the black forms, shattering them almost instantly. He looked to his left to see Kuchiki had moved over a dozen yards away, closer to the possible Arrancar. He stood there with almost no expression on his arrogant face, watching as his shikai tore one after another of the Gillians to shreds.
Kurotsuchi was still standing near but he had also begun an attack. He was reciting a chant, Bakudo 61. "You who are crowned with the name of Man, wearing a Mask of blood and flesh, flying on the thousand fluttering wings, with Thunder's carriage and an empty Spinning Wheel, break the Light into six pieces, carve a twin Lotus on a wall of Pale Blue Flames, and await the Blazing Fires to reach the Distant Heavens."
By the time Gin recognized the target he had been caught in the six spears of light of Rikujokoro. It was Di Roy, and Gin almost laughed. They had been ridiculously lucky. They'd caught one of the weakest and least cared about of the fracciones. They could probably get him back before anyone even noticed he was missing.
Di Roy struggled pointlessly against the prison as the captains calmly approached. Kurotsuchi was already getting out the specially crafted cuffs that would help to keep the Arrancar imprisoned, and Kuchiki called back his shikai, sheathing Senbonzakura with the same calm with which he had drawn it.
Di Roy shouted threats and curses at them which were completely ignored. He tried to fight as Kurotsuchi added to the layers of his imprisonment, but it was futile.
He was already losing the will to fight, but when he saw Gin he went half-mad with fury.
"You! Ichimaru, you traitor! You coward! I'll kill you! Get this cage off me and I'll tear you to pieces!"
"How's that?" Gin asked. "There's a limit to the power the Hogyoku can give, you know. A weakling like you could hardly hope to challenge an Espada, no matter how generous Aizen was when he was giving out powers. You were an Adjucas, remember? I don't know what you think I am, but I promise I wasn't just a decoration Aizen kept around to look pretty. I've been learning from him for a century. I wouldn't even need shikai to end a little thing like you."
"Still so confident, Ichimaru?" A new voice asked, and Gin raised his head to see Shawlong Qufang perched on one of the treelike pillars of the forest. "You have had the power of Aizen behind you, protecting you all these years. What do you have now that we should fear you?"
On nearby pillars were every one of Grimmjow's fracciones, Edorad Leones, Yylfordt Granz, and Nakeem Greendina. Four different Arrancar who could call for help if they weren't stopped immediately.
Kuchiki looked calmly toward Gin and nodded.
"What's got all of you down here together?" Gin asked, curiously. "Is Grimmjow about somewhere or are you all skipping out together?"
The giant Nakeem dropped down to the ground. "We must destroy the traitor for Aizen!"
Gin and Kuchiki drew at the same moment; the commands, "Scatter," and "Shoot to kill," spoken at the same moment. Shinso slashed through Nakeem's chest as flower petals engulfed Edorad, Shawlong, and Yylfordt. Nakeem fell and shattered instantly. The other three attempted to dodge, but petals of Senbonzakura were inescapable. Soon they too had dissolved into sparkling dust.
"The subject is ready for transfer," Kurotsuchi announced, having ignored the additional fracciones altogether.
Gin turned to see the scientist gazing with satisfaction at the imprisoned Arrancar. Di Ray was trapped within a floating cube of yellow light, pounding on its walls, no longer even able to make a sound although he looked like he must still be shouting. At each corner of the cube was a floating metal disk, tying the barrier reishi in place. Although Gin could see the Arrancar and the prison cube, neither could be sensed at all. Kurotsuchi had created a prison that might as well have been invisible. No one would be able to track it, not once they lost sight of it. He'd never say so, but he was impressed.
Then, suddenly, a huge reiatsu appeared in the distance. It was growing quickly as it approached. So Grimmjow had been in the forest too.
There was a snarl and a shout, "Ichimaru! Come out and fight me! I know you're here! I can smell you!"
"Oh, well," Gin said with a slight sigh. Then he smiled. "That'll be Grimmjow. You two had better go on ahead. I won't be a minute."