A/N: A reader pointed out a flaw in this chapter so I reworked it. Hope you all enjoy!

The group exit the Senkaimon into the Seireitei. Guards stand in attention at the appearance of the bloody Captain Kuchiki and the knocked out body his lieutenant was carrying. They also take notice of the substitute and his human friend but seeing that they were accompanying the captain, they do not react.

A guard approaches Byakuya and is informed to tell the Head-Captain that they've arrived and to assemble with the others in the Captains' Assembly Hall. He nods and shunpos off while The rest of the group walk. It felt as if they were heading to an execution with the air around them.

"Renji, what's going to happen?" Orihime asks as she wipes some of the blood off Arata's skin with a napkin.

The redhead sighs. "I don't know. I get why Arata did what he did but that still doesn't change what he committed. Maybe we can settle some sort of agreement with Head-Captain Yamamoto but I'm not sure. He's the 'by-the-books' kind of guy you know?"

His words left the girl uneasy and worried about future events. She then looks at Arata and frowns in sadness. He still hadn't woken up yet.

They walk for sometime until they reach the doors of the assembly hall. Byakuya pushes to the doors open and the group is introduced to a room full of captains and their lieutenants. At the opposite end of the room sat an old man with a very long white beard and eyebrows. Underneath his seemingly closed eyes were red eyes like that of fire. He wore the same black shihakusho as every other soul reaper with a white captain haori but slighter bigger. The old man slams his cane down, drawing everyone in attention and starting the meeting.

"Captain Kuchiki, I trust the mission went well?" the old man asks.

"Well enough" Byakuya answers simply. Everyone immediately takes notice of his sliced and burned uniform and both Orihime and Ichigo sweatdrop in nervousness, seeing that Arata's case was looking worse with every passing moment. "I have brought our suspect"

"And a few wounds along with him. Did he do that?" asked a small child of a captain with silver hair.

"Yes. He resisted arrest when myself and my lieutenant approached" Byakuya answers.

"And why is Orihime Inoue and Ichigo Kurosaki along with you?" then asked a man with long white hair.

"Do you or the suspect need any medical attention?" questioned a motherly looking woman with black hair that was tied into a braid at the front.

"They came in defense of the suspect. And in regard to your question Captain Unohana, no. Neither me and the suspect need medical attention. Ms. Inoue's powers saw to that"

"'Defense'?" questioned a large humanoid dog. "For what?"

"For the murder of a mortal" he stated. Everyone looked on with a more scrutinizing gaze at the unconscious executioner.

"I like how you framed that sentence" said Arata. He awoke as soon as they entered the room and took some time to shake off the sleep from his mind. He gets off Renji and everyone stands on guard. "You should have said 'killed a rapist'. It would be a whole lot more honest than what you just said"

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Is this man's statement true?" questioned the old man.

"Yeah. He saved a girl from a rapist after he caught him in the act" Ichigo defends. Orihime smiles as she hears this as it illustrates that Arata wasn't so bad after all.

"But why did he kill him? Couldn't he have just stopped this rapist by incapacitating him?" demanded a short female with black hair and two braids behind her.

Before Ichigo or even Orihime could speak, Arata beat them to the punch and said the last thing these people needed to hear. "Because I like killing"

Renji, Ichigo, and Orihime look at him in disbelief. Were they going crazy or did he actually say that. Arata notices their faces and says, "What? I'm honest"

'Well, that was too honest!' the three screamed in their mind.

The whole room narrow their eyes at Arata as they now pinpointed what kind of man he was; a killer. He continues on by saying, "Before this encounter, about two weeks ago, I killed about ten gangsters after they tried to harm me and a woman I was with even after I beat them down"

"Young man... do you realize what you are saying?" warns the old man.

"I do. Yet I don't care. Those people I killed were scum. I felt no shame committing their pathetic deaths nor do I feel any shame proclaiming their deaths". He then turned and started to make his way to the door.

"Where do you think you are going?" boomed the commanding voice of the old man.

"If this was all you wanted from me, then I'm off.-". A large shadow then looms over him. He looks up to see the humanoid dog blocking his path, an angry look plastered on his face.

"Show Head-Captain Yamamoto the respect he deserves!" he barks.

"Respect is earned, not liberally given like air. And so is trust. So don't expect me to be spilling my origins out to strangers. Not get out of my way mutt" Arata threatens. Komamura growls down at the man.

A large presence then encompasses the room and renders everyone to their knees. Arata looks back to see Yamamoto glaring at him from his seat. "Do not act so tough young man. Especially when you do not have the strength to back it up-".

But then, to everyone's shock, Arata started walking, making his way to Yamamoto's seat. His steps are jagged and heavy, like he is walking through the thickest river of mud. He felt faint, like the pressure was going to make him explode. However, he could not let this old man put him in any place.

Step after step, he comes closer to the head-captain and shocks everyone present save for a man with spiky, belled hair. He looked at the man with a large bloodthirsty grin and eagerness pooling in his eyes.

It felt like an eternity but Arata did it. He made it to Yamamoto. As soon as he was within arms reach, he grabs his beard and pulls his face closer to his. "Congratulations old man," he pants. "It would seem that you have earned my respect... for now". He was then pushed far back by Yamamoto's cane. He lets off his insane pressure and everyone stands up, shaken and pained but overall okay.

"What is your name boy?" he asks.

"Arata Takahashi"

Yamamoto chuckles as Arata gets back up. "I must say you have a strong spirit Arata Takahashi. Not many could say they walked through my immense spiritual pressure"

"You were holding back weren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"Just a hunch"

Yamamoto regards him before getting back to business. "Regardless, the reason you are here isn't just because of your apparent kills"

"Oh?" Arata said, his interest piqued.

"Two weeks ago, A large explosion of reiatsu was detected within the world of the living, specifically in the middle of Karakura Town. According to a report made by lieutenant Abarai, You were spotted hours after said explosion. Not only was your behavior eerie, you also refused to answer any questions regarding to yourself or your origins" stated the head-captain.

"I don't need to tell you or anyone anything"

"Damn it Arata" growled Ichigo. "He's digging himself into a hole!"

Orihime looked on and prayed that Arata will make it out of this alive and well. Or that he had some sort of plan.

Arata, look at your situation. You are surrounded by high level fighters that can gang up on you. Think about your next move carefully.

'I have an I have decided that if they want that information, they need to earn it' Arata thinks, his stance clear

Oh my god...

The old captain glares at Arata in thought. He could simply have him killed for his crimes. Whether he denies it or not, or what his motives were, he is still a soul reaper. A soul reaper that has committed the most heinous of crimes not just once but numerous times. He needs to pay. However, he couldn't help but feel impressed by his strength and will. It brought the old man a sense of nostalgia he hasn't felt in a long time. It would be a great shame putting down this strong warrior like a rabid dog.

That is when Yamamoto came up with the perfect plan. "Arata Takahashi, I have a deal for you"

Arata's eyes narrow. "Explain this 'deal'?"

The Head-Captain's voice was serious as he said, "A simple deal. You defeat the captain of my choosing and I will let you go. Not only that, I will integrate you as a substitute soul reaper similar to Ichigo Kurosaki.". His "simple deal" shocks everyone present. Even the stoic Byakuya widen his eyes at such a thing. The only reason he was able to take on Byakuya in the human world was because his powers were sealed for the most part to prevent harm to humans and their world and Arata was essentially defeated by him, albeit in a close match, but still.

"And if I lose?"

He looks at Arata gravely and in a low, threatening voice, says,"You will be regarded as a threat to the Soul Society and its denizens and then you will die"

Arata puts his hand on his sword. "Try me. Who is my opponent?" he challenges, not wanting to go down without a fight. Yamanoto smiles at his bravery.

"Your opponent will be-"

"Me". All eyes turn to the one-eyed monster himself, Kenpachi Zaraki. He walks up in front of Arata and the two meet each others' gazes. They both see kindred souls and their itch for battle increases.

"What is your name?" Arata asks.

The man dons a crazed grin. "Captain Kenpachi Zaraki of squad 11. How about it Head-Captain? Can I fight him?" asked Kenpachi.

Yamamoto contemplates. Zaraki would surely test him and push Arata to his limits but would it be overkill? It would be like sending him to the executioners' block immediately. However, Arata will broke a sacred law, one that could not be overlooked. Besides, perhaps there was a chance? Ichigo Kurosaki was able to best him in a close match, why not Arata?

"Very well. To Sokyoku Hill" and everyone started leaving one by one with Arata, Ichigo, Orihime, and Renji being the last.

Ichigo pulls Arata aside by his shoulder harshly. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" he yells.

"What?" he said oblivious.

Renji then spoke up. "Arata, that captain isn't like Byakuya. He's regarded as the strongest fighter in a the entire gotei 13!"

"Good," he said shocking everyone around him. "It'll be a good fight then"

"You might die from this! You know that right?!" yelled an outraged Ichigo. He couldn't understand how Arata could be so calm about this. There was no way he could be this emotionless to feel no fear from potentially dying.

However, that was the case. "Death comes to us all at some random point. It could claim me today or... it might not. We will just have to see"

"Arata...". He then looks down to see Orihime, her face showing how concerned she was. "Please win. I don't want you to die"

"... There is no one hundred percent guarantee that I will win. Just put your faith in my abilities and pray that I might make it" and he follows behind the captains. The others follow suit and eventually they arrive at the rocky Sokyoku Hill, still scarred from Ichigo's battle and Aizen's betrayal.

Arata and Kenpachi stand many meters away, facing each other and waiting for the go ahead. The rest of the spectators stood back as they felt a large clash was going to occur.

Ichigo looks at Kenpachi and Arata respectively. He was so unsure of the outcome that he would say it would take a miracle for either one to win.

Arata plagued his mind however. He stood so calm and steady, his hand not even shaky. He couldn't help but admire that, even if there was also disgust mixed in as well. He was so calm, he was emotionless. He wouldn't react to anything, not even at the mention or memory of his mother's tragic death. How did he achieve such an impossible view?

"Are both fighters ready?" Yamamoto booms.

"Yeah" both fighters said.

The old man nods and says, "Begin!"

Arata and Kenpachi rush one another and clash blades. The force created from when they meet creates a large shockwave, pushing everyone present. The latter trained much since Ichigo beat him while he was attempting to save Rukia. He has gotten stronger but was delighted to see Arata matching up well against him. He hasn't even taken off his eye patch and the battle was already coming off on a great start.

Arata palms strikes Kenpachi's chin. He staggers back slightly but it gave Arata just enough space to work with. He switches his blades to his other hand and raises his empty one to make a palm near Kenpachi's chest.

"Shakkaho!" and he fires the red fire ball against Kenpachi's scarred chest. Though the power of the close range shot was great, it only slightly burnt the behemoth's chest. Arata from that point knew how strong this captain was.

Kenpachi frowns slightly and says, "You use kido huh? That's disappointing. I though we were gonna have a good old slash fest"

"A warrior must adapt to their situation and must be ready no matter what. Refusing to learn new techniques and skills is short sighted and will only serve in your future defeat" Arata states.

"Ha! Like I need to know that garbage. What good is it if I can just cut you!?" and he begins to assault Arata with powerful strikes. He blocks them but is floored by how much power he puts into each attack. This man was a monster through and through.

Luckily, Arata is a monster too.

He parries one of this strikes and pushes him off before delivering a devastating punch to kenpachi's bandaged stomach. Kenpachi spits out some blood and spit but only spits out more when Arata strikes the same area with his pommel before horizontally slicing him.

Before Arata could continue his offense, he feels a large slash go against his upper body. Both men stagger back. Arata looks down himself to see a large but relatively shallow cut bleeding through his torn clothes. Strange he thought. A strike like that should have cut him in two. He then recall his previous training sessions with Urahara and Yoruichi and them commenting on how tough his skin was. He passed them off at first but now it seemed like there was merit in their words. The cut still hurt though.

Meanwhile, Kenpachi examined his wound and notes how shallow it was as well. Arata could strike him hard but it would seem he was just slightly lower than him. He hoped that would not continue, for Arata's sake at least.

They attack one again, trading blow after blow against each other. Kenpachi goes for a decapitating cut but Arata shunpos behind him before he could cut his head clean off. He slashes his back quickly before Kenpachi turned and sliced his right shoulder.

"Head-Captain, what do you think of this?" The long haired captain asked.

Yamamoto looks at his pupil and says, "Arata is strong. He is evenly matched with Captain Zaraki. However..."

"That's just with his eye patch on" the shaded captain finishes off.

The long white haired captains' eyes widen. "You don't think Kenpachi is going to take off his eye patch do you?"

"With how this battle is going, I don't think so" Yamamoto states.

Ichigo and Orihime join them in their conversation, their eyes still trained on the battle. "What do mean?" Ichigo asks him.

"With every five cuts Arata gives Captain Zaraki, Zaraki returns one devastating one" Yamamoto explains. Ichigo grits his teeth, hoping with all his being Arata made it out of his self made mess while Orihime looked anxious. "I am sorry to say this but... it would seem that your friend is going to lose"

Returning to the fight, Arata flips his sword in a reverse grips and slices at Kenpachi's exposed neck. Such an attack would mean an immediate end and victory but he left stunned at what he saw; Kenpachi still standing, his grin no longer on his face.

"I cut your neck. How?" he demands. He then steps back and his vision blurs for a moment. Combining all the strong attacks he received, he was now suffering the effects of a bleed out.

Kenpachi frowns and says, "'Cause you didn't cut deep enough". He then sends an overhead chop to which Arata blocks but with much difficulty, his strength slowly depleting. "This fight was fun at first but in the end, it was a let down. You couldn't even push me to take off my eye patch" the captain complains.

Arata widens his eyes in realization. "You were holding back?" he growls. There was very little that would irk Arata. This was one of them, his opponent not showing off their true strength. It was like a mockery to his power and skill as a warrior.

"If I didn't this wouldn't even be called a fight. It would be a massacre!" yelled Kenpachi.

Arata pushes him off but his movement were sluggish. He attempts to rush Kenpachi but is stopped when he feels the man's blade gut him. He slides down the blade until he reaches the hilt but because of the sword's unique shape, he slides pass it to the hilt, blooding all of Kenpachi's sword.

Kenpachi grabs his sword by the blade, not bothered by its sharpness and pulls it through Arata's body. The executioner slumps to the ground, nursing his hole in his stomach. He feels faint and every sense started to shut down. He swore he heard Orihime scream out to him but he couldn't recall. He falls flat to the round and faint from blood loss.

"I have to help him!" Orihime said urgently. She then began to move but is stopped by the Head-Captain and his slightly raised spiritual pressure. She freezes as she felt like a pile of lead.

"You are not to help him! This is the fate he wove himself" Yamamoto ordered.

Knowing of how powerful the old dragon was, she still and watches with urgent eyes Arata's body. She pleads to whatever god that he would make it. That some miracle would happen so that Arata could live.

"Head-Captain, please reconsider this! Don't you realize how powerful Arata is? He can help us against Aizen!" Ichigo argures.

"I realize that but I am not inducting a killer if he does not prove himself! If he dies, he dies from his own words and action. You and I both know this Ichigo Kurosaki" Yamamoto replies.

Ichigo grits his teeth and look back to Arata's body to see his breathing slowing. He then looks down at Orihime and his expression saddens at the sight of the anxious girl. "Damn it Arata. You better make it"

In Arata's soul...

He walks through a black void, wandering without purpose. He didn't know why he was transported here but he felt like he knew the answer.

He was going to die.

He looks down his hand before balling it, making a frustrated fist. "I wasn't strong enough"

"More like you were prepared enough" echoed the voice.

He then began to feel the ground change as he walked. The solid ground shifted into a grass and the black sky began to turn into cloudy night sky. He blinks for a moment before an whole new landscape is presented before him. A familiar landscape however.

It was his old home with only a few differences. He remembered his childhood home in the middle of his old village, not in the middle of a dark forest surrounded by dead trees.

"Why am I here?" he says aloud.

"Because you are an idiot" mocks the voice. It was different though, like she was nearby.

He looks around him before landing his eyes on a figure approaching from the endless dark forest. It was female, about 5'6 in height with white skin. A hollow hole was present on her chest, just above her ample cleavage. Her hair was black as night but tied into a bun with a pale blue pin sticking from it. Her eyes were golden surrounded by black sclera. Her face was what shocked him the most.

Her face was an amalgamation of his mother and his mentor. Her nose and mole on her right cheek came from mother while her mouth and slight bags underneath her eyes came from his mentor.

Her clothes were also an combination of them. She wore the same light blue kimono with blue trim. The sleeves, however, were torn off. On her arms were the exact same tattoos as him. She also wore metal armor on her biceps, forearms, and shins like him and his dear mentor. She wore sockless sandal though, much like how his mother did.

She smiled as she approached him. To add to the strangeness of the situation, he was oddly relaxed. Probably because she looked like two of the most influential people in his life.

"I take it this is your true form?" He inquires.

"Yes. I waited long for you to find this place but you weren't getting it. It gets lonely in here you know? Way to make a girl wait" she teased.

"Your timing is very unfortunate. Do you know what happened just now?"

"Yes," she answers. "You were downed by that captain and you are currently bleeding out to death"

"This probably would not have happened if you just told me your name" Arata complained.

She sighs tiredly. "Honestly. You should have seen it before. You know who I am. I swear, you can be just so dense" she complains.

"But I don't know-"

"Yes. You do. Let me ask you a question Arata: Who are you?"

"I am Arata Takahashi-"

"No. Who are you really? You say you are Arata Takahashi yet what is Arata Takahashi?"

"I don't get you. Stop playing around the bush" he threatens.

She continues to smile. "I am what you are. You are what I am. Does that help?"

Confused but yet intrigued. He racks his mind for the answer that continues to elude him. She was him. He is her. What are they then?

He stops and looks down at her smiling face. The memories of his mother and Sakura flood him but yet he still couldn't find an answer. Until he remembered. She said 'what was Arata Takahashi'. He is a killer. He is an emotionless man. He is a-

His eyes widen. The answer really was in front of him. He truly can be an idiot at time.

In the Soul Society...

Arata struggles as he stand back up but he does just that. Ichigo and Orihime look on, on edge. He wasn't planning to continue fighting was he? He's already on death's door!

Yamamoto looks on impressed. Not many can withstand Kenpachi's fatal attacks save for a lucky few. Most of the captains and lieutenants are shocked by Arata's recovery save for a clown faced captain and his stone faced second. When he saw Arata stand back up, he saw the potential of a very intriguing experiment.

"Hey," He call out to Kenpachi. The man was walking away but stopped when he hears Arata call out to him. "We are not done here"

"I think we are. I've got no interest fighting opponents who can't fight back"

"I am still standing. I am still breathing. That means I am still good to fight. This won't end until either one of us is dead, you hear me?" Arata said.

"You barely have any strength left. Fighting you at this state would be like kicking a sick puppy"

"Are you sure about that?"

He picks up his sword and even out his breathing. He knows now. He knows what he is. Now... he can fight. He raises his sword up with the blade pointing to the ground.

"Execute my enemies: Hitokiri!" he calls outs.

White reiatsu surround his body and a large reiatsu shape forms above him. It takes the shape of his mask before wailing and crashing down on Arata, creating a wave of energy that crashed against everyone present.

Ichigo, Orihime, and everyone else is shocked by the rise of energy Arata showed. He was close to death but now, somehow, he pulled off a miracle.

Kenpachi meanwhile, grinned like a madman as he felt the energy dissipate, showing Arata and his transformed zanpakuto. It transformed into a doubled head axe with a black, silver, white, and gold color scheme. The pommel was spiked with three black fangs. The hilt was white with a short spiked golden handle. The rest of the handle looked to be made of white marble resembling a ghostly white woman. The axe head had white marble as well in the center, also showing the white woman. The blades of the axe had fang protrusions coming upward. The edges were silver while the rest of the blade was black. What stood out on this part was that the black looked like it was scraping off, giving the weapon an old, worn out but deadly vibe.

(A/N: The Ayakashi weapon set)

What also shocked everyone was that the wounds on Arata's body stopped bleeding and healed. Even though they were closed, Arata still felt worn out but stood battle ready.

Kenpachi looked eager but was caught off guard when Arata flash stepped suddenly in front of him and grabbed his eye patch and tore it off. The hitokiri steps back as he looks down the piece and sees multiple mouths on the one side, no doubt to restrain one's reiatsu. He tosses it ground and waits for Kenpachi to ready himself.

"Now... none of us is holding back"

Kenpachi looks at him, his grin widening. "You're damn right about that! You better not pussy out this this because I'll chop your head off if you do!"

Yellow reiatsu burst from his body and a skull forms behind him, signifying his terrifying power. Arata also raises his energy, white reiatsu surrounding him as his eyes then change. His dark eyes become even darker as his sclera became black and his irises became golden. He beckons Zaraki to step up.

"Come Kenpachi Zaraki. Let me show you what a Hitokiri is really capable of"