Grimmjow grinned as Midoriya stood up, watching his opponent, his… ah, for fucks sake, his rival rise from where he had been kneeling in a vortex of Reiryoku. Clawed hands hyperflexed, ready for the fight about to start.

Midoriya's coat Shihakusho had been reduced to a high collared cloak, tattered around the base and whipping in a breeze that didn't exist, leaving only bandages that wrapped around his lower torso and disappeared into the hakama he was wearing, only to reappear wrapped around shoeless feat. Reishi tattoos spread across his skin, jagged, chalk white marks coming up from his left fist and black, calligraphy-like marks came up from his right, meeting and mixing at his sealed hollow hole and spreading up his choker clad neck, where they disappeared under his hollow mask. His green hair floated on the same fake breeze, spiking into sharp points as he slowly span the bowie knives by their knuckle duster grips.

In the next second, he was nothing, as he had vanished in a burst of shunpo. Grimmjow span around, throwing up a sloppy guard as Midoriya's fist crashed into it. Metal ground against bone for a second, letting the blue eyes of Grimmjow meet the leering mask of Midoriya, before the shockwave caught up with them. An uncontrolled explosion of Reiryoku was released from the knuckle duster and sent Grimmjow flying off the cliff face they were standing on.

The panther Arancar ground his fingers into the air and slowed himself. Straightening up, he turned in time to dodge the second jab by a hair's breadth. Then he weaved around the third, and the fourth, and the-

Midoriya vanished, and Grimmjow threw up another guard to block the downwards punch that sent him flying straight down into the sand. Sand exploded from all sides, creating a crater in his wake.

Grimmjow stood up, cracking his back and looking up at the green haired Shinigami, "You are out of practice. You can't even break through my hierro!"

The next second, a torrent of black and green energy came crashing down on each of Grimmjow's shoulders. Grimmjow flexed, shrugging off the energy and brushing his bruised shoulders.

"Ok, so you can bruise me. Congratulations."

"I told you I was-" Midoriya stopped as Grimmjow rushed up in front of him in a burst of Sonido, "Just get this over with."

"With, FUCKING, pleasure!" Grimmjow grabbed Midoriya by the masked face, rushing down and slamming Midoriya back first into the sand. Kicking off with sonido again, he dragged Midoriya across the sand and into the cliff face. Pulling back his fist, he grinned wildly, "This might not be as satisfying as killing you, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn't gonna be fun!"

Grimmjow drove his claws into Midoriya's gut, grinning at him through his other hand.

And then the real beatdown should have begun. But it didn't.

- X Izuku X-

Alright, Hero, Izuku opened his eyes as the bleeding at the back of its head staunched itself, she's far enough away. Let's do this.

Reiryoku gathered into Ceros at the tips of the Gesshoku as he flipped both blades and drove them into Grimmjow's chest. Blasts of energy exploded, punching through the Espada and throwing him off Izuku.

"Getsuga Tensho:" Izuku said, stepping forwards as the energy snapped around the blade of the Gesshoku like a sheath, spinning the blades so they became discs of energy around his index fingers, "Cero Cuchilla."

The uncontrollable wind around Izuku became a hurricane as he stepped towards Grimmjow, before using Shunpo to rush behind the Arrancar and slash his exposed back with the Reiryoku covered blade of Gesshoku, bandaged feet grinding against the cold sands of Hueco Mundo. Grimmjow vanished in a burst of Sonido, and Izuku span to dodge the claw strike and swing up, sending a Getsuga Tensho at him.

Izuku gave a gasp of air as Grimmjow skidded back with slight cuts in his skin. He touched them, playing with the blood with a look of boredom on his face, "That your last go before I beat the shit out of you?"

"I'm not gonna give up and collapse until I can't fight anymore," Izuku said, launching forwards and slamming into Grimmjow's guard with the white blade of Gesshoku. The shockwave of the howling Getsuga Tensho around the blade went off in a green-black beam like a Cero.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Grimmjow disappeared in a Sonido, slamming his elbow against Izuku's spine and forcing him into the dirt before hefting him up by the cloak, "but here's the thing, Midoriya, while you've been getting weaker, I've been getting stronger!"

A blue Cero formed in Grimmjow's palm, and Izuku was thankful for the thick layer of Reiryoku softening the blow as he was blasted across the desert and into the cliff again. Pushing himself forwards and throwing Gesshoku at Grimmjow, he had just enough time to dodge the side kick aimed at his throat by sliding low. Spinning in the sand, he caught the blades and punched two more blasts at Grimmjow, sending him crashing face first into the wall, "How much?"

Grimmjow vanished, before appearing in Izuku's guard and wrapping a hand around the corner of his mask. Izuku felt his skin protest as Grimmjow began to peel bone from skin.

"Let's see… I've eaten enough," Grimmjow slammed a foot into Izuku's chest, speeding up the pulling and sending blood leaking down Izuku's face, "That I'm probably about as strong as Harribel or Odelschwanck now."

Très from Sexta? This hadn't been his best-

Finally, the mask was ripped from Izuku's face in a shower of blood, and Grimmjow grabbed him by the throat and-

"Well," a familiar, slightly husky voice was the first warning they got that their fight had been interrupted, "This feels a bit familiar."

The next second, Izuku was dropped to the blood-slicked sand as Shihōin Yoruichi suddenly appeared, purple hair snapping with the motion as she roundhouse kicked Grimmjow away from Izuku.

"What…" Izuku spat out a mouthful of blood, "What... are you doing here, Sensei?"

"Your mom called Kisuke," Yoruichi reached down, dabbing some medicine onto the raw skin, "Jaegerjaquez! This fight isn't happening now."

"You," Grimmjow grunted, setting his jaw in place before narrowing his eyes, "Fine. But he better not come back to Hueco Mundo until he's ready to die, because I'm not holding back next time."

"Yeah, yeah," Yoruichi lifted Izuku onto her back, "C'mon, let's go find Rukia, you idiot."

"That's…"

"You just got done a multiple hour training exercise," Yoruichi reproached, knocking a fist on his head, "you're out of practice, and you decide to go to Hueco Mundo. I know you're not the best at self preservation, but that's dumb even by your standards."

-X Yoruichi X-

Yoruichi burst from the Garganta that Kisuke had made without a sound, spreading her senses as she went. White ribbons formed in her vision, and she ignored them to grab a familiar red Reiraku. Coiling her legs beneath her, the Goddess of the Flash took off towards her wayward student.

Of all the irresponsible things Izuku could have done, going into Hueco Mundo hadn't even begun to cross her mind until Kisuke had received a call from Inko. And then, the former captains went into overdrive to rescue him from his own stupidity.

How had he even opened a Garganta without Kisuke? She knew he was more in sync with his Hollow than the rest of the Visored, but to be that far along after a year and a half out of practice?

Eyes landing on Izuku, Yoruichi saw red as she watched him be dangled from his neck by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. Blood was pouring down Izuku's face and from a torn section of his chest… and knowing him, he was probably downplaying it mentally to "just some light injuries".

"Well," Yoruichi said, managing to keep the vitriol out of her voice as she flash stepped into Jeagerjaquez's guard. Spinning into a roundhouse kick, she slammed her foot into the Arrancar's jaw, feeling her Reiryoku fight with his for a second before she spent him spinning away with the cracking on his jawbone, "This feels a bit familiar."

Izuku thudded to the sand slicked with mixed blood behind her.

"What…?" Izuku slurred, before turning to the side and spitting out some blood that had fallen into his mouth, "What are you doing here, Sensei?"

"Your mom called Kisuke," because you're a stubborn idiot. Yoruichi let the second half go unsaid as she pulled out a tub of healing ointment and knelt at Izuku's side, dabbing it onto his face gently. The wounds sealed shut without so much as a scratch, "Jaegerjaquez! This fight isn't happening now."

"Yow," Jaegerjaquez slurred, standing up and grabbing his jaw. With a loud pop, he set it into place, flexing his clawed hands as he took a step towards them. Yoruichi stood, sliding into a Hakuda stance with narrowed eye, "Fine. But he better not come back to Hueco Mundo until he's ready to die, because I'm not holding back next time!"

"Yeah, yeah," Yoruichi pulled Izuku off the sand and onto her back, feeling him stick to her from the blood as his Bankai faded,"C'mon, let's go find Rukia, you idiot."

"That's…" she felt him recoil on her back, and contorted a fist to lightly knock him against the head like he was Yūshirō.

"You just got done a multiple hour training exercise, you're out of practice, and you decide to go to Hueco Mundo. I know you're not the best at self preservation, but that's dumb even by your standards."

- X Nel X-

Nelliel "Nel" Tu Odelschwanck stopped as the air changed. She sniffed the air, before turning to her left and running as fast as her little legs could carry her. A cry she hadn't expected to say on her lips, "IIIIIIIZZZZZZUUUUUU!"

"What?" Pesche gasped, stopping himself before running after Nel, "Hey, hey wait! What do you mean-"

"Izu!" Nel yelled again, rushing towards Bawabawa and hopping onto his back, "Izu's here!"

"Are you sure?" Dondochakka said, "He's been gone for a while, doncha know?"

"It's Izu," Nel said, face growing serious for a second as her brothers climbed on Bawabawa, "and… Rukia."

"Ok, ok," Pesche said, "We believe you, Nel. Let's go see Izuku."

Bawabawa turned, rushing across the sand as quickly as possible as Nel jumped in place on his back. Izu was back, he hadn't forgot her! Why else would he be in Hueco Mundo, but to see her?

After about fifteen minutes of riding on Bawabawa's back, a girl with black hair and purple eyes landed on Bawabawa's head, looking worried as she turned to face them. Quickly, that worry disappeared behind a mask, Nel could tell, "Hello, Nel-"

"RUKIA!" Nel slammed into her gut as fast as she could, causing the Rukia to choke on her words. She wrapped her arms as far around her as she could around the other girl, "You came back!"

"Hello," Rukia coughed, crouching down to hug Nel back, "It's good to see you again, Nel."

"Where's Izu?"

"Izuku got…" Rukia's expression cracked for a second as she turned back towards the way she came. Worry in her eyes, "Distracted. He'll catch up to us soon."

"Now, actually," an unfamiliar voice said, and suddenly there was a very pretty girl standing on Bawabawa's head with Izuku on her back. Her purple hair pulled into a ponytail while her yellow eyes slid across the group, "Nice to see you again, Rukia. Is this- Izuku, I'm not putting you down."

Izu was squirming on the girl's back, desperately trying to drop from her grip, "Please, Sensei? I won't do anything-"

"Stupid? You're on a short leash when it comes to that, Izuku. Fine, I'll put you down, but if you do anything to aggravate your injuries I'm gonna pin you down and call Kisuke for an immediate evac. Understand?"

"Yes, Sensei," Izu said, voice sounding… scared? No, that wasn't the right word… Nel didn't know it, "Hi, Nel."

Izuku spread his arms, and Nel launched from her place around Rukia to give him a hug, ignoring the sticky icky-ness of his chest to hug him as he spun her around.

And was caught halfway through by Sensei, who had a very scary smile on her face, "Kisuke? Open the Garganta, we're coming back with guests… and you, Izuku, wasted no time aggravating those injuries did you?"

-X Izuku X-

Izuku, let the record show, showed none of the shame he was feeling as he lay on the floor of the Urahara shop, injuries wrapped in bandages coated in Nel's saliva. The healing properties of the aforementioned substance was healing him quickly…

Though that didn't stop the looks sent his way by Yoruichi, Nel, Rukia and, and this one burned the most, Karin who sat around him.

"Gotta say, Izuku," Urahara Kisuke drawled as he walked into the room with a package under one arm and the sealed form of his Zanpakuto, Benihime, in the other, "You do some crazy stuff, and I really wish I could say this was in a league of its own."

"You're saying it's not?" Yoruichi asked.

"Nah," Urahara said, opening the package and handing a pez dispenser with a skull on top to Karin, "be careful with that."

"If it's dangerous," Izuku started, only to wither at the looks shot at him by most of the room.

"You don't want me to have it," Karin finished, "yeah, yeah, I know. But with the amount of times our family has been attacked by bad spirits-"

"Hollows," half the room chorused.

"-Hollows, right. I need something to protect myself, bro. And you're not allowed to talk about dangerous stuff right now. What did you do, get into a fight to the death?"

The silence that followed was as thick as Head Captain Yamamoto's Reiatsu. Karin's response cut deeper than Grimmjow's claws.

"You're shitting me. You got into a deathmatch?"

"Don't swear Karin-"

"That isn't the point!" Karin snapped, "You getting your powers back was supposed to be a good thing, so you'd stop moping and go back to being my dork of a brother! Now one of the first things you do is get yourself beat up over a little girl!?"

"Hey!" Nel protested.

"Karin," Izuku said, warning in his voice.

"Calm down, calm down," Urahara said, "listen, Karin, I know you're worried about Izuku, but this is what he does. He's insane."

"Sensei!"

"C'mon," Urahara said, poking him gently on one of the few areas not covered by bandages, his shoulder, "Sane people don't go to war against Soul Society for a girl he met a couple of months before. They don't charge into Hueco Mundo expecting no support for another girl. You all are crazy, that's your charm. Anyways, Nel, how're you doing outside of Hueco Mundo?"

"Nel feels… weird. Tired.

"Because there's less Reishi in the air than in Hueco Mundo," Urahara nodded, adjusting his hat, "sounds like a fun project, I might even make it so you can get into your older form more often."

"Uh, what?" Izuku asked.

"Talking to myself, Izuku," Kisuke said, "by the by, it'll wait until you healed up, but I got that supplies from Kukaku you wanted."